Thoughts on the game

[douglasbader]

1. The entire team owes a huge fucking apology to Marcus Coker. He put on a performance that was a thing of beauty, played his ass off and the rest of the team (and mostly the Coaches and Mike Meyer) fucked him over.

2. Defense actually played well enough to win the game and it was once again the Offense on the road (specifically KOK and Vandenberg) that failed them. Iowa's Defense actually completely shut down Minnesota's Offense outside of 1 stupid long pass play for the majority of the first 3 quarters. In Minnesota's first 7 possessions, the Defense held them to 5 punts, a fumble and a TD. 2 of the scoring drives they gave up later in the game were due in part to horrible field position caused by a terrible fumble by Vandenberg and the onside kick.

3. Mike Meyer should be slapped in the face. He chokes on a chip shot and then shanks a curve ball off the upright. He also can't seem to kick the ball in the end zone this year. I don't think he is the answer at Kicker in the long run and hopefully Kohen and the kid coming in from West Virginia can push him for playing time.

4. James Vandenberg is a paper tiger until he can actually win a game on the road. I have defended him as much as anyone, but it is just obvious outside of his performance at Ohio State as a Freshman (and even that was suspect in some ways) that James shits the bed the second he leaves Iowa City. He doesn't see the field worth a shit and is terrible at picking up blitzes. On the play where he got blown up, the CB even showed blitz leaving the WR absolutely WIDE OPEN and he never even looked that way, just locked on to his main target.

5. Keenan Davis - I think that Iowa missed him a bunch today and it is infuriating he couldn't play because he was injured after being left on the field in a worthless blowout.

6. Pass Blocking - the Offensive Line has been dominant lately on the run, but they are bad when it comes to pass protection. This leads me to.....

7. Offensive Guards - sorry, but Iowa will be a much better team the day Tobin and Gettis are no longer on the field.

8. Bizarre substitutions and personnel decisions - Coaches refuse to take out Keenan Davis during a blowout of Indiana but somehow decide that on the road in the first half of a tie game is the place to start playing Jordan Cotton and Staggs? Cotton has NEVER played and suddenly you are running him out there in front of players who have played like Grant and Shumpert? WTF??

You make a long overdue decision to start Scherff instead of Tobin but then you have Tobin on the field during most of the key situations??

10. Jordan Bernstine - He was a not good on Kick Off's. No burst, hesitant and ran right into the pile.

11. Linebackers - For a position that looked pretty good early on in the year, they have regressed. Morris looks lost and is simply too weak and injured to be effective at this point. Kirksey is also getting out of position, breaks contain and gets pushed around. Nielson just isn't that good.

12. Prater - he is competing for this year's "Player I won't be sad to see graduate".

13. Playcalling - KOK did a horrendous job again today of playcalling. He seems to have a knack for killing his own drives and putting Vandenberg in a position to fail. He has to get Vandenberg on the move in the passing game with more rollouts, waggles, etc.

Where the fuck are the screen passes? Teams are just, as Chris Martin put it during the game, playing with their hair on fire during passing situations. I think we have only thrown 1 or 2 screens to the RB all year long.

What was he doing on that last drive? You go empty backfield spread with plenty of time left instead of giving the ball to the guy who has 252 yards rushing? It wasn't like Iowa needed a TD, they were only down 1. Just mindblowing.

14. McNutt - GET HIM THE FUCKING BALL!!!!11#@%#$^$#^ Why can't KOK ever use him like other teams use receivers against Iowa? Northwestern throws to Ebert on every fucking play and he makes something happen, Iowa should be just throwing to him in the flat and letting him create with his size. Such a waste of the best receiver this school has ever had.

Coaching is going to be #15, but that needs its own separate post.

I know everyone wants to say that this team is a "Bad" team, but I just don't think it is. 1999 and 2000 were bad teams. 2007 was a much worse team.

This year's team is mediocre with the potential to be so much more. Even today they dominated the game but just played Ferentz ball to keep it close enough to give it away at the end.

It is the reason that I think they still pull off a couple of wins before the end of the year. I think that other teams are going to look past them and Iowa is still good enough to beat anyone that they play, especially at home and given that the Big Ten is very down this year. They will get one of the 2 at home and I think will finally break the road losing streak at Purdue and will be playing for their 8th win when they go into Lincoln the day after Thanksgiving.

