Someone with way too much time on their hands...

SpiderRico

SpiderRico

Well-Known Member
apparently went thru historical box scores and the closest they could come to what happened Saturday was a game against Minnesota in 1944, we had 15 yds of offense.

So basically, in the entire history of Iowa football, Saturday was the 2nd fewest yards gained....EVER.

I think I also read a stat that said something along the lines that our offensive output was the worst by a team in the Top 25 in the last 20 years.

So not only is it historically bad, in terms of Hawkeye history, it's historically bad in all of college football history.

I'm still trying to digest what I saw in light of what I saw the Saturday before against an Urban Meyer coached OSU team. It just makes no damn sense!
 
It must make sense because Vegas had us as 12.5 underdogs. That line seemed way too big and I read more than 70% of the money was on Iowa. That means Vegas was very confident and probably thinking Wiscy would win by 20+ based on the matchups they saw. Vegas probably could have put Wiscy a 6 point favorite (or less) after Iowa's huge win against tOSU to get 50/50 bets. btw, I'm not a gambler, I just find it interesting.
 
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Spider ... you've been around long enough to know it makes perfect sense over the last 18 years.

I'm not much of a gambler, either, but smart enough to know that those multibillion dollar palaces weren't built on payouts.;) Even though I expected 28-17 L, I still would've been a contributor.
 
STILLBUSTER said:
Spider ... you've been around long enough to know it makes perfect sense over the last 18 years.

I'm not much of a gambler, either, but smart enough to know that those multibillion dollar palaces weren't built on payouts.;) Even though I expected 28-17 L, I still would've been a contributor.
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The result, a loss, isn't what's surprising. It's not even the overall spread of 21 that's surprising. What's surprising is the complete opposite ends of the spectrum games we saw in 2 weeks. I've never, in my nearly 35 years of being a college football fan, have seen anything remotely like what I've seen the last 2 weeks that didn't include a major injury/coaching change/etc that can account/explain it....
 
SpiderRico said:
The result, a loss, isn't what's surprising. It's not even the overall spread of 21 that's surprising. What's surprising is the complete opposite ends of the spectrum games we saw in 2 weeks. I've never, in my nearly 35 years of being a college football fan, have seen anything remotely like what I've seen the last 2 weeks that didn't include a major injury/coaching change/etc that can account/explain it....
Click to expand...

Frankly, it's not the Wiscy loss that shocks me...
 
SpiderRico said:
The result, a loss, isn't what's surprising. It's not even the overall spread of 21 that's surprising. What's surprising is the complete opposite ends of the spectrum games we saw in 2 weeks. I've never, in my nearly 35 years of being a college football fan, have seen anything remotely like what I've seen the last 2 weeks that didn't include a major injury/coaching change/etc that can account/explain it....
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Meh. Iowa's offense scored 48 points vs Ohio State and 0 vs Wisconsin. Which averages out to 24 points. Iowa currently averages 27 points per game on the season....so there you go. Combine Ohio State and Wisconsin games together and you get the 2017 Iowa Hawkeye Offense in a nutshell.
 
SpiderRico said:
The result, a loss, isn't what's surprising. It's not even the overall spread of 21 that's surprising. What's surprising is the complete opposite ends of the spectrum games we saw in 2 weeks. I've never, in my nearly 35 years of being a college football fan, have seen anything remotely like what I've seen the last 2 weeks that didn't include a major injury/coaching change/etc that can account/explain it....
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It certainly was a jaw-dropping 180! However, I still don't find myself that "surprised". I completely expected Iowa to go back to derKirkFer ball and get out-muscled. I guess that it followed such a lifetime W would make it more shocking in a relative / black is blacker next to white, sort of way.

Anymore, whether it's the inevitable string of series within a game or, as it was Saturday, the entire game, the depth of inept, inherently stagnant offense is closer to an expectation rather than a surprise.

