Iowa football #MusterOneUp Mailbag: Maybe Brandon Snyder tore his Austin City Limits?

Lots of clamoring for change with the Hawkeyes this week.

Head coach Kirk Ferentz has been asked about punting during his last three news conferences. The offensive line is troubled, and so Ferentz was asked about true freshman Tristan Wirfs and sophomore Levi Paulsen. Depending on Manny Rugamba's health, a corner position could change this week.

And, hey, Brandon Snyder is back. Really.

The junior, who suffered a torn ACL in April, was medically cleared to return last week and dressed at Michigan State. He didn't play, but Ferentz said this week that's likely happening Saturday against Illinois.

In August, Snyder didn't know how this was going to go.

'Right now, I'm taking it day-by-day,' Snyder said. 'You can project all you want and play that game, but it doesn't really get you anywhere. It doesn't help my knee heal. So right now today, I'm just focusing on what I can do today to strengthen my knee, work on my running and all of that. Hopefully at the end, at some point, I can come back. If not, that's OK.

'It's all about if I can help the team. If I can add value to the team, if I can help us win a game, then I'll go out there and play. If it's too early and I'm not doing any good, then I don't want to be out there.'

It sounded grim, in August. Then Tuesday, Ferentz was all checkered flags on Snyder's return.

When interviewing Ferentz during Big Ten media days in August, I asked Ferentz about preserving the game of football. He talked about how medical personnel are intertwined with the game and how that needs to continue to grow. Ferentz's answer on Snyder's return illustrates this. (Ferentz also probably thought he had to say something, because Snyder's return from the ACL is way ahead of industry standard.)

'Everybody goes through a really extensive protocol, and that's way out of my realm,' Ferentz said. 'I just listen, and they tell me what's OK, what's acceptable, what isn't acceptable, those kinds of things, and we've been tuned in here for about a month on this thing.'

Welcome to 'Muster One Up' mailbag No. 6. That one guy called my house about this column. I put my dog on the phone.

I'm always looking for contributions on Twitter, Facebook or email. Questions, comments, over/unders, please use the #MusterOneUp hashtag on Twitter.

October 4, 2017

#Musteroneup Mr. Morehouse, Does Dr. James Andrews wear Brandon Snyder underwear?

— Rob (@RobBatt80)

Let's just take a minute with this one.

Rob starts with a familiar greeting. Then, he references the most famous sports surgeon of all time. The finishing move is perfection. We've heard the 'underwear' line before. I might not be remembering correctly, but didn't Superman wear Tim Dwight underwear? I think he did.

This is why I stick with Twitter. You guys are so, so funny. I might have to hook up Rob with a Hawkeye T-shirt.

Do you think given the Hawks issues running behind a banged up O line, maybe it's time to pass to open things up for the run? October 4, 2017

Do you think given the Hawks issues running behind a banged up O line, maybe it's time to pass to open things up for the run? #MusterOneUp

— Scott Chambers (@herky71)

1) It's past time to do that. The second quarter last week was when the alarm was going off. That said ...

2) I think if Iowa could just flip this switch, it would.

One thing I find myself telling people to remember is remember when Iowa couldn't pass the ball last year? The 1,919 yards last year was Iowa's worst output since 1982. That all doesn't go away in one year with a coordinator and QB change, not to mention the total turnover at wide receiver.

Nick Easley was catching passes at Iowa Western Community College last year. He's said they had 900 fans for big games.

Iowa's pass protection has been better this season, but the last two weeks, QB Nate Stanley has been under fire quite a bit. QB hits and hurries were on the verge of double digits.

There's always going to be more risk involved with the pass. I got the feeling last week that Ferentz would go there if he felt he had to, but it's still not a comfort zone for this offense.

But it's better than last year. Baby steps.

