IowaLawWasRight
Well-Known Member
Solid start to the year after a ho-hum first half. 38-14 is more offense and less defense than expected. But what about the individual performances?
1. RB - Sargent appears to have elevated his game since last year's sub-par rushing attack. 14 carries for 91 yards is solid, but add in 4 receptions for 65 more yrds, and you are starting to approach Wadley territory. This game solidified Sargent as the starter, so hopefully he can build on it and become one of the Big Ten's better backs.
2. Epena-noshow - With all of the preseason hype (1st team All American / early Top 10 NFL draft pick), I was pumped to see what he could do with extended playing time in his first start. Instead, he spent most of the game randying around, and I'm left wondering if AJ's stats last year were more a result of getting to come off the bench when his man was worn down and playing exclusively on pass downs while resting on run downs. AJ finished with 1 tackle, 0 sacks, and zero pressure on a true freshmen QB who had all day to sit back and throw the ball. Sure, there were some double teams, but that's life when you're a "Top 10 pick."
3. Questionable Personnel Decisions - For starters, what does the staff do when they have the nation's #1 ranked returner coming back for his junior season in Smirth Marsette? Bench him, and replace him with freshmen Nico Ragaini, who appears to have mastered the ability to run away from punts and let them be downed inside the 20? Head scratcher. I'd also venture to guess that no team in the country gave more touches to their fullbacks this week than Iowa (2 rushes for 0 yrds and a fumble, plus a reception). Why? Then there's the decision to scratch the highly anticipated "cash" position that Amani Hooker made famous and revert back to the outdated 4-3 defense. Remember all the talk of going 8 men deep on the DL? Well, the starters played nearly ever snap, with Nixon and my man Amani Jones getting a hand full of snaps. Overall, the defense played well, but against an inferior opponent, not getting DJ Johnson reps at the cash position or playing your subs made little sense.
4. Stanley - Fresh off a summer of attending QB camps and growing an awkward goatee, Nate had a lot to prove. As has been the case for much of his career, his stats today looked better than his actual performance. 21-30 for 252 and 3 TDs is a fantastic game on paper, and for the most part it was. However, Stanley's ball placement remains awful, with many of his completed passes thrown well behind receivers who had to come back and make plays on the ball. Nate's still afraid to pull the trigger on passes to stretch the defense, as quite a few of his 21 of his completions were check down passes that anyone could complete (7 alone were to running backs behind the line of scrimmage). On the plus side, I liked the fact that he tucked the ball and ran a couple of times, which is an added dimension this team needs.
Overall, this was a game to build on. Playing at this level the next two weeks will get us Ws, but it will not beat the big boys.
1. RB - Sargent appears to have elevated his game since last year's sub-par rushing attack. 14 carries for 91 yards is solid, but add in 4 receptions for 65 more yrds, and you are starting to approach Wadley territory. This game solidified Sargent as the starter, so hopefully he can build on it and become one of the Big Ten's better backs.
2. Epena-noshow - With all of the preseason hype (1st team All American / early Top 10 NFL draft pick), I was pumped to see what he could do with extended playing time in his first start. Instead, he spent most of the game randying around, and I'm left wondering if AJ's stats last year were more a result of getting to come off the bench when his man was worn down and playing exclusively on pass downs while resting on run downs. AJ finished with 1 tackle, 0 sacks, and zero pressure on a true freshmen QB who had all day to sit back and throw the ball. Sure, there were some double teams, but that's life when you're a "Top 10 pick."
3. Questionable Personnel Decisions - For starters, what does the staff do when they have the nation's #1 ranked returner coming back for his junior season in Smirth Marsette? Bench him, and replace him with freshmen Nico Ragaini, who appears to have mastered the ability to run away from punts and let them be downed inside the 20? Head scratcher. I'd also venture to guess that no team in the country gave more touches to their fullbacks this week than Iowa (2 rushes for 0 yrds and a fumble, plus a reception). Why? Then there's the decision to scratch the highly anticipated "cash" position that Amani Hooker made famous and revert back to the outdated 4-3 defense. Remember all the talk of going 8 men deep on the DL? Well, the starters played nearly ever snap, with Nixon and my man Amani Jones getting a hand full of snaps. Overall, the defense played well, but against an inferior opponent, not getting DJ Johnson reps at the cash position or playing your subs made little sense.
4. Stanley - Fresh off a summer of attending QB camps and growing an awkward goatee, Nate had a lot to prove. As has been the case for much of his career, his stats today looked better than his actual performance. 21-30 for 252 and 3 TDs is a fantastic game on paper, and for the most part it was. However, Stanley's ball placement remains awful, with many of his completed passes thrown well behind receivers who had to come back and make plays on the ball. Nate's still afraid to pull the trigger on passes to stretch the defense, as quite a few of his 21 of his completions were check down passes that anyone could complete (7 alone were to running backs behind the line of scrimmage). On the plus side, I liked the fact that he tucked the ball and ran a couple of times, which is an added dimension this team needs.
Overall, this was a game to build on. Playing at this level the next two weeks will get us Ws, but it will not beat the big boys.
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