IowaLawWasRight
Well-Known Member
I must admit, I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach going into the 4th quarter with a lead against an upper tier SEC opponent. We have been disappointed so many times by last minute losses, and I figured this would continue the pattern. In the end, MSU's mental mistakes and dropped passes gifted the Hawks with a huge 27-22 Bowl win over the #18 ranked team in the country. Our first win over a ranked opponent in 14 months, and our first solid bowl game win in years. This should give the underclassmen momentum going into spring practices and should land the Hawks in the final Top 25 of the year...as well as a spot in the pre-season top 25 next year.
1. Stanley - Hats off to Stanley. Going up against one of the top defenses in the country, he did not wilt like in the past. 21/31 for 214 yards, 3 tds and a bad near-pick 6 are mediocre numbers, but his headsy run for a first down on 3rd and long surely earned him the respect of his teammates. Sure, he goes to bed at night earlier than any of his teammates' grandparents, but he's back next year and he should be one of the top 1/3 QBs in the Big 10.
2. Running Game - Ouch. I can't remember seeing a "pro style" run-first offense look so outmatched. 20 carries for -15 yards would be embarrassing for an air raid offense, let alone a Big Ten old school running team. Much of the blame goes to the manhandled OLine. But as we have seen all year, the RB play is simply not up to par. No one on the current roster puts fear in opponents and no one is a home run threat. Perhaps the recruit out of GA who will enroll next week is the answer?
3. Gervasse - Jake played his last game today, and did so in front of 90 friends and family. He's not the most talented guy on the squad, but his 6 tackles, 3 deflections, and late game interception were a huge part in Iowa's win today. The perfect way to end his career.
4. Punting Ineptitude - Enough is enough! It's one thing to watch your opponent boot 70 yard punts that completely flip the field and change the momentum of the game. It's quite another to see your own punter, a senior who has ranked dead last in the Big 10 in punting for the past 2 years, confidently trot out there after receiving 5 years of coaching, weight training, free meals, free trips, and other football activities that the general student body can only dream of, and watch him randy a 12 yard low line drive punt at a New Year's bowl game. There are literally dozens of female undergrads at the U of Iowa who could have performed better by simply jumping down from the stands and kicking the ball in their flip flops. This falls on Coach Woods' overpaid shoulders and I'm afraid his tenure at Iowa needs to be over.
5. WRs Stepping Up - I have been hard on the WRs all season, and with good reason. But with Easley walking-on and gaining 104 yards against a tough MSU defense, and Smith & Smith Marsette with another 62 yards, the WRs were a strength today, especially when watching MSU's more talented WRs drop pass after pass. It is still unclear who will step in for Easley next year. Unfortunately, the staff didn't go out and recruit the position, so we are going to have to hope that someone solid walks on, or Tracy/Cooper step up.
6. Epenesa - At one point early in the 1st quarter, Epenesa looked like a man among boys, with a strip sack (ruled an incomplete pass) and another sack within two minutes of each other. Unfortunately, that was the end of his productivity, as he finished the game with just 2 tackles total. Even Stanley came away with 1 tackle. If he was out there most of the game, perhaps the coaches were right to limit his snaps due to running out of gas?
7. Brian's Game Planning - We had 5 weeks to prep for Mississippi State. The first 20 plays are normally scripted based on tendencies, etc. So what does Brian draw up to start the game against the top rushing defense in the country? A truck load of runs up the middle for no gain. WHY? Anyone who watched 2 minutes of MSU tape knows that the Hawks wouldn't be able to run on them. Thank goodness for timely 15 yard penalties and a blown coverage because those are the only reason the Hawks could move the ball. Perhaps the most frustrating coaching blunder was when the Hawks had the ball inside their own 18 yardline with 1:50 to go before halftime and the worst punter in college football. Rather than running the clock, the Hawks suddenly decide to start passing the ball for the first time all game, with 3 quick incompletions. Raestatter's junior high punt later and MSU is in immediate scoring position. If it weren't for their drop of a wide open pass in the endzone, that would have completely shifted the momentum of the game going into halftime. Very fortunate!
8. Where's the Mackey Award Winner - What do you do when you have a first team all-Amerian TE, can't run the ball, have little talent at WR, and your top TE is sitting out the game? Apparently if you're Iowa's OC and QB, you lose track of him and continue running the ball into a brick wall. Hock had zero targets in the first 3 1/2 quarters of the game. Had MSU scored 5 more points, people would be calling for Brian's head for not game planning around Hock. This was eerily similar to when Fant was stuck riding the pine in close games and the Hawks were throwing passes to Max Cooper.
