IowaLaw's Objective Post Game Analysis: Utah State

[IowasLaw]

After what seemed like an eternity, college football is back! Week 1 is in the books and the Hawks are a perfect 1-0 following a 24-14 win against one of the worst defenses in the country.

1. Is Cade Elite or a Game Manager? Cade was benched then suffered a serious injury. Despite that, Hawk fans hope he's the guy to heal the wounds suffered as a result of 3 years of the worst QB play in all of college football. Cade turned in a 17/29 for 191 and 2 tds performance. That's a solid, steady stat line, especially when you account for all of the terrible drops. One concern to monitor is he seemed to check down quite a bit. He relied heavily on short passes to the TEs and RBs (though, unlike Petras, he hit them in stride so they could gain yards after catch). It's too soon to tell whether Cade's Drew Tate like confidence will allow him to take chances down the field or if Brian and Kirk will instill their patented fear of mistakes that led to pattern of QB regression at Iowa.

2. Is the Defense Still Elite? Last year's defense ranked #1 in the nation and boasted two first round draft picks. Still, most just assume the D will always be elite because of Phil Parker Up until the 4th quarter, the D showed potential. However, when you look at the post-game stats, the D allowed a below avg QB to complete 32/48 for 213 yards and their RBs averaged nearly 6 yards per carry. Will Iowa once again lead the nation this year in yards per play? Highly unlikely, unless Big 10 OLs and RBs are inferior to Utah State's.

3. Is Higgins the Most Underrated Player on the Team? Going into the season, most media hype centered around Cade, DeJean, Taylor, Jackson, and the tight ends. Higgins was more of an after thought. All he did was go out there today and have a Big 10 player of the week caliber game! He notched 15 tackles (mostly solo), batted down a pass, and made plays when it mattered. This guy paid his dues over the years, waited his turn, and looks to be Iowa's next great defensive player.

4. Are the OL & WRs "Much Improved" Like Kirk Said? Iowa's underperforming OL & WR coaches kept their jobs after last year's abysmal job, were given raises, and were the beneficiaries of the Swarm Collective going out and bringing in some OL & WR grad transfer talent. Sadly, I saw very little improvement out there. Once again, the OL couldn't open holes for the running game (Iowa's "top tier" RBs averaged just 2.6 yards per carry against a defense that finished 121st in the country last year in rushing D). The much touted upgraded WR group caught just 3 passes from a playoff caliber QB (1 of the 3 catches involved the defender falling down and Seth Anderson being left wide open in the end zone). Those are Petras caliber numbers. Perhaps most disappointing, highly touted 4 star OSU transfer Kaleb Brown had zero catches and no involvement in special teams or the run game.

5. Wetjen? The 5'10, 175 lb walk on transfer from Iowa Western showed glimpses of Charlie Jones out there. Underutilized, like Charlie, as he wasn't targeted in the pass game, but he's lightening quick and rushed for more yards on just 3 carries than Williams and Patterson combined. I don't know who this guy is, but I'd like to see him (or Brown) get more involved in the offense and special teams.

6. Big Time Grad Transfer Jackson? The addition of 3 time all-ACC LB Nick Jackson was expected to help us forget all that Iowa lost on defense last year. Unfortunately, Jackson was invisible out there today. He may have led the ACC in tackles last year, but today he finished with just 1 solo tackle and 4 assisted, mostly jumping on the pile when a guy was already almost down. On the bright side, looking over at Oregon's box score, former Hawk LB Jestin Jacobs had ZERO stats (maybe he's still hurt?). Let's hope Jackson turns out to be an upgrade over what we lost to the portal.

 

[mlb1399]

It’s only one game but it would be hard to argue that the improvement in the offense is enough to overcome the noticeable drop off in our defense. Our DL was underwhelming vs an OL that returned one starter. Meanwhile our OL returned 3-4 starters and doesn’t look any better than the last 3 years.

Hoping we see a lot of improvement from week 1 to week 2 or this will be a long season.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

Agree an most of that

 

[Franisdaman]

 

[binsfeldcyhawk2]

One game

 

[BlIIlken2]

 

[83Hawk]

I know many on here like to make fun of the OP for some odd reason, but he is mostly spot-on in his assessments, as he is today. I agree with just about everything he wrote.

 

[2D_]

Keep in mind the following:

Kaleb Brown had at least one deep target, unfortunately the ball was overthrown. He had separation and would've likely taken it to the house.

Utah State relied heavily on the pussy ass "dink and dunk" strategy. Continuously using quick screens to earn yards, but for 95% of the game, it didn't really work out for them until garbage time.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

There are a lot of things we wanted to see yesterday that we didn't.

Cade throwing the ball down the field and moving the chains - nope
WR's involved in the game - nope
A good running game - nope
KJ breaking loose in the run game - nope
Hawk defense stuffing the run - nope
Constant pressure on their QB - nope

But, lots of new guys. Some without much PT on the past, some missed most of last year.

