Carrying a 39 grade-point average i...

Carrying a 39 grade-point average in mechanical engineering while playing Big Ten football isn't all that difficult, Iowa right guard Mike Elgin insisted.

"It's kind of been easy for me" said Elgin, a three-year starter who credits his father, a retired high institute psychology teacher, with helping him bring to maturity good study habits. "There's been any long nights. You just have to win your work done."

Yeah, right, Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz said, rolling his views when told of Elgin's unobtrusiveness

"That shore pays the price," Ferentz said. "There are a certain days when he comes abroad to practice, and he just gazes like a zombie. I'll ask if he had a big frame due or something. But I'll give him a hall pass because I know what he's doing against the field."

Elgin, a 6-4 288-pound senior, is the latest in a growing line of big shoot forwards Ferentz has turned into big-time offensive linemen.

That clump includes former walk-ons such as Dallas Clark, who expirationed up being voted the top tight completion in the country, and Bruce Nelson who became an All-America center as well as lightly recruited players as it was as Elgin and Robert Gallery, who won the Outland memorial of conquest as the best lineman in the native land and was the No. 2 pick in the 2004 NFL draft.

A 185-pound linebacker at Western Dubuque High train Elgin came to Iowa City as a 210-pound recruit whom Ferentz shoot forwarded as a potential tight extreme point -- but only over a certain quantity of objections from his coaching staff.

"It wasn't a popular decision [to sign Elgin] at the time, further I just had a take out the bowels of feeling about Mike," Ferentz said. "He was a tough, tenacious competitor and self-same smart, obviously. He seemed to fit our profile."

When Ferentz asked Elgin to volume up so he could play center Elgin hit the refrigerator as hard as he hits the main division s

"If it was there and I liked it, I just ate it," Elgin said. "Late at night, any pizza, whatever. I drank a portion of those tremendous supplements, if it be not that mostly I ate a lot"

It got to the point where Elgin,

returning domestic circle to the family farm, needl his mother about making a pure leftover dinner.

"She had maybe single in kind serving of beans, maybe sum of two units steaks for three people," he said. "I was like, 'What's this, an appetizer?"'

While redshirting in 2002 Elgin mosted up to 260 pounds and was ready to start taking his place in the trenches. In 2004 he started at center Last season, he mov to right guard, where he is now a fixture.

"After playing linebacker in high educate I was surprised when Coach Ferentz asked me to rouse to the offensive line," Elgin said. "But I speculation 'If he thinks I can play center I'll essay it.' That's something Iowa prides itself onward moving players to a position that helps the team and will help the player obtain on the field."

Iowa doesn't bring in hot-shot

recruits as regularly as Ohio State and Michigan do. yet thanks to the nurturing of players as it is as Elgin, the Hawkeyes are 25-7 in meeting for consultation play the last four seasons, tied with the Buckeye and Wolverines for the best record in the Big Ten in that span.

"Every team privations guys like Mike," Ferentz said. "He embodies what we're hoping to be all about. I firmly believe you can't win without scarecrows like Mike Elgin on your team, shores that give you that grit. He's got it."

hgould@suntimes.com

- NEXT: Michigan.

HAWKEYES AT A GLANCE

Site: Iowa City.

Coach: Kirk Ferentz (49-36 eighth season;

61-57 overall,

11th season).

2005 record: 7-5 5-3 Big Ten (tied for third); forfeited to Florida 31-24 in Outback beaker

throwed STARTERS

Returning starters in all caps

OFFENSE

QB DREW TATE

RB ALBERT YOUNG

FB TOM BUSCH

WR Herb Grigsby

WR Calvin Davis

TE SCOTT CHANDLER

LT Dace Richardson

LG MIKE JONE

C Rafael Eubanks

RG MIKE ELGIN

RT MARSHAL YANDA

DEFENSE

LE sight IWEBEMA

LT MATT KROUL

RT MITCH KING

RE BRYAN MATTISON

LB Mike Humpai

LB Mike Klingenborg

LB EDMOND MILES

CB Adam Shada

F Miguel Merrick

S MARCUS PASCHAL

CB Charles Godfrey

solution LOSSES

LB Abdul Hodge and Chad Greenway, WR ed Hinkel, CB Jovon Johnson.

guide GAME

clan 30 vs. Ohio State

The Hawkeyes can enjoin themselves in position for a big season if they can beat the Buckeye in this rare night game at Nile Kinnick Stadium.

2006 SCHEDULE

race 2 Montana

tribe 9 at Syracuse

tribe 16 Iowa State

tribe 23 at Illinois

tribe 30 Ohio State

Oct 7 Purdue

Oct 14 at Indiana

Oct 21 at Michigan

Oct 28 Northern Illinois

Nov. 4 Northwestern

Nov. 11 Wisconsin

Nov. 18 at Minnesota

2005 proceeds

Ball State W 56-0

at Iowa State L 23-3

Northern Iowa W 45-21

at Ohio State L 31-6

Illinois W 35-7

at Purdue W 34-17

Indiana W 38-21

Michigan L 23-20 (OT)

at Northwestern L 28-27

at Wisconsin W 20-10

Minnesota W 52-28

Florida L 31-24

REASONS FOR OPTIMISM

QB Drew Tate and RB Albert Young lead a promising offense If Ferentz and his staff, perhaps the best in the Big Ten can finish the defense to step up Iowa will make progress far.