Fun Exciting Great win but one question

L

longtimer

Well-Known Member
Stanley was very good especially in first half! Made some great throws on critical 3rd downs. Couldn't have ended his career better. Receivers were great as well. More than held their own against the USC group. Brian Ferentz really opened up the offense and showed that we have an offense. Big Game for him. Defense couldn't stop the passing attack of USC but that QB was as good as we have seen and they have some fine receivers. they did make some big plays and Epenesa really made a statement for the NFL!

Now for the question Why can't we run the ball??? Goodsen had 48 yards and a 2.7 average. And that was against a defense that everyone was saying had problems stopping the run. Even more telling is that our passing attack was so effective you would have expected the running game to open up. Didn't happen

Clearly this is an area where Ferentz needs to make change for next year. We should be able to run the ball with the backs we have

PS I have always been a Ferentz supporter. I do think he can be a bit reluctant to change at times but you just can't ignore the body of work at Iowa! In addition I have always considered him a class person! I will be surprised if he doesn't encourage both Wirfs and Epenesa to make the move to the NFL. Love to have them back but they need to go
 
longtimer said:
Stanley was very good especially in first half! Made some great throws on critical 3rd downs. Couldn't have ended his career better. Receivers were great as well. More than held their own against the USC group. Brian Ferentz really opened up the offense and showed that we have an offense. Big Game for him. Defense couldn't stop the passing attack of USC but that QB was as good as we have seen and they have some fine receivers. they did make some big plays and Epenesa really made a statement for the NFL!

Now for the question Why can't we run the ball??? Goodsen had 48 yards and a 2.7 average. And that was against a defense that everyone was saying had problems stopping the run. Even more telling is that our passing attack was so effective you would have expected the running game to open up. Didn't happen

Clearly this is an area where Ferentz needs to make change for next year. We should be able to run the ball with the backs we have

PS I have always been a Ferentz supporter. I do think he can be a bit reluctant to change at times but you just can't ignore the body of work at Iowa! In addition I have always considered him a class person! I will be surprised if he doesn't encourage both Wirfs and Epenesa to make the move to the NFL. Love to have them back but they need to go
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Of course he will encourage them to make the move. He already has one star walk-ons from places like Morning Sun Iowa and Beresford South Dakota waiting to take their reps.:p
 
longtimer said:
Now for the question Why can't we run the ball??? Goodsen had 48 yards and a 2.7 average. And that was against a defense that everyone was saying had problems stopping the run. Even more telling is that our passing attack was so effective you would have expected the running game to open up. Didn't happen
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Sorry, but this is a severely shortsighted take, and it’s exactly why Scott Frost can’t win games with the players he has. He tries to put square pegs in round holes and not adapt to the teams he’s playing.

Why “can’t” we run the ball? There was zero need to run the ball, and the running game was not the emphasis of this ballgame. Iowa’s offense came out and got the passing game going right away, the pass pro was clicking, their DBs couldn’t hang, and the staff made the correct decision to scratch where it itched.

Just like the dorks here bitching about why Oliver Martin isn’t playing, you don’t stop doing something (passing) when it’s working, just because you have this idea in your head that Iowa is a “running” team. I got news for everyone, the Iowa Hawkeyes aren’t a running first team anymore with this group of receivers. It might be in two years when they’re gone, but not now.

The running game was merely a compliment to the passing game and the staff used it to set up throwing plays instead of trying to force ten gallons of shit in a five gallon bucket.

Not adjusting to teams in-game, and trying to play to “strengths” that aren’t working at the moment is what got nebraska where it is.

Bottom line, who cares why the run didn’t get going? Didn’t need it by any stretch.
 
The line has struggled run blocking all year, especially between the tackles, and yesterday was no different.

But I look at the scoreboard and I’m fine with how the game was played.
 
I think the coaches did an excellent job.
Nobody knows Iowa football as well as the coaches, players and then the fans. As fans how many plays were you expecting? Because I only saw a handful when I knew what we were going to do. A handful of running plays.
 
Fryowa said:
Sorry, but this is a severely shortsighted take, and it’s exactly why Scott Frost can’t win games with the players he has. He tries to put square pegs in round holes and not adapt to the teams he’s playing.

Why “can’t” we run the ball? There was zero need to run the ball, and the running game was not the emphasis of this ballgame. Iowa’s offense came out and got the passing game going right away, the pass pro was clicking, their DBs couldn’t hang, and the staff made the correct decision to scratch where it itched.

Just like the dorks here bitching about why Oliver Martin isn’t playing, you don’t stop doing something (passing) when it’s working, just because you have this idea in your head that Iowa is a “running” team. I got news for everyone, the Iowa Hawkeyes aren’t a running first team anymore with this group of receivers. It might be in two years when they’re gone, but not now.

