Bitter Ending | Hawkeye Nation
They say every actor in the history of Hollywood is no more than six degrees removed from working with Kevin Bacon.
Today, I feel just one degree removed, as I spent the better part of the last week sticking up for the Iowa defense.
Now, I feel like Bacon’s character from the end of ‘Animal House’ where he was holding his hands up saying ‘Nothing to see here,’ just before he got steamrolled.
I can cite all of the stats and numbers in the world. I can talk about looking at the big picture until I am blue in the face, or red for that matter.
In the end, the scoreboard is the ultimate judge, just as I cited this past week.
In all three of Iowa’s losses this year, we can find several things not pertaining to the Iowa defense as to why Iowa didn’t win. There has been plenty of ‘blame’ to go around, since people are into pointing fingers and having their pound of flesh to some how sate their angst.
But in all three of those losses as well as last week’s win at Indiana, the defense did not stand in the gap in the fourth quarter.
It hurts me to write that, and that has nothing to do with my opinions likely being wrong. I have never, ever had a problem admitting when I have been wrong or off base with an opinion.
It hurts because this is as very good Iowa defense, it’s just not great.
The bigger problem is the Iowa offense has gotten worse these last two weeks, not better. There is a rumor out there that Iowa scored 37 points against Michigan State a few weeks ago.
I’ll have to look it up to believe it.
Iowa was plagued by a horrific first half of offense where it was 0-7 on third downs. They had too many penalties and were put in holes they could not dig out of. The playcalling was deemed unimaginative by the folks in the chat.
In the second half, there were key dropped balls, including two on the final drive.
Today, this Iowa team couldn’t deal with prosperity, either.
Iowa led Northwestern 17-7 with 11 minutes to go in the game and they were on the Northwestern 38 yard line. On 2nd and 11, Rick Stanzi went back to pass and he got greedy, going over the top to DJK and the ball was intercepted. I can’t say for sure if there was anything open underneath, but it looked like Stanzi decided he was going deep before the snap. He never saw the safety. The Cats picked it off and then put together back to back prodigious drives.
To not get points there was disappointing and it could mean the difference between a great season and one that is either ‘good’ or incredibly disappointing, depending on what happens next week against Ohio State.
People have various theories related to why they don’t think I am ‘critical enough’ in their minds of the Iowa football team.
Out of the mental mist following this loss, I think I have the answer.
Iowa football brings us all so much joy, year in and year out. It marks the time of our lives in some ways. It’s difficult for me to be uber negative about something that has brought me amazing joy. That, and I tend to see the brighter sides of life.
However in this loss, it’s tough to do that. It’s tough to envision this team getting off the mat and beating Ohio State at home next week. If they don’t, they will be 7-4 and we’ll begin to think of the 2010 season in the same category as the 1997 season, which is the most disappointing season I ever witnessed as an Iowa fan.
It’s tough for me to think in those terms, because so many of the faces that brought us unbelievable moments the past two years are still on this team, and I can’t bear to view them in such a light.
I probably won’t, or I will be able to separate the football from the faces, the people from the production.
Losses like this hurt so much because we care so much. Some people express their ‘hurt’ better than others, but in the end, hurt is the reason.
Inconsistency has plagued the Iowa football team this year. Sometimes its been the offense, other times its been the defense. Poor special teams has been the consistent, however, although it’s tough to pin anything on them today.
There will be a lot of questions from today’s game:
-Play calling inconsistencies
-Why was the defense so tired
-Where was the offense we saw in the 3rd quarter in the 1st half?
-Where is Iowa’s two-minute offensive composure
And several more of course. Those are just a few that come to mind.
I don’t have any answers for you. I am not sure the players or coaches will, either.
In the end, Iowa is now 7-3, Big Ten title dreams are an afterthought. They have lost to Northwestern five times in their last six meetings and winter is upon us.
It’s a tough day and the sun will rise in the morning, but for now, it’s tough to pull out of the fog.
Unmet expectations are sometimes the most brutal emotions to face, and fans are dealing with that now…so likely, are the Iowa players.
