Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/96069
Good Stories: They Continue to Emerge By Rick Klatt Good stories. Our head football coach coined this phrase a few years back. I can't recall the exact context, but I would suggest that "good stories" emerge each season, and 2012 is no different for Kirk's squad. Good stories emerged… Jordan Cotton made significant contributions as a receiver, kick returner, and on special teams, and has positioned himself for even greater opportunities in 2013, his final season in a Hawkeye uniform. Damon Bullock answered the call in a big way — 288 yards on the ground in the first nine quarters of the 2012 season — when he became the "Next Man In." He undoubtedly will be in the mix next spring and fall when two-deeps for 2013 Hawkeyes take shape. Thrust into the role of running back when Bullock was forced to the sidelines, Mark Weisman responded with four straight games of triple digit production. He, too, has positioned himself for bigger things in seasons to follow. Anthony Hitchens built on a solid 2011 season to emerge as a force on the defensive side of the line of scrimmage — so much so that he ranked among the nation's and Big Ten Conference's best in tackles. 21 Of course, a handful of Hawkeyes jumped into the fray on the offensive line when Brandon Scherff and Andrew Donnal saw their seasons come to a crashing end in the span of three plays under the lights at Kinnick Stadium on Oct. 20. And, if you were to ask the coaching staff, there are others among the Hawkeyes who only the coaches see daily on the practice field. One of the things I like about the "Good Story" list above is that everyone mentioned will be back on the Kenyon Football Practice Facility next August. As I've come to learn over the last 30 years, in college football there's nothing better than age and experience. Sure, today more than ever, talented rookies can have significant impact. Freshmen arrive on campuses bigger, faster, and stronger than ever before. However, there's still much to be said for the "Been there, done that" guys. Speaking of good stories, I suggest that we seldom see the emergence of a "good story" as suddenly as we've seen in the span of six days and three games for Lisa Bluder's Iowa Hawkeyes earlier this month. A few days before the season-opener for Bluder's Bunch, we learned that Jaime Printy, Iowa's talented sharp-shooter who was recovering from her second season-ending knee injury in five seasons, had tweaked a hamstring and wasn't likely to see action in Game 1 of 2012-13.