Brandon Wegher

[white lightning]

This is the chance of a lifetime for this kid. He was already doing pretty good as the backup running back. Come on Brandon. Show the world that you can be a star. This is huge. A starting white running back on a top ten team. We haven't had this since Jacob Hester at LSU. It's very rare for a big school to even play let alone start a white running back. I'm pumped. I can't wait for this weekend. Go Brandon!

 

[White Power]

Right on give em hell Brandon. Make us all very proud.

 

[PhillyBirds]

Writeup on the situation from an Iowa blog. They mention the obligatory "runningback by committee" that seems to spawn whenever a white runner is the last healthy body left on the depth chart. The article mentions everything except how Brandon is the starter.

True freshman Brad Rogers is also "getting some consideration." this particular physical specimen stands at 5'8" and 230 POUNDS.

Also, could we see Paki O'Meara in the mix for touches as well?

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

I think it will be Wegher with Brinson getting maybe 1/4-1/3 of the tailback carries. Brad Rogers is a joke. The guy never rushed for even 800 yards in a season in H.S and ran for a paltry 4.8 YPC as a junior and only 5.2 YPC as a senior. Wegher tripled Rogers CAREER yards in just his senior season on 8.9 YPC. "Physical specimen" Brad Rogers had uninspiring highlights as well, when I watched them on Rivals. The "physical specimen" is 5'9 235 lbs. runs a 4.65 40, but the disgusting part is that he only runs a 4.5 short shuttle, so he slows down way too much to make a cut as well. This guy probably wouldn't even be playing D III ball if he was white.Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

BTW, you can find my post talking about the overhyping of Rogers in the H.S section from last year. I think I called it "If white- he couldn't even play D III".

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Wegher is coming off a big bounce back game as well- after two poor ones- so lets hope he keeps it going!

 

[Kaptain]

Great news! Iowa is undefeated and is gaining national attention at the right time. Robinson was clearly injured most of the last weeks game, but for some unknown reason

the coaches refused to take him out. It almost cost them the game. If they do yet another running back by committee, I will quit rooting for Iowa.

 

[Jack Lambert]

I posted this in the Iowa thread, but I'll post it hear too. Robinson is likely done for the rest of the regular season.

Article

 

[StarWars]

YES! I actually might apply to Iowa becaue of this. The next Gerhart!

 

[Mike]

I don't think you guys should knock Robinson. It's not liked he's sucked this year. Ferentz has been VERY fair in giving both these guys carries. Good luck to Wegher on Saturday.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

I don't think anyone's mocking Robinson, I just think we are happy Wegher had success again last week after two poor games in a row. Robinson was clearly the better back 3 weeks ago against Michigan and 2 weeks ago against WU after Wegher had just barely pushed past him in YPC the week before. In fact, even though Robinson's injury is one that will easily heal on it's own, I personally never want to see a guy like him get hurt b/c he seems like a good, team first guy- and Ferentz has been very fair with pt.

If you checked the Iowa forum these were the last two posts:

This was mine:
I like Robinson as a person. He seems like he really respects Wegher when I've heard him talk about the running game's progress in interviews. Wegher can't talk to the media due to Ferentz's rule for true freshman. We need Wegher to get his YPC up to around 5 per by the end of the year. He should be able to do this with his talent and a pretty good run blocking o-line with more reps. I expect him to find his grove and this will be great for him. Expect Ferentz to bring Jeff Brinson into the mix a bit as a change of pace guy. Brinson will probably get 1/4 of the carries or so- as the change of pace powerback- and is the 2nd best option IMO. O'Meara didn't show enough and Brad Rogers plainly sucks. We'll get to see the courage Ferentz has to play the best players by how he manages pt next year when Jewel Hampton comes back. It will be Hampton, Robinson and Wegher fighting for pt- so Wegher is going to really have to show something to remain the starter over the longer tendered players next season. I think it could be Robinson who falls to 3rd team- if Wegher's play really stands out for the rest of this year- with Wegher starting and Hampton getting 1/3 of the carries as a 2nd teamer next year.

