Okay, I intentionally didn't come on the forum last night. One, the venting and ranting was predictable so I already knew what I was going to read, and, two, I feared that a lot of those vents and rants would have been mine...
I'm trying to analyze this game a little less emotionally this morning. My take:
Brian is trying too hard. I think all Iowa fans are happy to see a more open offense. He has done a very good job recognizing that teams were selling out on the zone blocking, and has made some great adjustments, BUT, the pendulum has swung too far. There's a fine line between creativity and chaos. The Mansell play is a good example. Ironically, when you watch the replay, it would have worked. Hockenson was wide open on the left, and Mansell looked right at him but inexplicably hesitated. Brian needs to dial it down a little, but I do applaud him for the effort.
Brian did not do a good job adjusting to what the defense was doing. Essentially, PSU rotated coverage to the TEs and left the WRs man-to-man. What I was hoping to see was more utilization of the RBs in the pass game. We started to see it late, but that adjustment should have happened much earlier. My guess is that he felt the need to keep the RB in for max-pro, but, quick rhythm passes would have worked. As Griese kept harping on (annoyingly I might add...), the other option is to throw it to Fant and/or Hock regardless. Even if they're covered, there's still a good chance they will win the battle.
Stanley played a poor game. That is obvious, but, keeping it real, his offensive line did him no favors. Jackson, Render and Ferguson were terrible at times last night. Ferguson was so bad he got pulled, which is something you rarely see from the Iowa coaches. The only reason that Wirfs was open for the lateral on the last play is because he got whipped and was standing there watching his man take down Stanley.
In that kind of environment, it's hard to expect great QB play unless your line shows up, and that wasn't the case. Lack of protection (especially on the road) gets in your head, so even when the protection is there, you may not make the play because your mind is racing. I get it that the coaches want to see their QB "play through it" - and, God forbid, potentially start a QB controversy - but, I agree with others that any player struggling to that degree should be pulled, at least for a series or two. I doubt Mansell would have done any better in that situation, but at least your sending a message to Stanley (and the rest of the team for that matter).
The defense continues to do a very admirable job. There were a few miscues (the edges were not set well at times, and, it looked like we weren't disguising the blitzes very well), but, all in all, a solid game.
Recinos deserves more recognition. He is as solid of a kicker as we've had in some time. Rastetter, on the other hand, needs to stick with the Aussie-style punts. His line drive standard-style punts are awful.
The season is not over. We are still in the thick of the West race, so it's not time to throw in the towel, but, the coaches have a lot to do this week with a road game at Purdue looming.
