Why give team ball AND wind to start 2nd half

[Robowe]

Rob, cmon man, Iowa did not take the wind in the third quarter. There are 3 items you can choose to do at the start of a game 1) defer if you win the coin flip, 2) defend and endzone or 3) receive the ball.

Rob, what transpired today? Iowa won the toss and deferred so KF learned from last week. Nebraska had the second choice after Iowa deferred and they almost had to choose to receive, then it was Iowa's choice to defend an endzone and they chose to kick from I assume North to South, since I have never been in that stadium, with the wind at their back.

There are only two decisions at the start of the 2nd half, receive or defend and endzone. Whatever happened choice-wise to start the game one team has first choice to start 3rd qtr and in this case Iowa took the ball to start the 2nd half today. So then it was Nebby's choice to defend an endzone AND I CANNOT BELIEVE RILEY DID THE SAME STUPID THING KIRK DID A WEEK AGO AGAINST PURDUE.

Riley kicked into the wind giving Iowa more time with the wind in the 3rd qtr.

So Rob, Nebby took the wind to start the 2nd half. Dolphin kept saying the same thing that Iowa and Kirk took the ball and the wind. Not so.

My bad on the choice, if that was the case. The point is having the wind in the 3rd quarter worked for Iowa this week (whether it was their choice or not). Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Some coaches want the wind in the 3rd quarter to hopefully get the lead, some coaches want the wind in the 4th quarter in case it helps win the game late. I think it is a matter of the coach trusting their defense.

 

[uihawk82]

Not sure why Riley would trust that defense of his. I thought Kirk was crazy last week after of course Purdue took the ball to start the 2nd half and Kirk gave Purdue the wind which only maximizes the amount of time Purdue had the wind that quarter.

I think KF has the whole deferring and wind thing down now after awhile of thinking about it.

About the only way Iowa receives to start the second half is by deferring or losing the coin toss to start the game.

 

[blubberhawk]

Iowa took the wind in the 3rd quarter today vs Huskers. Worked out.

Iowa found another coach who is a worse game manager than Ferentz. Just like Ferentz has given games away by giving opposing teams the wind AND the ball to start the second half, Riley did the same yesterday.
Ferentz cost Iowa the Purdue game with that decision and a much better bowl game in the process. Nice guy, yes. Game manager = laughable.

 

[blubberhawk]

My bad on the choice, if that was the case. The point is having the wind in the 3rd quarter worked for Iowa this week (whether it was their choice or not). Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Some coaches want the wind in the 3rd quarter to hopefully get the lead, some coaches want the wind in the 4th quarter in case it helps win the game late. I think it is a matter of the coach trusting their defense.

Amazing the level you guys goes to defend stupidity. If Iowa takes the wind against Purdue, they go into the 4th quarter with a lead (quite possibly a two score or more lead) and all the pressure is on Purdue. NEVER give the opposing team the ball AND THE WIND in a tight ball game, especially when the wind was strong enough to become a dominant factor like it was in the Purdue and Nebraska games. Another consideration..In the Midwest, winds tend to die down toward late afternoon, early evening. Not always, but most of the time. Take the damn wind in the 3rd quarter when the other team gets the ball. It has burned Ferentz and Iowa numerous times now and he does not seem to learn anything from it. I guess if he changes, he is admitting he is wrong and that RARELY happens.

 

[Robowe]

Amazing the level you guys goes to defend stupidity. If Iowa takes the wind against Purdue, they go into the 4th quarter with a lead (quite possibly a two score or more lead) and all the pressure is on Purdue. NEVER give the opposing team the ball AND THE WIND in a tight ball game, especially when the wind was strong enough to become a dominant factor like it was in the Purdue and Nebraska games. Another consideration..In the Midwest, winds tend to die down toward late afternoon, early evening. Not always, but most of the time. Take the damn wind in the 3rd quarter when the other team gets the ball. It has burned Ferentz and Iowa numerous times now and he does not seem to learn anything from it. I guess if he changes, he is admitting he is wrong and that RARELY happens.

I never defended the decision. I said it can work sometimes, and sometimes it doesn't. Here's a link to an article about Kirk's decision to kick off both halves just a little over a year ago against Illinois. He wanted the wind in the 1st and 3rd quarters and it worked (even though some people thought he was crazy to not receive either kickoff). However, knowing Kirk, he knew the time it didn't work to take the wind (see quoted portion below).

It's easy to say Iowa would have scored with the wind in the 3rd quarter (even though everyone has seen Iowa's offense struggle at times this year). However, it seems that maybe Kirk trusted his defense could stop Purdue in the 3rd quarter (or maybe give up just one score). It didn't work. And maybe, Kirk will not do this again.

http://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sp...irk-ferentz-noah-fant-manny-rugamba/94094758/

Ferentz tried it one other time, 13 years ago.

“Some of you guys may remember this. But in ’03, it didn’t work out too well up in East Lansing,” Ferentz said. “We took the wind, and they drove it 80 yards and ate up about eight minutes. Double whammy there. This wind, and what it can do in the kicking game especially, just didn’t want to take that chance today.”

 

[Robowe]

Not sure why Riley would trust that defense of his. I thought Kirk was crazy last week after of course Purdue took the ball to start the 2nd half and Kirk gave Purdue the wind which only maximizes the amount of time Purdue had the wind that quarter.

I think KF has the whole deferring and wind thing down now after awhile of thinking about it.

About the only way Iowa receives to start the second half is by deferring or losing the coin toss to start the game.

Again, see article linked in post above about the Illinois game last year (choosing the wind in both halves and kicking off in both halves). We may not like the strategy by Kirk, but he usually has thoughts behind what he decides. It's questionable at times, but I will say, he usually has a reason. And, as I said, sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. That's football. (sorry, I felt I had to)