Game Report: Iowa Spring Edition

PLAYS OF THE DAY

Quarterback Ryan Boyle shifted to wide receiver midweek and worked on the outside in Saturday's game. He scored the day's final touchdown on a 6-yard fade pass from Ryan Schmidt near the right corner of the end zone. A few plays earlier, Boyle broke a tackle from safety Kevin Ward and sprinted 38 yards, most of which were after contact.

'For him to do it on day three tells you what his athleticism is like,' said starting wide receiver Matt VandeBerg, who watched Boyle's catch and run concurrently as he spoke with a reporter. 'He did fantastic. He caught the fade for a touchdown. The sky's the limit for that guy.'

Defensively, cornerback Michael Ojemudia picked off quarterback Tyler Wiegers and returned the interception 17 yards for a touchdown. The play impressed fellow cornerback Desmond King, who had an interception of his own.

'Mike is doing a very good job,' King said. 'He's improved as well.'

GAME BALL

LB Josey Jewell. From the beginning of Saturday's game, Jewell was a tone setter for Iowa's defense. On an early running play, Jewell smashed into tight end George Kittle, who motioned into a lead blocker, and knocked him backward. Jewell continued past the line of scrimmage to tackle running back LeShun Daniels for no gain. A play later, Jewell blitzed, pushed back guard Dalton Ferguson and batted down a Tyler Wiegers pass.

By halftime, Jewell stood on the sidelines for good, which was just as well for the offense.

Jewell now is about five pounds heavier at 235. His voice carries just as much weight with his teammates.

'Being next to Josey, you've just got to be a bad ass all the time,' said weakside linebacker Aaron Mends. 'He's not going to let you slack at all. He takes it personally if someone's slacking off.

'He's definitely a mean guy ... not mean, but he's an aggressive player. He demands that from everybody.'

MAKESHIFT UNIT

Three key interior offensive linemen didn't compete in Saturday's game. Center/guard Sean Welsh suited up but didn't work in team drills, and guard Keegan Render also didn't participate. Incoming sophomore James Daniels has missed the spring after an undisclosed medical procedure.

With Austin Blythe's graduation, Daniels initially was penciled in as the starting center. Welsh, who suited up Saturday but was withheld because of an ankle sprain, worked at the position most of the spring. Welsh started 12 games at guard last year and two at right tackle. He said he's unsure if his move to center is permanent.

'It's kind of hard to say,' Welsh said. 'I enjoy guard. Tackle is fun every once in a while. I like the inside, it's wherever they put me. Football is football.'

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

Along with Welsh, Daniels and Render, Iowa missed a few other players in Saturday's open practice. Quarterback C.J. Beathard was withheld for a bruised shoulder, and running back Derrick Mitchell remains out. Defensively, linebacker Ben Niemann and cornerbacks Greg Mabin and Josh Jackson did not participate.

DODD TROPHY

Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz received public recognition before the game for winning the 2015 Dodd Award, which goes to the nation's top college football coach. Ferentz officially received the award Friday.

'On one hand, it's a little bit uncomfortable in the sense that we spent the last three and a half months trying to encourage our guys to move forward and focus on the 2016 season,' Ferentz said. 'As I've said before, any award like that is certainly a team award, so the credit goes to our 2015 team, the coaching staff, everybody did a wonderful job.'

Ferentz's humility rubbed off on Homer Rice, a former college and NFL head coach and Georgia Tech athletics director. Rice was among the contingent on hand at Kinnick Stadium.

'He's just like the general of the army,' Rice said. 'He's got a great staff and his kids respect him. You can see how they gravitate toward him and what a leader he is. He's a positive leader in every sense of the word. A great man.

'He's so calm. He doesn't want the credit himself. He wants the players and staff to have it. He's just solid all the way through. There are very few people like him in our profession, and I put him at the top.'

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