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I can't get past the Rose Bowl

JRHawk2003

HB King
Jul 9, 2003
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I just tuned out the Spring stuff. I had a front row seat to that debacle. This one hit me harder than about any other game, including Bobby F'in Olive. Is that the life of an Iowa fan in a nutshell: Outclassed when it matters?
 
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I was at the Rose Bowl and drove back to Vegas that very day. It was fairly easy to move on from it.It was an ass beating, nothing more nothing less. I'm excited for the season coming up. I tried to the find the positive in all of it. Look at all the Iowa State and Nebraska fans posing as Iowa posters on this site that had to wait until January 1st to say "I told you so". Felt good for those guys. :)
 
Orange Bowl against USC crushed me way more. Probably because I was still in high school. Now I get excited for games, but when they lose it's like whatever, it's a bunch of college kids way younger then me throwing a ball around. It's fun when they win, it's fun when they lose. I don't lose much sleep over it.
 
I didn't watch my Rose Bowl recording until 2 weeks ago. I just couldn't do it. And once again I was sooooo thankful I didn't go to CA. I can't imagine watching a bunch of Stanford fans rubbing it in.

I'm with Heat Dawg, it was an ass kicking, nothing more, nothing less. It's sports. When a good team plays great and another good team plays bad, this kind of thing happens. Remember the Iowa / Illinois game under Fry when we blew them out in Q1? Same thing.

I also watched the BTCG right before that. To me that hurt worse. We beat those green & white bastards plain and simple. They got so lucky it made me sick.

The silver lining of the MSU Game: I still have 2 testicles. I'd gladly have given one up to stop them on the goal line.
 
Just before the kickoff, I turned to my wife and said "I have a feeling we're gonna get blown out." I don't know what it was exactly, but I didn't sense it until just at that moment. It turned out ok though, because we just kept cracking jokes about McCaffery being a ninja and how pathetic our defense looked. Now, the B1G champ game was a whole other story. I was too invested emotionally in that game.
 
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I was proud of our team in the B1G championship game, not so much the Rose Bowl. We looked so unlike the team I had watched all year against Stanford. It's just 1 game and on balance, it was an amazing season, but until we play again, my mental image of Iowa is a team that got walloped in their last game.
 
I was proud of our team in the B1G championship game, not so much the Rose Bowl. We looked so unlike the team I had watched all year against Stanford. It's just 1 game and on balance, it was an amazing season, but until we play again, my mental image of Iowa is a team that got walloped in their last game.

It was my 3rd trip to the Rose Bowl. I felt the same and tell folks that someday when I go to the Rose Bowl the Hawks will actually come with me. None of the 3 times that I have been to my own personal Mecca, did the team I watched all season show up and play as they had been all year.
 
I just tuned out the Spring stuff. I had a front row seat to that debacle. This one hit me harder than about any other game, including Bobby F'in Olive. Is that the life of an Iowa fan in a nutshell: Outclassed when it matters?
Just do what I did with USC after the 2003 Orange Bowl loss to them......

Hate 'em back, it works for me.

lethal-weapon.jpg
 
BTCG was and is still worse for me. Who cares about the Rose Bowl? Just a meaningless consolation prize and I think it showed in how the coaches prepped and the team played.
 
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I just tuned out the Spring stuff. I had a front row seat to that debacle. This one hit me harder than about any other game, including Bobby F'in Olive. Is that the life of an Iowa fan in a nutshell: Outclassed when it matters?

Outclassed when it matters? Hmmm. Interesting way to look at it when it mattered 13 games before that to get in the position they were in.
 
I finally was able to watch the BTCG game for the first time yesterday. It actually got me excited even more for this season. I was so proud to be a Hawk fan. The Hawks literally left everything they had on that field. I think it carried over some weight to the Rose Bowl. That and not having the proper cleats on.
 
The RB outcome was disappointing. My kid said that there was a big difference between the practices leading up to the RB and those preceding the Taxslayer bowl a year earlier, in that they didn't get so tired as they did with the TSB prep. So, I was optimistic going into the RB.

