Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1276571
2019 RECORD 10-3, 6-3 Big Ten COACH Kirk Ferentz (162-104 in 14 sea- sons at Iowa; career record: 174-125) OFFENSE The big questions here con- cern Nate Stanley's replacement at quar- terback. The top can- didate appears to be redshirt sophomore Spencer Petras, who saw action in three games last season, completing 6 of 10 passes for 25 yards. The other two con- tenders – Alex Padilla and Deuce Hogan – both have freshman eligibility. As- suming Petras is able to hold them o?, he'll be throwing to one of the top wide- outs in the Big Ten in Ihmir Smith- Marsette, who caught 44 passes for 722 yards as a junior. The Hawkeyes have another strong receiver in Brandon Smith, and as always, they've got a good tight end. This year it's Sam LaPorta, who showed great promise as a fresh- man, catching 15 passes for 188 yards. Running back Tyler Goodson also re- turns a@er rushing for a team-leading 638 yards in his debut season, and the o?ensive line should be solid even with Tristan Wirfs having le@ for the NFL. DEFENSE The Hawkeyes lost a lot on this side of the ball, a list headlined by standout defensive end A.J. Epenesa. The only returnee up front is Chauncey Golston, who =nished with 9.5 tackles for loss and three sacks last year. Daviyon Nixon is set to inherit a defensive tackle post, while Northern Illinois transfer Jack He>in =gures to solidify the middle of the line. The linebacker corps is in better shape, with veterans Djimon Col- bert and Nick Niemann back, while cor- nerback Matt Hankins and safety Jack Koerner return in the secondary. Also back is safety Kaevon Merriweather, a projected starter last year before su?er- ing a foot injury in practice and missing nearly the entire season. SPECIAL TEAMS Iowa returns one of the country's best kickers in Keith Dun- can. A year ago, he won =rst-team All- America honors a@er hitting 29 of 34 3. IOWA PETRAS sive linemen. With Johnson gone, the Gophers will need some other receivers to step up; Chris Autman-Bell and Demetrius Douglas are the most obvious candidates. The o?ense will be under the direction of new coordinator Mike Sanford Jr., formerly of Utah State. San- ford replaces Kirk Ciarrocca, who le@ in December to join James Franklin's sta? at Penn State. DEFENSE If the Nittany Lions end up meeting the Gophers at any point in the season, they will be happy to not see An- toine Win=eld Jr. in the secondary. The All-America safety is o? to the NFL a@er intercepting nine passes in his career, in- cluding two picks in last year's victory over PSU. The Gophers have lost a lot more than just Win=eld, as TFL leader Carter Coughlin is gone, along with =ve other regulars from last year's starting defense. The four-man front returns only one starter in Notre Dame transfer Micah Dew-Treadway, while the line- backer corps must be entirely rebuilt. The most experienced position group on defense is the secondary, where everyone but Win=eld is back. The returnees in- clude cornerbacks Coney Durr and Ben- jamin St. Juste and strong safety Jordan Howden. The Nittany Lions won't want to see Howden, either, as it was his late interception at the goal line that clinched the Gophers' victory last November. SPECIAL TEAMS Minnesota struggled in the kicking game last season. Michael Lantz and Brock Walker combined to hit 11 of 15 =eld goal attempts, but Lantz's longest kick was 40 yards, while Walker's longest was 26 yards. The punting duties may fall to Australian freshman Mark Crawford a@er Jacob Herbers averaged only 38.3 yards per at- tempt last season. OUTLOOK Skeptics have long grumbled that Fleck's gung-ho persona is hokum, but the guy sure does win a lot of foot- ball games. A@er making a name for himself by turning around Western Michigan, he did the same to Minnesota in year three of his tenure with the Go- phers, guiding them to their best season in =ve decades, a season that ended with a 31-24 victory over Auburn in the Out- back Bowl. How do you follow that up? Maybe by vying for a division title and =rst-ever spot in the Big Ten Champi- onship Game. Those goals seem a lot more realistic now than they did a year ago. And with Fleck under contract through the 2026 season and the team's recruiting e?orts steadily improving, the Gophers could be emerging as long- term threats to perennial West Division powers Wisconsin and Iowa. ■ TOP RETURNEES PASSING Tanner Morgan 210 of 318 | 3,253 yds. | 30 TD | 7 int. RUSHING Mohamed Ibrahim 114 att. | 604 yds. | 7 TD RECEIVING Rashod Bateman 60 rec. | 1,219 yds. | 11 TD TACKLING Thomas Barber 35 solo | 31 asst. | 66 total SACKS Boye Mafe 3 sacks | 17 yds. Braelen Oliver 3 sacks | 28 yds. TOP RETURNEES PASSING Spencer Petras 6 of 10 | 25 yds. | 0 TD | 0 int. RUSHING Tyler Goodson 134 att. | 638 yds. | 5 TD RECEIVING Ihmir Smith-Marsette 44 rec. | 722 yds. | 5 TD TACKLING Jack Koerner 49 solo | 32 asst. | 81 total SACKS Joe Evans 4 sacks | 16 yds. P E N N S TAT E O P P O N E N T O C T. 2 4 @ B E AV E R STA D I U M , U N I V E R S I T Y PA R K , PA .