I've had it...

[SpecialKHawk]

LSU will be doing that no matter who their head coach is. Apples and oranges comparison there.

How quickly people forget that prior to Saban showing up that was not the case...... They were very mediocre for a long spell

 

[JeremyUsborne]

How quickly people forget that prior to Saban showing up that was not the case...... They were very mediocre for a long spell

Yeah, because they had terrible coaches. Those guys they had from the mid80s to Saban were just awful. It takes a special brand of loser to run a program like LSU into the ground.

 

[HawkeyeWalker]

Yeah, because they had terrible coaches. Those guys they had from the mid80s to Saban were just awful. It takes a special brand of loser to run a program like LSU into the ground.

Please stop.

 

[GlassHawk]

I don't think it's any of that either. Maybe MSU is a pretty solid team.

Do you watch a lot of football? They have a great defense and one of the worst offenses in the history of organized football. That makes them pretty average overall. They have looked completely awful in 3 out of 5 games this year. The only 2 games in which they even resembled a competent football team were against a mediocre 1-AA team and against Iowa, which is pretty much the same thing.

 

[droidhawk]

You're correct about that. Lack of talent. Lack of coaching. Lack of offensive imagination. Lack killer instinct. Lack of expectations. Nepotism. Upperclassman-ism (is that a word? It should be). All of those reasons had much more to do with the loss.

I'll second the motion.

 

[ArvadaHawk]

I don't think it's any of that either. Maybe MSU is a pretty solid team.

I think we should aspire to beat "solid" teams. Our coaches did not have this team ready. And lets remember that while MSU has a very good D, it isn't the greatest D in the history of the BIG, or even close. We were not prepared, offensively, to attack their D. Our special teams were not good, again, and the fake punt deflated the team. Have we really reached a point where we shouldn't expect to beat solid teams, let alone be competitive against them?

 

[Skeets77]

And just what are the expectations for Iowa Football. There are critics out there that say it's as good as it's going to get. There are certain types of recruits that just aren't coming to Iowa to play regardless of who the coach is. True or not, I don't know. So is it Kirk's inability to coach correctly or the talent we get. When NFL coaches are looking for lineman, prepared and ready for the NFL they know Kirk is one of the best. We lack speed in certain positions and wide receivers. We just can't get them because Iowa isn't known for speed but for power and methodical, predictable play making, with an occasional whoopy-doo play. I don't get it.

 

[Sooby]

With MSU's field position around mid-field (don't know the exact spot), why would we drop back 9 blockers?
99% chance that it would have gone out of bounds or a fair catch would have been called.

The closer the opposing team is towards your end zone, the more players should be rushing the punter.
If your special teams coach doesn't understand that, you need a new special teams coach.

 

[ColoradoHAWKEYE]

You're right, it was. That said, it turned out to be the difference in Iowa losing by 9 and losing by 12. Yes, it's troubling that Iowa got fooled by a fake punt again, but it wasn't the reason they lost.

dude, i'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt about understanding football and how any close game has a swing in momentum, and that momentum can last more than one, two, or more possessions. But to think that play didn't suck the life out of the team and every fan watching (along with any desired momentum), well then it's time to either relearn the game or find a new hobby.

 

[ShadasRevenge]

dude, i'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt about understanding football and how any close game has a swing in momentum, and that momentum can last more than one, two, or more possessions. But to think that play didn't suck the life out of the team and every fan watching (along with any desired momentum), well then it's time to either relearn the game or find a new hobby.

Hey, I'm agreeing with you. I'm saying it wasn't the reason they got beat.

 

[MisterLucky]

Anyone who believes that this staff has done a good job of recruiting is just delusional. All you have to do is watch some of these Saturday night games to see teams that have skill players that could literally run circles around ours.

 

[Sooby]

dude, i'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt about understanding football and how any close game has a swing in momentum, and that momentum can last more than one, two, or more possessions. But to think that play didn't suck the life out of the team and every fan watching (along with any desired momentum), well then it's time to either relearn the game or find a new hobby.

Agree.
Think of the Michigan game in 2002, in the 3rd quarter, Iowa was up 10-9 (?), and was punting to Michigan.
Michigan botched the punt return. Iowa recovers and the momentum swung, and that close game turned into a blow out.

