Mid-Season Report Card

CJSHawk

CJSHawk

Well-Known Member
QB- Rudock has been impressive considering he's a first year starter. He seems to be a solid decision maker with a strong grasp of what Ferentz/Davis want him to do. He's better on his feet than I thought he'd be. His lack of arm strength is a concern.

RB- Weisman and Bullock are who we thought they were. Solid, capable B1G running backs who will get the yards that are there. No more, no less. Canzeri and Daniels haven't played much so I don't know what to think of them, which makes me wonder why Daniel's redshirt was burned.

WR- Far and away the worst position group on the team. When a guy(Matt Vandeberg) our coaching staff didn't feel was worthy of a scholarship offer last February makes the two deep in the fall you know you have major talent issues!!!

OL- Our OL play has been OK. Scherff and Van Sloten have been solid, and I think Blythe has done well at center, but our guard play has been inconsistent.

TE- The TEs have played well. I think Ray Hamilton has emerged as the best of the bunch. I was hoping for more production based on the comments Ferentz make last spring.

DL- They DL has been solid against the run, but still cannot generate a consistent pass rush. LTP and Davis have played the best. I like the idea of using Meier and Alston off the edge as Ott and Alvis struggle to get to the QB.

LB- The best position group on the team and they should be considering we have three senior starters. Hitchens is playing the best football of his career.

DB- This group has been average at best. King has played well for a true freshman. Lowery has been the most inconsistent player on the team. Lowdermilk and Miller are limited athletically which causes them to be out of position a lot. After the MSU game Draper should never see the field again!!

Coaching Staff- I feel about Ferentz the way I felt about Tom Davis. He's a good man and a good coach, but it's time for a change. The Iowa football program has gone stale and we need the type of rejuvenation only a new coaching staff can provide. I realize making a change is a risk(buyout, bad hire, etc.), but it's a risk I think Barta needs to take.
 




QB: B+ Rudock has very good pocket presence, smart player.
RB: B+ Weisman is Weisman, need more consistency from the rest of the backs. My issue with this group is that we have a lot of players, only one of which is a pure RB (Daniels).
WR: D+ Lots of drops, ugly routes, mis-communication. KMM is playing well at least.
TE: C+ Given the hype, I think they are under-performing as a group. I don't think they are being used appropriately, either. Where are the seam routes that Iowa used to make a killing off of?
OL - Run: B+ Last game drops them down from an A-. I'm banking on the MSU game being hiccup, rather than a sign of things to come.
OL - Pass: B
Redzone Offense: D It's been bad. That simple.

DL - Run: B+ They have for the most part kept the LB's free to make tackles, and have stayed home
DL - Pass: C+ I don't think they are as terrible as what people think. They have played smart, have contained the QB well when things break down. They just don't have an explosive pass rusher...having even one would make all the difference.
LB - Run: A- They have simply played very well.
LB - Pass: B+ Iowa expects a lot out of their LB's on passing downs. It has always been this way. Iowa's LB's have done pretty well at pressuring the QB on blitzes.
CB - coverage: D+ Very shaky in man, takes too many risks
CB - blitz: B+ I think the CB's have caused a lot of pressure on blitzes
Safety - coverage: D+ Don't have the athleticism to recover from mistakes...and they are making mistakes. Not good
Safety - blitz: F Please don't ever blitz the safeties again. It's painful.
 




Special teams?

C: KMM had 2 TD returns against a bad MAC team. That's balanced out by being burned by yet another fake punt. Those things aside, we give up way too many long returns

B: Kickers (graded separately from special teams) Meyer gets a B+/A- missed 2 from inside 40, the short one @ Minne didn't hurt us. Punting B-
 


First of all, you really want to go there with Tom Davis...why, because the change worked out so well for us? Good post though and I agree with most of the stuff in your summary.

Not so fast however:

Running Back - I know people will think I'm crazy, but we have very average college running backs as our top two guys. I'm sorry, but if Weisman and Bullock were at Wisconsin, they don't see the field...and several other B10 schools. Good college RBs can turn busted plays into positive yards, can turn 5 yard gains into 25 yard gains. When they get a seam, they are through it and have the speed and elusiveness to pop big gains once in the secondary...we don't have or at least we haven't seen that happen. I know Weisman has had a few runs where he has gotten extra yardage, but it's usually because he gets through the hole untouched to the second level.

I also agree that our OL has been a little inconsistent and they really had their ***** handed to them in the running game against MSU. I agree, the three guys you mentioned have played well, but our guard play has been suspect at best. MSU DT's were disruptive as hell and we had a very difficult time getting any movement off the line of scrimmage.
 


QB: B- Ruddock manages the offense well, moves well, and has done some good things. His inability to go downfield hurts, though.
RB: B- Weisman seems to be the only one that can "make yards".
WR: C- They block pretty well. Too bad they don't run routes and catch as well. Really wish we could make more of Powell's speed.
TE: B+ TE's are playing pretty well across the board. We really need to use them more/better.
OL: B- OL has been fairly solid.

