Tuesday’s 10 Takeaways

Today's 10 Takeaways

1. Biggest game a lot of these guys have ever played as Hawkeyes

— No one shied away from it. No one tried to couch this in an 'every game is a big game.' OK, a few of the players did say that, but I think only QB Jake Rudock said it with any even mild conviction.

WR Kevonte Martin-Manley was here in 2010 as a redshirting freshman. He remembered that game and he said this game, this opportunity is his biggest as a Hawkeye. He's like 44-years-old, he's been a Hawkeye for a long time. Have to respect that. (Kidding, kidding.)

2. 408 square yards of anything weighs a lot

— 408 square yards of mulch weighs 326,400 pounds. 408 yards of soil blends weighs 1,101,600 pounds. I'm not going to get too cutesy here. The Hawkeyes have a heavyweight in front of it this week, specifically the defense.

I'll probably write some about team defense this week, but that concept is kind of a big deal, particularly for the secondary. It will be caught in the no man's land of 'pass vs. run' against Melvin Gordon and the Badgers.

One thing to remember: When an offense has a back who rushes for 408 yards, it's not just the O-line that's invested in blocking. Wisconsin is tremendous at 'hat on hat' with TEs, WRs and fullbacks.

3. 1,000-yard stare

— WR Derrick Willies told HawkeyeReport.com that he wants to return to the Hawkeyes. I think a lot of folks read the Ferentz take the wrong way. When he was asked the question about allowing Willies back on the team during the Big Ten teleconference, he was just being told the news. 'Late breaking news, I just heard it three minutes ago. It's probably safe to say that for the next 11 days I'll probably be thinking about the teams we're playing. That's where my thoughts are right now.'

So, he probably has to weigh it and decide what the proper course should be. He's also got Wisconsin on his plate immediately. This is a team that could embarrass his team on national TV. You don't want that.

FWIW, I think Willies will be allowed back on the team. He probably won't play again this year, but with the extenuating circumstances with his father's health, I think KF ultimately cuts slack and they begin anew this spring.

But you're not going to hear a word about it until after the season. This is the biggest game Kinnick has seen in three or four years. Ferentz said what you should want your coach to say.

Here's Willies' statement to HawkeyeReport.com: 'I'm a Hawkeye. I thought I was putting my family first. Only after time did I realize I'm leaving my family here... my team. It's a lot to deal all at once when the man you look up to your whole life tells you he only has a little time left. My father is going to move here and I am going to try and get my place back on the team. That's all I have to say on everything.'

4. Tale of the tape

— I will be writing probably tomorrow about Nate Meier vs. Rob Havenstein. One is a 6-1, 244-pounder who played eight- or nine-man football in southwester Iowa. The other is a 6-8, 330-pound all-Big Ten offensive tackle.

I don't know how it's going to work, either.

5. Hey, Jake Rudock was recruited by Wisconsin

— Almost forgot about that. It was a long time ago now, but Rudock did say he was recruited by former UW coach Bret Bielema and it was an interesting process. That interview will be up on today's podcast.

6. You might not remember the Burlsworth Trophy, but I think you'll like the idea

— Senior running back Mark Weisman is one of 10 semifinalists for the 2014 Burlsworth Trophy. The award is presented annually to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on.

Hey, who doesn't like that idea?

BTW, you can get in on this. Fans are allowed to vote for their favorite player, beginning Nov. 18, at 2 p.m. CT. Voting can be accessed at www.burlsworthtrophy.com. Three finalists will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 25. The award will be presented Monday, Dec. 8.

Weisman is kind of what you're shooting for in college football (from UI SID office): In three seasons, Weisman has 556 rushing attempts for 2,466 yards and 30 touchdowns. He is just the third player in Iowa history to record 30 rushing touchdowns. He ranks fourth in career rushing attempts, eighth in rushing yards, and 12th in career scoring (186 points). Weisman is 1-of-8 Hawkeye running backs to rush for over 2,200 yards and score more than 20 touchdowns.

Weisman also excels in the classroom, as he was previously named to the 2014 Capital One District 6 Academic All-America first team. He holds a 3.32 grade point average and is majoring in health and human physiology. He earned academic All-Big Ten recognition in 2012 and 2013 and is a three-time honoree on the UI Dean's List

7. Gordon and Iowa dated

— It's a minor part of the Gordon story, but, yes, you guys know he once was committed to Iowa. I'll touch on it in the Gameday piece, but it's ancient history and a small slice.

Raise your hand if you think Bielema was going to let a Wisconsin native he really want to play at UW escape to Iowa.

8. I almost forgot, UW uses two QBs

— Joel Stave is the passer and Tanner McEvoy is the runner. I'll have to study more on how much they're used, but Stave is a classic pro-style guy and McEvoy is a converted safety who runs the zone read and such.

