Depth Chart Monday: Gair starting at safety

Free safety Jordan Lomax will have to sit out the first half of Iowa's game at Pittsburgh this weekend.

Lomax, a junior, was ejected from the second half of Iowa's 20-17 loss to Iowa State after he was called for a targeting penalty. Lomax's shoulder hit wide receiver Jarvis West's head on a play in the fourth quarter. After a review, Lomax was ejected and Iowa was penalized 15 yards.

West stayed on the Kinnick Stadium turf for several minutes after the play. He was helped to the sideline and didn't return to the game. During his Monday news conference, ISU coach Paul Rhoads said West is expected to be fine.

In 2013, the NCAA's Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved a rule automatically ejecting players who target and contact defenseless players above the shoulders.

The automatic ejection will be added to the 15-year penalty already in place in cases of targeting. If a player is penalized in the first half, he will miss the remainder of the game. If he is penalized in the second half he will miss the remainder of the game and the first half of his team's next contest.

Gair, a 6-2, 200-pound sophomore from Plano, Tex., was credited with two tackles in his first game action last week. He also was called for an offsides penalty during ISU's game-winning drive.

Here's a link to Iowa's depth chart this week.

Freezing the middle

. . . Can't get into numbers too much right now. It's too early in the season. That said, points are a number and not having them is Iowa's No. 1 problem.

The worst thing for you about the ISU loss wasn't the trophy run, wasn't the ISU O-linemen and their shirtless pic in the Kinnick south end zone. It was Jake Rudock's interception over the middle. We'll get more into that in the 'where did Iowa's offense go (as in direction)” part of this post. You know Iowa avoids the middle of the field because that is where the majority of interceptions happen. You want Iowa to go over the middle. I imagine there will be a bit of a freezing effect here.

On Pitt . . . Coach Paul Chryst speaks later today. Pitt is 3-0 for the first time in a long time. That dominant win over Boston College looks really great right now, given the Eagles victory over USC. Then again, that was a three-time zone game for the Trojans. Those are so hard to win.

More football nerdiness

. . . Iowa's personnel groups last week against Iowa State:

11 (one RB, one TE) - 25 (37 percent -- last week this number was 61 and 73 percent)

12 (one RB, two TE) - 21 (31 percent -- the big departure, this was 7 percent of the O last week)

21 (RB, FB and one TE) - 8 (12 percent)

22 (RB, FB, two TEs) - 13 (19 percent)

23 (RB, FB, three TEs) - 1 (1.4 percent)

Where Iowa's O did stuff

. . . Here's what they did and where they went:

Series 1

- rush middle (+2 Weisman), rush right (-2 Weisman), rush left (+7 Rudock scramble)

Series 2

- pass short right (incomplete, Hamilton target), rush right (1 Smith reverse), pass short middle (+14 Bullock), rush left (-1 Bullock), pass short left (+6 Smith), rush middle (+4 yards Rudock called draw), rush middle (+2 Weisman), pass short middle (+8 Weisman), pass short right (+5 Smith), pass short left (+14 Bullock), rush left (+2 Weisman), rush left (+6 Weisman), rush middle (+1 Weisman), rush right (-1 Weisman), rush left (+3 Bullock), rush middle (+1 Weisman TD)

Series 3

- rush right (+5 Rudock scramble), rush left (+9 Canzeri), rush middle (+5 Canzeri), rush left (+4 Canzeri), rush middle (+6 Weisman), sack (-6 Rudock), pass short left screen (+11 Bullock), pass mid middle (incomplete, VandeBerg drop)

Series 4

- pass mid middle right seam (+33 Hamilton), pass short left (+4 Martin-Manley screen), rush middle (+5 Weisman), rush left (-1 Bullock), rush middle (+3 Bullock), rush middle (0 Bullock), pass mid left (+10 Hillyer), pass short right (incomplete, KMM target), rush left (+1 Weisman), rush left (+5 Rudock TD)

Series 5

- pass short left (-3 Bullock), rush middle (+13 Rudock draw), sack (-4 Rudock)

Series 6

- rush left (-3 Bullock), pass left short (+8 Hamilton), pass intercepted (Duzey target, mid middle)

Series 7

- rush right (+8 Rudock), pass left short (+1 KMM), rush middle (+3 Rudock), rush left (+9 Weisman), rush left (+2 Weisman), sack (-2 Rudock), pass short left (incomplete, throw away), sack (-1 Rudock)

Series 8

- rush middle (+5 Bullock), rush left (+8 Bullock), rush right (+7 Rudock scramble), rush left (+1 Bullock), rush left (+6 Weisman), pass short left (+2 Kenny), rush right (+2 Bullock), rush middle (0 Bullock)

Series 9

- pass short right (+9 KMM), rush middle (+4 Weisman), pass short left (+14 Smith), pass left short (incomplete, throw away), pass right short (+8 Smith), rush middle (+5 Weisman), pass short right (incomplete, Weisman drop), rush middle (+5 Bullock), pass short middle (incomplete, Hillyer)

Iowa at Purdue

. . . The Hawkeyes travel to West Lafayette, Ind., for a matchup with Purdue on Sept. 27. The game will kick at 11 a.m. Not sure what TV channel yet.