DL: C- DT are doing well, and the line, overall, is doing well keeping the opposing OL off of our LB's. We need more pressure from our DE.
LB: A- Best position group, by far, on the team.
CB: C They've had some rough spots, but they have also done a lot of good things. Really suffering due to our safeties.
S: F If there was a lower grade...

K: B-
P: C+ Average looks better than a lot of our punts.
SP Coverage: D Thought about giving them an F, but it hasn't been as bad as our safeties...

GD: C+ Game planning hasn't been too bad. Adjustments have been severely lacking. Offense appears to be improving...
PP: B+ We might need to be a bit more aggressive to get off of the field. Offense isn't helping much.
 


QB: B JR has stayed composed, which is more than half the battle. He is accurate, and normally reads the blitz and the coverage well. He's limited by his below average deep ball, and has made a few costly mistakes.

RB: B+ Weisman has run hard all year. Bullock has been a good change of pace. Neither one is going to take over a game against a good defense though.

WR: C+ I actually think the WR play has been pleasantly surprising. At least the QB and WR are on the same page this year most of the time. KMM is a solid player, but not much of a big play threat. Hopefully we see more of Powell and Meerkat (Vandeberg) because those guys have shown a ton of potential. Hilyer's shown flashes as well, and Smith has a couple nice plays. This position seems like it needs a re-ordering more than anything else. KMM, Powell, Meerkat, Smith is a solid 4 deep, with the seniors Shump and Cotton out of the rotation and Hillyer and McCarron getting some reps.

TE: B Underperforming preseason expectations, but the unit plays solid and is deep as hell. They need to become more involved in the passing game to be more of a strength.

OL: B+ Generally strong play with a noted decline when Scherff exits the game. Right side isn't consistently moving the line forward.

DL: B- LTP is playing absolutely great. He is the main reason we are stopping the run the way they are. Davis is constantly getting penetration, but can't adjust angles worth a damn. Coop has been providing quality depth as well. Ott is turning into a really good strong side DE. He has been keeping containment and getting penetration. Alvis plays hard, but in the end his position is where a pass rusher should be. If they had a good weak side DE, the DL would be a great unit on a great defense. As it is, they stop the run very well.

LB: A Among the best LB corps in Hawkeye history. If you'd have asked me who the weak link was going into the season, I'd have said Hitch. I'd have been wrong. There is no weak link. All three are playing their respective LB positions at a very high level. Hitch is attacking the ball, Morris is holding down the middle of the field, and Kirksey has been doing EVERYTHING.

CB: C Very inconsistent play. Lowery has been bi-polar, showing flashes of brilliance one game, then making basic technique mistakes and getting burned way too much. For the Hawkeyes to have a good season, Lowery has to be consistently exceptional. He seemed like he was going to be consistently exceptional, then all of a sudden his play has gone to hell. King has stepped up admirably as a true frosh. He plays the run well, and has shown constant improvement in his coverage. Still gets beat, though. Lomax needs to get back on the field, as Draper showed he is not ready to be the nickel man.

S: C+ In their defense, both Tanner and Lowdermilk play hard and have been pretty good at not letting plays get by them, with Lowdermilk being especially noteworthy at stopping the run those few times the runner gets past the LBs. Tanner has been more of a playmaker this year as well. But the reality is that we have subpar talent back at safety. Both guys get beat in one on one coverage, and are usually a step or two too slow in the zone. Both have also been largely ineffective on the blitz.

ST: B- Cotton hasn't been able to showcase his speed in the kick return game, and outside of KMM's big game, the PR game has ranged from ineffective to disastrous. Meyer has been pretty consistent. Kornbrath has been good half the time. Ferentz's ability to consistently get duped on fakes in the special teams game rivals that of Charlie Brown. It must be that in Kirk's world, anything more deceptive than a play action is dishonorable and unthinkable.
Coaching: B- Revamping the offensive timing has been a good thing. If I never see another hawkeye delay of game, it will be too soon. But we still have problems with clock management, and Kirk doesn't know how to stop momentum with a timely TO to save his life (or his career). The offense has been much smoother this year with QBs and WRs on the same page. Playcalling has been inspired at times, but some gambles haven't paid off and we fall back into predictability still. Parker is coaching up the defense well, and we are blitzing more than we ever had in an effort to make up for the lack of a pass rush, but something has to be done about pass coverage. Too often we are putting guys in one-on-one matchups they are outclassed in. When I think of Ferentz at his best I think of teams prepared to play, few big mistakes, good halftime adjustments, **** poor clock management and between-play coaching. We've been prepared to play, we haven't made that many big mistakes, and the between play coaching has been better if for no other reason that there is less coaching going on. But the adjustments have not been up to par, and that coupled with Kirk being the least clever gameday coach in the country has ultimately limited the team.
 
