Iowa Hawkeyes Football: 2015 Season Preview and Prediction

After another underwhelming year for Kirk Ferentz and his Iowa Hawkeyes in 2014, what does he have in store for the 2015 season?

Entering the 2014 season, the Iowa Hawkeyes were considered a dark horse in the Big Ten West. However, several underwhelming regular season performances, coupled with a blowout at the hands of Tennessee in the TaxSlayer bowl, led the Hawkeyes to a mediocre 7-6 record.

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Entering the 2015 season, Kirk Ferentz will try to silence his growing number of critics and win double-digit games for the first time since 2009.

Offensive Outlook

Jake Rudock, the opening day starter last season, found himself splitting time by the season’s end, and has since transferred to Michigan. This means CJ Beathard, the junior who often replaced Rudock, enters 2015 as the undisputed starter. Beathard appeared in nine games, including one start, and finished last season with 645 passing yards and five touchdowns.

Marc Weisman, a workhorse who ran for 838 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2014, has graduated. However, the running back position is not completely devoid of production; senior Jordan Canzeri rain for 513 yards last season, and should assume Weisman’s spot at starting running back. In addition, sophomore Akrum Wadley should add some pop to the backfield; he ran for 192 yards and a touchdown as a freshman in 2014. Another option is redshirt junior LeShun Daniels, who ran for 59 yards and a touchdown, and has the build to assume Weisman’s role as goal-line back.

Tevaun Smith headlines the wide receiver position for the Hawkeyes, fresh off a junior campaign that saw him catch 43 passes for a team-best 596 yards and three touchdowns. Behind Smith, junior Matt VandeBerg and senior Jacob Hillyer look to build on promising 2014 seasons. VandeBerg caught 14 passes for 256 yards and one touchdown, while Hillyer grabbed 11 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Senior tight end Jake Duzey is back as well; he was third on the team with 392 receiving yards, and tied Smith and two others for a team-best three touchdown catches. Iowa was a mediocre 60th in total offense last season, but the pieces are there to improve on that number this year.

Defensive Outlook

The Hawkeyes finished 17th in the country in total defense last season, good for fourth best in the Big Ten. The leading returning tackler is senior safety Jordan Lomax, who finished last season with 92 total tackles, one interception, and six pass breakups. Ferentz must replace leading tackler John Lowdermilk at the strong safety position; for now, it looks like sophomore Miles Taylor (eight total tackles in 2014) will be the heir apparent. The cornerback position projects to be a strong suit as well, with junior Desmond King and senior Greg Mabin both coming off solid seasons.

The front seven looks to be much more of a question mark for the Hawkeyes. Nate Meier is a solid presence at defensive end, having piled up 57 total tackles and two sacks last season. Opposite Meier will be senior and leading sack man Drew Ott, he of 57 total tackles and eight sacks in 2014. The interior line is an unknown; neither junior Jaleel Johnson nor sophomore Nathan Bazata, both projected starters, saw serious time last season.

At linebacker, redshirt sophomore Josey Jewell could be a standout player. Jewell finished with 51 total tackles and one sack last year, and needs to be a stud in the middle of the field for this defense to remain elite. Flanking him on either side will sophomores Ben Neimann and Bo Bower, the latter being the more experienced one. Should these three perform to their respective potentials, the Hawkeyes could once again find themselves with a top-20 defense in 2015.

Final Thoughts and Prediction

Ferentz enters his 17th fall in Iowa City with more critics than ever, and while 2015 may not be make-or-break for him, this is a fan base that wants the Hawkeyes to be players again. For the second straight season, Iowa avoids Michigan State and Ohio State, but their schedule is not nearly as favorable as last year.

They couldn’t beat Iowa State, Wisconsin, or Nebraska at home in 2014—they have to try to win all three of those games on the road this year. With that being said, with a relatively soft out of conference schedule that includes Illinois State, Iowa State, Pittsburgh, and North Texas, a 4-0 record headed into October is not out of the question.

If that happens, then a nine or ten win season seems plausible. If the Hawkeyes stumble to seven or eight wins again, expect the seat under Kirk Ferentz to get a lot harder.

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