4 TE Set? It's time! October 4, 2017

4 TE Set? It's time! #MusterOneUp

— McWillE (@EzraMcWilliam)

Wouldn't be surprised to see Iowa's blocking TEs (Peter Pekar and Nate Wieting) get a longer look this week. Ferentz has said everything is on the table. If Pekar or Wieting can seal an edge, that'd be a pretty valuable commodity for an offense that hasn't found what it's looking for in the running game this season.

Ferentz said a lot of things were being looked at. I wouldn't be shocked if this was one of those things. At times against Michigan last year, Iowa made a living off quick-hitting outside zones.

with KOK as qb coach now, are you noticing any difference in qb play this year over the last couple? October 4, 2017

with KOK as qb coach now, are you noticing any difference in qb play this year over the last couple? #MusterOneUp

— Damon Dodson (@DamonDodsonUofI)

Skills-wise? Not really. C.J. Beathard was more of a runner than Stanley, but running isn't what wins you the Iowa QB job. That's ancillary.

What each QB is allowed to do at the line of scrimmage? Yes, that has changed. Stanley doesn't have as much wiggle room in what he can call at the line of scrimmage.

'You can't play with handcuffs on totally, but we're probably not asking him to do as much as we will later in the season or certainly next year moving down the road,' Ferentz said this week. 'I think Nate has done a pretty good job overall with that stuff. Handling things, feeling things, that should improve with each week, too.'

Couple caveats: This isn't the same offense, not exactly the same, Beathard ran last year. There's a new coordinator and a QB coach. One thing with O'Keefe that I do expect to improve for Stanley is anticipation. It's a little QB and a little receiver, but some throws are a tad late. Not a killer for the offense, but chains have to move.

Has Polasek changed anything from the previous years: weekly practice drills, blocking drills, LOS audible calls etc October 4, 2017

Has Polasek changed anything from the previous years: weekly practice drills, blocking drills, LOS audible calls etc #MusterOneUp

— Andrew Twachtmann (@States111)

I'm sorry, I don't know.

On one hand, Iowa has an O-line coach emeritus in Kirk Ferentz and an O-line Jedi in Brian Ferentz. That said, if you're Tim Polasek, you don't sign on if you're not given some freedom to coach your guys, have your voice and have your ideas heard. No one on this level wants intern duties. (That's what grad assistants are for.)

To that end, Iowa has run some very, very North Dakota State run plays the last few weeks. Watch for more of those.

October 4, 2017

#musteroneup Does Iowa offense operate better with a F-250 of a rb then they do with the sports car of a rb?

— Dustin Feldman (@feldy53)

This sounds like something I would've said on a podcast. I like it.

I'm going to go ahead with a qualified yes. Shonn Greene was the dream. He was 6-0, 230 and fast. He also had great eyes and could see the field at an advanced level. You're also talking about an offense that had Mark Weisman, a 6-0, 230-pounder, as its primary back for three seasons. As soon as I post this, someone is going to tweet at me that Weisman was a fullback. Book it. (OK, maybe no one reads this!!)

That said, Akrum Wadley has never shied away from running inside. He's a fearless competitor.

He's just not 230 pounds. That said II: Iowa went most of the summer knowing Wadley was going to be the primary back. Maybe it got a little squeamish about the sports car and maybe that led to bringing in Toyota Tacoma James Butler.

And now Butler is out for a while (still unclear, maybe after the bye week and maybe not). He was getting 10-plus carries a game. Maybe he was supposed to be the pickup counter to Wadley's Camaro?

Clearly, the staff has been somewhat squeamish about using Toren Young (a Toyota Tundra, had one and loved it) against the likes of Penn State and Michigan State. Same for Ivory Kelly-Martin (I'm calling him a Volkswagen Golf GTI, which I currently own with the spy package).

Iowa's inventory is running a little low right now, but Wadley will get you where you need to do. He's 'the' guy right now.

October 4, 2017

#MusterOneUp: How many carries should Wadley get as RB? Overall touches (receptions/jet sweeps/etc)? Who should get the rest? Quantity?

