Aug. 31, 2005

2004 Record: 10-2 (7-1 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Kirk Farentz. Record at Iowa: 42-31, Career Record: 54-52
Starters Returning: Offense 7, Defense 5, Special Teams 1

If you never believed the old adage "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz and his Hawkeyes might change your mind. In 2004, Ferentz directed his team to its second Big Ten Conference title in three years, its third straight season with 10 or more wins, a year-end No. 8 Associated Press ranking, and a third consecutive bowl game victory. To do it, they had to dig as far in the depth chart as their fifth starting running back - a walk-on - after knee injuries plagued the Iowa backfield. They also handed the ball over to an unproven, non-senior quarterback for the first time in five years. Iowa did more than merely survive; the Hawkeyes turned the adversity of a 2-2 stumble out of the gates into a Conference romp, winning their next eight straight, including the thrilling come-from-behind win in the Capital One Bowl.

Still, the unprecedented success of Iowa's 31 wins and 20 Big Ten triumphs since 2002, which marked the most productive three-year period in school history, doesn't afford the co-Big Ten champs any margin of error if it wants any lasting consideration with the Big Two: Michigan and Ohio State. Even though the Hawkeyes have the national attention they deserve, nothing short of a Big Ten Championship will stunt the reservations some have about Iowa's actual powerhouse potential.

"We haven't worried about outside expectations too much," Ferentz said. "I think we all knew three years ago, 2002, even  when people on the outside didn't see it coming, we felt like we had a chance to have a pretty good football team. It hasn't been quite as strong going into the season, but our guys have done a great job getting the job done out there, somehow, some way. This year, you never know what's going to happen, whether it be injuries, breaks. But I think how we react to it, how we choose to handle the circumstances that present themselves as well as how we try to force our will determine."

From quarterback changes to a plague of injuries at running back to replacing other key players, Iowa has found a way to keep winning. Luckily for the Hawkeyes, they should be able to depend on more constancy this year. All of the running backs back are healthy, a great receiving corps is ready, an experienced offensive line returns, one of the nation's best linebacking units is primed for All-America seasons, and for the first time in five years returns its starting quarterback.

Drew Tate stepped into the starting quarterback spot last season with only 55 passing yards from back-up duty to his credit. He returns in 2005 as an All-Big Ten passer - Iowa's first All-Conference quarterback since 2002 - who threw for 2,786 yards, tossed up 20 touchdowns, and caused enough commotion to toss his name in preseason Heisman hype. Tate's breakout year wasn't exactly expected, but when injuries wreaked havoc on the Iowa ground game, the Texas native had personal expectations of his own. It wasn't always pretty but Tate found a way to make things happen with his powerful arm and game-time poise. "Some of those things he gets out of and stays on his feet is just unbelievable," Hawkeyes wide receiver Ed Hinkel said. "There's times when I think he's down, and I almost stop in a route because I think he's been tackled and all of the sudden you see him running out of everybody with the ball. He's a great competitor and a great leader for our team."

Junior Jason Manson and senior Cy Phillips will back up Tate. Both are athletic with good arms but lack game experience.

Tate has two quality targets in senior wide receivers Clinton Solomon and Hinkel. Solomon's after-the-catch yardage and big play catches boosted the Iowa offense for 905 yards - the most among returning players in the Big Ten - and six touchdowns. He racked up four 100-yard receiving games, and averaged the most yards per catch (15.6) on the team. Hinkel's highlight reel catching ability has some NFL scouts likening him to acrobatic former Denver Bronco Ed McCaffrey. Tate and Hinkel connected for 744 yards on 63 passes, including seven touchdowns. Junior Calvin Davis and senior Matt Melloy are next on the depth chart, and both have enough potential and skill to complement the passing game. Both were sidelined for injuries during the 2004 season but did see some game action.

The biggest difference in Iowa's offense will be their running game. A succession of injuries made the Hawkeyes running corps nearly non-existent, with starters Marcus Schnoor, Albert Young and Jermelle Lewis suffering injuries within the first three home games. In fact, the state of Iowa's rushing affairs was so dismal last season that the Hawkeyed averaged only 72.6 yards per game, which ranked 116th in the nation. Even the fourth and fifth backs on the depth chart were injured at some point during the 2004 season.

