OK you 2nd guessers - Which play would you have called on 4th and 2 ft to go right before Kent.'s winning drive

Yeah, Parker needs to go man to man on a great receiver with a safety doubling the coverage when said receiver is there main threat. And the guy playing man to man needs total focus on the receiver with orders not to peek into the backfield, blanket coverage man.
 
There is no play that any team has that guarantees the yardage you need. Kirk obviously thought if we don't pick it up we are giving them tremendous field position. Best punter in the Big Ten pin them deep and let the defense do it's thing. I agreed with that call. What I thought was the mistake was staying in that damn soft zone letting Wandale Robinson run wide open to a spot and the Kentucky QB picking us apart. I'm hoping in the future when we are getting torched by that kind of receiver ie...David Bell, Wandale Robinson etc... we make an adjustment. Parker seems like he is willing to take the chance that the opposing QB/ receivers will not be able to move the 80 yards without making a mistake(turnover) before scoring. Against Purdue and Kentucky that plan backfired. That being said, short toss to LaPorta would be my call.
Would agree as it is so easy to second guess on the play/outcome that occurred........especially when it's a down to the wire finish. If you base it on how the O was moving the ball that half then you go for it. If you base it on who you've been able to count on all season (certainly not the O) then the choice is punt & let the D perform.

Had we executed on numerous other plays earlier we wouldn't have put ourselves in the position of a close ending. By the way, Parker can be stubborn at times as well.
 
The issue isn't the play or lack of play on 4th down.

A few key points to make here:

  • It’s 4th and 10 for KY from the Iowa 46 yard line. KY goes for it on 4th down. Iowa (Harris) picks off the ball…and we take over possession at the Iowa 36. Why? That’s just basic football IQ and lack of coaching in that situation. Just knock the ball down and Iowa starts from the Iowa 46.
  • Iowa takes possession with (3:59 remaining).
  • First play - Iowa has 6 on the o-line, 2 RBs, TE split wide and receiver in motion away from the o-line. KY has 5 on the d-line and 2 LBs (7 in the box). Run up the middle and Iowa has a better matchup for this play and pushes the pile forward and turns a short gain into 6 yards.
  • 2nd Down – Iowa has 6 on the o-line, 2 RBs, and the TE that moved behind the o-line, 1 WR split wide. KY has same defensive setup, 5 d-dline, 2 LBs. Run up the middle and Iowa has a neutral matchup now since the KY D flashed to the line with a zone defender. There is no advantage here and we don't have Linderbaum at center.
  • 3rd Down – Iowa has 7 on the o-line, 2 RBs and a WR still split wide. KY has 5 d-line but move 10 players to within 1 yard of the ball pre-snap. WR is covered in man with zero help. Run up the middle and pickup nothing but what would you expect? 10 defenders vs 8 blockers is not good math. Audible that shit and see if your boy on the outside can make a play or draw a flag. Who wouldn't want a 1-on-1 matchup with zero coverage and max protect?

If Iowa doesn’t run the ball up the middle on every single play, Kentucky likely isn’t moving 10 players to the line on 3rd down.

If Iowa throws the ball on 2nd or 3rd down the only negative would have been KY left with 1 timeout. Big deal? I don’t think so. The clock pauses on all 1st downs in college until the ball is spotted and stops on incomplete passes. One remaining timeout isn’t going to change the outcome here but an Iowa 1st down would.

It starts with the coaches having a sack and playing to win. Let's put this into a little perspective. Last night in the National Champ Game, GA is up 19-18 with the ball, 7:04 on the clock, and starting from their own 38....sure there's a few more ticks on the clock but the philosophy is the same. Play to win.
 
The issue isn't the play or lack of play on 4th down.

A few key points to make here:

  • It’s 4th and 10 for KY from the Iowa 46 yard line. KY goes for it on 4th down. Iowa (Harris) picks off the ball…and we take over possession at the Iowa 36. Why? That’s just basic football IQ and lack of coaching in that situation. Just knock the ball down and Iowa starts from the Iowa 46.
  • Iowa takes possession with (3:59 remaining).
  • First play - Iowa has 6 on the o-line, 2 RBs, TE split wide and receiver in motion away from the o-line. KY has 5 on the d-line and 2 LBs (7 in the box). Run up the middle and Iowa has a better matchup for this play and pushes the pile forward and turns a short gain into 6 yards.
  • 2nd Down – Iowa has 6 on the o-line, 2 RBs, and the TE that moved behind the o-line, 1 WR split wide. KY has same defensive setup, 5 d-dline, 2 LBs. Run up the middle and Iowa has a neutral matchup now since the KY D flashed to the line with a zone defender. There is no advantage here and we don't have Linderbaum at center.
  • 3rd Down – Iowa has 7 on the o-line, 2 RBs and a WR still split wide. KY has 5 d-line but move 10 players to within 1 yard of the ball pre-snap. WR is covered in man with zero help. Run up the middle and pickup nothing but what would you expect? 10 defenders vs 8 blockers is not good math. Audible that shit and see if your boy on the outside can make a play or draw a flag. Who wouldn't want a 1-on-1 matchup with zero coverage and max protect?

If Iowa doesn’t run the ball up the middle on every single play, Kentucky likely isn’t moving 10 players to the line on 3rd down.

If Iowa throws the ball on 2nd or 3rd down the only negative would have been KY left with 1 timeout. Big deal? I don’t think so. The clock pauses on all 1st downs in college until the ball is spotted and stops on incomplete passes. One remaining timeout isn’t going to change the outcome here but an Iowa 1st down would.

It starts with the coaches having a sack and playing to win. Let's put this into a little perspective. Last night in the National Champ Game, GA is up 19-18 with the ball, 7:04 on the clock, and starting from their own 38....sure there's a few more ticks on the clock but the philosophy is the same. Play to win.

Yes, heavy play action and run a simple, quick short comeback pattern, the receiver get his body between the qb and the dback, who is probably off of him, throw and catch. Good call
 
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