In a perfect world, they should be able to match their intensity. But this is young kids we're talking about and getting up for inferior teams just isn't going to happen for any team. You see 30 examples every week of scores that have no business being what they were. Wisconsin beats LSU because they were fired up for it, then almost lose to Georgia State because they're not. Are they out of nowhere a terrible team? Or did they simply do what's human nature and not match the intensity when they played an inferior team? Add in Kirks coaching style and it's going to bite us in the ass more often than other teams.
Howe: Bison Beat Up Bullies of the Big Ten
- Thread starter RobHowe
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In a perfect world, they should be able to match their intensity. But this is young kids we're talking about and getting up for inferior teams just isn't going to happen for any team. You see 30 examples every week of scores that have no business being what they were. Wisconsin beats LSU because they were fired up for it, then almost lose to Georgia State because they're not. Are they out of nowhere a terrible team? Or did they simply do what's human nature and not match the intensity when they played an inferior team? Add in Kirks coaching style and it's going to bite us in the ass more often than other teams.
I'm way more concerned about the damage to the national image of Iowa than one season. Let's see how our vaunted recruits for next year react when Michigan/Ohio St/Alabama call them every day (and make no mistake: they are) and asking them why they want to waste their college career playing for Fake ID University.
Teams like that will say that about all but about 10 other teams regardless of what happened yesterday.
RobHowe
Administrator
Fair points on human nature. Iowa did find ways to match it last year towards the end of the year when we rose up the rankings. Minnesota, Nebraska, etc. But we're talking about 18-23 year olds that have heard how great they are playing against a lower division team.
It's semantics, but I don't think we were far superior to NDSU. We needed to play well to beat a good team and didn't. They were more disciplined and more focused. That can't happen against a team with comparable abilities.
A Minnesota night game and Nebraska are easy to get up for. Games like yesterday are the hard ones. When you hear all weak you can't take a team lightly, there is a reason for it, they aren't very good.
I also disagree that they were comparable in ability. They played great and we played terrible and they needed a last second field goal to win. I get the argument that we played terrible because of them but I disagree with that mostly too. We played terrible because they came out giving 100% and we came out "trying not to take them lightly". That can even a playing field against an inferior opponents.
Also you're not a 15 point favorite or whatever it was against a comparable team. I think we cover that spread 5 out of 10 times, which is what you should do with an accurate spread.
Joshbrown
Well-Known Member
You are 100% correct that we can go on to have a nice season. But after all this time it feels like the program almost needs a loss like this to get motivated. It would be so much nicer if the HC was the motivator and losses like this weren't required. It's almost like this loss had to happen to make up for the Iowa State victory. I know that sounds bizarre . . . but yesterday was bizarre imo.
JMO Rob but so many of us fans would be happy if all we did was beat the teams that we are superior to in resources. That would guarantee a minimum of 8 wins each season.
"Hey Joshbrown" vvvvvvvvvvvvv
^^^^^^^ Yeah, I know. Yesterday's game was a reminder.
You think that team would beat us 6 out of 10 times? I think we would win 8 or 9 out of 10.
vork22
Well-Known Member
Please stop saying they are a good team. That good team barely beat Charleston Southern in OT then barely beat Eastern Washington in OT and by the way gave up 44 points and over 450 yards passing. Just realize that we didn't show up. The ranking and hype got to their heads. The pick six hurt, CJ held the ball like always and it cost us big. The coaching on the last drive was the worst play calling I have ever seen. Add it all up and we gave it away. If saying they are good makes you feel better go ahead but it's not true. Better coached yes.
OUTofTOWNHAWK
Well-Known Member
Point is that Kirk has a habit of losing to awful teams so the nickname is silly.
So if that's what the program is built on how does it keep losing to the worst teams in the country?
The Mac, ndst, Minnesota, and northwestern called. They think your title is funny.
ArvadaHawk
Well-Known Member
Wisconsin won, though. Iowa lost.
Yea but if they shank that last field goal, how does that make us a better team?
I do yeah. Look at the rushing numbers, it wasn't a fluke
Joshbrown
Well-Known Member
There's a Universe where "ifs" matter. This ain't that Universe.
thedukeofearl
Well-Known Member
Should have seen this coming. Watched the first Bison game against Charleston Southern and was very impressed. They have only lost 5 games since the 2011 season and have 5 division national championships.
The first series of downs for NDSU and the Hawkeyes were harbingers to me. They stopped themselves from scoring with a bad hike. Ran and passed the ball at will and should have scored. Then we start from the 2 yard line and don't make a down, have to punt and they take possession on our 45. Then it gradually went downhill from there to the bitter end. The Bison fans that surrounded me at the game were nice people and seemed to enjoy the outcome.
Well coached, very tough team. Weeks before the game I googled NDSU and every article said: Dont Schedule The Bisons. Articles from Sports Illustrated, ESPN and many others. USA Today had an interesting take on the game entitled:
Why did Iowa even schedule upset-ready North Dakota State?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...s-upset-college-football-scheduling/90587924/
They completely wore the Hawks down, Late in the fourth quarter the Bisons were substituting 4/5/6 players almost every play, bringing fresh bodies in to bang the Hawks around.
Very well coached team. Why, especially when we simply couldn't run the football the entire game, did we run twice our final series of downs. All we needed was One First Down to seal the game that we would have been lucky to win anyway. A decent punt would have helped, making them start Far from field goal range, but alas, it was not to be.
The rare interception certainly didn't help. Despite that we were victim of bad luck the rest of the game with dropped passes and an unfortunate penalty call to negate the huge gain inside the 5 yard line for a certain score. All things being equal and all that.
We must take this bitter loss and learn from it. Now I am concerned about Rutgers. Perhaps another upset waiting in the wings. Hopefully not, The Hawks should have the required incentive to regroup and still win the B1G West on the way to Indianapolis.
That makes no sense in response to the context of my quote.
ArvadaHawk
Well-Known Member
PC, I'm not necessarily saying it would. But at least they'd be able to "regroup" at 3-0 instead of 2-1. I am in no way trying to put any polish on this game. And I was really only pointing out that WUs played badly, but found a way to win. That is the big difference between their program and our program.
Joshbrown
Well-Known Member
The difference is they EXPECT to win. They're not HOPING for a win.
I feel like we will regroup anyway but you're right I guess, it probably will make it harder. Football is like poker in the sense that if you're aggressive you have two ways to win. In poker, you can have the best hand or force your opponent to lay down the best hand. In football, you can be aggressive and either win by making a play yourself or forcing your opponent to make a mistake. Or you can be conservative and have one way to win, waiting for your opponent to make a mistake. Kirk gives us one way to win which means we win roughly half as many close games as we should. His close game stats more or less back me up on that too.
I agree with that for sure.
