Penn State Sports Magazine
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spots, notably lineman Jared Crick and linebacker Lavonte David. They will need senior middle linebacker Will Compton to have a big season to anchor the front seven, and they could also use a bit more speed on the edge if they hope to improve on last year's mediocre total of 21 sacks. OUTLOOK It's the second time around for Nebraska. The Cornhuskers will be better acquainted with their new opponents this fall, and that should provide some intangible benefits. "It's one thing seeing it on film; it's anoth- er thing living it," Pelini said. "I think that will help us going into year two." Also helpful: the return of Martinez and Burkhead. If they can get the of- fense cranked up, this could be a very interesting season in Lincoln. The key will be the first two weeks of the Big Ten season. If the Huskers can get past Wisconsin and Ohio State on successive weekends (the latter game will be at the Horseshoe), the sky's the limit. QUOTABLE Pelini on Burkhead: "I wouldn't trade him for another player in the country. That's how much I think of Rex." 4. IOWA 7-6, 4-4 STRENGTHS Quarterback James Van- denberg is coming off a solid junior season in which he ranked third in the Big Ten in passing yards per game (232.5) and fourth in total of- fense (237.2). The Hawkeyes hired former Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis in the hope of strengthen- ing an offense that finished sixth in the Big Ten last season. Davis coached former Longhorn QBs Major Applewhite, Chris Simms, Colt McCoy and Vince Young, so he's definitely got the credentials. And his West Coast schemes should appease all those Iowa fans who've been grum- bling that the Hawkeyes have been growing increasingly stale on offense in recent years. CONCERNS Iowa needs to find a run- ning back. As usual. The Hawkeyes have lost more than their share in re- cent years, and their bad luck streak continued in July when Kirk Ferentz was forced to suspend De'Andre Johnson following two police inci- dents in a one-week span, the more serious being a high-speed motorcy- cle chase. That means freshmen Greg Garmon and Barkley Hill will have to be ready to play early in their careers. The Hawks also must replace three starters on the offensive line, but they've done a pretty good job of re- loading up front in years past, and center James Ferentz (yes, he's Kirk's son) gives them a pretty good place to start. OUTLOOK Ferentz is now the longest- tenured coach in the Big Ten, having been on the job since 1999. He's had to reshuffle his staff a bit this season, but Iowa's stability has been one of the cornerstones of its success. Now, if the Hawkeyes can just get their running back situation resolved, they may have a chance to sneak up on one of the three divisional power- houses that are getting all the atten- tion this off-season. QUOTABLE Ferentz on Iowa's difficulties at running back: "There's really noth- ing we can do that we haven't done. Things happen in college football. Things happen in pro football. It's just life." 5. NORTHWESTERN 6-7, 3-5 STRENGTHS Junior Kain Colter is a one- man gang. He's the Wildcats' top re- turning passer (673 yards), rusher (654) and receiver (466) this season. As a sophomore, he went 2-1 while filling in for the injured Dan Persa, including a victory at Boston College in the season opener. How confident is Pat Fitzgerald as Colter gets set to assume the full-time starting role? "Extremely confident," the seventh- year coach said. "He's a very dynamic quarterback." CONCERNS While stalwart left guard Brian Mulroe returns for his senior season, the offensive line could be a problem following the departure of two starters. Northwestern was not a ball-control juggernaut last year, ranking seventh in the league in rushing offense. A bigger challenge will be to patch up a defense that al- lowed 407.7 yards per game last sea- son. The Wildcats need to do a better job of putting pressure on opponents after amassing a league-low 17 sacks in 2011. OUTLOOK Northwestern has a manage- able schedule. Indeed, with four of its first five games set to take place at Ryan Field, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Wildcats roll into Beaver Stadium unbeaten Oct. 6. They are also one of two Legends Division teams that get to avoid both Ohio State and Wisconsin, so while it would be a big surprise if the Wild- cats were to find themselves in Indi- anapolis Dec. 1, a fifth consecutive bowl appearance seems likely. QUOTABLE Fitzgerald: "If we do things the right way, we'll have a chance to compete for the championship in this league. That's our goal. We're not go- ing to hide from it." 6. MINNESOTA 3-9, 2-6 STRENGTHS Coach Jerry Kill said he's hoping for big things from senior quarterback MarQueis Gray. The po- tential certainly appears to be there. Taking over as Minnesota's full-time quarterback last season, Gray led the team in both passing (1,495) and rushing (966). On defense, senior linebacker Keanon Cooper is a steady veteran who has played in all 37 games since beginning his career in 2009. CONCERNS Minnesota simply has to score more points this year. That means Gray needs to become a more consistent passer after completing a shade over 50 percent of his attempts as a junior. Another key for the Go- phers will be whether their defense is able to create turnovers. They inter- cepted only four passes and recov- ered five fumbles last season. Their nine takeaways were the fewest in the Big Ten by a lot. OUTLOOK The Gophers were bad on both sides of the ball last year. They finished last in the league in points per game (18.4) and next-to-last in points allowed (31.7). If either of those trends continues this fall, it's going to be a long season in Min-