Late arriving, but just in time

IOWA CITY -- In January, Iowa's total-team fireball so far this season was in a hospital bed wondering what in the H-E-double hockey sticks was going on with his body.

Jordan Bernstine was one of the 13 Hawkeyes who was stricken with rhadbomyolysis after a strenuous workout in late January. This isn't going to be a rehash. Fingers were pointed. Grandstanding was declared. In the end, it was a freak deal and that's that.

The moral of the story is how you deal with it. Three players left for various reasons, one only tied to rhabdo. Everyone else is healthy and on the team, including Bernstine.

If anyone could've run away from Iowa City and trumpet rhadbo as the reason why, it was Bernstine.

His body did some weird stuff.

"Yes, I got a little bigger. They all joked about it and stuff like that," Bernstine said Tuesday. Actually, Bernstine's brother, Keevon, posted on his Facebook page that Jordan was "fat as hell."

Water weight accumulated. It noticeably accumulated. Boy, did it accumulate.

"Overnight, I went in at 210 or 212 or something like that," Bernstine said. "The next day I was 245 or something. It was interesting. It's something inexplicable. Going through, it's funny to look back on now.

"It's in the past, just like everything else. I'm looking to the future now."

Don't gloss over the "everything else" in that statement. Bernstine has been there and back with injuries in his five years at Iowa. In fact, if it wasn't for the broken ankle before 2009, Bernstine's eligibility would've been used up by now. But the ankle took him out of the year and he was able to use his redshirt.

"It was a pretty nasty injury and he's come back now," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday. "[He] Had a good spring. Really was moving around well and doing a lot of good things and has just continued on."

Don't gloss over that "has just continued on."

Bernstine has been an all-conference "utility player." We're stealing the baseball term here for, basically, the guy who does a little bit of everything.

Bernstine stepped into the starting lineup at strong safety in week 3 and has 18 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. He's been even better on special teams. He's fifth in the Big Ten in kick returns with 23.0 yards on eight attempts. He threw a block that sprung Micah Hyde for a 30-yard punt return against Louisiana Monroe last week. He also scooped an Eric Guthrie punt before it went for a touchback and teammates downed the ball inside ULM's 5.

"He's doing a lot to really help our football team right now," Ferentz said.

Bernstine came to Iowa with a lot of recruiting hype, stars and all that. He admitted to some low points during five years of training room sitting, waiting for various injuries to heal. You know about the ankle. There also was hamstring and knee "dinks."

And, really, the true blow to the gut about the rhabdo was Bernstine had just come off of one of his better performances as a Hawkeye in the Insight Bowl.

He got through, stayed cool and stayed the course. He missed the training in the lead up to spring practice, but he made it through that and said Tuesday his fall camp was the best he's had in his five years.

"Sure, there were setbacks here and there, but I never stopped believing," the Des Moines native said. "When others did, I had my family there. They were still just pushing me. I believe in myself. I thought if I could just stay healthy, I would be able to help the team in some way.

"There might've been a time here and there where I second-guessed it a little bit. For the most part, you've got to be able to be confident in your abilities and go out there and do it physically."

Sure, there was the strep throat and the fever that went with it that held him out of the Iowa State game. He's still here. It's been five years of medical madness, but Jordan Bernstine is still here.

And just in time, if that makes sense.

Some extra quotage:

Tyler Nielsen

We've always got guys stepping in and filling in for guys who are either hurt or graduated. Two good examples this year are Jordan Bernstine and Tom Nardo. They've stepped in and done a fantastic job.

On Norm -- He likes football players and guys who love the game and go out there and give 110 percent. We've got some of those guys on defense this year.

What's diff -- The schemes are the same, it's new faces and finally starting to jell together a little bit, trying to run to the ball on every play. If you hustle, you hope good things happen.

How thin at LB -- I don't know, we're a little thin. We've got younger guys who are working hard every day in practice. They'll be ready when called upon. Same as last year. We brought Quinton Alston into the game. He was a guy who was planning to redshirt and now he's in the game, just like James Morris last year. If his number gets called, he'll go in and get it done.

More redshirts -- I don't think I'm the one for that question. -- In it to win it -- When you come here to play football, you want to get on the field and play. If you get that opportunity, whether it be through injuries or just earning a spot, you want to get out there and help the team. I think that's the approach everyone takes.

Jordan Bernstine

It feels good to actually be out there and helping the team. I'm trying to do it anyway possible, special teams and defense. I'll pass out water if I have to.

suprised it's taken off -- It hasn't really taken off. I'm just getting started in the defense and trying to settle in at the safety position. I feel like I'm finally getting comfortable and finally starting to help out a little bit.

during camp -- I was out there every practice, improving and competing. I felt like I had my best camp since I've been here, just going out and doing it on a consistent basis and competing everyday.

Low moment -- Broken ankle -- I'd say it was the ankle. I had a few things before the ankle, like hamstrings and little dinks in my knee and stuff like that. I feel like when I had the ankle, it set me back a little bit. I had to get back mentally focused and get back and do it physically.

We're kind of starting to jell more. We're having fun out there. We have guys congratulating guys. You see guys smiling when they're making plays, things like that. I feel like you need that as a defense, just to kind of give you that spark and keep everything going. -- You need a guy when it's just driving a little bit and stopping, you need a guy who gives you that spark and makes that big play. It just ignites the defense. I feel like everyone feels that energy and feeds off of it.

chance to be good -- I feel like any defense under coach [Norm] Parker has a chance to be there. We just have to go out and execute. We have the guys who can do it.

Bob sanders -- I know what you mean. I love watching Bob Sanders play, he's my favorite player, actually. Just being mentioned in the same sentence as him is a compliment for me. He's a great player and I just try to go out and help the defense. I'm trying to ignite it anyway possible.

hype recruiting -- It is what it is. I just go out and continue to try to get better. Sure, there were setbacks here and there, but I never stopped believing. When others did, I had my family there. They were still just pushing me. I believe in myself. I thought if I could just stay healthy, I would be able to help the team in some way. -- tough moments -- There might've been a time here and there where I second-guessed it a little bit. For the most part, you've got to be able to be confident in your abilities and go out there and do it physically.

Family members -- That's them telling me to believe in myself, just go out and keep doing what I've been doing my whole life, since I've started playing football. I've continued to do it, piled on more film work. As I've gotten older, I've learned a little more and just put it all together.

Rhadbo -- In a hospital bed -- When it happened it was kind of like, just another thing, like just gosh, but . . . I got through it. Yes, I got a little bigger. They all joked about it and stuff like that. I fought through it and feeling good and healthy today, so I'm thankful for that. -- I went through spring ball, but leading up to spring ball, I couldn't do anything for a few weeks or something like that. I was a little behind the curve to start, but I had to go out and keep moving and got back into shape and just went out everyday. -- bloated up -- It was water weight. Overnight, I went in at 210 or 212 or something like that. The next day I was 245 or something. It was interesting. It's something inexplicable. Going through, it's funny to look back on now. -- Family or some of the -- It's in the past, just like everything else. I'm looking to the future now.