Iowalaw's Post-Game Observations: Minnesota

[judzeehawk]

That is interesting as the TV coverage had info on the screen saying the Minny OLine was giving up a lot of sacks and hurries so maybe bad in pass protection but better in run blocking. I thought Minny ran the ball ok at first couple possessions but then the hawks wrapped them up and shut them down pretty well.

Of course Minny being down so much made it hard for them to run a lot. These are not your Maroney Barber III goofs.

The goofers were missing their 2 best running backs which will be back next year. Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith. They will be a handful come next year in Kinnick.

 

[94HawkMA]

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.

 

[94HawkMA]

Another guy that I would add that really stood out to me is #27. He was asked to do a lot of things in this game. I really look forward to watching him play every week. Some other guys get a little more press, but he shows up every week and delivers.

 

[InGoodCo]

I seriously LOL'd at #4 on his list considering what Iowa does at the CB position ....sorry Josh Jackson left a year early after being an All American.

 

[Knight78]

The OP has an agenda and narrative to uphold. As someone stated, he trying to project objectivity, trying.

But as Bob Knight used to say to his players "Trying is NOT doing."

 

[Northside Hawk]

But as Bob Knight used to say to his players "Trying is NOT doing."

He would had slid about seven expletives into that sentence.

 

[ChosenChildren]

Our OL is fine.

I'm worried about the linebacker position. Too many injuries

 

[ChosenChildren]

By the way, the Gopher receivers were very, very good

 

[David79]

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.

Wrong on all accounts.

 

[IowaLawWasRight]

Dean - by what standards do you rate Stanley "WAY above average?" Just curious. He currently ranks 7th in the Big 10 in yardage and 10th in completion percentage. The highest rating in any statistic I can find for him is 5th in QB rating.

Compared to his peers in the Big 10, Stanley's stats indicate that he is WAY average, but plays with the benefit of a great defense. Perhaps your standards for "above average QB" are simply as long as he is "better than Minnesota's walk-on QB?"

Per usual everything @IowaLawWasRight says has a negative slant to it. I'm not gonna kill him for that, as that is just the way he is programed it seems. I can see he is actually TRYING to be objective, it is just impossible for him.

1) Stanley. He is never going to be super accurate. That isn't just something that is going to show up during the season. While I do wish he was more accurate, he does a great job of getting us into the plays we should be in and works his progressions pretty well. He is way above average back there, and leads this team well.

 

[deanvogs]

Dean - by what standards do you rate Stanley "WAY above average?" Just curious. He currently ranks 7th in the Big 10 in yardage and 10th in completion percentage. The highest rating in any statistic I can find for him is 5th in QB rating.

Compared to his peers in the Big 10, Stanley's stats indicate that he is WAY average, but plays with the benefit of a great defense. Perhaps your standards for "above average QB" are simply as long as he is "better than Minnesota's walk-on QB?"

Stanley is 5th in the B1G in QB rating, and 5th in Yards per attempt. He is behind Haskins, Blough, Patterson and Hornibrook in Yards per attempt.

 

[iowa57-03]

I don't know the reasons behind the struggles running the ball against the Goofers, but it did seem that they had an awful lot of personnel within 5-6 yards from the line of scrimmage most of the game. Did we still bang our heads against the brick wall in that type of situation? Yes, but not as much as seasons past. What makes me chuckle a bit is that we scored 48 points against a hated rival in their house, on their Homecoming weekend, on a day where our offensive bread and butter, ( the run game ) struggled, we gifted them 14 points.....and still won by 17 points. And yet, people still complain that we are too predictable.

 

[BVHawk95]

I don't know the reasons behind the struggles running the ball against the Goofers, but it did seem that they had an awful lot of personnel within 5-6 yards from the line of scrimmage most of the game. Did we still bang our heads against the brick wall in that type of situation? Yes, but not as much as seasons past. What makes me chuckle a bit is that we scored 48 points against a hated rival in their house, on their Homecoming weekend, on a day where our offensive bread and butter, ( the run game ) struggled, we gifted them 14 points.....and still won by 17 points. And yet, people still complain that we are too predictable.

It's exactly what it looked like. Minnesota sold out to stop the run, but for once we made them pay for loading the box by going to what is becoming a solid passing attack.

 

[DDThompson]

But as Bob Knight used to say to his players "Trying is NOT doing."

I thought that was Yoda that said that?

 

[TommyBahama]

Just stop. Just stop with your boyish, idiotic analysis. Quit trying to weasel your way into some form of relevance on this site as a foremost analytic on everything Iowa football. You’re not Jon, Deace, or Rob. You’re a wannabe. Just stop!

 

[BVHawk95]

Just stop. Just stop with your boyish, idiotic analysis. Quit trying to weasel your way into some form of relevance on this site as a foremost analytic on everything Iowa football. You’re not Jon, Deace, or Rob. You’re a wannabe. Just stop!

The best way to get him to stop is ignoring him