Jack Lambert:
Yeah, I didn't think Robinson was a bad guy at all either. I'm just stating the Wegher starts now. As long as Robinson respects Wegher and stays away from the thuggish attitude so many athletes have today, then I'll respect him.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

The only time I've really rooted for minor injuries to black players is with Peyton Hillis this year. Hillis had a rather serious injury last year playing with reckless abandon to try to hold onto a job he wasn't supposed to have. Minor injuries happen all the time in football. It would be very damaging to the caste system if Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno both got high ankle sprains that made them PUP for 5 or 6 weeks. Buckhalter is the only back that is playing as efficient as Hillis, after he found his grove in his last 2 games last year. But Hillis is better at making key 1st downs in short yardage and is the best pass blocking and receiving back on the team.

I would never root for even a minor injury to a black player if the best players would be put on the field. The Hillis situation is about the most blatantly racist thing I've seen yet in the NFL and that's saying a lot. And since the Bronco's don't want him- it's really disgusting that not a single team tried to trade for him yet with so many low 3 YPC guys running the ball this year.

Getting back to Robinson: he gave high compliments to Wegher in his interview after Wegher's breakout game against Iowa State. You can find that interview on Youtube.

 

[Electric Slide]

On the college football show yesterday, Mark May shockingly said Iowa would be ok in the running game because Brandon Weher will run the ball just as well as Robinson. I am shocked at this comment, and you know Wegher is the real deal when Mark May says something like that. I'm hoping Wegher lights up the field by breaking tackles, reversing field to gain yards, pulls of nasty spin moves and jukes, has some nice dives in the end zone, and hits the truck stick a few times on his way to monster yardage and multiple TDs.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Good article: Looks like all of Iowa's backs are hurt except Wegher, O'Meara and bubble butt Brad Rogers. Losing Adam Robinson could hurt, b/c of a lack of depth, but I expect Wegher to seize this opportunity!

Banged up No. 7 Iowa turns to freshman RB Wegher
By LUKE MEREDITH
Source: Associated Press
Posted: Thursday, October 29, 2009 12:43:00 PM EST

IOWA CITY, Iowa(AP) Last October, Brandon Wegher was starring for Bishop Heelan High in Sioux City, Iowa, and dreaming of leading the Crusaders to the state title game.

On Saturday, he'll be the starting tailback for No. 7 Iowa (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten), which still has dreams of playing in the BCS national title game in Pasadena, Calif.

No pressure, kid.

Wegher, who split carries with fellow freshman Adam Robinson for most of the season, is now Iowa's No. 1 back. Robinson sprained his ankle in last week's win at Michigan State and will likely be sidelined for at least the rest of the regular season, leaving Wegher to carry the load.

Asked if Wegher was ready for the 20 to 25 carries he might get starting with Saturday's game against Indiana (4-4, 1-3), Ferentz tried his hand at gallows humor.

"We'll find out. He's the next guy in,'' Ferentz said.

And perhaps, the last guy in.

Wegher has rushed for 321 yards and three touchdowns this season and is the only running back with more than 10 carries left for the Hawkeyes, who've reeled off the best start in school history despite significant turmoil in the backfield.

The woes started in January, when Shonn Greene announced his intentions to enter the NFL Draft just moments after leading the Hawkeyes to a win over South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.

It was a big blow, but the thinking was that the Hawkeyes would be OK without him. They returned a standout offensive line and promising sophomore back Jewel Hampton, who rushed for 463 yards and seven touchdowns spelling Greene in 2008.

Hampton never made it to this year's opener, felled by a knee injury that sidelined him for the season. He was joined on the sidelines by redshirt freshman Jeff Brinson, who hasn't played all season and likely won't because of an undisclosed injury.

Iowa turned to unheralded junior Paki O'Meara for the season opener, but that lasted about a half. O'Meara was ineffective and has rarely played since.

The Hawkeyes eventually settled on Robinson and Wegher. Though neither was spectacular, Robinson and Wegher solidified Iowa's backfield and gave the Hawkeyes just enough pop in the run game to keep defenses honest.

Robinson slowly emerged as Iowa's No. 1 back, with career highs of 27 carries and 109 yards against Michigan State. His injury leaves the backfield as just Wegher, O'Meara and freshman Brad Rogers, whom the Iowa coaching staff had planned to redshirt.

"We are running out of bodies. In the backfield it's not a real crowded room right now,'' Ferentz said.

Though Iowa isn't sure how Wegher will perform in the top spot, they've been excited about his potential even before he set foot on campus.

