Iowa could get Brown back for this week

Brown, the 13th-ranked Hawkeyes' best wide receiver, probably will play a little in Saturday's home game with Illinois, coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday.

A severe ankle injury has kept Brown out of the last five games, two of them losses. His return could provide a spark for an offense that has been constantly reshuffled and patched together because of injuries.

"I worked with Mo on Sunday. He's really coming along," quarterback Nathan Chandler said. "We're excited about getting him back out there."

Brown twisted his right ankle catching a touchdown pass in the first quarter of Iowa's 40-21 victory over Iowa State, the third game of the season. Ferentz said Brown was looking much better at the end of last week and will try to do more this week.

"If the week goes well, there's a chance he'll be out there to play a little bit on Saturday," Ferentz said. "I doubt many snaps, but at least maybe get him going and hopefully from that point on things will progressively move forward."

Iowa could use Brown in the stretch run of the Big Ten race. The Hawkeyes (6-2, 2-2 Big Ten) should be able to handle Illinois (1-8, 0-5), but they finish with three tough games -- at Purdue, home against Minnesota and at Wisconsin.

Brown was Iowa's main threat for breaking a big play. Through two full games and the one quarter against Iowa State, he had caught 14 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns. It wasn't until last week's 26-14 victory over Penn State that another player, Ramon Ochoa, supplanted Brown as the team's leading receiver.

If Brown can be as effective as he was before getting hurt, he could help the running game as well as the passing attack. That's what running back Fred Russell is counting on, anyway.

"Hopefully, it can be like it was, him making the deep catch and when I get into the red zone, it will be easier for me to score," Russell said. "Instead of me carrying the ball all the way to the red zone and be kind of fatigued when I get down there."

Chandler said he anticipates no trouble getting his timing back with Brown.

"I think Mo's the type of receiver that basically anybody can go out there and throw him the ball and he'll make you look good," Chandler said. "There's not as much (readjustment) with him just because of the ability he brings.

"The stuff that really is holding him back is the cutting. He can run straight. That's never a problem with injury. But he was running hook routes and comebacks. He looks great. I don't know how he felt the next day, but he looked good to me."

Ferentz conceded he's probably more cautious than other coaches with injured players, though he said he was certain there's no way Brown could have played any earlier.

"I'd rather give an extra week than have a guy go out before he should go out and end up losing three or four weeks," Ferentz said. "That to me isn't sound thinking."

A slew of injuries this season has forced Ferentz to adjust his lineup each week. A reporter asked if there was a scientific explanation to all the injuries.

"If there is, we need to get that scientist in here who can decode it and straighten us out a little bit," Ferentz said. "A lot of injuries just happen. It's the nature of the game. It comes in runs sometimes and that seems to be the case right now."

Originally published Wednesday, October 29, 2003