2nd Guessing of Ferentz

[1977Hawkeye]

Despite the morons who insist we should have tried to score at end of regulation that game, KF/KOK ran plays to see what was "there". You don't send a redshirt freshman into the line of fire at THAT point in the game and say, "Throw it, and make it count". You just don't.

What moron would trust this same player, that you think we should have so little faith in, to win a game in OT, but not in regulation? Tell me that. How is JVB trustworthy in overtime, but not in regulation?

Especially when JVB had just led an impressive touchdown drive the previous possession, and got it right back with all the momentum in the world?

OSU was on their heels, and we had a chance to win the game right then and there. But no. We sit on the ball, like a hen on an egg, let OSU regain it's composure going into OT, and they absolutely smeared us. Yeah, worked out real well.

 

[kicker22]

I love all these "arm chair qb's". saying we should have gone for It on 4th and 1 or Leta see that 2 minute offense. its a tied ball game. You don't do anything stupid to hurt your team. would I have liked to see a 2 minute offense at the end of regulation. sure why not but that would not have been a very smart move. if you have to rely on your offense to win all your games. your in serious trouble. its not a lack of confidence in your offense. any good and smart coach would put the game on your defenses back. defenses just have a different mentality. I am just tired of hearing all this complaining from has beens or never was people. the games 5 days behind us and We just got beat by a better prepared team. we flat out got out played. plain and simple.

I think my only problem with this philosophy is the idea that "you can't expect to rely on your offense to win all your games...any good or smart coach would put the game on your defenses back". While I get what you are saying to a point, I don't think that "any smart coach" would expect either of these units to do it by themselves. An offense shouldn't expect the defense to win games for them and should step up and get the job done so the defense doesn't have to and vice versa. However, I think it's asking alot of the defense to handle that much pressure and be expected to step up, when you are instructing the offense to sit on the ball (again whether good or bad idea) while taking the ball out of the hands of your offense, to force that defense to make the stand and get the stop.

 

[NickM]

I love all these "arm chair qb's". saying we should have gone for It on 4th and 1 or Leta see that 2 minute offense. its a tied ball game. You don't do anything stupid to hurt your team. would I have liked to see a 2 minute offense at the end of regulation. sure why not but that would not have been a very smart move. if you have to rely on your offense to win all your games. your in serious trouble. its not a lack of confidence in your offense. any good and smart coach would put the game on your defenses back. defenses just have a different mentality. I am just tired of hearing all this complaining from has beens or never was people. the games 5 days behind us and We just got beat by a better prepared team. we flat out got out played. plain and simple.

Dude, we lost by 3 in triple overtime on the road. I don't think "we flat out got outplayed". It was a great game between two fairly evenly matched teams. Obviously there is going to be second guessing in a game like that.

 

[1977Hawkeye]

So back in 2002-2004 when the defense was stopping people at the end of games it was great decision making to play conservative. But now that the defense is not stopping the other team with as much success at the end of games, Ferentz should just change his entire coaching philosophy.

I get it now.

Why shouldn't you play to your team's strengths? If we had a good defense this year, then maybe you could put the game in the hands of your defense like has typically been the case in past years. If not, then maybe you'd better try to score a few more points and build a bit more of a cushion.

 

[hawkIhoops]

I am not going to respond...why bother, the staff won't change anything, let alone take a risk. We are Iowa and Iowa plays one way and one way only...there is NO deviation. Iowa fans need to understand and hope that Iowa is ahead by at least 10 points going into the 4th quarter; if not, this staff has no idea how to win the ball game and will lose three out of four close games, regardless of the talent on the other team.

Have to agree 100% here. I am not po'd with an L if we play to win, but we play not to lose and hope the other team self destructs. Not going for 2 after we ran Coker down their throats on the TD drive in OT was the definition of chicken bleep play calling. Have Coker jump into the pile drawing all ISU defenders and Vandenberg could have walked into the end zone.

 

[kicker22]

In my opinion, anytime a defense comes off the field without giving up any points it does a great deal of psyche boosting for the entire team, at the same time when an offfense fails to put points on the board it deflates the team a bit. Which is why regardless of the philosophy used to determine when to go for the win or take it to OT, I think it does play a role in the mentality of the teams heading into the OT period and that can have an impact on the outcome of the game.

