“How good is this defensive line,” a reporter asked Iowa’s senior center after Saturday’s open scrimmage at Kinnick Stadium.
“Pretty good,” Bruggeman said. “Pretty good.”
Yeah, Rob, so is a straight flush, and that’s what the Hawkeyes will have up front this fall.
With senior defensive tackles Mitch King and Matt Kroul back to raise havoc in the middle and the addition of explosive sophomore ends Adrian Clayborn and Christian Ballard, Iowa’s front four is expected to be one of the best in the Big Ten, if not all of college football.
It starts in the middle, where King and Kroul will start for the fourth straight season.
“We have to lead this defense and lead this team — on every level,” said King, a first-team All-Big Ten pick by the conference coaches last fall. “We’ve got to make plays. That’s pretty much it. We have to make plays.”
Last season, King had 58 tackles and 4 1/2 sacks, while Kroul ranked fourth on the team with 74 stops. Ballard and Clayborn came on late in the season, spelling starters Ken Iwebema and Bryan Mattison, and gave Iowa’s defense a burst of energy it had lacked.
“They’re big, athletic guys,” Kroul said. “I’m excited about that. They’re going to add that thing off the edge that we need.”
The question is depth, which Iowa will need to keep the starters fresh and affective late in games.
“I made a mistake last year,” position coach Rick Kaczenski said. “I should have played guys more early on to rest Mitch and Matt. To have those guys playing at full speed when they’re in there, I’ve got to get them off the field. I’ve got to find some guys that can step up and help us out. I think we have some guys to do that. I think we have some guys who will earn the right to play.”
| Position breakdowns | |||
| Saturday: Special teams STORY I GLANCE | |||
| Sunday: Defensive backs STORY I GLANCE | |||
| Monday: Linebackers STORY I GLANCE | |||
| Today: Defensive line STORY I GLANCE | |||
| Wednesday: Offensive line | |||
| Thursday: Receivers/Ends | |||
| Friday: Running backs | |||
| Saturday: Quarterbacks |
Eric Page can be contacted at (563) 383-2277 or epage@qctimes.com.
