Depth Chart Monday: B1G weekly honors getting tougher to claim

Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett won his third Big Ten offensive player of the week award for his performance against Michigan State last weekend.

The freshman (!!!?!?!?!?!?) is having a ridiculous season and tore apart the Spartans previously untearable defense: accounting for 386 yards of total offense and five touchdowns to lead Ohio State to a win at Michigan State, the Buckeyes' Big Ten record 21st consecutive conference victory.

(Unless Minnesota's Jerry Kill wins out, if Urban Meyer doesn't win conference coach of the year, then we - voters - should be lobotimized.)

Barrett completed 16 of 26 passes for 300 yards and three touchdowns. He added 86 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.

Here's the rest of the award bio:

' Wins his third Offensive Player of the Week and fifth Freshman of the Week award

' Last Ohio State Offensive Player of the Week: J.T. Barrett (Oct. 20, 2014)

' Last Ohio State Freshman of the Week: J.T. Barrett (Oct. 20, 2014)

It's kind of ridiculous. If you consider Barrett's circumstances, a freshman jumping in after two-time conference player of the year Braxton Miller injures a shoulder and is ruled out for the year, it's tremendous.

Savor those B1G player of the week honors. They're going to be tougher to come by.

Iowa DT Louis Trinca-Pasat earned co-defensive player of the week for three sacks against Northwestern. DE Drew Ott won it after the Ball State game. Freshman RB Akrum Wadley became just the second Hawkeye to win the B1G freshman of the week award for his performance against Northwestern (CB Desmond King because the first Hawkeye to win that last year after Ohio State. The award has been around for at least a half dozen years.)

Barrett has three B1G POWs this year. Iowa quarterbacks have won three since 2004. James Vandenberg won it after leading a comeback against Pitt in 2011. In 2010, Ricky Stanzi earned the award after winning at Michigan. And in 2004, Drew Tate earned the honor after Iowa beat Ohio State. Tate also was the Big Ten player of the year as a sophomore.

This isn't a 'no respect for the Hawkeyes” rant. What it is is 'it's going to be really, really difficult for a team that doesn't play in primetime to win any sort of tangible respect unless they win their way into it” rant. Does that make sense? Iowa 2002 played one game at night, but finished 8-0 in the league and won lots and lots of honors.

Minnesota beat the living daylights out of Iowa last week. I thought two performances were B1G player of the week-worthy: QB Mitch Leidner accounted for 215 yards. He completed 10 of 13 for 139 yards and four TDs for a passer rating of 267.2 TE Maxx Williams caught three of those TDs and made a pair of toe-drag sideline catches that will keep a lot of Minnesotans warm while ice fishing this year.

Minnesota was blanked. Barrett was the lone offensive winner. He led the Buckeyes to the biggest win of the Big Ten regular season on ABC or ESPN primetime. OK, Wisconsin linebacker Vince Biegel had three sacks against Purdue in an 11 a.m. kick and won defensive player of the week. Purdue's Paul Griggs won special teams player of the week with a pair of field goals of 50-plus.

I do think there's something to the primetime game, but mostly Barrett is great and deserving and Ohio State must be paid respect.

As for Iowa, three QBs winning B1G offensive player of the week in 10 years isn't great, but I don't know how it compares to, say, Minnesota or Wisconsin. It's probably comparable.

The actual depth chart

. . . Iowa announced Monday morning that junior linebacker Travis Perry will miss the rest of the regular season. He suffered an ankle injury on Iowa's final kickoff at Minnesota.

'Unfortunately, Travis suffered a lower leg injury and will be out for at least four weeks,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said in a statement. 'That will keep him out of the remainder of the regular season.”

So, freshman Josey Jewell starts at weakside linebacker this week. Sophomore Reggie Spearman also returns from a two-game suspension following an OWI arrest on the Oct. 25 weekend.

Freshman guard Sean Welsh had an injury at Maryland and has since not started. He played some at Minnesota, but he's listed No. 2 behind junior Jordan Walsh. There are some other cosmetic changes in the OL two deep. Last weekend, freshman Boone Myers played left tackle and freshman Ike Boettger played left guard. They're listed at different spots today.

Junior Jordan Canzeri is back on the depth chart. Ferentz said he wasn't 100 percent last week, so they didn't play him. He probably sees time this week. I'm going to guess that freshman Akrum Wadley's performance in mop-up doesn't buy him more time in the lineup. Same for QB C.J. Beathard.

Everything else is the same. I think a lot of Minnesota was correctable for the defense. For the offense, maybe half is fixable. They have three more games to show it.

