It’s never a good sign when a depth chart is released eight days ahead of the season opener and the back expected to carry the bulk of the rushing load is not listed.
It’s an equally bad sign when, a short time after the release of the depth chart, the head coach confirms to ESPN.com that there is a very good reason for the omission.
That’s the situation Iowa finds themselves in as Jewel Hampton will more than likely miss the opener -- at least -- with a lingering knee issue, coach Kirk Ferentz said.
“Based on the fact that he hasn’t been out there in a while, it’s unrealistic [he’ll play] next week,” Ferentz told Adam Rittenberg‘s Big Ten blog. “But we’ll shoot for the week after that. Maybe he can make it back [for the opener], but he’s missed a lot of time right now, so I’d worry about his conditioning level.”
Ferentz also strongly hinted this is something that could linger well into the season.
“Well, it could go either way,” Ferentz said when asked if it could be a season-long issue. “Right now, we’re not sure and I wouldn’t want to try and predict it.”
Hampton originally injured his knee in July. The initial reports/ rumors that he had a torn ACL and would miss the season proved to be false.
However, it seems to be a bit more serious, or a bit more irritable, than what was originally let on.
In Hampton’s absence, Paki O’Meara becomes the starter, with Adam Robinson serving as the backup.