The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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126 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, the longest-tenured head coach in college football, has his Hawkeyes on quite the run entering his 24th season at the helm. In 2021, they won the Big Ten West and finished ranked in the Associated Press poll for the fourth straight year, the sec- ond-longest streak in program his- tory. Iowa has 18 starters and 76 per- cent of its production returning, per ESPN.com, and the Hawkeyes are expected to compete for the Big Ten title once again. In a way, Iowa's stellar 2021 cam- paign was all the more impressive since one side of the ball — the de- fense — carried the other. At the least, it speaks to how good that unit was. The offense was 99th or worse in scoring (99th), total yards (121st), rushing (102nd) and passing (109th), with 19 turnovers. Despite having to put up with a tepid attack, the Hawkeyes ranked 13th nationally in scoring defense (19.2 points allowed per game) and tied for 16th in total defense (328.9 yards yielded per out- ing). They led the country with 25 interceptions. That unit should be strong once again, especially in the front seven, which is headlined by a starting line- backer duo that ranked Nos. 1 and 2 on the team in tackles last season. In fact, senior Jack Campbell had more tackles than any other Big Ten player — 143 — while senior Seth Benson contributed 105 stops. The tandem combined for 8.5 tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hur- ries and 3 interceptions. Three of Iowa's starting defensive line- men return ahead of them, meaning a team that allowed just one opponent — Michigan — to rush for 200 or more yards last season should be tough to run on again this fall. While three starting defensive backs are off to the NFL, Iowa still has playmaking ability on the third level of its defense. Senior safety Kaevon Merriweather notched 42 tackles, 4 pass breakups and 1 in- terception a year ago, while senior cornerback Riley Moss registered 4 picks, 5 pass breakups and 3 tackles for loss. Senior Spencer Petras was Iowa's starting quarterback in 2020 and 2021, but he'll have to win the job again dur- ing fall camp. He's being pushed by junior Alex Padilla and redshirt fresh- man Joe Labas, two younger signal- callers who have much more mobility than the incumbent. Petras wasn't prolific last season, to say the least, ranking 11th in the Big Ten with both a 57.3 completion percentage and 6.5 yards per attempt. He threw for 10 touchdowns with 9 interceptions. Padilla has some expe- rience, with three starts while Petras was banged up, and he threw for 636 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2021. Senior tight end Sam LaPorta rep- resents a nice comfort blanket as a pass-catcher. He caught 53 throws for a team-high 670 yards and 3 touch- downs. He leads a receiving corps that returns its top four players. Replacing center Tyler Linder- baum, a first-round NFL Draft pick, will be a big challenge, but the Hawk- eyes are hoping sophomore Logan Jones turns out to be a similar player. Like Linderbaum, Jones moved over from the defensive line. He appears to be the leader at center after spring ball and joins three return- ing starters on an offensive line that didn't live up to Iowa's standards in 2021. The group gave up 96 tackles for loss (119th nationally) and 32 sacks (88th). Notes Per The Athletic, Iowa averaged 3.12 yards per rush on first down, the fifth-worst mark in the nation last year … Iowa's 0.86 average turnover margin per game ranked seventh in the country. ❑ 2022 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2021 Result Sept. 3 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE — Sept. 10 IOWA STATE W, 27-17 Sept. 17 NEVADA — Sept. 24 at Rutgers — Oct. 1 MICHIGAN L, 42-3 Oct. 8 at Illinois W, 33-23 Oct. 22 at Ohio State — Oct. 29 NORTHWESTERN W, 17-12 Nov. 5 at Purdue L, 24-7 Nov. 12 WISCONSIN L, 27-7 Nov. 19 at Minnesota W, 27-22 Nov. 25 NEBRASKA W, 28-21 PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Sam LaPorta, Sr., TE The 6-4, 249-pounder was named third-team All-Big Ten by the league's coaches last fall. Defense: Jack Campbell, Sr., LB His 143 tackles in 2021 were the fifth-most in history for an Iowa player in a single season. GAME 5 • IOWA HAWKEYES • OCT. 1 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Michigan leads 43-15-4 First Meeting: Iowa 28, U-M 5 (Nov. 10, 1900, at Detroit) Last Meeting: U-M 42, Iowa 3 (Dec. 4, 2021, at India - napolis) Head Coach: Kirk Ferentz, 178-110 (24th year) at Iowa, 190-131 overall (27th year) 2021 In Review: 10-4, 7-3 Big Ten (1st West) Final 2021 Ranking: 23rd in Associated Press, 23rd in coaches Returning Starters: 18 (8 offense, 8 defense, 2 specialists) Last Bowl Appearance: 2021 (Citrus Bowl vs. Kentucky, L 20-17) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Spencer Petras (1,880 yards, 10 TDs) Rushing: Gavin Williams (305 yards, 0 TDs) Receiving: Sam LaPorta (670 yards, 3 TDs) Tackles: Jack Campbell (143) Sacks: Joe Evans, Lukas Van Ness (7) Interceptions: Jermari Harris, Riley Moss (4) Hawkeyes Return Most Of Their Division Title-Winning Team Senior safety Kaevon Merriweather had 42 tackles, 4 pass break- ups and 1 interception a year ago. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL