So, I was watching the highlights from last Saturday's game and realized how many long yardage plays the Hawks had. It seemed like an unusual amount, so I decided to look back at last year's ISU game to compare. I used runs over 15 yards and passes over 25 yards to categorize a big play. I came up with those parameters prior to even looking at the stats, so I wasn't trying to make last year look worse than it was. Last year they had one play that was a "Big Play", a 33 yard pass to Hamilton.
This year, the Hawks had 8 big plays, plus a big return from King. Not only were they big plays, but the timing of many of them were at critical times.
Now, the Hawks certainly had better games than the ISU game last year, but I thought the difference between the two was staggering. I love when the Hawks go on 13 play drives and wear other teams out. But they won't be able to do that consistently against the better defenses on the schedule. There have to be more big plays to create easier scoring drives. What I saw on Saturday was refreshing and encouraging, and I think with CJ, Daniels, and Canzeri, there is certainly some hope for more of those type of plays moving forward than there's been in recent years.
This year, the Hawks had 8 big plays, plus a big return from King. Not only were they big plays, but the timing of many of them were at critical times.
Now, the Hawks certainly had better games than the ISU game last year, but I thought the difference between the two was staggering. I love when the Hawks go on 13 play drives and wear other teams out. But they won't be able to do that consistently against the better defenses on the schedule. There have to be more big plays to create easier scoring drives. What I saw on Saturday was refreshing and encouraging, and I think with CJ, Daniels, and Canzeri, there is certainly some hope for more of those type of plays moving forward than there's been in recent years.
