IowaLaw's Post Game Analysis: Holiday Bowl

IowaLawWasRight said:
UIhawk - good stats. Sargent did break off a big run...which begs the question...what is Brain's thought process in distributing carries? He's said "we play the hot hand." Goodson got virtually all of the carries (18) and averaged just 2.7 yrds per carry. Sargent, on the other hand, got 2 carries, broke off the 19 yrd run, and never touched the ball again. Young averaged 4.5 yards per carry but only touched the ball 4 times. I'm not sure there's any rhyme or reason for the in-game ball distribution, statistically.

Revkev - it's hard to say why Iowa didn't come out with similar innovative, thoughtful game plans against our Big 10 rivals. It's certainly frustrating. It's almost as though someone else intervened in the USC game planning (we had a month between games, there was more time for Ken O'Keefe and staff to weigh in). In any event, there is no reason why next year's team can't employ the same aggressive play calling, regardless of who is playing QB.

Northside - I agree having a deep pool of WRs should help open up the run game next year. With that said, we had a 3 year starter at QB and all of those same WRs this year and the run game never seemed to open up. That's not likely to change next year with a 1st year QB and an all-American tackle who leaves for the NFL. More likely, the best way to open up the run game is to change the scheme. Adding some jet sweets and pitches to Goodson like against USC will help.

Dean & Chosen - you make a good point. It's possible that Iowa's sudden offensive breakthrough was more of a product of the opponent than anything to do with the offense. Had Iowa called those same plays against Wisconsin/Penn State/Mich, the results may have been different. The play calling against USC was definitely more aggressive than we've all year, with reverses, bubble screens, and deep balls that the staff was too conservative to try against the Big boys.

At the end of the day, Iowa's offense did not rank 97th nationally based solely on the schedule we played. In fact, of Iowa's 10 wins this season, 0 were against teams that finished ranked in the top 25 (if Minn loses their bowl game).
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Yes we need to remember this USC game and the plays and schemes that worked. From the second half of Wisconsin on our offense finally looked like a top 25 offense. ISM was a threat to score every time his hand was on the ball. Tracy stepped up. Goodson stepped up. LaPorta blew past two men on the depth chart.

Next year we hopefully will have Brandon Smith for a full season. There's your redzone threat, as well as a good third down receiver.

We will be weaker at tackle if (when) Wirfs declares but might be stronger at guard. There's as much experience returning at guard/center as you could want. Jackson at 100% will help as well.
 
IowaLawWasRight said:
A 49-24 win against a blue blood to cap off a 10 win season is the best way to ease the pain of going the next 8 months without Hawkeye football. While the refs randying around didn't do Iowa any favors, having USC down to their 3rd string QB was a huge break. Perhaps most encouraging is who stepped up to make the win happen. In particular:

1. Brian Ferentz - It's a rare day when IowaLaw applauds the coach's son for a job well done, but today's game plan (worst first play of the game ever aside) was impeccable. The misdirection, play calls against tendency, and aggressive offense was exactly what was needed to beat a team with superior athletes. Where were those jet sweeps to Smith-Marsette and Tracy and pitches to Goodson all year? No audibles to a run up the middle with 8 men in the box. The Hawks DO have the horses to score points (contrary to posters making excuses in the past that Iowa simply "doesn't want to score a bunch of points"). Let's build on this as a blue print for future play calling

2. Stanley - Nate was still Nate, but he played to the best of his abilities. His accuracy was as good as we've seen, 18/27 for 213, but his yards were mediocre (Slovis threw for 260 playing just 1/2 the game). He showed the cannon for an arm that he's had all along, zipping balls the way only an NFL bound QB can. His play clock unawareness remained clueless (2 more unexplainable delay of games). He fumbled, and had some bad misses to open receivers, but all in all, Nate put the ball where it needed to go against a ranked opponent. He gained the tough yards on sneaks that sealed the game. Three bowl wins is not a feat that many QBs in our lifetime will achieve, so let's give Nate his due. He's going to be near the top of Iowa's record books for decades to come.

3. Running game - I'm not sure Iowa has had a back that people love so much who produced so little. We all see the potential in Goodson, but 18 rushes for 48 yards is not one for the highlight reel. Is it all on the OL? Probably not. Is it the scheme? Maybe. I would have loved to see more of what Young could do this year (just 4 rushes for 18 yards today). Like Derrick Mitchell in years past, he led the team in yards per carry in pretty much every game he saw touches, but Kirk never seemed to want him to play. My guess is either Young or Sargent bids farewell, as there just aren't enough carries to go around.

