The 2008 Iowa football team: Most talented ever?

JonDMiller

JonDMiller

Publisher/Founder
I said and wrote after the 2008 season was over that I felt that Outback Bowl roster would see more players drafted from it than any other single season roster in Iowa history. The draft eligible players from Iowa in this year's draft were on that roster, so I certainly think that will bear out.

In looking at the 2009-2011 NFL drafts, Iowa has had 16 players drafted from that roster...

But also, 14 players who were the regular starters for the 2008 Iowa football team have been drafted. 14 of 22! That does not count Mitch King and Matt Kroul who have played in the league as UFA's.

Iowa was 9-4 that year, with the four losses coming by a combined 11 points and none more than five. If Iowa only had a settled QB situation to start that year...
 
Yes, with Shonn Greene is 2010, I'm not sure losing RS is the NW game would have been a deal breaker. That team was loaded with talent, and fun to watch as they developed. After they beat PSU, they killed everyone else, including SC. The score didn't lawys reflect this, but they beat up on everyone for the rest of the season.
 
That 2008 team was terrific, with some amazing wins:

1. 24-23 over #2 Penn State
2. 38-15 over a ranked Wisconsin team
3. 55-0 blowout of Gophers in the dome
4. 31-10 shellacking of South Carolina in Outback Bowl

The 24-23 win over undefeated Penn State was as good as it gets.

The 2008 and 2009 teams were extra special at Iowa
 
ChosenChildren said:
That 2008 team was terrific, with some amazing wins:

1. 24-23 over #2 Penn State
2. 38-15 over a ranked Wisconsin team
3. 55-0 blowout of Gophers in the dome
4. 31-10 shellacking of South Carolina in Outback Bowl

The 24-23 win over undefeated Penn State was as good as it gets.

The 2008 and 2009 teams were extra special at Iowa
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I know I definitely got spoiled my freshman and sophomore years. Being able to be in Kinnick to watch Greene run wild, Sash/Murray teaming up to knock off PSU, and ride the roller coaster that was 2009 were some of the most exciting times of my young life. And when almost everyone was back for 2010, I got to thinking Iowa would go to even higher heights. It seemed to be setting up for the perfect four years of college. I think that's why the past two seasons were so disappointing for me. I've never endorsed firing coaches, and never went radical, but I can't remember being more disappointed by Iowa football.

I still watch Greene's highlight videos from 2008. It's just unbelievable how amazing he was. We win the NCG with him in 2009.
 
The 2008-2009 seasons back to back, given the number of close games and amazing finishes, tough to think there was a more entertaining two year span of Iowa football with regards to white knuckles ;) 20 wins and two Jan bowl wins were nice rewards.
 
2008 and 2002 were the two years the offense had things going. Everything else is a credit to Norm in the Cap K era.
 
OUTofTOWNHAWK said:
2008 and 2002 were the two years the offense had things going. Everything else is a credit to Norm in the Cap K era.
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2002 vs 2008 would be an interesting game. I think the 2008 D could contain Banks, and Ricky would be able to pass against the 2002 secondary.

28-27 ...2008 wins
 
hawkdrummer1 said:
2002 vs 2008 would be an interesting game. I think the 2008 D could contain Banks, and Ricky would be able to pass against the 2002 secondary.

28-27 ...2008 wins
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Idk Iowa has always had problems with Qbs that could run. Banks was somthin special that year. On the other hand so was Greene. That could be more of a shoot out than anything.
 
hawkdrummer1 said:
2002 vs 2008 would be an interesting game. I think the 2008 D could contain Banks, and Ricky would be able to pass against the 2002 secondary.

28-27 ...2008 wins
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By the end of the season, the pass D wasn't all that bad in 2002. Early in the year, sure. We were breaking in a pair of freshmen corners, but they both turned out pretty good. But teams elected not to run that much against us because they knew it was futile.

It'd definitely be an interesting matchup, but for the reason I just pointed out, I don't think it's as high-scoring as you predict.

20-14, 2002. Kaeding makes the difference, IMO.
 
The secondary did improve, but they were still very porous... remember the Orange Bowl? And Ricky would have DJK, McNutt, Moeaki... lots of good targets.

You can bet that 2008 Kirk would play ball control to keep it away from Banks. That massive 2002 O-line would wear down the 2008 D as the game progressed. If that happened, Banks and Freddie would run wild.

This would be a fun game.
 
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JonDMiller said:
I said and wrote after the 2008 season was over that I felt that Outback Bowl roster would see more players drafted from it than any other single season roster in Iowa history. The draft eligible players from Iowa in this year's draft were on that roster, so I certainly think that will bear out.

In looking at the 2009-2011 NFL drafts, Iowa has had 16 players drafted from that roster...

But also, 14 players who were the regular starters for the 2008 Iowa football team have been drafted. 14 of 22! That does not count Mitch King and Matt Kroul who have played in the league as UFA's.

