**Official Illinois vs. Iowa Football Thread - 1:00pm - FS1**

[HiawathaHawk]

LeVar Woods has 3 years of offensive coaching experience in his life and that was a a TE coach. I have no idea what would make Doug think he should be OC.

 

[Gushawk]

Brian also cannot get anything near as good as the job he presently has anywhere else. So with him we are indefinitely stuck.

 

[gable_guy]

Underdressed for Minny game and overdressed for Illini game. End of the season and I’m out there making rookie mistakes guys

 

[Pedro]

Underdressed for Minny game and overdressed for Illini game. End of the season and I’m out there making rookie mistakes guys

Certainly have a few things to clean up.

 

[WCFHawkeye]

Underdressed for Minny game and overdressed for Illini game. End of the season and I’m out there making rookie mistakes guys

Overdressed is never a mistake. Take that extra shit off.

 

[douglasbader]

LeVar Woods has 3 years of offensive coaching experience in his life and that was a a TE coach. I have no idea what would make Doug think he should be OC.

Oh, he isn't my ideal scenario, just was trying to be semi-realistic of how to get Brian out of there.

 

[The Dad]

Our best and only hope is that Brian has some pride and seeks some assistance.

 

[AZmessDAWG]

@AZmess still defending ‘Brian?

I see you’re still a miserable fuck

 

[CamelTones]

As long as the basic principle of the offense is built around the zone scheme nothing will change. They brought in Polasek after NDSU beat Iowa because they loved what they saw in his scheme when he was OC there. And they changed nothing.

 

[StinkyMcFadden]

Our best and only hope is that Brian has some pride and seeks some assistance.

 

[douglasbader]

As long as the basic principle of the offense is built around the zone scheme nothing will change. They brought in Polasek after NDSU beat Iowa because they loved what they saw in his scheme when he was OC there. And they changed nothing.

I felt like early on in Brian's tenure there was way more KOK influence (which is why they brought him in), but the last 2 years nearly all of that has been removed in favor of whatever the fuck Brian has been trying to do.

The microcosm of yesterday was that they spend the entire game avoiding taking shots down the field, most likely because they are deemed too risky, and then finally late in the game when you don't need to take a risk due to your own design, suddenly they call a risky down the field throw in the wrong area of the field at the wrong time.

It is also crazy how one little mistake can destroy an Iowa drive that is rolling. Brian was actually calling a bunch of good plays on one of the drive, and then Goodson tripped with a giant hole in front of him (after he wildly missed another earlier in the drive that would have had a 30+ yard gain but still got 8 yards) and then Brian's next 2 play calls sucked. Drive over.

 

[StinkyMcFadden]

Remember when we were running all sorts of weird fucking trick plays? I think it was like 4 years ago and I think they said that Levar and one of the other coaches came up with them.

What happened to that?

 

[Herky823]

I do love that they completely ignore the risk of a bad punt. We had a bad snap and a net 19 yard punt yesterday.

and of course they ignore the potential penalty calls on deep throws as well

 

[AZmessDAWG]

Goodson is an average back. Missed holes all day yesterday. I thought that was the best the OL has looked all year.

 

[douglasbader]

Remember when we were running all sorts of weird fucking trick plays? I think it was like 4 years ago and I think they said that Levar and one of the other coaches came up with them.

What happened to that?

I can answer that.

Kirk was forced to become "New Kirk" after the 2014 season and became far more aggressive. They started going for it a lot more on 4th down, opted to go for a TD instead of FG, were willing to run a bunch of trick plays on special teams and in general played with much more abandon.

It worked and the program also rose to another level in that time, but it feels like the last 2 years Iowa has slowly reverted back to the previous ultra conservative "Old Kirk". This year they opt to settle for a FG even before the drive starts. If they do run a trick play, like they finally did yesterday, it is usually half assed.

My guess is because of all of the success, Kirk feels a lot more comfortable just going back to what he is comfortable with, and that is playing a brand of ultra conservative football that he adores deep down.

 

[L. Wade Childress]

Reading some of these posts you would think Iowa lost. Jesus, relax and enjoy the win and the 9-2 record.

and I got my windows cleaned during the game.

 

[L. Wade Childress]

LeVar is going to be an excellent head coach someday. I think he should get a serious look when Kirk retires.

The O-Line looked better today. Goodson was good but Williams is clearly a better compliment to this line.

Padilla is fine and clearly a better option than Petras but that pick was awful. Petras was given the benefit of the doubt for 16 games so they better be patient with Padilla but I get the sense they’ll pull him as soon as he throws a couple of picks in a quarter/half.

Brian isn’t going anywhere. Kirk isn’t pushing him out and Brian doesn’t possess the awareness to realize he’s not getting the HC job.

lol Brian has literally said publicly that he’s likely not getting the head coaching job

 

[L. Wade Childress]

Brian also cannot get anything near as good as the job he presently has anywhere else. So with him we are indefinitely stuck.

is a MAC type head job better?

