Hawks look to clear up kicking game before opener

IOWA CITY -- Iowa has become known for nail-biting finishes, which often leaves the Hawkeyes in need of a kicker they can trust in the clutch.

Coach Kirk Ferentz isn't sure he's got a reliable leg to lean on. He used terms like "underwhelming" and "inconsistent" to describe his kickers in the offseason, and he's yet to settle on a starter with the Sept. 4 opener against Eastern Illinois coming up for the ninth-ranked Hawkeyes.

Senior Daniel Murray, whose game-winning field goal against Penn State two years ago helping launch the program's resurgence, entered fall camp in a dead heat with sophomore Trent Mossbrucker for the job.

Ferentz might not settle on either one until Iowa hosts rival Iowa State on Sept. 11, and the competition between Murray and Mossbrucker could last until Big Ten play opens in October.

"It keeps you on your toes all the time," Murray said after a so-so performance during the Hawkeyes' last scrimmage open to the public two weeks ago. "It kind of wears on you a little bit, but that's just something I've learned to deal with."

It's not often that kickers get this much attention in August, but it's become a source of consternation for Iowa, which won four games by three points or fewer last season.

Read more of this story in the August 28 Pilot Tribune.