Last edited:


IAHawkFan said:
QB: B- Ruddock manages the offense well, moves well, and has done some good things. His inability to go downfield hurts, though.
RB: B- Weisman seems to be the only one that can "make yards".
WR: C- They block pretty well. Too bad they don't run routes and catch as well. Really wish we could make more of Powell's speed.
TE: B+ TE's are playing pretty well across the board. We really need to use them more/better.
OL: B- OL has been fairly solid.

QB: Yeah, I'd go B+ or perhaps A- for Jake Rudock. He's done his job, trying to lead this team. And he has made some very good plays.
RB: I like both guys, however, as a Big-time college back, if you combined their skill sets, you'd have a really good back. I'd like to see Daniels between the Tackles, if Weisman hurt.
WR: Actually, I think folks have been too hard on these guys. KMM has been very consistently good for the Hawkeyes. T Smith & Vandenberg have flashed potential.
TE: Still cannot understand why Greg Davis cannot figure out how to get CJF or Hamilton the ball a lot more.
OL: B, however, their real tests started with MSU and they didn't do well. Gotta step it up against OSU, NW and WI etc. I think we can beat NW & Wisc at home, with Good Line play
DL: LTP A; Carl, B; DE's......B-...........Hopefully, Alvis comes back and gets back to form. I'd like to see Hardy or Meier, unless Ott picks it up.
LB: A-...........would still like to see them, even more active and there's NO Way 2 teams should have gotten Fake punts off against our D.
CB: I think I would play D King & J Lomax at CB, if both healthy. Lowery just too inconsistent.
S: Lowdermilk; A-......for first year starter, he has played very well. Tanner Miller..........B, OK, but gosh I'd like to see him step in front of a few passes.

DL: C- DT are doing well, and the line, overall, is doing well keeping the opposing OL off of our LB's. We need more pressure from our DE.
LB: A- Best position group, by far, on the team.
CB: C They've had some rough spots, but they have also done a lot of good things. Really suffering due to our safeties.
S: F If there was a lower grade...

K: B-
P: C+ Average looks better than a lot of our punts.
SP Coverage: D Thought about giving them an F, but it hasn't been as bad as our safeties...

GD: C+ Game planning hasn't been too bad. Adjustments have been severely lacking. Offense appears to be improving...
PP: B+ We might need to be a bit more aggressive to get off of the field. Offense isn't helping much.
Click to expand...
 


Good summary. Agree with all except need for a coaching change. Would need to know who the potential new coaches would be and what the chances are of them coming to Iowa are. Making a coaching change at the end of the year just for change sake, without some specifics in mind, is too risky. The Hawks could end up with another FXL, just for those who would argue it couldn't be worse, it can; that's not worth the risk. Letting Ferentz go in the blind would be the wrong move in my opinion. Now, if they don't win another game this year, my attitude may be completely different by the end of November.
 


homes said:
Good summary. Agree with all except need for a coaching change. Would need to know who the potential new coaches would be and what the chances are of them coming to Iowa are. Making a coaching change at the end of the year just for change sake, without some specifics in mind, is too risky. The Hawks could end up with another FXL, just for those who would argue it couldn't be worse, it can; that's not worth the risk. Letting Ferentz go in the blind would be the wrong move in my opinion. Now, if they don't win another game this year, my attitude may be completely different by the end of November.
Click to expand...

I agree that this is a bad year for changing coaches. There are some marquee jobs coming open at the end of this year. Iowa would be pretty far down in the pecking order. Plus KF's contract is still pretty large to just get rid of. The end of next season will be the time to make a change if things don't turn around before then.
 




WinOneThisCentury said:
First of all, you really want to go there with Tom Davis...why, because the change worked out so well for us? Good post though and I agree with most of the stuff in your summary.

Not so fast however:

Running Back - I know people will think I'm crazy, but we have very average college running backs as our top two guys. I'm sorry, but if Weisman and Bullock were at Wisconsin, they don't see the field...and several other B10 schools. Good college RBs can turn busted plays into positive yards, can turn 5 yard gains into 25 yard gains. When they get a seam, they are through it and have the speed and elusiveness to pop big gains once in the secondary...we don't have or at least we haven't seen that happen. I know Weisman has had a few runs where he has gotten extra yardage, but it's usually because he gets through the hole untouched to the second level.

I also agree that our OL has been a little inconsistent and they really had their ***** handed to them in the running game against MSU. I agree, the three guys you mentioned have played well, but our guard play has been suspect at best. MSU DT's were disruptive as hell and we had a very difficult time getting any movement off the line of scrimmage.
Click to expand...

I don't think you're crazy! When your most important player on offense is a former fullback walk-on from the Air Force Academy your team has significant talent issues.
 




You must log in or register to reply here.


Latest posts

Share this page






Top