Iowa trying to get back on track

By CHRIS JOHNSON

cjohnson@messengernews.net

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Iowa looks to keep the streak alive.

The Hawkeyes (6-4 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) have an opportunity to win at least eight games for a ninth consecutive season.

After the game against the Terrapins (4-6, 1-6) on Saturday, Iowa will close with Nebraska.

Kickoff is set for 11 a.m., and the game will be televised on FOX.

Maryland needs to win their final two regular-season games to reach bowl eligibility.

The Hawkeyes will likely lean on fourth-string quarterback Jackson Stratton, a walk-on transfer from Colorado State. He was pressed into duty in the second half of the loss at UCLA.

“Everything is cloudy right now,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “That’s kind of our forecast.

“We’ll just take it day by day and see who can go.”

The Hawkeyes are 0-3 in games in which Big Ten rushing leader Kaleb Johnson is held under 100 yards. In his last game, a 20-17 loss to UCLA, he was limited to a season-low 49 yards on 18 carries.

“Just looking backwards for a second, obviously the long trip back from the West Coast, got back here probably like everybody else, around 7 a.m. on Saturday,” Ferentz said. “Gave our guys the weekend off to rest, and then Monday came in and trained and had a chance to look at the film. So we went back through that to see what we could learn, and then the rest of the week was really geared towards recovery time and getting a couple workouts in and practice and then got back at it on Sunday.”

The Terrapins are allowing 115 yards rushing per game.

Former Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, son of Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, is an analyst on the Maryland staff. This will be the first time the duo has lined up against each other.

“It’s the first time for a lot of things. That’s life,” Ferentz said. “I haven’t given it a lot of thought, frankly. Obviously I knew it was coming. It’s weird coming back here — whether it be Barry Alvarez the first year or Bill Snyder year two, Dan McCarney, Bob Stoops, four guys that I worked with, and Bob played for us on top of it.

“It’s probably not a great time for a family reunion or just even seeing old friends. Everybody is cordial, but the bottom line is we’ve all got business to take care of on Saturday. We’ll see where it all goes.”