The Hawkeyes digest the North Dakota State loss, a battle of father and son, and injury updates.
By Jordan Hansen
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz has a 24-hour rule.
Basically, it means the team has the day after a loss to “mourn” it. The team also watches the game film on Sunday, and more than one player mentioned that it was tough to watch.
The team, however, is set on heading on.
“You have to learn from a loss,” cornerback Desmond King said. “That’s the only good thing you can take from it.”
Iowa didn’t lose a game last year until the Big Ten Championship against Michigan State, so this is something a little foreign to the team. That said, conference play starts this weekend, and the Hawkeyes don’t have a whole lot of turnaround time.
Rutgers is 2-1, losing to Washington in their only game against a Power-5 school this season. It’s the Hawkeyes’ first road game of 2016, which brings its own set of challenges.
Iowa has to regroup this week and a not-great Rutgers team isn’t a terrible opponent to do that against.
“It was pretty quiet on Sunday, as you might well imagine, and it should be,” Ferentz said. “You’re affected by it, but then the big thing about any time you get disappointment in sports or life you’ve got to move on at some point, and in sports and football, that starts Monday morning.”
Niemann vs. Niemann
Father versus son matchups are not exactly common in Division-I college football, but this week, Iowa linebacker Ben Niemann will be in that position.
His father, Jay Niemann, is the defensive coordinator at Rutgers.
“We talk a lot during the week, usually a couple times,” Ben Niemann said. “I’m sure I’ll talk to him again — not Xs and Os, obviously.”
It’s Jay Niemann’s first season at Rutgers; he took the job after five years as Northern Illinois’ defensive coordinator. He’s also coached at several schools in Iowa, including Drake, Northern Iowa, and Simpson.
Jay Niemann’s other son, Nick Niemann, is also on the Hawkeye football team, but he is not expected to travel with the team.
This won’t be the first time Ferentz has gone head-to-head with the elder Niemann. Northern Illinois came into Kinnick during the 2013 season and beat the Hawkeyes.
Ferentz also managed to pry away Ben Niemann from his father. He originally committed to Northern Illinois before de-committing and joining Iowa.
“On one hand, it made sense for him to come here. On the other hand, it was kind of like I was asking for his daughter’s hand in marriage in some ways, except I was stealing something. Weddings are happy,” Ferentz said. “He was unbelievable about it, and he’s a tremendous person … both Mr. and Mrs. Neimann are just outstanding people.”
Injury updates
Offensive guard Sean Welsh and center James Daniels are both expected to play this week, which is good news for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa only managed 34 net rushing yards last week, while starting quarterback C.J. Beathard was sacked twice and hit another two times.
However, it doesn’t help that Iowa is starting to get a bit thin at running back. Ferentz did not sound positive about running back Derrick Mitchell Jr. playing this week, and Akrum Wadley is still nursing an injury.
Wadley managed four rushes for 20 yards last week and has not been scratched from a game yet this year.
Elsewhere on the injury front, defensive back Joshua Jackson and reserve offensive lineman Brett Waechter are expected back this week. Jackson has played on special teams and in a few coverage packages this season.
Ferentz also gave an update on tight end Jon Wisnieski.
“He’s starting to work back,” Ferentz said. “He’s practicing full now, but he’s got a lot of ground to cover, but he’s back full speed.”
