Iowa quarterback Drew Tate hopes to direct a balanced Hawkeye offense this season. As a junior in 2005 Tate and the Hawkeyes rebounded from a slow start. He finished with more than 28 hundred yards of passing and had 22 touchdowns.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says Tate probably put too much pressure on himself last season early on. Ferentz says the high expectations for the team and Tate added to the pressure. Tate will be in the Heisman race if the Hawkeyes have a great season, Ferentz says if you’re good enough and your team is doing well, you’ll be noticed.
The Hawkeye receiving corps will be young and offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe says they will need to play at a high level. O’Keefe says he’s not sure a quarterback can make a group of inexperienced receivers better, but he says it can go the other way.
O’Keefe says the best way to help Tate and the receivers is to run the ball effectively. He says they love to run and they have an experienced line and the chemistry for the line appears to be there to make them successful.
Tate says while the expectations for this team, are high that is no different than any other season. Tate says there are always expectations, but he doesn’t think there are any more this season. Tate feels the biggest key for the offense this season will be the running game. Tate says they need to be two-dimensional to help put points on the board and win. The Hawkeyes open the season September second at home against Montana.