In retrospect, however, I think the guys still may have over prepped, because they still looked a step slow against the opposition, across the board. Also, traction, or the lack thereof, seemed to be a real issue for us. We practiced all week on soccer fields with long grass. The RB, while beautiful, had very short grass somewhat like Iowa State's field, with a somewhat crunchy surface which required a hard plant to cut on without slipping. Stanford had the opportunity to play on the field during the season. It would seem reasonable to ask for a practice field with similar traction conditions next time around, IMO.

Regardless, we got beat. I get that, and have moved on. I do hope, however, that the coaching staff review all details about bowl prep in revamping for future prep. They did a great job in revamping things during the season, so I'm optimistic we'll get there in terms of the bowl prep, as well.

The B1G champ was a helluva game. Could have gone either way. I thought we prepped well for them. Luck was not on our side, though; crazy interception off our TE's back in the end-zone to kill a sure 6 points. We had uncharacteristic plays for us, such as roughing the punter which kept their drive alive (deflating, and exhausting for the D) long enough to force us to go 90+ yards on the ensuing turnover of possession (which really tired the O out as well).
 
How did they get lucky?

Yeah that one hurt but a 22 play drive over that long of game clock is the opposite of lucky. A one play drive I would consider more lucky that anything, like Tevaun Smith TD catch. Only thing Iowa did on offense in the second half.
 
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I just tuned out the Spring stuff. I had a front row seat to that debacle. This one hit me harder than about any other game, including Bobby F'in Olive. Is that the life of an Iowa fan in a nutshell: Outclassed when it matters?
What you need to do to get over it. 1) stay off the message boards 2) certainly don't post anything 3) get a hobby.
 
Historically, most Big Ten teams do not play well in the Rose Bowl. It seems like the PAC 10 or 12 (whatever they are now) has won the majority of the Rose Bowls in my lifetime of watching it.
 
Yeah that one hurt but a 22 play drive over that long of game clock is the opposite of lucky. A one play drive I would consider more lucky that anything, like Tevaun Smith TD catch. Only thing Iowa did on offense in the second half.
They did have a lot of breaks go their way, including an INT in our endzone when we score points there almost for sure when that ball just lands on a players back, after our WR was hit in the head and no penalty called. Brutal brutal brutal loss.
 
I just tuned out the Spring stuff. I had a front row seat to that debacle. This one hit me harder than about any other game, including Bobby F'in Olive. Is that the life of an Iowa fan in a nutshell: Outclassed when it matters?

I saw this on facebook..."If Britney Spears got past 2003, you can get past this."

Iowa had a fantastic year. I'm sure the Rose Bowl was tough to watch. The Hawkeyes have great leadership. Even as a Nebraska fan I can see that every time they play. They'll come back even better. Isn't sports something crazy? Can have you over the moon one day, and in the dumps the next. I love it.
 
The 2015 Hawkeye Season was FANTASTIC.
The Hawkeyes took the field 14 times during the season.

Only one time did they 'not show up'. So, flush the Rose and move on.
Christian McCaffery (Fran's nephew) ripped USC for about 500 yards in their
previous game. Let it go!
Again, the 2015 season was easily one of the BEST in Hawkeye history

GO HAWKS :)
 
Exactly, Hawkeyestate81.

* Egregious targeting in the end zone on what would have been a TD but became an INT off the back of a player lying on the ground. Sure, that was well designed by the MSU defense. LOL
* A certain TD pass in the 4th quarter to VandeBerg down the sideline, but MSU D-back called for holding
* A certain TD pass in the 4th quarter, again to Tevaun Smith, but the perfectly thrown ball goes through his arms at the five as Smith loses the ball in the lights. Again, great job by the MSU defense. Haha
* And on that last MSU drive, how many holding penalties were not called, including on the game-winning play? At least half a dozen. That's why you almost never see drives of 20+ plays: teams make mistakes to stop themselves. MSU did, too, over and over again, but not ONE of those penalties was called. Call ONE, game over. Iowa wins.

And there were many other moments that could have turned the game around for Iowa.

But MSU was wearing the lucky horseshoe all season. Remember the incredible blocked punt returned for a TD to beat Michigan? Remember the ridiculous offensive performance of Ohio State that allowed MSU to win that game?

