The kicking and punting has been erratic, the coverage sloppy, the play altogether inconsistent.
Ferentz is sick of it. He’s searching for an answer.
Last fall, the combination of Austin Signor and Daniel Murray ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten in both field goal and PAT accuracy. And punter Ryan Donahue took his time turning into an honorable mention All-Big Ten performer, shanking at least a punt a game through the first half of the Hawkeyes’ 6-6 season.
“Our kicking,” Ferentz said, “was less than what we’re going to need if we’re going to be successful.”
Signor is gone, having transferred to Eastern Illinois, and Murray, who made 7 of 10 field goals last season, is left to compete with incoming freshman Trent Mossbrucker.
“Even if I’m the best on the team, it’s about being the best in the country and not being satisfied,” Murray said. “It’s about being better and focusing on getting as good as you can possibly be.”
Murray, an Iowa City native, flashed potential in 2007, going 3-for-4 from beyond 40 yards, including a 47-yarder in a dramatic double-overtime win over Michigan State. He also made 16 of 18 PATs.
“I think it’s in him,” Ferentz said. “It’s just a matter of getting it out and it being consistent.”
Donahue was more consistent late in the season and finished the year ranked among the Big Ten's top punters. If he can continue to control his leg, the Hawkeyes are set at the position for the next three seasons.
The return game suffered last year after Andy Brodell went down with a hamstring injury in the fourth game of the season. Up until that point, Brodell had averaged 14.4 yards per punt return, including a 56-yarder against Syracuse.
The senior is slated to handle the punt return duties again this season.
Sophomore Derrell Johnson-Koulianos led the team with a 23.7-yard average on kick returns. He had a nifty 65-yarder that nearly saved the Hawkeyes as time expired in a loss at Iowa State. And he had another long return at Wisconsin.
Johnson-Koulianos is a home run threat, and he could be a game changer this fall.
Eric Page can be contacted at (563) 383-2277 or epage@qctimes.com.
