Kirk's career record vs ISU, NW and Indiana

[HawkeyeMHA]

We play the good teams well because we have the talent to do so. As pointed out in a previous thread, Iowa has 9 rookies on NFL rosters. No reason we shouldn't be competitive with top teams. No excuse to lose to the bad ones and blow 4th quarter leads routinely. KF is a terrible gameday manager. Who runs the clock out tied with 1:17 and 2 timeouts?

I do wish we would have gave it a shot with the 1:17 remaining. I was calling for McNutt three plays in a row. He REALLY is tough to stop. He catches it this year and doesn't even seem to look at the first defender, just goes right by them. Yes, should have given it a shot. 4th qtr leads when all we need is one stop, or one play, really frustrating.

 

[smoot27]

Well I'm done venting for the night. Hopefully we turn this season around.

 

[CGHawk]

"Yes, I'd rather be a fan of any of those other three teams than make it to a good bowl...and usually win"

Let's not be a complete tool here. You are implying the point is to compare these programs as if the choice is to be a fan of one of these three or Iowa, completely taking the original post out of context. The point is to show KF's sorry record vs. poor teams. BEing fans of these teams is nothing to do with the topic. Sorry if your feelings are hurt that Kirk has been clowned time and time again by inferior opponents. You must be a Cubs fan. Not many others can appreciate mediocrity to such a degree.

I like your use of irony to start off the paragraph.

I did not say that I am ok with losing to mediocre teams. I hate it just as much as you. My original response was intended to point out that it could be much worse. We didn't lose a championship game today. We didn't lose a bowl game today. We didn't even lose an important game in the grand scheme of things. There were countless times people said on this board "The ISU game shouldn't even be considered a rivalry anymore."

I'm just as frustrated as you are that we lose to teams that we shouldn't lose to, but it isn't the end of the world. We are lucky to have KF as a coach, but that doesn't mean that I think he is perfect. He needs to learn that we can't allow inferior teams to hang around in the game with us. We need to get out ahead and not let off the gas.

That being said... KF is an elite coach. Iowa has the second highest amount of players in the NFL from the B1G, and we don't get all the top recruits in the nation... KF turns them into NFL ready players.

 

[smoot27]

I like your use of irony to start off the paragraph.

I did not say that I am ok with losing to mediocre teams. I hate it just as much as you. My original response was intended to point out that it could be much worse. We didn't lose a championship game today. We didn't lose a bowl game today. We didn't even lose an important game in the grand scheme of things. There were countless times people said on this board "The ISU game shouldn't even be considered a rivalry anymore."

I'm just as frustrated as you are that we lose to teams that we shouldn't lose to, but it isn't the end of the world. We are lucky to have KF as a coach, but that doesn't mean that I think he is perfect. He needs to learn that we can't allow inferior teams to hang around in the game with us. We need to get out ahead and not let off the gas.

That being said... KF is an elite coach. Iowa has the second highest amount of players in the NFL from the B1G, and we don't get all the top recruits in the nation... KF turns them into NFL ready players.

Well I shouldn't make it personal, but I disagree with you on KF's value. Sure he turns out a lot of pro prospects, but why hasn't that equaled strong winning seasons? We've only finished ranked in the top 25 twice in the last 6 seasons and soon to be 7. It's time to stop clinging to the '02-04 years. We have only had one real solid season since then (2009). 2008 was a talented team that choked away a great opportunity as did last year's team.

 

[SpecialKHawk]

Some of this is the nature of college football. Are the great teams always the great teams year in year out? As far as I know the SEC has won the last five title games but it's been 5 different teams. How could that happen, shouldn't have the first team in that run continued to win year-after-year?

My point is with graduation comes roster turnover. It takes time to replace key and role players in a program. Sometimes the next guy does not pan out or has an injury. It's not always plug-and-play. We have to expect some ups and downs.

I do think just like his review after our 2002 BCS bowl game debacle that KF needs to take a hard look at our match-ups with 'lessor opponents'. I think we need to find a way to put them away early. We obviously have a penchant for letting teams hang-around.