As for the Rose Bowl...it appeared to be a combination of the team wanting to move on but, mentally, they just couldn't get past that MSU game. And I can understand that. Combine that with incredibly poor preparation by the coaches, from the wrong cleats to the belief you can play base defense against McCaffrey to juggling the O-line... It was just a mess.

But this fall will be a revenge tour for the Hawkeyes. With Desmond and CJ leading the way, Iowa is bent on making up for the way things ended last year. And, unless the coaches screw it up, I believe they will. Am I talking 12-0 again? Yes...only this time Iowa wins the Big Ten title and moves on to the playoffs.
 
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Exactly, Hawkeyestate81.

* Egregious targeting in the end zone on what would have been a TD but became an INT off the back of a player lying on the ground. Sure, that was well designed by the MSU defense. LOL
* A certain TD pass in the 4th quarter to VandeBerg down the sideline, but MSU D-back called for holding
* A certain TD pass in the 4th quarter, again to Tevaun Smith, but the perfectly thrown ball goes through his arms at the five as Smith loses the ball in the lights. Again, great job by the MSU defense. Haha
* And on that last MSU drive, how many holding penalties were not called, including on the game-winning play? At least half a dozen. That's why you almost never see drives of 20+ plays: teams make mistakes to stop themselves. MSU did, too, over and over again, but not ONE of those penalties was called. Call ONE, game over. Iowa wins.

And there were many other moments that could have turned the game around for Iowa.

But MSU was wearing the lucky horseshoe all season. Remember the incredible blocked punt returned for a TD to beat Michigan? Remember the ridiculous offensive performance of Ohio State that allowed MSU to win that game?

As for the Rose Bowl...it appeared to be a combination of the team wanting to move on but, mentally, they just couldn't get past that MSU game. And I can understand that. Combine that with incredibly poor preparation by the coaches, from the wrong cleats to the belief you can play base defense against McCaffrey to juggling the O-line... It was just a mess.

But this fall will be a revenge tour for the Hawkeyes. With Desmond and CJ leading the way, Iowa is bent on making up for the way things ended last year. And, unless the coaches screw it up, I believe they will. Am I talking 12-0 again? Yes...only this time Iowa wins the Big Ten title and moves on to the playoffs.
Agree on the Rose Bowl, we were beaten well before we arrived. That MSU loss devasted the players. Was Stanford better team? Oh yeah no doubt about it, but they were not D1 vs a JV team like it looked like. Who cares though about the Rose I sure as Hell don't. Indy was brutal and it kicked my ass too. We had a blast attending and I am really hoping Iowa can get back there again this year and finish the job. Rose Bowl may end up being a blessing in disguise, FUEL FOR 2016!
 
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The RB outcome was disappointing. My kid said that there was a big difference between the practices leading up to the RB and those preceding the Taxslayer bowl a year earlier, in that they didn't get so tired as they did with the TSB prep. So, I was optimistic going into the RB.

In retrospect, however, I think the guys still may have over prepped, because they still looked a step slow against the opposition, across the board. Also, traction, or the lack thereof, seemed to be a real issue for us. We practiced all week on soccer fields with long grass. The RB, while beautiful, had very short grass somewhat like Iowa State's field, with a somewhat crunchy surface which required a hard plant to cut on without slipping. Stanford had the opportunity to play on the field during the season. It would seem reasonable to ask for a practice field with similar traction conditions next time around, IMO.

Regardless, we got beat. I get that, and have moved on. I do hope, however, that the coaching staff review all details about bowl prep in revamping for future prep. They did a great job in revamping things during the season, so I'm optimistic we'll get there in terms of the bowl prep, as well.

The B1G champ was a helluva game. Could have gone either way. I thought we prepped well for them. Luck was not on our side, though; crazy interception off our TE's back in the end-zone to kill a sure 6 points. We had uncharacteristic plays for us, such as roughing the punter which kept their drive alive (deflating, and exhausting for the D) long enough to force us to go 90+ yards on the ensuing turnover of possession (which really tired the O out as well).
Well said. What are your son's feelings about the upcoming season? Seems to me we had some excellent leaders on the field for 2015; same for 2016?
 
