Northwestern pregame -- Players video

Redshirt freshman Shane DiBona started at outside linebacker last week and he might be there again this week. He's from Duxbury, Mass., a suburb about 20 minutes outside of Boston. He's a Red Sox fan, but he has very little or no trace of a Boston accent. Also, he talks about the Boston area being underrecruited and the inroads Iowa has made there.

Iowa strong safety Tyler Sash said, of course, it's hard to overcome nine turnovers, which has been the problem against Northwestern the last two seasons. He's also asked about concussions. Also, he goes over the expectations that were heaped on the D-line this season and the role that unit has had in a defense that is ranked 10th in the nation in total defense.

Guard Julian Vandervelde talks about the "razor-thin" situation with the injuries that have kind of bitten the right guard sport. Also, he talks about Andrew Donnall and Brandon Scherff as two true freshmen who've caught his eye. Also, he talks about the D-line and how it's not "all about sacks."

Junior cornerback Shaun Prater talks about Iowa D-line and the lack of sacks and how hard it is to get a sack. "They're doing their job," he said. "They're tossing people around and their great in the running game." Also, Prater has become a standout on special teams. He talks about a rugged high school track workout that helped him build stamina.

Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi talks about Northwestern's cover 4 defense and there's a little bit on the play that ended his season last year. He's not worried about it. He's forgotten about it. "If you change the way you play after injury, it's not something you're supposed to do," he said. He doesn't think Northwestern gets enough credit for what they've done in the Big Ten.

Senior defensive tackle Christian Ballard talks Northwestern. Also, he talks about the frustration the D-line hasn't felt with the whole sack situation this season. Iowa's production in that stat is down, but the defense is still one of the top in the Big Ten. "The frustration level is not high at all . . . As long as we're stopping the run and helping the team win, we're happy."