In a week filled with unique opportunities, today marked one of the few times every member of the Black and Gold was available for questioning, and many flocked towards the freshmen and forgotten men to maximize the small window.

Linked Coaches Share Respect

As both Iowa and Stanford continue to compare themselves to their Rose Bowl counterparts, David Shaw and Kirk Ferentz share mutual admiration and a similar belief system in the cornerstones of their football programs. Besides sharing the field on Friday, Shaw and Ferentz are also linked by a former boss.

The predecessor to Iowa’s current Athletic Director Gary Barta is Bob Bowlsby, the current Big 12 Conference Commissioner. After receiving his master’s degree in Iowa City, Bowlsby returned and served as Iowa’s AD from 1990-2006, when he left to take the same job at Stanford.

Bowlsby hired both Rose Bowl head coaches, two people who share in their admiration of one another.

“I have so much respect for Coach Ferentz as well as for Iowa, their athletic department and their school, to say ‘there is something that we believe in, and this coach exemplifies it,’” Shaw said. “The hardest thing in major college sports now is longevity: to be at one place to where your message never gets old, to where your ideals don’t get diluted.”

“It’s always been that way at Iowa,” he said.

Ferentz returned the volley an hour later, singing a similar tune.

“What they [Stanford] stand for, to me, is everything great in college football,” he said. “The more you learn about Coach Shaw, it’s just very, very impressive. And to me, what he’s done there in five years in unbelievable.”

Stanford’s “Ogre”

Football season may be more mentally taxing than its physical strain. Some compare it to studying for a final exam each week. Leading the Stanford offense, Mike Bloomgren installed some playful terminology to loosen his players from the mental vice grip.

Prepare to see an ogre on the field Friday.

“[the ogre] is a big human being that can block down and have a big impact on the guy he hits,” Bloomgren said.

Enter David Bright, a biomechanical engineer who wears number 64, and is the latest in a line of ogres at Stanford. The ogre traditionally is a backup lineman who is selectively called upon in multiple facets, including off-field responsibilities.

Duly named when current Outland Trophy winner Joshua Garnett played the role, the ogre galvanizes the team looking for a reprieve from football’s dull details.

“I think [naming positions] is something you have to do, as long as seasons get,” he said. “I think you have to make that stuff fun and interesting for them because it gets them to buy in better. They take a lot of pride in it.”

“Bright ate seven prime ribs last night, so he matched my freshman record,” Garnett said. “He’s actually doing really well with that role. He’s actually a tackle, left guard, ogre, running some laps. [It’s important to] earn your stripes before you can really start on the offensive line.”

Iowa’s Offensive Coordinator Greg Davis does not share the same humor.

“We call our personnel by numbers,” he said.

Life of a Long-snapper

Aside from the select few with personal podiums, the majority of Hawkeyes sat at circular tables with one another, waiting for the hour to elapse. In the back sat Tyler Kluver, Iowa’s long snapper, continuing his “strenuous” bowl prep.

“It’s been a vacation,” Kluver said.

The life of a long snapper is seldom highlighted, and there is no positional award for Kluver to fight for. After reaching the daily goal of snaps, Kluver relaxes and plays the waiting game while the rest of the team continues to strategize.

Still, there is plenty of responsibility in having a hand in punts and kicks. Especially the latter, a play that some outsiders consider a foregone conclusion.

“I take pride in it,” he said. “Some people don’t even think about [snapping] as something that could go wrong. I’m one of the few players on the team that has the ball in my hands every time I’m on the field, and that is a big job to handle.”

Kluver’s importance is magnified by his teammates, people who understand that no football play is ever automatic. Said Dylan Kidd, Iowa’s punter and holder, “We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without him.”

Always-Active Leadership

Soon after Iowa arrived in Southern California, Kirk Ferentz revealed that tight end Jake Duzey would miss Friday’s Rose Bowl. Duzey appeared at media day with a brace on his left knee, and used crutches to get around.

But, the senior tight end’s job is not yet done. He is still a valuable resource to teammates for knowledge and support.

“I’m still in all the meetings, going to the practices and helping out the guys any way I can,” Duzey said. “I’m sitting on the sidelines when they come back off the field and let them know the things I saw.”

Duzey’s teammates are devastated he won’t suit up on Friday, cutting short an injury-filled season after he initially injured the knee in spring practice.