Momentum on one key play has huge results in a game, and we've seen it carry over to multiple seasons.
The Penn State win in 2008 gave us momentum until we lost it in the 2010 Wisconsin.
The 2010 Wisconsin loss has cause lethargy on-the-field, since.

 

[ColoradoHAWKEYE]

Hey, I'm agreeing with you. I'm saying it wasn't the reason they got beat.

I see what you are trying to say...that the game is 60 minutes long. Either way the job didn't get done.

However, as momentum plays out, if we stop a fake punt, enough mo shifts and we may have been able to convert a first down or two, and maybe score 2 times in 5 minutes like the 1st half. We didn't, and that late in a close game, it probably won't shift again (see late interception).

But ultimately, yes, there is blame to be spread around for the loss.

 

[tksirius]

Kirk really needs to retire. How many bowless seasons in a row will it take to be remembered for losing? If he retires after this season, I think he keeps his winning legacy. If he sticks around, he just diminishes what he's accomplished here.

 

[Herkyalert]

I've had it with losing Big Ten games at home. There was a time when Kinnick was very hard to win in and now it's very hard for Iowa to win in.

 

[ryno]

When was the last time Kirk Ferentz blatantly out coached another coach?
When was the last time Kirk Ferentz out adjusted his opponent at halftime?
When was the last time Kirk Ferentz made a coaching decision that won a game?
When was the last time Kirk Ferentz had a team that the other coach said was simply better prepared?
When was the last time Kirk Ferentz went for the jugular?
When was the last time Kirk Feretnz made a gutsy call to try to win the game?

We have a coach that operates out of fear and does more to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory than any other coach I've ever seen.

He's not a bad program manager, he's not a bad scheme guy, he's not a bad recruiter. But he is absolute ********* on Saturday's. Complete and total *********.

Bottom line is this: We've lost 6 games due to ******** fake punts and another 3 that I can think of off the top of my head because of ******** onsides kicks.

Absolutely brutal, and something that is not acceptable for a head coach at any level, I don't care if you make 4MM a year or $4 a year.

could not agree more! Time for one big flush! We need to start anew

 

[okeefe4prez]

This is why you put on the full-on return:

[video=youtube;BLfu8aAn2gk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLfu8aAn2gk[/video]

 

[ryno]

The fake punt was a turning point but if we rush he punts it, that is an option to run the fake just like in the Wisky game in 2010.

We were down by 6 points and had not returned a punt all day, we needed the ball back so just friggin rush the punter with 6 guys and make him punt it, then fair catch most probably, see was all that that hard to do.

Agree. We had probably the slowest guy returning punts we could put back there. There is NO WAY he is going to return a punt more than 10 yards. Absolute complete lack of coaching AGAIN! We need a complete housecleaning. Watch any top 35 team and it looks like they play a different game than Iowa. Call it lack of athletes/coaching/playcalling. Whatever. We all see it. It is like holding on to a stock you bought and you continue to watch it go down. Instead of selling it for a modest loss, you watch it go bankrupt. I don't know if we go bankrupt, but winning 1-4 big ten games a year is getting real old and i don't see any big changes coming down the pipe

 

[ryno]

It wasn't a fake punt that got Iowa beat today. But hey, if it fits your narrative, go with it.

Maybe, maybe not. If we throw the punter for a 10 yard loss and we start on the 45 and score a touchdown, we now have the lead in the 4th quarter with momentum. I don't believe michigan st. would have looked so good if they had a 4th quarter deficit. They have a history of losing as many close games as Iowa does. That being said, our chances of scoring a touchdown at that time was about 3%

 

[okeefe4prez]

Agree. We had probably the slowest guy returning punts we could put back there. There is NO WAY he is going to return a punt more than 10 yards. Absolute complete lack of coaching AGAIN! We need a complete housecleaning. Watch any top 35 team and it looks like they play a different game than Iowa. Call it lack of athletes/coaching/playcalling. Whatever. We all see it. It is like holding on to a stock you bought and you continue to watch it go down. Instead of selling it for a modest loss, you watch it go bankrupt. I don't know if we go bankrupt, but winning 1-4 big ten games a year is getting real old and i don't see any big changes coming down the pipe

Rudock is only a sophomore. That's the bright spot. But the defense has to get a lot better and we need saltiness to return to the o-line. Plus, the schedule gets a lot better next year. Sit tight, buddy.