The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Jim Field.

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The Iowa Hawkeyes entered fall practice with some coaching changes and questions about who will step up to fill key positions. Head coach Kirk Ferentz says that’s nothing unusual for him.”This is my 28th year now at Iowa — 19th as head coach — and it’s like every year, every time you start a new season you have new challenges, new opportunities. It’s a different equation than any other year and the trick is to put it all together. And that’s the beauty in my mind of college football. That’s probably why it’s such a popular sport,” Ferentz says.

Ferentz is looking for a new starting quarterback and says Nathan Stanley and Tyler Wiegers have both done a good job competing and are making strides. He says the decision on the starter will come down to one thing for the coaching staff. “It really gets down to leading the team, that’s what it gets down to,” Ferentz says, “and all of us have an opinion on that certainly. We’ll keep observing, we’ll watch, we’ll pull information. At some point, we’ll have to make some decisions and go from there. But it will be a group effort.”

Ferentz doesn’t have to worry about experience at running back as Akrum Wadley enters his senior season. “We’ve seen him, we’ve witnessed him, and he is, you know — boy, he’s right on task right now. His weight’s good, his attitude has been tremendous. He’s practicing really well. Again, only six workouts, but he’s looking like a senior player and a good senior player, and that’s — referencing the quarterback, we know whoever it is, we’re getting a new quarterback. So our best guys better be out there doing it,” Ferentz says.

He says graduate transfer James Butler has added important depth at the position. “Like last year, we were better when we had two guys that could help us there,” Ferentz says “If we have three, that would be great too. So that’s just going to give everybody a better chance to play better. That will be easy to have those guys complement each other. We’ve got to make sure all three are ready to go.”

Another big change has Brian Ferentz taking over as offensive coordinator this year. He will be calling the plays, and the elder Ferentz says he called plays one year as a coach, but that was never his dream. He says Brian is ready for the new challenge. “Brian’s been intrigued. A lot of that goes back to his time spent in New England, worked on both sides of the football. That’s a pretty cerebral outfit up there, certainly, with their quarterback starts there, Bill O’Brien as coordinator, and then Coach Belichick. He’s run some guys. I think he’s very inquisitive that way. I was more of just like a dumb line coach, just block that guy or whatever. So we’re cut from a little different cloth that way, and I think he’s ready for it,” Ferentz says.

He knows it’s a position that’s always in the spotlight and everyone has an opinion on. “You know, he’s good right now until the first time we have to punt,” Ferentz says. Iowa opens the season September 2nd hosting Wyoming in Kinnick Stadium.

(Learfield Sports)

Nathan Stanley is in a battle for the starting quarterback job for Iowa as they prepare for the season opener. The sophomore from Menomonie, Wisconsin was the backup quarterback last season and is trying to beat out Tyler Wiegers for the starting role. “Competition just breeds success, so we’re just pushing each other each day trying to get better,” Stanley says.

His approach is simple. “Just come out and do my best, really that’s all you can do,” Stanley says. “Hopefully that’s good enough for the coaches and hopefully that’s good enough to win the job.” Winning the job also means getting used to a new offensive coordinator. Stanley says it has not been a big change.
He says there’s a lot of concepts that are similar to last year, and much of the change involves terminology.

Stanley feels he’s becoming more and more comfortable with the offense with each practice. Stanley says they installed a lot of stuff in the spring and a lot of that carried over, making it easier as they got into the fall. The coaches say they don’t know exactly when they will make a decision on the starter, but say both quarterbacks have been competing hard. Iowa opens the season September 2nd hosting Wyoming.

(Learfield Sports)

CINCINNATI (AP) — Jose Martinez hit his first grand slam during the Cardinals’ nine-run fourth inning, and St. Louis overcame Adam Wainwright’s rough return from the disabled list, beating the Cincinnati Reds 13-4 on Sunday.

The Cardinals took two of three in the series. They’re 5-8 against Cincinnati this season. St. Louis sent 13 batters to the plate for nine runs in the fourth, matching its biggest inning of the season. Martinez connected off Homer Bailey (3-6), who gave up a career-high 10 runs in only 3 1/3 innings. Bailey has been hit hard in his return from surgery to remove bone spurs from his pitching elbow last February.

The Cardinals overcame a rugged first inning by Wainwright, who had spent the last 12 days on the DL with a stiff back. Joey Votto hit a three-run homer, and Wainwright threw 39 pitches before retiring a batter. Wainwright left after three innings and 88 pitches. Brett Cecil (2-4) allowed three hits in three innings for the win.

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals game against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night was postponed because of rain and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on Sunday. The teams have split the first two games of the four-game series.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Paul DeJong hit a two-run homer and Lance Lynn got past Joey Votto’s first-inning home run to win his fourth straight start as the St. Louis Cardinals eased past the Cincinnati Reds 4-1 Saturday night. Lynn retired 12 of the last 14 batters he faced.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals will likely place All-Star catcher Salvador Perez on the disabled list before a doubleheader Sunday against the Seattle Mariners. The Royals and Mariners were rained out Saturday night and rescheduled for a traditional doubleheader Sunday, starting at 1:15 p.m. Central with about 30 minutes between games.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Alex Smith has had a solid first week of training camp, making all the throws and none of the mistakes that Chiefs coach Andy Reid expects of him. But with first-round pick Patrick Mahomes II wowing everyone from fans to coaches, Smith still finds himself under the microscope despite his 41-20 record as the starting quarterback in Kansas City.

