How did the 1997 team go 7-5?

[DesMoinesHawki]

Yeah, the 1997 team definitely underachieved. I don't remember the game-by-game schedule, but that Hawk team was loaded with talent. I think that was my first year of buying season tickets. To do this day, I still think we did not utilize Tim Dwight enough during his career. That guy had so much talent. We just never found enough ways to get the ball to him ... I think, too, this was the beginning of the end for the Fry regime. Slowly, Iowa just started to fade thereafter ...

 

[vosov]

Yeah, the 1997 team definitely underachieved. I don't remember the game-by-game schedule, but that Hawk team was loaded with talent. I think that was my first year of buying season tickets. To do this day, I still think we did not utilize Tim Dwight enough during his career. That guy had so much talent. We just never found enough ways to get the ball to him ... I think, too, this was the beginning of the end for the Fry regime. Slowly, Iowa just started to fade thereafter ...

There was nothing slow about Iowa's fall after that year. The bottom completely fell out.

 

[DwayneTwill]

No Stanzi.

 

[trj]

I remember Iowa's last drive in the Michigan game, Iowa was driving and got deep into Michigan territory when Sherman tried to force a ball to Dwight and it got picked off. Tavian Banks claims he was open on a wheel route down the sidelines and Sherman never saw him.....to this day I do not know if that is true or not.

The criticism that Sherman received after that game would make Tate's criticism he received late in his career look like a walk in park. It was more brutal than what Kyle McCann got. Sherman was something like 25-10 as a starter, but his legacy was permanently damaged after that game.

Two bowl games that Iowa fans did not give a rat's a$$ about: '94 alamo bowl and the '97 Sun Bowl.

Or was it the '93 Alamo bowl where Iowa got smoked by California...can't remember I am getting old.

 

[Xerxes]

To the guy who posted above about the lack of talent on that '97 team you are either drunk or you never actually watched Iowa play back then.

No watched all of the games and wasn't drunk. The team had a few great players and little else.


Look at the 1998, 1999, & 2000 teams. Three of the worst teams in the Fry/Ferentz era. Those years' starters were the 1997 team's depth.

 

[hawkdrummer1]

You're familiar with the old question, "Who's the only person to hold Michael Jordan under 20 pts/game?" ... Dean Smith.

Hayden had a similar affect on Tim Dwight. For a guy that explosive, he didn't get nearly the touches he should have.

 

[jwiley10]

Iowa was not that good at the QB position in '97 (whether Sherman, Reiners or Mullen). Dwight was under-utilized offensively. Banks was dinged the second half of the season.

 

[Sirhouseman]

banks was wide open on that wheel route. that loss was just devastating.

 

[jwiley10]

I just went back and watched Wolverine Historian's highlights of the 1997 Iowa-Michigan game on YouTube. Sherman was evern worse than I remembered. 8-21 for 86 yards and 3 INTs against Michigan.

 

[SDK46]

Yeah, the 1997 team definitely underachieved. I don't remember the game-by-game schedule, but that Hawk team was loaded with talent. I think that was my first year of buying season tickets. To do this day, I still think we did not utilize Tim Dwight enough during his career. That guy had so much talent. We just never found enough ways to get the ball to him ... I think, too, this was the beginning of the end for the Fry regime. Slowly, Iowa just started to fade thereafter ...

Iowa FB scores, 1899 - 2010
Iowa Historical Scores

Any college FB-team's history of results
Historical Scores - Alphabetically by Team

 

[SDK46]

There was nothing slow about Iowa's fall after that year. The bottom completely fell out.

Agreed. I was at the Northwestern game....cold, miserable, windy, snowing...Iowa missed 2 or 3 FGs that day. Awful.

http://www.jhowell.net/cf/scores/Iowa.htm


Strange season....411 points scored with five losses. Ouch.

 

[bud2380]

Iowa outscored opponents 411-159. 159 points allowed is better than any year under Ferentz and the 2nd best in the last 30 years (157 allowed in 1981). Ferentz best year was 2008 Iowa gave up 168 points.

 

[cmhawks99]

Iowa outscored opponents 411-159. 159 points allowed is better than any year under Ferentz and the 2nd best in the last 30 years (157 allowed in 1981). Ferentz best year was 2008 Iowa gave up 168 points.

