CBSSports.com Article on Tim Lester

[Drinkin Buddy]

Apologies if this has already been posted.

Can the Iowa offense evolve? Tim Lester tasked with casting jokes aside by implementing new-look approach​

Lester is out to drastically improve an Iowa offense that has been the butt of jokes in recent seasons​

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The jokes are worn out at this point. We could spend from now until fall camp doing a Tom Brady-grade roast of Iowa's offense. Not many offensive units have slumped to the point of becoming the subject of memes and fake Cameos fodder.

Not many have been this bad, either. Epically bad, actually. It defies logic that Iowa continues to win at a high level. But, to their enduring credit, the Hawkeyes do just that. All together, Iowa's offense has become one of the offseason's most intriguing storylines to follow.

Iowa goes into the 2024 season having finished last and second-last nationally in total offense the past two seasons, respectively. No FBS program has finished in the bottom two in consecutive years since Washington State (2008-09).

Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II had as many touchdowns (22) as Iowa had as a team. Michigan's Blake Corum had six more (28). Thirty-five individual players accounted for more total yards than the Hawkeyes last season.

We could go on, but that seems cruel and unusual. Again, the approach has "worked." Those Washington State teams finished a combined 3-22. In the last two seasons, Iowa has won 18 games (10 in 2023) and played for the Big Ten championship. Since 2019, Iowa has won 10 games three times.

Coach Kirk Ferentz, 68, may be nearing the end of what will certainly be a Hall of Fame career as the FBS' longest-tenured coach enters his 26th season leading Iowa, but he didn't get this far without knowing what he was doing.

But with the clock ticking on offensive improvements, and with both the Big Ten and College Football Playoff expanding, the question must be asked: Now what? Serious answers only.

...

Link to Complete Article: Can the Iowa offense evolve?

 

[Zooropa_NCR]

"But playing complementary football and not being reckless with the football is a big part of that, and being good on special teams. That's been a big part of our blueprint."

Does that sound like an offensive fix?

Serious answers only.

Taken from the article

Let’s wait and see when Iowa is in the big 10 season if Kirk is still allowing Lester to wing the ball further than 5 yards down field

 

[MilleGinja]

"But playing complementary football and not being reckless with the football is a big part of that, and being good on special teams. That's been a big part of our blueprint."

Does that sound like an offensive fix?

Serious answers only.

Taken from the article

Let’s wait and see when Iowa is in the big 10 season if Kirk is still allowing Lester to wing the ball further than 5 yards down field

Complementary football is fine. Michigan played complementary football and won a championship. Iowa tries to, or says they try to, but we don’t.

 

[WolfeHawk]

Iowa’s offense almost always seems complementary to the opposition’s defense, does that count?

 

[2D_]

My favorite quote from the article:

" In my humble opinion, 50,000 feet, [the offensive issues are] either arrogance or ignorance, because at Iowa it's not due to personnel. There are too many Hawkeyes running up and down the field on Sundays. They're not just dominating, they're All-Pros. Their recruiting has been strong and consistent, their development has been strong and consistent … [but] it's like an old-world pitcher who can't get any run support." -- that same former Big Ten staffer

We have talent on offense whether the sports world, or even Iowa fans, want to admit. It was just so poorly utilized we couldn't take advantage of it. I think Lester will be the most competence we've seen on offense in over a decade.

There are other teams, such as Michigan and Penn State, that I think share that same philosophy that Kirk explains at the end. Playing complimentary football and not being reckless with the ball. Both teams offenses aren't flashy and don't take huge shots multiple times a game, like an Oregon or a USC. But they're sound and competent. That's exactly what Iowa needs, and I think in time, Lester will deliver.

 

[Birky]

"But playing complementary football and not being reckless with the football is a big part of that, and being good on special teams. That's been a big part of our blueprint."

Does that sound like an offensive fix?

Serious answers only.

Taken from the article

Let’s wait and see when Iowa is in the big 10 season if Kirk is still allowing Lester to wing the ball further than 5 yards down field

If the offense moves the ball and scores some points in the process, you bet your ass!

As every Iowa fan has said for three years. The O doesn’t need to be great, just be competent.

Competent complimentary football will equal an outstanding football team.

 

[BirdistheWord]

"But playing complementary football and not being reckless with the football is a big part of that, and being good on special teams. That's been a big part of our blueprint."

