Fantastic Article By Scott Dochterman in The Athletic

[West Dundee Hawkeye]

Great article by Scott D. in the Athletic.

Says run blocking against MN was good but the OL was overrun. MN did not care if we passed the ball and they sold out against the run.

 

[BHCrusader2010]

Great article by Scott D. in the Athletic.

Says run blocking against MN was good but the OL was overrun. MN did not care if we passed the ball and they sold out against the run.

wow great journalism lol There was nothing good about that mess of a football game. The Big 10 west is MAC ball, but the MAC actually has better qbs.

 

[Arbor1]

Great article by Scott D. in the Athletic.

Says run blocking against MN was good but the OL was overrun. MN did not care if we passed the ball and they sold out against the run.

Even the most casual observer has been saying this for several years now. Hardly great or fantastic. Looking forward to his article on January cold in Iowa though.

 

[sober_teacher]

Great article by Scott D. in the Athletic.

Says run blocking against MN was good but the OL was overrun. MN did not care if we passed the ball and they sold out against the run.

Think I saw some of his screenshots of plays that if there had been an RPO on slant routes they would have been big plays due to how badly they were selling out to stop the run.

It’s by far the most mystifying aspect regarding BFs playcalling. There are any number of relatively simple fixes to some of what ails the passing game.

Would only be a band-aide over the deeper issues but would at least move the chains a bit.

Happened to watch a highlight video of the 2017 game vs Minnesota. They ran actual curls, crossing routes, etc…stuff that’s virtually disappeared from the playbook seemingly.

I just don’t get it.

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

Great article by Scott D. in the Athletic.

Says run blocking against MN was good but the OL was overrun. MN did not care if we passed the ball and they sold out against the run.

Wow! What insight!

 

[CookyMonster]

wow great journalism lol There was nothing good about that mess of a football game. The Big 10 west is MAC ball, but the MAC actually has better qbs.

We blew out western Michigan. Horrible take

 

[Stoopsbrother]

You can't block 7 or 8 with 5 or 6!
The lack of a middle of the field or vertical threat is the death nail for our offense.

The TE's being injured only makes it more obvious.

You have to be able to make opposing defenses pay for loading the box & we refuse or are unable to do that, the minnesota game should be the blueprint for our remaining opponents.

 

[nu2u]

Even the most casual observer has been saying this for several years now. Hardly great or fantastic. Looking forward to his article on January cold in Iowa though.

This—end of story. Brian Ferentz said there would be no changes and he meant it.

I have to confess…. I half believed Brian was being coy with his comments and that he had a covert plan because McNamara had publicly dared anyone to talk shit about the offense this season. Surely Cade had been given an advanced look at the changes and upgrades, I ventured. But alas, the curtain opened to reveal the same old stale clown and comedy show.

 

[LetsGoHawks83]

Think I saw some of his screenshots of plays that if there had been an RPO on slant routes they would have been big plays due to how badly they were selling out to stop the run.

It’s by far the most mystifying aspect regarding BFs playcalling. There are any number of relatively simple fixes to some of what ails the passing game.

Would only be a band-aide over the deeper issues but would at least move the chains a bit.

Happened to watch a highlight video of the 2017 game vs Minnesota. They ran actual curls, crossing routes, etc…stuff that’s virtually disappeared from the playbook seemingly.

I just don’t get it.

Yep. Just keeps running those out patterns.... sideline throws. BF needs to be gone NOW.

 

[EpenesaEpenesa]

That’s been the recipe against Iowa for a decade at least. It’s not new. Load the box and play man coverage

 

[HawksR1]

We threw to the TE on play action in the past. Could be now that he(Kirk) doesn't trust the backup TE routes over the middle or that Deacon can throw them accurately. Not an excuse but a suspicion. Still would have made sense to test the intermediate middle with these routes

 

[HemiHawk]

 

[CharYoteHawk]

I also watched the game.

 

[WestCoastHawkI]

Great article by Scott D. in the Athletic.

Says run blocking against MN was good but the OL was overrun. MN did not care if we passed the ball and they sold out against the run.