The Hawks will swing back toward their below average mean against Purdue. The D will give them enough opportunities so they can eek out a 23-18 W. Then they'll blow Nebby's doors off with a 35+ point outburst that gets the rubes bonered up and back to goofy comments like "turned a corner", so they can deliver the nut-punch reality check in another, over-rewarded, out-matched New Year's bowl game. (Thank you traveling Iowa fans!!)
 
It's been a strange two weeks for tOSU too. First, they get their doors blown off by Iowa and then absolutely demolish MSU. Now, they might even control their own destiny into the playoffs.
 
There is an explanation for the 180 degree turn from the Buckeyes to the Badgers. Remember 2015? That was no accident. You put a bunson burner under his hiney and amazingly the stubbornness tempers itself momentarily.
The OSU game was no accident. The BF micro-scandal coupled with the pathetic showing in conference had a few people talking out loud that BF may not be the right person for the HC job.
Voila!!!!!
Some waaayyyyyyyyy-to-comfortable folk drawing enormous salaries actually made an effort before game day and on game day to do what? . . . wait for it . . . WIN!! Yes, winning became more important than stubbornness for a few hours on a Saturday.
Once the miraculous win was accomplished (just like once 2015 was over) ALL THE PRESSURE AND WHISPERS WERE GONE. Back to the status quo.
Under Barta Iowa has become a place that has decided it's easier to lower the bar than raise the expectations.
 
Joshbrown said:
Under Barta Iowa has become a place that has decided it's easier to lower the bar than raise the expectations.
Click to expand...

OK, here comes Dean in 3-2-1...

Ya honestly believe that it's about a low bar? No way. The world doesn't work that way. Somewhere there is an incentive. Don't know what that is. There is an incentive somewhere.

I've come to realize, KF is a damn good coach...when he wants to be. When he's motivated to be. Maybe someday Trump will release the archives.
 
Joshbrown said:
There is an explanation for the 180 degree turn from the Buckeyes to the Badgers. Remember 2015? That was no accident. You put a bunson burner under his hiney and amazingly the stubbornness tempers itself momentarily.
The OSU game was no accident. The BF micro-scandal coupled with the pathetic showing in conference had a few people talking out loud that BF may not be the right person for the HC job.
Voila!!!!!
Some waaayyyyyyyyy-to-comfortable folk drawing enormous salaries actually made an effort before game day and on game day to do what? . . . wait for it . . . WIN!! Yes, winning became more important than stubbornness for a few hours on a Saturday.
Once the miraculous win was accomplished (just like once 2015 was over) ALL THE PRESSURE AND WHISPERS WERE GONE. Back to the status quo.
Under Barta Iowa has become a place that has decided it's easier to lower the bar than raise the expectations.
Click to expand...

So you're saying that Kirk only wins when he needs to and phones it in the rest of the time? This means that he only barely coaches for most games? That requires you to believe a few things:

1. He must be one hell of a motivator under pressure.
2. He has the ability to make up for weeks of phoned-in practices in only 6 days before a big game.
3. He doesn't care about winning, despite being hired by everybody's savior HF and other NFL coaches.

Do you actually believe those three things simultaneously?
 
HawkGold said:
OK, here comes Dean in 3-2-1...

Ya honestly believe that it's about a low bar? No way. The world doesn't work that way. Somewhere there is an incentive. Don't know what that is. There is an incentive somewhere.

I've come to realize, KF is a damn good coach...when he wants to be. When he's motivated to be. Maybe someday Trump will release the archives.
Click to expand...

When a coach makes it clear
"I refuse to innovate" . . . that's just laziness.
In what other line of work in the USA can someone pulling down 5 million say to the stockholders: "I come with a guarantee of zero innovation."
JHF brought innovation with his wide-open offense. Soon after several other B1G programs gave up on Woody Hayes' decades-old "3 yards and a cloud of dust" and followed Hayden's lead. Hayden was a true trailblazer.
 
If our receivers would have caught anything the number would have been more like 220. Not that that's impressive, but not embarrassing. Saw the drops broken down and the number was somewhere around 150 yards left on the field by our WR doing Lazard impersonations.
 
ferentz is a slightly better version of lickliter. boring as crap as a person, boring as crap product on the field with slightly better results
 
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