My Get Off My Lawn post

[ChosenChildren]

folks, we should be 12-0. we never should have lost the games we lost. it isn't necessarily being 8-4/7-5 that matters, it's why you are 8-4/7-5. we did not optimize the talent on our team or take full advantage of the opportunities we had. if we'd have wound up 6-6 in '12 instead of 4-8, THAT would have been optimizing opportunities and talent. but ending up 8-4 when it should have been 12-0, that is not and there in lies the frustration.

and to be clear, saying we should be 12-0 is not saying that is the expectation, but compared to the talent on each team we played and the talent we have, this season, 12-0. I would never start any Iowa season with the expectation that we should win every game. that isn't reality. what is reality is that we were better than all 12 opponents we faced this season.

Iowa played in 6 extremely close games that came down to the final possession:

1. Iowa State - we had a 3rd and 8 on our own 20 yard line, late in the 4th quarter. Stanley converted on a pass to Hockensen that made it by about 6 inches, after a coach's challenge. If we hadn't converted, Iowa State could have easily won that game. CLOSE WIN

2. Wisconsin - they scored inside of one minute to win the game. CLOSE LOSS

3. Penn State - CLOSE LOSS in the final minutes

4. Purdue - CLOSE LOSS - walk off FG, after converting a 4th down play

5. NW - CLOSE LOSS - 4th quarter miracle catch by the Cats

6. Neb - CLOSE WIN - Iowaconverted on 4th and 8, and then tough made FG as a walk off

Record in close games against evenly matched teams: 2W 4L

How should a team come out in 6 "coin flip" games? 3-3? 4-2?

I don't think we were better than all of those teams. I think we were evenly matched.

I think Iowa's ceiling was 10-2 this year (go 4-2 in six such closely contested games). 8-4 was disappointing, but not surprising. I would also respectfully point out that we were 6-0 against the rest (taking care of business), and Maryland, Northern Illinois and Minnesota later in the year showed that they were quality teams. Northern Iowa, Illinois and Indiana were clearly inferior.

 

[lightning1]

I think you should wait until Iowa's bowl game for this year is finished. Then, you can compare 2008 to 2018.

No. I don't. I referenced 2008 BEFORE the Bowl game. The best that this year's team could do is tie 2008 with a Bowl win. Nothing they could do would make them appear favorable to the 2008 team that took South Carolina to the woodshed in Tampa.

 

[okeefe4prez]

No. I don't. I referenced 2008 BEFORE the Bowl game. The best that this year's team could do is tie 2008 with a Bowl win. Nothing they could do would make them appear favorable to the 2008 team that took South Carolina to the woodshed in Tampa.

What if Alabama lost to Georgia, fell to the Peach Bowl, 19 teams got put on probation between now and bowl selection day causing Iowa to get bumped to the Peach Bowl and Iowa beat Alabama 72-3 and flipped all of the Alabama recruits to Iowa?

 

[lightning1]

What if Alabama lost to Georgia, fell to the Peach Bowl, 19 teams got put on probation between now and bowl selection day causing Iowa to get bumped to the Peach Bowl and Iowa beat Alabama 72-3 and flipped all of the Alabama recruits to Iowa?

But...would KF take those recruits? He's got rules, yo.

 

[lightning1]

Iowa played in 6 extremely close games that came down to the final possession:

1. Iowa State - we had a 3rd and 8 on our own 20 yard line, late in the 4th quarter. Stanley converted on a pass to Hockensen that made it by about 6 inches, after a coach's challenge. If we hadn't converted, Iowa State could have easily won that game. CLOSE WIN

2. Wisconsin - they scored inside of one minute to win the game. CLOSE LOSS

3. Penn State - CLOSE LOSS in the final minutes

4. Purdue - CLOSE LOSS - walk off FG, after converting a 4th down play

5. NW - CLOSE LOSS - 4th quarter miracle catch by the Cats

6. Neb - CLOSE WIN - Iowaconverted on 4th and 8, and then tough made FG as a walk off

Record in close games against evenly matched teams: 2W 4L

How should a team come out in 6 "coin flip" games? 3-3? 4-2?

I don't think we were better than all of those teams. I think we were evenly matched.

I think Iowa's ceiling was 10-2 this year (go 4-2 in six such closely contested games). 8-4 was disappointing, but not surprising. I would also respectfully point out that we were 6-0 against the rest (taking care of business), and Maryland, Northern Illinois and Minnesota later in the year showed that they were quality teams. Northern Iowa, Illinois and Indiana were clearly inferior.

Wisconsin???? How many points was that final score for Wisconsin, inside 1 minute to play - worth??? The final score was 28-17. How many laterals are required on a play before you can score 11+ points?

 

[okeefe4prez]

But...would KF take those recruits? He's got rules, yo.

True. I could see him refusing to take those guys just to send a message to Mr. Saban for stealing Pierschbacher.

