Dienhart: Iowa is the Team to Beat in the West Division

ICHawk24

ICHawk24

Well-Known Member
http://btn.com/2014/07/30/iowa-is-the-team-to-beat-in-the-west-division/

By then, I expect Iowa to be sitting on top of the West. Yes, Iowa over Wisconsin and Nebraska, the other two schools that appear to have strong cases to win the division. This looks like a vintage Hawkeyes squad capable of recapturing the glory the program enjoyed in the early- and mid-2000s. What makes this program special? What is its identity? How can it best be summed up?
 
expos1994 said:
Hawks will have a mediocre defense this year and lose 4 games they shouldn't.

Sad... but true.
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You think the LBs drop off will be a lot? I lean towards the D line being pretty good which will help cover up what mistakes the back end might make. We'll know early on UNI and their stud RB will be a test.
 
Hawkfnntn said:
You think the LBs drop off will be a lot? I lean towards the D line being pretty good which will help cover up what mistakes the back end might make. We'll know early on UNI and their stud RB will be a test.
Click to expand...

Under Ferentz there's always a huge dropoff when we graduate experienced LBs.

Happened when Hodge and Greenway left.

Happened when Edds and Angerer left.

It'll happen when Morris, Kirksey, and Hitchens leave.

In '05 and '10 everyone *thought* we'd still have a really good team... but they under-performed. Same goes for this year.
 
Hawkfnntn said:
You think the LBs drop off will be a lot? I lean towards the D line being pretty good which will help cover up what mistakes the back end might make. We'll know early on UNI and their stud RB will be a test.
Click to expand...

I am not as worried about the hawk defense against the run.

The dee line is pretty much the same people and they played great against the run last year.

New linebackers but I think they will move, fill holes and tackle well.

King is great and run tackling support. Lowdermilk has experience.

I hope the other corner and safety will also support the run well.

I think our problem is in pass defense if we cant put pressure on the QBs but I think the line and some blitzes will take care of the pass rush.
 
expos1994 said:
Under Ferentz there's always a huge dropoff when we graduate experienced LBs.

Happened when Hodge and Greenway left.

Happened when Edds and Angerer left.

It'll happen when Morris, Kirksey, and Hitchens leave.

In '05 and '10 everyone *thought* we'd still have a really good team... but they under-performed. Same goes for this year.
Click to expand...

Hodge and Greenway left AFTER '05, not before. Iowa went from being a 7-5 team in '05 to being a 6-7 team in '06 after Hodge and Greenway graduated. It had a lot more to do with Tate's performance than with the defensive performance.

The '10 dropoff has some to do with a drop in LB play, but that drop was as much about the group that was there in '10 being decimated by injuries as it was about losing Angerer and Edds.
 
expos1994 said:
Under Ferentz there's always a huge dropoff when we graduate experienced LBs.

Happened when Hodge and Greenway left.

Happened when Edds and Angerer left.

It'll happen when Morris, Kirksey, and Hitchens leave.

In '05 and '10 everyone *thought* we'd still have a really good team... but they under-performed. Same goes for this year.
Click to expand...

Good to see you, man. Anyway, I brought up those years and someone did point out that in '06 (Greenway and Hodge were on the '05 team) we were still dealing with a young and inexperienced line. But that drop in 2010 after we lost Edds and Angerer and had a sick d-line was horrendous. I think you're right, though, about the LB play dropping and us losing some games. If Trevor Siemian is healed up and plays like he did in 2012, Northwestern is probably the best team in the West with 18 starters returning from a team that lost close games in every way imaginable last year, but their schedule is pretty tough (crossover games with Michigan and Penn State plus a game at Notre Dame in November), so they probably won't win the division. The division is just really, really bad, so we have a shot at winning it, but I ain't booking my tickets to Indy just yet.
 
expos1994 said:
Under Ferentz there's always a huge dropoff when we graduate experienced LBs.

Happened when Hodge and Greenway left.

Happened when Edds and Angerer left.

It'll happen when Morris, Kirksey, and Hitchens leave.

In '05 and '10 everyone *thought* we'd still have a really good team... but they under-performed. Same goes for this year.
Click to expand...

In 2010, we lost Nielsen, Tarpanian and Hunter to injuries...we were fine when they could be on the field but they could not stay healthy. If we have similar injuries this year, we will struggle, but if we stay healthy, our defense will be good.
 
The opposing defenses will be stumped, dazed and confused, not knowing whether Weisman is running left or right.
 
