After sleeping, best we can hope for is win out and rematch them

HaydenHawk56

HaydenHawk56

Well-Known Member
And if Iowa does that, they will prove to be a damn very good team. No one will be knocking Iowa's schedule if that happens. Problem is Iowa's schedule is murder's row compared to Wisconsin's schedule.

Through 4 games:

I think Iowa is a better team than last year:
-Have a healthy QB. CJB is still good, just was banged up last year.
-Have more capable receivers.
-Have a playmaker in Wadley obviously like last year.
-This team has shown they have tons of heart (ISU game, PSU game)
-No Greg Davis

But:
-The schedule (at MSU, at Fitzs, at Badgers, OSU at home, at dumpsterfire Nebraska, improved Purdue, etc) A lot of landmines.
-Will Iowa stay reasonably healthy? Already have some injuries.
-Wisconsin could run the table with their schedule. Michigan and Iowa are their tests.
-Youth and mistakes (over-throws, drops)
-Uncharacteristic penalties and turnovers
-The Ferentz factor in offensive scheme (run into 8 and 9 man front, up the middle, time and time again through 75% of the game and put offense in 3rd and long)
-Defense can't get off the field when it counts consistently in big games because of the Ferentz factor in offensive scheme.

I hope Penn St is that good and Iowa is not that far off and can pick themselves off the mat to possibly rematch them in the BTT game. But, quite likely, 3 to 4 more losses are waiting for Iowa and Penn St is not that good.
 
Iowa has 4 better downfield options now than it did last year(MVB, Easly, ISM, & Fant), partially due to OC last year his overall ineptitude and a QB that was hurt. Will they use them to loosen up defenses to help wadley? Will they use wadley more as a WR because defenses are staking the box against him? Kirk is awfully stubborn about this and it could derail this season.

The defense is clearly better with Hooker & AJ in. Is there another guy who could replace 19 to help even more?

As you said the schedule is stacked. Even if Iowa ends up being a great team, one more loss is probable. Even in the best case, Iowa is going to need help
 
Agreed Xerxes. Iowa's strength (as crazy as that thought would have been to start the season) is their passing offense. They need to use the pass to set up the run. The offensive line also seems to be better at pass blocking this year. But, stubborn Kirk likes playing in a phone booth.
 
HaydenHawk56 said:
Agreed Xerxes. Iowa's strength (as crazy as that thought would have been to start the season) is their passing offense. They need to use the pass to set up the run. The offensive line also seems to be better at pass blocking this year. But, stubborn Kirk likes playing in a phone booth.
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In KF's defense playing in a phone booth beat Michigan last year and nearly beat PSU this year. My guess is they will take the same route with OSU as well. Which might be the plan to take because Weber ain't Barkley.
 
We will know about PSU after the next 4 games:


Indiana
@NW
Michigan
@OSU
 
HaydenHawk56 said:
Agreed Xerxes. Iowa's strength (as crazy as that thought would have been to start the season) is their passing offense. They need to use the pass to set up the run. The offensive line also seems to be better at pass blocking this year. But, stubborn Kirk likes playing in a phone booth.
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Phone booth was the exact word my buddy used this morning while discussing the game. And you're right, this is like bizzaro world Iowa. Passing game > running game and where normally the LOS is where Iowa has the advantage, their skill athletes seem to match up better on both sides of the ball. Gesicki is the best TE in the country and Iowa shut him down, their WRs are talented and Iowa's covered them well. Iowa's WRs did some things downfield. It's just that 26 is a Sunday RB playing on Saturday
 
trj said:
In KF's defense playing in a phone booth beat Michigan last year and nearly beat PSU this year. My guess is they will take the same route with OSU as well. Which might be the plan to take because Weber ain't Barkley.
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It certainly worked against Michigan. If it proves to work, certainly keep doing it until they stop it. Outside of Wadley 35 yard run, it was not working tonight. We shall see against the Buckeyes.
 
