By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – If you were to pick a most valuable player for the Iowa football team, who would it be?

That question was asked to me this past weekend, and several players came to mind, even three on offense where Iowa has struggled this season, although, one of the three is also a star on special teams.

Iowa is ranked last in the Big Ten in total offense heading into Friday’s regular-season finale at Nebraska, averaging just 293.2 yards per game.

But now imagine the offense without All-America center Tyler Linderbaum and without junior tight end Sam LaPorta, who leads the team with 37 receptions for 425 yards. LaPorta is the only player on the team with more than 30 catches and with more than 400 receiving yards.

And though the offensive line has struggled with both run and pass blocking, it’s to no fault of Linderbaum, who has performed well throughout the season.

So, Linderbaum and LaPorta are both among seven players that I would consider as worthy candidates for team MVP honors.

The other five are junior linebacker Jack Campbell, junior defensive back Dane Belton, sixth-year senior kicker Caleb Shudak, senior receiver and return specialist Charlie Jones and sophomore punter Tory Taylor.

Friday’s game against Nebraska could help determine who is most deserving, but as of now, a strong case could be made for each of the seven players.

The fact that Linderbaum is considered arguably the top center in college football speaks for itself, while LaPorta’s statistics certainly make him a strong candidate.

Campbell, Belton, Shudak, Jones and Taylor also have statistics to support their case.

Campbell leads Iowa, and ranks near the top of the Big Ten, with 108 tackles. He also has returned one interception for a touchdown and one fumble for a touchdown, to go along with having six pass breakups, four quarterback hurries and 2 1/2 tackles for loss.

Campbell in many ways is the heart and soul of Iowa’s defense. The Cedar Falls native plays well in traffic and in space. And that makes him effective against both the run and pass.

Belton, a third-year junior from Tampa, Florida, also plays well against both the run and pass.

In addition to leading the Big Ten with five interceptions, he also has 37 tackles, including three for loss, a team-leading seven pass breakups and three quarterback hurries.

But where would this Iowa team be without its three stars on special teams?

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said in the weeks and months leading up to the season that he had no concerns about kicker even though All-America kicker Keith Duncan used up his eligibility last season.

Ferentz wasn’t concerned because he had total confidence in Shudak, and now we know why.

Shudak made four field goals in last Saturday’s 33-23 victory over Illinois at Kinnick Stadium, and he has made 18-of-21 field-goal attempts this season and all 32 of his point-after kicks.

Shudak has made all five of his field-goal attempts from 40 to 49 yards, all six of his attempts from 30 to 39 yards and 3-of-5 attempts from 50 yards or beyond.

Jones has emerged as arguably the Big Ten’s top return specialist. He handles both kick returns and punt returns and is one of just three players in program history to return both a punt and kick for a touchdown.

Iowa was trailing Illinois 10-0 this past Saturday when Jones returned a kick 100 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter.

The Illinois native, who transferred from Buffalo as a walk-on, also has 16 catches for 251 yards and three touchdowns.

But it’s his impact as a return specialist that adds so much to Jones’ value.

As for Taylor, he basically has picked up where he left off last season as the Big Ten’s Punter of the Year.

A native of Melbourne, Australia, the 24-year old Taylor is averaging 45.8 yards on 67 punts, and only once has he had a punt blocked this season. He also has had 32 punts downed inside the opponent’s 20 yard line.

Taylor’s job is to flip field position and he has excelled in that role.

And that’s been crucial to Iowa’s success because the offense has sputtered for much of the season.

So there you have it; my seven candidates for team MVP with just one regular-season game remaining.