IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi is in little danger of losing his starting job. Still, he knows he must cut down on the interceptions next fall if the Hawkeyes are to meet what should be sky-high expectations.
Stanzi threw 15 picks last season – including four that were returned for touchdowns – but still led Iowa to an 11-2 record and a 24-14 win over Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl.
He spent much of the spring trying to correct the mistakes that led to those interceptions. After poring over game film, Stanzi realized he needed to get rid of the ball more quickly and make better decisions.
“That was a big problem for us and the offense last year, and it was all caused by me. That’s the quarterback’s job, to not turn the ball over,” said Stanzi, who will be a senior next season. “That was something that I had to learn from.”
ay with an open practice in front of about 23,000 fans at Kinnick Stadium.
Iowa, which is expected to contend for the Big Ten title and a second straight BCS game berth, opens the season on Sept. 4 against Eastern Illinois.
The Hawkeyes are 18-4 in Stanzi’s 22 career starts, but the Hawkeyes could do without the nerve-racking journeys en route.
Stanzi finished 2009 with 2,417 yards, 17 touchdowns and a completion percentage of just 56.2 percent. The interceptions never came back to haunt Stanzi – in fact, the Hawkeyes went 4-0 in games when he threw an interception the opposition brought back for a touchdown – but even he knows he’d better not to try to pull that off again.
“I think he’s more confident. He works at it hard. He studies it hard,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “He’s acutely aware of what he needs to be working on, so I think he’s made good use of his time.”
Stanzi said his focus will be to live to play another down, either dumping it off for a short gain, running with the ball or simply chucking it into the stands, while still taking cracks at big plays when they’re there.
“Sometimes it’s OK to punt, let the defense take care of things. That’s part of football,” Stanzi said. “Getting that mentality, but also understanding that we’ve got to go make plays at the same time, is something that we’ve all been working on this spring.”
o have cemented his status as Stanzi’s backup this spring, though Ferentz also praised third-stringer John Wienke.
Stanzi undoubtedly would benefit from a strong running game next fall, but the three-way competition for carries will drag on into August.
Sophomore Jewel Hampton, who missed last season with a knee injury, looked sharp this spring, according to offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe. But Hampton won’t be cleared for full contact until fall camp.
Fellow sophomore Adam Robinson missed spring ball following offseason shoulder surgery. Brandon Wegher, also a sophomore, skipped Saturday’s workout after spraining a shoulder.
Iowa’s defense returns eight starters – including all four from one of the nation’s top defensive lines. The Hawkeyes do need to replace standout linebackers A.J. Edds and Pat Angerer, and it appears Jeff Tarpinian and Tyler Nielsen will enter the fall as starters.
Tarpinian, a senior, played well enough this spring to prompt the coaching staff to move him into Angerer’s middle linebacker spot. Nielsen likely will join senior Jeremiah Hunter at outside linebacker.
“We’ve fooled around with a lot of several combinations at the linebacker position, and I think all the guys have done a nice job handling the movement there,” Ferentz said. “If we were playing tomorrow, (Tarpinian) would be our middle linebacker.”
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