4. Smith-Marsette - USC may have had the 2018 recruiting class's #1 overall recruit in WR St. Brown (9 catches for 163 yards), and a first round draft pick WR, but Smith-Marsette was the best offensive player on the field today. How arrogant to kick to him over and over. On offense, his 46 yards receiving and 15 yards aren't eye popping, but his 2 offensive touchdowns in the first half give hope that, for the first time since DJK and McNutt, the Hawks could have one of the best WR corps in the Big 10 next year (assuming Martin is playing over Ragaini, who had 2 more drops today). We are going to need elite WRs to help a QB who didn't throw a meaningful pass all year.

5. LaPorta - 6 targets, 6 catches, 44 yards. That's a solid stat line for a senior tight end. LaPorta is an 18 yr old true freshmen who didn't have a pass thrown to him until the second half of the season. This guy will be starting next year, and winning the Macky Award as a junior. He's got a knack for getting open and has better hands than most of the WRs on the team. He's going to put on 5 pounds between now and fall, so the sky is the limit.

6. AJE - It's been fun to watch the only 5 star recruit in decades. While I'd love to see him return next year, and he's just the kind of level headed star that might consider it, I think we've seen the last of AJE in a Hawkeye uniform. Two years in a row with double digit, the first to accomplish that since Matt Roth, and plenty more QB disruptions that would never show up on the stat sheet. Today, he had 4 tackles, with 2.5 sacks. While AJE was a legacy recruit, perhaps it's time for the Hawks to start mining Polynesian talent more often. The rosters at the top Pac 12 schools like USC, Washington, and Utah are loaded with them, and if AJE loved his time at Iowa, surely others could follow.
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Iowa wasn't penalized for delay of game in this game. There were a couple times when it was close, but timeouts were called in both instances. Stanley himself called timeout on one, and KF called timeout on the other one. The fumble wasn't really his fault either. He was hit from the backside as he was starting to throw the ball. That could happen to any QB regardless of how good they are.
 
IowaLawWasRight said:
A 49-24 win against a blue blood to cap off a 10 win season is the best way to ease the pain of going the next 8 months without Hawkeye football. While the refs randying around didn't do Iowa any favors, having USC down to their 3rd string QB was a huge break. Perhaps most encouraging is who stepped up to make the win happen. In particular:

1. Brian Ferentz - It's a rare day when IowaLaw applauds the coach's son for a job well done, but today's game plan (worst first play of the game ever aside) was impeccable. The misdirection, play calls against tendency, and aggressive offense was exactly what was needed to beat a team with superior athletes. Where were those jet sweeps to Smith-Marsette and Tracy and pitches to Goodson all year? No audibles to a run up the middle with 8 men in the box. The Hawks DO have the horses to score points (contrary to posters making excuses in the past that Iowa simply "doesn't want to score a bunch of points"). Let's build on this as a blue print for future play calling

2. Stanley - Nate was still Nate, but he played to the best of his abilities. His accuracy was as good as we've seen, 18/27 for 213, but his yards were mediocre (Slovis threw for 260 playing just 1/2 the game). He showed the cannon for an arm that he's had all along, zipping balls the way only an NFL bound QB can. His play clock unawareness remained clueless (2 more unexplainable delay of games). He fumbled, and had some bad misses to open receivers, but all in all, Nate put the ball where it needed to go against a ranked opponent. He gained the tough yards on sneaks that sealed the game. Three bowl wins is not a feat that many QBs in our lifetime will achieve, so let's give Nate his due. He's going to be near the top of Iowa's record books for decades to come.

3. Running game - I'm not sure Iowa has had a back that people love so much who produced so little. We all see the potential in Goodson, but 18 rushes for 48 yards is not one for the highlight reel. Is it all on the OL? Probably not. Is it the scheme? Maybe. I would have loved to see more of what Young could do this year (just 4 rushes for 18 yards today). Like Derrick Mitchell in years past, he led the team in yards per carry in pretty much every game he saw touches, but Kirk never seemed to want him to play. My guess is either Young or Sargent bids farewell, as there just aren't enough carries to go around.

4. Smith-Marsette - USC may have had the 2018 recruiting class's #1 overall recruit in WR St. Brown (9 catches for 163 yards), and a first round draft pick WR, but Smith-Marsette was the best offensive player on the field today. How arrogant to kick to him over and over. On offense, his 46 yards receiving and 15 yards aren't eye popping, but his 2 offensive touchdowns in the first half give hope that, for the first time since DJK and McNutt, the Hawks could have one of the best WR corps in the Big 10 next year (assuming Martin is playing over Ragaini, who had 2 more drops today). We are going to need elite WRs to help a QB who didn't throw a meaningful pass all year.

5. LaPorta - 6 targets, 6 catches, 44 yards. That's a solid stat line for a senior tight end. LaPorta is an 18 yr old true freshmen who didn't have a pass thrown to him until the second half of the season. This guy will be starting next year, and winning the Macky Award as a junior. He's got a knack for getting open and has better hands than most of the WRs on the team. He's going to put on 5 pounds between now and fall, so the sky is the limit.