Keep in mind at different points in our program, especially early we were considered a 'lessor' opponent (and still are by OSU, Michigan) and we found ways to upset them and other ranked opponents. So we forget that the advantage an under-dog has when they are not taken out of the game early. See ISU, MSU games last year. See Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern, etc. last year.

 

[Cover3]

Actuallly have to disagree here. His conservatism keeps us in games we should lose too. And we all know that's what matters; keeping it close.

Oh, wait...

Yes, but the point the OP and some others are getting at, with which I agree, is play Iowa State differently than you would Ohio State, Florida, LSU, or South Carolina. Just say that out loud and you'll have an epiphany about Iowa football: we run the same game plan for IOWA STATE that we do for OHIO STATE.

 

[Saginawbay]

I think we can all agree we have problems with lessor opponents...

Again part of this is our inability to take them apart from the start and not let up. The worst thing you can do against these opponents is let them think they are in the game. The momentum and pressure shifts from them to us...

Today as an example we had an opportuntity to be up 14-0,,, instead we went to the locker-room 10-10. If we had gotten to 14-0 and punched one more in to get up 21-0 how much doubt would have crept in? I was in the stadium,,, the crowd was completely taken out when it was 7-0 and we were on the move looking like it was going to be 14-0. What happened on that drive? Dropped first down pass by the TE on a key third and five. We bounce in a FG and kick the ball out of bounds so they get first and ten on the 40. Then they punt back flipping the field position and I believe we fumbled on our own 10. The game turns-around.

KF has to really instill and work on his game plans to put lessor teams away early and often.

We saw what happened last year to both ISU & MSU when this happened. They were done. When we left others hanging around we lost.

This is correct and KF and Iowa coach's need some new ideas.

 

[NewMexHawk]

With any coaching staff that could or would adapt, Iowa could have had better year end finishes. Yes we finished in the top 10 four years...it could easily have been more than that with ANY kind of adaptation or imagination from this staff. Iowa has had the talent to do more...this coaching staff ties their hands because of lack of trust and afraid they will make a mistake. While other teams pull out all stops to try and win games and coaches use imagination, Iowa becomes more vanilla every year. They are starting to look like the Bob Cummings era --run left, run right, run up the middle...oh and through a pass every now and then to the tight end.

 

[TChawk]

With any coaching staff that could or would adapt, Iowa could have had better year end finishes. Yes we finished in the top 10 four years...it could easily have been more than that with ANY kind of adaptation or imagination from this staff. Iowa has had the talent to do more...this coaching staff ties their hands because of lack of trust and afraid they will make a mistake. While other teams pull out all stops to try and win games and coaches use imagination, Iowa becomes more vanilla every year. They are starting to look like the Bob Cummings era --run left, run right, run up the middle...oh and through a pass every now and then to the tight end.

Bingo hard to win consistently when every team knows what you are going to do on offense and what they need to do to move the ball easily on offense.

 

[NewMexHawk]

This staff will not and would not even think about taking advantage of an opposition's weakness or adapting to an opposition's weakness. The staff has one way to play and that is the way they play, regardless. They will lose games first than adapt...the only thing I can figure out is that the staff thinks it is unfair to take advantage of another team's weakness. We are Iowa...the opposition is SUPPOSED to know exactly what we are going to do because we out execute the other team...well kind of, well hardly anymore. This staff plays the same way regardless of players and regardless of whether they EVEN CAN play that way. They will just lose games instead. This is one stubborn staff who refuses to adapt or take chances in ANY way...that is for teams that WANT TO WIN.

 

[1977Hawkeye]

And only one of those 4 has been since 2004. Since 2004 we have finished unranked 4/6 times and look to add another to the list this year. Explain how that's elite? Maybe early last decade he was elite, but that was due to a good 3 year run. Compare that to Bielema who has finished ranked 4/5 and probably will again this season.

Exactly what I was going to say. And it looks like this year will make it 5 out of 7 years finishing the season out of the Top 25, since the 2004 season ended.

