The Iowa offensive line has already experienced injuries this season, but offensive-line coach Brian Ferentz and the rest of the group are taking it in stride.
By Jordan Hansen
In a sight all too common in college football, Iowa offensive lineman Sean Welsh hobbled off the field in the second quarter against Iowa State.
Without much in the way of hesitation, Keegan Render jogged on the field and into his first meaningful playing time of the year. The Hawkeyes were rolling with backup center Lucas LeGrand after James Daniels had been injured in practice during the week, much to the internet’s dismay.
It was a rivalry game after all, and to roll into a game against a hated opponent with holes in one of the most crucial position groups was more than a little concerning.
The Iowa players and coaches, however, were not surprised, shocked, or otherwise outwardly concerned about the rotating door of offensive linemen. In fact, they fully expected and prepared for it.
“Like Coach Brian [Ferentz] says, obviously, if we’re playing in the trenches, people are going to get rolled up on, people are going to hurt ankles,” Render said. “If someone gets hurt, you know there’s someone coming in capable of getting the job done.”
Ferentz — the offensive-line coach — puts an emphasis on getting the second-stringers in with the starters during the Hawkeyes preseason camp, Render said. There’s nearly a 100 percent chance Iowa won’t start the same line every game during a season, and the team prepares for the inevitable.
Take last season, for example. Ferentz used five different starting offensive lines made with seven different players. That’s not even counting players who went in for various lengths of time during the game.
There’s quite a bit of playing time to go around, which means there’s a lot of competition to get on the field. This season already, the Hawkeyes have used two different lineups.
The worry of course, is consistency, and though it’s been against two lower-tier teams to start the season, the offensive line has looked cohesive no matter who is in the game.
“Both [Render and LeGrand] have been gradually climbing the ladder. Thought both of them had a good spring last spring,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Compared to where they were last November, December, they’ve come a long way. They can get better, though, too. It’s encouraging. Both performed pretty well.”
This week against North Dakota State, the line will be tested again. The Bison have 6 sacks and 4 picks as a team, which mean’s they’ve been getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
LeGrand is slated for another start while Daniels continues to rehab a leg injury. He didn’t know until two days before the game he would start the game last week.
Now, he has more time to watch film and prepare.
“It’s a little different, still doing the same prep and reps and stuff, but it’s a little bit different,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of stuff I need to work on, and I’m just trying to get better everyday.”
Welsh is listed on the depth chart, which means whatever lower body injury that knocked him out against the Cyclones is relatively minor.
But as history has dictated, anyone could go down at any moment.
“Everybody’s got to be ready to play at any time,” LeGrand said. “We all prepare like we’re going to play and that we will play. It helps.”