I think this season/team has come to a cross roads. If Iowa is to make something of this season they need to get it going. With Vandeberg having gone down and the season not having started the way most thought it would I'm sure their backs feel up against it. So now is when leaders step up and take over. CJ may be in a similar situation as Drew Tate was in that the offense is really going to be on his shoulders even more so than it was. Teams are really going to stack the box on us even more so now. Can Smith, Scheel and next man in step up. I know Riley has played a lot but I'm not too confident in him doing so but maybe. I wonder if Pekar can do anything other than block I don't think he's caught a pass yet has he? Well things are going to have to change on both sides of the ball if this team is to make a run at it.
Will Iowa's passing game change without Vandeberg? How will it affect the overall play calling? We'll just have to wait and see but it's a lot to ask any of the current WRs to play Vandebergs role. I hope the Oline can get fired up and can really start dominating in the running game. Which at times here and there they have. If a couple BS penalties hadn't been called the last couple games Daniels would have like 120 more yards then he does. So the capability is there they've shown it. They need to play smart clean mean football and see if they can help shoulder the load. They can't have pre snap penalties and get in 1st and 2nd and 15s. Doing that multiple times a game is just too much for this team to overcome. Maybe against Rutgers they can but not going forward.
Now on to Defense. Bazzata we all know is a tad undersized at D tackle and to see him get pushed around isn't a huge surprise. But Johnson was too against Rutgers and that has to stop. He's got to play better. I don't know if he was worn down in the 2nd half because of how many snaps he'd been in there but some of the gashing runs Rutgers had I noticed that Jaleel was blocked right out of his gap. He let himself get high and not only didn't get penetration or maintain his spot but went sideways right to where they wanted him to go. So to me Iowa's problems start with those two up front. Those 6 and 8 yard runs have to get shut down to 3 or less. Jewel has been playing his butt off and needs help. I think maybe mixing in some run blitzes now and then wouldn't hurt but I should know better than to ask for that. For whatever reason Iowa likes playing both safeties deep most of the time at the snap.
Now I'm not sure we'll know even after the NW game coming up how this season will go. If Iowa loses to them at home then that could easily snow ball the wrong way. Now if Iowa wins and keeps the ship afloat to live another week we'd sure all take that. So let's hope the bullies of the BIG come together and not give NW any hope early in this game and do what they did to them last yr. Because if they don't it may be a long October and rest of the season...
Will Iowa's passing game change without Vandeberg? How will it affect the overall play calling? We'll just have to wait and see but it's a lot to ask any of the current WRs to play Vandebergs role. I hope the Oline can get fired up and can really start dominating in the running game. Which at times here and there they have. If a couple BS penalties hadn't been called the last couple games Daniels would have like 120 more yards then he does. So the capability is there they've shown it. They need to play smart clean mean football and see if they can help shoulder the load. They can't have pre snap penalties and get in 1st and 2nd and 15s. Doing that multiple times a game is just too much for this team to overcome. Maybe against Rutgers they can but not going forward.
Now on to Defense. Bazzata we all know is a tad undersized at D tackle and to see him get pushed around isn't a huge surprise. But Johnson was too against Rutgers and that has to stop. He's got to play better. I don't know if he was worn down in the 2nd half because of how many snaps he'd been in there but some of the gashing runs Rutgers had I noticed that Jaleel was blocked right out of his gap. He let himself get high and not only didn't get penetration or maintain his spot but went sideways right to where they wanted him to go. So to me Iowa's problems start with those two up front. Those 6 and 8 yard runs have to get shut down to 3 or less. Jewel has been playing his butt off and needs help. I think maybe mixing in some run blitzes now and then wouldn't hurt but I should know better than to ask for that. For whatever reason Iowa likes playing both safeties deep most of the time at the snap.
Now I'm not sure we'll know even after the NW game coming up how this season will go. If Iowa loses to them at home then that could easily snow ball the wrong way. Now if Iowa wins and keeps the ship afloat to live another week we'd sure all take that. So let's hope the bullies of the BIG come together and not give NW any hope early in this game and do what they did to them last yr. Because if they don't it may be a long October and rest of the season...
