Hawkize1
Well-Known Member
I will preface this with I'm not a psychologist, I'm just giving my 2 cents.
After last seasons Orange bowl domination, with the returning nucleus of talent for the 2010 team. Many publications and pundits were quick to annoint Iowa the Big Ten "Team to beat". As many of us message board posters did as well.
All summer long the players read about how their favorable schedule and their defensive line is going to be the best in college football. These guys began to believe the hype. I think they worked hard and felt as though they could really be a contender for the NC game.
After whipping E.Ill and ISU they were really believing they were so good they could just show up put in the effort and the rest would take care of itself. Arizona, the first road trip Iowa came out expecting to dominate, really prove people right about this team. Well special teams had a couple blunders and all of a sudden we are getting it handed to us. We better kick it in gear. Iowa fought all the way back to take a 1 point lead. Special teams can't make an extra point. We are deflated, defense is tired from the heat, can't stop a motivated Arizona team and low and behold we lose.
That loss is a serious blow to the NC hopes but not all is lost, win out, a few things go our way and we are right there again. Keep working hard.
Ball State a beating, Penn State a dominating defensive performance, Michigan things go kind of as expected it's a win. At this point we are back. We have somewhat owned Wisconsin in the past few years. We are at home sure with a good effort we should get them.
All is going to plan, Wisky has a good offensive line, better than we thought. Late in the 4th quarter with a 6 point lead, and a Wisky punt on 4th and 8, we chose to forget about the fact that the punter can also run. Wisky fakes it and they get a first. Wow we just had them stopped.
Now we have to go back out there and hold them. We don't, they score 7 and we are in trouble at home. There is still some hope all we need is a FG. Ricky does a good job of getting us down the field, but time is running out. Ricky knows to spike the ball and save our timeout to try a FG. What's this we take our last timeout? Why? Now if were lucky we can get 10 yrds on an out, stop the clock and get a chnce for a long FG. Well it's not to be. Iowa's 2nd loss this one at home after having the lead. We can say "goodbye" NC game, But we can still get the Rosebowl if we win out.
Mich St. We come out all guns firing, MSU is back on their heels, we jump on them and don't look back. Probably the best played game of the season.
Injuries are beginning to mount now. Tarp, Tyler, and Arob are all out for a while.
Indiana on the road...Should take care of Indiana, they haven't won a BT game yet. Tough game almost lose, but win on a dropped pass. How lucky are we? Northwestern there, this team has been a thorn in our side for the past 5 years. Iowa falls behind, but catches fire in the 3rd quarter goes ahead 17-7. The 4th quarter against the wind in the cold rain Iowa can't hold NW out late and we lose 21-17. Well it happened again this is the third time this year, we have lost late. Now the Rosebowl is out. What are we playing for now? the Cap one bowl. Whatever. Well OSU is coming to town now. We can now play spoiler to them and maybe if everything goes right maybe we can finally beat them, that will show people we are still team to reckon with. Same old song and dance the coaches won't adjust to the opposing offense another 4th and 12 we can't stop them. another loss. Huh, what is there left to play for now? I just hope we don't get injured, I maybe playing on sunday next season.
Oh well Minnesota is next, they are terrible, they haven't even won a game at home. I'm tired we have so many guys out. let's just get this over with. Hey Minnesota, your not supposed to run on us! What's going on here? Oh hell lets just get out of the cold and call it.
I think the players saw less and less through the season they had to play for and more or less quit. They were simply going through the motions against Minny. There seemed to be exceptions, Coker & DJK leap to mind. Even Ricky said in the post game interview, if the rest of the team played with as much heart as Coker did today the result would have been different.
Adrian Clayborn as much as said the team lacked heart.
I know injuries to key people really hurt this team, but in my opinion they gave up after the Northwestern game. I don't think they felt like they had really anything left to play for. They had to be dissapointed to know they were tagged as a NC darkhorse and to end this way. Has to be hard on them.
