Iowa points per game by year

[dagdaj]

So, since points per game was such a big part of the 'story' last year, and since this year feels rather bountiful at times....

Under Kirk:

1999 14.7
2000 16.9
2001 31
2002 37.2
2003 28.7
2004 24.3
2005 30
2006 23.8
2007 18.5
2008 30.3
2009 23.2
2010 28.9
2011 27.5
2012 19.3
2013 26.3
2014 28.2
2015 30.9
2016 24.9
2017 28.2
2018 31.2
2019 25.8
2020 31.8
2021 23.4
2022 17.7
2023 15.4
2024 29.4

Interestingly, Brain holds the #2 and #3 spots on the all time under Kirk. Course he also demonstrated a consistent and enduring pattern not present under any other OC. Lester on pace for a what, top 15% average in year one?

I don't know if this affirms Tim Lester. Or Kirkball. Or neither. But, it's hard to complain too much (even though I still will). I still think it's all not worked out yet.

But I sure as heck enjoyed watching Saturday. And enjoyed a rewatch last night. It was fun football. Johnson is my favorite kind of Iowa back. Just a demoralizer to the opponents. At this point, you almost have to expect him to somehow bust one. I was previously impressed with Sullivan's hustle getting out for that block. Maybe now more impressed with Johnson on the pick 6. A guy with nothing he needs to prove in that situation, and yet, he was the only guy who had a chance at catching the guy and he poured every bit of his speed into it and didn't give up until the guy absolutely had it about 10-15 yards out. That kind of stuff and the reactions to Pascuzzi's catch, Wetjen's TD, etc. A vibrancy we've just not seen in years. I'm tentatively here for it.

Nice to watch a game and be able to relax and tune out in the 4th quarter against an inferior team because the score isn't 7-5.

 

[HuckFinn]

Nice call on Johnson’s effort on the pick 6. Did not register with me until I fired up my dvr.

 

[dagdaj]

Nice call on Johnson’s effort on the pick 6. Did not register with me until I fired up my dvr.

I caught it real time. On rewatch, it was actually an even greater effort.

 

[SCHawkeye2]

So, since points per game was such a big part of the 'story' last year, and since this year feels rather bountiful at times....

Under Kirk:

1999 14.7
2000 16.9
2001 31
2002 37.2
2003 28.7
2004 24.3
2005 30
2006 23.8
2007 18.5
2008 30.3
2009 23.2
2010 28.9
2011 27.5
2012 19.3
2013 26.3
2014 28.2
2015 30.9
2016 24.9
2017 28.2
2018 31.2
2019 25.8
2020 31.8
2021 23.4
2022 17.7
2023 15.4
2024 29.4

Interestingly, Brain holds the #2 and #3 spots on the all time under Kirk. Course he also demonstrated a consistent and enduring pattern not present under any other OC. Lester on pace for a what, top 15% average in year one?

I don't know if this affirms Tim Lester. Or Kirkball. Or neither. But, it's hard to complain too much (even though I still will). I still think it's all not worked out yet.

But I sure as heck enjoyed watching Saturday. And enjoyed a rewatch last night. It was fun football. Johnson is my favorite kind of Iowa back. Just a demoralizer to the opponents. At this point, you almost have to expect him to somehow bust one. I was previously impressed with Sullivan's hustle getting out for that block. Maybe now more impressed with Johnson on the pick 6. A guy with nothing he needs to prove in that situation, and yet, he was the only guy who had a chance at catching the guy and he poured every bit of his speed into it and didn't give up until the guy absolutely had it about 10-15 yards out. That kind of stuff and the reactions to Pascuzzi's catch, Wetjen's TD, etc. A vibrancy we've just not seen in years. I'm tentatively here for it.

Nice to watch a game and be able to relax and tune out in the 4th quarter against an inferior team because the score isn't 7-5.

If you toss out 2020
Covid year, you can see the offensive production decline every year under BF.

 

[NCHawker]

So, since points per game was such a big part of the 'story' last year, and since this year feels rather bountiful at times....

