Weaknesses & or question marks
- Thread starter Hawkfnntn
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trj
Well-Known Member
I thought they would go with a more bracket coverage approach,but it felt like Lomax was on a island by himself....Then add on the injuries and the cleats issue Lomax had no shot of covering CM.
deanvogs
Well-Known Member
What else can the coaches do? They scouted that very play, the players knew the keys and what they were supposed to do. Go back and watch the play that started off the game. Fischer tripped, and Lomax was plan old out of position. If only 1 of those happens, no score....but alas both happened, and the rest was history.
What are you talking about Iowa "gave him a cushion"? He lines up at RB, he is gonna have a 5 yard cushion all game long. You really want to try to have a LB get a "jamb" on McCaffery? I mean that would work awesome when the RB starts 5 yards deep and the LB starts 5 yards deep, I mean that is really super easy to do, just go "take away his cushion" when he is way faster than you and shiftier than you.
If you wanna act like this is all the coaches fault, that is fine, but if you think all the coaches have to do is "take away his cushion" and "force him to react", then you are wrong. There was a reason that Saban didn't win a national title at MSU, but did at LSU and Alabama. It wasn't his coaching, it was that he got way better players.
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
Wow, nice reaction. It's just my thoughts. He was given a cushion more than usual. KF has never been one to change regardless of who he is playing outside of GT in the Orange Bowl. When there is a beat down of that degree, everyone in the program has to look deeply including the coaches. You should learn to chill. I'm pretty sure the RB didn't tear up any team more in the 1st half than what happened to the Hawks. Responsibility always begins with leadership.
trj
Well-Known Member
I have no problem admitting Stanford was the better team. I thought the gameplan was terrible and yes I am just fan, not a coach or any expert. The gameplan felt as if they were taking on Indiana in the middle of October. I get the whole "we do what we do" thought process it has won Iowa a lot of games, but they had no answer when Stanford punched them in the mouth. KF has admitted that he needs to look into how they prep for bowls. Do you think it will be like '03 where he goes around and gets input from other coaches/programs? Overhaul their philosophy in terms of bowl prep?
seepig
Well-Known Member
Ok you know more than I do. That's fine. So, we prepared for him yet we punted the ball to him too?! Our players must some learning disabilities then.
seepig
Well-Known Member
I will say Stanford was probably more motivated after being shunned for final four. These bowl games turn on who's more motivated alot of times but I don't like that we've been outscored 45-17 2 years in a row. I don't have much faith in how we are preparing for bowl games anymore.
deanvogs
Well-Known Member
I couldn't believe they punted to him either. I have no idea if that was the plan or if the punter botched it. I do know it wouldn't be the first time the punter botched it as I know that the punter was NOT to punt to the Nebraska rerun man in 2014, but he did and the rest is history.
deanvogs
Well-Known Member
Totally agree
Robowe
Well-Known Member
McCaffrey actually had more rushing yards (207) and the same amount receiving (105 yards - including a 67 yard TD) in Stanford's previous game against USC in the Pac 12 Title game in their second matchup of the season. He had 461 all-purpose yards in the 2nd USC game (a Stanford record). He even threw a TD pass in that game! USC is a conference opponent who knows Stanford very well yet they couldn't stop McCaffrey either. Stuff happens.
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
Soooo, USC goes 8-6 and is the standard? The 2nd game was against UCF that went 0-12 against very bad competition. The UCF game was 10 points at the half. The first USC Stanford game was a 3 point game at half. The 2nd was 10 points at the half and 11 at the end of 3. Please provide 1st half stats.
Sooo, tell me again about your point again?
deanvogs
Well-Known Member
What is your point? Is it that we stunk it up in the Rose Bowl, cause I'm pretty sure we all know that. You wanna put it at the feet of the coaches, I just disagree. Coaches can only do so much, players gotta make plays. It isn't like Iowa was the only team that couldn't stop McCaffery, he ripped everyone up (except for his first 2 games as a starter, UCF and Northwestern).