I haven't quit on these guys, I hope they come out at the bowl game with a renewed sense of pride and play like champions.
After last seasons Orange bowl domination, with the returning nucleus of talent for the 2010 team. Many publications and pundits were quick to annoint Iowa the Big Ten "Team to beat". As many of us message board posters did as well.
All summer long the players read about how their favorable schedule and their defensive line is going to be the best in college football. These guys began to believe the hype. I think they worked hard and felt as though they could really be a contender for the NC game.
After whipping E.Ill and ISU they were really believing they were so good they could just show up put in the effort and the rest would take care of itself. Arizona, the first road trip Iowa came out expecting to dominate, really prove people right about this team. Well special teams had a couple blunders and all of a sudden we are getting it handed to us. We better kick it in gear. Iowa fought all the way back to take a 1 point lead. Special teams can't make an extra point. We are deflated, defense is tired from the heat, can't stop a motivated Arizona team and low and behold we lose.
That loss is a serious blow to the NC hopes but not all is lost, win out, a few things go our way and we are right there again. Keep working hard.
Ball State a beating, Penn State a dominating defensive performance, Michigan things go kind of as expected it's a win. At this point we are back. We have somewhat owned Wisconsin in the past few years. We are at home sure with a good effort we should get them.
All is going to plan, Wisky has a good offensive line, better than we thought. Late in the 4th quarter with a 6 point lead, and a Wisky punt on 4th and 8, we chose to forget about the fact that the punter can also run. Wisky fakes it and they get a first. Wow we just had them stopped.
Now we have to go back out there and hold them. We don't, they score 7 and we are in trouble at home. There is still some hope all we need is a FG. Ricky does a good job of getting us down the field, but time is running out. Ricky knows to spike the ball and save our timeout to try a FG. What's this we take our last timeout? Why? Now if were lucky we can get 10 yrds on an out, stop the clock and get a chnce for a long FG. Well it's not to be. Iowa's 2nd loss this one at home after having the lead. We can say "goodbye" NC game, But we can still get the Rosebowl if we win out.
Mich St. We come out all guns firing, MSU is back on their heels, we jump on them and don't look back. Probably the best played game of the season.
Injuries are beginning to mount now. Tarp, Tyler, and Arob are all out for a while.
Indiana on the road...Should take care of Indiana, they haven't won a BT game yet. Tough game almost lose, but win on a dropped pass. How lucky are we? Northwestern there, this team has been a thorn in our side for the past 5 years. Iowa falls behind, but catches fire in the 3rd quarter goes ahead 17-7. The 4th quarter against the wind in the cold rain Iowa can't hold NW out late and we lose 21-17. Well it happened again this is the third time this year, we have lost late. Now the Rosebowl is out. What are we playing for now? the Cap one bowl. Whatever. Well OSU is coming to town now. We can now play spoiler to them and maybe if everything goes right maybe we can finally beat them, that will show people we are still team to reckon with. Same old song and dance the coaches won't adjust to the opposing offense another 4th and 12 we can't stop them. another loss. Huh, what is there left to play for now? I just hope we don't get injured, I maybe playing on sunday next season.
Oh well Minnesota is next, they are terrible, they haven't even won a game at home. I'm tired we have so many guys out. let's just get this over with. Hey Minnesota, your not supposed to run on us! What's going on here? Oh hell lets just get out of the cold and call it.
I think the players saw less and less through the season they had to play for and more or less quit. They were simply going through the motions against Minny. There seemed to be exceptions, Coker & DJK leap to mind. Even Ricky said in the post game interview, if the rest of the team played with as much heart as Coker did today the result would have been different.
Adrian Clayborn as much as said the team lacked heart.
I know injuries to key people really hurt this team, but in my opinion they gave up after the Northwestern game. I don't think they felt like they had really anything left to play for. They had to be dissapointed to know they were tagged as a NC darkhorse and to end this way. Has to be hard on them.
I haven't quit on these guys, I hope they come out at the bowl game with a renewed sense of pride and play like champions.
