Iowa State: I don't get it

ChosenChildren

ChosenChildren

Well-Known Member
I watched the Iowa State-Iowa game. Iowa State looked good on defense. Fast to the ball. Good QB. Good concepts. Played with passion.

I thought they would have an outstanding season.

Right now, they absolutely stink. Silly mistakes. Fumbles. Penalties. No passion on defense. They are getting blown out and they are clueless. They may not win another game, other than Kansas. Some of their fans are melting down on their board.

I can only explain this in 4 ways:

1. Iowa was their "Super Bowl". They shot their wad and have nothing left in the tank.
2. The Big 12 is really that good.
3. Iowa is really that bad.
4. Iowa is a very average team, but will do well because the Big 10 stinks.

#1 doesn't wash with me. I also don't think 3 or 4 are true. I think it is #2; the Big 12 is really that good.

What do other people think? Why is Iowa State struggling so much now, after looking so good against Iowa?
 
I just said this in another thread but I will say it again here. IOWA JUST NEEDS TO WIN THE DAMN GAME!!!
 
Many reasons....It was ISU's super bowl. Iowa is young and will peak towards the end of the season. The b12 is much better than the b10 this year. This Iowa team does not play well on the road. ISU has no depth so they will always be a mess by mid to late season.
 
I haven't gotten to see them play much lately, but for the first month, ISU was playing with passion against everyone. They made plenty of mistakes against Iowa, too. They really didn't play THAT much better against Iowa than they did against UNI or UCONN. Jantz's performance was the only difference, and he's not been there long enough to treat Iowa as a Super Bowl game.

Plus, the Big 12 is loaded this year.
 
During the Clown / Texas game TV coverage, Mac Brown was quoted as saying during the pre-game speech "We don't lose to Iowa State". I know this isn't coach Ferentz's style, but I would seriously be ok with this being the mantra before every Iowa / Iowa State game - just to make sure they are fired up, and to remember what losing to the Clowns feels like the rest of the year.
 
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I think it is a combination of #2 and #4, the teams they have played so far (TX, Baylor, and Missouri) will finish anywhere from 4th to 7th in the Big 12 and they haven't even played the 3 best teams in the Big 12 yet in Oklahoma, Oklahoma St and A&M.
 
Iowa didn't have one of their impact defensive players (Bernstein) which meant that Hyde played out of position. Coker was bad and McCall wasn't there to back him up. JVB didn't play well. We were on the road and the other team played great. That usually results in a loss or a close win at best, and 3OTs is about as close a game as you're going to get.

As poorly as Iowa State has played, they are worlds better than Indiana and Minnesota. I can't really compare the bulk of the conferences other than to say that the Big12 doesn't look quite as good as it did two weeks ago. Obviously, Iowa State is in the middle of an awful realization of what happens when you have to play every other team in a ten-team conference that is having a pretty good year.
 
I say just quit playing them and in place of Iowa State schedule an out of state team we can beat (Wisconsin does that all the time).

In most years Iowa is suppose to beat the Cyclones but usually has trouble with them. Could be Iowa is a slow starting team in September and Iowa State places more effort preparing for this game in August.

If the games were played in October or November I think the chances would be greater Iowa wins more of the contests. Two reasons for this is Iowa State would have less preparation time for the Hawks and two Iowa State would probably be dealing with more starters out or hobbled with injuries (Iowa is a little deeper in talent compared to ISU and that would be to Iowa's benefit).
 
Iowa was up against a top 10 Mizzou last year in that little bowl and won, FWIW. I know it's a different year, etc, but...

Iowa State baffles me.
 
we should have put more pressure on Rusty - that is what worked prior to their game with us, and that is what teams have been doing after our game. Plus, we are young, the game was early in the season, our D didn't contain well, etc. Perfect storm for Rusty to perform well.

also, these teams that are beating up the clownz aren't bad. and they are being played on the road.

finally, the clownz have no depth. think we don't have depth on D? just think of their depth. nonexistent.
 
racerhawk said:
Iowa was up against a top 10 Mizzou last year in that little bowl and won, FWIW. I know it's a different year, etc, but...