 

[ThunderHawk]

Here's what frustrates me, with the disclaimer that college football is just entertainment and doesn't really mean jack shit in the greater scheme of things:

Iowa, now, thanks almost exclusively to Bump Elliot, Hayden Fry, and probably more than anyone, Kurt Ferrets, is an elite program in terms of facilities, fan base, college town and conference affiliation. We even have a kickass and instantly recognizable logo (compare that to Ames college.) We also possess something that no other CFB program has: A state of the art world renowned tertiary children's hospital built (with financial and aesthetic assists from the head football coach) so that it is intimately interwoven into the identity of the football program, which renders the program singularly unique. And it all produces, because Iowa is able to recruit and develop football players to an extent that it's hard to turn on an NFL game and not see the rosters peppered with starters who are Hawkeye alumni.

The reason that you're frustrated, and rightly so, is because these advantages have created a machine that almost always has some talent mismatch in some important facet of the game, and the coaches out-think themselves or get stuck in habits and don't fully exploit it. IOW, they're kind of wasting the fruits of their labor. And it pisses people off, and understandably so. Think running game versus Nebraska. The Frosties couldn't stop the run. Iowa had created that advantage. For crissakes, if you've gone through all of that trouble to create that most sacrosanct of football advantages, exploit the living shit out of it. Toss in other maddening habitual but fixable deficiencies, like questionable time management or conversion decisions, and it makes it feel like things are more broken than they should be.

That's why you're pissed.

But I'd rather live with all of that as a fan than be tethered to some shitshow farce like most CFB fans are saddled with. I mean it's really not that hard to be a Hawkeye football fan. You don't have to give that much. You get to hang out in a bitchin' college town on gameday. Imagine being a fan of Baylor or K State or Illinois, where you're one bad hire away from the seventh circle of football hell.

 

[ThunderHawk]

Iowa played in 6 extremely close games that came down to the final possession:

1. Iowa State - we had a 3rd and 8 on our own 20 yard line, late in the 4th quarter. Stanley converted on a pass to Hockensen that made it by about 6 inches, after a coach's challenge. If we hadn't converted, Iowa State could have easily won that game. CLOSE WIN

2. Wisconsin - they scored inside of one minute to win the game. CLOSE LOSS

3. Penn State - CLOSE LOSS in the final minutes

4. Purdue - CLOSE LOSS - walk off FG, after converting a 4th down play

5. NW - CLOSE LOSS - 4th quarter miracle catch by the Cats

6. Neb - CLOSE WIN - Iowaconverted on 4th and 8, and then tough made FG as a walk off

Record in close games against evenly matched teams: 2W 4L

How should a team come out in 6 "coin flip" games? 3-3? 4-2?

I don't think we were better than all of those teams. I think we were evenly matched.

I think Iowa's ceiling was 10-2 this year (go 4-2 in six such closely contested games). 8-4 was disappointing, but not surprising. I would also respectfully point out that we were 6-0 against the rest (taking care of business), and Maryland, Northern Illinois and Minnesota later in the year showed that they were quality teams. Northern Iowa, Illinois and Indiana were clearly inferior.

With hindsight I think it's pretty clear that Iowa's ceiling was 12-0. I'm not saying that we should have been 12-0. I'm saying that it's a totally reasonable statement to say that 12-0 was a realistic possibility.

 

[Northside Hawk]

Yep. On one hand, I think Iowa had an unlucky draw in terms of timing when it played certain teams and had Iowa landed Purdue and Northwestern early and Wisconsin late, I think this ball club goes 11-1. But, on the other hand, Iowa was sitting on an experienced starter at QB and drew a ridiculously soft schedule in a majorly down year for the West. It really sucks to finish 3-3.

I've been talking since mid October about how the schedule was lining up for Northwestern, even when they were barely .500 at the time.

Fitz knows which way to win the conference game in front of him at that moment, and goes out and does it. Their niche this year was forcing turnovers. Lots of them. They don't beat Purdue, Wisconsin if they are neutral or negative in turnover margin and the timing of the forced turnovers was critical in the win over Iowa.

 

[ThunderHawk]

I've been talking since mid October about how the schedule was lining up for Northwestern, even when they were barely .500 at the time.

Fitz knows which way to win the conference game in front of him at that moment, and goes out and does it. Their niche this year was forcing turnovers. Lots of them. They don't beat Purdue, Wisconsin if they are neutral or negative in turnover margin and the timing of the forced turnovers was critical in the win over Iowa.

Well that last turnover they "forced" against Iowa was essentially the Iowa player just dropping the ball as Iowa was driving to win the game.

 

[ssckelley]

Fortunately I'm not old enough to remember how bad Iowa used to be, my interest in the Hawkeye program started when Hayden Fry led Iowa to the Rose Bowl after the 1981 season. So perhaps I am included in that "spoiled" group you referenced. Normally I'm one that defends the job that KF has done here and I've said repeatedly that it wouldn't take much for Iowa to be in the armpit of college football. But I can't help but be disappointed in this season. I believe Iowa was the best team in the West and yet they found a way to lose 4 conference games and each one of them were gut wrenching. With Nebraska and Wisconsin having down year this season Iowa should have won the division and they let it slip a way.

 

[hawkeyes87]

And on offense you either need a superstar QB like DeShaun Watson or you need a total freak WR (and a good WR corps) and RB tandem, like Thomas and Zeke on that OSU team.