Does that sound like an offensive fix?

Serious answers only.

Taken from the article

Let’s wait and see when Iowa is in the big 10 season if Kirk is still allowing Lester to wing the ball further than 5 yards down field

Deacon says Hi

 

[thunderstruck1]

Well, the one thing I think that will make things easier to improve a vast amount is. We seem to have the TE and RB room covered pretty well. Those rooms are functioning at a pretty high rate. Who knows with Barnett and the OL room, the maybe saving grace there is KF has spent a ton of time there this year. OR maybe that is the problem?? Did he spend a bunch of time there last year too?Micro managing?? Either way we need that room to perform higher and with more consistency then it has for a few years. Lester seems to have taken the qb room by the horns and is getting that into shape fast!! WR room?? Was it Copeland? Talent? Scheme? So some of the offense is holding it's own and keeping the bar up there we just have to get a couple rooms to start clicking a little better and a decent scheme (which hopefully we have now) and a good play caller (which hopefully we have now). So really it comes down to a couple rooms. So yeah it was a dumpster fire before, but not totally devoid of talent and or lacking coaching in every area of the offense. So Lester has somethings to work with and that should make turning this around easier and really who knows how much of an improvement they can make. People are going to shite themselves and our coaches are going to look genius if we go from dead last offense to 35th ranked in one off season.

 

[uihawk82]

People are going to shite themselves and our coaches are going to look genius if we go from dead last offense to 35th ranked in one off season.

Well that is really wishful thinking but I would be amazed if it happens. I am not sure that cant happen but I think having the 80th ranked offense this year will be amazing and make a huge difference to the conduct of every game. It would be the hawks winning some games in good fashion by the 4th qtr. And the offense being able to run clock etc to close out games

 

[BonzoFury]

This was an article on Tim Lester? He's barely mentioned. Not to mention the writing in general is terrible.

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

Kirk can’t keep his foot on the gas for four quarters. Bad things can happen if you have a lead and try to score more points. The old man is risk averse to crossing the street.

 

[BonzoFury]

Kirk can’t keep his foot on the gas for four quarters. Bad things can happen if you have a lead and try to score more points. The old man is risk averse to crossing the street.

 

[Beattheohiostate]

From Shakespeare to Einstein to Warren Buffet, most insightful, successful people know that taking intelligent risks, being innovative, and learning from mistakes are vital to achieve greatness. Hayden Fry knew that too. And yet KF stubbornly thinks he's smarter than all of those folks and those who subscribe to their philosophies. The facts say he's wrong.

And KF is also a study in contradiction, saying he wants to protect the ball, for instance, and then insisting on playing a QB who was a turnover machine without giving any other QB a single snap . . . until the final moments of Iowa's final game, a 31-0 embarrassment.

Play a weak schedule, have a top ten defense and a great punter and win a lot of games. Make every game as ugly and boring as possible. Say one thing about offense and do the other. Hire your son as the OC and QB coach despite the fact he has no experience or qualifications for either role. That's KF's formula.

You can give KF credit for a lot of good things, but he allowed a toxic environment to develop around Iowa football while wearing his blinders. He survived it of course, but then he put Brian in charge of the "offense."

Punting is not winning . . . at least it's not winning games that matter. But having a great punter is a vital part of complementary football. No question.

KF has been his own worst enemy. And how no one on his staff has ever been able to open his eyes is beyond me, as is the fact that Phil Parker is willing to be abused by a head coach who refuses to support a great defense with any semblance of an offense.

Like everyone else, I never heard of Tim Lester til Iowa hired him, but based on what we know so far, I do believe he can make dramatic improvements in the Hawkeye offense this season, if only KF will get the hell out of the way.

 

[herkyhawk00]

Kirk can’t keep his foot on the gas for four quarters. Bad things can happen if you have a lead and try to score more points. The old man is risk averse to crossing the street.

Being a Hawkeye fan and losing close games, there are many that point to the defense giving up a td or fg late to lose. My feeling has always been that the defense plays great the entire game and you have an incompetent offense that can't sustain a drive to suck more time off the clock, can't get a first down, or doesn't help the defense by flipping the field. Most games that we lose come back to the offense not doing its part

 

[pistachio1999]

Well that is really wishful thinking but I would be amazed if it happens. I am not sure that cant happen but I think having the 80th ranked offense this year will be amazing and make a huge difference to the conduct of every game. It would be the hawks winning some games in good fashion by the 4th qtr. And the offense being able to run clock etc to close out games

If we have an average O line and they stay healthy it is very possible. I love the fact we have very experienced RBs that can make the cuts and break it.

