Explain to me why Phil Parker gets a pass…

[RagnarLothbrok]

A lot of head scratching decisions with play calling, clock management, and in-game decisions no doubt. So, I am not discounting that.

With that said…

Iowa State has the ball around their own twenty with no timeouts and under a minute to go. In that scenario, would you not set up your defense to cover the sidelines, especially the deep thirds, and try to force everything underneath and over the middle of the field? I only ask because it seemed to me, from what I could see at least, that Iowa was still in their base defense and left the sidelines wide open, which included that easy pitch and catch for a ridiculous gain that put Iowa State in field goal range.

I mean, am I wrong in wondering WTF the end game strategy was on that last Iowa State drive? I have never seen a defense so incompetent on a final drive in which they have every advantage given the offense has no timeouts and has to go at least 45-50 yards for a realistic chance at a field goal. There was no gimmick play or some random dumb luck that allowed Iowa State to get into field goal territory. It was simply a matter of them taking advantage of Iowa’s gross incompetence at the end of the game.

For a defense that is supposedly elite, I find what happened on that final Iowa State drive completely inexcusable. And I am not sure why Phil Parker gets a pass on that. Someone explain it to me.

 

[Chishawk1425]

The D was bad today but we should have been up 21/24 points and it shouldn't have mattered. Eye opening on many fronts.

 

[littlez]

A lot of head scratching decisions with play calling, clock management, and in-game decisions no doubt. So, I am not discounting that.

With that said…

Iowa State has the ball around their own twenty with no timeouts and under a minute to go. In that scenario, would you not set up your defense to cover the sidelines, especially the deep thirds, and try to force everything underneath and over the middle of the field? I only ask because it seemed to me, from what I could see at least, that Iowa was still in their base defense and left the sidelines wide open, which included that easy pitch and catch for a ridiculous gain that put Iowa State in field goal range.

I mean, am I wrong in wondering WTF the end game strategy was on that last Iowa State drive? I have never seen a defense so incompetent on a final drive in which they have every advantage given the offense has no timeouts and has to go at least 45-50 yards for a realistic chance at a field goal. There was no gimmick play or some random dumb luck that allowed Iowa State to get into field goal territory. It was simply a matter of them taking advantage of Iowa’s gross incompetence at the end of the game.

For a defense that is supposedly elite, I find what happened on that final Iowa State drive completely inexcusable. And I am not sure why Phil Parker gets a pass on that. Someone explain it to me.

And zero pressure. A sack would have been huge. We basically puckered a bit on defense once X bit on that long pass. Went extremely conservative on D as well.

 

[eyesofhawk]

He doesn't. Team loss

 

[StallmanCurse]

I said it elsewhere but it would be very reasonable to argue Heacock > Parker.

 

[LarryMullenJr.]

At least Schulte only got bulldozed for 5 yards for all the world to see. By a WR.

 

[CookyMonster]

One sack in 35 pass attempts

 

[Bow.to.the.Narrative]

It's not an elite defense. They are good, but not elite. Stats get pumped up by playing a lot of mediocre teams. They get burned by competent quarterbacks and receivers.

 

[nck24]

A lot of head scratching decisions with play calling, clock management, and in-game decisions no doubt. So, I am not discounting that.

With that said…

Iowa State has the ball around their own twenty with no timeouts and under a minute to go. In that scenario, would you not set up your defense to cover the sidelines, especially the deep thirds, and try to force everything underneath and over the middle of the field? I only ask because it seemed to me, from what I could see at least, that Iowa was still in their base defense and left the sidelines wide open, which included that easy pitch and catch for a ridiculous gain that put Iowa State in field goal range.

I mean, am I wrong in wondering WTF the end game strategy was on that last Iowa State drive? I have never seen a defense so incompetent on a final drive in which they have every advantage given the offense has no timeouts and has to go at least 45-50 yards for a realistic chance at a field goal. There was no gimmick play or some random dumb luck that allowed Iowa State to get into field goal territory. It was simply a matter of them taking advantage of Iowa’s gross incompetence at the end of the game.

For a defense that is supposedly elite, I find what happened on that final Iowa State drive completely inexcusable. And I am not sure why Phil Parker gets a pass on that. Someone explain it to me.

Because the defense would be sitting on the bench if the offense could ever get a f*cking first down to win the game.

 

[DropitlikeitsHawk]

You don’t know football if you question Iowa defense.

 

[littlez]

You don’t know football if you question Iowa defense.

Did you not watch the 2nd half? Or the last drive? That was a team loss.

 

[jdw10224405]

Generally I give Phil the pass because KF's philosophy is complimentary football. Defense and special teams usually live up to their end of the bargain, we all know the offense rarely does. There were some plays today where the defense got burned and Phil shouldn't get a pass for that. But today, like many losses, the level of offensive incompetence and conservative nature outweighs any misgivings by the defense.