TV stuff

. . . This week's game is 11 a.m. on BTN.

The start time and television information for Iowa's home football game against Wisconsin on Saturday, Nov. 22, will be announced next weekend, probably Saturday night as it was this week.

More football nerdiness

. . . Iowa's personnel groups last week against Minnesota. Iowa's passing game curled up after the interception. It wasn't all playcalling. A lot of it was protection and a lot of it was Iowa's receivers' inability to beat UM's man coverage.

12 (RB, two TEs)

- 12 (21.4 percent) Saw this group four times in Iowa's opening drive, its only one of consequence. Just basically had to junk it with the big deficit. I know, Iowa hasn't used the TE much in the last couple of weeks. I wouldn't scream too loudly about that. It's been a net neutral at best this season.

21 (RB, FB, one TE)

- 20 (37 percent) Iowa ran this same formation eight times during its fourth-quarter scoring drive. Fullback mattered a ton vs. Northwestern, but didn't help the running game launch when it mattered. Not the fullback's fault. Holes weren't hit. Blocks weren't sustained.

11 (RB, TE)

- 22 (40.7) As we've seen in the past, Iowa defaults to spread 11 when it finds itself in a big deficit. During the first drive, the Hawkeyes converted third downs out of this group, including an excellently executed screen to RB Damon Bullock. When Iowa needed points, this group was broken by poor pass protection.

23 (RB, FB, three TEs)

- 3 (5 percent) It worked on goal line for Iowa's first TD.

22 (RB, FB, two TEs)

- 2 (3.7 percent) Last week, Iowa ran 22 personnel 23 times (32.3 percent). The running game never unfurled. There was no need for the fullback when the run was so thoroughly stuffed.

10 (RB, no TEs)

- 1 (1.8 percent) Iowa did this on the third play. Four wide receivers lined up to the wide side of the field and faked a WR screen to Kevonte Martin-Manley. Instead, Jake Rudock hit Bullock out of the backfield and Walsh and tackle Andrew Donnal got out to block. It went 24 yards for a first down. First time I've seen that group this year. I think that's it for this play, though. It's out there now.

Where Iowa's O did stuff . . . Here's what they did and where they went (formations included):

Series 1

- rush middle (0 Weisman, 12), pass short left (incomplete, Hamilton target, 12), pass short right (+24 Bullock, screen, 10), rush right (+2 Weisman, 21), rush middle (+3 Weisman, 11), pass mid right (+15 Smith, 11), pass mid middle (+20 Smith, 11), pass batted down (incomplete, Smith target, 12), rush right (-1 Weisman, 12), pass deep middle (PI on #31, Smith target, 11), rush middle (+1 Plewa, 23), rush left (0 Weisman, 23), rush middle (+1 Weisman, 23, TD)

Series 2

- pass batted down (incomplete, Smith target, 12), rush left (+2 Weisman, 12), pass short left (+11 Bullock, screen, 11), rush middle (+5 Weisman, 21), rush left (+2 Weisman, 21), pass short right (+5 Martin-Manley, 11), pass deep right (intercepted, Martin-Manley target, 21)

Series 3

- rush left (+8 Parker, jet sweep, 12), rush left (+2 Weisman, 22), rush right (+4 Weisman, 21), rush left (+2 Weisman, 21), pass short middle (incomplete, Martin-Manley target, 11)

Series 4

- rush middle (+1 Weisman, 21), pass short left (+2 Plewa, 21), pass short left (+3 Smith, 11)

Series 5

- pass deep middle (incomplete, fumble, sack, 21)

Series 6

- rush middle (+3 Wadley, 11), pass mid right (incomplete, Hillyer drop, 11), pass deep left (incomplete, Smith target, 11)

Series 7

- rush middle (+7 Wadley, fumble, 11)

Series 8

- play-action pass, seven-step drop (sack, 11), screen pass left (-4 Bullock, 11), pass short middle (+2 Bullock)

Series 9

- pass short left (+2 Duzey, 11), Rudock scramble (+8, 11), rush middle (+1 Weisman, 12), pass short left (incomplete, Smith target, 11), pass mid middle (incomplete, Martin-Manley target, 11)

Series 10

- pass mid middle (incomplete, VandeBerg target, 11), sack (-5 Beathard, 11), pass short left (incomplete, Wadley target, 11)

Series 11

- rush right (+12 Wadley, 21), rush middle (0 Wadley, 21), pass short middle (-1 Wadley, 21), sack (-6 Beathard, 11)

Series 12

- rush middle (+16 Wadley, 21), rush middle (+7 Wadley, 21), rush right (+4 Wadley, 21), pass left short (+9 Stone, play-action, 21), pass deep right (incomplete, Stone target, 21), rush middle (0 Wadley, 21), rush middle (+21 Wadley, 21), pass deep left (incomplete, McCarron target, 21), pass deep left (+24 Stone, TD, 21)

Points of interest

. . . Good stuff from Iowa's SID office.

