What is hurting the Hawkeyes offense this season?

S

SirJamaLot

Well-Known Member
Curious to see what our readers feel is ailing the Hawkeyes offense. Against 2 very suspect defenses(Indiana&NW) we struggled to score. Usually Ferentz's offenses peak in Nov? but so far not this year

A) defenses know how to play the hawks, load up the line and make them pass?
B) too much inexperience on the offensive line and poor execution?
C) lack of big plays from Stanzi and the receivers?
D) Poor play selection and adjustments from our offensive coaching staff?
E) all the above

It would be great to find out from the coaches after they watch the tapes, but that isnt going to happen.
 
SirJamaLot said:
Curious to see what our readers feel is ailing the Hawkeyes offense. Against 2 very suspect defenses(Indiana&NW) we struggled to score. Usually Ferentz's offenses peak in Nov? but so far not this year

A) defenses know how to play the hawks, load up the line and make them pass?
B) too much inexperience on the offensive line and poor execution?
C) lack of big plays from Stanzi and the receivers?
D) Poor play selection and adjustments from our offensive coaching staff?
E) all the above

It would be great to find out from the coaches after they watch the tapes, but that isnt going to happen.
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Don't forget drive killing penalties. Iowa had 2 drives in the first half stymied by penalties. As someone has pointed out, a big penalty in the drive that ended in the Stanzi interception forced them into a longer passing situation. Sometimes plays don't work because the defense just makes a play, but penalties, that's self-inflicted nonsense.
 
Playcalling in key situations. Throwing deep on 3rd and 3 from midfield instead of moving the chains. Throwing deep from the 38 into the wind with a 10 point lead in the 4th Q.

Throwing 9 out of 12 times inside the 12 yard line in the first half with a 100 yard rusher in the first half.

Playcalling.
 
I'd never hang all of our problems on Rick. I've LOVED watching him play every minute and this is the first time ever I've wished the Hawks were a pro team so we could just pay to keep him around. Something is different about him this year though. He used to play balls out and you could tell he was having a blast. This year he looks terrified to make a mistake. There are times when it seems like he's more worried about making mistakes than he is about losing the ballgame.
 
IOWuh said:
I'd never hang all of our problems on Rick. I've LOVED watching him play every minute and this is the first time ever I've wished the Hawks were a pro team so we could just pay to keep him around. Something is different about him this year though. He used to play balls out and you could tell he was having a blast. This year he looks terrified to make a mistake. There are times when it seems like he's more worried about making mistakes than he is about losing the ballgame.
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+1 i wonder if the entire team is struggling with unrealistic expectations
 
Considering they've played stellar offense all year except the last two weeks, I'm willing to bet about 9 starters on offense have the flu or something. That is the only explanation to the sudden downhill progression.
 
IOWuh said:
I'd never hang all of our problems on Rick. I've LOVED watching him play every minute and this is the first time ever I've wished the Hawks were a pro team so we could just pay to keep him around. Something is different about him this year though. He used to play balls out and you could tell he was having a blast. This year he looks terrified to make a mistake. There are times when it seems like he's more worried about making mistakes than he is about losing the ballgame.
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I think that throwing that pick in the 4th quarter ... that may have been one of the first times in his career where he had trouble "flushing" a mistake.

I'm not going to pile on the guy though. I'm proud to have him as a Hawkeye and I appreciate all the time and effort that he's put into improving himself and helping to better our program.

Regardless of how we finish off this season, I'm confident that his leadership and example will continue to positively reverberate through the program.
 
The past 2 weeks have been a HUGE contrast to the prior weeks.

Here are the primary differences:

- We've been missing Gettis over the past two weeks
- It's been more windy and cold the past two weeks
- Minus ARob against IU and minus Sandeman against NU
- Seemingly more "floaters" thrown over the past 4 weeks (MSU game being the exception)
 
homerHAWKeye777 said:
The past 2 weeks have been a HUGE contrast to the prior weeks.