 

[thunderstruck1]

Well that is really wishful thinking but I would be amazed if it happens. I am not sure that cant happen but I think having the 80th ranked offense this year will be amazing and make a huge difference to the conduct of every game. It would be the hawks winning some games in good fashion by the 4th qtr. And the offense being able to run clock etc to close out games

Well, I do not give preseason rankings any weight at all, but I seen something that says we have like the 50th (close to that) hardest schedule. Would you not think that having an offense that is ranked somewhere near the same ranking as our strength of schedule is possible or even kind of the floor? I do not think when the season is over we have the 80th ranked strength of schedule. I am not saying we will get to 35th or any number really, but beings Lester did not have to put together a whole staff or worry much at all about 2-3 rooms (TE, RB and OL) and all he really has to do is teach his plays and get the QB and WR rooms to perform, my hope is he can break into the top 50 this year. (Hope)

 

[hawkeyeinmo]

From Shakespeare to Einstein to Warren Buffet, most insightful, successful people know that taking intelligent risks, being innovative, and learning from mistakes are vital to achieve greatness. Hayden Fry knew that too. And yet KF stubbornly thinks he's smarter than all of those folks and those who subscribe to their philosophies. The facts say he's wrong.

And KF is also a study in contradiction, saying he wants to protect the ball, for instance, and then insisting on playing a QB who was a turnover machine without giving any other QB a single snap . . . until the final moments of Iowa's final game, a 31-0 embarrassment.

Play a weak schedule, have a top ten defense and a great punter and win a lot of games. Make every game as ugly and boring as possible. Say one thing about offense and do the other. Hire your son as the OC and QB coach despite the fact he has no experience or qualifications for either role. That's KF's formula.

You can give KF credit for a lot of good things, but he allowed a toxic environment to develop around Iowa football while wearing his blinders. He survived it of course, but then he put Brian in charge of the "offense."

Punting is not winning . . . at least it's not winning games that matter. But having a great punter is a vital part of complementary football. No question.

KF has been his own worst enemy. And how no one on his staff has ever been able to open his eyes is beyond me, as is the fact that Phil Parker is willing to be abused by a head coach who refuses to support a great defense with any semblance of an offense.

Like everyone else, I never heard of Tim Lester til Iowa hired him, but based on what we know so far, I do believe he can make dramatic improvements in the Hawkeye offense this season, if only KF will get the hell out of the way.

I have a slight problem being preached to about “coaching philosophy” by someone who never heard of Tim Lester. “Like everyone else” would be incorrect about knowing of Tim Lester. I was familiar with him and I’m sure others on the board were. No, he is not a household name but I think if you follow college football and not just Iowa or B1G football you have heard of him.

 

[thunderstruck1]

I have a slight problem being preached to about “coaching philosophy” by someone who never heard of Tim Lester. “Like everyone else” would be incorrect about knowing of Tim Lester. I was familiar with him and I’m sure others on the board were. No, he is not a household name but I think if you follow college football and not just Iowa or B1G football you have heard of him.

I am not good with names, but I also do not discredit anyone because I have not heard of them or choose not to know it. I mean I can not tell you who is the fastest track runner in the world, but that does not make them any less fast. I can not tell you the ceo of Pepsi company, but that does not make them any worse at their job. I was a little concerned about D1 experience, but where did Fry come from again?? I certainly am not going to argue coaching philosophy with the very people who built the Hawk program from the ground up. All I know is there are some schools out there that can and do strike fast, so having a 10 point lead is nothing compared to what it once was. I mean say we are going into the 4th against Oregon or OSU. we have a 10 point lead, how comfortable are you that it is in the bag?? Now days with style points (which I do not agree with) helping get you into the playoffs, you about have to pound the living crap out of lesser teams. Again, I do not agree with that as it does nobody any good and more often then not leads to injuries that D2 players have to live with the rest of their lives. I think KF is of that same mind set and idk how, but something should be done about it so that it does not count as style points when Michigan beats the crap out of Morningside (or whoever) 80-0.

 

[IamHawkeye]

Iowa’s offense almost always seems complementary to the opposition’s defense, does that count?