This year, Feretz doesn't anticipate his team will have to dig that far. Senior Marques Simmons, a Nebraska transfer, pounded in 194 yards and a team-best three rushing scores before an ankle injury knocked him out of the lineup after six games. He was tabbed as one of the Big XII's best sprinters during his time with the Huskers, and now the 5-8 lightning rod can unload that speed on Big Ten defenses in a full-time spot. Sam Brownlee started last fall deep on the depth chart, but the junior walk-on battled through injuries of his own to lead Iowa rushers with 227 yards. If Young and Schnoor can get back to 100 percent, Brownlee face serious competition for carries. Coaches also expect a break-out year from sophomore Tom Busch. The 231-pound fullback proved at the end of the season that he is a dependable blocker with a strong showing: 56 yards on six grabs, 28 rushing yards and a touchdown.

The offensive line returns a tested, experienced crew who came into 2004 an uncertain, raw front and turned into one of the team's strengths. The injury malady has struck the line, too, knocking one starter from its lineup. Senior Lee Gray was slated to start at left tackle, but the former offensive lineman will be out for the year with a knee injury. The top candidate to fill his spot is senior Ben Gates. A former tight end, Gates is a testament to the crew's versatility after starting at both right guard and left tackle last season. Junior Mike Jones will start opposite Gates at right tackle. Junior Mike Elgin started 11 games at center in 2004, but with his atypical athleticism for a lineman and sharp blocking technique, he could move to left guard to make room for senior Brian Ferentz in the middle. Ferentz, Kirk's son, could be one of the best players on the line if he stays healthy.

While the Hawkeyes' offensive line relishes some much needed returning experience, the defensive front is starting from scratch. All four starters, including All-Americans Matt Roth and Jonathan Babineaux, departed for the NFL. But Ferentz started working on fixing the defensive line upheaval back in December. Sophomores Ken Iwebama and Bryan Mattison will start at the ends. Iwebama's quickness is vital to the Hawkeyes' pass-rush. He will have to adjust to the learning curve immediately to make up for lack of playing time his rookie season. Mattison packed on 20 pounds and upped his strength during the offseason and has the potential to become Iowa's next stand-out pass rusher. Sophomore George Eshareturi and redshirt freshman Matt Kroul will team up at tackle. At 6-foot-3, 284 pounds, Eshareturi carries the biggest size on the line, but he will have to rely on technique to produce pass-rushing like Babineaux. Kroul is a former linebacker who packed on weight to become an interior force.

If there's no pass rush, the Hawkeyes' accomplished linebacking corps - with perhaps the best 1-2 punch in the nation in Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge - will have a hard time being as dominant as it was last year. But there's no shortage of experience among Iowa's linebackers. The best duo in the Conference, Hodge and Greenway return as All-America contenders with a combined 555 career sacks and 25 consecutive starts. Hodge led the team with 116 tackles, including three sacks. Greenway finished a close second with 113 tackles of his own. Hodge's sideline-to-sideline speed makes him a dangerous backfield threat against the run, while Greenway's can't-miss tackling efficiency and versatility against the pass pose an all-around menace to opposing offenses. Junior Edmond Miles, a part-time starter last year, will step up as the other outside linebacker. A big hitter who's always on-the-go, Miles will be clean up duty for whatever scraps Hodge and Greenway leave behind.

Backing up the All-America twosome are several young linebackers. Sophomores Mike Humpal and Mike Klinkenborg and junior Zach Gabelmann have the benefit of learning from two of the best in their position.

"We're going to have the same mentality to try and be one of the top defenses in the conference," Hodge said. "We're in attack mode: Be tough, be aggressive. The difference:  we've got a lot of young guys up front. Our inexperience is going to show a little bit, but overall we're just trying to work and get better. We know we've got some young guys, but we've got a good group around them that will more than make up for that inexperience."

Junior Kyle Schlicher stepped in last season with the responsibility of replacing Iowa's all-time leading scorer, place-kicker Nate Keading. Schlicher put his own name in the record books, ranking third in the conference and No. 7 in the country in field goals made per game. Senior John Gallery and junior Andy Fenstermaker are vying to take over for four-year starter David Bradley and his 40.5-yard average. Hinkel was one of the Hawkeyes' top punt returners on a team that ranked 15th in the country. He returns with a number of young, eligible receivers.

The Hawkeyes' 18-win home stand, which includes a 6-0 record in Iowa City last season, has earned them the reputation as the toughest host opponents in the Conference, but a Conference-season opener against Ohio State in Columbus and a trip to West Lafayette to face a tough Purdue team make their 2005 schedule among the most daunting. Despite the odds, Greenway said his team is ready to solidify its spot at the top of the conference. "Even after we've won 31 games in three years, it's not Michigan, Iowa and Ohio State. It's still Michigan and Ohio State. It doesn't bother us at all. We've won when we started 9th in the Conference. We've won when we started 7th, and I think we'll win when we start 3rd. No matter what you do, you have to go out, prepare, and play the way you can play. And we can play."