IowaLawWasRight
Well-Known Member
Well, the Hawks were double digit favorites against a 2 win team playing without its star WR and star QB...and escaped with a 26-20 win. It wasn't pretty, and it was too close for comfort, but a win is a win. The Hawks remain in contention for the Big 10 west title, thanks in part to our friends the Fighting Illini. So who stood out to IowaLaw today?
1. Moss - What a whirlwind 12 months it's been for Moss. Last year against Purdue, he was thrust into action as an unprepared freshmen and got absolutely torched. By the end of the season, he grew to become a solid cb. This year, he's been injured and hasn't seen much playing. However, after watching David Bell repeatedly take Hankins to school, staff threw Moss out there again. He responded by immediately intercepting a pass to Bell that would have been caught inside Iowa's 20 yard line. That HUGE int that prevented a touchdown and was likely the difference in the game.
2. Running Backs Disappoint - Coming into the game, Purdue had the second to last rushing defense in the Big 10. The perfect opportunity for Goodson to have a breakout 100+ yard performance. Instead, the RB trio were largely stuffed, until Sargent's 21 yard gain at the end of the game. Goodson averaged just 1.2 yards per carry. Sargent, just 2 yards (until the 4th quarter). Young, just 3.4. All against an awful run defense. If the Hawks are going to have an above average season this year, the running game cannot continue to randy around and must step it up.
3. Smith - Iowa needs Smith to be alright and take the field against Wisconsin after sustaining what looked like a bad injury at the end of the game. He is far and away the most improved player on the team this year. 9 catches for 106 yards is an incredible day...and makes Hawk fans feel like we actually have a legit WR on the team for a change. While Purdue freshmen David Bell nearly doubled Smith's total with 200 receiving yards, and is an example of a star, the goal for the Hawks is to have an honorable mention all-Big 10 caliber WR, not an NFL first rounder.
4. Stanley- Nate was Nate today. 23/33 for 260 yrds, 0 tds, 1 int. Solid game manager. Took very few risks, showed great arm strength on the short throws and some touch on throws into coverage. At the same time, he continued to throw the ball behind his targets, miss wide open receivers, and unnecessarily take sacks. He did enough to beat Purdue. Of course, it didn't hurt that his QB peer was a freshmen backup who had to go up against a rowdy Iowa defense. Plummer was 30/50 for 327 & 2 tds against us and will likely be a stud in a couple of years.
5. Woods Finally Makes Punt Return Adjustment - IowaLaw has not been shy about calling out LeVar Woods as the weakest link on the coaching staff. He has been for years, which is why he was relegated to special teams after dabbling with tight ends and LB coaching duties. This year, our glaring punt returner deficiency has been obvious since game 1, when Ragaini's inability to catch punts made Miami of Ohio's punter look like the second coming of Reggie Roby. However, rather than giving someone else a shot or switching the scheme, the problems persisted week after week. Last week, they made their first adjustment and added a 2nd returner to ensure that balls don't roll. This week, after 7 games, Woods finally made the call to replace Ragaini. Geno Stone and Max Cooper caught every catchable punt and it made the difference of about 40 yards of field position.
6. Sleep Dalton For Newcomer of the Year - I've been saying it all year, but what a difference having a good punter can make. 4 punts for a 47 yard average, including a HUGE 63 yard punt that totally flipped the field on Purdue at a time when we needed it. If you factor in Rastetter's 37 yrds per punt average last year, we gained an extra 40 yards with this grad transfer.
1. Moss - What a whirlwind 12 months it's been for Moss. Last year against Purdue, he was thrust into action as an unprepared freshmen and got absolutely torched. By the end of the season, he grew to become a solid cb. This year, he's been injured and hasn't seen much playing. However, after watching David Bell repeatedly take Hankins to school, staff threw Moss out there again. He responded by immediately intercepting a pass to Bell that would have been caught inside Iowa's 20 yard line. That HUGE int that prevented a touchdown and was likely the difference in the game.
2. Running Backs Disappoint - Coming into the game, Purdue had the second to last rushing defense in the Big 10. The perfect opportunity for Goodson to have a breakout 100+ yard performance. Instead, the RB trio were largely stuffed, until Sargent's 21 yard gain at the end of the game. Goodson averaged just 1.2 yards per carry. Sargent, just 2 yards (until the 4th quarter). Young, just 3.4. All against an awful run defense. If the Hawks are going to have an above average season this year, the running game cannot continue to randy around and must step it up.
3. Smith - Iowa needs Smith to be alright and take the field against Wisconsin after sustaining what looked like a bad injury at the end of the game. He is far and away the most improved player on the team this year. 9 catches for 106 yards is an incredible day...and makes Hawk fans feel like we actually have a legit WR on the team for a change. While Purdue freshmen David Bell nearly doubled Smith's total with 200 receiving yards, and is an example of a star, the goal for the Hawks is to have an honorable mention all-Big 10 caliber WR, not an NFL first rounder.
4. Stanley- Nate was Nate today. 23/33 for 260 yrds, 0 tds, 1 int. Solid game manager. Took very few risks, showed great arm strength on the short throws and some touch on throws into coverage. At the same time, he continued to throw the ball behind his targets, miss wide open receivers, and unnecessarily take sacks. He did enough to beat Purdue. Of course, it didn't hurt that his QB peer was a freshmen backup who had to go up against a rowdy Iowa defense. Plummer was 30/50 for 327 & 2 tds against us and will likely be a stud in a couple of years.
5. Woods Finally Makes Punt Return Adjustment - IowaLaw has not been shy about calling out LeVar Woods as the weakest link on the coaching staff. He has been for years, which is why he was relegated to special teams after dabbling with tight ends and LB coaching duties. This year, our glaring punt returner deficiency has been obvious since game 1, when Ragaini's inability to catch punts made Miami of Ohio's punter look like the second coming of Reggie Roby. However, rather than giving someone else a shot or switching the scheme, the problems persisted week after week. Last week, they made their first adjustment and added a 2nd returner to ensure that balls don't roll. This week, after 7 games, Woods finally made the call to replace Ragaini. Geno Stone and Max Cooper caught every catchable punt and it made the difference of about 40 yards of field position.
6. Sleep Dalton For Newcomer of the Year - I've been saying it all year, but what a difference having a good punter can make. 4 punts for a 47 yard average, including a HUGE 63 yard punt that totally flipped the field on Purdue at a time when we needed it. If you factor in Rastetter's 37 yrds per punt average last year, we gained an extra 40 yards with this grad transfer.
