Iowa RB Hampton Sits Out Spring Game

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- With top running back Jewel Hampton nursing a sore hamstring on the sidelines, the Hawkeyes spent much of their spring scrimmage working on pass protection.

Hampton, a sophomore, is the leading contender to replace All-American Shonn Greene in the backfield. Without him, Iowa spent much of Saturday's scrimmage working on blitz pickup in the passing game.

In Hampton's absence, junior Paki O'Meara and redshirt freshman Jeff Brinson got the bulk of the carries with the first-team offense. Each had their moments, but the running game was far from what it was last season when Greene set school records with 1,850 yards and 20 touchdowns rushing before forgoing his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft.

"That's a question mark for our team right now for obvious reasons," coach Kirk Ferentz said. "Jewel missed a good part of the scrimmage last week, but when he's been out there this spring, he's looked good. We've seen him in game action. So, we have a fare idea of what he's going to do."

Another question mark for the Hawkeyes as they try to carry forward the momentum from a resurgent 9-4 2008 campaign, which was capped with an Outback Bowl victory over South Carolina, is whether or not they can fill the gap left on the defensive line by the graduation of four-year starters Mitch King and Matt Kroul.

Junior Karl Klug and sophomore Mike Daniels put consistent pressure on Iowa quarterbacks during Saturday's scrimmage, and there has been a rotation of players pushing for playing time throughout the spring.

"We definitely have the athletes. That's nothing that we're worried about," said junior defensive end Christian Ballard. "We're just looking for people who can step up and make the tough plays in the tough situations."

Ballard and Adrian Clayborn return as the starting bookends of the front line of a defense that is expected to be among the best in the Big Ten.

Starting outside linebacker A.J. Edds sat out the spring after having shoulder surgery in January, and safeties Tyler Sash and Brett Greenwood did not practice Saturday, but they'll be fine for this fall. So, other than replacing King and Kroul, the only real competition is at corner opposite Amari Spievey.

Spievey was second-team All-Big Ten after coming up with four interceptions in 2008. Last week, defensive coordinator Norm Parker said the junior is the best corner the Iowa coaching staff has had in 11 years.

The Hawkeyes spent much of the scrimmage working on blitz coverage.

The offensive line, which is looking to replace all-conference performers Seth Olsen and Rob Bruggeman, struggled at times. At others, it gave Ricky Stanzi time to make several nice throws down field.

A new target for Stanzi is sophomore Marvin McNutt, who has converted from quarterback and taken a place atop the depth chart at receiver this spring. At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, McNutt has the size the Hawkeyes have not had at wideout, and he showed good hands with a one-handed grab along the sideline on Saturday.

"Hats off to Marvin. He has done a great job all spring," Stanzi said. "He has done a great job of going up and getting the football. He has a big body, and he has really worked on his speed all through the offseason."

"I've made progress," McNutt said. "But we've still got a lot of time before the season starts. I've got a lot of work to do."

McNutt surprisingly supplanted junior Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, who led the Hawkeyes in receptions and receiving yards last season.

Ferentz McNutt's rise to the top of the depth chart isn't intended as a message to Johnson-Koulianos or any of the other receivers.

"We don't have any guaranteed contracts," Ferentz said. "Everybody's got to compete and play. It's not necessarily just Derrell. The other guys are playing well. I don't really care who plays. I just want to get the best guys on the field."

Ferentz did not elaborate on the suspensions of his son, James, and two other Iowa players who were arrested earlier this month for public intoxication.

Coach Ferentz said he will decide the length of the suspensions of his son, fullback Tyler Christensen and tight end Zach Derby later this week.