“We all feel terrible for him,” said Henry Kreiger-Coble, a fellow, veteran tight end. “When he sees something he’ll tell you. He’s a great presence and a great teammate.”

Duzey is scheduled to undergo knee surgery in Iowa City soon after the team returns. There are six former Hawkeyes tight ends currently in the NFL, and with his collegiate career likely over, Duzey looks to heal and see if playing on Sundays is in his future.

Looking Head

As the week rolls towards Friday, the teams will soon close their doors for good from the outside world. Wednesday, David Shaw and Kirk Ferentz have press conferences, which will conclude the week’s media availability.

KRUI Sports will air a daily radio show from the game’s media hotel, keeping you in the loop on all things Iowa Hawkeyes leading up to Friday’s Rose Bowl Game.

The post Rose Bowl Roundup: Media Day appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Following the Stanford’s defense and Iowa’s offense on Sunday, it was Stanford’s offense and Iowa’s defense at the podium Monday morning.

King 50/50 on Senior Campaign

Iowa’s Desmond King admitted he is directly on the fence about returning to Iowa City next fall. The unanimous All-American and Jim Thorpe Award winner has had a banner season, tying a school record with eight interceptions. In fact, King’s likeness hangs outside Kinnick Stadium among other Hawkeyes outstanding performers.

King awaits a NFL Draft evaluation to return to see where pro scouts believe he could be selected. But, King says the looming decision is pushed to the back of his brain while the majority of it focuses on Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

“It’s just not the time for me to think about that right now because we have a very important game coming up this Friday,” King said.

Phil Parker, Iowa’s Defensive Coordinator, noted his cornerback’s ability to keep the distraction at bay.

“It’s easy for a guy with that kind of accolades to go ahead and take it easy, but he’s been practicing really well,” Parker said.

Should King return to school for the 2016 season, Parker believes there is an even higher ceiling he can reach.

“Being a good player, I’m expecting him to play at the highest level at every play,” he said. “For him to get beat in one play is not good enough for my standards and for him.”

Stanford’s Efficient Runs

Both Rose Bowl combatants have repeated the understanding of similar styles between the schools. That includes what Stanford Offensive Coordinator Mike Bloomgren calls “efficient runs.”

It is the same style of offense Iowa has run for decades. The goal for each of these runs is for the offense to stay on schedule on each down and distance.

“First and second down, we’re looking for four yards or more,” he said. “Third down, looking to move the sticks and same with fourth down.”

The Cardinal enters the Rose Bowl playing a team who suffered its only loss in the Big Ten Championship on a 22-play drive flooded with efficient runs.

Should Iowa prevail on Friday, it could be their ability to cut down Christian McCaffrey’s attempts at reaching said efficiency. If the tactic has lulled Hawkeye fans to sleep, they are not alone.

“I don’t know that our fans like them, but we sure do,” Bloomgren said.

Hogan’s Evolution

Kevin Hogan will start under center in the Rose Bowl Game for the third time in his career. The McLean, Virginia native has immense impact in planning and executing Bloomgren’s methodical offense.

Typical of the most cerebral NFL quarterbacks, Hogan will race into the huddle with three or four called plays, before deciphering and countering his opponent’s tactic. The Cardinal quarterback spends time during the week in protection meetings with the offensive line, preparing the group for adjustments at the line of scrimmage during the game.

“I think it’s very rare, I don’t know anybody that’s doing it in college football,” Bloomgren said. “We did not do it with Andrew [Luck] for whatever reason. For us, it’s such a confidence, gives his teammates such a confidence.”

Hogan will bring those protective measures with him to the field Friday, opposing Parker’s simplistic defense that can be confusing to signal callers.

“You never really know what they’re going to do,” Hogan said. “You kind of have your mindset of what their defense is going to be before the snap, and all of a sudden they just throw something else at you.”

Jewell Receives Praise

Bloomgren gushed that Iowa’s leading tackler, Josey Jewell, stars in the Iowa defensive game film.

“[He runs] sideline to sideline, making play after play,” he said. “Really impressed how he never gives up on a play, and how many plays he’s able to make from whatever position he starts.”

Jewell admits he has a lack of natural speed, but it’s the work of track and field in high school combined with Coach Chris Doyle’s legendary strength and conditioning program.

