Iowa notes: Martin-Manley nears record, Minnesota boasts top LB

IOWA CITY - Iowa wide receiver Kevonte Martin-Manley quietly has crept within striking distance of Iowa's receptions record.

Martin-Manley, a senior, ranks third in school history with 158 catches, just 15 receptions shy of tying record-holder Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. Martin-Manley also ranks 16th in receiving yards (1,618).

'I see things online, writers and things like that, but I try to just keep it in the back of my mind,” Martin-Manley said. 'My main focus right now is getting wins. To be honest with you, I don't care if I didn't catch a pass if we won the rest of these games. Me catching passes obviously does help, but it's not something that I'm trying to think too much about. I'm just trying to do my job and win games.”

Martin-Manley ranks ninth in Big Ten play with 36 receptions. Eighteen of those passes have ended in first downs or touchdowns. All three of his catches last week against Northwestern resulted in first downs. He's got caught passes in 37 of his last 38 games, missing only the 2013 Michigan State, which he left early because of a leg injury.

WILSON ANCHORS GOPHERS

Minnesota middle linebacker Damien Wilson ranks second in the Big Ten in tackles per game with 10.8. At 6-foot-2, 249 pounds, Wilson is physical, and he's also quick to the ball.

'He's a very good player,” Iowa running back Mark Weisman said. 'He's got good instincts out there, tackles well.”

Wilson, a senior, record 78 tackles a year ago and started 12 games after transferring from Jones County (Miss.) Community College.

'Damien has matured,” Minnesota Coach Jerry Kill said. 'When you come in as a junior-college player, you have to learn a system. That's not always easy to do. His improvement over from one year to the next has been good. He's more comfortable with what he's doing and more confident with what he's doing. He'll have to play very well on Saturday. He's got to have an extreme amount of discipline with what Iowa does. But he's certainly played well for us.”

FERENTZ LIKES WILLIAMS

Tight end Maxx Williams has become a touchdown machine for Minnesota.

Williams, a 6-4, 250-pound sophomore, has caught nine touchdowns among his 42 catches in two seasons. With his size and athletic ability, Williams is a tough match-up. Iowa safety Jordan Lomax compared Williams to Iowa State's E.J. Bibbs.

'They like to send him on wheel routes and match him up with a linebacker or a safety and get him on a wheel route and get him the ball,” Lomax said. 'He can go up there and catch the ball and he's good in the run game.

'He's got good speed, a big, physical tight end, and he likes to catch the ball. He can block.”

Williams also is a Gopher legacy from both parents. His father, Brian, played with the Gophers from 1986-88 and spent 11 seasons as a center with the New York Giants. His mother, Rochele (Goetz) Williams, won Minnesota's Medal of Honor as a volleyball player.

'We knew about Max and never got the chance to recruit him,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. 'He committed really early, and he's done an outstanding job.

'He's a really good football player and a great young man. Got to meet him four years ago, five years ago. His dad and (former Iowa and New York Giants lineman) Bob Kratch are really good friends. So Maxx was actually down here, it might have been ninth grade, 10th grade. He probably committed about a month later. Made a big impression on him. Minnesota, obviously, not Iowa.”

SCHERFF FEATURED

BTN will feature Iowa tackle Brandon Scherff on Wednesday night as part of its documentary series 'The Journey.” The network will air video of Scherff in the weight room and as an outdoorsman, as well as game footage against Northwestern.

'I saw cameras in the weight room, watching him lift,” Iowa tackle Andrew Donnal said. 'I'm excited to be able to watch it.”

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com