Flip it around - Swap Rushing and passing

[cincyhawk]

My biggest complaint with the Ferentz era is that he has to win a particular way.

If you had a running back that had 82 yards on 3 carries, would you stop giving them the ball?

If you have a reciever that has 3 catches for 82 yards, you should throw it to them at least once a series. Every other team in college football tries to get the ball to their playmakers. Purdue didn't stop targeting Rondale Moore because he had 3.8 yards per catch. He's their best player, you get it to him and eventually things happen. We should use Fant and Hock every other freaking play.

Run four yards and out-body the guy covering you until they double both of you, go over the top to Smith.

How those guys don't both have 7 targets a game is beyond me.

 

[hwk23]

I agree. Fant and Hockenson should be on the field every play. Even if we don't throw to them, they draw attention. Also, one more thing, the problem is not that we are a run first team. The problem is we are a run first team but we aren't particularly good at running. We haven't been for 10 years and the stats show this. The outside zone doesn't work.

 

[cincyhawk]

I agree. Fant and Hockenson should be on the field every play. Even if we don't throw to them, they draw attention. Also, one more thing, the problem is not that we are a run first team. The problem is we are a run first team but we aren't particularly good at running. We haven't been for 10 years and the stats show this. The outside zone doesn't work.

Agree - defensive lines have adjusted and know how to blow that up. Look at how successful running teams run the ball now. Outside is either an option look zone read, or a power o look, in both cases to bring one extra blocker to the play than the defense has to pursue.

That's not the case with the inside zone, the doubles and scrapes inside and the speed of the play still outclass most teams that don't have a stud nose in the 3 - 4. But for outside zone, college players are just too quick to recognize the play, too fast getting to the edge and setting it, and too good at timing the slant to disrupt and fill cutback lanes anymore.

Also Mekhi Sargent is our #1 back now. I know others get more yards, but that kid gets 5 every time he gets the ball.

One more thing. Stop changing the play at the LOS. Teams are baiting Iowa into bad plays and not everyone recognizes the correct route to run. It cost us at PSU, and cost us on those 2 point conversions. Roll out and give Stanley a chance to run or throw. Heck on the second one, Stanley could have lowered his shoulder and charged in, I don't care how slow he is. The dude is a 250 lb monster.

We try rocket science when we're really just messing around in high-school chemistry.

 

[DBAHawkFan]

I do think our rushing attack has been hampered by other teams figuring out our blocking scheme. That and we are pretty predictable running out of certain formations, and on 1st down (or if we're 2nd and 20+). 5 OL stand no chance against 8/9 man fronts. Last few years we had Wadley and Daniels who were both really good at making that one cut. Wadley especially cause he could score from anywhere on the field.

We don't have that type of speed at the position.

Also agree on the baiting Stanley into audibles. We seem to run the zone stretch to the short size 90% of the time when we change the play, and teams obviously know this. They're willing to give up the pass play 10% of the time since we also don't have a WR who can break a big play.

We're just a mess on offense. I think we are putting up better numbers this year compared to last, but we still don't have that consistency. We look great for a series or two (usually when we go up tempo), then it's back to smash mouth and we lose all momentum.

 

[NoBeer]

I do think our rushing attack has been hampered by other teams figuring out our blocking scheme.

People have been talking about our run blocking scheme being too easy to scheme against since like 2010. Again, the frustration with this team isn't that we lost three close games this year its that this is the SAME. SHIT. EVERY. DAMN. YEAR.

 

[vork22]

It doesn’t help that we have three running backs that aren’t very good. Eno would have made a huge difference on this team.

 

[DDThompson]

I agree. Fant and Hockenson should be on the field every play. Even if we don't throw to them, they draw attention.

Fant can’t be on the field every play because after three consecutive plays he’s usually in the sideline sucking wind — sometimes on a knee sucking wind.

I don’t know if that’s because of injuries so maybe his conditioning during the week has suffered or he’s just out-of-shape. But he does suck wind from the sideline quite a bit

 

[hwk23]

It doesn’t help that we have three running backs that aren’t very good. Eno would have made a huge difference on this team.

Eno would have helped for sure but then again we had Wadley last year and we were still 100th in yards per carry rushing.

 

[NoBeer]

It isn't the RBs it is the outmoded, easily schemed against run blocking scheme. We need to move on.

 

[DBAHawkFan]

Fant can’t be on the field every play because after three consecutive plays he’s usually in the sideline sucking wind — sometimes on a knee sucking wind.

I don’t know if that’s because of injuries so maybe his conditioning during the week has suffered or he’s just out-of-shape. But he does suck wind from the sideline quite a bit

There was a joke made years ago, i think during the JR and GDGD years that Iowa WR on game days just run wind sprints.

I think that may be part of the issue with Fant. The 3 plays he’s in for, 2 of them are go routes and he and Hock have been our biggest play threats. The dude is the size of a basketball player sprinting down the field....then he has to do it all over again.

Or he could be out of shape. Who knows. Tough to be in game shape when you don’t play