Under Kirk:

1999 14.7
2000 16.9
2001 31
2002 37.2
2003 28.7
2004 24.3
2005 30
2006 23.8
2007 18.5
2008 30.3
2009 23.2
2010 28.9
2011 27.5
2012 19.3
2013 26.3
2014 28.2
2015 30.9
2016 24.9
2017 28.2
2018 31.2
2019 25.8
2020 31.8
2021 23.4
2022 17.7
2023 15.4
2024 29.4

Interestingly, Brain holds the #2 and #3 spots on the all time under Kirk. Course he also demonstrated a consistent and enduring pattern not present under any other OC. Lester on pace for a what, top 15% average in year one?

I don't know if this affirms Tim Lester. Or Kirkball. Or neither. But, it's hard to complain too much (even though I still will). I still think it's all not worked out yet.

Odd, to see 2017 and 2018 because I've been fussing about the offense since 2011. I wonder how it looks without OOC games. That perception I have has to be based on someting. Maybe a few outliers pushed up the averages.

 

[99topdawg]

I've said this throughout the past couple of seasons and it's not to defend Brain, but to state facts.

Our OL sucked the last 2 years either because they were too young, there was too much attrition, or they just weren't good.

Our WR's were bad enough that they couldn't get separation.

Put those 2 together and our QB was sacked/hurried before the WR's got open.

Yes, our QB's sucked, partly because they sucked and partly because they had to be scared shitless.

Also, the OL was bad enough that they D only had to rush 4 or 5 guys and drop everyone else back in coverage. They could also commit more guys to stop the run because of our passing game.

Because of the OL, we weren't able to (or we didn't) run the complex blocking schemes we've run in the past and are running now. This year, it's really fun seeing one play setting up another using the same look but different scheme.

And we had a shitty OC.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

I've said this throughout the past couple of seasons and it's not to defend Brain, but to state facts.

Our OL sucked the last 2 years either because they were too young, there was too much attrition, or they just weren't good.

Our WR's were bad enough that they couldn't get separation.

Put those 2 together and our QB was sacked/hurried before the WR's got open.

Yes, our QB's sucked, partly because they sucked and partly because they had to be scared shitless.

Also, the OL was bad enough that they D only had to rush 4 or 5 guys and drop everyone else back in coverage. They could also commit more guys to stop the run because of our passing game.

Because of the OL, we weren't able to (or we didn't) run the complex blocking schemes we've run in the past and are running now. This year, it's really fun seeing one play setting up another using the same look but different scheme.

And we had a shitty OC.

Its a results based business. Do I think Scott Frost was the worst coach in America when at Nebbie? No. A lot of bad luck, but also a lot of bad decisions. Same with BF. Some things broke against him, including recruiting misses, injuries, and early graduations in key positions. But, the bottom line is that he had more than a fair chance to prove himself a competent OC and he failed. Utterly.

Lester is taking much of the same players and making them look marginally competent. The results are what they are.

Also, if you look at that list and the high points, you can filter in the competent QBs during KF's tenure and there would be a strong corrrelation. QB play is almost everything in football.

 

[NCHawker]

Its a results based business. Do I think Scott Frost was the worst coach in America when at Nebbie? No. A lot of bad luck, but also a lot of bad decisions. Same with BF. Some things broke against him, including recruiting misses, injuries, and early graduations in key positions. But, the bottom line is that he had more than a fair chance to prove himself a competent OC and he failed. Utterly.

Lester is taking much of the same players and making them look marginally competent. The results are what they are.

Also, if you look at that list and the high points, you can filter in the competent QBs during KF's tenure and there would be a strong corrrelation. QB play is almost everything in football.

without going too far down the rabbit hole (which means I will). the first falure of Brian/Kirks was not landing O Linemen in the portal follwing 2021 season...that game against KY. Lundy was leaving and it was not looking good. I remember opening day 2022 - how shocked I was at how poor that unit played. IMO it cascaded from there.

and to back up a bit. Brian was not an offensive mind and simply could not help a QB develop and there fore could not recruit QBs

 

[dagdaj]

Our OL sucked the last 2 years...

So Brain was the O line coach from 2012-2016
And the OC from there forward.

