Hawkeye linebacker lineup gets another jolt

IOWA CITY - The Hawkeyes started the season with two seniors and a junior at the three linebacker spots. Going into this weekend, it's freshman, fifth-year senior reserve and ... really good question.

“We'll see who is healthy today and who can do what,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday.

Iowa's linebackers had been hit hard by injury the last two weeks, but it took its hardest hit Tuesday when Ferentz said junior outside linebacker Tyler Nielsen would miss “weeks” with a neck injury.

Sources told The Gazette there is a break, but the extent is unknown. Nielsen, a 6-foot-4, 235-pounder from Humboldt, left in the first half last Saturday against Michigan State. He returned to the bench in gym clothes to watch the game and then gingerly jogged off the field.

That Nielsen was up and moving around is a positive sign, but the utmost caution will be taken with even the slightest crack in a vertebrae.

“It's a tough thing,” Ferentz said. “It's a tough loss for us. First and foremost, it's tough on Tyler. As an individual he wants to play out there; it means an awful lot to him. He's going to be out for a while. We have to try to get through that. It's tough. We'll just see what happens here.”

Nielsen was Iowa's last uninjured starter from the first whistle in camp.

Senior middle linebacker Jeff Tarpinian broke a hand in camp and then a neck/shoulder stinger kept him out of most of three games. He returned last week and played in passing situations. Senior weakside linebacker Jeremiha Hunter injured a knee against Wisconsin and missed last week's game. Ferentz said he could return to practice Tuesday and go from there.

In Iowa's 37-6 victory over Michigan State last week, freshman James Morris and red-shirt freshman Shane DiBona started at the inside spots. When Nielsen left, fifth-year senior walk-on Ross Petersen entered.

As the No. 15 Hawkeyes (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten) travel to Indiana (4-5, 0-4), it's a fluid situation.

“That's one of Iowa's things, the next man in,” strong safety Tyler Sash said. “We had a lot of guys check into the game Saturday and they did fine. Now they have a week to prepare and get their feet on the ground. They should be ready.”

Morris, a 6-2, 215-pounder, will be the middle linebacker. Yes, he's fresh out of Solon High School, but he's been around the Iowa football program for years. His stepdad, Greg, is Iowa's equipment manager.

The plan all along for Morris was to play special teams instead of sitting out as a red-shirt. Just before camp, he was switched to middle linebacker, where linebackers coach Darrell Wilson thought he'd be the No. 3.

As of now, fifth-year senior Troy Johnson is listed as the starter on the weakside. Johnson entered the season with one start. Now he has three but this would be his first on the weakside. Ferentz called him a candidate for the outside linebacker job, too.

DiBona could play it. Freshman Christian Kirksey has never played it and isn't a possibility.

Outside linebacker is the biggest question. Iowa asks its outside linebacker - Iowa calls it “Leo” - to play the strongside of a formation, usually over a tight end. Nielsen waited two seasons behind A.J. Edds, a Miami Dolphins draft pick, and was off to a terrific start (third on the team with 42 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, an interception and four passes broken up).

Right now, it could be Petersen. It could be Tarpinian. It could be Johnson. It very well could be senior Lance Tillison, who was the fourth linebacker in 3-4 schemes last Saturday.

Ferentz was asked about outside linebacker. “You have Ross Petersen and then ...”

“Yeah, and then,” he said. As in, really good question.