Iowa football #MusterOneUp Mailbag: The Lost Ferentzism

'Muster one up' has been sort of lost in Iowa lore.

'Lore' might be too strong of a word. Lore is often spread by word of mouth. 'Muster one up' takes care of that all by itself.

The scene: It was the end of 2011, not a great season for the Hawkeyes and yet they still did beat Michigan. Anyway, Iowa was assigned to its second consecutive Insight Bowl. This time it set up Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops.

Ferentz and Stoops are good friends. Neither of them was particularly excited for the game. Iowa had a spate of uncomfortable news that week, from a player being sent home to another player needing hospitalization to battle dehydration to whatever else.

Ferentz walked off the field after practice and right into a horde of mics, cameras and notebooks. Boom. All of the questions were on the uncomfortable news from that week.

Oh joy. Ferentz had enough.

'Boy, you guys have great sources,' he said. 'I passed gas out there about an hour into practice, did you guys catch that on mic or not? I'll see if I can muster one up for you right now.'

I'm the guy in the back who said, 'Please don't.'

The reasons I'm ressurecting this is 1) it was six years ago, 2) it's funny, 3) I'm certainly banking on Ferentz laughing this off or never even knowing this exists and 4) what better name for a reporter's mailbag.

So, welcome to the first 'Muster One Up' mailbag. I'm always looking for contributions on Twitter, Facebook or email. Feel free to join the spectacle.

August 30, 2017

#oniowapod Does having MV listed as #1 pr show we dont trust anyone else?He is already big risk for injury. Fair catch city like Hyde??

— Dustin Feldman (@feldy53)

My first answer for this was hey, look at Iowa, putting senior wide receiver Matt VandeBerg, who has twice broken his left foot in the last year, on punt return and running back Akrum Wadley, who had knee surgery in January, on kick return.

Look at Iowa trying to use its best athletes to gain any inch it can on special teams. Hidden yardage adds up.

'If the coaches have confidence in me that I can either make a play or fair catch it — if that's what the situation dictates — then I'll be excited to do that and help the team,' VandeBerg said this week.

By the way, I think Fair Catch City is down by Fairfield, maybe Van Buren County.

I'm glad Stanley is the starter, but how long is his leash? August 29, 2017

I'm glad Stanley is the starter, but how long is his leash? #MusterOneUp

— Micah Van Maanen (@micahvm)

I don't know everything that went into the decision, but Ferentz sounded relieved to have it over and everything I heard Tuesday was full speed ahead with Stanley.

Ferentz acknowledged that he doesn't want Stanley staring into the sidelines after every mistake or misstep.

They didn't pour a month of spring practice and all of fall camp into this to pull the plug at a moment's notice. Unless Stanley throws picks like parade candy or fails to translate defenses and get the Hawkeyes in the right play on a consistent basis, it's his gig for three years.

Also, you saw Jake Rudock and C.J. Beathard. If there's a quick QB trigger finger, I'm not sure Ferentz knows where it is. That's good for stability, but it could cost Iowa a game (see Pitt 2008).

August 30, 2017

#MusterOneUp True or False: Epenesa's impact as a true fresh will rival that of Bob Sanders'.

— Chris Bryant (@detroithawkeye)

False. Nothing against A.J. Epenesa. No one saw Bob Sanders coming.

I'm sure this statement takes all four seasons of Bob into account, but when strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle tweeted the following it carried a lot of weight with me:

Awesome having Bob Sanders in to spend some time with our team. No one had a greater impact on the Iowa Football program than Bob. August 20, 2017

Awesome having Bob Sanders in to spend some time with our team. No one had a greater impact on the Iowa Football program than Bob. pic.twitter.com/DWWCauNpfh

— Chris Doyle (@coach_Doyle)

Now that is saying something. Bob is GOAT EMOJI.

August 30, 2017

#MusterOneUp if Weigers had stuck with his Rutgers commitment, how many years would he have started?

— Jay (@ueshawk)

All of them.

August 30, 2017

@marcmorehouse #MusterOneUp is it good or bad that all these freshmen are on the two deep? Is this a good sign for 2017....or years to come?

— Jamie Cleveland (@hobbs4000JC)

It's really how you look at it. Does Epenesa shed the red(shirt) if this is 2010 and Adrian Clayborn, Christian Ballard, Mike Daniels, Broderick Binns and Karl Klug are on the D-line? Maybe, maybe not.

This is 2017 and Iowa was a little thin at defensive tackle. Epenesa is a 5-star recruit. I think when Ferentz said 'He belongs on the varsity' that was an eye opener.

