Iowa "2nd Half" Adjustments

H

Hawk1960

Well-Known Member
Interesting to look at the scoring totals through the first 6 games by half ...

1st Half: Iowa 69, Six Opponents 62 (net +7 points)
2nd Half: Iowa 104, Six Opponents 50 (net +54 points)

Potential Reasons:
1) Our coaches are making good half-time adjustments?
2) Our depth on the DL is allowing us to stay fresh in 2nd half of games?
3) Reflection of our strength and conditioning program?
4) We are sleeping in the 1Q (only lead in one game after 1Q)?
5) Other?

Will these "2nd half" adjustments also carry over to the 2nd half of the season after the bye week???
 
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I think the 15 play script on offense is really holding us back. How many horrible 1st quarters does it seem like we have?
 
Good observations and even better question... "Normally" I'd say Iowa is a team that plays better when they have the lead early in games and then holds on to win them. For Iowa to be in close games or behind and playing catchup is frustrating. I think BF is still getting the swing of being an OC yet he pretty much admitted as much in his pressor the other day. There's just situational things he'll learn not to mention just playing to the potential of your personnel.
The defense isn't giving up many points. They are giving up a ton of yards and TOP. But not points. If offense can pull their weight I like the potential they have down the stretch here.
 
99topdawg said:
I think the 15 play script on offense is really holding us back. How many horrible 1st quarters does it seem like we have?
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I've never understood the whole 'scripting' deal. I mean after the first play no matter what happens on it your running a set play regardless of the down and distance? Or how the defense is set? There's just too many factors into each play situationally that I can't see scripting being a good idea. I feel they also will show tendancys for other teams to scout us on. Just nothing about it seems like a 'modern' way of running an offense to me.
 
Hawkfnntn said:
I've never understood the whole 'scripting' deal. I mean after the first play no matter what happens on it your running a set play regardless of the down and distance? Or how the defense is set? There's just too many factors into each play situationally that I can't see scripting being a good idea. I feel they also will show tendancys for other teams to scout us on. Just nothing about it seems like a 'modern' way of running an offense to me.
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I think most teams script plays at the beginning to see how the defenses line-up to stop them and their various formations and plays. its kind of like an early chess match so the coaches can feel the defense out and then decide how to counter later in the game.

Unfortunately for Iowa, it seems like 15 scripted plays takes 5 possessions to get thru
 
Hawk1960 said:
Interesting to look at the scoring totals through the first 6 games by half ...

1st Half: Iowa 69, Six Opponents 62 (net +7 points)
2nd Half: Iowa 87, Six Opponents 36 (net +51 points)

Potential Reasons:
1) Our coaches are making good half-time adjustments?
2) Our depth on the DL is allowing us to stay fresh in 2nd half of games?
3) Reflection of our strength and conditioning program?
4) We are sleeping in the 1Q (only lead in one game after 1Q)?
5) Other?

Will these "2nd half" adjustments also carry over to the 2nd half of the season after the bye week???
Click to expand...

JMO but the offense is more resilient and determined to put up points with Brian (having said that our scoring O is ranked 73rd and scoring D ranked 24th). He has something to prove before he can be anointed. So he's proving it. Greg Davis and KOK understood they had little to prove because before Brian the Defense was given the singular burden of winning games.
 
mopkins said:
I think most teams script plays at the beginning to see how the defenses line-up to stop them and their various formations and plays. its kind of like an early chess match so the coaches can feel the defense out and then decide how to counter later in the game.

Unfortunately for Iowa, it seems like 15 scripted plays takes 5 possessions to get thru
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I think they also do it just so that the offense will have practiced them a ton during the week and know what they are doing. For a young team and QB I get how that makes sense too. But as you wrote if your going 3 and out alot and it takes till almost half time to run them all hows that do you any good? I just feel each play should be called situationally to the game. I mean if you have a certain play action play you love where you say if we get ourselves into a situation where we just got a 1st down after a running play you want to call it do it. Or if it's 2nd and short you have a certain couple of plays you want to run close to midfield. But to say your going to just run left on 1st down and right on 2nd etc no matter what just don't make sense.
 
uihawk82 said:
Do you really know if BF has a script of plays?
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I remember him or someone talking about it once. Most OC's do it, but will also stray from it when the situation calls for it. It seems like he calls the 15 plays no matter what.
 