 

[CraigTNelson]

Iowa could have won by literally running the ball on every single play.

 

[douglasbader]

15. Coaching - Time for some new blood around Ferentz, but after looking at the Coaching Roster there isn't a chance in the world that this happens.

Norm Parker - almost 70 years old with diabetes that will only get worse and take more toes, feet and eventually his legs up to the knees. Sadly, Norm is the type by his own admission that wouldn't know what to do with himself if he retired and might have to be drug out the door kicking and screaming. Ferentz is ultra-loyal to him and I don't think he has the heart to do it. He is the most likely to be replaced on the staff and has been here all 13 years. Odds he leaves after this year at 49%

KOK - 61 years old, as highly paid as some lower level D-1 Head Coaches and is not exactly a charismatic type of guy any other program will want to hire to lead a team, especially at his age. Chances of leaving EVER are about 5% and is no where near retiring and has been here all 13 years.

Erik Campbell - 45 years old, likely the best coach on the staff and has already been the Assistant Head Coach at Michigan. He is the coach it would hurt the most to lose and of course is the most highly sought after. No kids, single and at the perfect age to get his first head coaching position in the near future. I would be surprised if he is here 2 more years. Been at Iowa 4 years. Odds he leaves after this year at 35%.

Lester Erb - 42 years old. Possibly the second most likely person on staff to be sought after for other positions if he wanted them, but he has been at Iowa 12 years, is well paid as an assistant and is very loyal to Ferentz. He also has a stable of Running Backs at Iowa so I doubt he is going anywhere so his odds of leaving are about 5%.

Eric Johnson - 39 years old. Seems to be a good recruiter and coach who has done well with Iowa's Tight Ends and could likely get another job if he wanted it, but I doubt he would ever leave. He is paid well, has a wife and 2 young daughters and has been here for all 13 years. Chances of leaving are about 5%.

Rick Kaczenski - 36 years old. Youngest guy on staff and supposedly an asshole that players hate, but who knows. He has the resume now to get another job if he wanted it, but again, he is getting paid well and has a wife with a newborn. Been at Iowa 7 years now and chances he leaves are about 10%.

Reese Morgan - 61 years old. This guy was coaching High School in Iowa City before Ferentz gifted him a job. He is never leaving and I doubt anyone else would want him given his age and prior background. This is his 12th year on staff. 0% chance he leaves.

Phil Parker - 49 years old. Supposedly in line to take Norm's job once he retires. Not sure why as when he was in charge with a Defense loaded with NFL players they looked like dogshit last year. If he was passed over for the job he is at the age and has the experience to take a step up at another program, but the money he makes now would make that a tough decision for him. Has been at Iowa 13 years and I would put his odds at leaving at 0% unless he is passed over for Norm's job and even then I would only put it at 15%

Darrell Wilson - 53 years old. Ferentz infamously rescued him after he was fired at Wisconsin. His coaching seems to be pretty shitty on Special Teams, but his recruiting has been pretty good. He isn't leaving and nobody else wants him given his age and background. Has been at Iowa for 10 years now and makes better money than he could anywhere else. 0% chance he leaves.

Charlie Bullen / David Raih - Late 20's / Early 30's and could be next in line to be promoted to an Offensive assistant if someone ever leaves.

LeVar Woods - 33 years old. If Norm retires and Phil Parker is moved up, then Woods will take over his spot. There is no way that he isn't the next in line.


Pretty much besides Norm and Campbell, there isn't a chance that any of these guys are getting hired away or leaving. They all make way too much and are too loyal to Ferentz to even consider moving away. If Norm does leave, then they will just promote from within and the staff will pretty much be the exact same as it is now.

Sorry, boyz, there ain't gonna be any changes even if there are changes.

 

[Southsidehawk]

7. Offensive Guards - sorry, but Iowa will be a much better team the day Tobin and Gettis are no longer on the field.

Totally agree with this. I haven't been impressed with Gettis since he was inserted in the line. And Tobin? Give me a break! Recruiting hasn't been good and I doubt it gets much better after yesterday.

