First off, this is my first post (just signed up today) - die hard Hawkeye fan since the Timmy Dwight days my freshman year in 1997. My apologies if this topic has been rehashed in other threads, but thought it was timely with last week's debacle.
I've never been a big Ken O'Keefe fan. After Saturday's loss, I was emotionally exhausted because so much was at stake with that game and if a timeout was called after the kneel down, who knows what could have happend.
My question to all you gurus out there who know this team in and out ... why do we literally SUCK (I hate using that word, but that's the word to use since 1999) at the 2-minute offense?
Other than Michigan State (2009), the Drew Tate miracle in the Capital One Bowl, and Purdue (2002), I can't remember many more games where we grew a pair on offense and won the game because of a solid 2-minute offense. And the MSU game last year, the play was called by McNutt during the tmeout when he said he knew he could beat the guy.
Take Wisconsin (2009) for example. We are down 10-0 and we have 2 timeouts with 1:35 on the clock at our own 15 or 20 yard line (I think WI got the ball at the half too). What do we do ... we run the ball 2x and kill the clock, kneel down, and go in with 0 pts on the board ... Go get a freakin' field goal and put some points on the dang board! There are countless other examples like this - and not just at the end of games ... many times, it's pre-halftime conservatism and we just settle.
Heck, from 1999-2001, I don't think O'Keefe knew what a 2-minute offense even looked like. Luckily, Brad Banks showed him in 2002 (Banks should have been playing in 2001, but that's another story).
Another 2009 example was the Ohio State game ... we had a little under a minute and 1 timeout to get 40-45 yards to ATTEMPT a field goal to win the game. We had all the momentum with the strong defense and 14+ pts in the 4th quarter, but we run the ball on first down and then "hope" we can finish the deal in OT. The ROSE BOWL was on the line!!!
So back to last Saturday's game ... maybe Stanzi didn't know what to do after the kneel down because the coaching staff didn't prepare the team on what they should be doing in hectic situtations like this ... I don't know. It's just maddening that for the last 10+ years, when it comes down to the offense winning the game, we are usually on the losing end of the stick.
Sorry for my first post to be so long ... I just needed to rant. We have to win Saturday, otherwise even an Outback Bowl bid could be in jeopardy (if Northwestern or OSU don't go our way).
Your thoughts?
GO HAWKS!!!
-Tim
I've never been a big Ken O'Keefe fan. After Saturday's loss, I was emotionally exhausted because so much was at stake with that game and if a timeout was called after the kneel down, who knows what could have happend.
My question to all you gurus out there who know this team in and out ... why do we literally SUCK (I hate using that word, but that's the word to use since 1999) at the 2-minute offense?
Other than Michigan State (2009), the Drew Tate miracle in the Capital One Bowl, and Purdue (2002), I can't remember many more games where we grew a pair on offense and won the game because of a solid 2-minute offense. And the MSU game last year, the play was called by McNutt during the tmeout when he said he knew he could beat the guy.
Take Wisconsin (2009) for example. We are down 10-0 and we have 2 timeouts with 1:35 on the clock at our own 15 or 20 yard line (I think WI got the ball at the half too). What do we do ... we run the ball 2x and kill the clock, kneel down, and go in with 0 pts on the board ... Go get a freakin' field goal and put some points on the dang board! There are countless other examples like this - and not just at the end of games ... many times, it's pre-halftime conservatism and we just settle.
Heck, from 1999-2001, I don't think O'Keefe knew what a 2-minute offense even looked like. Luckily, Brad Banks showed him in 2002 (Banks should have been playing in 2001, but that's another story).
Another 2009 example was the Ohio State game ... we had a little under a minute and 1 timeout to get 40-45 yards to ATTEMPT a field goal to win the game. We had all the momentum with the strong defense and 14+ pts in the 4th quarter, but we run the ball on first down and then "hope" we can finish the deal in OT. The ROSE BOWL was on the line!!!
So back to last Saturday's game ... maybe Stanzi didn't know what to do after the kneel down because the coaching staff didn't prepare the team on what they should be doing in hectic situtations like this ... I don't know. It's just maddening that for the last 10+ years, when it comes down to the offense winning the game, we are usually on the losing end of the stick.
Sorry for my first post to be so long ... I just needed to rant. We have to win Saturday, otherwise even an Outback Bowl bid could be in jeopardy (if Northwestern or OSU don't go our way).
Your thoughts?
GO HAWKS!!!
-Tim