I had a thought go through my mind when I was watching the Hawks get rolled over on Wisconsin's last drive. Wisconsin and Iowa are very similar programs in recruiting and in the way they like to play. (Ball control, solid D). The biggest issue for me coming away from this game is how they got handled at the line of scrimmage on the majority of critical snaps.
It got me thinking. So I went back through the Ferentz era and plotted the Yards per carry for, against and the difference. I threw out the first 2 years since they are really not representative of the program yet.
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I think this shows a clear line of demarcation at the 2010/2011 time frame. The average difference in YPCF/YPCA was 0.97 2001-2010 and 0.244 since. Also for the years 2001-2010 Iowa's record vs Wisconsin was 6-4, since then its 1-7.
2010 is the year of the fake punt in Kinnick and I always thought that stole our mojo, however, January 2011 was the Rabdo incident.
Are we a softer team now? I am in no way trying to rip on Ferentz, I'm just trying to rationalize what I feel. It seems like we used to be a more physical team.
Sorry to babble just had to share.
Great post, nice research. I am sure it has a lot to do with a lot of things, however, I think the biggest is the change of Reese Morgan from the OL to the DL. I think that guy was gold because everywhere he went the units got better and was obviously had an amazing eye for talent. He was replaced by Brian, and then of course replaced by Polasek, during which we have seen a steady decline in offensive line play. While overall I respect KF for the job he has done and am glad he is our coach, it blows me away how him being an ex-OL coach would let this unit degrade this far, especially as that unit is so important.
I am no expert, but what I know about the zone blocking scheme is that it is intended to be able to account for any defensive front, stunt, blitz, etc. because of course the lineman is blocking an area and not a defender. Ironically because Iowa gets chastized for being boring offensively, one of the biggest reasons to utilize the scheme is to create big plays in the running game, whereas, vs. a power scheme is much more limited because it is easier to track the flow of the ball and really no defender goes unblocked. Conversely in the zone scheme, often times the weak side linebacker or defensive end goes unblocked as the play flows away from them. Personnel wise, the zone scheme is ideal for smaller and more athletic lineman vs. the need for sheer bulk in the power scheme. It makes sense to utilize the scheme, especially for Ferentz as the new head coach at a depleted program, because it was easier for him to convert and bulk up more athletic players than it was to recruit the blue chip lineman that a power scheme needed, and could play them earlier.
With the zone scheme, the theory is there is always going to be a lane, however, it all depends on how the defensive line flows. Also, as a guard and a tackle double a defensive lineman, one of them, usually the guard, releases from that block to go block a linebacker. A tight end that cracks back on a the weak side linebacker and all it needs is a running back to choose the right lane, cut back, and take it to the house. We have all seen it many times. However, on the flip side, the back chooses wrong or a block is missed or a defensive lineman makes a play, it is no gain if not a loss. Its all or nothing with that scheme. So what has happened this decade?
One, it seems like there is a mismatch in development and recruiting for this scheme. It seems as if our lineman have gotten bigger, however, also less mobile. Their lack of quickness, especially in the guards, is apparent because they just can't shed blocks and pick up the linebacker. Therefore the linebackers come free.
Two, where this is so evident is against the better teams. That is what everyone is complaining about right, why we can roll over the scrubs but not be able to do anything against the good teams? Teams have just gotten better, plain and simple. The B1G in the last decade has recruited better as a whole, and against those elite teams (OSU, PSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc.) all have players on the defensive line that start right away in their rookie years in the NFL. Because the zone scheme is so dependent on every lineman working together as a unit, just one mismatch can blow the whole thing up, and we have seen that against elite defensive lineman.
Third is the lack of cohesiveness on the offensive line in general, as way too many times one of our guys is blocking no one, while one of our guys is getting doubled, and there is a free rusher. Its one thing to get physically dominated, but totally another to not be prepared. We may not have always had the best offensive lines in the game when Reese was running the ship, but rarely did we see our lineman not work together.
That is why I think they need to fire Polasek, or let him go to another program, or whatever they want to do. He is not prepared to coach the intricacies and details of what our lines need to do. Brian, even though he was an offensive lineman himself, didn't either. I think that is a unit that needs a very experienced coach with a lot of wisdom to run successfully. If you want reference, read about the Patriots and Dante Scarnecchia and how the OL performed while he was in retirement and what happened when he came out of retirement.
Or we just get the checkbook out and get Reese to come back as an assistant coach to oversee both lines.