As for coaching, you would have to fire Ferentz to get rid of any of his assistants. They have a great gig here are aren't leaving unless they get a fantastic offer.

 

[Glen]

That coaching staff is, to borrow a term from Gus, an echo chamber. It gets old watching them make the same mistakes/suspect decisions over and over. The continuity of the staff once seemed like an asset, I don't get that feeling anymore.

Not that it matters, as doug points out, change ain't gonna happen.

 

[Rolo Tomassi]

4. James Vandenberg is a paper tiger until he can actually win a game on the road. I have defended him as much as anyone, but it is just obvious outside of his performance at Ohio State as a Freshman (and even that was suspect in some ways) that James shits the bed the second he leaves Iowa City. He doesn't see the field worth a shit and is terrible at picking up blitzes. On the play where he got blown up, the CB even showed blitz leaving the WR absolutely WIDE OPEN and he never even looked that way, just locked on to his main target.

I've been saying all year that Vandenberg is overrated. Of course Monster disagrees. He believes Vandenberg is quite good.

 

[nolookpass]

Vandenburg does some good things, has an upside but with this staff I dont see him improving much. Like a lot of QBs he locks onto one receiver.

He is a paper tiger-racks up some big stats against bums at home and struggles on the road.

Iowa doesnt put him in positions to succeed a lot of times.

I dont know if Iowa ran a screen (other than the jailbreak)or a draw all day today.

 

[Rolo Tomassi]

What was he doing on that last drive? You go empty backfield spread with plenty of time left instead of giving the ball to the guy who has 252 yards rushing? It wasn't like Iowa needed a TD, they were only down 1. Just mindblowing.

Everybody in the stadium except two people, Ferentz & O'Keefe, knew that there was plenty of time on the clock. Everybody also knew that Coker was capable of getting the ball into field goal range all by himself; everybody, that is, except Ferentz & O'Keefe.

What happened is quite simply that Ferentz & O'Keefe panicked. They followed the old formula of going to the air when you're behind late in the game, because the conventional wisdom says that's what you're supposed to do. Nevermind that Coker was fully capable of ripping off 10, 20, or even 30 yards per carry. Ferentz & O'Keefe simply panicked. That's all.

 

[OlePeep]

The other baffling thing about this staff is the burning of redshirts. Is it really worthwhile to blow a year of eligibility for guys to cover kickoffs and punts?

One of this staff's biggest blind spots, imo, is developing depth through playing time. KF wants to cry poverty every year he loses a bunch of starters, but doesn't appear to make a concerted effort to develop players through game experience. This year's DL is exhibit A. Working guys in throughout games throughout a season is critical if you want to avoid calamitous drop-offs like the kind we are seeing this year.

 

[Bovert]

I don't know about screens, but didn't we throw it short to Coker twice early on and he dropped both of them?

 

[The Monarch]

The other baffling thing about this staff is the burning of redshirts. Is it really worthwhile to blow a year of eligibility for guys to cover kickoffs and punts?

One of this staff's biggest blind spots, imo, is developing depth through playing time. KF wants to cry poverty every year he loses a bunch of starters, but doesn't appear to make a concerted effort to develop players through game experience. This year's DL is exhibit A. Working guys in throughout games throughout a season is critical if you want to avoid calamitous drop-offs like the kind we are seeing this year.

With Keenan's injury, I was hoping to see Marcus Grant on the field yesterday. What a perfect opponent for him to get some experience. But he was nowhere to be found. I totally agree, we're going to need all of these freshman next year but they aren't getting any meaningful playing time.

 

[douglasbader]

I don't know about screens, but didn't we throw it short to Coker twice early on and he dropped both of them?

The first one was thrown pretty damn hard and the second one he had 2 guys draped on him in the middle of the field. He could have caught them, but they were far from perfect throws.

 

[PipeDaddy]

On the play he got rocked and fumbled, the corner blitz was perfect. He didn't show blitz until the last second after JVB had already studied that side and was preparing to receive the ball from the center. It was a great play by the CB.

Several of his hits/pressures/sacks are on the OLine. If it's play action, and he gets hit shortly after the play fake, I don't see how you can pin that on JVB.