It was 169 points and it was in 13 games instead of 12…….in about 2000 they went to 12 regular season games a year instead of 11 and then the bowl game. The exception being 01, 04 and 05.

And yes the 1997 team along with the way we gave away two games in 2005 (Michigan and NW) are 2 of the most disappointing of seasons for me.

Chad

 

[bud2380]

It was 169 points and it was in 13 games instead of 12…….in about 2000 they went to 12 regular season games a year instead of 11 and then the bowl game. The exception being 01, 04 and 05.

And yes the 1997 team along with the way we gave away two games in 2005 (Michigan and NW) are 2 of the most disappointing of seasons for me.

Chad

Yes 169, not 168. And I'm well aware of the fact that we play 12 regular season games now instead of 11. For the record it started in 2006. In 2002 and 2003 there was a temporary exemption allowing 12 regular season games, due to the calendar falling the way it did. People quickly realized how much more revenue was generated and the 12 game schedule became permanent in 2006.

In 1997 the scoring differential was 252 points, 1 less than the best season in the last 30 years which was 253 points in 1985. The 2002 point differential is 3rd best at 228. So its easy to understand why 1997 is easily one of the top 2 or 3 most disappointing seasons in Iowa football history.

 

[cmhawks99]

Yes 169, not 168. And I'm well aware of the fact that we play 12 regular season games now instead of 11. For the record it started in 2006. In 2002 and 2003 there was a temporary exemption allowing 12 regular season games, due to the calendar falling the way it did. People quickly realized how much more revenue was generated and the 12 game schedule became permanent in 2006.

In 1997 the scoring differential was 252 points, 1 less than the best season in the last 30 years which was 253 points in 1985. The 2002 point differential is 3rd best at 228. So its easy to understand why 1997 is easily one of the top 2 or 3 most disappointing seasons in Iowa football history.

Unless Im smoking crack we played 12 in 2000 as well.

Chad

 

[hawkeyescott]

Unless Im smoking crack we played 12 in 2000 as well.

Chad

That was because Iowa played in the Eddie Robinson Classic in KC against K State in the season opener and back before the 12 game schedule teams could play in these types of "classics" once every 3 or 4 years and not have it count towards the 11 game schedule even though the stats counted.

 

[cmhawks99]

That was because Iowa played in the Eddie Robinson Classic in KC against K State in the season opener and back before the 12 game schedule teams could play in these types of "classics" once every 3 or 4 years and not have it count towards the 11 game schedule even though the stats counted.

Aaaah that's right...Interestingly enuff that was the last game I attended in person. It was really, really hot in KC. It was about 10 mnths after we moved to Chicago-land and my wife and I flew to KC to met a friend at the game. Fun game and Iowa played hard.

Chad

 

[trj]

You're familiar with the old question, "Who's the only person to hold Michael Jordan under 20 pts/game?" ... Dean Smith.

Hayden had a similar affect on Tim Dwight. For a guy that explosive, he didn't get nearly the touches he should have.

This.

Other than a few reverses you could sniff coming a mile away, the Iowa O for whatever reason couldn't get the ball more to TD. It was frustrating to watch, you saw what Michigan was doing with guys like Howard/Woodson, Notre Dame did with Rocket Ismail a few years before and your wondering why Iowa could not do the same with TD.

Patterson/Fry had guys like Gibson, Dwight running those slow developing routes as if they were stuck in the '80's. Offensive football was evolving at that point to quick hitters and getting your playmakers out in space.

TD finished 7th in the Heisman balloting that year, Patterson/Fry did not do enough to show off TD's skills.

 

[CyBroncos]

There was no excuse that Dwight didn't touch the ball 20 times a game. The guy was a touchdown waiting to happen every time he touched the ball. They should have used him more in the backfield and got him the ball.

Could you imagine Dwight in today's wide open spread offenses? If he played for a team like Oregon he'd win the Heisman no doubt

 

[PJHawk]

Does anyone remember the Tim Dwight TD pass to Sherman their freshman year vs the Gophers? Dwight could do it all and the Wildcat offense we have seen in football the last few years was made for a guy like Dwight.