| DEFENSIVE BACKS | |||
| The sure thing | |||
| Free safety Brett Greenwood is the closest thing to a lock there is in the secondary. He started the last seven games of ’07, recording 45 tackles and two interceptions. | |||
| The question | |||
| Who will start at strong safety? Senior Harold Dalton started every game last season, but he hasn't grabbed hold. Hard-hitting sophomore Lance Tillison is making a push. | |||
| The wildcard | |||
| Sophomore cornerback Amari Spievey is back after playing last year at Iowa Central CC, where he recorded seven picks and was a junior college All-American. | |||
| Final analysis | |||
| The experience Bradley Fletcher gained while starting late last season will prove valuable as the Hawkeyes break in new starters at corner. Even though this group lacks game experience, there is more quality depth than last season. | |||
| Depth chart | |||
| Left cornerback | |||
| Player | Yr. | Ht. | Wt. |
| Bradley Fletcher | Sr. | 6-2 | 200 |
| Chris Rowell | Jr. | 6-1 | 197 |
| Strong safety | |||
| Lance Tillison | So. | 6-2 | 213 |
| Harold Dalton | Sr. | 6-1 | 201 |
| Tyler Sash | Fr. | 6-1 | 210 |
| Free safety | |||
| Brett Greenwood | So. | 6-0 | 200 |
| Diauntae Morrow | So. | 6-0 | 195 |
| Right cornerback | |||
| Drew Gardner | Sr. | 5-10 | 186 |
| Jordan Bernstine | So. | 5-11 | 203 |
| Others to watch: CB Amari Spievey, So., 6-0, 190 | |||
| Inside the numbers | |||
| Here is how Iowa’s pass defense stats ranked in the Big Ten last season: | |||
| Stat | Rank | ||
| Total defense | 351.2 | 5 | |
| Pass defense | 229.2 | 6 | |
| Pass eff. def. | 115.7 | 4 | |
| Interceptions by | 14 | T3 | |
| Position breakdowns | |||
| Saturday: Special teams STORY I GLANCE | |||
| Today: Defensive backs | |||
| Monday: Linebackers | |||
| Tuesday: Defensive line | |||
| Wednesday: Offensive line | |||
| Thursday: Receivers/Ends | |||
| Friday: Running backs | |||
| Saturday: Quarterbacks | |||
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Defensive backs at a glance
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