JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
The Iowa Hawkeyes fell to Iowa State on Saturday, 44-41 in three overtimes in one of the most dramatic games in the history of the CyHawk Series.
A loss is never a fun thing to experience, much less to your in state rivals...but this loss uncovered some areas that may prove to be a painful harbinger of sorts and alarming in other ways.
Before this season began, most level headed Hawkeye fans realized this year's defense was going to see a significant drop off at the point of attack. Iowa lost three players to the NFL from last year's defensive front. Early struggles were not going to be all that surprising.
Iowa was OK last week against Tennessee Tech, but there really wasn't much to take away from that experience due to the weather.
Today in Ames, that was not the case...Iowa's defense failed to get a pass rush on Iowa State at nearly every turn. When they did finally break free of the ISU offensive line, it was some four to five seconds after the ball had been snapped.
ISU QB Steele Jantz did do some running on Saturday, but he was not running for his life; he was making plays with his feet after Iowa's secondary had done more than a respectable job covering Iowa State's receivers.
Jantz turned in a performance that was on par with what Seneca Wallace did to Iowa in 2002. I can't believe I am typing that, because of how unreal Wallace was that day and due to how erratic Jantz looked last week at home against Northern Iowa. He was 24-36 for 271 yards and four scores. He was probably a mix of Wallace and former Iowa quarterback Drew Tate. He is no where near the runner Wallace was, but he has great feet, which makes him so elusive to that first would be pursuer.
Without Jantz, Iowa State doesn't win the game and it doesn't go to overtime. With him, they were the better football team on Saturday and Iowa's defensive line problems, at least how I see them, are not the kind of questions you find answers for in a few weeks...I am talking about another off season of strength and conditioning and another year old.
Lebron Daniel was a non-factor. Yes, he was going up against one of the best left tackles in the nation, but Kelechi Osemele was probably playing at 75 percent at best. Even Mike Daniels didn't get a great deal of consistent penetration and he was going across the line from a redshirt freshman center much of the day. Broderick Binns probably looked the best, but he didn't do anything to stand out and Dominic Alvis was barely heard from as well.
Iowa was sloppy again in the tackling game, something we saw last week in the slop. You can improve on that; I don't think you can improve on the pass rush with a four man front given what Iowa is working with this year. They ran a lot of stunts, as they don't have the horsepower across the front to apply presser man on man; those were not all that effective either.
On the whole, I think the secondary did a decent job. Micah Hyde made a big miscue on an Iowa State touchdown where he was playing zone and Christian Kirksey blitzed, so one of those two did the wrong thing. ISU picked on Greg Castillo a bit, and aside from a generous cushion I think Castillo did a decent job; back shoulder fades are tough to defend.
Kirksey had an amazing day and is going to be fun to watch. James Morris missed his share of tackles and Tyler Nielsen rolled an ankle early and was not 100 percent.
Given all of my concerns over Iowa's pass rush, a lot of it was expected. This was as year where the offense had to carry the team, at least in September while the defense gained chemistry and experience.
The offense did not do what it has to do, and that is score points and consistently move the chains.
James Vandenberg looked like a first year starting quarterback today. At times he showed us why we are all so excited about his career, and I still am. However, he was more erratic than I would have expected. I felt like he was feeling phantom pressure that was not there, which caused him to rush several throws.
Marvin McNutt only had four catches and maybe six targets. Keenan Davis made some big plays, but he also had one HUGE drop on Iowa's last possessions, where they had to settle for a field goal; had Davis caught the ball, it would have been a first down.
Iowa chose to pound Marcus Coker into a line of scrimmage that saw eight Cyclones overplaying the direction of Iowa's zone scheme flow. There were no counters called, possibly because Marcus Coker looks to be lacking a gear at this juncture of the season.
Coker went over 100 yards today (138 yards on 35 carries) but his average was 3.9 yards per carry. That is a LOT of work...he looked hesitant at times and he had another fumble, his third in three games.
The loss of Mika'il McCall was on display today, because McCall gets to the hole much faster than Coker does. Perhaps one of the worst things that could have happened to Coker was breaking that 64-yard run against Missouri last year, because people think that he is a mix of power and speed.
He isn't that. He is a great back to have in the program and leading the way, I am not saying he is not. However, he feet just aren't quick. Maybe it's just the fact that he was dinged up this fall and is still shaking off some rust. But he's not a home run hitter and the expectations that he is should be adjusted.
I also realize Kirk Ferentz doesn't want to throw freshmen running backs into road situation like that this early in their careers. But 38 carries won't happen each week, and the Hawks are going to need a little lightning to go with that thunder.
Iowa has some talent in the passing game. They have a good offensive line. They had several one one one opportunities today but they kept running the ball into eight man fronts. They will continue to see those eight man fronts this year, and aggressive defensive calls.
That will happen until they torch defenses through the air and make them pay for that approach, and even then it may not back off totally because teams are not going to fear Iowa's defense this year. For the first time in a long time, teams will see that they can score on Iowa, so if they take more chances on defense and get burnt occasionally, it's not going to hurt as much as it has in recent years against the Hawkeyes.
While the defense has a long way to go and may not ever get there this year, today's loss was mostly about a lack of execution on offense...a refrain we have been singing since after Iowa beat Michigan State last year.
Don't mistake this for some anti-Ken O'Keefe rant, because it's not. I 'hope' this leads to Iowa's coaching staff realizing certain philosophical notions may need some tweaking this season, given what it has to work with up front on defense.
Perhaps a reevaluation of attacking the clock late in a game where you aren't going up against the 2009 Ohio State defense could be in order, too. When you only force Iowa State to punt twice in a football game, it's time to go to the drawing board.
