Video: Iowa offense sharpens its passing attack

IOWA CITY - Iowa's key cogs in its passing attack chose consistency over complacency this spring.

Quarterback Ricky Stanzi and a veteran group of wide receivers often met and worked out together before spring practice just to maintain their timing. Once they hit spring practice, the group was ready to take the passing attack to another level.

“There's really no excuse for not meshing with the receivers when we've been together for a long time,” Stanzi said Saturday following the team's spring scrimmage. “It's been more so guys trying new positions and trying to work out those little kinks when moving around on the receiving corps and changing from one side to the other."

Along with the senior Stanzi, who started 11 games last year and threw for 2,417 yards and 17 touchdowns, Iowa returns its top two receiving threats from a year ago. Senior Derrell Johnson-Koulianos led the team with 45 catches for 750 yards. Junior Marvin McNutt caught 34 passes for 674 yards and a team-high eight receiving scores.

To combat potential lackadaisical workout attitudes, both receivers shifted to the opposite receiver position in practice. The versatility will help the team with potential injury situations and also in presenting match-up challenges for opponents.

“We've done a little bit of that, moving guys around, and that's going to be good for them and good for us, too,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Because you just never know how things are going to work out injury-wise.

“We're certainly better than we were a year ago at that position.”

The shifts weren't easy on the players despite the past success. It involves lining up on the opposide side of the field and catching a ball over a different shoulder. The footwork for those plays, Stanzi said, doesn't often come naturally.

“There's some different routes and there's some different depths that not a lot of people see, so that's been more the challenge this spring, getting everybody familiar with the whole offense,” he said.

Stanzi has just about finished all rehabilitation from an ankle injury last fall that caused him to miss two games. McNutt said he's more comfortable with the offense after a full year at wide receiver.

“I tried a lot of different things this spring,” McNutt said. “Coach (Erik) Campbell said don't ever be just one side or one dimensional. He's putting me in everything because you never know what's going to happen during the season.”

Along with the shifts, Stanzi and McNutt have dealt with complacency just by intensifying their workouts. McNutt, in particular, deals with it in attitude.

“I want to make sure I stay consistent in everything I do and make sure I always keep the mindset that you want to kill everybody that steps in front of you,” he said.