Wegher was one of the Hawkeyes' most ballyhooed recruits in recent memory, having rushed for 3,238 yards and 54 touchdowns in his senior year of high school.

Though he wasn't expected to play right away, he rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown in his backfield debut against Iowa State. He's been up and down ever since, with just 30 yards on six attempts against the Spartans.

The full article can be found here:

Let's hope Wegher really impresses, so we don't have to see bubble butt Rogers get any reps

 

[FootballDad]

Nice game by Brandon today against Indiana. His last run, a 27 yard touchdown gallop, was a thing of beauty. He also made a few really nice blocks in the backfield to keep Stanzi alive.

 

[white lightning]

I second that opinion FootballDad. Brandon ran the ball 25 times for 118 yards and 3 touchdowns. You can't do much better than that. It was a very weird game though with all of the turnovers. Iowa finally woke up in the 4th quarter and exploded. I love the speed and moves that Wegher has. He will be a stud running back for a long time. He is only going to get better as he is just a freshman.

 

[FootballDad]

I never saw his high school highlights, but I was surprised with his power when running between the tackles, like most of his 1st half runs. Even though he isn't a huge back, he fights for every yard, and has big-time speed and moves in the open field. I look forward to the Ohio State gameagainst JaTerrelle RussPryor.

 

[Pollyanna]

My sons and I enjoyed watching Brandon run the ball. It was a weird game and by all means, Iowa should probably have lost. However, some times a team is destined and Iowa appears to be on to something spacial!

 

[white lightning]

It's a long time away but I would love to see Brandon continue to wear the black and gold colors on Sundays. He looks good in those colors and it would be awesome if he ever could be a starting running back for the Pitt.Steelers! I can dream right.

I am going to be a huge Iowa Fan for the next 3 years. This year is special. I want to see this kid playing in the Rose Bowl. Keep it up Brandon!

 

[green fire317]

If Wegher can do that much with a passing game that opened up nothing for him until the 4th quarter, imagine what he will be able to do when the passing game is having a good day for the whole game.

 

[Fightingtowin]

It seems like we either have small and really quick guys or really big guys who were forced to put on a ton of weight. His body actually looks like the natural body of a top college running back. Good to see and hopefully (fingers crossed) he's not going to mysteriously have to put on a bunch of weight for an incoming black back in the future.

 

[Deadlift]

Is it possible that Wegher and Danny Woodhead are both White/Amero Indian athletes?

Note: I'm not saying anything negative about these athletes. I'm asking a question that I've been curious about for some time. If they have Amero Indian ancestry, they shouldn't try to hide it in my view. It would be great if we could celebrate White/Indian relations.

I saw Wegher on Rivals a couple weeks before Jimmy Chitwood posted him on CF, and although the picture was somewhat blurry, I figured he was Amero Indian. I still do. I think he calls himself White to keep things simple, because he knows he's going to be treated like a White athlete (since he doesn't claim to have the super-affletic blood). I'm not looking to create controversy. BTW, it isn't uncommon for White/Amero Indian people (from Iowa, Nebraska, the Dakotas, Kansas) to have German or Nordic last names. If this post is out of bounds, I will delete it.

http://www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/wegher_brandon00.html

 

[dwid]

I doubt they have Amero Indian ancestry (well mainly for Wegher, not sure about Woodhead), but if they do it is so far removed it would be hard to tell and not enough to consider them anything but White. I have a few friends that have Amero Indian blood way down the line and you would never know it if they hadn't told you. They usually have a great great grandparent down the line that is Amero Indian. Even then, usually that person down the line wasn't even full blooded American Indian themselves.

I was taught in History class that the French settlers married natives "all the time". It would seem if this were true, then people of French ancestry here would look more like some of the South Americans who really did mix quite a bit. I think some did intermarry but not as many as people would have you think. From what I have read on my own it was more of the black creoles who mixed with natives.

I am not so sure about Iowa, Nebraska, The Dakotas, or Kansas though.

Like I said, it would be very hard to prove or disprove and if they do, it would be so far down the line that I wouldn't consider them White/Amero Indian. I would consider them White.Edited by: dwid

 

[celticdb15]

How the hell does this question get brought up time and time again??????????

 

[whiteathlete33]

Why is anyone even saying he may be American Indian?