Rashs of injuries at linebacker position forcing Hawkeyes to rely on younger players

Iowa isn't out of inside linebackers. Two players will lineup next to junior Tyler Nielsen today.

Which two is the hard part.

The last you saw Iowa's defense, true freshman James Morris was in the middle and red-shirt freshman Shane DiBona was on the weakside during Wisconsin's game-winning TD drive last week. The way the Badgers had it going, the linebackers could've been Butkus and Nitschke.

Senior middle linebacker Jeff Tarpinian probably is out with the stinger neck/shoulder injury that has kept him out most of the last three games. His replacement, senior Troy Johnson, left in the fourth quarter last week with a stinger. He said he'll be OK and did practice this week.

Senior weakside linebacker Jeremiha Hunter left last week's game with a knee injury. He returned, but had to leave again late in the game.

On his radio show Wednesday, Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said Tarpinian has a “chance” and that Hunter was “questionable.”

During an interview Wednesday, Tarpinian said his injury hasn't improved.

“It's something they (coaches and trainers) thought would get better and it hasn't, unfortunately,” the fifth-year senior said. “I'm still working on it and doing whatever I can, but it's still not really improving as much as I would've hoped or anybody would've hoped.”

So, maybe Tarpinian and probably not Hunter leaves Iowa with Johnson, Morris, DiBona and senior Lance Tillison, who played some last week, too, at the two inside spots with Nielsen on the strongside.

Tarpinian is at practice everyday, lending his brain to things. He is an academic all-Big Ten, so that has to help. This week, the linebacker focus has been on Morris and DiBona, from the sounds of it.

“They're talented athletes and they're picking up things quickly now, especially now with a little more sense of urgency right here,” he said.