He's good, not great. He reminds me a lot of Stanzi in his junior season in terms of where he is at. (same level, but different strengths and weaknesses).

 

[douglasbader]

On the play he got rocked and fumbled, the corner blitz was perfect. He didn't show blitz until the last second after JVB had already studied that side and was preparing to receive the ball from the center. It was a great play by the CB.

Several of his hits/pressures/sacks are on the OLine. If it's play action, and he gets hit shortly after the play fake, I don't see how you can pin that on JVB.

He's good, not great. He reminds me a lot of Stanzi in his junior season in terms of where he is at. (same level, but different strengths and weaknesses).

False. Go back and watch that play again as he gives it away and then even points to his safety and tells him to cover his receiver.

Either way, Vandenberg seems to be too much of a thinker on the road and the staff needs to mix in some screens and get him on the move to help him out.

 

[nolookpass]

I dont rewatch the games...did Vandy roll out much yesterday? I dont recall if he did or not.
I recall the one play where he threw to Orne but dont remember many others.

TEs were open again a lot today. not throwing to them much puts a lot of pressure on McNutt and the other Wrs. I dont know if Vandy isnt seeing them or doesnt have confidence in them.

 

[nolookpass]

Hyde back on punts makes me long for Colin Sandeman.

 

[Monster]

4. James Vandenberg is a paper tiger until he can actually win a game on the road. I have defended him as much as anyone, but it is just obvious outside of his performance at Ohio State as a Freshman (and even that was suspect in some ways) that James shits the bed the second he leaves Iowa City. He doesn't see the field worth a shit and is terrible at picking up blitzes. On the play where he got blown up, the CB even showed blitz leaving the WR absolutely WIDE OPEN and he never even looked that way, just locked on to his main target.

I've been saying all year that Vandenberg is overrated. Of course Monster disagrees. He believes Vandenberg is quite good.

Correct. Vandy ranks in the top 20 nationally in [passing, which is copmmon for a quarterback who is "really, really bad." Right, Taw?

 

[PipeDaddy]

On the play he got rocked and fumbled, the corner blitz was perfect. He didn't show blitz until the last second after JVB had already studied that side and was preparing to receive the ball from the center. It was a great play by the CB.

Several of his hits/pressures/sacks are on the OLine. If it's play action, and he gets hit shortly after the play fake, I don't see how you can pin that on JVB.

He's good, not great. He reminds me a lot of Stanzi in his junior season in terms of where he is at. (same level, but different strengths and weaknesses).

False. Go back and watch that play again as he gives it away and then even points to his safety and tells him to cover his receiver.

Perhaps we are thinking of different plays then. I deleted the game right away. It makes no difference - JVB needs to improve his pocket awareness, there is no doubt. And the coaching staff needs to address the issue and fix the protection schemes.

 

[Monster]

4. James Vandenberg is a paper tiger until he can actually win a game on the road. I have defended him as much as anyone, but it is just obvious outside of his performance at Ohio State as a Freshman (and even that was suspect in some ways) that James shits the bed the second he leaves Iowa City. He doesn't see the field worth a shit and is terrible at picking up blitzes. On the play where he got blown up, the CB even showed blitz leaving the WR absolutely WIDE OPEN and he never even looked that way, just locked on to his main target.

I've been saying all year that Vandenberg is overrated. Of course Monster disagrees. He believes Vandenberg is quite good.

Correct. Vandy ranks in the top 20 nationally in passing, which is common for a quarterback who is "really, really bad." Right, Taw?

 

[PipeDaddy]

I dont rewatch the games...did Vandy roll out much yesterday? I dont recall if he did or not.
I recall the one play where he threw to Orne but dont remember many others.

TEs were open again a lot today. not throwing to them much puts a lot of pressure on McNutt and the other Wrs. I dont know if Vandy isnt seeing them or doesnt have confidence in them.

When Herman is on the field, would you throw to him? I certainly would not. Might as well just spike the damn ball and line up for the next down.

 

[douglasbader]

The funny thing is that despite losing 26 seniors last year, the games are still going EXACTLY the same way as they did last year. Playing up or down to the competition, getting double digit leads against inferior opponents and then allowing them to believe in themselves and making just enough mistakes to give away the game at the end.

