Just another 8-4 team?

[tksirius]

Hawks have opened 4-0 four times (Under KF). Three of those four seasons have been double digit win seasons. Assuming a win in two weeks, Ten is very attainable, regardless of what the eternal pessimists here say. It probably won’t be pretty, but anywhere from 6-11 wins is totally possible. 8-9 being the most likely.

The B1G West other than Wisky & IA is total shit this year. We should have a minimum 5 wins from our division. So yeah, I'd expect 9 to 10 wins, but 8 is certainly a possibility with a typical loss to either NW or Purdue.

 

[Healzya]

The gap between AL, Clem, LSU, GA, OK...and pretty much everyone in the next tier....TX, OSU, ND, etc is pretty large. Its absolutely wide open and a huge step farther down and massive parity from about #9-#40....

I think the gap between Clemson and everyone is large as well.

 

[blubberhawk]

Not to be obtuse, but what schedule?

We’ve already beat ISU. Michigan had to go OT to beat a below avg Army team. NW looks very beatable. PSU was a Pat Narduzzi brain fart away from losing. Minny can barely beat an FCS team. Purdue looks like a hot mess. And Nebraska still can’t field a good O line or D line.

In other words, this schedule doesnt look near as bad as it did a month ago.

Army a below average team?
11 wins last year. Lost in OT to Oklahoma. Scored 70 points on Houston in their bowl game.
10 wins the year before including a bowl win.
8 wins the year before including a bowl win.

SEC is 4 good teams and a bunch of crap.
PAC 10 is crap.
Big 12 is Oklahoma and a bunch of average.
The Big 10 has been as good as any conference the past couple years. Probably not as good this year but still early..
OSU is probably better this year than last..
ISU was supposed to have their dream team/season this year. We go in and win a tough game and all I read here is that they lucked out. Iowa played hard, kept their composure and did what they had to do to win on the road. If Iowa wins the turnover battle by two in every game they play, they will probably win them all. When healthy, defense will be very good. Our punter has been great. Looks like our field goal kicker is very reliable. We have a senior qb. Looks like a recipe for 10-11 wins..

 

[deanvogs]

I agree with the issues. Ssshhh, don't tell Deano because he really gets pissed, but KF has ALWAYS sucked at clock management. He did yesterday and he truly blew before halftime against Rutgers. Shouldn't KOK be helping him? Jr? Maybe it is hereditary.

I said 8-5 before the season started but I can see this team getting to 9 wins. 10?? With a bowl victory perhaps. The kicking game seems extremely solid. That is huge. But we will only be as good as Stanley is. And Pop's sphincter and Jr's playcalling. Again don't tell Deano but that out pattern to the short side of the field was all Jr.

I have few worries re the defense because the most valuable and underrated D coordinator in the country continues to be Kirk's angel from heaven.

Until clock management cost us a game I'm not gonna worry about it. The fact is the problem runs rampant throughout football, you see it at all levels from the NFL to D1 Power 5 teams and on down. That tells me it is a lot more difficult than dolts on the internet actually know.

On a side note, tell me also that the officials don't have a ton to do with it as well. Watch IKM go out of bounds at the end of the first half, they say he is "down in play" wind the clock and forces Iowa to call TO. Watch Weiting go out of bounds on that 3rd down play and tell me why the clock doesn't continue to run if they continued to run the clock on IKM's when he went out of bounds?? Both were contacted on the field of play before going out, shouldn't they both be ruled either in or out? For the record I think they were both clearly out of bounds, but the officials blew the call at the end of the half.

 

[ssckelley]

Brutal? Lol.

But according to you it's all about coaches salary, right? Iowa has the 17th highest paid coach so they should expect 17th best results. They play 5 teams that pay their coaches more than Iowa does Ferentz. Illinois, Pedo State, Michigan, Purdue, and Nebraska should all be losses because they pay their coaches more money.

So, yeah, that's a brutal schedule...even by your lame ass standards.

 

[uihawk82]

Until clock management cost us a game I'm not gonna worry about it. The fact is the problem runs rampant throughout football, you see it at all levels from the NFL to D1 Power 5 teams and on down. That tells me it is a lot more difficult than dolts on the internet actually know.