The running game was merely a compliment to the passing game and the staff used it to set up throwing plays instead of trying to force ten gallons of shit in a five gallon bucket.

Not adjusting to teams in-game, and trying to play to “strengths” that aren’t working at the moment is what got nebraska where it is.

Bottom line, who cares why the run didn’t get going? Didn’t need it by any stretch.
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The running game was there when we did need it. The chain moving, time consuming drive when Young got going, Stanley kept sneaking, and Goodson finally finished it off.

That drive made it 35-24 and finished USC. And it was the most grinding, clock consuming, run oriented drive of the night.

But overall, yes, we didn't need the running game very often. We were killing USC with misdirection and superior blocking on the edges.
 
Our best run play was the QB sneak again. Maybe thats an indication that we need to go mere helmet on helmet blocking. But Im not a coach so Im just speculating.
 
USC stacked the line which made receivers and TE open or man up. Little fear of a pick. I think we underestimate the fear of KF factor re to turnovers. To D backfield provided more support later which correlated to Nate being less willing to risk.
 
Motigerhawk said:
Our best run play was the QB sneak again. Maybe thats an indication that we need to go mere helmet on helmet blocking. But Im not a coach so Im just speculating.
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I think the coaches are starting to see this. Definitely consider inside iso, trapping, quick hitters. We dont have the foot speed for the outside zone. Speed kills it. Doesnt mean we have to completely abandon it, but note last night, jet sweeps, a pitch play....get really wide or hit the middle with power. Run some ISO and traps off tackle, but with the blocking rule changes and rb's that cant wait wait wait and then accelerate with a quick burst..we arent built to run the stretch zone anymore.
 
Didn't KF mention something about the rule change that has hindered the blocking? Looking at changing it.
 
The guards weren't up to the task was one part of the problem. It was a problem Iowa just wasn't going to be able to address in the season. Hopefully it gets better next year.

I think in the USC game Iowa did just enough running to keep the defense honest. In the second half Iowa was getting some yards running but the pass run mix was working so why mess it up.
 
longtimer said:
Stanley was very good especially in first half! Made some great throws on critical 3rd downs. Couldn't have ended his career better. Receivers were great as well. More than held their own against the USC group. Brian Ferentz really opened up the offense and showed that we have an offense. Big Game for him. Defense couldn't stop the passing attack of USC but that QB was as good as we have seen and they have some fine receivers. they did make some big plays and Epenesa really made a statement for the NFL!

Now for the question Why can't we run the ball??? Goodsen had 48 yards and a 2.7 average. And that was against a defense that everyone was saying had problems stopping the run. Even more telling is that our passing attack was so effective you would have expected the running game to open up. Didn't happen

Clearly this is an area where Ferentz needs to make change for next year. We should be able to run the ball with the backs we have

PS I have always been a Ferentz supporter. I do think he can be a bit reluctant to change at times but you just can't ignore the body of work at Iowa! In addition I have always considered him a class person! I will be surprised if he doesn't encourage both Wirfs and Epenesa to make the move to the NFL. Love to have them back but they need to go
Click to expand...

Take a closer look at the states, and back out Stanley's sack, then you'll see we averaged between 4,5 and 5ypc. Pretty stellar. Yes, they keyed a bit on Goodson, but he had his share of "good" carries. And in the case of Iowa, yes, the passing game opens up the box, but not always between the hashes. The QB sneak worked well, and the reverses/sweeps/misdirection plays were stellar. My God, Tracy was walking the last 8 yards on the first TD!

In our case, decent run plays is the set-up for the PA. And that worked very well last night. U$C not only had to account for our straight-ahead run game, but also our lateral run game. Every receiver that went in motion set off a quasi-panic on the U$C defensive side of the ball.
 
As others have said, they stacked the box and we took what was given. Another thing that the TV announcers brought up in the case of USC, you have to have the threat of a running game. Without it, look at what happened to their QB. Even if it isn't highly successful, you have to have that threat. And we did. The good thing for us is, that opened up the passing game too.
 
Man coverage, a lot of defenders in the box with gap responsibility, almost impossible to out run the defenders on the strong side with their speed, too many people in the middle with no hole, but lots of opportunity on the weak side. I think Goodson missed a couple of cutbacks that could have been huge gains or even long touchdowns.

Typical west coast or big 12 defense, high risk and high reward. You know the type where the commentators praise a DC because of the pressure they bring and get 7 sacks a game and even more TFL's only to give up 45 points a game. Blitzing every down and leaving your corners on islands is only for the desperate.
 
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