“I was pretty small,” he said. “But speed is faster for me on the football field, seeing reads and spring to that position. I’ve never been that fast of a guy, but I’ve grown here the last couple of years in my strength and agility.”

Looking Ahead

Tuesday is media day for both teams. Kirk Ferentz traditionally keeps younger players from the microphones, but everyone in Black and Gold will be on display. Stanford has the only open practice in the afternoon, with Iowa taking care of business behind closed doors.

KRUI Sports will air a daily radio show from the game’s media hotel, keeping you in the loop on all things Iowa Hawkeyes leading up to Friday’s Rose Bowl Game.

The post Rose Bowl Roundup: Full Throttle Bowl Prep appeared first on KRUI Radio.

My fantasy team this year has been performing…sub-par to put it nicely, but nevertheless I still check the match-ups, and waiver wire every week before I set my lineup. And though I enjoy playing fantasy football, and enjoy bragging when I win (which is not often, so I take what I can get), I enjoy college football so much more than the NFL. But there is no such thing as Fantasy NCAA Football unfortunately, unless someone wants to do it all manually and keep up with numbers. But who has time for that? I want a computer to tell me my score, so I don’t have to deal with the math.

So for this reason I have decided to put together my ideal fantasy college football lineup for fun and see if maybe this will catch on someday. Would some people consider this article a waste of time? Probably. But it was Mark Duplass‘ character Pete on the FXX show The League who said:

“God bless fantasy football. There are many things a man can do with his time. This… is better than those things.”

This lineup is for a traditional league like the one I am in, one quarterback, three wide receivers, two running backs, one tight end, a flex, defense, and a kicker.

Quarterback:

Connor Halliday – Washington State

The Wazzou senior has over 3000 yards passing through only six games with 26 touchdowns. This includes a six touchdown, 734 yard game last week against Cal. That performance alone would have gotten me over 50 points from him. We can expect more numbers like that as he averages around 62 pass attempts per game.

Running Backs:

Ameer Abdullah – Nebraska

Arguably the best running back in the nation right now. Abdullah is leading the NCAA with 878 rushing yards, and has combined that with 10 touchdowns. Tack on 130 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and it is clear to see why this man would be a top draft pick.

James Conner – PittsburghI am going with Conner on this one assuming that I could not get Abdullah and Georgia RB Todd Gurley

on the same team, so the Pitt sophomore would be a good pick. So far he has 874 yards and nine touchdowns on 156 attempts. The Panthers feed him the rock every game in their run-first offense, meaning big-time numbers for fantasy owners.

Wide Receivers:

Sterling Shepard – Oklahoma

Considering Bama’s Amari Cooper probably would have been the first wide receiver to go in the draft, I would take Shepard. Right now he is sixth in the nation in receiving yards with 651 and has three touchdowns. But looking at his stats, he would be good for at least 10 points a game.

Cayleb Jones – Arizona

As Anu Solomon’s go-to receiver in Arizona’s air-it-out offense, Jones would be a perfect fantasy receiver. He has 535 yards through five games along with seven touchdowns, and with that offense his numbers are sure to rise.

Nelson Spruce – Colorado

This guy would have been a waiver pickup as no one would have taken any player from Colorado, but his numbers do not lie. The junior is third in the nation in receiving yards with 732, and first in touchdowns at 10. He is another example of when people want play-makers, turn to the Pac 12.

Tight End:

Clive Walford – Miami (FL)

As far as tight ends go this year, none really stand out. Just because I’m a Notre Dame fan I probably would have taken Ben Koyack, but dropped him for Walford. The Senior from The “U” has 266 receiving yards and three touchdowns so far this year, not quite Jimmy Graham numbers, but not bad either. In fact, he is the second best receiver for the Hurricanes.

Flex:

Jay Ajayi – Boise State

Not one of the more well-known backs in the country, but the Boise junior has 709 rushing yards and eight touchdowns and is a beacon of light on an otherwise unexciting Broncos team.

Defense:

Stanford

Though the Cardinal have two losses on their resume this year, they were both low-scoring games. Stanford is first in the nation in points against, only giving up an average of 8.6 points per game. They also have the third best pass defense in the country having only given up 537 on the year.

The post My Fantasy (College) Football Team appeared first on KRUI Radio.