He's only going straight ahead this year, its been clearly documented he has no success going left or right.
 
thejumper5 said:
Hodge and Greenway left AFTER '05, not before. Iowa went from being a 7-5 team in '05 to being a 6-7 team in '06 after Hodge and Greenway graduated. It had a lot more to do with Tate's performance than with the defensive performance.

The '10 dropoff has some to do with a drop in LB play, but that drop was as much about the group that was there in '10 being decimated by injuries as it was about losing Angerer and Edds.
Click to expand...

This...the injuries killed that LB core. Starting a true freshman in the middle who wasn't ready for it...wasn't fair to Morris. That being said, our DL kind of underperformed too. Clayborn at 285 or 290 wasn't the player he was the year before. How come he shows up at the combine at 270? Just saying.
 
JHHawk said:
In 2010, we lost Nielsen, Tarpanian and Hunter to injuries...we were fine when they could be on the field but they could not stay healthy. If we have similar injuries this year, we will struggle, but if we stay healthy, our defense will be good.
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This is the correct answer. Even with the injuries, the defense was pretty good. Iowa has big drop off they lose DL, LB they can usually manage.

Iowa was 8th in the nation in PA in '09
Iowa was 7h in the nation in PA in '10
 
expos1994 said:
Under Ferentz there's always a huge dropoff when we graduate experienced LBs.

Happened when Hodge and Greenway left.

Happened when Edds and Angerer left.

It'll happen when Morris, Kirksey, and Hitchens leave.

In '05 and '10 everyone *thought* we'd still have a really good team... but they under-performed. Same goes for this year.
Click to expand...

2010 we didn't just replace graduated LBs...we had to replace their replacements...and a couple of their back-ups.
 
Iowa's defense wasn't that great last year. They got better as the year went on and this year will probably be the same. Last year's secondary wasn't all that stellar and this one won't be either. But by November they will be adequate.

The key is always the offense. When they get to moving the ball consistently Iowa has a chance. If they struggle then that puts more pressure on the defense. And under KF the offense traditionally starts slow. Three and outs and low 3rd down conversion rates kill a defense.
 
expos1994 said:
Under Ferentz there's always a huge dropoff when we graduate experienced LBs.

Happened when Hodge and Greenway left.

Happened when Edds and Angerer left.

It'll happen when Morris, Kirksey, and Hitchens leave.

In '05 and '10 everyone *thought* we'd still have a really good team... but they under-performed. Same goes for this year.
Click to expand...
It's certainly fair to think that now. Time will tell. I also would like to lean towards that Alston is a 5th yr sr with having had some PT. He's far from a true frosh like Morris was when he started. And Perry is a RS JR who has played some along with Spearman who got his feet wet last yr. I'd like to hope that's a factor that if for nothing else will affect the learning curve. If they aren't as good physically then that's one thing experience and instincts can't fully compensate for. I'm sure we'll be keeping an eye on how good this group does.
 
uihawk82 said:
I am not as worried about the hawk defense against the run.

The dee line is pretty much the same people and they played great against the run last year.

New linebackers but I think they will move, fill holes and tackle well.

King is great and run tackling support. Lowdermilk has experience.

I hope the other corner and safety will also support the run well.

I think our problem is in pass defense if we cant put pressure on the QBs but I think the line and some blitzes will take care of the pass rush.
Click to expand...

I agree with you as well. From what I've heard (him getting trucked by Hamilton in the spring game not withstanding) Lomax is a physical hitter as well. I just think that UNI running game with that stud of theirs and the play action game they'll employ will be a pretty good test right out of the gate as to what were working with. I don't expect a clean dominating game from this defense. I think UNI will move the ball more then we'll like.
 
IMO, the 2010 defensive issues stemmed from Spievey's loss much more than graduated LBs. The previous year, Speivey covered well enough to allow creative use of safeties.
Hopefully King will allow Parker II flexibility...
 
thejumper5 said:
Hodge and Greenway left AFTER '05, not before. Iowa went from being a 7-5 team in '05 to being a 6-7 team in '06 after Hodge and Greenway graduated. It had a lot more to do with Tate's performance than with the defensive performance.

The '10 dropoff has some to do with a drop in LB play, but that drop was as much about the group that was there in '10 being decimated by injuries as it was about losing Angerer and Edds.
Click to expand...

2006 had a lot more to do with Tate's injury and the infamous fat cats.
 
The offense will improve from below average to average - and we'll be thrilled. Rudock has a lot going for him but he still throws the ball late in the route, his release is slow and he lacks the strength to throw it deep. Therefore we won't see as many big plays as we'd like to think.


The defense will be about the same - again without a credible pass rush.

In the end this team will fall short of what prognosticators say and be an 8-4 team.
 
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