 Marc MorehouseHi, I'm Marc Morehouse. I've covered sports for more than 15 years, mostly in Eastern Iowa. I've had Hayden Fry [...] |
|
Email the author
Ferentz: McCall, Davis back in the game
Iowa running back Mika'il McCall (25) evades Tennessee Tech's Caleb Mitchell (15, left) and Howard Griffin (33) in the first quarter of their game on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2011, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. (Liz Martin/SourceMedia Group News)
On his radio show Wednesday night, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said freshman running back Mika’il McCall will play in Saturday’s game against Michigan.
Also, Ferentz said junior wide receiver Keenan Davis, who missed last week’s game after suffering a mild ankle sprain against Indiana, will play unless “something happens in the next 48 hours.”
McCall, a true freshman, hasn’t played since Iowa’s opener against Tennessee Tech, when he suffered a broken ankle nine carries into his career. He showed burst and looked to the solid No. 2 to sophomore Marcus Coker, but the ankle injury sent him to the bench until the last couple of weeks.
McCall returned to practice during Northwestern week on Oct. 15 and went through warmups. He did again the last two weeks, but hasn’t seen game action.
This week in practice, McCall has take all the No. 2 snaps. Iowa’s void at No. 2 running back was so dire that the 61 yards McCall gained in week 1 stood as No. 2 behind Coker until freshman running back De’Andre Johnson and quarterback James Vandenberg passed him six weeks later.
“Now he’s a couple weeks into it, so we will feel better,” Ferentz said of McCall on Tuesday.
Davis, who’s Iowa’s No. 2 receiver with 30 catches and four TDs, said Tuesday that it would’ve “been stupid for me to even try to play.”
“It would’ve gotten worse,” said Davis, who was in uniform and warmed up last week before a game-time decision was made. “It felt good running around on Saturday.”
Ferentz also said DT Tom Nardo (ankle) and LB Anthony Hitchens (knee) should play Saturday.
-u20042.png?1366232523)
Good news on the injury front, Marc. Now if only Kirk and the gang can figure out how to use them aggressively in a play-to-win game plan. Hey, what’s football without dreams?
And if you’re gonna dream, why not go BIG? So even though Kirk won’t appreciate the help, I’m willing to offer it anyway, stupid Ferentz-salary paying fan that I am.
How about opening with a full-house backfield? Rogers at FB and Coker and McCall at the RBs? Just put in a counter and a couple basic plays. I think the Hawkeyes are smart enough to do that. And wouldn’t Michigan be all aghast?
And then do that thing they do — the no-huddle offense for awhile. And then go to a no-back look with five wide and McNutt in the slot against a 6-0 LB.
Defend Mr. Robinson, he of the no shoelaces, by sticking one man — a spy, if you will — on him, one-on-on, kind of like a box-and-one in B-ball. Don’t let Denard beatcha. See if somebody else is good enough to do it.
And how about some trickeration on kickoffs? Two men back and a handoff, or a fake? Or a lateral pass across the field?
This conservative hogwash might make Rush Limbaugh proud, but Hawks are the hunter, not the prey. Let ‘em fly on Saturday, Kirk. Please? After all, after losing to Minnesota, why on earth wouldn’t you?
Oh yeah…you’re Iowa stubborn…
I’m back and forth on McCall playing. My first thought is its a really poor decision considering you then are wasting two redshirts because McCall is only going to play 4 games and hopefully one more and Canzeri evidently isn’t going to play and you already burnt his with garbage time against Indiana.
My second thought is at least he’s finally being aggressive with something. It just seems like our most talented recruits end up wasting their true frosh year and they are juniors before being productive. See Keenan and Fiedorowicz.