OFFENSE

Junior James Vandenberg will be handed the keys to the Iowa offense as the replacement for Ricky at quarterback. Vandenberg has a stronger arm than Stanzi, but he is still mostly unproven. Iowa fans are hoping that Vandenberg can do on a regular basis this season what he did for two quarters against Ohio State as a redshirt freshman in 2009 when he threw for over 200 yards against the Buckeyes on the road with a conference title on the line. But he also threw three interceptions, including two in the fourth quarter, and struggled in his only other start, a 12–0 victory over Minnesota the week after the Ohio State game.


Vandenberg will certainly benefit from the return of senior receiver Marvin McNutt, who nearly left for the NFL. McNutt led Iowa with 53 catches for 861 yards and eight touchdowns last season.

But as usual, the key to Iowa’s grind-it-out offense will be the running game, and signs point to a potentially potent attack. Five players with starting experience return on the offensive line to block for rising star Marcus Coker, who as a true freshman rushed for 219 yards during Iowa’s 27–24 victory over Missouri in the Insight Bowl.


DEFENSE

Iowa’s heralded defensive line didn’t live up to the hype last season, but it still won’t be easy replacing three of the four starters from that unit, including All-America defensive end Adrian Clayborn.
 Senior end Broderick Binns has played mostly in the shadow of Clayborn, but Binns still has 18 starts under his belt. The defense needs him to be more than just a role player. The same goes for hard-nosed senior tackle Mike Daniels, who started eight games last season. Daniels has a motor that never stops, and his teammates feed off his energy.


Iowa was decimated by injuries at linebacker last season, but that allowed James Morris to step in as a true freshman and show star potential. Senior Tyler Nielsen started the first eight games at outside linebacker last season before suffering a season-ending neck injury. Nielsen spent nearly two months in a neck brace but has since made a full recovery.


The secondary will feature a new look now that the safety duo of Tyler Sash and Brett Greenwood has moved on. Sash decided to skip his senior season to enter the NFL Draft after twice making first-team All-Big Ten.
Senior cornerback Shaun Prater also flirted with leaving a year early for the NFL, but he decided to return.

SPECIALISTS

For the first time since the 2006 season, somebody other than Ryan Donahue will be Iowa’s punter. Senior Eric Guthrie should get the first chance to replace him. Sophomore Mike Meyer beat out two kickers with more experience last season and solidified himself as the starter by making 14-of-17 field goal attempts with a long of 42 yards.
 The return game was a work in progress during spring practice.
 

FINAL ANALYSIS

Unlike a year ago, this team won’t be burdened by high expectations entering the season. Last year’s November collapse is still fresh in everybody’s mind, and there are too many holes to fill on both offense and defense for Iowa to be considered much of a threat by outsiders.

The good news is that the Hawkeyes usually do better under veteran coach Kirk Ferentz when they are flying under the radar. His teams have a history of overachieving when little is expected from them.