If not, if Iowa keeps 'playing it safe' this year, there are going to be more days like this. Days where Iowa is on the short end of the stick looking back at too many missed opportunities.
A loss is never a fun thing to experience, much less to your in state rivals...but this loss uncovered some areas that may prove to be a painful harbinger of sorts and alarming in other ways.
Before this season began, most level headed Hawkeye fans realized this year's defense was going to see a significant drop off at the point of attack. Iowa lost three players to the NFL from last year's defensive front. Early struggles were not going to be all that surprising.
Iowa was OK last week against Tennessee Tech, but there really wasn't much to take away from that experience due to the weather.
Today in Ames, that was not the case...Iowa's defense failed to get a pass rush on Iowa State at nearly every turn. When they did finally break free of the ISU offensive line, it was some four to five seconds after the ball had been snapped.
ISU QB Steele Jantz did do some running on Saturday, but he was not running for his life; he was making plays with his feet after Iowa's secondary had done more than a respectable job covering Iowa State's receivers.
Jantz turned in a performance that was on par with what Seneca Wallace did to Iowa in 2002. I can't believe I am typing that, because of how unreal Wallace was that day and due to how erratic Jantz looked last week at home against Northern Iowa. He was 24-36 for 271 yards and four scores. He was probably a mix of Wallace and former Iowa quarterback Drew Tate. He is no where near the runner Wallace was, but he has great feet, which makes him so elusive to that first would be pursuer.
Without Jantz, Iowa State doesn't win the game and it doesn't go to overtime. With him, they were the better football team on Saturday and Iowa's defensive line problems, at least how I see them, are not the kind of questions you find answers for in a few weeks...I am talking about another off season of strength and conditioning and another year old.
Lebron Daniel was a non-factor. Yes, he was going up against one of the best left tackles in the nation, but Kelechi Osemele was probably playing at 75 percent at best. Even Mike Daniels didn't get a great deal of consistent penetration and he was going across the line from a redshirt freshman center much of the day. Broderick Binns probably looked the best, but he didn't do anything to stand out and Dominic Alvis was barely heard from as well.
Iowa was sloppy again in the tackling game, something we saw last week in the slop. You can improve on that; I don't think you can improve on the pass rush with a four man front given what Iowa is working with this year. They ran a lot of stunts, as they don't have the horsepower across the front to apply presser man on man; those were not all that effective either.
On the whole, I think the secondary did a decent job. Micah Hyde made a big miscue on an Iowa State touchdown where he was playing zone and Christian Kirksey blitzed, so one of those two did the wrong thing. ISU picked on Greg Castillo a bit, and aside from a generous cushion I think Castillo did a decent job; back shoulder fades are tough to defend.
Kirksey had an amazing day and is going to be fun to watch. James Morris missed his share of tackles and Tyler Nielsen rolled an ankle early and was not 100 percent.
Given all of my concerns over Iowa's pass rush, a lot of it was expected. This was as year where the offense had to carry the team, at least in September while the defense gained chemistry and experience.
The offense did not do what it has to do, and that is score points and consistently move the chains.
James Vandenberg looked like a first year starting quarterback today. At times he showed us why we are all so excited about his career, and I still am. However, he was more erratic than I would have expected. I felt like he was feeling phantom pressure that was not there, which caused him to rush several throws.
Marvin McNutt only had four catches and maybe six targets. Keenan Davis made some big plays, but he also had one HUGE drop on Iowa's last possessions, where they had to settle for a field goal; had Davis caught the ball, it would have been a first down.
Iowa chose to pound Marcus Coker into a line of scrimmage that saw eight Cyclones overplaying the direction of Iowa's zone scheme flow. There were no counters called, possibly because Marcus Coker looks to be lacking a gear at this juncture of the season.
Coker went over 100 yards today (138 yards on 35 carries) but his average was 3.9 yards per carry. That is a LOT of work...he looked hesitant at times and he had another fumble, his third in three games.
The loss of Mika'il McCall was on display today, because McCall gets to the hole much faster than Coker does. Perhaps one of the worst things that could have happened to Coker was breaking that 64-yard run against Missouri last year, because people think that he is a mix of power and speed.
He isn't that. He is a great back to have in the program and leading the way, I am not saying he is not. However, he feet just aren't quick. Maybe it's just the fact that he was dinged up this fall and is still shaking off some rust. But he's not a home run hitter and the expectations that he is should be adjusted.
I also realize Kirk Ferentz doesn't want to throw freshmen running backs into road situation like that this early in their careers. But 38 carries won't happen each week, and the Hawks are going to need a little lightning to go with that thunder.
Iowa has some talent in the passing game. They have a good offensive line. They had several one one one opportunities today but they kept running the ball into eight man fronts. They will continue to see those eight man fronts this year, and aggressive defensive calls.
That will happen until they torch defenses through the air and make them pay for that approach, and even then it may not back off totally because teams are not going to fear Iowa's defense this year. For the first time in a long time, teams will see that they can score on Iowa, so if they take more chances on defense and get burnt occasionally, it's not going to hurt as much as it has in recent years against the Hawkeyes.
While the defense has a long way to go and may not ever get there this year, today's loss was mostly about a lack of execution on offense...a refrain we have been singing since after Iowa beat Michigan State last year.
Don't mistake this for some anti-Ken O'Keefe rant, because it's not. I 'hope' this leads to Iowa's coaching staff realizing certain philosophical notions may need some tweaking this season, given what it has to work with up front on defense.
Perhaps a reevaluation of attacking the clock late in a game where you aren't going up against the 2009 Ohio State defense could be in order, too. When you only force Iowa State to punt twice in a football game, it's time to go to the drawing board.
If not, if Iowa keeps 'playing it safe' this year, there are going to be more days like this. Days where Iowa is on the short end of the stick looking back at too many missed opportunities.
