Look on the bright side of life ... Hawkeyes can handle loss of Hampton ... sort of

Having just one running back with a career total of carries anything close to substantial (91) is always a source of unease.

When that running back has a knee injury of some sort -- and who knows what sort it is? -- the unease turns into downright angst.

So it is with Iowa and sophomore-to-be Jewel Hampton. But I say ... things could be a lot worse.

a) The injured player could be offensive tackle/man mountain Bryan Bulaga.

b) The injured player could be Pat Angerer, a linebacker with aggressiveness and good instincts.

c) The injured player could be shutdown cornerback Amari Spievey.

d) The injured player could be punter Ryan Donahue, who (seriously) was one of the most valuable Hawkeyes in 2009.

e) The injured player could have been (gulp) quarterback Ricky Stanzi.

Football history is strewn with teams that didn't lose a beat after losing a back. Seeing a key OT or LB or CB or P or QB go by the wayside would be far worse.

So sing along with the Monty Python crew.