Here are the primary differences:

- We've been missing Gettis over the past two weeks
- It's been more windy and cold the past two weeks
- Minus ARob against IU and minus Sandeman against NU
- Seemingly more "floaters" thrown over the past 4 weeks (MSU game being the exception)
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Wow....what a stretch!!!
-Missing a guard over the past 2 weeks has brought our offense to a screeching halt?
-Weather? The problem has been the weather? What conditions were IU and NW playing in?
-Coker runs for 100 yards in the first half
-Floaters? A few in your toilet maybe but thats the best you got? Again, not sure what conditions the other teams were playing in.
 
AIRHAWK said:
Wow....what a stretch!!!
-Missing a guard over the past 2 weeks has brought our offense to a screeching halt?
-Weather? The problem has been the weather? What conditions were IU and NW playing in?
-Coker runs for 100 yards in the first half
-Floaters? A few in your toilet maybe but thats the best you got? Again, not sure what conditions the other teams were playing in.
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AIRHAWK -

Reading comprehension my friend ... I wasn't giving reasons. I was just listing factors that were DIFFERENT over the past two weeks.

I wasn't drawing any conclusions or making any hypotheses. Please note the distiction.
 
AIRHAWK -

Perhaps you're familiar with the scientific method?

One of the first steps in so doing is to identify what remains the same and what is different. Then, from there, you can make testable hypotheses from factors that differ from a reference "control."
 
Drive killing penalties don't help. Playcalling has been head scratching at times. Wasn't Gettis out the first couple of games also?

It's easy for us to speculate as outsiders as to what the problem is with the offense. Unfortunately we're not at practice or on the sidelines to hear what is going on and how the team is playing. The real head scratcher is why does the offense look so good one drive, and then terrible the next.
 
I would argue it has only been 2 games where we had problems and they are against NW and Indiana... go flippin figure.
 
I really don’t think that it is the play calling, the penalties, the injuries, the weather or the importance of the game. I think that it has something to do with these 2 teams. It is not just this year or last year it has been over the past few years. Something about these 2 teams gets us. Do we not see them as a threat? Do we think that we are going to win? Looking to the next week? I don’t know but something about these 2 teams is a thorn in the side of the team.
 
You must MAUL and physically dominate for 4 quarters both of these two teams (IU and NW) until you 'break' them. And you will break them if you do that.

I think our desire to be 'balanced' at times hurts us. A single incompletion or sack can kill a drive. So can a negative rushing attempt but the odds are less of that happening if your O-Line is good. Continuing to pick up positive yardage on the ground not only can 'gas' a defense but it keeps the chains moving and your defense off the field. If you do it well you will 'break' a lessor opponent in the second half.

I need to update my post from a couple of seasons ago but KF's record at that time was awesome when Iowa runs the ball 60% or more. When it dips below 60% his record is below .500 at Iowa. The record differential was not even close. Are there exceptions to this rule? Sure but as a rule of thumb running the ball and stopping the run are key ingredients to long-term success.

You want to win games; great O-Line & run the ball and do not give up big plays on defense.

I saw a comment about Gettis earlier and I may be the only one in our fan base that thinks this is also a huge issue. It's not just 'Gettis' but also not having McMillan playing many snaps. Our center, JF, has played above my expectations this year but he is 'under-sized'. Now we are playing his backup who is even more under-sized at the right guard position which means we have 2 under-sized lineman in the middle of our line. We are not getting a consistent push due to leverage issues and are giving up more penetration to NW and IU d-lineman. This causes pass-protection/breakdown/hurries and negative/min yardage rushing attempts. Not every play but again it only takes 1 sometimes to derail a drive.

If Gettis or McMillan cannot play I would start Boeffeli, Van Sloten, Orne or another lineman who have the physical characteristics to play Big Ten football. Size and physicality matter at this level of football and above. Not all big men are good players but you must put out the best combination of big o-lineman.

It's no secret that the best team in this league this year, Wisky, has the best O-Line and that O-Line is massive. It's the most under-rated aspect in football and this is our most pressing current issue IMO. I'm OK with one under-sized player but when you start multiple players under 6'4" and 300 lbs you are going to start having issues and inconsistency in offensive results.
 
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SpecialKHawk said:
You must MAUL and physically dominate for 4 quarters both of these two teams (IU and NW) until you 'break' them. And you will break them if you do that.

