Early grades for last nights beat down of Clones

[Grady]

Respectfully, their safeties cannot be both back in pass coverage and crashing the line hitting our backs in the backfield. What I mostly saw was what most people call run blitzes. The safeties were within 8 yards and if they read run they were crashing the line. Typically, DBs first steps at the snap are back. These guys were playing LB technique leaning in and anticipating the run. Any sort of decent play action left the CBs 1-1 and the middle of the field wide open. Slow mesh, play action, waggle boot, or max protect double 9s. There were a lot of counters to the defense. I stand by my statement that Lester called a bad game. Hope he/they learned something.

I see what you're saying -- I just think different semantics are in play. ISU's Safeties were not moving forward at the snap of the ball, nor were they taking a step back. They were staying stationary and reading the play -- but because they were so close to the LOS, if they read run, they were able to attack more quickly than if they were 10+ yds away. Some may call that a 'run blitz', but I wouldn't -- to me a 'run blitz' is when the Safeties would be moving forward at the snap of the ball, to fill a specific hole or area, in coordination with preplanned movement by the front 7.

We DO agree that play action, max protect is a winner in that scenario.

 

[dagdaj]

I'm over it all already. They get an A. We don't have to listen to any ISU nonsense for a year.
We're not going know anything really about this team until 4 or 5 weeks from now when we're past Washington and Minnesota. Possibly a bit earlier if they can win in Ann Arbor, but then they have to turn around and host OSU. So. Who the hell knows.

 

[SCHawkeye2]

I have the same thoughts. I was overly hawktimistic at the beginning of the year, forgetting that Iowa is dead last in the big ten in terms of returning production, and something like 104th nationally in that same statistic.

Our lines, and our run game, have some work to do. I hope they will continue to develop, and that perhaps this challenge (turning what looked like a loss into a win), will help them grow and develop.

Young Iowa teams are often pretty rough this time of year. I seem to forget that every single year.

Development programs are becoming a rare breed. More often than not, programs attempt to ‘reload’ with experienced transfer players (snaps) via the portal rather than endure a ‘rebuilding’ year or two awaiting development.
Clemson and Iowa are noticeable P4 outliers, preferring to develop rather than buy experience.