Ferentz in Close Games

I think we need to level set the expectations here. Let's be positive. In the Ferentz era, we have played over 50 close games. That's freaking awesome. It doesn't get more exciting than a close game. We should be thankful we have Kirk Ferentz.

Then again, I'm now recollecting how we kept those games close. Scratch that positive thing.
 
Why is Iowa in so many close games? Conservative offense...KF offense.
Why does Iowa lose so many close games? Conservative offense..KF offense.

Why has conservative offense been such a bane for Iowa lately (IMO, 2008)?
No dominant defense. Who's at fault for Iowa's shaky defenses of late? The DC? I don't see KF shifting any defensive coaching positions because of poor showing on defense.
 
------Why is Iowa in so many close games?

Haven't had much of a quick strike offense capable of blowing people out pretty much the entire Klunk era. Hayden had several games scoring in the 50's and even a few in the 60's...even in years that weren't considered great. Even in Klunk's best offensive years, he never tried to end games early by applying foot to throat.
 
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As many have pointed out, as Iowa fans we kinda already knew this, maybe we didn't realize the numbers were that ugly. At minimum, we knew the numbers weren't great.

KF's coaching philosophy, plus being a poor in-game manager gives you these results. It is just a bad combo. You can compensate for one, but both?
 
I have always been KF supporter and I like what he does as far as his charities go. Kurt has done a lot for Iowa and has always represented Iowa with class and runs a pretty clean program compared to other coaches and universities. I would hate to see Kurt get fired but if we don't have a big turn around this season, its time to get the ball to rolling on the coaching search. I would love to see if we could pull Belima away from Arkansas. Thoughts?
 
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Whats strange to me is how one good season in 2009 managed to hide how bad of a coach Ferentz is for so many even though it was out there for everyone to see.
 
RocknRollface said:
Whats strange to me is how one good season in 2009 managed to hide how bad of a coach Ferentz is for so many even though it was out there for everyone to see.
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Instead of asking why Kirk is struggling winning games now, I think it's time to ask how in the world he used to win them.
 
If this season is a bust I just don't see how Iowa could possibly keep KF around. I am hoping for a turn around this year but if it don't happen then he needs to resign for the good of the program. It's so sad to see some of the best fans in all of college football so down on their team before the season even starts. That's not an enditmemt on the fans but on a coaching staff who had worn out their welcome. Maybe KF can win back some of that support this season.

If he can't and still insist on staying around then that will show what type of person he truly is. Hoping for Ten wins and cannot except anything less than eight wins given the weak schedule.
 
hawkdrummer1 said:
Even more...KFz has created some of his close games. Some of the ones we've "won close" against lesser opponents shouldn't have been that close.
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One of the most obvious examples was last year's Ball State game. How that was ever a game is beyond me. But since we played so poorly, I would've been fine with the final being what it was with about 5 minute to play. I took NO comfort that we came back and won that game. THAT is the sort of result that must come to an end - NOW!
 
Playmaker said:
Just for fun, we all need to start a "nic" type thread....hilarity will ensue.
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Nope what we need is for him to be removed, he ruins most every thread he post in. For example the stupid crap he is posting in this one for is childish CRAP. It's act is completely over the top, old, growing older by the second, just flat out trash!!
 
Hawknick said:
The poor quality of the officiating since 2005 was not mentioned either. A number of those games would have been wins if the officiating had been at the same quality level as it had been prior to 2005. In the past few years I have pointed out many bogus calls that if they had not been made Iowa would have been in better position to win. There are more factors to a close "loss" than just the head coach and officiating is one of them.
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Now I know for a fact you're a troll....
 
PCHawk said:
Instead of asking why Kirk is struggling winning games now, I think it's time to ask how in the world he used to win them.
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He didn't even win that often before was really my point. There's been more crap seasons than good ones the past 10 years.

And even that year he was well on his way to losing games to UNI and Indiana.

His insane contract basically hinged on two blocked field goals and Sashs crazy pinball pick six.
 
RocknRollface said:
Whats strange to me is how one good season in 2009 managed to hide how bad of a coach Ferentz is for so many even though it was out there for everyone to see.
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Yep. I admit, I was bamboozled up through 2005. Though it didn't feel right, even excused the inexcusable losses in 2006 / 2007 by swallowing the "... that's football ... execution" mantra. (You know the one; it's the way a coach spins 100% of the blame onto the players rather than taking responsibility for the bad strategy, mismanagement of players to scheme and passive intent.) As I've mentioned many times, the blinders were finally off in early 2008, as I watched him forfeit the Pitt game from the upper deck of Heinz Field.

derKirkFer factor forces any reasonable fan to temper expectations by at least 1 or 2 losses per season. Since expanding to derKirkFeravis, it's now 2 or 3 losses and hoping to be competitive with Indiana, Purdue and Northwestern. Hell, even the cushy schedules like last and this season and people are still skittish hoping to get 8 wins.

That's just not right.
 
RocknRollface said:
He didn't even win that often before was really my point. There's been more crap seasons than good ones the past 10 years.

And even that year he was well on his way to losing games to UNI and Indiana.

His insane contract basically hinged on two blocked field goals and Sashs crazy pinball pick six.
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And Clayborn's blocked punt td, Arkansas State not having another 30 seconds on the clock, and Denard Robinson over throwing a wide open reciever right to Greenwood.
 
PCHawk said:
And Clayborn's blocked punt td, Arkansas State not having another 30 seconds on the clock, and Denard Robinson over throwing a wide open reciever right to Greenwood.
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And don't forget Ricky Stanzi's last minute desperation TD drive @MSU, as time expired. Occasions where a KF team has been able to win the game with a last second drive are rare indeed. In fact, it seems Stanzi is responsible for most of the ones I can recall - 2008 vs. PSU also comes to mind.

I can't recall seeing a shakier 9-0 start. It was a good team, no doubt, but that team got a ton of breaks and eeked out a lot of games that were looking like defeat.
 
1977Hawkeye said:
And don't forget Ricky Stanzi's last minute desperation TD drive @MSU, as time expired. Occasions where a KF team has been able to win the game with a last second drive are rare indeed. In fact, it seems Stanzi is responsible for most of the ones I can recall - 2008 vs. PSU also comes to mind.

I can't recall seeing a shakier 9-0 start. It was a good team, no doubt, but that team got a ton of breaks and eeked out a lot of games that were looking like defeat.
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Lol that a game where we scored on the last play of the game was the 6th game mentioned when talking about lucky endings for a team full of NFLers. What a joke.
 
If we win half of those 6 games (which is a ridiculously high percentage for Kirk) we finish 7-5 with top 10 talent 2 years in a row).
 
The way I see it, in a close game, if team A is trying to make a play on defense while team B is trying to make a play on offense AND defense, team A should win about 1 in 3 games. So Kirk is actually doing good to have a .400 win percentage with that strategy. Especially given his 5 year old knowledge of a 2 minute drill.

I figure the reason his record is as good as it is is because a large portion of those games we were by far the more talented team. If every close game we played was against equal talent, more than likely his win percentage would drop closer to where is should be. Around .300.
 
JonDMiller said:
Worst: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa (20-30, .400). Among active Power Five coaches, Ferentz has the worst close-game record given his large sample size. During Iowa's four 10-win seasons (2002-04 and 2009), Ferentz went 9-1 in games decided by four points or less. He's 11-29 (.275) in those games for the rest of his FBS career -- a remarkably poor record. Ferentz is very fortunate he landed his big contract when he did.
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Even more disturbing, if you ignore his 20 wins, he is 0-30 (.000) in his career, a remarkably poor record.

Wow.
 
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