Clayton Thorson stood at his own 25 at Kinnick Stadium last Saturday, facing an Iowa team that had just reeled off 17 unanswered points and a defense that had just forced a Justin Jackson fumble. The Hawkeye faithful were at full volume. Last year’s edition of Clayton Thorson might have shriveled up into a ball. Or, who knows? Mick McCall might have decided to repeatedly call Jackson’s number in an effort to hide his young quarterback against an aggressive defense. Regardless, it wouldn’t have been pretty.
But that was last year’s Clayton Thorson. Perhaps more importantly, that was last year’s Mick McCall.