On a side note, tell me also that the officials don't have a ton to do with it as well. Watch IKM go out of bounds at the end of the first half, they say he is "down in play" wind the clock and forces Iowa to call TO. Watch Weiting go out of bounds on that 3rd down play and tell me why the clock doesn't continue to run if they continued to run the clock on IKM's when he went out of bounds?? Both were contacted on the field of play before going out, shouldn't they both be ruled either in or out? For the record I think they were both clearly out of bounds, but the officials blew the call at the end of the half.

As far as when a a player is ruled out of bounds to stop the clock late in the half or game it is somewhat an officials subjective decision based on a rule. The rule is whether their forward motion is ruled to be over with while they are in the field of play. You will see this correctly called when a player is stopped and pushed backwards or maybe just sideways while being in a controlled tackle while still in bounds then the clock should continue to run. If the ball carrier is being tackled but still going somewhat sideways or going forward when they go out of bounds the clock will stop.

Weiting was in that grey area where he was going sideways and was contacted pretty close to the sidelines. It was a subjective call as it seemed like his forward motion was stopped and the clock could have been allowed to run.

If Weiting had been contacted more like 7 yards in the field of play by those multiple tacklers and driven steadily sideways the forward motion may have been ruled stopped and the clock would have continued to run.

I do agree with you that it is not consistently called just because of that subjective aspect.

This same issue bites many teams many times a year. Best teaching point is to tell players to go down when contacted when trying to run out the clock and run away from the sideline.

 

[Zstatman]

The Hawks are built for the upcoming schedule. Let's play the games and see how it all falls.

I like our chances.

 

[AreWeThereYet]

Hawks have opened 4-0 four times (Under KF). Three of those four seasons have been double digit win seasons. Assuming a win in two weeks, Ten is very attainable, regardless of what the eternal pessimists here say. It probably won’t be pretty, but anywhere from 6-11 wins is totally possible. 8-9 being the most likely.

If it wasn't for the injury situation in the defensive backfield, I would be much more enthusiastic about Iowa's prospects this year. Right now we need guys to get healthy and stay healthy. I remember the end of 2006 when they were contemplating putting Greene in the defensive backfield as an emergency backup.

 

[kicker22]

Amazing how people think this is a 10-2 team with this schedule and these coaches.

If we're factoring "these coaches" based on history I think it would be fair to let the schedule play itself out before it's a factor. Tough on paper, sure. Have any of those on the schedule really passed the eye test yet? I think both the coaching and toughness of schedule legitimacy may be unknowns at this time.

 

[kicker22]

Until Iowa beats NwU and PU, they’re 50/50 games. Until the defensive back 7 gets healthy and gets better, roadies at Wisc, Mich and Neb tip toward L’s.

There are exactly 2 guaranteed W’s... MT State and Illannoy. There are way too many issues - from clock coaching to timely play calls to Nate hitting deep balls - to think any bigger than 7 wins at this time.

If were playing the "until Iowa beats NW and PSU they're 50/50 games" card then wouldn't Michigan's recent lack of success against us put that as a 50/50 game as well, rather than being tipped towards a L?

 

[STILLBUSTER]

If were playing the "until Iowa beats NW and PSU they're 50/50 games" card then wouldn't Michigan's recent lack of success against us put that as a 50/50 game as well, rather than being tipped towards a L?

It's been 3 years since Iowa and Michigan have played. Nate has never faced them. It's on the road, at 11am in a different time zone. That situation makes it feel a lot like a crappy morning at NwU ... where Iowa just doesn't perform well.

We'll see but there's simply nothing to justify it being a 50/50.

 

[hoxrock]

Minnesota seems to be rowing harder than it should have to, Nebraska should be 1-2 right now with a loss to South Alabama and a blown huge lead against Colorado, Northwestern can't score to save their lives, Illinois just lost to Eastern Michigan, Wisconsin is alot of Jonathan Taylor but unknowns beyond that, why not Iowa? If they take care of business in favorable match-ups and split their toughest games they should be in Indy. But I know I am asking alot from a program with some historically bad losses to its credit!

 

[SpiderRico]

Army a below average team?
11 wins last year. Lost in OT to Oklahoma. Scored 70 points on Houston in their bowl game.
10 wins the year before including a bowl win.
8 wins the year before including a bowl win.

