Iowa notes: Parker makes plays

IOWA CITY - Iowa running back Jonathan Parker has shown enough position flexibility to make things happen from anywhere on the field.

Parker (5-foot-8, 180 pounds) finished with a team-high 94 all-purpose yards in a 24-10 win against Purdue last Saturday. He returned a kickoff 47 yards, he caught two passes for 43 yards and rushed once for four yards.

A red-shirt freshman from St. Louis, Parker has had success running a jet sweep from a slot position this season. Saturday, Parker lined up three times in the slot and each time as he ran in motion, a Purdue defender followed him. Iowa gained 32 yards on those three plays by using Parker as a decoy.

'I saw the ‘backers coming with me,” Parker said. 'I guess that's part of their scheme to get toward JP, Jonathan Parker, once he gets going in motion. If that's their scheme, that's their scheme. I feel like it really worked well.”

'Jonathan Parker is an exciting guy that we want to continue to have a package for him,” Iowa offensive coordinator Greg Davis said. 'The other day he affected the ballgame with the ball, and he affected the ballgame without the ball. Just faking to him twice created some opportunities for Mark (Weisman) and Jordan (Canzeri) to run up inside.”

Parker fumbled twice against Ball State and sat for the rest of the game. He since has re-emerged as a key role player in Iowa's offensive attack.

'It shows me that the coaches believe in me, and I really believe in the coaches,” Parker said. 'For them to show me and put me back out there and showcase my talent ... that's why I came to the University of Iowa.”

D-line for Spearman?

Iowa weakside linebacker Reggie Spearman has the potential to bulk up and eventually move to defensive end, defensive coordinator Phil Parker said Tuesday.

Spearman, an 18-year-old true sophomore, stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 230 pounds. He has long arms and a build that could carry more weight.

'I think there's a possibility that it could happen,” Phil Parker said. 'He does get in the Raider package and becomes a rusher on the edge. It all depends on how much he grows and how much weight he puts on, and can he do it in a consistent basis to go on and take offensive linemen on.”

Spearman has started all five games at weakside linebacker. Recently he has split time with red-shirt freshman Josey Jewell, who missed the first two games with a broken hand. Spearman has 22 tackles, including two for loss, and two pass breakups.

'Right now we feel like this (linebacker) is the best position for him,” Phil Parker said. 'When we need to, we'll put him in rushing situations in our subpackages, but eventually it could. If he keeps on growing and getting to 245, 250 we might put him down. But I'm sure if he hears that, he's going to stay down to where he's at.”

True frosh update

Iowa has played three true freshmen so far this season - safety Miles Taylor, linebacker Ben Niemann and kicker Mick Ellis. All three have been active on special teams, and Niemann has played a few snaps on defensive subpackages.

'(Niemann is) a great kid, a good athlete and really going to help us,” Phil Parker said. 'We're going to try to keep on getting him in our subpackage where I think he can help us, too.

'Miles Taylor is a great effort, toughness, violent guy, football player. I just love his attitude the way it goes. We figured he can change the tempo of a game and he's still learning. It's a lot of stuff to go through for a true freshman to play at safety. It is a lot easier to go at corner, but we like his growth and ability the way he loves the game of football.”

True freshman defensive end Matt Nelson (6-8, 255) won't play this year. Phil Parker said Nelson, a first-team all-state defensive lineman at Cedar Rapids Xavier, will make an impact after this red-shirt season.

'I think he's got a lot of his strength that needs to get better,” Phil Parker said. 'I think that's happened. But I think picking up the system, he's done a good job doing that. Right now he's just to me not ready to play. I just don't want to waste a year of playing him 10 snaps or 30 snaps in a year. So I think it's good to develop him and mature his strength and ... definitely he's going to help us out next year.”

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@sourcemedia.net