Iowa coordinator Davis to merge old, new

IOWA CITY (AP) ? Greg Davis spent 13 seasons calling the shots at powerhouse Texas, which usually dominated a league famous for innovative attacks.

Now Davis is coordinating the offense for Iowa, often seen as the epitome of conservative Big Ten football.

Davis?s plan for the Hawkeyes will be to merge Big Ten tradition with Big 12 creativity in a system that can re-energize Iowa?s offense.

Davis, the former offensive coordinator under Mack Brown at Texas, met with the media Monday for the first time since taking over as the Hawkeyes offensive coordinator for Ken O?Keefe.

O?Keefe left to join Joe Philbin as the wide receiver coach for the Miami Dolphins.

?From the very time (Iowa coach) Kirk (Ferentz) and I started talking it was about blending philosophy, about blending the way we call things and creating something that was 2012. That?s what we?re trying to do,? Davis said. ?We?re just trying to take the best of both worlds, put it together and come up with something that is ours.?

Davis has spent 33 years coaching in the college ranks ? his last 13 as the offensive coordinator at Texas. The Longhorns won a pair of Big 12 titles and the 2005 BCS title with quarterback Vince Young under Davis, who also was named the Frank Broyles national assistant coach of the year in 2005.

Davis comes to Iowa City at the tail end of a long and illustrious career that began in the 1970s. But Davis?s time in Austin came to an abrupt end just a year after helping them reach the BCS national title game.Texas lost star quarterback Colt McCoy for the 2010 season and never recovered. The Longhorns finished 88th in scoring offense in 2010 under since-departed QB Garrett Gilbert en route to a 5-7 finish.

The offense was hardly all that went wrong for Texas two years ago, but 5-7 is simply unacceptable. A staff purge ensued, and Davis resigned.

Davis spent the past year traveling the country, observing high school and college football, taking notes and trying to soak up the game as much as he could.

?I used it very constructively, I think,? Davis said. ?I tried to get out once a week and watch high school teams. Then, on the weekends, I kind of went back in the man cave and taped every game that I couldn?t watch.?

The most pressing question awaiting Davis at Iowa is what sort of wrinkles he?ll bring to the offense.

The Hawkeyes were, for the most part, a balanced, pro-style attack under O?Keefe. Iowa?s quarterbacks typically take most of their snaps under center rather than the shotgun, and lead running backs play a major role in the offense.

That being said, O?Keefe?s units rarely lit up scoreboards. The Hawkeyes were often in the middle of the pack in scoring for Big Ten teams, preferring to ride a strong defense and a solid offense that protected the ball and wore down the opposition to victory.

Balance will remain a key component of Iowa?s offense, according to Davis. But it might not be as simple as an equal amount of runs and passes every Saturday.

?Our definition of balance is being able to win the game either way. It?s not that you run 35 or throw 35 (times), it?s that you can win the game whatever that day dictates,? Davis said.