HawkeyeDenis
Well-Known Member
Iowa is tenth in rushing offense. 775 yards for a 3.8 average per attempt. 155 yards per game. Iowa is below Indiana, Purdue and Nebraska. Let that sink in!
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Iowa blocking.
- Thread starter HawkeyeDenis
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83Hawk
Banned
He has never coached the offensive line before in his career. He really should be the offensive coordinator and Brian coaching the line. But we all know how that is.
WinOneThisCentury
Well-Known Member
Interesting conversation with Nick Saban at halftime yesterday. Alabama is hammering whomever they are playing, but their running game wasn't effective because the defense had 8 in the box and was playing them man on the outside.
The sideline interviewer, after a short discussion on Alabama's passing game and Tua, says..."your running game hasn't been good, are you going to work on establishing the run in the second half?" Saban looks at him like, what the hell, we are up 30 at half and says, "if you want to line up and stop the run, i'm ok passing it every down...the points count the same whether you are running it or passing. There is nothing wrong with our running game."
Enough Said. Iowa needs to do the same damn thing and they did yesterday to an extent. 40 runs is to many though...when the defense is playing the way Minnesota was with 8 on the LOS. Although in the 3rd and 4th quarter, it was about running clock more than anything.
HawkeyeDenis
Well-Known Member
Yeah, Iowa isn't Alabama by any stretch of the imagination. Alabama has over 1300 yards rushing at a 5.4 average.
Iowa is behind two passing teams, Purdue and Indiana and a winless Nebraska on the rushing stats.
Iowa is behind two passing teams, Purdue and Indiana and a winless Nebraska on the rushing stats.
#1DieHardHawk
Well-Known Member
It's a multi-factorial problem.
One, the line has been a bit of a mess ever since Polasek took over, especially with the run-blocking. Two, our interior linemen in particular are not necessarily strong at the point of attack, and struggle to move anybody (Ferguson really struggled yesterday. He got brushed aside numerous times.) Three, our RBs are still relatively inexperienced.
The biggest issue, though, is that, going back to last season, defensive coordinators have picked something out that signifies when we are going to zone block. They are attacking the LOS at the snap, even before the hand-off. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but, if I had to make a guess, I would bet that they are reading the FB. Minnesota actually didn't play with 8 in the box as much as most think, but it seemed that way due to a LB or safety gunning for the line as soon as the ball was snapped. There's something that opposing coaches have figured out, and we need to figure it out as well.
The smart move is for the coaches to come up with a few play action plays that look identical to our zone runs to make defenses pay for selling out, but, for it to work, every nuance at the snap needs to be identical. Fake the hand-off then hit a receiver behind the LBs. Hit a few of those for big gains or points, and the defense will hesitate for a few seconds before reacting.
One, the line has been a bit of a mess ever since Polasek took over, especially with the run-blocking. Two, our interior linemen in particular are not necessarily strong at the point of attack, and struggle to move anybody (Ferguson really struggled yesterday. He got brushed aside numerous times.) Three, our RBs are still relatively inexperienced.
The biggest issue, though, is that, going back to last season, defensive coordinators have picked something out that signifies when we are going to zone block. They are attacking the LOS at the snap, even before the hand-off. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but, if I had to make a guess, I would bet that they are reading the FB. Minnesota actually didn't play with 8 in the box as much as most think, but it seemed that way due to a LB or safety gunning for the line as soon as the ball was snapped. There's something that opposing coaches have figured out, and we need to figure it out as well.
The smart move is for the coaches to come up with a few play action plays that look identical to our zone runs to make defenses pay for selling out, but, for it to work, every nuance at the snap needs to be identical. Fake the hand-off then hit a receiver behind the LBs. Hit a few of those for big gains or points, and the defense will hesitate for a few seconds before reacting.
seepig
Well-Known Member
You can't continually block more defenders than you have blockers. 5 guys on the O line blocking 8-9 defenders good luck. Problem is everyone in the stadium knows the sets where Iowa runs that stretch zone blocking play. Even my Mother calls out when that play is coming.
seepig
Well-Known Member
Coach P is an OC not an OL coach. Kirk has him in the wrong coaching position
lightning1
Well-Known Member
He was an OC at NDSU. I don't think he's ever coached as an OL coach, before Iowa. IIRC.
lightning1
Well-Known Member
....but, they got paddles on their helmets.
lightning1
Well-Known Member
Who the hell is Nick Saban to question the KF/BF offense? What has he ever accomplished in football?
lightning1
Well-Known Member
It is a down and distance tendency. DC's have said for years, that they know what's coming. I think they are just blitzing more than they used to. And I don't blame them. I'd blitz on 80% of the downs against a KF team. Use his own stubbornness against him. Tight man to man on the WRs and send the rest at the QB/RB. If I lose, I lose. That's the recipe I'm bringing with me.