6. AJE - It's been fun to watch the only 5 star recruit in decades. While I'd love to see him return next year, and he's just the kind of level headed star that might consider it, I think we've seen the last of AJE in a Hawkeye uniform. Two years in a row with double digit, the first to accomplish that since Matt Roth, and plenty more QB disruptions that would never show up on the stat sheet. Today, he had 4 tackles, with 2.5 sacks. While AJE was a legacy recruit, perhaps it's time for the Hawks to start mining Polynesian talent more often. The rosters at the top Pac 12 schools like USC, Washington, and Utah are loaded with them, and if AJE loved his time at Iowa, surely others could follow.
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I am concerned about Ragaini's drops. It happens over and over. It seems like O. Martin is built for that position, but I'm not a coach. That will be an interesting competition in the spring?
 
It took 7 games of some of the worst punt returning in Iowa football history before Ferentz finally pulled Ragaini from those duties to give someone else a shot. Averaging 2 drops on 3rd down per game has not reduced Ragaini's playing time in the slightest, regardless of having Martin on the bench waiting to come in. I don't expect next year to be any different. It sounds like we've got some talented young WRs on the bench who haven't seen the field yet...we won't likely see them until 2021.

For all of the staff's strengths, loyalty to existing starters in favor of more talented bench players has been a glaring issue for over a decade. Let's not forget, no one would remember CJ Beathard's name if he hadn't threatened to transfer, which prompted Kirk to see the light and actually play the kid over a much less talented starter entrenched in the position.

ChosenChildren said:
I am concerned about Ragaini's drops. It happens over and over. It seems like O. Martin is built for that position, but I'm not a coach. That will be an interesting competition in the spring?
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ChosenChildren said:
I am concerned about Ragaini's drops. It happens over and over. It seems like O. Martin is built for that position, but I'm not a coach. That will be an interesting competition in the spring?
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Amen I totally echo your 2 cents on this. Was there a reason ever given why Martin wasn't suited up for the game? I'd never heard if so. Just assumed he was nicked up with something. But yeah if Martin doesn't have better hands then Ragaini (or any WR on roster for that matter) it'd be discerning. He dropped far too many balls especially on 3rd downs that just killed some drives this year. Now he's dang good at route running and getting open from that spot. And he did make some tough catches too. But you gotta catch the layups and he just dropped too many. It's head scratching that with the competition for spots that there wasn't some more rotation involved with others getting reps... Spring and fall will be interesting for sure.
 
IowaLawWasRight said:
It took 7 games of some of the worst punt returning in Iowa football history before Ferentz finally pulled Ragaini from those duties to give someone else a shot. Averaging 2 drops on 3rd down per game has not reduced Ragaini's playing time in the slightest, regardless of having Martin on the bench waiting to come in. I don't expect next year to be any different. It sounds like we've got some talented young WRs on the bench who haven't seen the field yet...we won't likely see them until 2021.

For all of the staff's strengths, loyalty to existing starters in favor of more talented bench players has been a glaring issue for over a decade. Let's not forget, no one would remember CJ Beathard's name if he hadn't threatened to transfer, which prompted Kirk to see the light and actually play the kid over a much less talented starter entrenched in the position.
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Your obsession with Ragaini is getting creepy. While I agree he was terrible on punt returns he's been decent for a true freshmen in the slot. While we are not owed an explanation on Martin the word has been he hasn't been healthy to play. But you continue with this stupid narrative.
 
IowaLawWasRight said:
A 49-24 win against a blue blood to cap off a 10 win season is the best way to ease the pain of going the next 8 months without Hawkeye football. While the refs randying around didn't do Iowa any favors, having USC down to their 3rd string QB was a huge break. Perhaps most encouraging is who stepped up to make the win happen. In particular:

1. Brian Ferentz - It's a rare day when IowaLaw applauds the coach's son for a job well done, but today's game plan (worst first play of the game ever aside) was impeccable. The misdirection, play calls against tendency, and aggressive offense was exactly what was needed to beat a team with superior athletes. Where were those jet sweeps to Smith-Marsette and Tracy and pitches to Goodson all year? No audibles to a run up the middle with 8 men in the box. The Hawks DO have the horses to score points (contrary to posters making excuses in the past that Iowa simply "doesn't want to score a bunch of points"). Let's build on this as a blue print for future play calling

2. Stanley - Nate was still Nate, but he played to the best of his abilities. His accuracy was as good as we've seen, 18/27 for 213, but his yards were mediocre (Slovis threw for 260 playing just 1/2 the game). He showed the cannon for an arm that he's had all along, zipping balls the way only an NFL bound QB can. His play clock unawareness remained clueless (2 more unexplainable delay of games). He fumbled, and had some bad misses to open receivers, but all in all, Nate put the ball where it needed to go against a ranked opponent. He gained the tough yards on sneaks that sealed the game. Three bowl wins is not a feat that many QBs in our lifetime will achieve, so let's give Nate his due. He's going to be near the top of Iowa's record books for decades to come.