CANTON, Ohio (AP) —The rags-to-riches tale of Kurt Warner has taken him to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The former Iowa Barnstormers Arena League quarterback who went from grocery store worker to winning two NFL MVP awards and one league title, reinvigorating two moribund franchises along the way, was inducted into the shrine Saturday night.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz thinks Iowa screwed up by not recruiting James Butler out of high school. The Hawkeyes recently rectified that mistake, adding Butler as a highly coveted graduate transfer that they hope can help getting their sluggish offense on track. The addition of Butler, combined with star Akrum Wadley’s return following a breakout season in 2016, should give the Hawkeyes a formidable ground game to help compensate for a passing attack that looks unsettled heading into 2017.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz thinks Iowa screwed up by not recruiting James Butler out of high school. The Hawkeyes recently rectified that mistake, adding Butler as a highly coveted graduate transfer that they hope can help getting their sluggish offense on track.

Butler, who gained over 1,300 yards rushing in each of his last two seasons at Nevada, joined Iowa last month after graduating in just three years. The addition of Butler, combined with star Akrum Wadley’s return following a breakout season in 2016, should give the Hawkeyes a formidable ground game to help compensate for a passing attack that looks unsettled heading into 2017.

Iowa State senior wide receiver Allen Lazard says he is coming into the fall season more focused than ever before. “This being my last year and all, I need to be the most locked in I’ve ever been. Really take advantage of every single practice — because it really is my last practices, my last camp,” Lazard says. And as a senior he has another role.

“I’m also leading my teammates and showing them if we put that work in now all that work we put in the last six months is really going to pay off. If we get together and form that bond…make sure we develop that chemistry,” Lazard says. “That way we can go to the season very on point with our schemes and stuff.” Lazard thought about leaving after his junior season to go into the N-F-L, but decided to returned. He says part of what he does this season is preparing to move on to the next level of football and he has developed a routine to carry him through.

He says that involves waking up at the same time, going through the same things every day, being early to meetings, practices and handling things the most professional and businesslike that he can. Lazard has been a factor for the Cyclones since graduating from Urbandale High School and moving to Ames. He says he’s not thinking about any of the records or legacy that he’ll leave after his senior season.

“I’m just focused on winning. These past three years, all the tough times that we’ve been through, all the wins that we let slip out from underneath us, that’s what fuels me. That’s what drives me and pushes my teammates as well. Makes you want to push them even more, Lazard says. Lazard caught 69 passes for one-thousand-18 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

Iowa State opens the season on September 2nd at home against U-N-I.

(Learfield Sports)

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

CINCINNATI (AP) — Joey Votto drove home a pair of runs with a double and a single, and Asher Wojciechowski went five innings in his return to the rotation on Friday night, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Reds have won all five games against St. Louis at Great American Ball Park this season. They lead 8-3 in their season series.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — James Paxton tied a Mariners’ record by winning his seventh straight start, and Seattle beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 Friday night to move back over .500. Jason Hammel gave up three runs and six hits in six and one third innings.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson is back at training camp after another Achilles’ tendon injury. The 34-year-old star was sorely missed after he was hurt last December, especially in a playoff loss to Pittsburgh. But despite the quick turnaround time from his injury, the Chiefs believe Johnson is back to playing at his same old level.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is heading to Ohio to celebrate Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ entry into the NFL Hall of Fame. Christie is scheduled to be in Canton Saturday to see Jones’ induction. Christie is a lifelong Cowboys fan despite most New Jersey football fans favoring two of the Cowboys’ biggest rivals: the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska receiver Stanley Morgan Junior said he is committed to doing the right thing after a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge against him was dropped. The junior from New Orleans is the Cornhuskers’ top returning receiver. Morgan said he wants to atone for a number of passes he dropped last season.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Jim Field.

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The Northern Iowa football team is looking to turn things around after a 5-6 season last year, and Panther coach Mark Farley says work they’ve already done and the work they are doing prior to the season opener will determine if that happens. He says they don’t know yet what this team will be. “Every team takes its own course. This team will find that course when it happens. It’s already been started of course, it started in January. Some things happened this summer, they became stronger in some units. So, it will play out as it plays out,” Farley says.

Farley says they’ve been successful by adapting to the strengths of the players.”We have changed every year, based on the players that we’ve had,” Farley explains. “So, we will go along, we will identify what becomes our strength and that’s what we’ll play to.” The Panthers return a lot of experience on defense. On offense, Farley says the key is building the line. “Your offensive line is always your culture — it’s not the quarterback — it’s the offensive line. And then if you’ve got two tight ends who are just as tough, then you’ve got a chance,” according to Farley.

He says even if they offensive line becomes a strength, they will have a tough task ahead with the teams they face. “There’s five teams from this league in the top ten — and we ain’t one of them,” Farley says, “so it’s a strong league, strong coaches, strong players, and we go on the road for some difficult games.

The Panthers have six games on the road, including their season opener September 2nd at Iowa State.

(Learfield Sports)