Notebook: Hawkeyes Frolic in Snow

Iowa had its first practice in the snow this season on Tuesday, and Logan Jones soon found out how that can be painful.

Jones said as he was going through the warm-up line before practice started, the defensive linemen coming over from the other side pelted him with snowballs.

“I went up for a high-five with Joe (Evans), and he threw a snowball right at my stomach,” Jones said, smiling. “So, yeah, that one hurt.”

The Hawkeyes have their indoor facility, but they were outside Tuesday — and will be again on Wednesday — to get used to the elements for Saturday’s game at Minnesota. The game-day forecast has a high of 18 degrees with flurries in the morning.

“We were out there today,” coach Kirk Ferentz said. “It was fine. It was good. I don't think it was as cold as it was Saturday (for the 24-10 win over Wisconsin at Kinnick Stadium). And the snow was pretty and all that. Guys could take pictures.

"But it's funny, you look at the tape, and it looks like bad weather on the tape, but it really didn't seem that bad being out there. It wasn't. No wind and all that stuff.”

Ferentz said it was a milestone day for freshman running back Jaziun Patterson, who grew up in Florida.

“First time he's practiced in snow or really seen it and been in it,” Ferentz said. “It was fun to see -- it was fresh and new to him. It was kind of fun.”

For the most part, the players said, the cold isn’t noticeable for practices or in games.

Quarterback Spencer Petras quoted special teams coordinator LeVar Woods, who said on the windy day at Purdue two weeks ago was just “a data point, not a focal point.”

“Which I think it’s a really good way of looking at it,” Petras said. “If I’m thinking about more than what my job is, it’s not going to be good.”

Petras said the low temperatures can affect how you feel.

“Legs get tighter, everything gets tighter when it’s cold out,” he said.

Other conditions, Petras said, can be more problematic.

“To me, that’s more wind and heavy rain,” he said.

Jones said it is tradition among the offensive linemen to go sleeveless, no matter the conditions. It is a toughness thing, he noted, but he also said his arms can get too hot on long drives.

“You don’t want to add extra heat,” Jones said.

Cornerback Riley Moss said he wears sleeves because, he joked, “I don’t have a lot of meat on my bones.”

“November football, it’s not for the faint of heart,” Moss said. “But it’s pretty fun.”

SCOREBOARD AVOIDANCE: Saturday’s game between Illinois and Michigan could have a big influence on the Big Ten West race if the Illini lose.

That game will be at 11 a.m., and should be over before Iowa’s game, which starts at 3 p.m.

Petras said he won’t be seeking any updates on the bus ride to the stadium.

“I don’t do anything with my phone except the music,” Petras said.

Ferentz said he won’t be watching, either.

“Last thing I really want to do is watch Big Ten football, quite frankly, on Saturdays,” Ferentz said. “And usually everybody looks unbeatable to me. If I see four games, there's eight teams we're not going to be able to beat this year, that's usually what I see. But me, personally, I'd rather keep my thoughts still and just worry about what we're going to do that day.

“I'm not going to tell our guys what to do. But bottom line is this, I'm pretty sure everybody in the Big Ten wants to win their division.”

INJURY UPDATE: Ferentz said he expects wide receiver Arland Bruce IV to return for Saturday’s game. Bruce missed last Saturday’s game against Wisconsin.

Offensive lineman Beau Stephens, who was injured on Saturday, is questionable for this week’s game.