Gloves, hairy arms and hunger

IOWA CITY -- Marcus Coker actually smiled Tuesday.

This was a three days after a dismal performance -- for a running back -- in Iowa's season opener. Coker, a sophomore with a resume of eight games, fumbled twice and averaged just 3.7 yards on 11 carries against a mediocre FCS opponent in Tennessee Tech.

Coker wasn't laughing off his performance, mind you. He's a serious person and is serious about his craft. He arrived early at the Iowa football complex Sunday and watched the game video by himself.

"I saw a lot of room for improvement, a lot of lack of focus," said Coker, who made a name for himself with 219 yards and two TDs in Iowa's Insight Bowl win over Missouri. "I saw a lot of things I needed to fix and a lot of things I needed to improve on."

Then, he was asked about his gloves in Saturday's car wash of a game. For the first fumble, he had them on. He took them off and then fumbled again. It was one of those days.

"Whenever you focus on trying not to fumble, probably nine times out of 10, it's going to happen again," Coker said.

He was informed the forecast for the Hawkeyes' game against Iowa State (1-0) Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium is 75 and sunny.

"Sounds like heaven," he said.

Then, he was asked whether or not his hairy arms have anything to do with fumbling.

"I don't think so, never had a problem with it before. I don't think so," Coker said. "I might shave it all off. I might do that for you guys."

It's kind of gallows humor time for the Iowa running back situation.

The Hawkeyes lost freshman Mika'il McCall with a broken ankle for an unspecified period of time. Initially, Ferentz said McCall, a 6-foot, 226-pounder, was out for the season. Tuesday, he was more optimistic.

"There's a chance Mika'il could be back at the end of the year," Ferentz said. "That's possible. If he can, we're trying to win today, so that's possible."

After Saturday, Ferentz said the depth chart at running back would be discussed over the next 48 hours. In the vein of dark humor . . .

"It didn't take 48 hours. It took about 48 seconds," Ferentz said.

It's Coker. It's junior walk-on Jason White. It's redshirt freshman De'Andre Johnson, who's now two years removed from a torn ACL. It's true freshmen Damon Bullock and Jordan Canzeri.

Bullock burned his redshirt Saturday when he lined up as a slot receiver and dropped a pass. He's in and he's probably headed toward running back. Canzeri, a 5-9, 180-pounder, is down the list, but will be considered if push comes to shove.

"[Bullock] just acted like he belonged out there, so we felt like we could go ahead and push him forward," Ferentz said. "We'll probably change his role a little bit. We were leaning towards the passing game, but we'll just shift him back to the back field now."

Ferentz admitted when he watched middle linebacker James Morris return an interception 52 yards last week, he did let the thought that maybe Morris could perhaps play some running back. He did, afterall, rush for 6,646 yards at Solon High School. But no, you can't throw just anyone at running back at the FBS level and Morris is way too valuable at linebacker.

"We have players at that position. They're the ones who are going to do it," Ferentz said. "We lost one guy, I'm not minimizing that. You guys saw what we saw the last three weeks [referring to McCall]. We're not going to shut down the season. We lost one player. We'll just keep pushing forward. We've got other guys who can play."

That brings us back to Coker.

Fumbling is now a bona fide topic with him. The two he had Saturday makes it three in his eight-game career, including one that sank the Hawkeyes (1-0) last season in Minnesota. Perhaps it's time for some perspective: Coker is a second-year sophomore who missed most of camp with a broken collarbone last August. He's also played only eight games.

Ferentz is definitely in the wait-and-see category.

"I don't know what everybody's expecting," Ferentz said. "If they're expecting 220 yards a game, that's not realistic. . . . But we've been around Marcus now for over a year. He's a tremendous young man, quality person, quality player, and he'll bounce back. That would be my guess."

The good humor came and went Tuesday. Coker knows his response will be measured a million different ways.

"Complacency is something I don't want to ever come in contact with," he said. "It's just staying hungry."

Extra quotage (Why just delete this after going to the work to transcribe? Please don't judge the punctuation and spelling here. It's "quotage," quick and dirty.):

Coker

Just trying to get that game out of my head, trying to focus on the next team and next opponent.