On to week 2 - gonna need to improve. I think they will.

 

[HawkPT]

I read nothing into Utah State's completion percentage. Many were laterals to the wide side and substitutes for a running attack. Our D is the last of our worries.

We need McNamara to get healthier and the OL to shove in the run game. If that happens, we'll be good. If not...

 

[Bank of Hawk]

Part of the blame for the defensive play lies in they have been practicing against against Iowa’s offense since the Kentucky bowl game. I have complete faith we will see the defensive improve as the season progresses.

Offense, year after year of the same philosophy, it makes complete sense that we will see the same again, regardless of personnel. So buckle up fans for the Tory Taylor show.

 

[BonzoFury]

One game

against a very weak defense. We should have run over them.

 

[2D_]

There are a lot of things we wanted to see yesterday that we didn't.

Cade throwing the ball down the field and moving the chains - nope
WR's involved in the game - nope
A good running game - nope
KJ breaking loose in the run game - nope
Hawk defense stuffing the run - nope
Constant pressure on their QB - nope

But, lots of new guys. Some without much PT on the past, some missed most of last year.

On to week 2 - gonna need to improve. I think they will.

The first two points just aren't true. After rewatching the game and highlights, Cade threw it downfield several times, and a handful of those times were third and longs. Very impressive to what we've seen before.

While Lachey had the most catches, we still passed to a number of receivers. Could we use them more? Of course. But Kirk was adamant on trying to establish a run game that wasn't working. But the WRs were involved.

 

[birdman1973]

It’s only one game but it would be hard to argue that the improvement in the offense is enough to overcome the noticeable drop off in our defense. Our DL was underwhelming vs an OL that returned one starter. Meanwhile our OL returned 3-4 starters and doesn’t look any better than the last 3 years.

Hoping we see a lot of improvement from week 1 to week 2 or this will be a long season.

I myself was not impressed with 3 dropped balls that would have at least put one more score up. The motion penalties on wide receivers shouldn't happen but first game jitters i suppose. Since they did not go deep, 2-3 sec pass plays eliminates pass rush and blitzes from def. I myself didn't expect to see much as to not show too much to next opponents but first two drives showed me enough. Did anyone notice after the first two drives the offense just ran (what I call ) practice plays? Ya a lot of film material for next week but what week doesn't have some. Go hawks! Ps I text my friend in the field that Petras was starting and he went ballistic haha!

 

[mlb1399]

I myself was not impressed with 3 dropped balls that would have at least put one more score up. The motion penalties on wide receivers shouldn't happen but first game jitters i suppose. Since they did not go deep, 2-3 sec pass plays eliminates pass rush and blitzes from def. I myself didn't expect to see much as to not show too much to next opponents but first to drives showed me enough. Did anyone notice after the first to drives the offense just ran (what I call ) practice plays? Ya a lot of film material for next week but what week doesn't have some. Go hawks! Ps I text my friend in the field that Petras was starting and he went ballistic haha!

Miscues are understandable and part of the game. Watching both lines underperform versus a 6-7 team retuning 8 starters at our home field is concerning.

 

[mthawkeyes]

1. McNamara was good. As you said, drops. He did miss a wide-open Lachey on a 15-yard dig and try to force it in to All for 5 yards once, but he at least as good and probably better than Stanley.

2. Dink and dunk. 6.1 ypc vs. the starters, even at a high percentage isn't a concern.
6. Either Jackson will play better at will, or he will play less. It was pretty shocking.

3. I saw Higgins in practice this spring. It's clear that he has command of the defense and is a great leader. Not the talent of Campbell, but few are. I had very high expectations for him, and he lived up to them week one.

4. Run blocking was terrible, pass protection was at least okay. Going forward, the schemes and game plans should reflect that rather than trying to prove that they can run the ball.

 

[Robster Raws]

The defense will improve and look more like themselves in coming weeks, because well Phil.

And last year I believe we scored 3 points first game on the offensive side, 24 today. This year we have a QB that actually goes through progressions and doesn’t collapse in a heap when pressured. And with all the drops…I have to think the offense has room to improve and click as well.

The OL better get sorted out though. Still subpar

 

[Steamboat529529]

Cade should have had four touchdowns and one interception. He played really well and threw some great balls. He’s a stud.

 

[MIHawk64]

There are a lot of things we wanted to see yesterday that we didn't.

Cade throwing the ball down the field and moving the chains - nope
WR's involved in the game - nope
A good running game - nope
KJ breaking loose in the run game - nope
Hawk defense stuffing the run - nope
Constant pressure on their QB - nope

But, lots of new guys. Some without much PT on the past, some missed most of last year.

On to week 2 - gonna need to improve. I think they will.