SEC is 4 good teams and a bunch of crap.
PAC 10 is crap.
Big 12 is Oklahoma and a bunch of average.
The Big 10 has been as good as any conference the past couple years. Probably not as good this year but still early..
OSU is probably better this year than last..
ISU was supposed to have their dream team/season this year. We go in and win a tough game and all I read here is that they lucked out. Iowa played hard, kept their composure and did what they had to do to win on the road. If Iowa wins the turnover battle by two in every game they play, they will probably win them all. When healthy, defense will be very good. Our punter has been great. Looks like our field goal kicker is very reliable. We have a senior qb. Looks like a recipe for 10-11 wins..

I didn't say Army was a below avg PROGRAM, I said a below avg team....as in, this year. They lost everyone of consequence off of last year's team. They barely beat Rice, who might be in the bottom 5 of the FBS this year and looked pretty avg against UT San Antonio, another terrible team.

 

[4thngoal]

I guessed 10-11 wins before the season.
I'm not as bullish now. It's extremely possible still, it's going to all depend on how much better we get as the season goes on.
Michigan playing Wisconsin this week helps us.
I have my reservations, but in the end we are 3-0, did it with some injuries. We found a way and often times that's the difference between a good team and a great team.

 

[earlkoppelman]

I agree with the issues. Ssshhh, don't tell Deano because he really gets pissed, but KF has ALWAYS sucked at clock management. He did yesterday and he truly blew before halftime against Rutgers. Shouldn't KOK be helping him? Jr? Maybe it is hereditary.

I said 8-5 before the season started but I can see this team getting to 9 wins. 10?? With a bowl victory perhaps. The kicking game seems extremely solid. That is huge. But we will only be as good as Stanley is. And Pop's sphincter and Jr's playcalling. Again don't tell Deano but that out pattern to the short side of the field was all Jr.

I have few worries re the defense because the most valuable and underrated D coordinator in the country continues to be Kirk's angel from heaven.

O-L Tackles play at Big Ten 1st level.Its Needed.A do-able. Reece's part-time help? Need Tackles to set 'tone'

 

[Grady]

This looks like a very typical Iowa team to me, in almost every way. A great FG kicker, a good punter. A bend don't break D. Yes, more throws to WRs and fewer to TEs than usual, along with a few offensive rushing wrinkles. Against two overmatched teams this year, Iowa won comfortably. Against a team with similar talent, they relied upon the other team to make mistakes in order to win. That's Iowa football. The problem with this strategy is, even if you play nearly mistake-free -- and Iowa did that with 0 TOs and 2 meaningful penalties for 5 yds vs the Clones -- you still have to count on the other team to mess up. That's why Iowa struggles so much with Wisconsin and NWestern EVERY YEAR, having lost to both of them 3 consecutive years -- because they typically don't beat themselves with stupid penalties and mistakes. It's really hard to envision any different outcome with those teams this year.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

Great win. ISU was SO geared up for this. Played poorly Week 1 and looking to make a program statement.

My only complaint is the 4-3. There were clearly possessions it would've been better for us to have an extra DB in the game and it was frustrating to see 3 LBs in there. I hope it's due to our injuries. I'm not against the 4-3, but staying in it during obvious passing downs and possessions is frustrating.

Go Hawks.

Being down 4 DBs will put damn near any team into 4-3 mode.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design. Your friends, up there on the sanctuary moon, are walking into a trap, as is your Rebel fleet. It was I who allowed the Alliance to know the location of the shield generator. It is quite safe from your pitiful little band. An entire legion of my best troops awaits them. [mockingly] Oh, I'm afraid the deflector shield will be quite operational when your friends arrive. Your DBs are screwed, your quarterback over throws his receivers, your coaches still have poor time management and run into 9 man fronts........

We are doomed.

Nah, heal up. With the ISU victory, 9 or more wins in certainly possible. Still tough, but possible. The great thing about this year is if the Hawks make a serious run at this schedule, no one will be ragging on them for it.

No one will be raging on them for it? JFC, there are 5 to 10 people on this board that will do that. Let's see...the narrative will be that Michigan was overrated or breaking in a new offense, PSU had lots of transfers, Wisconsin is missing lots of injured players.

Those 5 to10 folks live to find fault with Iowa football any way they can.