IowaLawWasRight
Well-Known Member
This game provided a lot of us what we were looking for: more passing, more scoring, and some creative play calling. A 48-31 win against an inferior opponent feels good, but not great. Minnesota starts a walk-on freshmen QB, a recipe for a losing season. They just lost 42-13 to lowly Maryland. Inconsistency is the theme of this week's recap.
1. Stanley - The stats reflect a solid performance: 23 of 39 for 314 yards and 4 TDs. That's 59% accuracy. He took some shots down the field and scrambled out of the pocket, which are signs of progress. Unfortunately, many of his passes were incredibly poorly thrown. He missed a wide open Fant for an easy touchdown, threw behind a lot of receivers, and randyed one of the strangest unforced interceptions/near pick 6s in recent memory. He was only sacked once, yet he still had happy feet. Instead of resorting to check down passes, he completed 14 passes to WRs.
2. LBs - Amani Jones and Dijmon Colbert added some much needed athleticism and meanness to the LB corp, with 9 and 8 tackles respectively. Jones looked like a wild beast out there sacking the quarterback, launching de-cleaters, and getting lost in pass coverage. His hit that resulted in a targeting call was reminiscent of some of the bell ringers Matt Roth and Bob Sanders used to dish out. Jack Hockaday played well, but suffered what looked like a pretty serious injury. Nick Nieman didn't play and his return is unknown. Barrington Wade was listed as a starter, but he totaled just 1 assisted tackle all game. I don't even remember seeing the guy out there. Kristian Welsh, our multiple game starter, had just 1 tackle as well. Mixed bag performance by the LBs.
3. WRs - The WRs showed flashes, but remain inconsistent. Brandon Smith had the breakout game that most have been expecting all year. He had 5 catches for 68 yards, and by my tally, zero drops. Easley led the team with catches, mostly down the middle, and is beginning to become the reliable leader he was last year. On the other end of the spectrum, Smith-Marsette had another game where he had more drops (4) than catches (3). No doubt he's got speed, as he showed on his 60 yard reception and 49 yard kick return. If only he could catch, he would be unstoppable. By the time Smith and Smith-Marsette are seniors, they are going to do some damage.
4. Freshmen CBs - First off, an Iowa team should never need to start two true freshmen CBs under any circumstances. Recruiting misses and major attrition at the position, coupled with injuries to our starters, necessitated throwing these guys to the wolves. Thank goodness the wolves in this case were Minnesota, a team with a walk-on freshmen QB who has no clue what he's doing. All CBs get burned from time to time (Desmond King did as a freshmen). Moss was no different. However, these guys played with heart and raw talent. They were rewarded with 3 interceptions between them. It's becoming clear: Iowa doesn't rebuild at CB, it reloads.
5. DL - Continuing the trend of inconsistency was the DL. The Big 10's sack leader, and future NFL draft pick Epenesa, was a no-show. I didn't hear his name called all day, despite Minnesota's porous OL. Anthony Nelson, on the other hand, put together an NFL draft highlight reel, with 3 sacks in the first half alone. He showed dominant bursts of quickness. Goldston was a beast as well, stuffing the middle and tallying a sack. Parker Hesse showed why he starts over AJ, and had a couple of tackles and a sack.
6. OLine - This was not the OLine's best game. They held up well in pass protection, giving up just 1 sack. However, the line didn't even give Iowa's RBs a chance. Half the hand offs were met by a DL in the backfield who blew the blocker off the line. We have three very capable running backs, yet they averaged just 2.7 yards per carry despite throwing the ball well all day. Imagine how much better they would be if James Daniels had stuck around and we moved Keegan Render to guard. Aleric Jackson was called out on tv today with a total whiff, but it was a collective poor effort by the line.
1. Stanley - The stats reflect a solid performance: 23 of 39 for 314 yards and 4 TDs. That's 59% accuracy. He took some shots down the field and scrambled out of the pocket, which are signs of progress. Unfortunately, many of his passes were incredibly poorly thrown. He missed a wide open Fant for an easy touchdown, threw behind a lot of receivers, and randyed one of the strangest unforced interceptions/near pick 6s in recent memory. He was only sacked once, yet he still had happy feet. Instead of resorting to check down passes, he completed 14 passes to WRs.
2. LBs - Amani Jones and Dijmon Colbert added some much needed athleticism and meanness to the LB corp, with 9 and 8 tackles respectively. Jones looked like a wild beast out there sacking the quarterback, launching de-cleaters, and getting lost in pass coverage. His hit that resulted in a targeting call was reminiscent of some of the bell ringers Matt Roth and Bob Sanders used to dish out. Jack Hockaday played well, but suffered what looked like a pretty serious injury. Nick Nieman didn't play and his return is unknown. Barrington Wade was listed as a starter, but he totaled just 1 assisted tackle all game. I don't even remember seeing the guy out there. Kristian Welsh, our multiple game starter, had just 1 tackle as well. Mixed bag performance by the LBs.
3. WRs - The WRs showed flashes, but remain inconsistent. Brandon Smith had the breakout game that most have been expecting all year. He had 5 catches for 68 yards, and by my tally, zero drops. Easley led the team with catches, mostly down the middle, and is beginning to become the reliable leader he was last year. On the other end of the spectrum, Smith-Marsette had another game where he had more drops (4) than catches (3). No doubt he's got speed, as he showed on his 60 yard reception and 49 yard kick return. If only he could catch, he would be unstoppable. By the time Smith and Smith-Marsette are seniors, they are going to do some damage.
4. Freshmen CBs - First off, an Iowa team should never need to start two true freshmen CBs under any circumstances. Recruiting misses and major attrition at the position, coupled with injuries to our starters, necessitated throwing these guys to the wolves. Thank goodness the wolves in this case were Minnesota, a team with a walk-on freshmen QB who has no clue what he's doing. All CBs get burned from time to time (Desmond King did as a freshmen). Moss was no different. However, these guys played with heart and raw talent. They were rewarded with 3 interceptions between them. It's becoming clear: Iowa doesn't rebuild at CB, it reloads.
5. DL - Continuing the trend of inconsistency was the DL. The Big 10's sack leader, and future NFL draft pick Epenesa, was a no-show. I didn't hear his name called all day, despite Minnesota's porous OL. Anthony Nelson, on the other hand, put together an NFL draft highlight reel, with 3 sacks in the first half alone. He showed dominant bursts of quickness. Goldston was a beast as well, stuffing the middle and tallying a sack. Parker Hesse showed why he starts over AJ, and had a couple of tackles and a sack.
6. OLine - This was not the OLine's best game. They held up well in pass protection, giving up just 1 sack. However, the line didn't even give Iowa's RBs a chance. Half the hand offs were met by a DL in the backfield who blew the blocker off the line. We have three very capable running backs, yet they averaged just 2.7 yards per carry despite throwing the ball well all day. Imagine how much better they would be if James Daniels had stuck around and we moved Keegan Render to guard. Aleric Jackson was called out on tv today with a total whiff, but it was a collective poor effort by the line.