Iowa was in complete control of the Iowa State and Minnesota games and both times failed to capitalize on Offense to a point where they put them away. The Drive summary tells everything about the game. 3 out of the first 4 possessions were completely squandered. If you convert even a field goal on any one of those then this game is over.

START QTR POSS. YARD PLAYS YARDS RESULT
15:00 1 00:00 IOWA 20 7 49 Turnover on Downs
11:49 1 00:00 IOWA 26 5 29 Punt
05:12 1 03:51 IOWA 20 8 74 Field Goal Missed
15:00 2 03:40 IOWA 16 8 59 Field Goal Missed
10:28 2 04:41 IOWA 47 10 53 Passing Touchdown
01:13 2 01:13 IOWA 22 2 6 End of Half
13:04 3 04:20 IOWA 37 8 63 Rushing Touchdown
08:44 3 00:00 IOWA 31 9 43 Fumble
02:03 3 03:12 IOWA 29 7 71 Rushing Touchdown
02:48 4 00:26 IOWA 26 4 4 Turnover on Downs

 

[Vepr]

Cliff notes version of Doug's lengthy doom and gloom diatribe... We are not very good. Thought I would save you all some time...

 

[douglasbader]

I will say again, the thing that infuriates me above all else is the personnel decisions. The coaching staff is not playing the most talented players and is making completely bizarre decisions that seems to be based on Gold Stars!! for Timmy Soybean.

This team will NEVER win at a high level with Jason White, Matt Tobin, Tom Donatell, Steven Staggs, Zack Derby, Brad Herman, Colin Sleeper and Wally Whitey on the field.

Ferentz better learn to not just burn redshirts for Special Teams, but get these guys in the game and let them make plays and screw up a few times. Shit, we are losing to Minnesota anyways, so why not?

The personnel decisions have a very 2007 feel to them.

 

[nolookpass]

Herman may lead the team in false start penalties.

with his below average receiving skills and his penchant for penalties, he must be a dynamite blocker. I dont rewatch games to have a good idea. Either hes a great blocker or hes dating one of Kirks daughters. I have no idea otherwise why hes playing.

I hope CJ doesnt transfer.

 

[Monster]

I agree with the above. Iowa needs new blood on the coaching staff. I suspect it's frustrating for some of the assistants to watch the guys above them make bad decisions year after year.

As others have said, it's also time for KF to let coaches coach a bit more.

 

[douglasbader]

Herman may lead the team in false start penalties.

with his below average receiving skills and his penchant for penalties, he must be a dynamite blocker. I dont rewatch games to have a good idea. Either hes a great blocker or hes dating one of Kirks daughters. I have no idea otherwise why hes playing.

I hope CJ doesnt transfer.

CJ isn't going to transfer and sit out when he will be the starter next year.

 

[Rolo Tomassi]

4. James Vandenberg is a paper tiger until he can actually win a game on the road. I have defended him as much as anyone, but it is just obvious outside of his performance at Ohio State as a Freshman (and even that was suspect in some ways) that James shits the bed the second he leaves Iowa City. He doesn't see the field worth a shit and is terrible at picking up blitzes. On the play where he got blown up, the CB even showed blitz leaving the WR absolutely WIDE OPEN and he never even looked that way, just locked on to his main target.

I've been saying all year that Vandenberg is overrated. Of course Monster disagrees. He believes Vandenberg is quite good.

Correct. Vandy ranks in the top 20 nationally in passing, which is common for a quarterback who is "really, really bad." Right, Taw?

I'm willing to admit that in the heat of the moment, I overstated my judgment of Vandenberg's abilities, or lack thereof. He's not really, really bad. But I still think he's overrated, and I can name about ten Iowa quarterbacks in the last 30 years who were better than him. Oh, and your reliance on misleading statistics to make your case that he's "quite good" is laughable.

 

[Monster]

I've been saying all year that Vandenberg is overrated. Of course Monster disagrees. He believes Vandenberg is quite good.

Correct. Vandy ranks in the top 20 nationally in passing, which is common for a quarterback who is "really, really bad." Right, Taw?