Anyone who watches any of our games can see that. Yet we keep running it right up the middle with no adjustments. The definition of insanity

 

[Stoopsbrother]

Anyone who watches any of our games can see that. Yet we keep running it right up the middle with no adjustments. The definition of insanity

we were there screaming at them to stop running the same goddamn between the tackles run plays

 

[West Dundee Hawkeye]

Anyone who watches any of our games can see that. Yet we keep running it right up the middle with no adjustments. The definition of insanity

And you know what. We have been doing that for years.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

We threw to the TE on play action in the past. Could be now that he(Kirk) doesn't trust the backup TE routes over the middle or that Deacon can throw them accurately. Not an excuse but a suspicion. Still would have made sense to test the intermediate middle with these routes

Throwing over the middle is all about timing.........and touch.

You can throw a hard ball over the middle (see Kirk Cousins yesterday against Green Bay).......................but it better be on time. (again, see Kirk Cousins yesterday)

If you want to see how not to do this, watch Deacon Hill.

 

[BioHawk]

Think I saw some of his screenshots of plays that if there had been an RPO on slant routes they would have been big plays due to how badly they were selling out to stop the run.

It’s by far the most mystifying aspect regarding BFs playcalling. There are any number of relatively simple fixes to some of what ails the passing game.

Would only be a band-aide over the deeper issues but would at least move the chains a bit.

Happened to watch a highlight video of the 2017 game vs Minnesota. They ran actual curls, crossing routes, etc…stuff that’s virtually disappeared from the playbook seemingly.

I just don’t get it.

It's not a mystery as to why that stuff isn't there anymore. They simply can't execute those plays. The talent is so bad they don't have a QB that can reliably pass the ball 10 yards over the line's head and a receiver that can reliably catch that pass. It's a play that just about any junior high team can manage to pull off but Iowa can't find the talent to do it anymore.

 

[HawK + i]

What’s more puzzling is why more teams haven’t figured this out. Every knows this for the Iowa Offense… and to beat a Parker defense, you bring out a mobile QB and you keep routes underneath the zone to bleed us to death with 8-12 yards routes. You will always get time to throw as the Iowa D-line mostly maintains gaps and contains the pocket. Yet opposing QBs always get way too excited and push it down field too much, creating turnovers.

Minnesota offense was smart and very conservative, they actually let the Iowa offense lose the game rather than giving the Iowa defense any opportunity to win the game. Hopefully that makes sense.

 

[the24fan]

What’s more puzzling is why more teams haven’t figured this out. Every knows this for the Iowa Offense… and to beat a Parker defense, you bring out a mobile QB and you keep routes underneath the zone to bleed us to death with 8-12 yards routes. You will always get time to throw as the Iowa D-line mostly maintains gaps and contains the pocket. Yet opposing QBs always get way too excited and push it down field too much, creating turnovers.

Minnesota offense was smart and very conservative, they actually let the Iowa offense lose the game rather than giving the Iowa defense any opportunity to win the game. Hopefully that makes sense.

Yep! This.
Just be boring and conservative and don’t beat yourself and it’s a win against this Iowa offense. .

 

[sober_teacher]

Every knows this for the Iowa Offense… and to beat a Parker defense, you bring out a mobile QB and you keep routes underneath the zone to bleed us to death with 8-12 yards routes. You will always get time to throw as the Iowa D-line mostly maintains gaps and contains the pocket. Yet opposing QBs always get way too excited and push it down field too much, creating turnovers.

Yup, it works because teams aren’t patient enough to do it consistently.

When Iowa has lost, defensively it’s been because teams HAVE been willing to be patient - it also helps they’ve largely been winning and not chasing the game.

 

[TonyTheTiger.1865]

When the team loses, usually the time of possession is very lopsided because we can’t move the ball and the D just wears out.

 

[icantfindausernamethatisntused]

Yup, it works because teams aren’t patient enough to do it consistently.

When Iowa has lost, defensively it’s been because teams HAVE been willing to be patient - it also helps they’ve largely been winning and not chasing the game.

A lot of teams have been pretty patient against Iowa this year. Utah State, Iowa State, Minnesota all kept their passing game short, limited turnovers, and limited negative plays. They also combined to average 13 points. Iowa's defensive strategy is sound.

