More indiscretions tied back to Iowa football program

[okeefe4prez]

I love how you keep representing that it was obvious that he should punt and that everyone knew it was coming ("you ain't punting"). That is laughable. Yes, it was 4th and 4, but you are on the 25 yard line. Very few coaches would punt there. You are betting the game on being right. Yes, Iowa's D was good, but it had already given up 24 points and as I recall, Wisky marched down the field and scored after the fake! Salty might be a stretch.

The gamble was even dicier because it does not greatly improve your chances of winning. You keep the ball, yes, but Wisky still have 60 yards to go to finish the job, whereas if Iowa stops the fake, Iowa basically can go up by two scores and run the clock under 5 minutes. Your chances of winning if Iowa just gets a field goal there are like 5%. It was a really high risk call and the reward was not that much better than counting on a good punt and defensive stop. In either scenario, you still have to drive the ball either 60 or 80 yards and score a TD.

The clear odds favor punting away. Then counting on a very conservative Kirk Ferentz to call three running plays that your competent defense stops. Forcing a punt and getting the ball back with 4-5 minutes to go on the 20 with a fresh set of downs. That was the smart play. Almost every other coach would have punted. It is incredibly rare to ever fake inside your own 25. Bert had onions.

That said, I agree that Iowa should have been more ready for a fake. Why set up a return there? Call a safe punt defense and fair catch the ball with good field position. Again, that would have been the smart play.

But hey, congrats again on being able to predict a fake punt in real time and noting that Iowa's coaches and one guy on a message board were the only people who did not see it coming. Yep. Credible thought.

See bolded part. You are correct.

Again, Sandeman was deep. There's absolutely no upside to running everyone back to block. Dude ain't Charlie Jones, Micah Hyde or DJK. In that situation with Sandeman back it is insane to drop everyone. Absolutely moronic.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

See bolded part. You are correct.

Again, Sandeman was deep. There's absolutely no upside to running everyone back to block. Dude ain't Charlie Jones, Micah Hyde or DJK. In that situation with Sandeman back it is insane to drop everyone. Absolutely moronic.

I have never suggested that Iowa should not have played for the fake. I said, in my last post, that the smart play was to show a fake punt defense and play for the fair catch. Smart and conservative. But to say that it was obvious Wisky would punt under that scenario is silly. It was a very unorthodox call and I would not hang the STs coach for not seeing that coming. If Wisky punts, as the stats and norms say to do, and Sandeman collects a short punt and returns it for a TD, then the ST's coach is a hero for having an aggressive return on. Iowa got burned sure, but the more accurate way to look at that play is that Bert has giant onions. Tip the cap.

 

[Northside Hawk]

In terms of big plays and momentum shifts that was probably the game of the year in the B1G and probably held that spot for much of the decade.

As for as the Hawkeye Badger rivalry it reversed our mini era of domination which would have reached three games. It was also a turning point for Bert who had a couple of come to Jesus meetings with the politboro concerning mediocre seasons and frequent nights on State Street.

Bert absolutely ran roughshod over the league from that point until the day he accepted the Arkansas job.

 

[Gander Hawk]

Lester Erb. Lol! The fact that Eric Johnson, not erb, went on to run a culvers after falling from the ferentz tree sums up his coaching “tree” in general. It’s a dead tree. Compared to Hayden’s heavily sprouted pine tree

I always picture more of a mesquite or hickory rather than pine.

 

[okeefe4prez]

I always picture more of a mesquite or hickory rather than pine.

Yes, Hayden's tree is a picturesque hickory tree that produces fine smoke. Ferentz's is more like a sap filled Georgia pine that ain't suitable for burning, provides virtually no shade and is a total pain in the ass every fall when it dumps all the dead needles into your gutters and then they back up, your roof holds water and the sumnabitch collapses.

 

[BigD]

Which is exactly why it worked. Fakes are designed to catch teams sleeping. It takes a good coach to sniff out when the opportunity might be there.

Well you have to take into consideration that time was getting short for Wisconsin. I was working at the time when a hawk buddy of mine called me and got me updated on how the game was going. Now aware of how the game was going, how much time was left I said to my friend “better watch for the fake here” next thing I hear him say is “It is a fake’ ………. and the rest is history.

Players should be properly trained and prepared for fakes on every fourth down. Obviously they aren’t. Inflation is a bitch. Four million a year just doesn’t buy what it used to.
Maybe seven million a year will at help coaches to prepare for things like fake punts.

 

[guffus]

Well you have to take into consideration that time was getting short for Wisconsin. I was working at the time when a hawk buddy of mine called me and got me updated on how the game was going. Now aware of how the game was going, how much time was left I said to my friend “better watch for the fake here” next thing I hear him say is “It is a fake’ ………. and the rest is history.

Players should be properly trained and prepared for fakes on every fourth down. Obviously they aren’t. Inflation is a bitch. Four million a year just doesn’t buy what it used to.
Maybe seven million a year will at help coaches to prepare for things like fake punts.

I would say Iowa did a better job than most when an extra coach was added a few years back by creating a specific coach for all special teams. Iowa's special teams seem to have played more consistently and seem better coached overall since Woods was named the special teams coach. That's a compliment to Woods himself too.

 

[BigD]

I would say Iowa did a better job than most when an extra coach was added a few years back by creating a specific coach for all special teams. Iowa's special teams seem to have played more consistently and seem better coached overall since Woods was named the special teams coach. That's a compliment to Woods himself too.

I have heard several posters who have spoke well of Woods. Special teams and the defense has been a stable for the program. If we could just get something going with the offense.