I was over the Rose Bowl by halftime, that game was lost a month earlier in Indy. As for the game in Indy, that will sting for years to come.
 
Exactly, Hawkeyestate81.

* Egregious targeting in the end zone on what would have been a TD but became an INT off the back of a player lying on the ground. Sure, that was well designed by the MSU defense. LOL
* A certain TD pass in the 4th quarter to VandeBerg down the sideline, but MSU D-back called for holding
* A certain TD pass in the 4th quarter, again to Tevaun Smith, but the perfectly thrown ball goes through his arms at the five as Smith loses the ball in the lights. Again, great job by the MSU defense. Haha
* And on that last MSU drive, how many holding penalties were not called, including on the game-winning play? At least half a dozen. That's why you almost never see drives of 20+ plays: teams make mistakes to stop themselves. MSU did, too, over and over again, but not ONE of those penalties was called. Call ONE, game over. Iowa wins.

And there were many other moments that could have turned the game around for Iowa.

But MSU was wearing the lucky horseshoe all season. Remember the incredible blocked punt returned for a TD to beat Michigan? Remember the ridiculous offensive performance of Ohio State that allowed MSU to win that game?

As for the Rose Bowl...it appeared to be a combination of the team wanting to move on but, mentally, they just couldn't get past that MSU game. And I can understand that. Combine that with incredibly poor preparation by the coaches, from the wrong cleats to the belief you can play base defense against McCaffrey to juggling the O-line... It was just a mess.

But this fall will be a revenge tour for the Hawkeyes. With Desmond and CJ leading the way, Iowa is bent on making up for the way things ended last year. And, unless the coaches screw it up, I believe they will. Am I talking 12-0 again? Yes...only this time Iowa wins the Big Ten title and moves on to the playoffs.

The BTCG was a toss-up as Iowa also had their share of fortuitous plays. Couldn't disagree more re: MSU luck against Umich and Ohio State. Sure, there was one lucky play to score on the blocked punt, but MSU dominated both of those games.
 
The BTCG was a toss-up as Iowa also had their share of fortuitous plays. Couldn't disagree more re: MSU luck against Umich and Ohio State. Sure, there was one lucky play to score on the blocked punt, but MSU dominated both of those games.
And Iowa dominated majority of the BIG title game. That helmet to helmet in endzone ball landing on a players back and just planting there was just ridiculous
 
...add it to the list.
I was in Lincoln in the late 70's when the Huskers shutout the Hawks 55-0.
I was at the Rose Bowl in '82 when Washington shut out the Hawks 28-0.
i was at the Rose Bowl in '86 when Harmon fumbles 4 times in the first half and the heavy favorite Iowa loses to UCLA.
I was in San Antonio at the Alamo Bowl when the Cal Bears humiliated Iowa 37-3 in 1993.
I was in Eugene, OR in the 1994 when the Ducks slobberknockered the Hawks (the hardest hitting game I've ever seen).
I was at Kinnick when Michigan came in a rainstorm and trounced the Hawks and again when Olive's acrobatic catch tears out the Hawkeye heart..
I've been to numerous losses to the Cyclowns.
I went to ASU in 2004 when the Sun Devils humiliated the favored Hawks.
I've been to far too many Buckeye losses as they have owned Iowa since forever.
I was lucky to miss many more humiliating losses the Hawks have endured over the years and expect more in the future.
But I have also seen some great wins over the last 5 decades and expect many more!
It's what a fan does, cheers for their team. Win or lose.
 
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The way the Big Ten title game ended and how poorly Iowa played in the Rose Bowl I am sure is motivation for the team this year.
 
As I've gotten older I am able to "move on" much faster. In the past, an Iowa loss could ruin my entire weekend. Now, if the Hawks are playing and they are playing poorly, I just flip the channel ... It's not about being a fair-weather fan (I had season tickets for 10 years) it's more about my own sanity and health.

Example: The Rose Bowl game ... Came very close to making the trip out West. I didn't. I watched the first quarter and a half and I shut it off. Again, for my own well being.

I remind myself now these are kids playing. Kids who are half my age. And while I love the Hawks as much as anything, I simply can't let my life be impacted too greatly in one direction or another based on what 18-22 year-olds are doing. Life goes on ...
 