It's a great thing for Iowa that he's here. The timing also is right for a true freshman D-lineman to make something happen.

Do wide receivers Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Max Cooper and Brandon Smith play if Iowa has Marvin McNutt, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and Kevonte Martin-Manley? Probably not. Timing is a factor.

Is it a good sign for 2017 or years to come? It can be both, but probably lesser so for '17. No team wants to count on freshmen, but if the right players can make your team better, it's win-win.

Which names is dolph hoping he doesn't have to pronounce this year? (Iowa or opposition) August 30, 2017

Which names is dolph hoping he doesn't have to pronounce this year? (Iowa or opposition) #musteroneup

— Jonny Hawkeye (@JonnyHawkeye)

I want to hear (Iowa radio play-by-play voice Gary Dolphin) say Ihmir Smith-Marsette. I'm not sure it comes up this year, but I flunked when, in an interview with Iowa recruiting coordinator Kelvin Bell last winter, I took a shot at Djimon Colbert (the Djimon part). Dolph will have to say Michael Ojemudia Saturday. That might be a trip.

In seriousness, a lot of you know my father and brother passed away last year. My brother, Matt, was an art teacher at Jefferson Junior High in Dubuque. The school recently dedicated the wrestling room and named it 'The Morehouse Wrestling Room.'

My family went to Jefferson for the dedication. Principal Kelly Molony put a ton of work into the project. She even got Dolph to do the voice over for the slideshow during the dedication.

Such a wonderful gesture on everyone's part. I just want to say thank you and love you, Dubuque.

Should I expect more "big" formations? (ex 2-3TEs & FB) or giving more time to WR's? August 29, 2017

Should I expect more "big" formations? (ex 2-3TEs & FB) or giving more time to WR's? #MusterOneUp

— Andrew Jones (@grandpajones87)

Iowa did show a few three-tight end sets during the open scrimmage on Aug. 12. One of the first things offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz said upon getting the job was that he'd work with the personnel on hand. Now, there will be some tweaks to exactly what personnel is on hand in the years to come. Brian said he wanted more big wide receivers and Iowa signed Smith (6-3, 205) and Henry Marchese (6-3, 190).

This year? Tight ends stand out. Running backs should produce. New QB and new group of wideouts does probably point the Hawkeyes to 'big football,' but I think everyone knows the Hawkeyes have to get to the point where they're comfortable playing outside of the phone booth.

Recent bowl results paint that picture vividly.

Will changes to the offense be discernible to the average dude or dudette in the stands? August 29, 2017

Will changes to the offense be discernible to the average dude or dudette in the stands? #MusterOneUp

— Enjoy The Season (@DouglasABarrett)

I think some of it will. Will we be able to tell if Iowa tried a split zone rush? Not until we watch it again on DVR and maybe not even then.

Let's stick a pin in this one and reconvene.

1. Most counter-intuitive take on the 17' Hawks?August 30, 2017

1. Most counter-intuitive take on the 17' Hawks?#MusterOneUp

— Jerry Mills (@jerrymills)

2. Last movie you walked out on - or wish you had

1. Did anyone pick Iowa to win the Big Ten West? That'd be counterintuitive. I picked Iowa third. I've seen a lot of fourth places. It's coin flip city from 1 to 4 with Wisconsin, Northwestern, Iowa and Nebraska fighting over that last piece of pizza.

I didn't see anyone pick Iowa to win the West.

Counterintuitive to what Iowa is or might be this year? I didn't see this written anywhere, but the assumption that Iowa is going to be great running the ball makes sense. On the other hand, Iowa was held to less than 100 rushing yards in four games last year, all losses.

I guess that's not counterintuitive as much as it's cautionary.

2. My girlfriend at the time made me leave with her during 'The Return of the Living Dead.' I returned the favor pretending to fall asleep when we rented (!!!!) 'Moscow on the Hudson.'

Lacking explosive plays and/or playmakers last year, think Brian will be quick to interchange personal and see what he's got? August 30, 2017

Lacking explosive plays and/or playmakers last year, think Brian will be quick to interchange personal and see what he's got? #MusterOneUp

— James Heslop (@Mexinugz36)

We're all going to find out about this one together. The wide receiver corps has been remodeled. After Saturday, we'll have a better idea if explosion exists at that position. (We know Wadley has that gear.)

With so many new wide receivers, new RB James Butler and eight scholarship tight ends, it'd be good for Iowa to get a ton of players on the field against Wyoming.

I don't see Brian Ferentz moving around pieces all nimbly bimbly. Kirk Ferentz has never been the type of coach to just say, 'What the heck, let's give it a shot.'

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com