2009 Iowa Hawkeyes Football Preview
2009 Iowa Hawkeyes season preview from Maddux Sports. Below you can find our official Iowa Hawkeyes football preview as well as the 2009 Iowa Hawkeyes Football Schedule. Dont miss Maddux's free college football picks on the weekly college football odds from the #1 sports handicapping team.
Coach: Kirk Ferentz (11th year at Iowa)
Team Name: Hawkeyes
2008 Overall Record: 9-4
Returning Starters: 14
In 2008, the Iowa Hawkeyes (9- 4 overall, 5- 3 Big Ten) tied for fourth place in the Big Ten. They met South Carolina in the Outback Bowl, beating them 31- 10. Of the eight Big Ten teams that played in bowl games in 2008, the Hawkeyes were the only one to post a win.
The Hawkeye offense put up a hefty 30.3 PPG, earning a ranking of 33rd nationally. Junior QB Ricky Stanzi (254 ATT, 150 COMP, 1,956 YDs, 9 INTs, 14 TDs) has a good arm but at the start of last season was prone to turnovers. He did show improvement when it came to ball handling and should be more reliable this season. He’ll be throwing to Derrell Johnson-Koulianos (44 REC, 639 YDs, 3 TDs) and Tony Moeaki (13 REC, 144 YDs, 1 TD). The pass catchers on this team are good but not exceptional. RB Shonn Greene (307 ATT, 1,850 YDs, 20 TDs) went to the NFL early, leaving a huge gap in the Hawkeyes’ offense. As a freshman last season, Jewel Hampton had 91 carries for 463 yards and seven touchdowns. He’ll start and will be helped by what could be a stellar O-line.
Eight starters return to a defense that was ranked 12th in total yards allowed (291.3 YPG), ninth versus the rush (94.0 YPG) and fifth in points allowed (13.0 PPG). The linebacking unit is considered to be one of the top five in the nation. Senior LB Pat Angerer (107 TKLs, 1 SK, 5.5 TFL, 5 INTs) is the best of the best. The secondary sees three starters come back, including SS Tyler Sash (53 TKLs, 5 INTs) and CB Amari Spievey (68 TKLs, 4 INTs). Upfront, the potent defensive tackle combo of Mitch King and Matt Kroul are gone and two new starters, junior Karl Klug and sophomore Mike Daniels, will have to step up. The DE spots will be manned by juniors Adrian Clayborn (50 TKLs, 2 Sks, 6 TFL) and Christian Ballard (40 TKLs, 1.5 SKs, 2 TFL). They have shown great potential.
Punter Ryan Donahue averaged 41.6 YPP and boomed at least one 50-yard kick in nine of his last 11 games. The second-team All-Big Ten player is back. The placekicking game has depth with the spot going to either sophomore Trent Mossbrucker or junior Daniel Murray. Hampton anchors the kick return squad. He averaged 23.3 YPR in 2008.
This team, under head coach Kirk Ferentz (70- 53 in ten years with Iowa), will vie for fourth place with Illinois. Last season, the club lost three straight to Pittsburgh, Northwestern and Michigan State. They also beat Penn State by one point. This season, they meet Penn State, Michigan State and Ohio State (a team they managed to miss last year). On September 12, they visit Iowa State in a game that could see the Hawkeyes be upset. Iowa has a chance to finish anywhere from third through fifth. In order to do so, they must beat two of the other top-three clubs in the Big Ten. This team will take either fourth or fifth and earn a middle tier bowl invitation.
Iowa Hawkeyes Football Schedule
| Date | Team | Opponent | Site | Line | Total | Points | Opp Points |
| 9/5/2009 | Iowa | Northern Iowa | home | ||||
| 9/12/2009 | Iowa | Iowa St. | away | ||||
| 9/19/2009 | Iowa | Arizona | home | ||||
| 9/26/2009 | Iowa | Penn St. | away | ||||
| 10/3/2009 | Iowa | Arkansas St. | home | ||||
| 10/10/2009 | Iowa | Michigan | home | ||||
| 10/17/2009 | Iowa | Wisconsin | away | ||||
| 10/24/2009 | Iowa | Michigan St. | away | ||||
| 10/31/2009 | Iowa | Indiana | home | ||||
| 11/7/2009 | Iowa | Northwestern | home | ||||
| 11/14/2009 | Iowa | Ohio St. | away | ||||
| 11/21/2009 | Iowa | Minnesota | home |
For more info on the 2009 Iowa Hawkeyes football program, view their official website or read up on the rest of the Big Ten foes below.
