Iowa LB James Morris cleared to play Saturday

IOWA CITY - Iowa sophomore middle linebacker James Morris said he's cleared to play this week after re-injuring an ankle last week against Indiana.

"It feels good right now," Morris said. "I re-aggravated it a little bit last Saturday, but that's just part of the deal with a high-ankle sprain. You work through it and every day I'm just trying to improve."

Morris leads the Big Ten in tackles per game with 10.5. He did not play against Northwestern on Oct. 15, but started against Indiana. He later left the game.

Morris said he has treatment twice each day. He said the injury can limit his effectiveness on the field.

"When you have a high ankle sprain, it's really hard to push off ," he said. "If I'm taking on a 300-pound lineman, and I really need to push and use my whole body to separate, that kind of stuff is tough."

He added that there are few ways to compensate for the injury.

"I don't know if you really do, especially with the nature of the position," Morris said. "But at the same time, I guess there's some things  you can do to work around it. I'm still figuring that out."