The similarities between 2012 and 2017 are actually pretty striking. In 2012, Iowa hired Greg Davis of Texas fame to be their offensive coordinator. He implemented a new offense, new terminology, and worked to incorporate Iowa's run first mentality into the new scheme. He was 4-2 going into a home game with Penn State, then lost two offensive linemen in game seven. That team never won another game. James Vandenburg was chased, harassed, and relegated to an also ran QB after a promising junior campaign.
Enter 2017, Brian Ferentz is hired. He promises a similar style but is determined to throw the ball vertically, while continuing the running success from the 2016 campaign. He loses two offensive linemen early in the season, starts two freshmen at tackle and the struggles against top flight competition were evident. Here is where the similarities end...the team wins 8 games including a bowl game. He takes a first year starting QB and manages him to a very successful first year campaign. Looking just at the numbers, it was one of the best in Iowa history. The problem, when you start that many young players at all the skill positions, minus running back, and two freshmen offensive linemen, you have major bouts of inconsistency that just kill you. That was 2017 in a nutshell. You saw what the future could look like (OSU, second half Penn State), but execution and errors held you back.
I'll admit, the 2017 defense was much better and obviously impacted the wins...but when you compare the similarities and the starts to their tenure...maybe we should cut Brian some slack and see how 2018 turns out.
