Willies, Bullock out; Daniels in for TaxSlayer Bowl

IOWA CITY - Iowa's bowl practices kicked into full gear when finals ended last Friday. Right now, it's Iowa vs. Iowa before it's Iowa vs. Tennessee in the TaxSlayer Bowl.

Along with bowl preparations, December also is the time of year for roster movement and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz reported some on Monday evening.

Freshman wide receiver Derrick Willies, who left the team late in October with five games remaining in the season, will not return to Iowa (7-5), Ferentz said. Willies, a 6-4, 210-pounder from Rock Island, Ill., and Burlington, expressed on social media that he wanted to return to the team before the Hawkeyes played host to Wisconsin on Nov. 22.

Ferentz tabled that discussion, at least publicly, through the end of the season. During his radio show last week, Ferentz said the 'ball was in Derrick's court” on whether he wanted to return or not. The answer was no and now Willies, who caught four passes for 71 yards and a TD during this his redshirt freshman season, will transfer.

Ferentz said he spoke with Willies several times in December. The health of Willies' father, Derrick Willies Sr., was mentioned by teammates as part of the reason Willies left. Ferentz was asked if Willies was offered a chance for a conditional return.

'We had a conversation about what I thought was fair,” Ferentz said. 'Bottom line is, I think, he gave it some thought and decided he's going to explore some other paths.”

Running back Damon Bullock, who suffered a thigh contusion against Wisconsin, won't be healthy enough to play against Tennessee (6-6) in the TaxSlayer Bowl (Jan. 2 in Jacksonville, Fla.), Ferentz said. Bullock was less a running back and more of a specialist as the single back in Iowa's spread one back, one tight end personnel group. He caught 32 passes for 265 yards this season and finished his Iowa career with 1,074 rushing yards and 71 receptions.

With Bullock out, sophomore running back LeShun Daniels, who missed the last five games of the season after ankle surgery, has a chance to return and have an impact. Daniels, a 6-0, 230-pounder, rushed just 14 times for 42 yards and a TD this season.

'I think it's fair to say he'll play, based on what we're seeing so far,” Ferentz said about Daniels. 'I don't want to say he came back quicker than we thought, but when he did come back, he hasn't looked like he's been out a lot. He's done a good job with his weight, because he did get a little heavier with the inactivity, but he's gotten right back down and from what we've seen so far, it's fair to say he'll play.”

Running back was a well-covered topic during Ferentz's 15 or so minutes with the media on Monday.

Senior Mark Weisman is Iowa's leading rusher with 802 yards. Ferentz said Iowa has throttled the 240-pounder's repetitions in practice, 'trying to get him back healthy, kind of like last year.”

Ferentz said junior running back Jordan Canzeri, who has 374 yards on 90 carries, has looked as healthy as he's been all season in the handful of bowl practices (it really kicked off last Friday night after finals ended).

Freshman Akrum Wadley has a chance to expand his profile in the bowl. He rushed 30 times for 185 yards, but also fumbled twice. 'He's a guy who has really good potential, but ball security is an issue,” Ferentz said. 'That's something we've tried to work with him on. He needs to get stronger and more mature physically, too, but I like what he's doing.”

Ferentz was asked once again about Iowa's starting QB for the TaxSlayer Bowl. That flared last week when, on his radio show, Ferentz said sophomore C.J. Beathard 'could” start ahead of junior Jake Rudock. Rudock has been the starter all season. Beathard has been the trusty backup who's performed well when Rudock has been hurt, but otherwise hasn't played a whole lot.

The key word here is 'could.”

'A lot of things ‘could' happen,” Ferentz said. 'That's been the most interesting topic.”

Ferentz stuck with the answer he has given about QB since Dec. 7, when the bowl pairings were announced.

'We're looking at everything and that's part of what we're doing right now,” Ferentz said. 'Practices have been competitive. We're putting guys in tough situations. We'll see where things unfold.”

Ferentz was asked if Beathard would have to outplay Rudock by a large margin in practice if he had any chance to win the job.

'You've got to bring it everyday out there,” Ferentz said. 'It's a challenge for Jake, too.”

Quick slants

- For now, in the few days after finals, Ferentz said he doesn't expect eligibility issues for the bowl game ... Fullback Macon Plewa has a shot to be healthy for the Tax Slayer. He missed the final two games with a shoulder injury. 'I think we have six (fullbacks) now and none of them can stay healthy,” Ferentz said ... Iowa announced Monday that offensive tackle Brandon Scherff earned consensus All-America status. Since 2009, the NCAA has recognized the All-America teams selected by the Associated Press (AP); Football Writers Association (FWAA), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Walter Camp Foundation (WCFF) and Sporting News to determine consensus All-Americans. Scherff was named to the first All-America team by each of the five organizations.

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