3. Running game - I'm not sure Iowa has had a back that people love so much who produced so little. We all see the potential in Goodson, but 18 rushes for 48 yards is not one for the highlight reel. Is it all on the OL? Probably not. Is it the scheme? Maybe. I would have loved to see more of what Young could do this year (just 4 rushes for 18 yards today). Like Derrick Mitchell in years past, he led the team in yards per carry in pretty much every game he saw touches, but Kirk never seemed to want him to play. My guess is either Young or Sargent bids farewell, as there just aren't enough carries to go around.

4. Smith-Marsette - USC may have had the 2018 recruiting class's #1 overall recruit in WR St. Brown (9 catches for 163 yards), and a first round draft pick WR, but Smith-Marsette was the best offensive player on the field today. How arrogant to kick to him over and over. On offense, his 46 yards receiving and 15 yards aren't eye popping, but his 2 offensive touchdowns in the first half give hope that, for the first time since DJK and McNutt, the Hawks could have one of the best WR corps in the Big 10 next year (assuming Martin is playing over Ragaini, who had 2 more drops today). We are going to need elite WRs to help a QB who didn't throw a meaningful pass all year.

5. LaPorta - 6 targets, 6 catches, 44 yards. That's a solid stat line for a senior tight end. LaPorta is an 18 yr old true freshmen who didn't have a pass thrown to him until the second half of the season. This guy will be starting next year, and winning the Macky Award as a junior. He's got a knack for getting open and has better hands than most of the WRs on the team. He's going to put on 5 pounds between now and fall, so the sky is the limit.

6. AJE - It's been fun to watch the only 5 star recruit in decades. While I'd love to see him return next year, and he's just the kind of level headed star that might consider it, I think we've seen the last of AJE in a Hawkeye uniform. Two years in a row with double digit, the first to accomplish that since Matt Roth, and plenty more QB disruptions that would never show up on the stat sheet. Today, he had 4 tackles, with 2.5 sacks. While AJE was a legacy recruit, perhaps it's time for the Hawks to start mining Polynesian talent more often. The rosters at the top Pac 12 schools like USC, Washington, and Utah are loaded with them, and if AJE loved his time at Iowa, surely others could follow.
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I’d pump the breaks on Brian’s genius. Yes the offense looked great. However USC was 83rd in the country in total defense. This wasn’t Wisconsin, penn state or Michigan on defense.
 
Over all a good post IowaLaw., You know your going to get picked apart but I thought you were right on except for the delay of game calls, as someone else pointed out.
 
ssckelley said:
Your obsession with Ragaini is getting creepy. While I agree he was terrible on punt returns he's been decent for a true freshmen in the slot. While we are not owed an explanation on Martin the word has been he hasn't been healthy to play. But you continue with this stupid narrative.
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OM will Earn playing time next year.. Tough Finding Room this year. No help 'starting' Late.¹
 
earlkoppelman said:
OM will Earn playing time next year.. Tough Finding Room this year. No help 'starting' Late.¹
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This will be an interesting competition to follow. OM had to have lots of moments of disappointment and 2nd guessing after discovering (as we all did!) that the talent level was really good and he couldn't crack the lineup. For sure I'd expect him to work his ass off to get better to unseat someone ahead of him, which in turn will force the others to so the same to hold their spot. Wow how the quickly the receiver position has been turned around!
 
SomersHawk said:
This will be an interesting competition to follow. OM had to have lots of moments of disappointment and 2nd guessing after discovering (as we all did!) that the talent level was really good and he couldn't crack the lineup. For sure I'd expect him to work his ass off to get better to unseat someone ahead of him, which in turn will force the others to so the same to hold their spot. Wow how the quickly the receiver position has been turned around!
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As much as we like to have everyone healthy, Iowa was pretty "clean" of injuries this year. Hopefully it will continue but odds are receivers will go down, perhaps more, and OM could easily be thrown into the breech. Hopefully he will be ready, always nice to see Iowa guys do well, and I mean no disrespect to other states or their talent.
 
ChosenChildren said:
I am concerned about Ragaini's drops. It happens over and over. It seems like O. Martin is built for that position, but I'm not a coach. That will be an interesting competition in the spring?
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agreed, his hands showed no improvement in season. far too many drops even for a freshman.
 
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