Thomas wasn't starting on that team (only a soph)- they were mostly about Barrett and Zeke running behind a really good line.

 

[ThunderHawk]

Fortunately I'm not old enough to remember how bad Iowa used to be, my interest in the Hawkeye program started when Hayden Fry led Iowa to the Rose Bowl after the 1981 season. So perhaps I am included in that "spoiled" group you referenced. Normally I'm one that defends the job that KF has done here and I've said repeatedly that it wouldn't take much for Iowa to be in the armpit of college football. But I can't help but be disappointed in this season. I believe Iowa was the best team in the West and yet they found a way to lose 4 conference games and each one of them were gut wrenching. With Nebraska and Wisconsin having down year this season Iowa should have won the division and they let it slip a way.

I don't think anyone can reasonably argue that this hasn't been a disappointing season given what was there for the taking. But it wasn't a total collapse like, say, Notre Dame in 2016. Or Iowa in 2012.

Still, a wasted opportunity to be sure.

 

[okeefe4prez]

Thomas wasn't starting on that team (only a soph)- they were mostly about Barrett and Zeke running behind a really good line.

Thomas didn't start, but they ran him and Smith deep a whole bunch and when Bama dropped into coverage, it gave Cardale (he was the QB in the playoff run) some room to run in critical situations. You also need some good WRs to get Bama back off the ball and if you have a stud RB and the box isn't loaded, he's gonna get some room and go off, like Zeke did in that game. You simply can't run against Bama unless you have some credible deep threats to keep the safeties out of the box.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

What if Alabama lost to Georgia, fell to the Peach Bowl, 19 teams got put on probation between now and bowl selection day causing Iowa to get bumped to the Peach Bowl and Iowa beat Alabama 72-3 and flipped all of the Alabama recruits to Iowa?

Nope. Wouldn't do it.

 

[Fryowa]

Queue the "you love mediocrity" crowd.

Followed by the “I’m ok with mediocrity crowd.”

 

[HawkeyeWalker]

We are spoiled. We haven't known seriously bad times as Iowa football fans for 40 years, save for the last year of Fry and the first two of Ferentz. But that is nothing like the sustained mediocrity (in the good years) between 1961-1981. Those were hard times, truly. We whine and belly ache (me included) about going 7-5/8-4, and crow about not being perennial contenders for BT titles and the playoffs, when the reality for every program, save for Ohio State, is that is not true. Oh sure, Wisconsin has been on a run, but they haven't been there forever, and they will fall back, they just will. Michigan has struggled. MSU has, too. Penn State is in denial - would any of you really want to have that be the primary program you root for? Nebraska - they're a complete joke and only they don't know it, hearing them this past week only confirms it.

This is not to say we need to be completely satisfied with these results nor strive for the program to be better, but, at least for me, I consider myself lucky to be a fan of this program, and would not trade it for anything. People need to have a little bit of perspective. Live through perennial losing seasons with no hope in sight. It isn't much fun. No wonder Minnesota fans are so hateful. No wonder Indiana's stadium looks more empty now that they've added seats to the ones that weren't being filled in the first place. Illinois - they've seen success, but they've had so many, many poor seasons to make those faint memories leaving them grasping at straws. Purdue seems to be on the verge, but is also appears about to have the rug pulled out from under them; that didn't occur at Iowa, when we all thought it might in 2004 and no one wanted that to happen - let's not forget that. (Maryland and Rutgers - who really cares?) I don't need to apologize for one minute for being an Iowa fan, I want more, don't get me wrong, but I am proud to be a Hawkeye - that will never change.

Concur. While this year will be a "what could have been", and it'd be damn nice to take a Consistent step forward, all in all, I still feel the pros have outweighed the cons in the last 40 years, as a whole.

I can't blame the folks that are more disenfranchised than myself, and I was more bothered by loses this year.

Sometimes how you win/lose plays into the feel.

Outside of a few posters, I see merit in most viewpoints.

Fandom is unique, varied, euphoric, and excruciating...and as a Hawkeye fan...that can be just during 1 game.

Win the bowl game....

 

[Ben Rumson]

Is what it is. Some say next year we'll be better. Looking at the road schedule I hope so. I have no expectations as it seems besides 2015 our win/ loss record will reflect like it always does. The season was for the taking. Our talent was equal to the competition. I still think KF is his worst enemy. The best players should of been on the field in key situations and game management is the HC's job.! He is always loyal to the players and the QB. I just think he should of been loyal to all the team and though a decision might hurt a feeling making a change in certain games it might have lit a spark. When Nate's on he is as good as anyone but when he was off and off through three quarters and you still have a chance to win I think you got find a spark, make a change. Would bamma beat the Dawgs in the NC last year if Saban wouldn't of took a chance?

 

[HawkeyeWalker]

Damn good posts in here.

 

[Caddy]

The win over Nebraska was terrific. It took a lot of guts for Ferentz to go for it on 4th and 8. It also was a vote of confidence in a quarterback who needed one.

What else was he going to do? Punt? Nebraska has no defense, the throw was a simple 10 yard throw to a guy that was wide open. This season was a failure with the schedule we had, bowl game doesn't matter.