 

[brantshawks]

From yesterday by the tracks, pace yourselves boys.

 

[douglasbader]

Goodson is an average back. Missed holes all day yesterday. I thought that was the best the OL has looked all year.

He's infuriating this year. So much potential for talent, but he clearly is much more concerned with not taking any contact or hard hits. I think that mindset has led to him running "safe" and causes him to miss holes. On the one drive I mentioned earlier, he missed a 30+ yard gain, then missed another huge hold and then eventually saw a hole and slipped and fell down and it killed the drive.

You finally saw on a late drive what he should be like all the time. He got PISSED! and started running hard and it led to him hitting the proper hole quickly, and he even ran over a guy and got 5 extra yards.

Hard to get upset with a guy that ran for 139 yards yesterday, but he should have ran for 200+ and had Iowa set up for more scores.

 

[StinkyMcFadden]

I am in favor of killing Brian.

 

[AZmessDAWG]

This is the worst group of TEs we’ve had in a long time too.

 

[Alan Lomax]

I can answer that.

Kirk was forced to become "New Kirk" after the 2014 season and became far more aggressive. They started going for it a lot more on 4th down, opted to go for a TD instead of FG, were willing to run a bunch of trick plays on special teams and in general played with much more abandon.

It worked and the program also rose to another level in that time, but it feels like the last 2 years Iowa has slowly reverted back to the previous ultra conservative "Old Kirk". This year they opt to settle for a FG even before the drive starts. If they do run a trick play, like they finally did yesterday, it is usually half assed.

My guess is because of all of the success, Kirk feels a lot more comfortable just going back to what he is comfortable with, and that is playing a brand of ultra conservative football that he adores deep down.

“New Kirk” had a lot to do with the best quarterback Iowa’s had in quite some time. Trusting a guy like that is a fuckton different than trusting Peaches.

 

[douglasbader]

IowaFan is PISSESD!! today and if you read the boards you would think Iowa is the 6-5 team and not the 9-2 team. Include me somewhat in that with my bitching this morning.

It's dumb, but I think it is a bit understandable. The last 5 games over 6 weeks have been really hard to watch and enjoy as a fan.

You start out with a blowout at home against a slightly above mediocre Purdue team mostly because Phil Parker refused to do the most obvious thing in the history of football. Had to watch a guy that had torn up Iowa the previous 2 years tear them up yet again for 240 yards and Petras throws 4 INT's.

Then you get a bye week and it looks like they spent it thumbing their own assholes only to turn the ball over at will and get beat down by Wisconsin. The offense was terrible and Petras was an embarrassment.

Northwestern finally saw Petras get replaced and Iowa looked wonderful with Padilla for about 3 possessions and then Kirk and Brian went completely conservative and had to sweat out an ugly 17-12 win.

Minnesota game should have been over but a combo of terrible tackling and some bizarre play calling means another boring game where you have to also sweat out a final drive.

Illinois was an ugly clusterfuck of garbage to start the game and then infuriating play calling leading to a way too close game late until they finally pulled away with less than 2 minutes left.

I love winning, but the second half of the season has been some of the ugliest, most boring wins that you can have.

Maybe we are spoiled, but the reality is Iowa is not a lot of fun to watch.

 

[maintain242001]

Doug's above post is spot on we get rolling then throw some stupid shit in. We were running on them well after halftime straight ahead running, could have kept that train rolling

 

[Shawneemicks]

Goodson is an average back. Missed holes all day yesterday. I thought that was the best the OL has looked all year.

Absolutely

 

[maintain242001]

Nm

 

[thrawn]

It’s also a weird season because they got up to #2 by mid-October off of three top 20 wins that turned out to be wins over 2-9, 6-5, and 7-4. And then they went from actual playoff contention to basically out of the division race by Halloween.

And when they were #2 they had arguably the worst QB in P5 who was benched by early November.

 

[StinkyMcFadden]

Then you get a bye week and it looks like they spent it thumbing their own assholes

 

[Dr. Zaius]

Goodson is an average back. Missed holes all day yesterday. I thought that was the best the OL has looked all year.

He always hesitates in the backfield and occasionally cuts from his inside foot. He would be so much better running straight downhill the majority of the time

 

[Kerky]

Goodson is an average back. Missed holes all day yesterday. I thought that was the best the OL has looked all year.

Gavin also missed one on the short yardage 3rd down play after Alex slid early. He slammed ahead and got the 1st down but if he would have just cut left he could have scored.

As for Tyler, he is slow or maybe it is just the hesitancy kicking in. Very frustrating to watch him in the open field. That hop skip step. Does he think he is Walter Payton or something?

 

[Shawneemicks]

Zone scheme with backs that almost never see the cutback.
Fred Russell is embarrassed

 

[Uff Da]

Seemed they ran less outside zone yesterday. Williams seems like a good back and is decisive. Goodson missed a lot of good running lanes again. He was more aggressive late when the Illinois players started chirping.

The secondary was a mess to start without two starters. Belton was great as was Benson.

