Is this a "must win"?

gohawks71

gohawks71

Well-Known Member
Based on this being such a huge turning point in last years downfall, would you consider this game as a must win for the team or more importantly Ferentz?
 


I think for Iowa's bowl chances, not to mention their confidence going forward, this is a very big game.
 




The turning point last year was when Donnal and Scherff got hurt in a span of 3 plays against Penn State. That, combined with Weisman not really being healthy from the MSU game forward played a big part in the wheels coming off.
 


I think this game has to be a "must win" for both teams. We need the win if we want to have a chance to go to a bowl. NW needs the win to keep their season from completely falling apart.
 




Must win for the season? Absolutely. Northwestern is now one of the more winnable games left on the schedule because of injuries.

Must win for Ferentz? No. He's in good shape as long as the fans show up and money keeps rolling in.
 


Absolutely!

Here and now ... without it, bowl game odds fall significantly. Purdue is the only game after NwU with a better than 50/50 probability of winning.

Opportunity ... Hawks need to seize a gift. Were Colter and Mark healthy and both playing, NwU would nearly score at will on this slow defense and its sub-par backfield. Iowa's bowl chances would already be <20% because of the NIU and MSU losses but, since those guys are hurt / out, they have a decent chance to make up a W.

Perception ... Even with Colter and Mark, NwU is a team that Iowa should beat 7 (8?) of 10 seasons, not be 3-6 against since 2002! That's a little how Fitz has lifted up that program but more a reflection of how far Iowa has fallen under Kirt. With Colter and Mark both out, Kirt has to get Fitz's reverse monkey voodoo hex off his back and finally beat a team that he should. It would be an(other) embarrassing loss to inferior competition if NwU, sans their two best players, find a way to beat Iowa, in Kinnick, no less; it would further cement Kirt's legacy as one of the worst game-prep, seize the opportunity to win coaches in the game.

I'd like to think Iowa wins 34-17 but Kirt and Dave will somehow fail to accelerate out of half, Fitz will, once again, out-coach Iowa and make this more of a nail-biter than it ever should have been -- 28-24, Hawks.
 


Not really a must win to get to a bowl game because they really only need 1 win outside of the Purdue game to be bowl eligible.

It looks to be the easier game among those four though so it's certainly a giant opportunity.
 


Yes I should of been a little more detailed on what question I was asking. I was just thinking that it was this time (4-2) last year when the wheels fell off the bus and we started our losing streak. If we lose this game, will the team be able to recover mentally and will they continue buying into the Ferentz theme of "just keeping trying to get better"?
 






HawkeyeMcNutt said:
It's a must win. This northwestern team is bad.
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not sure they're bad? they are a TON better with Colter and Mark on the offensive side. But recent and past data would suggest it would be unwise for the fans, players, or coaches to overlook this NW - whether Colter and Mark play, or not.

Important game though.
 


Clark said:
Not really a must win to get to a bowl game because they really only need 1 win outside of the Purdue game to be bowl eligible.
It looks to be the easier game among those four though so it's certainly a giant opportunity.
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lol.. hahahaha. Nice try.
 




It is a must win game. As well as Iowa has played, at times, this season, their realistic opportunities for wins are fading. As long as NW has Fitz, it will be a tough game. There haven't been too many times that Iowa shouldn't have beaten NW, on paper, yet lost the game. And don't sleep on Purdue. I've said this before, the way they played against ND and (last week) at MSU, they seem to be very capable of putting a game plan together and executing it. They held MSU to 1 offensive touchdown. If Purdue has no BIG wins by the time we get there, they'll be jacked up and believe Iowa is their opportunity.
 


STILLBUSTER said:
Absolutely!

Here and now ... without it, bowl game odds fall significantly. Purdue is the only game after NwU with a better than 50/50 probability of winning.

Opportunity ... Hawks need to seize a gift. Were Colter and Mark healthy and both playing, NwU would nearly score at will on this slow defense and its sub-par backfield. Iowa's bowl chances would already be <20% because of the NIU and MSU losses but, since those guys are hurt / out, they have a decent chance to make up a W.

Perception ... Even with Colter and Mark, NwU is a team that Iowa should beat 7 (8?) of 10 seasons, not be 3-6 against since 2002! That's a little how Fitz has lifted up that program but more a reflection of how far Iowa has fallen under Kirt. With Colter and Mark both out, Kirt has to get Fitz's reverse monkey voodoo hex off his back and finally beat a team that he should. It would be an(other) embarrassing loss to inferior competition if NwU, sans their two best players, find a way to beat Iowa, in Kinnick, no less; it would further cement Kirt's legacy as one of the worst game-prep, seize the opportunity to win coaches in the game.

I'd like to think Iowa wins 34-17 but Kirt and Dave will somehow fail to accelerate out of half, Fitz will, once again, out-coach Iowa and make this more of a nail-biter than it ever should have been -- 28-24, Hawks.
Click to expand...

The 'Kirt' thing ceased being funny long ago. Grow up.
 


IAHawkFan said:
I think this game has to be a "must win" for both teams. We need the win if we want to have a chance to go to a bowl. NW needs the win to keep their season from completely falling apart.
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I agree we need this win especially for the confidence moving foward the rest of the season. This could possibly be a make or brake gm. GO HAWKS!
 






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