Four key players — guard Dace Richardson (leg), running back Adam Robinson (high ankle sprain), safety Brett Greenwood (neck), and wide receiver Colin Sandeman (concussion) — all left Iowa’s game against Michigan State with apparently serious injuries.
At his weekly press conference, Ferentz confirmed both Richardson, who suffered a broken bone in his lower leg, and Robinson would miss the rest of the regular season.
But, the 11-year head coach said, there’s a better-than-average chance the two will be back in time for Iowa’s bowl game.
“Right now, we just have to plan like they are not going to be with us and take that approach mentally,” Ferentz said.
Sandeman’s and Greenwood’s injuries, however, will not cause the two to miss significant time.
Ferentz said he’s not “overly optimistic” that Sandeman would be back this weekend against Indiana.
Ferentz said Greenwood — who was injured when fellow safety Tyler Sash inadvertently collided helmet-to-helmet with him in the third quarter — is “a little sore right now,” but he should make a full recovery in time for Saturday’s game.
“We’re not going to get upset, and hold a meeting, and not practice because a couple of guys are out,” junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi said. “We’ve just got to get back to practice. Those guys aren’t going to be there, so there’s nothing to stop and sit and wait for. We have to keep moving.”
Even though his foot was in a boot after the Hawkeyes’ last-second win, Robinson remained optimistic his ankle sprain was nothing more than a temporary setback. But on Tuesday, the redshirt freshman running back said he woke up Sunday morning with more pain than he expected.
He then went to meet with the team doctors, who told him he’d be out four to six weeks with a high ankle sprain.
Robinson’s absence will vault Brandon Wegher into the starting lineup. Wegher has rushed for 321 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman.
Though Sandeman’s absence won’t be nearly as long as Robinson’s, Ferentz is concerned with who will fill Sandeman’s role as the team’s punt returner. In the last two weeks, the head coach has lost his two main punt returners — Sandeman and Paul Chaney Jr.
“Anybody who wants to get back there,” Ferentz said with a chuckle about who would be returning punts. “You’ve got Sash [and Amari] Spievey — those two guys would probably be the two top candidates. We might have a guest appearance from somebody. We’ll see.”
Computer rankings
Looking at the BCS, the computers ranked Iowa No. 1 overall — ahead of Florida, Texas, and Alabama. The Hawkeyes were ranked No. 8 by the two human polls, putting them at No. 4 overall in the BCS standings.
“Computers have not seen us play,” Ferentz joked. “If they had eyes and could see us play, they would say, ‘Are you kidding me?’ ”
Stanzi reflects on final drive
In Iowa’s thrilling 15-13 win over Michigan State on Oct. 24, Stanzi drove his team 70 yards in 97 seconds — with only one time-out. On Tuesday, the quarterback had a chance to reflect on his mindset before that drive.
“If worst comes to worst, we lose the game,” he said. “No one is going to get shot over it. We’re all still Americans. Thank goodness. Nothing bad is really going to come out of it. You might lose the ball game, but hey, [you] go out there and do what you can. If you put the ball in the end zone, you put the ball in the end zone.”