TWO DEEPS

Offense

SE - 4 ** Tevaun Smith ^ 6-2 200 Jr. Toronto, Ontario (Kent School, Conn.) 18 Derrick Willies 6-4 210 #Fr. Rock Island, Ill. (Rock Island)

LT - 68 *** Brandon Scherff 6-5 320 Sr. Denison, Iowa (Denison) 75 Ike Boettger 6-6 267 #Fr. Cedar Falls, Iowa (Cedar Falls)

LG - 79 Sean Welsh 6-3 285 #Fr. Springboro, Ohio (Springboro) 52 Boone Myers 6-5 285 #Fr. Webster City, Iowa (Webster City)

C - 63 ** Austin Blythe 6-3 290 Jr. Williamsburg, Iowa (Williamsburg) 58 Eric Simmons 6-2 295 Jr. Madrid, Iowa (Iowa Western CC) OR 57 * Tommy Gaul 6-3 280 Sr. Des Moines, Iowa (Dowling Catholic)

RG - 65 ** Jordan Walsh 6-4 290 Jr. Glendale Heights, Ill. (Glenbard West) 74 Mitch Keppy 6-5 298 So. Port Byron, Ill. (Riverdale)

RT- 78 ** Andrew Donnal 6-7 305 Sr. Montclova, Ohio (Anthony Wayne) 64 Cole Croston 6-5 270 So. Sergeant Bluff, Iowa (Sergeant Bluff-Luton)

TE - 82 *** Ray Hamilton ^ 6-5 252 Sr. Strongsville, Ohio (Strongsville) 80 ** Henry Krieger Coble 6-4 250 Jr. Mount Pleasant, Iowa (Mount Pleasant)

WR - 11 *** Kevonte Martin-Manley 6-0 205 Sr. Pontiac, Mich. (Brother Rice) 89 * Matt VandeBerg ^ 6-1 175 So. Brandon, S.D. (Brandon Valley)

WR - 17 ** Jacob Hillyer 6-4 208 Jr. Somerset, Texas (Somerset) 22 * Damond Powell ^ 5-11 180 Sr. Toledo, Ohio (Rogers HS/Snow CC)

QB - 15 * Jake Rudock 6-3 208 Jr. Weston, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas) 16 * C.J. Beathard 6-2 203 So. Franklin, Tenn. (Battle Ground Academy)

RB - 45 ** Mark Weisman 6-0 240 Sr. Buffalo Grove, Ill. (Stevenson) OR 5 *** Damon Bullock 6-0 205 Sr. Mansfield, Texas (Mansfield) 33 ** Jordan Canzeri 5-9 192 Jr. Troy, N.Y. (Troy) OR 29 * LeShun Daniels, Jr. ^ 6-0 230 So. Warren, Ohio (Harding)

FB - 42 * Macon Plewa 6-2 236 Jr. Franklin, Wis. (Franklin)

PK - 1 Marshall Koehn 6-0 195 Jr. Solon, Iowa (Solon) 2 Mick Ellis ^ 5-10 OR 180 Fr. Allen, Texas (Lovejoy)

Defense

LE - 34 * Nate Meier ^ 6-2 244 Jr. Tabor, Iowa (Fremont-Mills) 98 ** Mike Hardy 6-5 280 Sr. Appleton, Wis. (Kimberly)

LT - 71 ** Carl Davis 6-5 315 Sr. Detroit, Mich. (Stevenson) 56 Faith Ekakitie 6-3 287 So. Brampton, Ontario (Lake Forest Academy)

RT- 90 ** Louis Trinca-Pasat 6-3 290 Sr. Chicago, Ill. (Lane Tech) 99 Nathan Bazata 6-2 284 #Fr. Howells, Neb. (Howells-Dodge) OR 67 Jaleel Johnson 6-4 310 So. Lombard, Ill. (Montini Catholic)

RE - 95 * Drew Ott^ 6-4 270 Jr. Trumbull, Neb. (Giltner) 49 Melvin Spears 6-2 268 Jr. Allen, Texas (Allen)

OLB - 41 Bo Bower 6-1 220 #Fr. West Branch, Iowa (West Branch) 39 ** Travis Perry 6-3 232 Jr. Urbandale, Iowa (Urbandale)

MLB - 52 *** Quinton Alston ^ 6-1 232 Sr. Sicklerville, N.J. (Timber Creek Reg.) 39 ** Travis Perry 6-3 232 Jr. Urbandale, Iowa (Urbandale) OR 50 Chad Gilson 6-1 235 Sr. Urbandale, Iowa (Urbandale/Northern Iowa)

WLB - 6 * Reggie Spearman ^ 6-3 230 So. Chicago, Ill. (Simeon) 36 ** Cole Fisher 6-2 233 Jr. Omaha, Neb. (Millard North)

LC - 13 Greg Mabin 6-2 195 So. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Calvery Christian Academy) 28 * Maurice Fleming 6-0 200 So. Chicago, Ill. (Curie Metropolitan)

SS - 37 *** John Lowdermilk ^ 6-2 210 Sr. Carrollton, Ohio (Carrollton) 19 Miles Taylor ^ 6-0 185 Fr. Silver Springs, Md. (Gonzaga College)

FS - * Anthony Gair 6-2 200 So. Plano, Texas (Prestonwood Christian) 27 ** Jordan Lomax 5-10 200 Jr. Upper Marlboro, Md. (DeMatha Catholic) 12

RC - 14 * Desmond King ^ 5-11 190 So. Detroit, Mich. (East English Village) 7 ** Sean Draper ^ 6-0 190 Jr. Cleveland, Ohio (Glenville)

PT - 16 Dillon Kidd 6-2 230 Jr. Deerfield Beach, Fla. (El Camino CC) 98 ** Connor Kornbrath ^ 6-6 240 Jr. Bridgeport, W. Va. (Bridgeport)

Specialists

Punt Returns:

89 Matt VandeBerg 11 Kevonte Martin-Manley

Kickoff Returns

: 10 Jonathan Parker 33 Jordan Canzeri

Deep Snaps

: 97 Tyler Kluver

Holder:

98 Connor Kornbrath 16 Dillon Kidd

* - - Letters won ^ - - Redshirt year still available # - - Indicates redshirt freshman

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@sourcemedia.net