The Iowa football team will open its 2016 season against Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 3.
Mario Williams
The Hawkeye football season is nearing with just a few days until the team kicks off against Miami (Ohio) on Saturday.
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and athletes met on Tuesday with members of the media for the last time until the season begins.
Game-day changes
Iowa has made game day changes to the experience.
A clear-bag policy has been adopted; only clear bags 12 inches by 6 inches by 12inches will be allowed into Kinnick. Clutch bags no larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches will be allowed.
The Hawkeye Kids Zone has moved to the new turf football practice fields behind the Hansen Football Performance Complex. Families can enter the Kids Zone from the southeast on the walkway between the football practice fields and Banks Field.
Because Iowa City’s Gateway Project is still in progress, there are changes on Dubuque Street. Usually, there are four lanes of traffic with two lanes in both north- and southbound directions. During the season, there will be only be two lanes of traffic between Foster and Park Rd.
17 starters returning for Miami
Despite the team’s 3-4 record in Miami head coach Chuck Martin’s second season, Ferentz showed respect for the Redhawks.
Iowa will return 14 starters this upcoming season, seven on both offense and defense. Ferentz said the team should expect “traction and ground” from a program that recently started something new.
“They’re a veteran team,” Ferentz said. “They have a lot of guys back offensively and defensively. Like us, their specialists are new, so they’re going to ride the roller coaster a little bit, but we’ve got a lot of respect for them.”
Ferentz said veteran athletes made solid progress in camp, along with leading some of its newcomers. Iowa has 34 first or second-year athletes on its two-deeps.
Nonetheless, he knows everyone is eager to get on the game field.
“It’s about getting ready and feeling good about the way we’re preparing and then more importantly, coming off the field feeling good about the effort we played with,” Ferentz said. “Over the course of 12 games, if you do that consistently, you have a chance. If you don’t, you run a risk of not having a good outcome.”
First-game jitters
With 21 seniors having graduated, there are a lot of newcomers who could enter the fray.
Whether an athlete sees field time or not, there’s no denying that most will have first-game jitters.
Aside from Desmond King’s accolades and his impact on the team, he still believes it’s a normal feeling.
“If you don’t have first-game jitters, then you’re not ready to play,” King said. “That’s everybody. You should have game-day jitters. I don’t know anybody who wouldn’t, and I know me for sure I will.”
With the number of newcomers that are a part of the Hawkeye family, and many true freshmen listed on the depth chart — especially at cornerback — King’s and Greg Mabin’s leadership has been vital.
“We tell everyone to relax,” Mabin said. “That’s the biggest thing. It’s not going to be anything they can’t handle. We’ve seen them at camp, and we’ve seen them making plays. They’ve been tremendous so far. Once they get the nerves out of their system they’ll be fine.”