I don't think that finishing top-10 three straight years like we did in 2002-04 was a fluke, but my question is this - what has changed since then?

 

[imported_UHawk]

I don't know why every one thinks something is different than it is. Every year NW, IA St, Indiana.......we leave the game shaking our heads. It will not be any different as long as this coaching staff is here. Get used to 7-5 guys it feels awesome.

 

[imported_UHawk]

You remember the '05 Michigan game at home? I will never forget. We had the ball with 2 timeouts on the 15 of Michigan and about a min left on the clock we ran the ball 3 or 4 times in a row and kicked a FG to tie and go into overtime. Guess what we lost in OT. The more things change the more they stay the same.

 

[BryceC]

As an ISU fan, I will say that I think the Iowa staff is the best staff in the country when it comes to developing players bar none. I am absolutely befuddled by the playcalling in at least 2 games a year though. This is one of them.

 

[skinnykilmer17]

As an ISU fan, I will say that I think the Iowa staff is the best staff in the country when it comes to developing players bar none. I am absolutely befuddled by the playcalling in at least 2 games a year though. This is one of them.

As an Iowa fan I have to agree with you. 6 or 7 Hawkeyes from last year's team are on active NFL rosters today, which is a pretty amazing feat for any program, but we only finished 8-5 last year. How do you account for this?

I believe it comes down to poor in-game decisions (poor clock management, playing not to lose instead of playing to win i.e. coaching in fear, and not making adjustments from overly conservative philosophies on both sides of the ball).

The perfect example of the latter points beckons one name. Pat Fitzgerald.
Not only does does he outcoach KF he is truly the aggressor. He knows it and KF knows it. He owns KF unfortunately and it sucks.

 

[ohhawk]

Many didn't think we were elite enough under Tom Davis either.

 

[skinnykilmer17]

KF is a classy, highly respected person and coach who develops young men to be outstanding football players and citizens.

But, I wish he would be more aggressive, flexible, creative when it comes to his football demeanor/philosophies. A team often takes on the persona of their coach and I would love to see our players exhibit more emotion. They often don't seem fired up, almost sleep-walking at times. I feel this is directly attributable to KF.

I am glad he is our coach, but nonetheless this lack of outward emotion and aversion to go for the jugular continues to be very frustrating.

And just for the record I was a Tom Davis fan.

 

[silvanthalas]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd be perfectly happy if we won a national championship but nobody made it to the NFL.

For all this talk about how many NFL players Iowa produces, the results sure haven't *consistently* been there the last several years. If we really had that much NFL talent, we wouldn't let bad teams hang around. We wouldn't lose so often to ISU and NW.

 

[DesMoinesHawki]

Hmmm ... so I guess our wins against Michigan, Penn State, LSU, Missouri, Georgia Tech, etc., don't count? Is a 6-7 record against ISU stellar? Hardly ... But in my 31 years of being an Iowa fan I can honestly say we are about where we can be. We ARE NOT going to be a Top 5 or Top 10 team every year ... That is just the name of the game. You win some, you lose some ... Kirk took a program that had a very bare cupboard after Hayden left and gave us a lot to cheer about and be happy about. Interest in Iowa football has always been there ... But now, the interest is at an all-time high ... So, Kirk must be doing something right ... Upsets happen ... That is college football. When you weigh the pros and cons of Kirk's tenure I think most would say this ride has been a pretty good one ...

 

[silvanthalas]

Hmmm ... so I guess our wins against Michigan, Penn State, LSU, Missouri, Georgia Tech, etc., don't count?

WTF is the point of beating a Michigan (who hasn't been that good lately), PSU (who we've been more dominate over under Ferentz than just about anybody), or those other schools if we keep losing to the ones we should be beating most often?

Why the hell should Iowa under Ferentz have a worse record against ISU than PSU!? There is no defending this, PERIOD.

Just imagine if we could beat the ISUs and NWs of the world ALONG WITH the PSUs! Perish the thought!