The Walk Through: It’s Friday, I’m in love

Rumor popped up late last night (maybe 10:30) that Iowa CB Desmond King is suspended for the first quarter because of a team violation.

According to a source, this is true. He was late for a meeting and this is the consequence.

So, Iowa has confirmed this. King was late for a team meeting. Junior cornerback Maurice Fleming will start. Kick and punt return will likely go to junior WR Riley McCarron.

- Running backs LeShun Daniels and Akrum Wadley have ankle issues that are worth watching. I know Kirk Ferentz on Tuesday said the team's health is as good as it's been this season, but Daniels and Wadley disappeared in the second half last week.

Daniels carried just two times for 7 yards and looked to be slowed by an ankle injury. Sophomore Akrum Wadley, who suffered an ankle injury at Indiana on Nov. 7, carried once for 10 yards in the second half last week.

- QB C.J. Beathard does seem to be in good health. I think one part of his injury has healed at least somes (groin) and the other part (hip) has cooled, either via nature or medicine. Either way, he's looked a much more agile the last couple of weeks.

- The skill players were just out. Backup QB Tyler Wiegers and WR Jacob Hillyer are the only sleevless dudes. CJB is in his touck. Several players are in facemasks, so it's hard to tell which RB is getting some extra work before going up the tunnel, but I think it's either Derrick Mitchell or Akrum Wadley.

- Safety and special teamer Brandon Snyder also is getting some extra work on the field in pregame. Desmond King is among a group of defensive backs getting some warmups in.

- The flags at the top of Memorial Stadium are whipping in the wind, but the goalpost ribbons are pretty calm. Still a little active. It'll be interesting to see what the gametime wind is.

- Iowa's defense is fatigued and that's a big part of the reason the pass rush has been absent. Iowa knows this and has to come up with a work around or hope that Tommy Armstrong makes a mistake.

- Offensively, can Iowa get the inside zone rush off? Michigan State wanted to attack the A gap with runs, but the Huskers strong duo at DT (Maliek Collins and Vincent Valentine) shut that down. Iowa will want to test that. That's Old Kirk and that's Iowa. Let's see if that works.

- Watching specialists warm up. UNL punter Sam Foltz has a great leg. Big height on punts. Seems pretty good at controlling the spin. He's worked on keeping the ball along the sideline.

- Iowa punter Dillon Kidd hasn't kicked as pretty of a ball, but he's got leg, too. One of these dudes probably sets up a TD one way or another. This is setting up to be your quintessential field position game. Maybe there's a big play, but the wind will be a factor.

- Iowa AD Gary Barta on B1G title tickets: The East Division result should release more tickets into the secondary market. 'We'll figure out how to get everyone into that building next week.”

- KF on radio just said Beathard is much healthier than he was 6-7 weeks ago.

- KF emphasizes the importance of keeping Armstrong in the pocket.

- On Marshall Koehn, he seemed OK in warmups. I know that doesn't say much, but I thought I should say something.

Iowa hasn't been bitten by a missed PAT this season. For various reasons, some not of his own doing, Koehn has missed five PATs this season; that's the most in the Big Ten (89.1 on PATs is second-to-last). Iowa hasn't been bitten by this, not yet, but it also hasn't been bitten by a rattlesnake. It's avoided disaster, but it probably doesn't want to pet this rattlesnake again.

- WR Brandon Reilly is probable. He suffered an ankle injury at Rutgers. He's one of the most explosive receivers in the Big Ten.

- O-line is the same. Cole Croston starts at RT. Ike Boettger is with the No. 2s. I think at this point the staff loves Croston and it's probably time to start thinking about him as a starter in 2016.

- No. 2 OL: from left to right - Render, Ferguson, Simmons, Daniels and Boettger. No. 2 DL - Nelson, Ekakitie, Terlouw and Spears.

OK, less than a half hour to kickoff. Iowa tried one more punt than usual from deep in its end zone.

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