 

[silvanthalas]

So back in 2002-2004 when the defense was stopping people at the end of games it was great decision making to play conservative.

As somebody else has pointed out: it isn't last year's defense.

It sure as hell isn't the defense from '02-'04.

Adapt or die. Ferentz refuses to adapt. When he has a poor defense, he still relies on them. When he has a good offense, he still relies on the defense.

Good coaches, much less great ones, go to their team's strengths. Ferentz, on the other hand, will continue to rely on the defense even if it's the team's greatest weakness. That's not just bad coaching, it's indefensible.

 

[mbchawk]

The correct answer is and was.......absolutely/yes!!!!! We've seen it many times over the years and nothing changes. I knew there was no way the Hawks would win if the game went into OT. Iowa State deserved to win tho as they were the better team and had the better sideline coaching (again).

 

[rdemp4hawks]

nickm

why is it so hard to say and think we got out played. don't get me wrong I hate to loose. I hate loosing to isu the most. but give credit were credit is due. they out played us.

 

[NattyBumppo]

You don't do anything stupid to hurt your team. would I have liked to see a 2 minute offense at the end of regulation. sure why not but that would not have been a very smart move. if you have to rely on your offense to win all your games. your in serious trouble. its not a lack of confidence in your offense. any good and smart coach would put the game on your defenses back.

This is the argument that confuses me. So if you had to play a 2 min football game.. you'd choose to kickoff vs. receive? That doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Section136]

As somebody else has pointed out: it isn't last year's defense.

It sure as hell isn't the defense from '02-'04.

Adapt or die. Ferentz refuses to adapt. When he has a poor defense, he still relies on them. When he has a good offense, he still relies on the defense.

Good coaches, much less great ones, go to their team's strengths. Ferentz, on the other hand, will continue to rely on the defense even if it's the team's greatest weakness. That's not just bad coaching, it's indefensible.

Ferentz adapted just fine in 2004 when we lost every scholarship RB.

Neither one of us is going to change each others minds so this will be my last comment on the matter.

 

[hawkfan340]

From a historical standpoint, I look at the 2009 OSU game. Despite the morons who insist we should have tried to score at end of regulation that game, KF/KOK ran plays to see what was "there". You don't send a redshirt freshman into the line of fire at THAT point in the game and say, "Throw it, and make it count". You just don't.

Um, no. If you like playing the odds, you try to score there.

And in that game, we HAD to go for a TD on 4th down because a sack took us out of FG range. We sure would have loved having those 3 points, in retrospect.

This part you actually have correct.

As to going for it on 4th-and-1 in 3rd OT, someone accurately pointed out the 2008 MSU game, where Greene was stopped (through no fault of his own) on 4th-and-short. What was the cry from the great moronic masses then? "We should have gone for they tying FG!"

No. People were supportive of the decision.

IMO, you NEVER take a risk in OT when you are tied or ahead, ONLY when behind.

Your post started off dumb and bottomed out here. You do a little recovering in the last paragraph.

Frankly, people aren't giving ISU enough credit. They came through when they had to. And they may have done us a huge favor by exposing the highest-priority weaknesses that need to be addressed leading up to conference schedule.

This is all fine. However, I would like to see us play the odds when they are totally in our control and in our favor. This is something fixable and has nothing to do with ISU. Kudos to them. Let's change what we do to make it better.

 

[silvanthalas]

Ferentz adapted just fine in 2004 when we lost every scholarship RB.

So you think only when being pushed to the edge of a cliff at the point of a sword the coach should maybe try and change things up?

With an argument like that, no wonder people are defending Ferentz's terrible record against ISU, Northwestern, and Indiana.

 

[NickM]

nickmwhy is it so hard to say and think we got out played. don't get me wrong I hate to loose. I hate loosing to isu the most. but give credit were credit is due. they out played us.

I give ISU all kinds credit. No fluke at all in this win. I cheer for ISU when not playing Iowa. But it's not like they kicked the crap out of us like in 05. The game could have gone either way.

 

[kicker22]

ISU played a great game and deserved to win. That said the fact is that we still had two opportunities to leave with a win. So although they played a great game, I still think fans have every right to believe that we could have left Ames with a hard fought road victory.