 

[littlez]

Generally I give Phil the pass because KF's philosophy is complimentary football. Defense and special teams usually live up to their end of the bargain, we all know the offense rarely does. There were some plays today where the defense got burned and Phil shouldn't get a pass for that. But today, like many losses, the level of offensive incompetence and conservative nature outweighs any misgivings by the defense.

Then wouldn’t you say that’s NOT complimentary football? That gets thrown around and it’s rarely if ever been true.

 

[BonzoFury]

You don’t know football if you question Iowa defense.

No shit. Phil's defense repeatedly bails this team out...over and over and over again. People are so spoiled they have lost perspective. We gave up 20 points. 20 points/game puts you in the top 23 defenses in college football last year.

The problem is NOT the defense. FFS

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

The D was bad today but we should have been up 21/24 points and it shouldn't have mattered. Eye opening on many fronts.

The D wasn’t bad in the first half, though. Right?

It seems to me Iowa State made halftime adjustments and Parker throughout the second half didn’t or couldn’t.

Frankly, that seems to happen a lot when Iowa plays a quality offense. Eventually, when they figure out weaknesses in Iowa’s base defense, they exploit it and never look back. When David Bell was at Purdue, Purdue made an art form of making Phil Parker look silly. Thankfully, Iowa rarely played decent offenses being able to hide in the Big Ten West back in the good ol’ days.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

You don’t know football if you question Iowa defense.

Explain.

Is Iowa’s defense elite or not?

 

[Hawkfan_08]

Phil had a bad day today made worse by major mistakes by our guys.

I'm still going to be mad at the offensive play calling and our entire clock management first. Everyone sucked after the first quarter. Everyone.

Everyone except Castro, Stevens, Wetjen and Johnson.

 

[GOHOX69]

Explain.

Is Iowa’s defense elite or not?

I think there might be sarcasm in his response. At least, I hope there is.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

Because the defense would be sitting on the bench if the offense could ever get a f*cking first down to win the game.

I agree the Iowa offense is mediocre and would be flat out atrocious if not for Kaleb Johnson.

Iowa did pick up one first down, thanks to Kaleb Johnson’s legs, before punting and handing it over to the defense with under one minute to go and the opponent without timeouts (thanks to Iowa picking up that one first down).

Still, none of that answers my question.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

I think there might be sarcasm in his response. At least, I hope there is.

I clearly missed it. Lol.

 

[coorsoriginal02]

The offense contributed 13 points……..enough said.

And we were given tremendous field position by Higgins’ INT.

The D gets another pass. Easy.

There is always WAY more offensive disappointment than defensive disappointment. There you have it.

 

[jdw10224405]

Then wouldn’t you say that’s NOT complimentary football? That gets thrown around and it’s rarely if ever been true.

It hasn't been truly complimentary football since probably what, 2015? That was the last time the offense was even middling. I'm not saying complimentary football is what's happening, it just what KF is aspiring towards and failing to do so for the past 8+ seasons. Yet somehow the Hawks have still won a lot of games in that timespan, and the vast majority is because the defense keeps them in and/or outright wins games.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

No shit. Phil's defense repeatedly bails this team out...over and over and over again. People are so spoiled they have lost perspective. We gave up 20 points. 20 points/game puts you in the top 23 defenses in college football last year.

The problem is NOT the defense. FFS

Why is reading comprehension so difficult?

No one is saying the defense is the problem.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

The offense contributed 13 points……..enough said.

And we were given tremendous field position by Higgins’ INT.

The D gets another pass. Easy.

There is always WAY more offensive disappointment than defensive disappointment. There you have it.

I agree on all accounts.

Again, I am asking about the final Iowa State drive. Why is this so difficult for some of you to understand?

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

It hasn't been truly complimentary football since probably what, 2015? That was the last time the offense was even middling. I'm not saying complimentary football is what's happening, it just what KF is aspiring towards and failing to do so for the past 8+ seasons. Yet somehow the Hawks have still won a lot of games in that timespan, and the vast majority is because the defense keeps them in and/or outright wins games.

Iowa had decent offensive performances with Stanley at quarterback there was just never any real consistency.

 

[CAhawki]

Iowa had decent offensive performances with Stanley at quarterback there was just never any real consistency.

Because Iowa is a mediocre program boosted by wins over crap competition and inexplicable losses like today. They occasionally get an upset. Last year is prime example of winning and losing every game you should.

 

[coorsoriginal02]

I agree on all accounts.

Again, I am asking about the final Iowa State drive. Why is this so difficult for some of you to understand?

Your question was Why does Phil get a pass?

Well, Iowa State won with a last second field goal, with a final tally of 20 points.

Our offense had ample opportunity to score much much more than the abysmal 19. They didn’t.

Once again, the defense did more than enough and the offense failed the program.

 

[nck24]

I agree the Iowa offense is mediocre and would be flat out atrocious if not for Kaleb Johnson.

Iowa did pick up one first down, thanks to Kaleb Johnson’s legs, before punting and handing it over to the defense with under one minute to go and the opponent without timeouts (thanks to Iowa picking up that one first down).

