By JAMES ALLAN
hawkeyesports.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa football team is rounding the final corner, heading into the final straightaway before reaching the start of the 2015 season.
Big Ten Football Media Days take place in Chicago from July 30-31. The Hawkeyes open fall camp Aug. 6, and Iowa's Media Day in Iowa City is two days later. Iowa football is just around the corner.
"We're coming down the home stretch of summer workouts," said senior offensive lineman Austin Blythe. "We're ready to get into fall camp. The team is excited to get started, and (that attitude) is evident in our summer workouts. Guys are ready to go."
The Hawkeyes are eager to get back on the field following the way the 2014 season ended -- a streak that included three straight defeats, including a 45-28 setback to Tennessee in the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl.
"We're hungry for a win," said senior wide receiver Jacob Hillyer. "We came off that Tennessee game feeling disrespected. We can only look internally at ourselves. This entire summer it has been on our minds.
"We have to come back and show what we're made of. That has been a motivation this summer."
The Hawkeyes have spent the summer training with strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle, focusing on becoming better athletes through extensive drills, footwork, and conditioning.
"It's a lot of hard work," said Hillyer. "Doyle had some good things planned out for us, getting ready for camp and this season. The main phrase is hard work."
Hillyer believes junior quarterback C.J. Beathard is ready to put his stamp on the Hawkeye offense, and says Beathard is showing the leadership qualities to get it done.
"We have gotten great leadership from C.J.," said Hillyer. "He's there with the receivers, running backs, and tight ends, making sure his offense is ready for this fall.
"Now we have one guy that we can look at and point to as our leader. We (the receivers) like that because we can build off that and understand his throwing rhythm. We feel confident in him."
As is the Hawkeye way, Iowa is leaning on the upperclassmen to lead the way, to finish off summer workouts strong, and get the underclassmen and newcomers ready for 2015.
"The big thing about Iowa is everybody has a responsibility to do things right," said Blythe. "It falls on the seniors and guys that have been here to push (the newcomers) to tell them if they're doing anything wrong. We have to get guys going and ready for the first game."
When Iowa winded down the Dr. Tom Davis era in Iowa City. As fans, many pointed to the Head Coach. Which is nature in American society. However, when you look at college athletics, whether it be basketball or this thread, football ... the coaching staff can't go out on the field and hold their hand.
Jordan Lomax, senior FS, needs to execute his assignment and be in the right position. As a first year starter at FS, after a year of rehab and his first two seasons at Iowa as a CB, he had plenty of missed assignments.
The young linebacker corp was a train-wreck at times. Iowa also sustained injuries and some off the field issues.
The defensive line has two seniors at DEs. How often has containment at times been an issue?
We have two new defensive tackles. One, Jaleel Johnson is a junior 4* recruit, who played a number of plays last year and looked in many ways very capable to be Iowa's next strong two-year starter at DT. He will be a Lomax to some extent, but more upside, since he has been at the position all his time at Iowa.
Ultimately, Leadership will be one of the biggest issues to watch in 2015. Iowa and Michigan have similarities, dating back to Evy (okay, let's not go back that far) ... Bo and Hayden.
Both programs last won a Big Ten title in 2004. Both programs have been negatively impacted by attrition and/or a lack of senior leadership stepping up and delivering results!
hawkeyesports.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa football team is rounding the final corner, heading into the final straightaway before reaching the start of the 2015 season.
Big Ten Football Media Days take place in Chicago from July 30-31. The Hawkeyes open fall camp Aug. 6, and Iowa's Media Day in Iowa City is two days later. Iowa football is just around the corner.
"We're coming down the home stretch of summer workouts," said senior offensive lineman Austin Blythe. "We're ready to get into fall camp. The team is excited to get started, and (that attitude) is evident in our summer workouts. Guys are ready to go."
The Hawkeyes are eager to get back on the field following the way the 2014 season ended -- a streak that included three straight defeats, including a 45-28 setback to Tennessee in the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl.
"We're hungry for a win," said senior wide receiver Jacob Hillyer. "We came off that Tennessee game feeling disrespected. We can only look internally at ourselves. This entire summer it has been on our minds.
"We have to come back and show what we're made of. That has been a motivation this summer."
The Hawkeyes have spent the summer training with strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle, focusing on becoming better athletes through extensive drills, footwork, and conditioning.
"It's a lot of hard work," said Hillyer. "Doyle had some good things planned out for us, getting ready for camp and this season. The main phrase is hard work."
Hillyer believes junior quarterback C.J. Beathard is ready to put his stamp on the Hawkeye offense, and says Beathard is showing the leadership qualities to get it done.
"We have gotten great leadership from C.J.," said Hillyer. "He's there with the receivers, running backs, and tight ends, making sure his offense is ready for this fall.
"Now we have one guy that we can look at and point to as our leader. We (the receivers) like that because we can build off that and understand his throwing rhythm. We feel confident in him."
As is the Hawkeye way, Iowa is leaning on the upperclassmen to lead the way, to finish off summer workouts strong, and get the underclassmen and newcomers ready for 2015.
"The big thing about Iowa is everybody has a responsibility to do things right," said Blythe. "It falls on the seniors and guys that have been here to push (the newcomers) to tell them if they're doing anything wrong. We have to get guys going and ready for the first game."
Jordan Lomax, senior FS, needs to execute his assignment and be in the right position. As a first year starter at FS, after a year of rehab and his first two seasons at Iowa as a CB, he had plenty of missed assignments.
The young linebacker corp was a train-wreck at times. Iowa also sustained injuries and some off the field issues.
The defensive line has two seniors at DEs. How often has containment at times been an issue?
We have two new defensive tackles. One, Jaleel Johnson is a junior 4* recruit, who played a number of plays last year and looked in many ways very capable to be Iowa's next strong two-year starter at DT. He will be a Lomax to some extent, but more upside, since he has been at the position all his time at Iowa.
Ultimately, Leadership will be one of the biggest issues to watch in 2015. Iowa and Michigan have similarities, dating back to Evy (okay, let's not go back that far) ... Bo and Hayden.
Both programs last won a Big Ten title in 2004. Both programs have been negatively impacted by attrition and/or a lack of senior leadership stepping up and delivering results!
