It appears Daniel Murray has supplanted Trent Mossbrucker as Iowa’s starter as the Hawkeyes prepare for their regular-season finale Saturday at Minnesota.
Murray, the hero of Iowa’s 24-23 upset of then No. 3 Penn State two weeks ago, was listed atop the two-deeps released Tuesday. He had been relegated to kickoff duty since missing a crucial 35-yard field goal in a Week 4 loss at Pittsburgh before getting his chance against the Nittany Lions. Now, he’s the guy. Or so it seems.
“He got his opportunity,” Ferentz said. “He stepped up and did a great job and then did a great job Saturday.”
Of course, Mossbrucker had been doing a great job, too. He had made 13 of 15 field goals and 24 of 24 PATs through the fourth quarter of that game against Penn State, setting a school record for points in a season by a freshman. But with 6 seconds on the clock and the wind swirling, Ferentz went with Murray — and Mossbrucker’s confidence has been MIA ever since.
He missed his first PAT Saturday against Purdue, hitting the right upright. Then, he sent his second extra-point try wide right and was benched. Murray came on in the second half and drilled a 45-yard field goal and converted his only extra point.
“(Mossbrucker) had a tough day Saturday. That was pretty well-documented,” Ferentz said. “The answer is simple. What he needs to do this week is have a great week of practice and then go out and kick the ball on Saturday. He needs to get back to what made him a successful kicker.”
But will he get the chance in the better-than-ideal conditions of the Metrodome?
“We’ll see how the week goes,” Ferentz said. “If he doesn’t have a good week of practice, I can’t see him being out there Saturday.”
As for Murray, a sophomore from Iowa City Regina, he might be on the verge of earning himself some tuition money. He is a walk-on and can’t be put on scholarship until the fall, but Ferentz traditionally has rewarded walk-ons once they break into the two-deeps and make a regular contribution.
Murray has done that. He handled most of Iowa’s kicking duties last year, making seven of 10 field goals and 16 of 18 PATs, before being beat out by Mossbrucker early this season. He is 3-for-5 this year, including the 31-yarder that delivered Iowa’s biggest upset in years.
“I can’t give him (a scholarship) right now,” Ferentz said, “but I think he sure has probably helped his chances. A couple weeks ago, he really enhanced things, didn’t he?”
Eric Page can be contacted at (563) 383-2277 or epage@qctimes.com.
