Iowa notes: Backup QBs, Duzey, Scheel

IOWA CITY - With Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard hobbling with multiple lower-body injuries, backup Tyler Wiegers received the majority of first-team snaps last week.

Wiegers, a 6-foot-4, 222-pound red-shirt freshman, took most of the repetitions with Iowa's first-team offense until Friday's practice, offensive coordinator Greg Davis said.

'He would have been ready to play,” Davis said. 'I mean, in terms of getting us in the right plays and all that.”

Wiegers played prep football at renowned Detroit Country Day and led his team to the state championship game as a junior. He combined to throw 46 touchdowns his final two years when he was a team captain. He red-shirted last season as the emergency third-team quarterback behind Beathard and Jake Rudock. Wiegers has taken snaps in three games this year and has completed three of four passes for 32 yards.

Behind Wiegers, the depth chart is murky and competitive with true freshmen Ryan Boyle and Drew Cook. Boyle (6-2, 215) was Iowa's Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior and senior while leading West Des Moines Dowling to state titles both seasons. He holds school career records for passing yards (4,566), rushing yards (3,043), passing touchdowns (45) and rushing touchdowns (45).

Cook (6-5, 220) guided Iowa City Regina to four Class 1A titles, including the last two as the starting quarterback. He passed for 2,504 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior, and 2,563 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior. He combined for 1,146 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns those two seasons.

On the surface there appears to be position flexibility with both players, and Cook in particular. Cook's father is Marv Cook, a former All-American and NFL tight end.

'They're definitely still projected to be quarterbacks next year,” Davis said. 'We would like to red-shirt both of them, especially at this point. But at the same time, you've got to do what's best, and whatever the situation presents itself.”

Boyle worked with the second group last week and if pressed into service last Saturday, Boyle would have played ahead of Cook.

'But I wouldn't read a lot into that, quite honestly,” Davis said.

DUZEY IMPROVES

Tight end Jake Duzey has played sparingly this fall after suffering a torn patella tendon in a practice last April. Duzey led all Big Ten tight ends with 36 catches last year but hasn't caught a pass in two appearances.

That appears likely to change.

'We were just looking at the morning practice, and I thought Jake looked like Jake (Wednesday) morning,” Davis said. 'Now, we were not in full gear, but I think he is getting really close. But you know, Henry (Krieger-Coble) and George (Kittle) are both playing really well, too, but you can never have too many good tight ends. Hopefully we can find more out about Jake over the next two weeks and get him back into the rotation.”

SCHEEL STATUS

Like Duzey, freshman wide receiver Jay Scheel has played very little this fall. He saw action in the opener against Illinois State and on Saturday at but did register a statistic. Scheel, an all-state player at La Porte City Union, red-shirted last year after an injury.

'We're very pleased with him,” Davis said. 'I think August was the first time he has been close to being healthy since he's been here, really running and confident and cutting and doing those kind of things.”

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