The thing that gets me......and it likely will not ever fully change as that has been the way it is in the Ferentz Era.....Iowa takes so long to play to its strengths consistently when things are not clearly working. 2004 Kirk was the exception. Iowa has the players to make plays in space. We start doing more of that, those 8 and 9 man fronts are going to back off.
 
Iowa may not have to win out to win the west but they have to beat Wisky and jNW probably and maybe now Purdue.

But if our West competition does poorly against their East crossover opponents that helps us. We need to beat MSU and maybe now OSU which could be doable if PSU is the real thing.

All the games count so hope the East creams the West except for our two remaining games.
 
Dreamers. Have you seen Wisconsin's schedule they will only lose 1-2 games? This team will lose 4-5. They lose only 3 and they are a really good team and that still won't be enough.
 
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uihawk82 said:
Iowa may not have to win out to win the west but they have to beat Wisky and jNW probably and maybe now Purdue.

But if our West competition does poorly against their East crossover opponents that helps us. We need to beat MSU and maybe now OSU which could be doable if PSU is the real thing.

All the games count so hope the East creams the West except for our two remaining games.
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Ditto that thought process.... what area and how much can a PSU improve by end of November? As for the Hawks - lots of potential for growth and a history of that happening. Obviously injuries for every team a key factor. If #26 got hurt (is that possible?) PSU is a different animal.
 
HaydenHawk56 said:
The thing that gets me......and it likely will not ever fully change as that has been the way it is in the Ferentz Era.....Iowa takes so long to play to its strengths consistently when things are not clearly working. 2004 Kirk was the exception. Iowa has the players to make plays in space. We start doing more of that, those 8 and 9 man fronts are going to back off.
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Yep, this...just takes too ling to adjust. Can only hope that improves as Brian progresses
 
last time Iowa completely changed their offense during the season was in 2004 when their running back was sam brownlee because everyone else got injured. While I agree the passing to set up the run to keep the defense from stacking 8 guys in the box every play is probably needed it won't happen.
 
trj said:
In KF's defense playing in a phone booth beat Michigan last year and nearly beat PSU this year. My guess is they will take the same route with OSU as well. Which might be the plan to take because Weber ain't Barkley.
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trj, i would caution that we don't overlook what PSU was able to do in the phone booth: 29 first downs, 284 passing yards, 295 rushing yards, 579 total yards. our guys made the plays to keep them out of the end zone. But if PSU had converted, better, we could have been smoked. I'm not in love with the defense in a phone booth. The problem is that the phone booth becomes inside our 10 yard line. That's dangerous.
 
Don't want to see anymore of Barkley,to damn fast for our guys just like a guy from Stanford that sliced and diced us.
 
ArvadaHawk said:
trj, i would caution that we don't overlook what PSU was able to do in the phone booth: 29 first downs, 284 passing yards, 295 rushing yards, 579 total yards. our guys made the plays to keep them out of the end zone. But if PSU had converted, better, we could have been smoked. I'm not in love with the defense in a phone booth. The problem is that the phone booth becomes inside our 10 yard line. That's dangerous.
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And if Hooker knocks down that pass we are not having this discussion. I am with everyone else, they needed to throw more on first down, set up the run with the pass, all that stuff. Watching Iowa run into those 8 and 9 man fronts is mind numbing frustrating to watch. All I am saying is I understand KF's thought process.

As for OSU they are probably better than PSU on defense, but they are not as good on offense. That same type of "phone booth" game that Iowa played against PSU, beats OSU in a month.
 
trj said:
And if Hooker knocks down that pass we are not having this discussion. I am with everyone else, they needed to throw more on first down, set up the run with the pass, all that stuff. Watching Iowa run into those 8 and 9 man fronts is mind numbing frustrating to watch. All I am saying is I understand KF's thought process.

As for OSU they are probably better than PSU on defense, but they are not as good on offense. That same type of "phone booth" game that Iowa played against PSU, beats OSU in a month.
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I agree OSU is an actual work in progress, this season, on offense. But, Urban will have them in the right direction by the time we play them. I will say that I still believe Iowa does have good enough talent to compete with anyone in the conference, offensively. But that talent is downfield talent...if you can believe that. :)
 
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