As I've gotten older I am able to "move on" much faster. In the past, an Iowa loss could ruin my entire weekend. Now, if the Hawks are playing and they are playing poorly, I just flip the channel ... It's not about being a fair-weather fan (I had season tickets for 10 years) it's more about my own sanity and health.

Example: The Rose Bowl game ... Came very close to making the trip out West. I didn't. I watched the first quarter and a half and I shut it off. Again, for my own well being.

I remind myself now these are kids playing. Kids who are half my age. And while I love the Hawks as much as anything, I simply can't let my life be impacted too greatly in one direction or another based on what 18-22 year-olds are doing. Life goes on ...
I'm 70, and I still can't just kiss off a horrible ISU loss. It's a character flaw, I realize, but that's just the way it is.
 
The 2015 Hawkeye Season was FANTASTIC.
The Hawkeyes took the field 14 times during the season.

Only one time did they 'not show up'. So, flush the Rose and move on.
Christian McCaffery (Fran's nephew) ripped USC for about 500 yards in their
previous game. Let it go!
Again, the 2015 season was easily one of the BEST in Hawkeye history

GO HAWKS :)
You know some people on this board might believe that Christian is Fran's nephew when you post it seemingly as a fact. If it were true I'm sure their last names would have the same spelling.
 
Well said. What are your son's feelings about the upcoming season? Seems to me we had some excellent leaders on the field for 2015; same for 2016?
2016 looks to be very promising. Tons of talent back, lead by DKing, CJBeathard, and JJewel. Very capable guys ready to step up/in for the graduating seniors. In terms of camaraderie, it's also very good. The players genuinely like one another, regardless of position/standing. Example: my kid walks or rides the bus everywhere, since he has no car. Whenever a passing teammate sees him walking, they stop and offer him a ride. Pretty cool.

There are question marks at several positions for 2016, obviously, including at my kid's position, but he thinks we should be in very good shape come fall.
 
I think being a developmental program works well against teams that often times have better talent than us outside of the elite teams. Stanford had too many athletes for us to handle. What was concerning for me was that we got dominated in the trenches too.

I think our 2009 team had the ability to compete with elite teams because we had great line play, QB play and were strong at skill positions.

I'm hoping this years team will be in that same class. As evidenced by the NFL draft, we didn't have a lot of senior talent. This junior/sophomore class should see a lot of quality NFL players.
 
As I've gotten older I am able to "move on" much faster. In the past, an Iowa loss could ruin my entire weekend. Now, if the Hawks are playing and they are playing poorly, I just flip the channel ... It's not about being a fair-weather fan (I had season tickets for 10 years) it's more about my own sanity and health.

Example: The Rose Bowl game ... Came very close to making the trip out West. I didn't. I watched the first quarter and a half and I shut it off. Again, for my own well being.

I remind myself now these are kids playing. Kids who are half my age. And while I love the Hawks as much as anything, I simply can't let my life be impacted too greatly in one direction or another based on what 18-22 year-olds are doing. Life goes on ...

Yep. This is one of the reasons competitive golfers don't reach their peak until their 30's. Eventually you learn it's impossible to hit every shot perfectly and you just hit it, follow it, and hit it again.

No that said, if the Bug Eaters would have kept us from 12-0, I'd have pulled my own teeth.
 
Yep. This is one of the reasons competitive golfers don't reach their peak until their 30's. Eventually you learn it's impossible to hit every shot perfectly and you just hit it, follow it, and hit it again.

No that said, if the Bug Eaters would have kept us from 12-0, I'd have pulled my own teeth.

Oh man that would've been amazing. But please don't pull your own teeth. That would make pizza horrible to eat. But beer would still go down OK.

Alas...Armstrong just threw another pick.
 
I finally was able to watch the BTCG game for the first time yesterday. It actually got me excited even more for this season. I was so proud to be a Hawk fan. The Hawks literally left everything they had on that field. I think it carried over some weight to the Rose Bowl. That and not having the proper cleats on.
I agree. I never saw a team slip and slide that much in a game in my life with the ideal conditions.
 
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