I'm willing to admit that in the heat of the moment, I overstated my judgment of Vandenberg's abilities, or lack thereof. He's not really, really bad. But I still think he's overrated, and I can name about ten Iowa quarterbacks in the last 30 years who were better than him. Oh, and your reliance on misleading statistics to make your case that he's "quite good" is laughable.

First off, thanks for admitting you may have overstated your judgment. It happens, but not everyone is able to admit it. Second, you can't name 10 iowa qbs in the last 30 years who are better. No effing way. I can think of 5, and Vandy could pass a couple of those before he's done.

BTW, should I rely on "misleading" stats, or your eyeballs and emotions?

 

[cloudhawk]

I've been saying all year that Vandenberg is overrated. Of course Monster disagrees. He believes Vandenberg is quite good.

Correct. Vandy ranks in the top 20 nationally in passing, which is common for a quarterback who is "really, really bad." Right, Taw?

I'm willing to admit that in the heat of the moment, I overstated my judgment of Vandenberg's abilities, or lack thereof. He's not really, really bad. But I still think he's overrated, and I can name about ten Iowa quarterbacks in the last 30 years who were better than him. Oh, and your reliance on misleading statistics to make your case that he's "quite good" is laughable.

30 yrs of QBs that are better than a guy who has played what 8 games?

Cloudhawk= limb. out.

 

[cloudhawk]

Long, Hartleib, Tate, Banks, Stanzi.......

Cloudhawk= downhill from there

 

[Vepr]

This post is more molestation room than rape room but it is close.

 

[Whatever]

Minnesota was jumping around on 3rd down all day trying to confuse Vandy. And it worked. In the first quarter Iowa had 3rd and 8 and Minnesota's DBs and LBs are jumping around acting like they are going to blitz. Vandy checks into a quick out to Herman and throws it to him. Minnesota doesn't blitz and only rushes 4 guys and he has no pressure on him. Meanwhile, McNutt is 1 on 1 with a corner on the other side.

 

[Monster]

Long, Hartleib, Tate, Banks, Stanzi.......

Cloudhawk= downhill from there

I forgot to put Banks in there. I had Vlasic. So 6, maybe. Though as the years go on, my memory of Banks fades into more of the right guy on the right team than a truly amazing talent. But he's still up there.

 

[Monster]

If Taw comes back and suggests Nate Chandler was better I'm going to drive to georgia and kick his old ass. ;-)

 

[howler]

Just checked individual stats on ESPN:

Vandy is #17 rated passer in country
McNutt is #11 rated WR
Coker is #10 rusher

That's impressive, making the 5-3 record all the more depressing.

 

[Vepr]

If Taw comes back and suggests Nate Chandler was better I'm going to drive to georgia and kick his old ass. ;-)

Nate was a stud. I will not tolerate any bad mouthing of Nate Chandler.

 

[Rolo Tomassi]

Correct. Vandy ranks in the top 20 nationally in passing, which is common for a quarterback who is "really, really bad." Right, Taw?

I'm willing to admit that in the heat of the moment, I overstated my judgment of Vandenberg's abilities, or lack thereof. He's not really, really bad. But I still think he's overrated, and I can name about ten Iowa quarterbacks in the last 30 years who were better than him. Oh, and your reliance on misleading statistics to make your case that he's "quite good" is laughable.

First off, thanks for admitting you may have overstated your judgment. It happens, but not everyone is able to admit it. Second, you can't name 10 iowa qbs in the last 30 years who are better. No effing way. I can think of 5, and Vandy could pass a couple of those before he's done.

BTW, should I rely on "misleading" stats, or your eyeballs and emotions?

I admit to overstating my claim that there were 10 Iowa quarterbacks in the last 30 years who were better.

 

[Rolo Tomassi]

If Taw comes back and suggests Nate Chandler was better I'm going to drive to georgia and kick his old ass. ;-)

Chandler won some road games.

 

[Vepr]

Maybe Minny will win out and make us all feel better. They have about as good of a chance of winning out as we do...

 

[howler]

I know this is cliche, but it's a 4-game season. Go 4-0 and you're in Indy.

We have some precedent too, in 2008: we won our last 4 games after losing a bad road game to a 5-7 Illinois team.