I remember when he was hired as the o-line coach. Made sense. Kirk teams had been producing draftable offensive linemen for years. Very system/fundamental oriented players. Who better to know that system than Brain?

Problem is, the number of drafted o-line players trended downwards for Brain, both as the line coach and the OC. Pretty sure I came up with and posted the percentage change of lineman being drafted dropping for Brain as both the line coach and the OC, relative to the Iowa average under Kirk.

So despite being a logical/sensible choice for understanding the O-line, he underperformed in developing and recruiting relative to other OCs/line coaches at Iowa under Kirk.

Oddly, as QBs go, he was slightly above the average against other OCs. But, you know. Outliers. With so few going from Iowa...outliers and all.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

without going too far down the rabbit hole (which means I will). the first falure of Brian/Kirks was not landing O Linemen in the portal follwing 2021 season...that game against KY. Lundy was leaving and it was not looking good. I remember opening day 2022 - how shocked I was at how poor that unit played. IMO it cascaded from there.

Agreed

 

[dagdaj]

Odd, to see 2017 and 2018 because I've been fussing about the offense since 2011. I wonder how it looks without OOC games. That perception I have has to be based on someting. Maybe a few outliers pushed up the averages.

This is an interesting angle. I mean, mix the fact that when Maryland and Rutgers came along...it gave us the unbalanced schedule and sometimes took OSU/Michigan/PSU off the schedule.

But, I do recall in the halcyon days Kirkball, that we weren't edging out NDSU 7-5 or whatever. I mean, that's the extreme. But when they played Akron or whoever, you're almost always looking at a 40 spot on the board. I think Kirk has certainly become more conservative and plays for the win. I'm not judging that mentality one way or the other. But there's really only been a few occasions in the last decade where Kirk put his foot on the gas and never let up. Not that he did it a ton in the first decade, but I think he did it more often.

 

[dagdaj]

without going too far down the rabbit hole (which means I will). the first falure of Brian/Kirks was not landing O Linemen in the portal follwing 2021 season...that game against KY. Lundy was leaving and it was not looking good. I remember opening day 2022 - how shocked I was at how poor that unit played. IMO it cascaded from there.

and to back up a bit. Brian was not an offensive mind and simply could not help a QB develop and there fore could not recruit QBs

Total agreement. That's my argument. Brain was "the o-line guy" for a coach who's always relied on an the o-line. And he didn't execute.

QB though....other than (as noted, limited data corrupts)....also "draft" status does not necessarily correlate to college success:

3 Iowa QBs have been drafted since Kirk took over.
2011 Captain America, 5th round
2017 Beathard, 3rd round
2022 Nate the Great, 7th round

Granted, CJ was not recruited by Brain, but he was the OC for CJs senior year.
Brain was not only OC, but QB coach for Nate. Not sure of his recruiting involvement.

 

[InGoodCo]

People on HN used to want Stanley benched.

 

[dagdaj]

People on HN used to want Stanley benched.

I did not want Matt Rodgers playing.
Now, part of it, I attended the same high school as the late Tom Poholsky. I was really proud of that. Not many St. Louisans in Iowa City, let alone from my high school. And if you know anything about St. Louis, you will know that what high school you went to is VERY important. When you first meet someone in St. Louis, the conversation will quickly turn to what high school you went to.

That being said, that rather dismal season was clearly the absolute best thing for the team through the following years.

I don't recall how I felt about Nate the Great.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

I don't recall how I felt about Nate the Great.

Watching he and Lindy do sneaks was about the best thing ever. It was as good as the Eagles tush push witout the pushing. Guy was a beast.

Stanley was a poor man's Sam Darnold. Okay at everything, not elite at anything (except the sneak!)

 

[dagdaj]

Watching he and Lindy do sneaks was about the best thing ever. It was as good as the Eagles tush push witout the pushing. Guy was a beast.

Stanley was a poor man's Sam Darnold. Okay at everything, not elite at anything (except the sneak!)

It kind of was the highest value play we had. In terms of achieving a meaningful result at a very high level of success. Either a 1st down or a TD almost every time it was run. Kinda hard to argue against it's value.