' In Big Ten games only, the Hawkeyes lead the conference in pass defense, allowing 121.4 passing yards per game. Iowa's pass offense ranks No. 2 in the league with 232.8 yard per game.

' In Big Ten games only, Iowa leads the Big Ten averaging 27.1 yards in kickoff returns. In five league games, RB Jonathan Parker averages 27.4 yards per return, No. 2 in the conference .

' Iowa has converted 11 fourth-down attempts, the most in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes have scored two touchdowns on fourth down (one pass, one rush).

' Iowa has outscored its opponents, 94-38, in the first quarter. The plus-56 differential ranks 10th in the nation.

' Iowa scored a touchdown on its opening drive at Minnesota, marking the third straight game the Hawkeyes scored a touchdown on their opening drive.

' RB Mark Weisman has 30 career rushing touchdowns, the third most in program history (Shaw, 33; Banks, 33), and the most in the Kirk Ferentz era. He is one of eight players in school history to surpass 2,000 career rushing yards and 20 career rushing touchdowns. He has 2,332 career rushing yards, the eighth most in program history.

' QB Jake Rudock has 4,036 career passing yards, the ninth highest total in school history. His 28 career touchdown passes are the ninth most in program history. He is the 10th player in program history to pass for 4,000 career yards.

' WR Kevonte Martin-Manley leads Iowa with 37 receptions. He ranks No. 3 in school history with 159 career receptions. He needs 15 catches to break Iowa's all-time receptions record (Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, 173). Martin-Manley ranks No. 16 with 1,624 receiving yards.

' Iowa won five straight against Illinois – it's longest winning streak of the series – before falling 27-24 at Illinois in 2008, the last meeting between the teams.

' Kirk Ferentz is 5-3 all-time against the Illini, including a 2-2 mark at Illinois.

' Illinois ranks No. 2 in the Big Ten in pass offense (267.7 ypg), while Iowa ranks No. 2 in pass defense (180.1 ypg).

' Illinois surrenders 483.1 yards of total offense per game. Iowa averages 378.8 yards of total offense, No. 6 in the league.

' Illinois averages a league-high 41.2 net yards per punt. Iowa averages 4.1 yards per punt return, No. 14 in the Big Ten.

' Iowa has converted 11 fourth down attempts, more than any other school. Illinois is 2-of-9 on fourth down, No. 14 in the Big Ten in terms of conversions and conversion percentage.

Footage of historic Iowa-Notre Dame 1939 game now online . . . From Iowa sports info:

Motion picture footage of the historic 1939 Iowa-Notre Dame football showdown, which helped ensure Nile Kinnick's selection for the Heisman Trophy at the end of the season, is now online in celebration of this week's 75th anniversary of the game.

The rare silent color film footage, about 18 minutes in length, was produced by the University and features highlights of many of the plays in Iowa's possession. The footage also includes views of Iowa Stadium (renamed Kinnick Stadium in 1972), the Hawkeye Marching Band, the Scottish Highlanders, and many of the thousands in the stands who witnessed the game that day.

The Nov. 11, 1939, contest ended in a 7-6 upset victory for Iowa over the heavily-favored Fighting Irish, which were ranked No. 3 by the Associated Press at the time. The Hawkeyes finished the 1939 season at 6-1-1, a remarkable turnaround from a combined 2-13-1 record the previous two seasons. It was the first season for coach Dr. Eddie Anderson, a Mason City native who, ironically, had played and coached under Knute Rockne at Notre Dame during the 1920s.

Nile Kinnick, wearing no. 24, kicked 16 punts for 731 yards in the game, both Iowa school records that still stand today. The team's nickname was the Ironmen, owing to the versatility of the players on both offense and defense.

The film, part of the University Archives' collection, was recently digitally reformatted and added to the Iowa Digital Library (http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ictcs/id/21612/rec/20) and the University's youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7KdLxwuDmE&list=UUxeHlUzzLotmE8Yo9R-8m6w).

The Papers of Nile Kinnick are housed in the University Libraries' Department of Special Collections and University Archives, and are featured as part of the Iowa Digital Library at http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/kinnick/. The collection includes family photographs, correspondence, diaries, and scrapbooks.

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