The Quickest Slants . . . (Cowboy boots and a bow)

I'm going to try to keep an open conversation going on Tuesdays. I usually try to tweet out of the news conference, but I'm finding that it's easier to update my blog, for whatever reason, from the concrete basement of the Hayden Fry Football Complex.

So, those will go here.

Also, Kirk Ferentz speaks on the Big Ten teleconference before he meets reporters in Iowa City. You'll get the gist of that here, too. That's about 11:40.

And who knows what else happens between the now and then. We'll try this attempt at info flow. If anyone has real, logical objections, please let me know.

Today, we'll start with a note from the Biletnikoff Award folks. (This is an award I've held a vote for during the last seven or so years and consider it a privilege.)

You might know a couple of these names:

Weekly Top 40 Stats

Receiving Yards Leaders - All Players

RK PLAYER TEAM REC YDS AVG LONG TD

1 Marquess Wilson, WR WSU 15 429 28.6 80 4

2 Michael Floyd, WR ND 31 397 12.8 33 2

3 Quinton Patton, WR LT 18 388 21.6 72 3

4 Chris Givens, WR WAKE 20 366 18.3 60 3

5 Jordan White, WR WMU 29 363 12.5 43 2

6 T.Y. Hilton, WR FIU 17 363 21.4 83 3

7 B.J. Cunningham, WR MSU 26 361 13.9 55 1

8 Robert Woods, WR USC 33 361 10.9 43 4

9 Paul Richardson, WR COLO 18 360 20.0 78 4

10 Darrin Moore, WR TTU 21 339 16.1 56 4

11 Dwight Jones, WR UNC 20 336 16.8 66 4

12 Justin Blackmon, WR OKST 27 329 12.2 40 3

13 Cole Beasley, WR SMU 28 326 11.6 38 0

14 Eugene Cooper, WR BGSU 18 323 17.9 76 6

15 A.J. Jenkins, WR ILL 22 322 14.6 72 2

16 Justin Hunter, WR TENN 17 314 18.5 81 2

17 Marvin McNutt, WR IOWA 18 313 17.4 88 2

18 Kendall Wright, WR BAY 20 312 15.6 66 3

19 Stephen Hill, WR GT 8 311 38.9 82 3

20 Josh Boyce, WR TCU 21 306 14.6 68 2

21 Aaron Pflugrad, WR ASU 18 305 16.9 60 4

22 Keenan Allen, WR CAL 20 301 15.1 37 2

23 Marvin Jones, WR CAL 17 296 17.4 51 3

24 Conner Vernon, WR DUKE 20 292 14.6 53 2

23 Sammy Watkins, WR CLEM 21 292 13.9 65 4

26 Patrick Edwards, WR HOU 13 289 22.2 58 3

27 Mike Scott, WR IDHO 22 285 13.0 51 1

28 Darius Johnson, WR SMU 17 282 16.6 33 0

29 Rodney Stewart, RB COLO 18 277 15.4 52 0

30 Eric Page, WR TOL 25 274 11.0 66 3

31 Deon Long, WR UNM 15 265 17.7 69 0

32 Da'Rick Rogers, WR TENN 20 262 13.1 47 4

33 Josh Jarboe, WR ARST 16 258 16.1 71 2

34 Keenan Davis, WR IOWA 17 254 14.9 32 2

33 Colin Lockett, WR SDSU 12 254 21.2 68 2

36 T.J. Graham, WR NCST 12 252 21.0 67 2

37 Cobi Hamilton, WR ARK 13 252 19.4 54 1

38 Dan Buckner, WR ARIZ 18 251 13.9 54 1

39 Taveon Rogers, WR NMSU 14 249 17.8 42 4

40 Mike Edwards, WR UTEP 15 244 16.3 42 0

There is a "Green for Greenwood" Facebook page. Check it out here.

As you know, former Iowa safety Brett Greenwood suffered an apparent heart attack on Sept. 9. He remains in the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Whatever you choose to wear Saturday, keep sending your thoughts and prayers to a young man who makes the world better.

 

Kirk Ferentz on the Big Ten teleconference:

Conference leading rushers are QBs, what's it say? -- I think things go in cycles. I'm not surprised. I haven't looked at the stats. I know Michigan has a prolific producer. This is our fourth straight week playing a QB with a lot of designed runs. That's the way college football is going right now. -- Change preparation? -- Very few teams running wishbone. Anytime a QB threat to run alters your preparation. It's one more area that the defense has to be responsible for and puts pressure on you.