HawkeyeDenis
Well-Known Member
I think that in spite of their size Tristan Wirfs and Alaric Jackson are not particularly good at this point.
Well the first bolded section above is not hard to figure out and it is that the KF run game almost always goes the direction the QB turns from under center after getting the snap. A defense has about a 90% chance of being right selling out to that direction. This is what opposing coaches have known for most of 20 years.
Once in awhile watch and you will see our QB turn one way, the fullback and RB go the same way but then stutter step and the ball gets handed back the other direction, this is a main KOK counter play style of running play made famous by the great Redskins teams using the Counter-Trey blocking scheme.
And yes the smart move is to run reverses or counter action and play action off of this type of motion.
How do you think our short yardage plays to the Fullback have worked so well at a high % level. The QB turns one direction and he RB heads that same direction but the QB keeps turning 270 degrees and hands it back to the fullback over a hole on the other side of the center position.
Check out yesterday's short yardage play to the fullback. It is the kind of play that 4th and 1 against Wisky two weeks ago might have worked better.
WinOneThisCentury
Well-Known Member
Agreed...I think we should line up across from one of them and prove it. You go first.
I completely disagree with this assessment. They are still learning, but we gave up one sack yesterday...and they are pass blocking very well. They are becoming nastier in the running game too.
SpiderRico
Well-Known Member
We have 3 things working against us:
1. We are currently reaping the result of 3-4 years of piss poor OL recruiting to beef up our WR (which never panned out). Our interior OL is essentially made up of lower level walkon type players. We’ve got something to work with in our tackles...but interior is not good.
2. We have young RBs that are still learning how to be patient in our zone scheme. They are running full speed to the LOS without letting some of the backside lanes to open up.
3. Until we’re willing to stop relying on short side boundary runs, teams will continue to cheat that way and ignore the wide side.
1. We are currently reaping the result of 3-4 years of piss poor OL recruiting to beef up our WR (which never panned out). Our interior OL is essentially made up of lower level walkon type players. We’ve got something to work with in our tackles...but interior is not good.
2. We have young RBs that are still learning how to be patient in our zone scheme. They are running full speed to the LOS without letting some of the backside lanes to open up.
3. Until we’re willing to stop relying on short side boundary runs, teams will continue to cheat that way and ignore the wide side.
#1DieHardHawk
Well-Known Member
I don't think it's a down and distance thing. Teams have always known our tendencies, but there is something different going on right now, and it started last season. My guess is it's something subtle, but when we zone-block, at the snap, defenses are attacking the LOS with reckless abandon. They've picked up on something, and we better figure it out.
#1DieHardHawk
Well-Known Member
Could be. The only problem is that Iowa frequently runs a play where the QB turns to the same side of the shift, fakes the hand-off, then rotates around and looks for crossing routes. We still run that play (it's the same play that Stanzi got injured on against NW), but, teams are not attacking the LOS with that particular play, so, I think something different is being picked up as "the tell," (to use a poker analogy).
BTW, I've always hated that play, which requires the QB to have his back to the field, so he only has a couple of seconds to go through his progressions. I'd much rather see Iowa run play action where the QB stays square to the LOS, much like we are seeing more and more of in the NFL, and what teams like NW are running with Thorsen.
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ATLHawkeye
Well-Known Member
I wish I had a dollar for every time an announcer describes our offense as "Here's what we're gonna do... Try and stop us".
The problem is, the other team just says... "Okay".
The problem is, the other team just says... "Okay".
HawkeyeDenis
Well-Known Member
Minnesota only got one sack, but they hurried Stanley a lot. And Minnesota doesn't have that tough a defense. As I said, they are not that good at this point. Next year, year after they will probably be top tackles in the B1G.