There is complementary and there is complimentary.

 

[Drinkin Buddy]

I am not good with names, but I also do not discredit anyone because I have not heard of them or choose not to know it. I mean I can not tell you who is the fastest track runner in the world, but that does not make them any less fast. I can not tell you the ceo of Pepsi company, but that does not make them any worse at their job. I was a little concerned about D1 experience, but where did Fry come from again?? I certainly am not going to argue coaching philosophy with the very people who built the Hawk program from the ground up. All I know is there are some schools out there that can and do strike fast, so having a 10 point lead is nothing compared to what it once was. I mean say we are going into the 4th against Oregon or OSU. we have a 10 point lead, how comfortable are you that it is in the bag?? Now days with style points (which I do not agree with) helping get you into the playoffs, you about have to pound the living crap out of lesser teams. Again, I do not agree with that as it does nobody any good and more often then not leads to injuries that D2 players have to live with the rest of their lives. I think KF is of that same mind set and idk how, but something should be done about it so that it does not count as style points when Michigan beats the crap out of Morningside (or whoever) 80-0.

I understand where you're coming from regarding strike fast offenses and style points.

Take a look at it from this perspective: Iowa's defense is built to not give up quick strikes, and they have proven this over the course of MANY years. You have to be patient against them or will end up turning the ball over to them (most likely to the secondary). Iowa with a 10 point lead in Q4 is VASTLY different than the majority of the teams, of which are outside of the top 10-15 defenses in the country.

Nothing is EVER in the bag, but being down 10 to Iowa in the 4th quarter is a very tough position to be in given the defense and special teams play.

IF Iowa can bring an average or competent offense to the table, stringing together first downs and scoring drives here and there, and limiting turnovers, they OWN the game. They will dictate the style and pace of play against most opponents. They will limit the number of drives, and every position becomes more and more valuable as the game goes on - which puts additional pressure on the opponents offense and defense and leads to increased risk taking.

Style points matter far less these days given the CFP Committee making the decisions. If Iowa ends the season with 2 or less losses, a competent offense and yet again a top 5 defense they are easily in. There IS a ton of style in having a nuts solid defense that EVERYONE knows about.

As a reminder, Georgia had all the talent in the world and was very dynamic on offense, but they couldn't get over the hump until Kirby Smart came in and put his stamp on the defense. Defense won Georgia those championships, and because strong defenses are so rare teams are rewarded for fielding such.

JMO

 

[Iron Doc]

Don't trust Capt Kirk to do the right thing.

 

[Bierhalter]

Well, I do not give preseason rankings any weight at all, but I seen something that says we have like the 50th (close to that) hardest schedule. Would you not think that having an offense that is ranked somewhere near the same ranking as our strength of schedule is possible or even kind of the floor? I do not think when the season is over we have the 80th ranked strength of schedule. I am not saying we will get to 35th or any number really, but beings Lester did not have to put together a whole staff or worry much at all about 2-3 rooms (TE, RB and OL) and all he really has to do is teach his plays and get the QB and WR rooms to perform, my hope is he can break into the top 50 this year. (Hope)

I understand this is hope, not expectation, but no. Just no.

 

[thunderstruck1]

I understand where you're coming from regarding strike fast offenses and style points.

Take a look at it from this perspective: Iowa's defense is built to not give up quick strikes, and they have proven this over the course of MANY years. You have to be patient against them or will end up turning the ball over to them (most likely to the secondary). Iowa with a 10 point lead in Q4 is VASTLY different than the majority of the teams, of which are outside of the top 10-15 defenses in the country.

Nothing is EVER in the bag, but being down 10 to Iowa in the 4th quarter is a very tough position to be in given the defense and special teams play.

IF Iowa can bring an average or competent offense to the table, stringing together first downs and scoring drives here and there, and limiting turnovers, they OWN the game. They will dictate the style and pace of play against most opponents. They will limit the number of drives, and every position becomes more and more valuable as the game goes on - which puts additional pressure on the opponents offense and defense and leads to increased risk taking.

Style points matter far less these days given the CFP Committee making the decisions. If Iowa ends the season with 2 or less losses, a competent offense and yet again a top 5 defense they are easily in. There IS a ton of style in having a nuts solid defense that EVERYONE knows about.

