What An Odd Game

[MelroseHawkins]

It really was weird when one thinks about it. I know Iowa played the bend but don't break D and to not give anything big up with softer coverage, but how they were able to give up 358 total yds to one player and still be in the game is amazing. I mean to give that up along with McSorley's production and go ahead in the game with 1:42 left is rather odd to me.

 

[HawkGold]

It really was weird when one thinks about it. I know Iowa played the bend but don't break D and to not give anything big up with softer coverage, but how they were able to give up 358 total yds to one player and still be in the game is amazing. I mean to give that up along with McSorley's production and go ahead in the game with 1:42 left is rather odd to me.

It is amazing. I don't see it as a positive on the coaching staff. The only way to do what they did is to be better than your opponent at home in the first place. Why not play them square up?

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I mean Iowa did it twice. Suffered thru the first half and somehow was able to take the lead going into half. That had to be a bit disconcerting to Penn St. Iowa then stumbled thru the 2nd half then took the lead at the very end which looked grim to Penn St. All that while one player out gained Iowa's team by more than 150 yrds. Truly a game of the ages.

It was ugly and exciting at the same time.

 

[BigD]

It really was weird when one thinks about it. I know Iowa played the bend but don't break D and to not give anything big up with softer coverage, but how they were able to give up 358 total yds to one player and still be in the game is amazing. I mean to give that up along with McSorley's production and go ahead in the game with 1:42 left is rather odd to me.

That "bend don't break" cost us the game on their last offensive drive. Should have at least tried the raider package or blitzed from the blind side one or two times.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

That "bend don't break" cost us the game on their last offensive drive. Should have at least tried the raider package or blitzed from the blind side one or two times.

Agree. The Iowa coaches don't do the best job of getting into the heads of the opposing QB. It's not just about sacking the QB, it's more to speed up the game in their head to make decisions, hopefully bad decisions. These are college aged QB's, pressure them.

 

[mopkins]

I was not impressed with McSorely at all. Really other than Barkley I wasn't impressed with their offense at all. Barkley is like Walter Payton playing against high school kids.

They do have some large receivers though. Tall and strong

 

[BigD]

Agree. The Iowa coaches don't do the best job of getting into the heads of the opposing QB. It's not just about sacking the QB, it's more to speed up the game in their head to make decisions, hopefully bad decisions. These are college aged QB's, pressure them.

Exactly!!!

 

[HawkeyeDenis]

I am just amazed at the defense. 99 plays to that kind of offensive power? And they give up 21 points?

Yes they weren't perfect but you look at what they have done and our pre-season concerns over their youth in the secondary.......

 

[mopkins]

That "bend don't break" cost us the game on their last offensive drive. Should have at least tried the raider package or blitzed from the blind side one or two times.

I don't really agree with that. Their last drive took 12 plays over 2 minutes and they had to convert on two different 4th downs, one of them on the final play of the game. Penn State just made one more play than Iowa did.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I am just amazed at the defense. 99 plays to that kind of offensive power? And they give up 21 points?

Yes they weren't perfect but you look at what they have done and our pre-season concerns over their youth in the secondary.......

Agree. Going in, if you told me Penn State was going to score 21 pts, I would have said Iowa would have a good chance to win. The D held them under the threshold, IMO.

Yea, without Barkley, I think they are a 3-4 loss team. Still good, but not in contention.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I don't really agree with that. Their last drive took 12 plays over 2 minutes and they had to convert on two different 4th downs, one of them on the final play of the game. Penn State just made one more play than Iowa did.

To me a 12 play drive is the epitome of a bend but don't break D. Yes, they were forced to attempt and convert another 4th down secondary to time.

Boy, if that defender could have just gotten a finger on that ball and tipped it higher and out of the back of the end zone. That's how close that was, bordering on a fluke of a catch with all the traffic.

 

[mopkins]

To me a 12 play drive is the epitome of a bend but don't break D. Yes, they were forced to attempt and convert another 4th down secondary to time.

Boy, if that defender could have just gotten a finger on that ball and tipped it higher and out of the back of the end zone. That's how close that was, bordering on a fluke of a catch with all the traffic.

When the QB dropped back to pass on 4th down and looked over the middle, I was pretty sure Iowa was going to win. I have no idea why they didn't swing it to Barkley out of the backfield on 1st-3rd downs on that last series, but I'm glad they didn't.

I thought several times in the night Penn State got too cute down around the goaline and allowed Iowa to stay in the game.

 

[judzeehawk]

Psu had scored over 30 points a game like 10 times in a row. There wasn't anybody that picked Iowa to stop that string.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

When the QB dropped back to pass on 4th down and looked over the middle, I was pretty sure Iowa was going to win. I have no idea why they didn't swing it to Barkley out of the backfield on 1st-3rd downs on that last series, but I'm glad they didn't.

I thought several times in the night Penn State got too cute down around the goaline and allowed Iowa to stay in the game.

Agree, anytime they seemed to run it our swing it out, they'd get 8 yards a down. I never saw a team get 6-8 yrds with such ease. Even when they seemed to get contained you'd look and they'd have 6 yrds. Frustrating.

 

[DDThompson]

Play1 -- crossing pattern, no pressure, 12 yards.

Play2 -- AJE pressured QB to throw early, pass deflected.

Play3 -- pocket collapsed, QB briefly scrambled to throw ball away.

Need I go on?
To say Iowa wasn't causing McSorely to think quick on last drive isn't true.

To say playing a cover 2 defense is not playing your opponent square up just doesn't know football.

 

[Ben Rumson]

Any offensive heart beat in the first half and this game is won by Iowa. For our D to be put in the crappy field position and on the field for over forty minutes in ninety degree temps and to answer the call in the way they did is an understatement. Hooker was there to make the play and I thought he gave hell of an effort and if you haven't witnessed the ball in slow motion damn near grazing his fingers you need to search for it. That was worth $95.00 to watch that game and I honestly thought that Kinnick was going to collapse when Wadley scored. I guarantee we all had this as one of Iowa's loss for the season and to be in the position to win at the end is all you could ask for and we damn near got it. We may have a couple more let downs coming but you can't tell me that Iowa won't be a hard out for the rest of the games we play. My only true opinion is dump the first down run crap and start tossing the ball around. The receivers need to turn their heads around quicker on hot reads. Stanley will be fine and only get better and A.J. needs to be on the field on most downs because that is Man right there!

 

[HawkGold]

This Explains a lot. No wrapping up.

 

[HawkGold]

Tip this with one hand rather than the intercept attempt...

 

[uihawk82]

Your answer lies with a great gutty defensive performance that forced PSU to not convert one of their 4th downs in the first half and to missing a FG on another drive so those are empty yards. They had two possessions end in a turnover so kudos to the Dee for two more empty drives. They had to punt several times in the first half so they got their 30-50 yards then came up empty. One punt of course led to the safety.

PSU did not have the great field position to start with in the 2nd half.

What I dont like about the bend but dont break is being so far off of receivers they can get a first down and stop the clock or they have room to get some yards and step out of bounds. We have seen this happen too many times.

I too am not sure why we didnt send at least one extra rusher, a fast player into the face of mcsorley or from any angle.

 

[guffus]

The oddest thing to think about is if Wadley would have been flagged for high stepping and had his TD taken away, Iowa probably would have kicked a FG with no time remaining and won the the game.