— HARRISON (@HD_starr)

I've always liked 20 carries for Wadley and 25 overall touches, a few more or less depending on what Iowa needs. Wadley is a clutch performer and you're not going to throttle down on his touches if you NEEEEEEED him.

The rest? Tougher question because Iowa has been reluctant to use the 'rest' in a game that wasn't against North Texas. I think it's obvious they really like Kelly-Martin and I could see him inheriting something like Wadley's role next year. And I think they like Young, too.

I think the big factor that's put a kink in all of this is Iowa's number of plays. Yes, it hit 80-plus against Iowa State and North Texas, but turnovers cut Iowa's plays in half against Wyoming. Defense cut Iowa's plays to 45 and 57 against PSU and MSU.

At 66.8 plays per game, Iowa is 102nd in the country in plays run. That's the biggest reason you haven't seen a lot of experimentation on offense.

Does Iowa do any "self-scouting" as a way to find tendencies or does the predictability never end? October 3, 2017

Does Iowa do any "self-scouting" as a way to find tendencies or does the predictability never end? #MusterOneUp...

— David Schwickerath (@pebace)

I'm going to go ahead and call this a 'questment.' It's part question and part statement. I like it.

Of course, Iowa self scouts. Everyone self scouts. It's a big part of being an offensive coordinator. What does Iowa self scout? How? I could do this job until the end of time. Kirk Ferentz might still be the coach and we still wouldn't have a detailed answer on that. Just how it goes, not just here but at a lot of programs.

Here's what Ferentz said when asked about it after the Wyoming game: 'We are watching all that stuff quarter-to-quarter, series-to-series, because you know your opponents are doing the same thing. You're always watching what you're doing and trying to be mindful; so you're at least taking it where you want to take it. Doesn't always work but at least you're trying to steer it a little bit.'

I think what you're getting at is the shell of Iowa's offense hasn't changed and so the first conclusion to go to is predictable. When really, if you track the game, Iowa has been well balanced in what it calls out of each personnel group.

That didn't help a lot last week. And self scouting is a fair question after Iowa called a run on a third-and-12 in its territory against the Spartans and it went for a 1-yard loss.

October 4, 2017

@marcmorehouse Is it too late to #MusterOneUp ? More to OL issue than just Ike's injury. Lots of guys hurt, right? How to heal rushing game?

— Ken Augustine (@kaugie01)

Let's run this like dominoes falling and with sketchy punctuation: Ike Boettger's season-ending Achilles injury pushed Sean Welsh, Iowa's best OL, out of position to tackle and then remember center James Daniels missed Wyoming with a back or knee injury and that's affected his play and, of course, Boone Myers' ankle has been a season-long issue and left tackle Alaric Jackson is brand, spanking new.

All that said, I think Keegan Render has improved and is grading better than last season.

I'm just throwing this out there, but there needs to be a degree of timing in the running game. The back has to hit the hole when the hole is ready. PSU and MSU were able to penetrate Iowa's outside zone and stretch it to the sideline. Injuries have probably affected the inside zone even more.

Market correction coming this week against Illinois, but will there be backsliding against Ohio State and Wisconsin or will Iowa's O-line be healthier? Health might be wishful thinking. This is football.

October 4, 2017

#musteroneup If you graded performance on a beer-relation scale, what would be 1 (bad) & what would be 10 (Busch Light, negotiable)

— Josh Sandin (@RealJoshSandin)

The running game last week was Billy Beer. That's the beer that was named after President Jimmy Carter's brother 'Billy.' Josh, the 1970s were different.

The passing game against Iowa State was Pliny the Elder, a beer by Russian River out of San Francisco. It's hard to get here, coincidentally, but totally worth the horrible crime that is mailing beer.

Iowa's defense the last couple of weeks has been Miller High Life. Classic and just damn good.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com