As a reminder, Georgia had all the talent in the world and was very dynamic on offense, but they couldn't get over the hump until Kirby Smart came in and put his stamp on the defense. Defense won Georgia those championships, and because strong defenses are so rare teams are rewarded for fielding such.

JMO

I am just saying, if we are up by 10 at OSU this year at the start of the 4th, I am hardly going to think it is in the bag. If we are up by 10 against some non con smaller team, then probably it is in the bag. It is a give and take kind of thing, where I see no reason to run the points up on a smaller non con game when they can not hardly do anything against you and maybe get a fg for the whole game. Also at the same time, I would feel more comfortable with a 2 score advantage against just about any other D1 team at the end of the 3rd then a 1 score advantage. I just see so many of these non con games where the score is 60-3 or whatever and I am like why?? It did nobody any good unless your 4th string was playing almost the entire game. Why would you even schedule such a game? I mean there is pretty much knowing you are going to win and there is where it is not even a real practice for your team. So there is some class and balance to it all for sure. But my main point was level of competition and strength of schedule. I think any coach should strive to have their unit finish higher ranked then what their sos is. Not saying we should expect it in year one, but I do not think it is out of the realm of talking about either. Because sos is part of how they decide who makes the play offs, so logic says how well you do against your sos says a lot about your coaches and team as to what to expect should they make the playoffs. Kind of like how our bowls were always against better teams on paper, because we were punching above our weight class. (Almost exclusively because we may have had a 15th, 20th, 30th or 40th ranked sos, but we had a top 10 defense)

 

[obfuscating]

I have a slight problem being preached to about “coaching philosophy” by someone who never heard of Tim Lester. “Like everyone else” would be incorrect about knowing of Tim Lester. I was familiar with him and I’m sure others on the board were. No, he is not a household name but I think if you follow college football and not just Iowa or B1G football you have heard of him.

I never knew BF had the credentials to be an OC until a very well-known HC put him in that position.

 

[pistachio1999]

I never knew BF had the credentials to be an OC until a very well-known HC put him in that position.

Well our new women's basketball coach has never been a head coach. It's trendy.

 

[BonzoFury]

I have a slight problem being preached to about “coaching philosophy” by someone who never heard of Tim Lester. “Like everyone else” would be incorrect about knowing of Tim Lester. I was familiar with him and I’m sure others on the board were. No, he is not a household name but I think if you follow college football and not just Iowa or B1G football you have heard of him.

Not so sure about that. How many could name 5 OC or DC in the conference off the top of their head? Lester wasn't even one of those.

 

[hawkeyeinmo]

Not so sure about that. How many could name 5 OC or DC in the conference off the top of their head? Lester wasn't even one of those.

I couldn’t name them but I sure as hell “heard of” all of them. Couldn’t name the MAC coaches either but “heard of” all of them.

 

[uihawk82]

Well, I do not give preseason rankings any weight at all, but I seen something that says we have like the 50th (close to that) hardest schedule. Would you not think that having an offense that is ranked somewhere near the same ranking as our strength of schedule is possible or even kind of the floor? I do not think when the season is over we have the 80th ranked strength of schedule. I am not saying we will get to 35th or any number really, but beings Lester did not have to put together a whole staff or worry much at all about 2-3 rooms (TE, RB and OL) and all he really has to do is teach his plays and get the QB and WR rooms to perform, my hope is he can break into the top 50 this year. (Hope)

If the passing game turns out to be dynamic with 66% or so completion percentage, a lot of YACatch, a good number of chunk catches and runs then the offense could rank 60th or better. But I will have to wait to see it happen. I think we will have some receivers who can do it but they have to catch the ball much better and first of all get open.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Bad QB recruiting and performance. Bad OL recruiting and performance. Bad WR recruiting and performance. Bad OC recruiting and performance.

THESE are the things that KF is responsible for. Not being "in the way".

He has not instructed QB's to miss receivers, or has he instructed receivers to drop passes when they do find their way to them. He has not told the QB to throw the ball no more than 5 yards down the field. He certainly has not told the RB's to ignore holes in the line and find the brick wall. Linemen are not instructed to wave as the defensive lineman runs by.

"KF handing the keys" to Lester is absurd. Of course Lester has control - perhaps not absolute and total control - but he will be the decision maker and he that will deserve credit or blame for the performance.

KF is the HC. Let's hold him responsible for the things a HC is responsible for - recruiting, player development and above all - hiring coaches. This is where he has failed the last few seasons.