Still, none of that answers my question.

Problem is that the one first down didn't close out the game. And the offense couldn't get the one that would have ended the game. Again.

 

[Bulldog64]

You don’t know football if you question Iowa defense.

They made no adjustments at all unless it was d-line alignment. Zero stunts and or blitzes from my recollection all game. ya if you play base they find those adjustments and holes in your D that really hurt.

 

[rfgiowa]

Anytime a defense holds an opponent under 21 points a game is a good defense. Offense once again blew it. Get a damn first down on your home turf and the game is over.

 

[Chishawk1425]

The D wasn’t bad in the first half, though. Right?

It seems to me Iowa State made halftime adjustments and Parker throughout the second half didn’t or couldn’t.

Frankly, that seems to happen a lot when Iowa plays a quality offense. Eventually, when they figure out weaknesses in Iowa’s base defense, they exploit it and never look back. When David Bell was at Purdue, Purdue made an art form of making Phil Parker look silly. Thankfully, Iowa rarely played decent offenses being able to hide in the Big Ten West back in the good ol’ days.

Correct hence SHOULD have been up 21-24 pts.

 

[Derekd3408]

It's not an elite defense. They are good, but not elite. Stats get pumped up by playing a lot of mediocre teams. They get burned by competent quarterbacks and receivers.

This. Same for last year. Anytime Iowa played an offense with a pulse last year they put up points. PP has had the advantage of going up against teams with horrid offense/QBs the last few years.

 

[Chishawk1425]

DLine lack of depth and zero pass rush looms large and it's week 2. 8-4 folks. Embrace it

 

[UndercoverHawk]

This defense desperately needed Dejean to come back. Harris was a sieve all last year and we saw what was coming in the secondary when Coop broke his leg. We can’t pass cover at all outside of Castro and even he was a step slow today. Phil acknowledged in Fall Camp that the secondary was the weakness of this unit and that showed in the 2nd half today.

 

[uihawk82]

A lot of head scratching decisions with play calling, clock management, and in-game decisions no doubt. So, I am not discounting that.

With that said…

Iowa State has the ball around their own twenty with no timeouts and under a minute to go. In that scenario, would you not set up your defense to cover the sidelines, especially the deep thirds, and try to force everything underneath and over the middle of the field? I only ask because it seemed to me, from what I could see at least, that Iowa was still in their base defense and left the sidelines wide open, which included that easy pitch and catch for a ridiculous gain that put Iowa State in field goal range.

I mean, am I wrong in wondering WTF the end game strategy was on that last Iowa State drive? I have never seen a defense so incompetent on a final drive in which they have every advantage given the offense has no timeouts and has to go at least 45-50 yards for a realistic chance at a field goal. There was no gimmick play or some random dumb luck that allowed Iowa State to get into field goal territory. It was simply a matter of them taking advantage of Iowa’s gross incompetence at the end of the game.

For a defense that is supposedly elite, I find what happened on that final Iowa State drive completely inexcusable. And I am not sure why Phil Parker gets a pass on that. Someone explain it to me.

You do remember Nate Stanley hitting two big passes to Smith Marsette and Laporta iirc at Nebby in 2019 with about 30 seconds on the clock and Duncan hitting the game winning FG. And Beathard doing it against Pitt in 2015 and Mich in 2016, and Iowa has done it like Stanzi against MSU in 2009. It happens. Iowa is not known for late game offensive last minute comebacks but even we do it.

This game was lost much earlier with poor QB play even though Cade started 7 for 8. Wow he is hot or cold. Worst thing for a OC is the terribly inconsistent qb play.

It looks like we have a pretty darn good running game, but Cade missed a wide open Gill for a TD on 3rd and and goal, and a number of other open receivers. Even getting 3 more first down passes seals this game.

And the stupid 2 pt conversion; I just cant say how much I hated that at that time. I say it was a momentum buster after we just scored because the ISU guys can can add points up for a win

 

[onlyTheObvious]

Explain.

Is Iowa’s defense elite or not?

Depends on the opponent. They are solid and don’t make mistakes but “elite”?

Beat some super good teams and then gloss.

 

[Champ_Kind_whammy]

Below you'll see a list of all the teams that could make it to the Big 10 championship game while also having the worst offense in college football.

 

[markfromj]

What would you need to see so that you would know Phil did not “get a pass”?

 

[HawksRule73]

When X got burned, Phil pulled him and he didn’t see the field the rest of the day.

On the last drive, Phil went man to man in order to try to keep the receivers from going out of bounds and Castro flat out got burned.

I do think there are times Phil sticks to his base to his detriment. Today wasn’t one of those times in my opinion.

Now, if we want to fault Phil for failing to recruit a true rush end since Epinesa, I’m all for that.

 

[jonesy5960]

Phil gets a pass today because he's earned it. They gave up 20 points. Most teams win holding their opponents to 20 points. Iowa, not so much. The Iowa offense hasn't produced when it's needed to in years.