I think our desire to be 'balanced' at times hurts us. A single incompletion or sack can kill a drive. So can a negative rushing attempt but the odds are less of that happening if your O-Line is good. Continuing to pick up positive yardage on the ground not only can 'gas' a defense but it keeps the chains moving and your defense off the field. If you do it well you will 'break' a lessor opponent in the second half.

I need to update my post from a couple of seasons ago but KF's record at that time was awesome when Iowa runs the ball 60% or more. When it dips below 60% his record is below .500 at Iowa. The record differential was not even close. Are there exceptions to this rule? Sure but as a rule of thumb running the ball and stopping the run are key ingredients to long-term success.

You want to win games; great O-Line & run the ball and do not give up big plays on defense.

I saw a comment about Gettis earlier and I may be the only one in our fan base that thinks this is also a huge issue. It's not just 'Gettis' but also not having McMillan playing many snaps. Our center, JF, has played above my expectations this year but he is 'under-sized'. Now we are playing his backup who is even more under-sized at the right guard position which means we have 2 under-sized lineman in the middle of our line. We are not getting a consistent push due to leverage issues and are giving up more penetration to NW and IU d-lineman. This causes pass-protection/breakdown/hurries and negative/min yardage rushing attempts. Not every play but again it only takes 1 sometimes to derail a drive.

If Gettis or McMillan cannot play I would start Boeffeli, Van Sloten, Orne or another lineman who have the physical characteristics to play Big Ten football. Size and physicality matter at this level of football and above. Not all big men are good players but you must put out the best combination of big o-lineman.

It's no secret that the best team in this league this year, Wisky, has the best O-Line and that O-Line is massive. It's the most under-rated aspect in football and this is our most pressing current issue IMO. I'm OK with one under-sized player but when you start multiple players under 6'4" and 300 lbs you are going to start having issues and inconsistency in offensive results.
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That right there has been the best post in 3 days to explain our problems without b*&%$$ng about the coaching, etc.! Thank you SpecialK!
 
It's kind of hard to establish the running game when they stack the box with 8 or 9 most of the time. It's like our coaches are trying to push a square peg through a circle hole. We must establish the run, no matter what the defense is doing! I'm sorry, but you're playing the 100th passing D in the nation...you have three really good WR and a really good TE. How about you establish the passing game to set up the running game for a chance? DJK and McNutt had 1-on-1 coverage quite a bit. I'm not talking about bombing it down the field either...run 8-10 yard outs or slants. This coaching staffs inability to make in-game adjustments is infuriating. And I agree with a previous poster...run for no gain on first, run for 1-yard on second, 30-yard throw on 3rd, punt. THat happens far too much. But I definitely agree that the shuffling with the OL has definitely been an issue as well.
 
DYK88 said:
It's kind of hard to establish the running game when they stack the box with 8 or 9 most of the time. It's like our coaches are trying to push a square peg through a circle hole. We must establish the run, no matter what the defense is doing! I'm sorry, but you're playing the 100th passing D in the nation...you have three really good WR and a really good TE. How about you establish the passing game to set up the running game for a chance? DJK and McNutt had 1-on-1 coverage quite a bit. I'm not talking about bombing it down the field either...run 8-10 yard outs or slants. This coaching staffs inability to make in-game adjustments is infuriating. And I agree with a previous poster...run for no gain on first, run for 1-yard on second, 30-yard throw on 3rd, punt. THat happens far too much. But I definitely agree that the shuffling with the OL has definitely been an issue as well.
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I just believe in a different philosophy of football. To me much of the game is truly decided in the trenches and who is tougher. I do agree that in cases you can use the pass to setup the run.

I would always welcome more guys in the box. I do not believe that another team loading extra players in the box automatically denies your abilitiy to move the football on the ground. It's still about power, leverage and controlling your gap. I also believe that defenses that over-commit too many guys in the box can be more susceptible to giving up big plays. If you get your back into the linebacker level there is often no second level help.

If loading the box is so successful to stopping the run then why do lessor teams not have more success against great running teams?

What I'm also trying to say is that when you can't play someone head up large portions of the time then you have issues to begin with.
 
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