I'll delude myself with hope again until next week.

 

[Monster]

If Taw comes back and suggests Nate Chandler was better I'm going to drive to georgia and kick his old ass. ;-)

Chandler won some road games.

No, Chandler's Iowa team won some road games.

I liked Nate. He was a functional QB. But he threw some ugly, ugly passes. If Iowa hadn't had a stellar defense that year, people would put him in the same category as Jake C.

 

[Monster]

I know this is cliche, but it's a 4-game season. Go 4-0 and you're in Indy.

We have some precedent too, in 2008: we won our last 4 games after losing a bad road game to a 5-7 Illinois team.

I'll delude myself with hope again until next week.

Thinking like that is a good way to break your other hand.

 

[Gushawk]

Nate Chandler was 100x better leader than Jake. I'd also much rather tackle Jake.

 

[howler]

I know this is cliche, but it's a 4-game season. Go 4-0 and you're in Indy.

We have some precedent too, in 2008: we won our last 4 games after losing a bad road game to a 5-7 Illinois team.

I'll delude myself with hope again until next week.

Thinking like that is a good way to break your other hand.

Just a personal choice: I'd rather invest a lot into the Hawks during these all-too-fleeting 12 weeks than temper expectations. Autumn is my time. And autumn will always mean Hawkeye football. All or nothing.

Also, looking back on 2008, the Hawks were 2-3 after that Illinois loss with a legitimate top 10 Penn State coming to town.

Yes, the '08 team was stacked with NFL talent, but there are some parallels; and there are still aspects of this team that I like.

 

[HiawathaHawk]

7. Offensive Guards - sorry, but Iowa will be a much better team the day Tobin and Gettis are no longer on the field.

Totally agree with this. I haven't been impressed with Gettis since he was inserted in the line. And Tobin? Give me a break! Recruiting hasn't been good and I doubt it gets much better after yesterday.

In what areas specifically are Tobin and Gettis really struggling right now?

 

[castichawk24]

7. Offensive Guards - sorry, but Iowa will be a much better team the day Tobin and Gettis are no longer on the field.

Totally agree with this. I haven't been impressed with Gettis since he was inserted in the line. And Tobin? Give me a break! Recruiting hasn't been good and I doubt it gets much better after yesterday.

In what areas specifically are Tobin and Gettis really struggling right now?

Blocking.

 

[Vepr]

Totally agree with this. I haven't been impressed with Gettis since he was inserted in the line. And Tobin? Give me a break! Recruiting hasn't been good and I doubt it gets much better after yesterday.

In what areas specifically are Tobin and Gettis really struggling right now?

Blocking.

Football in general...

 

[FrodoTBaggin]

I kicked a paint bucket and it exploded all over my garage. I had to pause the game to clean it up, when I unpaused it, they promptly recovered the onside kick. I hadn't done anything like that in a long time.

 

[pjhawk]

I know this is cliche, but it's a 4-game season. Go 4-0 and you're in Indy.

We have some precedent too, in 2008: we won our last 4 games after losing a bad road game to a 5-7 Illinois team.

I'll delude myself with hope again until next week.

All you're doing here is reminding us that our program is now the functional equivalent of a Ron Zook led football program.

We can beat anybody week to week but can also lose to freaking anybody every week.

I love the reference to that "5-7" 2008 Illinois team. A 5-7 team that had all sorts of talent that was squandered via the usual Zookiness. And for the last couple years we've been the same type of progra . Jeepers.

 

[HiawathaHawk]

Totally agree with this. I haven't been impressed with Gettis since he was inserted in the line. And Tobin? Give me a break! Recruiting hasn't been good and I doubt it gets much better after yesterday.

In what areas specifically are Tobin and Gettis really struggling right now?

Blocking.

Yeah not like they were mauling people yesterday and opening gaping holes or anything.

Fans love to have 1-2 punching bags on the OL even though they typically have no idea other than when they give up a sack. Tobin has been good since the ISU game. Gettis is a very good run blocker who has improved this year in pass pro and has the nastiest on-field demeanor of anyone on the OL.
The biggest physical mistake on the OL yesterday was made by Reiff. Ferentz has ben physically handled more than anyone else on the OL.