IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -One of Iowa’s favorite mantras has always been “Next Man In.”
The 15th-ranked Hawkeyes don’t complain about injuries – they go to the next player on the depth chart.
But as Iowa (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten) heads into Saturday’s showdown at No. 10 Ohio State (8-2, 5-1) with a likely bid to the Rose Bowl on the line, the Hawkeyes are low on players to plug in.
“Some years you have injuries,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “This has been one of those years.”
Somewhat lost in Iowa’s remarkable start was the fact that the Hawkeyes did it while overcoming injuries to key players. They lost starting cornerback Jordan Bernstine and running back Jewel Hampton for the season in fall camp, and tight end Tony Moeaki and tackle Bryan Bulaga missed significant time before returning.
The Hawkeyes kept trudging along victorious until last week.
ored again. The Wildcats scooped up Stanzi’s subsequent fumble for a touchdown, and redshirt freshman James Vandenberg went just 9 of 27 passing as Iowa’s national title hopes all but vanished in a 17-10 loss.
The Hawkeyes now head into one of their biggest games in recent memory without Stanzi, starting running back Adam Robinson and offensive lineman Dace Richardson. Starting free safety Brett Greenwood and wide receiver/punt returner Colin Sandeman have “fair chances” of making it back by Saturday, according to Ferentz, but they aren’t listed on this week’s depth chart.
Perhaps that helps explain why Ohio State is a 16 1/2-point favorite, even though Iowa is 4-0 on the road this season.
“That seems to be our lot in life, at least when we go on the road. So we’re on the road. We’re underdogs. We’ve got them right where we want them, that’s the way I’m looking at it,” Ferentz said jokingly.
The injuries have left the Hawkeyes turning to younger and younger players, especially on offense.
Iowa will start Vandenberg and true freshman running back Brandon Wegher against the Buckeyes, and true freshman wide receiver Keenan Davis could see plenty of action if Sandeman, a junior, doesn’t play.
an he got a week ago, when Iowa rushed for just 65 yards on 27 carries.
The Hawkeyes had survived Hampton’s injury by relying on a 1-2 punch of Robinson and Wegher. Robinson has ascended to the top spot by rushing for 629 yards in eight games, but he suffered a high ankle sprain against Michigan State on Oct. 24.
Iowa has made Wegher the top back, partly because there isn’t anyone else left. Promising freshman Jeff Brinson is out with an undisclosed injury, and junior Paki O’Meara has been largely ineffective in limited stints.
Wegher rushed for 118 yards and three TDs in a win over Indiana, but he was held to 63 yards in the loss to Northwestern.
That likely won’t do against the Buckeyes, who are allowing just 11.2 points per game in league contests.
Iowa has also been scrambling in the return game minus Sandeman, turning to wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and safety Tyler Sash. Both are valuable starters the Hawkeyes tried to protect from such dangerous work earlier this season.
Of course, Iowa doesn’t have a choice now, because – you guessed it – leading returner Paul Chaney Jr. was lost for the year with a knee injury in early October.
The silver lining for the Hawkeyes is that their defense, which is allowing just 15.9 points per game, is relatively healthy heading to Columbus.
“For us to win right now, given our injury situation, common sense would say we have to play good defense. And we’re going to have to,” Ferentz said. “If we don’t come up with a stellar defensive effort, it’s going to be tough to be successful.”
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