KF has made some serious mistakes to be sure. But he is not calling the plays.

 

[icwesthawk]

complementary adjective (GOOD TOGETHER)

You need all 3 phases to work together. That includes an offense that is not holding the other 2 back.

 

[BirdistheWord]

From Shakespeare to Einstein to Warren Buffet, most insightful, successful people know that taking intelligent risks, being innovative, and learning from mistakes are vital to achieve greatness. Hayden Fry knew that too. And yet KF stubbornly thinks he's smarter than all of those folks and those who subscribe to their philosophies. The facts say he's wrong.

And KF is also a study in contradiction, saying he wants to protect the ball, for instance, and then insisting on playing a QB who was a turnover machine without giving any other QB a single snap . . . until the final moments of Iowa's final game, a 31-0 embarrassment.

Play a weak schedule, have a top ten defense and a great punter and win a lot of games. Make every game as ugly and boring as possible. Say one thing about offense and do the other. Hire your son as the OC and QB coach despite the fact he has no experience or qualifications for either role. That's KF's formula.

You can give KF credit for a lot of good things, but he allowed a toxic environment to develop around Iowa football while wearing his blinders. He survived it of course, but then he put Brian in charge of the "offense."

Punting is not winning . . . at least it's not winning games that matter. But having a great punter is a vital part of complementary football. No question.

KF has been his own worst enemy. And how no one on his staff has ever been able to open his eyes is beyond me, as is the fact that Phil Parker is willing to be abused by a head coach who refuses to support a great defense with any semblance of an offense.

Like everyone else, I never heard of Tim Lester til Iowa hired him, but based on what we know so far, I do believe he can make dramatic improvements in the Hawkeye offense this season, if only KF will get the hell out of the way.

KF has turnover OCD

 

[thunderstruck1]

If the passing game turns out to be dynamic with 66% or so completion percentage, a lot of YACatch, a good number of chunk catches and runs then the offense could rank 60th or better. But I will have to wait to see it happen. I think we will have some receivers who can do it but they have to catch the ball much better and first of all get open.

If we can open the passing game up a little, our run game will improve big time and that NEEDS to happen to have complementary football.

 

[hahkize]

... the defense giving up a td or fg late to lose. My feeling has always been that the defense plays great the entire game and you have an incompetent offense that can't sustain a drive to suck more time off the clock, can't get a first down, or doesn't help the defense by flipping the field...

Have seen this way more than I want to. Most egregious was the B10 Championship vs Sparty.

Stat Comparisons
First Downs	20	13
Rushing Attempts-Yards	46-174	24-52
Passing Yards	191	216
Passing (Comp.-Att.-Int.)	16-33-1	18-27-1
Total Offense	79-365	51-268
Punts-Avg.	4-40.8	5-35.6
Fumbles-Lost	0-0	3-2
Penalties-Yds	8-80	5-45
Time of Possession	36:38	23:22
3rd-Down Conversions	10-of-20	3-of-12
4th-Down Conversions	1-of-1	0-of-0

Edit: play-by-play was from 2017 @ hawkeyesports.com. Couldn't access 2015 game.

But here's Iowa's 2nd half drives vs Sparty:
Iowa at 11:12

	IOWA drive start at 11:12.
	Daniels, LeShun rush for 4 yards to the IOWA16 (Calhoun, S.;Harris, Darien).
	Daniels, LeShun rush for 2 yards to the IOWA18 (Harris, Darien).
	Beathard, C.J. sacked for loss of 8 yards to the IOWA10 (Calhoun, S.).
	Kidd, Dillon punt 48 yards to the MSU42, fair catch by Kings, M..

3 plays, -2 yards, Time of Possession: 2:00

Iowa at 04:23

	IOWA drive start at 04:23.
	Beathard, C.J. pass incomplete to Hillyer, Jacob.
	Beathard, C.J. pass complete to Smith, Tevaun for 5 yards to the IOWA30, out-of-bounds (Colquhoun, A.).
	Beathard, C.J. pass incomplete to Hillyer, Jacob.
	Kidd, Dillon punt 31 yards to the MSU39, fair catch by Kings, M..

3 plays, 5 yards, Time of Possession: 0:48

Iowa at 00:57

IOWA drive start at 00:57.

Wadley, Akrum rush for 1 yard to the IOWA26 (Reschke, J.), PENALTY IOWA holding (Blythe, Austin) 10 yards to the IOWA15, NO PLAY.