Iowa was 9-4 that year, with the four losses coming by a combined 11 points and none more than five. If Iowa only had a settled QB situation to start that year...
Click to expand...

In hindsight, 2008 was much more disappointing than 2010.

Did keeping Stanzi off the field in 2007 save his psyche for a very nice run in 2009 or ruin the chance at a very special season in 2008?
 
2002 was the best of ken o'keefe. 2008 was in my opinion one of his 2 worst coaching jobs with 2010 being up there as well. 09 was miracle after miracle. I'll take 2002 ken o'keefe vs any other team we've had. I have 4 tapes from 2002 and would be happy to send a copy to anyone with any doubts. That offense was balanced and we spread the ball all over the field. Defenses had no clue.
 
By the end of the 08 season Iowa was one of the two or three best teams in the country and could have gone toe to toe both teams who played in the championship game, UT and FL. A look back at the rosters now puts Iowa pretty evenly matched in talent.

Of course USC was probably twice as good as anyone else that year but they didn't make the championship game.
 
droidhawk said:
2002 was the best of ken o'keefe. 2008 was in my opinion one of his 2 worst coaching jobs with 2010 being up there as well. 09 was miracle after miracle. I'll take 2002 ken o'keefe vs any other team we've had. I have 4 tapes from 2002 and would be happy to send a copy to anyone with any doubts. That offense was balanced and we spread the ball all over the field. Defenses had no clue.
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2002 was the best of KOK when he was working with a full cupboard. But IMO, his best performance was 2004. He had to get pretty creative for Iowa to have any semblance of an offense, and he was able to do that. That's the season that proved to me that he is, in fact, a good coach.
 
SayHawkKid said:
In hindsight, 2008 was much more disappointing than 2010.

Did keeping Stanzi off the field in 2007 save his psyche for a very nice run in 2009 or ruin the chance at a very special season in 2008?
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Sure, in hindsight it might look like they squandered an opportunity. But the majority of those guys (basically everyone except Greene) was on the 2007 roster, too. Maybe playing Stanzi in 2007 would have helped in 2008, but we don't know if that would have worked out like that. I'll take what we got in 2009 over what might have been in 2008 if things had been done differently.

I'll spend all day wondering what might have been if Greene had stayed for 2009, because I know that would have made the team much better. But we don't know what impact playing Stanzi in 2007 may have had. Could have gone either way. And let's be honest, Stanzi wasn't totally ready to play in 2008. He was better than Christensen. There's a big difference there.
 
this may not be popular but banks was a product of the players he had around him. take stanzi or jvb or tate and put them on the 2002 team and they have better yrs than banks.

banks in 2002 accounted for 3000+ yds running and passing and had a 57% completion rate and had 31 tds running and throwing with only 5 interceptions. this was done behind a line that basically never allowed him to be touched.

jvb in 2011 accounted for 3000+ yds running and passing and had 58% completion rate and had 28 tds running and throwing with only 7 interceptions. this was done with the best wr in the history of iowa and a good line but as an offensive team 2011 couldnt compare to the individual and summed parts of the 2002 team.

we underacheived in 2002.
 
RocknRollface said:
By the end of the 08 season Iowa was one of the two or three best teams in the country and could have gone toe to toe both teams who played in the championship game, UT and FL. A look back at the rosters now puts Iowa pretty evenly matched in talent.

Of course USC was probably twice as good as anyone else that year but they didn't make the championship game.
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You mean Oklahoma and Florida. And Florida would have destroyed us with Tebow and Percy Harvin. But like you said, USC was pretty unbeatable--look at what they did that year to Ohio State and Penn State.

Iowa was the Big Ten's best team that year, but the Big Ten was also HORRIBLE. If I recall correctly, Iowa was the only big ten team to win a bowl game. Wisconsin was way down, michigan state was down, michigan was down ... Iowa was probably a top 12-15 team that year, but I really don't think we could have competed with the best of the best.
 
Foval21 said:
this may not be popular but banks was a product of the players he had around him. take stanzi or jvb or tate and put them on the 2002 team and they have better yrs than banks.

banks in 2002 accounted for 3000+ yds running and passing and had a 57% completion rate and had 31 tds running and throwing with only 5 interceptions. this was done behind a line that basically never allowed him to be touched.

jvb in 2011 accounted for 3000+ yds running and passing and had 58% completion rate and had 28 tds running and throwing with only 7 interceptions. this was done with the best wr in the history of iowa and a good line but as an offensive team 2011 couldnt compare to the individual and summed parts of the 2002 team.

we underacheived in 2002.
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That's not true at all. Even if you're right, and put Stanzi/Tate/JVB behind that line to have a better year....Banks wasn't those guys. And neither was Chandler. To underachieve, you have to have the potential to do more with what you have on your roster. With what Iowa had available in 2002, I don't think you can say that.
 
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