Football is weird, and something things happen. McCaffery has 20 rushes for 58 yards vs jNW and they lost.....Wadley had 26 rushes for 204 yards and 4 TD's vs jNW and we kicked their butts. If Iowa played jNW 10 times last year they probably don't win by that margin again. I would wager if Iowa played Stanford 10 times last year, Stanford doesn't win by that margin again.
There was 3 plays that made the game lopsided. The first play of the game on defende, the pick six on offense (we were actually moving the ball) and the punt return on special teams. If Iowa could have somehow made those 3 plays instead of Stanford, it gives us all momentum and takes away any fire they had coming in. It was just a bad combination of big plays all going to the same team. I do think they were probably a better team than us but that isn't even for certain. There just isn't much you can take away from a game like that with so many big plays happening so early in the game.
We looked like a way better team than Northwestern when we played them that day. The game was so lopsided that you would sound like a fool for trying to argue Northwestern was in our league. But they more than likely were in our league. It was just our day that day and things got out of hand. Games like that happen all the time and I for one believe it happened in the Rose Bowl.
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
DV, you reacted,"what are you talking about". Robowe chimed into to the conversation by using stats to show where I was wrong. I simply reacted mostly with stats and observations with a bit of sarcasm in reaction again to the premise.
We all know it was a beat down. I think it was a strong beat down not normally or even rarely seen at the D 1 upper division level. One can't compare UCF and USC games (x2) to what happened to Iowa in the first half.
I'm not a KF hater at all. I do think he rises on falls based on the QB he has and if that QB is willing to do what it takes beyond complete submission. Drew Tate was a broken play specialist. Banks thought being coached to stay in the pocket, would eventually break and run. Stanzi sort of did the same. CJ for sure. Problem is that CJ was hurt and the defense was ill prepared. I wholehearted agree that the front end of the blame most always rests on the coach. If the team isn't motivated it is on the coach first. If the strategy isn't working, it is on the coach to make changes. Change ins't exactly KF's strongest suit.
21-0 at half is a strong beat down. 24-0 as well obviously. The game was over early in the 2nd quarter, again we all know that. I can have my opinion and mention it. You can react. I can react back.
I'm ready to move on to a great season in 2016. Could be a really fun one barring a CJ injury.
KF may not be able to win at a strong level consistently, but he has coached seasons that some programs would love to experience 1 time.
FBletterman
Well-Known Member
As for the Rose Bowl, styles make fights. Our defense has strength and weaknesses and Stanford exploited our weakness with an athlete the likes that a team just cant simulate in practice. With a month to prepare Stanford out schemed us badly. Also, the Hawks just don't travel WEST very well we looked sluggish. Stanford played one game last year travelling East to Northwestern and got beat. I wonder how we would have fared playing them if they had to travel 2000 miles East and we were just next door?
Robowe
Well-Known Member
My point was, McCaffrey was pretty much unstoppable at that point of the season. USC, a conference opponent playing Stanford for the 2nd time (not the standard, but they knew what was coming), could not stop McCaffrey and they allowed more yards to him than Iowa did. That's it - nothing more.
Did Iowa play well in the Rose Bowl? Heck no. Was it all on the coaches? Again, no. It's a team effort win they win and a team effort when they lose.
Again, as Dean mentioned, McCaffrey had 58 yards against NW, Wadley had 204. Do the stats prove Wadley is better than McCaffrey? On those days, it might. But, I think Iowa's team had a better day against NW than Stanford did. Again, nothing more, nothing less.
I like what FBI said - styles make fights. Also, teams play differently depending on many factors. Coaches have good game plans and bad ones. Players have good days and bad days. It's the nature of sports. Iowa had a bad day at the Rose Bowl, Stanford had a good day. It happens.
Well, I'm sure that them scoring on the first play, having a pick six and a punt return TD wasn't in the 'game plan' and I don't know how you game plan for that. Of course they're going 'do what they do'. It won them all 12 games and within a few seconds of being the B10 champs. Should they have gone to the RoseBowl with a totally different 'plan' than what got them there? They didn't play well, period, and it snowballed. Why? None of us know, but I'm sure the coaches and the kids will come up with answers before we do. Stanford was the better team 'that day', but I still think we were the better team week in and week out through the season.....Ask NW who they think was the 'better team'....