WRs -- Very pleased. We weren't sure coming out of camp outside of Marvin McNutt. It was a huge question mark for us. For Keenan, I think he's taken big steps the last two weeks. That's really encouraging. And then Kevonte Martin-Manley, the same thing. Certainly that was his best day Saturday and showed some signs two weeks ago. For us to have a representative team, we're going to need some help at that position in particular.

ULM -- It's a real difficult preparation. They're very diverse and almost have two separate attacks out of two different personnel groups. It's a very tricky preparation. On defense, I'm thinking back 13 years and I'm trying to remember a preparation like this defensively. It's very unique, and they've got good, athletic, aggressive players. They've got us scratching heads scratching our heads a little bit right now.

Find anything out on Vandenberg? -- He was only a two-game starter coming into the year, but I think we all looked at him a little differently, like he was a starter last year even though he wasn't out there. He's earned our trust and confidence just by being the way he is, on the practice field and everywhere you see him. All that being said, he hasn't played. I try to temper my enthusiasm for him and I still do. He's only started five games in his career. He's got a lot of work to do still. He had a lot of bumps Saturday. There were some times when he got stuck in the mud a little bit and things weren't real clear for him, but he heated up pretty good there in the second half.

Remind you of any other QB you've coached at Iowa -- Matt Rodgers was honorary captain. He was 5-6 and then next year Rose and 10-1-1 season. Came into place for him. Good ones have an air about them and personality, end of the day they lead the team and move the team.

Adjustments for Vandenberg -- It was a team thing as much as anything. Receivers got open. We protected better. We played better, collectively. Things fell in place. Hopefully, that will help his confidence.

Kickers, getting their confidence back -- You try to accentuate the positive. Golfers go into slumps. Pitchers lose their stuff at points. There really is no magic potion. You go back to work and study what you're doing. If you're not hitting balls, you go hit balls. I'm not a good Dr. Phil guy. You just go back out and swing the bat.

I get one half of one bar down here. Seems to work, kind of.

IPhone, Verizon, I endorse you both.

This is the only thing KF is late for all week, 12:35 and counting. Meh, how it goes.

Healthy and injured are progressing, KF. Nothing new.

Leadership group votes on captains every Sunday.

Zach Derby was the best TE Saturday, KF.

CB Shaun Prater and CB Micah Hyde has a bet going on interceptions. Dinner is up for grabs, but it's a points system. Prater has had a pick 6, worth 3 points, but Hyde kept pace with the game-winning pick last Saturday. So, it's 3-3. It's quality and not quantity.

Though, Prater did say it's Joseph's in IC if he wins. Hyde liked that idea, but added that he would be happy with Wendy's.

OL Nolan MacMillan and CB B.J. Lowery are possible for Penn State, per KF. Why is this important? Inside trio of OL had its struggles in the first half Saturday. And another body in the secondary can't hurt.

On Iowa's D, don't get hung up on who's in and who's out. It's going to evolve all season. The players were told that in camp.

On the no-huddle, just as you might've thought, no real answer. But really we all should already know the answer -- whatever it takes to win.

Does anyone know where Van Wert is? I don't. That's where Joe Audlehelm is from. QB James Vandenberg said Audlehelm is a friend and he was really happy to see him contribute on special teams Saturday. Also, Audlehelm "wears cowboy boots and owns a bow," Vandenberg said.

So, he's Chuck Norris?

I didn't ask Zach Derby if he thinks his brother, A.J., should play linebacker, too. I did ask the walk-on junior TE what his dad, John, a former all-Big Ten linebacker at the UI, thought of having two sons who play offense with the Hawkeyes.

He said his dad always thought he [Zach] just looked like a TE and the family thinks it's fun watching A.J. develop as a QB.

Another defensive theme, this is a no-name defense, something Norm sold during the preseason. It's true, too.

Vandenberg was calling plays during portions of the two-minute drill. When they decided to go no-huddle, two-minute, here's how the conversation went: OC Ken O'Keefe told Vandenberg, it's 24-3, from here on out we're going two minute. There was no eureka. It simply was a gear they slipped into.

It worked and whatever works. That's how it's supposed to work.

Oh, and in the wake of reserve linebacker Bruce Davis' departure, senior Tyler Nielsen is the No. 2 MLB. He's also healthy, Ferentz said. Nielsen suffered a sprained ankle early against Iowa State.