Joshbrown said:
JMO but the offense is more resilient and determined to put up points with Brian (having said that our scoring O is ranked 73rd and scoring D ranked 24th). He has something to prove before he can be anointed. So he's proving it. Greg Davis and KOK understood they had little to prove because before Brian the Defense was given the singular burden of winning games.
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Good observation here. I think Brian has much potential but has a ways to get there as he seems to candidly admit. I think Brian has influenced his dad to the extent that he feels that his unit has just as much accountability for the outcome as the defense which seems a bit of a shift. Very necessary shift IMO as we begin to transition to the post-Kirk era.
 
99topdawg said:
I think the 15 play script on offense is really holding us back. How many horrible 1st quarters does it seem like we have?
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If would be one thing if we used a script because we were also using tempo. I will say, though, that you could also script to show different formations to see how defenses react and that could help with halftime adjustments.
 
I know most people don't care to hear this, but it's mainly an issue of execution early in games. A dropped pass here, a missed block there, an errant pass here. The Hawks offense hasn't executed well early in games. Some of that is on the coaches, but most of it is on the players.
 
Hawkfnntn said:
I've never understood the whole 'scripting' deal. I mean after the first play no matter what happens on it your running a set play regardless of the down and distance? Or how the defense is set? There's just too many factors into each play situationally that I can't see scripting being a good idea. I feel they also will show tendancys for other teams to scout us on. Just nothing about it seems like a 'modern' way of running an offense to me.
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I would imagine it's more of a flow chart than a script, if there's really that much pre-planning. Plus, the QB may audible out of a play, so that would change things a bit too. I'm sure it's more they have a few specific things they wanna do.
 
My take is simply that Ferentz is content on running into a brick wall until his hand is forced to play different. Hence playing catch up in a number of games. He wants to win establishing the running game first. Pass only when they have to.....or take some shot here and there. Leans on the Risk Adverse side.
 
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Joshbrown said:
JMO but the offense is more resilient and determined to put up points with Brian (having said that our scoring O is ranked 73rd and scoring D ranked 24th). He has something to prove before he can be anointed. So he's proving it. Greg Davis and KOK understood they had little to prove because before Brian the Defense was given the singular burden of winning games.
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Yeah he's proving it alright. We're all the way up to 73rd in the nation in scoring offense. Outstanding. We've faced 2 decent defenses so far keep in mind. We sucked on offense the majority of both of those games.
 
Their 2nd half of the season adjustment is to be better in the first half.

We are not aggressive enough on either offense or defense to open up games. It is the old bend but dont break/give up a big play defense which lets teams march down the field for easy scores until the coaches tighten things up.

And it is the conservative offense that isnt going to throw the ball or make a mistake but plays in the phone booth and doesnt move the ball. It was a bad display against some teams recently.

The hawks are 4-2 and better open it up early and be aggressive or they will be heading for a lot of losses. Remember 2015 when the coaches took chances?
 
I said it before and this seems to make the point - this team feels a lot like the 2009 version. Different strengths and weaknesses, and not as polished, to be sure but they seemingly don't show up until about half way through the 3rd quarter. I think numbers 2 and 3 above may be the factors at play here. How else can you explain Penn State? Simply an amazing performance. Sparty? Who knows? They may also have great conditioning and depth.
 
Caddy said:
Yeah he's proving it alright. We're all the way up to 73rd in the nation in scoring offense. Outstanding. We've faced 2 decent defenses so far keep in mind. We sucked on offense the majority of both of those games.
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I'm willing to give him time. To be fair he may not be proving it to you or I . . . but he's proving it to his dad. And really that's all that matters.;)
 
Stanzi said:
I don't "understand" the quotes around 2nd half.
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