Beathard, C.J. pass complete to Mitchell, D. for no gain to the IOWA15 (Calhoun, S.).

Start of 4th quarter, clock 15:00.
	Beathard, C.J. pass complete to Smith, Tevaun for 85 yards to the MSU0, 1ST DOWN IOWA, TOUCHDOWN, clock 14:49.
	Koehn, Marshall kick attempt good.
	Koehn, Marshall kickoff 65 yards to the MSU0, touchback.

2 plays, 75 yards, Time of Possession: 1:08

Iowa at 12:14

	IOWA drive start at 12:14.
	Beathard, C.J. pass incomplete to VandeBerg, Matt, PENALTY MSU holding (Hicks, Darian) 10 yards to the IOWA32, 1ST DOWN IOWA, NO PLAY.
	Mitchell, D. rush for loss of 3 yards to the IOWA29, out-of-bounds (Harris, Darien).
	Beathard, C.J. pass complete to Wadley, Akrum for 16 yards to the IOWA45, 1ST DOWN IOWA (Colquhoun, A.).
	Beathard, C.J. pass incomplete to Smith, Tevaun, QB hurry by McDowell, M..
	Daniels, LeShun rush for loss of 1 yard to the IOWA44 (Harris, Darien;McDowell, M.).
	Beathard, C.J. pass complete to Krieger-Coble,H for 9 yards to the MSU47 (Nicholson, M.;Cox, Demetrious).
	PENALTY IOWA delay of game (Beathard, C.J.) 5 yards to the IOWA48.
	Kidd, Dillon punt 34 yards to the MSU18, fair catch by Kings, M..

5 plays, 26 yards, Time of Possession: 2:43

Then MSU's epic 22 play drive.

 

[BirdistheWord]

Have seen this way more than I want to. Most egregious was the B10 Championship vs Sparty.

View embedded media

Stat Comparisons
First Downs	20	13
Rushing Attempts-Yards	46-174	24-52
Passing Yards	191	216
Passing (Comp.-Att.-Int.)	16-33-1	18-27-1
Total Offense	79-365	51-268
Punts-Avg.	4-40.8	5-35.6
Fumbles-Lost	0-0	3-2
Penalties-Yds	8-80	5-45
Time of Possession	36:38	23:22
3rd-Down Conversions	10-of-20	3-of-12
4th-Down Conversions	1-of-1	0-of-0

Team	Qtr.	Spot	Time	Obtained	Spot	Time	How Lost	Plays-Yds.	TOP
		Drive Started	Drive Ended	Consumed
IOWA	1	37	11:42	KO	45	09:34	PUNT	5 - 8	2:08
IOWA	1	09	07:51	PUNT	06	06:19	PUNT	3 - -3	1:32
IOWA	1	28	02:06	KO	00	12:15	TD	10 - 72	4:51
IOWA	2	09	07:04	PUNT	10	05:58	PUNT	3 - 1	1:06
IOWA	2	08	05:08	PUNT	03	03:33	PUNT	3 - -5	1:35
IOWA	2	40	00:37	KO	41	00:00	PUNT	3 - 1	0:37
IOWA	3	31	14:57	KO	07	09:43	FUMB	12 - 62	5:14
IOWA	3	30	05:14	DOWNS	30	02:43	FUMB	5 - 40	2:31
IOWA	4	30	14:04	FGA	25	09:08	FG	8 - 45	4:56
IOWA	4	07	04:39	PUNT	12	03:50	PUNT	3 - 5	0:49
IOWA	4	16	00:45	PUNT	13	00:00	HALF	3 - -3	0:45

3 turnovers
2.0 yards per carry
Their offense ran 30 more plays than ours

 

[Zooropa_NCR]

Have seen this way more than I want to. Most egregious was the B10 Championship vs Sparty.

View embedded media

Stat Comparisons
First Downs	20	13
Rushing Attempts-Yards	46-174	24-52
Passing Yards	191	216
Passing (Comp.-Att.-Int.)	16-33-1	18-27-1
Total Offense	79-365	51-268
Punts-Avg.	4-40.8	5-35.6
Fumbles-Lost	0-0	3-2
Penalties-Yds	8-80	5-45
Time of Possession	36:38	23:22
3rd-Down Conversions	10-of-20	3-of-12
4th-Down Conversions	1-of-1	0-of-0

Edit: play-by-play was from 2017 @ hawkeyesports.com. Couldn't access 2015 game.