Nico did not have a great game and Iowa only completed 6 passes. Just not sure what the plan is on offense, doesn't seem that the OL is as bad as people believe. Padilla is a much better fit for this offense, moves around in the pocket and extends plays.

 

[L. Wade Childress]

IowaFan is PISSESD!! today and if you read the boards you would think Iowa is the 6-5 team and not the 9-2 team. Include me somewhat in that with my bitching this morning.

It's dumb, but I think it is a bit understandable. The last 5 games over 6 weeks have been really hard to watch and enjoy as a fan.

You start out with a blowout at home against a slightly above mediocre Purdue team mostly because Phil Parker refused to do the most obvious thing in the history of football. Had to watch a guy that had torn up Iowa the previous 2 years tear them up yet again for 240 yards and Petras throws 4 INT's.

Then you get a bye week and it looks like they spent it thumbing their own assholes only to turn the ball over at will and get beat down by Wisconsin. The offense was terrible and Petras was an embarrassment.

Northwestern finally saw Petras get replaced and Iowa looked wonderful with Padilla for about 3 possessions and then Kirk and Brian went completely conservative and had to sweat out an ugly 17-12 win.

Minnesota game should have been over but a combo of terrible tackling and some bizarre play calling means another boring game where you have to also sweat out a final drive.

Illinois was an ugly clusterfuck of garbage to start the game and then infuriating play calling leading to a way too close game late until they finally pulled away with less than 2 minutes left.

I love winning, but the second half of the season has been some of the ugliest, most boring wins that you can have.

Maybe we are spoiled, but the reality is Iowa is not a lot of fun to watch.

I appreciate the recap. I havent watched any games.

 

[L. Wade Childress]

From yesterday by the tracks, pace yourselves boys.

View attachment 31635

Ray Brower?

 

[Whatever]

It's great to have a QB with some mobility and that can actually run for a first down if things break down. But don't start your slide two yards before the fucking first down.

 

[pjhawk]

For those of us who grew up in the 80s, it’s really hard to accept that fucking Wisconsin is now, somehow our white whale.

We're at least at the level we're at. Wisconsin has really replaced Michigan as the no #2 team in the BiG. They've taken the NY6/BCS type games that Michigan would have gotten in the comparable period of the 80's into the 90's, or even the late Lloyd Carr era. As the only state school in a state that size Wisconsin always had the potential to establish a Michigan/tOSU/Penn St type advantage over us.

We're the white whale for teams like Minnesota, CMC helmed Iowa St, and Nebrantska, which has to be frustrating as hell for those fan bases. Fitzgerald and Brohm talk about Iowa as a measuring stick. The Omaha World Herald guys are always talking about just getting to the Iowa/Wisconsin level at Nebrantska. I legitimately LOL'd at PJ the Fleck talking about how Minnesota had taken the next step against Iowa this year just by playing us a competitive game.

 

[YugoslavianMountainHound]

 

[Pedro]

I am in favor of killing Brian.

Easy there @Shawneemicks.

 

[Kerky]

He throws a bit of a wobbly ball as I recall. Seems like he has been overthrowing it at times to compensate for that. Is this simply a receiver issue or are they having a difficult time adjusting to his throws. He needs to get all of the 1st team reps in practice which I assume he is getting.

 

[Shawneemicks]

Easy there @Shawneemicks.

I understand where Stink is coming from.

 

[Pedro]

Ray Brower?

Nice pull.

 

[Renegade_ofFunk]

He throws a bit of a wobbly ball as I recall. Seems like he has been overthrowing it at times to compensate for that. Is this simply a receiver issue or are they having a difficult time adjusting to his throws. He needs to get all of the 1st team reps in practice which I assume he is getting.

I think it’s more to do with the fact Nico can’t catch the fucking ball no matter who throws it to him.

Also I think some of it is guys not expecting the ball unless they’re “wide open” because Peaches sucked.

 

[Gushawk]

lol Brian has literally said publicly that he’s likely not getting the head coaching job

when did I miss this?

 

[Gushawk]

is a MAC type head job better?

i wouldn’t think so

 

[Pedro]

when did I miss this?

Consider the source. Also, no way would he say, "of course, I'm just waiting for my daddy to hand me the keys".

 

[bigazzturkeylegs]

In the off-season podcast with Leistikow he admits that he stunted his coaching career by staying at Iowa.

 

[Gushawk]

wrt to jet sweep, wtf was the play where we motioned the slot with traditional jet sweep action and then motioned him back to the strong side and gave it to him? it didn’t work and appeared tremendously dumb

 

[L. Wade Childress]

when did I miss this?

before the season. I can’t remember his exact wording but I believe it was “that ship has sailed”.

 

[Gushawk]

In the off-season podcast with Leistikow he admits that he stunted his coaching career by staying at Iowa.

this sounds different from “that ship has sailed”. he’s probably right that going back to the NFL (probably as an OL coach) at some point would have been the best play for the development of his career and career options, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t have hope that he’ll be the next head coach at Iowa