Iowa's offensive strategy and philosophy just doesn't work. To me, we have two primary issues on offense:

1. We are in desperate need of someone that knows how to scheme the passing game.
   • I actually think Brian is a good offensive line / run game coordinator. But the passing game has fallen off a cliff since KOK retired. Our route trees are terrible. After 2021, Brian also talked about simplifying the passing game to avoid communication issues, and essentially what that seems to have led to is that our WRs / TEs no longer have "option" routes where they react to the defense. Instead, everything is predetermined, and thus even if the defense is shading to an out-route, the WRs / TEs do not have the option to run an in-route. We also lack any diversity in how our WRs line up. For example, we don't use bunch formations to help our WRs against press coverage. When I watched a replay of the Minnesota game, there were a handful of plays where our WR never got out of press coverage to the point of actually being able to run a route. Hill's completion percentage is historically bad in large part because he is inaccurate and late on his reads. But even if he were vastly improved, we have way too many passing plays that have no chance of success simply because of the scheme.
2. Philosophical change about QB play.
   • Brian is also quoted as saying that they don't want the QB to be a playmaker. It is very rare in college football, and even becoming more rare in the NFL, for an offense to succeed without a mobile QB. You don't need to run an option offense, but if you don't have a QB that is a threat to make plays with his feet, you are significantly hampering your ability to move the ball. Our offensive philosophy is insistent on everything happening on schedule. But even the best offensive schemes in the world rely on improvisation. Andy Reid is regarded as one of the best offensive minds of all time, and a big part of that is he allows and encourages improvisation. You simply cannot expect that everything will go exactly according to plan.
   • Due to our philosophy to not have the QB be a playmaker, we recruit and promote pocket statues like Petras and Hill. Both are big guys with rocket arms, but they don't have explosive receivers to throw to and neither can extend plays or scramble for positive yards. They are sitting ducks and we don't have the talent around them to protect. I am positive that no other coaching staff in the country would be playing Hill instead of Labas. But Labas's advantages (athleticism, improvisation) are not valued by Kirk/Brian and thus we are stuck pounding our heads against the wall with Hill.
   • We also see in the limited situations in which the QB does break the pocket, our WRs and TEs are clearly not taught how to run to open space to give the QB a window to throw to. Our offense is so rigid and so dependent on everything happening on schedule, that we seemingly do not even practice what to do when a play breaks down. Case in point, against Minnesota when Ostrenga's reception was called back because he stepped out of bounds. When Hill broke the pocket, we had multiple receivers jog to the same area rather than creating space and options for where Hill could throw the ball. The receivers also didn't think there was any chance Hill would throw and Ostrenga lost where he was on the field and stepped out of bounds. We simply have no idea what to do if the play breaks down because we don't practice it. It reminds me of Lickliter admitting that he doesn't have the team practice boxing out because "boxing out is a choice." Some of this stuff might seem simple, but it still requires practice.

 

[WDMHawk72]

Great article by Scott D. in the Athletic.

Says run blocking against MN was good but the OL was overrun. MN did not care if we passed the ball and they sold out against the run.

Dude - not great journalism. Just common sense and fact.

 

[bradaf]

wow great journalism lol There was nothing good about that mess of a football game. The Big 10 west is MAC ball, but the MAC actually has better qbs.

I have to wonder how many posters on this site are Iowa fans with post like this. Did you take two seconds to check how the West did against the MAC? They were 4-0 with only the Illinois Toledo game being close.

The MAC did do much better with other conferences thought like Ohio beating ISU, and Miami OH beating Cincinnati, and Northern Ill who lost to Nebraska 11-35 beating Boston College and Bowling Green beating Georgia Tech.

The West may not be strong but look at the Big 12 who added 4 group of 5 schools to their conference this year who are currently 3-17 in conference play. Additionally the Big 12 had a historically bad non-conference year against group of 5 teams. Iowa St lost to Ohio 7-10, Baylor lost to Texas St 31-42. Oklahoma St lost to South Alabama 7-33, Texas Tech lost to Wyoming 33-35, Cincinnati lost to Miami OH 24-31, and Houston lost to Rice 41-43. If you want to talk about weak schedules look no farther than the Big 12.

 

[pistachio1999]

Dude - not great journalism. Just common sense and fact.

Doc just won a national award from the Football Writers Association last week. Shared it with one other journalist. Like the top award and well known.