9. My theme this week

— As crazy up-and-down as this season has been, here Iowa is with a chance to play for a conference title at home in its final two games.

But . . . Iowa is a 9.5-point home underdog to the Badgers.

'Not often we're playing a team that just had a guy go 400 yards on the ground,' Ferentz said. 'All you have to do is look at the stats, they score 40 a game, and they give up 15. My guess is they are going to be favored in a lot of ballgames.'

10. Medical stuff

— WR/punt returner Riley McCarron is out this week with mono. He missed the Illinois game. I saw a few Hawkeyes on crutches. One guy I didn't recognize, so don't worry there. You already know about LB Travis Perry and his ankle injury.

Other than McCarron, I think Iowa is healthy. Let me rephrase, I think everyone will be able to play.

This week, man. It matters.

KF on the Big Ten teleconference

Opening

— Pleased to get a road victory. Happy to get win. 'We'll start getting ready today for a really big football game.'

Big Ten West round robin and 'scoreboard watching'

— 'Nobody here's going to do that [scoreboard watching]. Really, the only game that counts to us is the one we're playing. I'm sure everyone else feels the same way. I'm not sure if that was by design or if that's how the schedule worked out or how it all happened. I'm not sure how our scheduling works most of the time. I'm sure it's one of those deals. I think everybody playing this weekend feels like they're involved in big games. We certainly feel that way.

On this morning's news from HawkeyeReport.com that freshman WR Derrick Willies' wishes to rejoin the Hawkeyes. Has he discussed this with you and would he be welcomed with open arms?

— [Pause.] Derrick, you probably know the date better than I do [Oct. 27], came to me several weeks ago, I believe, and said he was interested in transferring closer to home. That's the extent of what I know. He chose to leave the team, which we felt bad about, hate to have anybody make that decision. But we've moved on certainly and I assume he has too. We're trying to get ready for a big game right now.

He said he intends to rejoin your program

— That's news to me. Whatever site that was on, I must've missed it. We've actually been trying to get ready for this game.

Q on stopping Wisconsin's running game

— You just about have to play perfect football. They've traditionally been a good rushing attack football team going back to the early '90s. They've run with great success against a lot of really good football teams historically. Certainly, what we're seeing right now is the same thing. They've got a great scheme, but most importantly, they've got players who are committed to doing a good job and who are capable of doing a good job. A lot of their football team is veteran and they're offensive line certainly reflects that. They've also done a great job of replacing some really good players. Last year, the position they really got hit at was the TE position. They haven't missed a beat there. They're playing three guys who have done a really good job there. They graduate one back to the NFL, James White to the Patriots, and they have another guy who's even better, with all due respect to James White. They've had a tradition of great backs. I'm not sure I've seen a better one than the one we're going to see this Saturday. He's just an outstanding football player.

Playing the last two games at home

— It worked out well. Typically, we open up on the road in the Big Ten. That's just a tradition here at Iowa. We've been on the road the last two weeks. This is just one of the weird years where we've got five games in November. The first one was here and then it was on the road for two weeks. It's great to be getting back to Kinnick. Anytime we play in Kinnick late in the season, it's a really good thing. We're going to need every bit of help come Saturday. I'm not expecting the crowd to lead us, but we need to do something to get them juiced up as well. It should be a great Big Ten environment.

Wisconsin's defensive scheme, the challenge of moving the LBs around to pressure

— They do it two different ways. What you see on first down and second down, I don't want to say it's simple because it's not simple, but they do a wonderful job of doing what they do. Then on third down, who knows what you're going to get there. They do a great job there. They've done a wonderful job up there coaching. You go in and try to sustain success, that's tough. This is the second staff that's been there since Barry retired and both have done a great job. Can't say enough about what Gary has done up there. Can't say enough offensively about what they've done since the early '90s, but defensively, it's totally different. And then this year, that's where they had their graduation. They have a lot of new faces up front. I say new a lot of those guys played last year, but it's amazing. They're playing at a higher level defensively than they were playing last year. That's hard to do. They've done a great job transitioning. Credit there goes to the players and the coaches. It's a team effort. They're an outstanding football team.

Would you allow Derrick Willies back on the team?

— It's a hypothetical right now. I hope you can understand this. I'm really kind of more focused on Wisconsin. Late breaking news, I just heard it three minutes ago. It's probably safe to say that for the next 11 days I'll probably be thinking about the teams we're playing. That's where my thoughts are right now.

Today's schedule — They're talking at around 12:45. Ferentz videos and transcript here around 4. Players and stuff to follow.

Thanks for reading.

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