Iowa State baffles me.
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iowa had a hell of a team last year. record doesn't bear it out but that was a great team, full of talent - we handed WI that game and weren't quite the same afterwards + lots going on inside the team.
 
#1 doesn't wash with you? Have you been asleep for the past 10 years? I haven't been therefore I do get it. Again, it is not just that they are losing it is how they are losing.
 
I wonder if Rhoads still thinks this is his best team yet? If so ISU won't be getting out of 9th or 10th place for awhile.
 
I've watched every Iowa and watched or listened to every ISU game this year.

ISU does not have a good offense, at this point with a rookie quarterback, injuries along the offensive line, and a general lack of playmakers they cannot score more than 25 points per game. They need heroics to score points. They need Jantz to run abround like Dan Persa, need Reynolds to make big catches and the running backs to break tackles. Their defense has very little depth and is undermanned on the D-Line. So take the Mizzou game.. Mizzou comes down and scores 7-0, ISU turns the ball over its 14-0 game over. There is no room for error.

Iowa plays a style of football that does not seek to score a lot of points to win games. The offense is set up to run the ball, set up the play action and not commit turnovers. Ferentz would be content winning 20-10. The teams that ISU plays against want to win 42-35.

Basically if you turn the game into a horserace ISU cannot keep up with the scoring of Texa$, Mizzou, Baylor. But if you muddy the track and keep it close ISU can make plays and have a chance to win it at the end. Iowa's style allows teams of lesser talent to hang around and have a shot.
 
ChosenChildren said:
I watched the Iowa State-Iowa game. Iowa State looked good on defense. Fast to the ball. Good QB. Good concepts. Played with passion.

I thought they would have an outstanding season.

Right now, they absolutely stink. Silly mistakes. Fumbles. Penalties. No passion on defense. They are getting blown out and they are clueless. They may not win another game, other than Kansas. Some of their fans are melting down on their board.

I can only explain this in 4 ways:

1. Iowa was their "Super Bowl". They shot their wad and have nothing left in the tank.
2. The Big 12 is really that good.
3. Iowa is really that bad.
4. Iowa is a very average team, but will do well because the Big 10 stinks.

#1 doesn't wash with me. I also don't think 3 or 4 are true. I think it is #2; the Big 12 is really that good.

What do other people think? Why is Iowa State struggling so much now, after looking so good against Iowa?
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1. This has to be the dumbest ******* argument i have ever heard. A football team practices for every ******* team like its their super bowl. You have no idea how hard those kids work. You don't try too hard for one game and suddenly run out of juice for the rest of the season. It doesn't work that way.

2. Yes.

3. Iowa is pretty bad but not that bad.

4. Yup
 
Enginerd said:
It may be his best team, but their schedule is brutal.
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True, but to me this team isn't as good as last year's team from what I have seen this year.

ISU played their backup QB against Missouri last year and lost 14-0 and Missouri had two top 10 picks off of that team last year, yet they lose by 35 this year. I'm sorry but playing at Missouri isn't a 21 point advantage.
 
Enginerd said:
It may be his best team, but their schedule is brutal.
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schedule hasn't changed a whole lot from his previous two years other than the fact that iowa is weaker than previous two teams, texas is weaker from a historical perspective. Connecticut weaker and has a new coaching staff.

i think his recruiting is weak and his success has been thanks to the players he has inherited. i see a downward trend here. and given his tone after the MO game, i think the bitterness has already set in.
 
ChosenChildren said:
What do other people think? Why is Iowa State struggling so much now, after looking so good against Iowa?
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If we played them at the end of the year we would kill them.

They have ZERO depth. NONE, ZIP, Nada. First team only. They implode about this time every year due to wearing down.

They will never make the jump to the next level. Too small of a program and tiny fan base.

They stink now because of lack of depth.
 
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