Schwartz: Make 2017 All About Akrum Wadley
- Thread starter RobHowe
- Start date
I couldn't agree more. He's an extremely talented back with highlight reel potential on every play. Throw in a veteran O line and we just need enough of a passing game to keep defenses honest. What's the down side to the plan/promotion? If it doesn't work out few will remember but if he starts putting up big numbers as we win.....
WinOneThisCentury
Well-Known Member
Blasphemy. Greene had defenses geared to stop him and a young QB that was still learning the ropes. I like Wadley alot and love watch him work in space...but Shonn Greene was just a complete force of nature in 2008. He could get you the tough yard through contact, he always seem to make the right cut to daylight, and he had the speed to hit the homerun. I'm sure defenses hate facing a guy like Wadley, but if I'm a LB, Corner, or Safety, I hated much worse seeing Shonn Greene coming...230 pounds with speed and agility...is no fun...and he'd pound you too. I can't stress enough what he did when he was the main thing you had to stop...over 100 rushing in every game...an incredible football player. If Wadley has a better year than Greene did in 2008...I'm going to be very very happy.
Me too. AW is a player that should touch the ball 20 times a game rushing, receiving, & returning. But that's about it. Anymore the pounding he'll take may come back to haunt Iowa later in the season.
Even with the added weight he's still not built to be a workhorse but I can see KF running him like one. It wouldn't surprise to see him have a 35/40 touch, 250+ total yard game against PSU or MSU for a big win and then he'll be hobbling around for the next month and barely play.
He did but he also had DJK, Brodell, & Meyers who were all threats in the passing game. Wadley and Daniels had nobody in the passing game to take the pressure off. The Michigan game might be the most amazing offensive performance by an Iowa player in the Fry/Ferentz era because Wadley was the only player Michigan even had to pay attention to and he still produced.
Plus Wadley has something that only Dwight, Banks, & Harmon have brought to the Iowa offense: you hold your breath everytime they touch the ball. Greene was outstanding in 2008 but he was a doubles hitter (credit to JM for coming up with that). Wadley is a homerun hitter who can beat you at RB & WR
guffus
Well-Known Member
if Monte Ball could not win the Heisman in 2011 with numbers he had and the record Wisconsin had, there is no way Wadley has a chance. here are Monte Ball's numbers
Year Team Att Yards Avg Long Rush TDs Rec Yards Rec TDs
2009 Wisconsin 98 391 4.0 35 4 9 92 0
2010 Wisconsin 163 996 6.1 44 18 16 128 0
2011 Wisconsin 307 1,923 6.3 54 33 24 306 6
2012 Wisconsin 356 1,830 5.1 67 22 10 72 0
College Totals 924 5,140 5.6 67 77 59 598 6
RecordsEdit
NCAA single season records
Year Team Att Yards Avg Long Rush TDs Rec Yards Rec TDs
2009 Wisconsin 98 391 4.0 35 4 9 92 0
2010 Wisconsin 163 996 6.1 44 18 16 128 0
2011 Wisconsin 307 1,923 6.3 54 33 24 306 6
2012 Wisconsin 356 1,830 5.1 67 22 10 72 0
College Totals 924 5,140 5.6 67 77 59 598 6
RecordsEdit
NCAA single season records
- Most touchdowns, season: 39 tied (2011)
- Most consecutive games with two or more touchdowns: 13 (2011)
- Most points scored by non-kicker: 236 (2011)
tksirius
HN's Love Doctor
I have a feeling that the team's record is what will keep him from Heisman.
While I fully agree with the posts pointing out how unlikely it would be for Wadley to win the Heisman I read the Schwartz piece to say that (no matter how challenging the task) the U of I should do the work off of the field to promote Akrum and his long shot effort. The thesis is that the any resulting attention for the Hawks would be a good thing for the B10, the university, the team and recruiting efforts. Barring injury or a complete offensive collapse there is a small but non-zero chance of success that would seem to merit the promotion effort.
I agree with that's his overarching point... But for Iowa to throw out a PR campaign for him of that magnitude wouldn't they have to then play him as such? Now I'm putting the cart ahead of the horse here by assuming how much they'll use him but I don't see him averaging more than 20 touches a game (although he certainly should) If only because the coaching staff won't feel they have to. Toks and Young will get between 10 and 15 touches to split amongst each other too per game. So Wadley would have to be really off the charts awesome (I hope he is) or get more touches than expected to get that kind of recognition.
Not to mention Iowa would have to be winning games...
I think what Shwartz is trying to get do is get some POSSITIVE chatter about the program out there nationally. As it sits now the only national pub on us is about how bad our scheduling has been and seems to continue to be (and rightfully so) I don't think teenage recruits are sitting around listening to blow hards like Cowherd and other pundits all that much. But they certainly get the talking points of what's being said on either social media or from opposing coaches recruiting against us. Having a Heisman candidate for them to talk about week in and week out wouldn't hurt a darn thing and he's trying to say that Iowa can help themselves with that if they'd get started on it this summer...
Adam
Well-Known Member
This is simple really. Wadley came back. He wants to run the ball. Let him. Run the kid until the wheels fall off. He will tell ya when he is spent. Getting a player in the Heisman ballot is as good as a CFP appearance. Jewel will be on a ton of awards lists this year. I imagine we will have an OL on some awards ballots. If Wadley can get on all the RB ballots and the Heisman, we would have so much credibility on the recruiting trail. I would love to see Jewel take the Butkus, Daniels take the Outland and Wadley to take the Doak Walker. I know it's extremely unlikely, but man wouldn't that be sweet.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
I agree. Greene had a really special year. I don't know how many DB's he took on one-on-one and just plowed over but it was a lot. It was one every game for a while there. It's just so hard to measure them as they have such different styles.
In addition, Greene got a lot more carries in that season then Wadley is going to get this upcoming season. Just a change in football philosophy.
Exactly.. Hampton that year with Greene could have shouldered more touches than he did but they instead went with the work horse more. I think the staff envisioned Daniels being that same type of work horse but he kept getting nicked up here and there the last few years. So when you have multiple capable backs why not use them all and not wear out any one guy and still be as successful or more so. Seems to be the thing nowadays. Can't really say it's the wrong way to go.. But it sure makes RB records tougher to break going forward.
SteveGarvey1
Well-Known Member
I don't know but 15-17 touches a game sounds right so as to not wear him down. He's still south of 195 lbs isn't he? No way Kirk runs him into the ground to make him a Heisman contender. Plus maybe AW has made it known he wants to stay healthy to be drafted early in the NFL next year, who knows.