I came in by myself and watched it before the rest of the running back group got there. Just broke it down. I saw a lot of room for improvement, a lot of lack of focus. I saw a lot of things I needed to fix and a lot of things I needed to improve on. -- the load -- We'll see how the carries go. I'm trying to wrap my head around that. -- After Insight -- It's something I try not to focus on too much, try to block it out of my mind and stay hungry. -- Regional SI -- I did, but someone had to tell me about it. My mom made me go pick up a few, but that's about it. -- huge responsibility -- No more than before. We have other playmakers out there. I just have to do my part for us to win games. It's not like it's all on my shoulders. We have Vandenberg, Marvin and Keenan. -- Staying humble -- It's just part of staying hungry. Complacency is something I don't want to ever come in contact with, it's just staying hungry. -- Game staying with -- It is, but I'm trying to block it out of my mind. -- Hostile environment -- Trophy -- I don't know. As long as we try to come home with it, all that matter.

75 and sunny -- Sounds like heaven. -- Technique -- Be more aggressive than I was last week. That's probably the one technique thing. It's not so much technique technique, but just being more aggressive with blocking and all that kind of stuff.

Just thud in practice -- First thought -- It varies, it varies. Most of the time, it's try not to let it happen again. Sometimes, I beat myself up more, it gets to me a little more. Sometimes, I'm able to shake it off really quick. It just all depends. -- That's our No. 1 goal every week, ball security. I mean every week. It's our No. 1 goal. -- Reprove -- It is what it is. I didn't perform. Mika'il came in and played well. Do I have to prove anything, I feel like I have to prove more to myself than to my coaches. --

on McCall -- He's hanging in there. I talked to him. He's keeping his head high. That's the most important part when you get injured. I went through the same thing last year, nothing as severe. I told him if he needed something, I'm here. -- When someone gets hurt, everybody has to pick up the slack.

How did you run on Saturday -- I felt like I have a lot to prove to myself. -- I think I might've been thinking too much and not just going out there and playing football. -- disappointing -- It's one of those things that eats at you, but you try to block it out of your head when you have another game coming at you, you can't think about it too much.

details -- I started the game with gloves on. The first fumble came, so I took them off. Then I fumbled again . . . It definitely was. Whenever you focus on trying not to fumble, probably nine times out of 10, it's going to happen again. -- What wear -- 75 and sunny, that's what I'm hoping for. That means gloves.

Put behind -- It's something I'm looking forward to. I'm a little nervous, but at the same time, it's something I'm excited for. -- I think getting nervous and a little bit of anxiety makes you play better.

first fumble -- Yeah, some people can block it out better than others. Sometimes, I can block it out. It didnt' happen that time. -- first carry -- Everything, just a perfect carry.

hairy arms -- I don't think so, never had a problem with it before. I don't think so. I might shave it all off. I might do that for you guys.

KF

RB discussion -- It didn't take 48 hours. It took about 48 seconds. -- We have what we have. We have Marcus and we have Jason, two guys who have been in games. And then, Bullock and De'Andre Johnson are the most veteran after that and then Jordan Canzeri. Flip a coin with the other two, we'll just see what this week looks like and keep going. -- James Morris -- I actually had that thought when he was running. I'm not lying, not that I ever lie, but I did have that thought on Saturday. -- No, we need him at linebacker. -- We have players at that position. They're the ones who are going to do it. We lost one guy, I'm not minimizing that. You guys saw what we saw the last three weeks. We're not going to shut down the season. We lost one player. We'll just keep pushing forward. We've got other guys who can play.

Proactive on ball security -- You don't want anybody to have an mental block. We emphasize it every week, every day.

James Vandenberg

ON MARCUS HAVING WEIGHT ON HIS SHOULDERS

I don't know if he put a weight on his shoulders, but at the same time I think he realizes we've got to take care of the ball, no matter what the situation is, no matter who's in there. After those first two, he did a great job of covering it up and getting downhill and that's what we expect out of him.

It's just a bump in the road. You've got to keep pushing forward. I don't think people are just going to jump on my neck after I throw an interception. I don't think anybody jumped on him for immediately fumbling. It was just something where we knew, ‘OK, it's not something he's going to do again and we're going to keep going.'

The conditions made it where we needed to be a little bit more cautious and not saying that's an excuse, but we have to get better at ball security.

HOW DO YOU FLUSH BAD PLAYS

It's just something that you have to realize that sometimes the defense is going to make a play. They're trying every play to make it as hard as they can for you, whether it's tipped, overthrown … there's a lot of quality players on the other team. It's only going to be worse if you kind of dwell on it.

If anybody knew that it's Rick. Over the three years watching him overcome adversity, he would never flinch. Ever. He didn't flinch in practice, he didn't flinch in games. That's something that really rubbed off on me.

CAN MARCUS BOUNCE BACK

He can definitely bounce back from this. Everybody knows he's an awesome player, and we definitely need him we all expect him to be fine this week.