The Invisible Problem With Iowa's Offense

[revkev73]

No the problem is they understand what they want to do, they just don't understand the entirety of what that brings.
I mean, if you don't have a defense. You don't really want to invest in one. You don't want to recruit for one, you don't want to pay to develop one. You can still win. But you have to understand what goes with that.
In ball/clock control philosophy, the design of it will result in closer games, both playing above and below your talent level. Points and turnovers naturally become more valuable. You have to be good at it because if you are not some teams will score on you in two minutes. That puts pressure on your own offense to sustain long drives that end in scores.
Like I said, it requires being able to adapt. Switching gears when necessary and knowing when to do it.
Boxers are a good example. You have to be able to throw lots of different punches. You have to go fast and go slow.
If a boxer had one speed and one punch, he wouldn't make it very far, would he.

We seem to have a one speed, one way, offense, which defenses are easily sniffing out. That's the problem. We don't have the ability to keep defenses honest or on their heels...they are teeing off vs the run and the pass.

 

[IowaLawWasRight]

4thngoal - you are mistaken. It's a misnomer to say that Iowa runs the same kind of offense and tempo as Wisconsin. Wisconsin is averaging 43 points per game using a brand new quarterback. That offense is on a mission. They do not lollygag to the line of scrimmage with 5 seconds left on the play clock and hope to hike the ball before time runs out.

MWS - there is no inherent benefit in winning the "time of possession" battle. You can have a 6 minute drive where you get just 2 first downs if your run the ball up the middle for a gain of 2.5 yards all 4 downs, then punt. Meanwhile, another team can complete two 40 yard passes in the span of 30 seconds and score 7 points.

WinOne - sure, part of the problem is the execution by the offense. But don't sell poor clock management and shortening the game short. In both of the last two games, the Hawks had a solid chance of winning the game in the last two minutes but simply ran out of time. By unnecessarily blowing 5+ mins per game in the huddle, that's one or two series the Hawks lose every game. Blowing that time also results in the QB having less time to read the defense at the line before hiking the ball.

The fact is, Brian Ferentz doesn't know what he's doing. He takes forever to send plays in because he's in over his head. Once the play is called, Stanley has such a passive, lax personality that he's in no rush to get to the line and hike the ball (even at the end of almost every half when Iowa has the ball and is driving with less than 2 mins to go). When you couple those correctable errors with Iowa's below average offense, you have a recipe for very low scoring games.

It's clock eating.
Like I said I have zero problem with the philosophy or identity of Iowa football.
It's real football. It's what Wisconsin does. Everyone knows they are going to run and nobody can stop it. In the new fangled football, it's about scoring lot's of points fast.
But if you are not going to play scatter gun shoot out football, and you are going to play ball and clock control you have to understand that points are going to be at a premium. Which means you better be able to to put them up when you get the chance.
In a shoot out, you can be down 20 points and come back in far far less time.