But here's Iowa's 2nd half drives vs Sparty:
Iowa at 11:12

	IOWA drive start at 11:12.
	Daniels, LeShun rush for 4 yards to the IOWA16 (Calhoun, S.;Harris, Darien).
	Daniels, LeShun rush for 2 yards to the IOWA18 (Harris, Darien).
	Beathard, C.J. sacked for loss of 8 yards to the IOWA10 (Calhoun, S.).
	Kidd, Dillon punt 48 yards to the MSU42, fair catch by Kings, M..

3 plays, -2 yards, Time of Possession: 2:00

Iowa at 04:23

	IOWA drive start at 04:23.
	Beathard, C.J. pass incomplete to Hillyer, Jacob.
	Beathard, C.J. pass complete to Smith, Tevaun for 5 yards to the IOWA30, out-of-bounds (Colquhoun, A.).
	Beathard, C.J. pass incomplete to Hillyer, Jacob.
	Kidd, Dillon punt 31 yards to the MSU39, fair catch by Kings, M..

3 plays, 5 yards, Time of Possession: 0:48

Iowa at 00:57

IOWA drive start at 00:57.

Wadley, Akrum rush for 1 yard to the IOWA26 (Reschke, J.), PENALTY IOWA holding (Blythe, Austin) 10 yards to the IOWA15, NO PLAY.

Beathard, C.J. pass complete to Mitchell, D. for no gain to the IOWA15 (Calhoun, S.).

Start of 4th quarter, clock 15:00.
	Beathard, C.J. pass complete to Smith, Tevaun for 85 yards to the MSU0, 1ST DOWN IOWA, TOUCHDOWN, clock 14:49.
	Koehn, Marshall kick attempt good.
	Koehn, Marshall kickoff 65 yards to the MSU0, touchback.

2 plays, 75 yards, Time of Possession: 1:08

Iowa at 12:14

	IOWA drive start at 12:14.
	Beathard, C.J. pass incomplete to VandeBerg, Matt, PENALTY MSU holding (Hicks, Darian) 10 yards to the IOWA32, 1ST DOWN IOWA, NO PLAY.
	Mitchell, D. rush for loss of 3 yards to the IOWA29, out-of-bounds (Harris, Darien).
	Beathard, C.J. pass complete to Wadley, Akrum for 16 yards to the IOWA45, 1ST DOWN IOWA (Colquhoun, A.).
	Beathard, C.J. pass incomplete to Smith, Tevaun, QB hurry by McDowell, M..
	Daniels, LeShun rush for loss of 1 yard to the IOWA44 (Harris, Darien;McDowell, M.).
	Beathard, C.J. pass complete to Krieger-Coble,H for 9 yards to the MSU47 (Nicholson, M.;Cox, Demetrious).
	PENALTY IOWA delay of game (Beathard, C.J.) 5 yards to the IOWA48.
	Kidd, Dillon punt 34 yards to the MSU18, fair catch by Kings, M..

5 plays, 26 yards, Time of Possession: 2:43

Then MSU's epic 22 play drive.

That holding on MVB was one of the smartest penalties in the game. He had the CB beat and would have been a score.

I remember this game thinking it’s another example of Kirk and OC stubbornness. MSU had a DE who wrecked the OL and pocket consistently. Yet Iowa would never put a TE or RB to help chip or double team. Wadley was not used much either even tho he was one of the best playmakers we had.

It was i think the start of Kirk’s ultra conservative rope-a-dope strategy in big games. He will not take any chances on offense when the lights shine bright. Then it becomes too late and Iowa starts heaving the ball down the field. We got one with Smith but couldn’t do shit on anything else.

And Phil’s defense is not made for final drives where offense gets 4 tries for 10 yards. Iowa needs at least a 2 score lead

 

[binsfeldcyhawk2]

Lester walked into a fantastic situation. The bar is probably the lowest for an OC in the history of CFB.

If he somehow breaks into the top 100 of offense in CFB he should be in consideration for OC of the year....won't be considered...but should.

 

[obfuscating]

Well our new women's basketball coach has never been a head coach. It's trendy.

At least Jan was "associate HC" for years, her creds are FAR superior to being a HC than BF's to be an OC.