9. Hankins & Hooker - These are the next in a long line of top notch NFL caliber DBs who played for the Hawks. They combined for 15 tackles and were all over the field, making up for slower than avg LBs. With these guys back next year to go along with Moss, Stone, and the other young talent back there, the Hawks are in good shape on defense for years to come.
1. Stanley - Hats off to Stanley. Going up against one of the top defenses in the country, he did not wilt like in the past. 21/31 for 214 yards, 3 tds and a bad near-pick 6 are mediocre numbers, but his headsy run for a first down on 3rd and long surely earned him the respect of his teammates. Sure, he goes to bed at night earlier than any of his teammates' grandparents, but he's back next year and he should be one of the top 1/3 QBs in the Big 10.
2. Running Game - Ouch. I can't remember seeing a "pro style" run-first offense look so outmatched. 20 carries for -15 yards would be embarrassing for an air raid offense, let alone a Big Ten old school running team. Much of the blame goes to the manhandled OLine. But as we have seen all year, the RB play is simply not up to par. No one on the current roster puts fear in opponents and no one is a home run threat. Perhaps the recruit out of GA who will enroll next week is the answer?
3. Gervasse - Jake played his last game today, and did so in front of 90 friends and family. He's not the most talented guy on the squad, but his 6 tackles, 3 deflections, and late game interception were a huge part in Iowa's win today. The perfect way to end his career.
4. Punting Ineptitude - Enough is enough! It's one thing to watch your opponent boot 70 yard punts that completely flip the field and change the momentum of the game. It's quite another to see your own punter, a senior who has ranked dead last in the Big 10 in punting for the past 2 years, confidently trot out there after receiving 5 years of coaching, weight training, free meals, free trips, and other football activities that the general student body can only dream of, and watch him randy a 12 yard low line drive punt at a New Year's bowl game. There are literally dozens of female undergrads at the U of Iowa who could have performed better by simply jumping down from the stands and kicking the ball in their flip flops. This falls on Coach Woods' overpaid shoulders and I'm afraid his tenure at Iowa needs to be over.
5. WRs Stepping Up - I have been hard on the WRs all season, and with good reason. But with Easley walking-on and gaining 104 yards against a tough MSU defense, and Smith & Smith Marsette with another 62 yards, the WRs were a strength today, especially when watching MSU's more talented WRs drop pass after pass. It is still unclear who will step in for Easley next year. Unfortunately, the staff didn't go out and recruit the position, so we are going to have to hope that someone solid walks on, or Tracy/Cooper step up.
6. Epenesa - At one point early in the 1st quarter, Epenesa looked like a man among boys, with a strip sack (ruled an incomplete pass) and another sack within two minutes of each other. Unfortunately, that was the end of his productivity, as he finished the game with just 2 tackles total. Even Stanley came away with 1 tackle. If he was out there most of the game, perhaps the coaches were right to limit his snaps due to running out of gas?
7. Brian's Game Planning - We had 5 weeks to prep for Mississippi State. The first 20 plays are normally scripted based on tendencies, etc. So what does Brian draw up to start the game against the top rushing defense in the country? A truck load of runs up the middle for no gain. WHY? Anyone who watched 2 minutes of MSU tape knows that the Hawks wouldn't be able to run on them. Thank goodness for timely 15 yard penalties and a blown coverage because those are the only reason the Hawks could move the ball. Perhaps the most frustrating coaching blunder was when the Hawks had the ball inside their own 18 yardline with 1:50 to go before halftime and the worst punter in college football. Rather than running the clock, the Hawks suddenly decide to start passing the ball for the first time all game, with 3 quick incompletions. Raestatter's junior high punt later and MSU is in immediate scoring position. If it weren't for their drop of a wide open pass in the endzone, that would have completely shifted the momentum of the game going into halftime. Very fortunate!
8. Where's the Mackey Award Winner - What do you do when you have a first team all-Amerian TE, can't run the ball, have little talent at WR, and your top TE is sitting out the game? Apparently if you're Iowa's OC and QB, you lose track of him and continue running the ball into a brick wall. Hock had zero targets in the first 3 1/2 quarters of the game. Had MSU scored 5 more points, people would be calling for Brian's head for not game planning around Hock. This was eerily similar to when Fant was stuck riding the pine in close games and the Hawks were throwing passes to Max Cooper.
9. Hankins & Hooker - These are the next in a long line of top notch NFL caliber DBs who played for the Hawks. They combined for 15 tackles and were all over the field, making up for slower than avg LBs. With these guys back next year to go along with Moss, Stone, and the other young talent back there, the Hawks are in good shape on defense for years to come.