Offense scored THREE touchdowns - yup
Cade was efficient and accurate - yup
There were to many drops by receivers - yup
O-Line pass protected Cade = yup
Utah St last TD was against many D back ups - yup
Much of the U St. passing yardage and completions was against D back ups - yup
Back QB played - yup
O had limited time with Cade practicing - yup
Was game one - yup

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

It was game one. McNamara looked great for not being healthy. Defense and special teams will be fine.

The Iowa running game, on the other hand, won’t be. And Brian still doesn’t have a clue on how to break tendencies and not get into predictable formations that 9/10 times determine whether the play will be a run or pass.

There’s no way in hell the Iowa offense is averaging 25/game this year. Or any year so long as Kirk won’t change his approach to offense.

 

[CRazzle]

The offense will score points. Unfortunately, now before every game this year we'll have ask, "Can Cade finish?"

 

[Clermonthawk]

Did anyone else notice that on the 1st touchdown, the wide receiver was wide open for the TD on the other side as well?

 

[IamHawkeye]

After what seemed like an eternity, college football is back! Week 1 is in the books and the Hawks are a perfect 1-0 following a 24-14 win against one of the worst defenses in the country.

1. Is Cade Elite or a Game Manager? Cade was benched then suffered a serious injury. Despite that, Hawk fans hope he's the guy to heal the wounds suffered as a result of 3 years of the worst QB play in all of college football. Cade turned in a 17/29 for 191 and 2 tds performance. That's a solid, steady stat line, especially when you account for all of the terrible drops. One concern to monitor is he seemed to check down quite a bit. He relied heavily on short passes to the TEs and RBs (though, unlike Petras, he hit them in stride so they could gain yards after catch). It's too soon to tell whether Cade's Drew Tate like confidence will allow him to take chances down the field or if Brian and Kirk will instill their patented fear of mistakes that led to pattern of QB regression at Iowa.

2. Is the Defense Still Elite? Last year's defense ranked #1 in the nation and boasted two first round draft picks. Still, most just assume the D will always be elite because of Phil Parker Up until the 4th quarter, the D showed potential. However, when you look at the post-game stats, the D allowed a below avg QB to complete 32/48 for 213 yards and their RBs averaged nearly 6 yards per carry. Will Iowa once again lead the nation this year in yards per play? Highly unlikely, unless Big 10 OLs and RBs are inferior to Utah State's.

3. Is Higgins the Most Underrated Player on the Team? Going into the season, most media hype centered around Cade, DeJean, Taylor, Jackson, and the tight ends. Higgins was more of an after thought. All he did was go out there today and have a Big 10 player of the week caliber game! He notched 15 tackles (mostly solo), batted down a pass, and made plays when it mattered. This guy paid his dues over the years, waited his turn, and looks to be Iowa's next great defensive player.

4. Are the OL & WRs "Much Improved" Like Kirk Said? Iowa's underperforming OL & WR coaches kept their jobs after last year's abysmal job, were given raises, and were the beneficiaries of the Swarm Collective going out and bringing in some OL & WR grad transfer talent. Sadly, I saw very little improvement out there. Once again, the OL couldn't open holes for the running game (Iowa's "top tier" RBs averaged just 2.6 yards per carry against a defense that finished 121st in the country last year in rushing D). The much touted upgraded WR group caught just 3 passes from a playoff caliber QB (1 of the 3 catches involved the defender falling down and Seth Anderson being left wide open in the end zone). Those are Petras caliber numbers. Perhaps most disappointing, highly touted 4 star OSU transfer Kaleb Brown had zero catches and no involvement in special teams or the run game.

5. Wetjen? The 5'10, 175 lb walk on transfer from Iowa Western showed glimpses of Charlie Jones out there. Underutilized, like Charlie, as he wasn't targeted in the pass game, but he's lightening quick and rushed for more yards on just 3 carries than Williams and Patterson combined. I don't know who this guy is, but I'd like to see him (or Brown) get more involved in the offense and special teams.

6. Big Time Grad Transfer Jackson? The addition of 3 time all-ACC LB Nick Jackson was expected to help us forget all that Iowa lost on defense last year. Unfortunately, Jackson was invisible out there today. He may have led the ACC in tackles last year, but today he finished with just 1 solo tackle and 4 assisted, mostly jumping on the pile when a guy was already almost down. On the bright side, looking over at Oregon's box score, former Hawk LB Jestin Jacobs had ZERO stats (maybe he's still hurt?). Let's hope Jackson turns out to be an upgrade over what we l

Sub not ob.

ost to the portalsU NO+T-

 

[Pheidippides]

One game

But it’s not an abberation

 

[BioHawk]

I can't conclude anything after 1 game, especially since the most improvement is supposed to happen between game 1 and 2. Sadly, the last few years, at least on the OL, that hasn't happened. I can guarantee the defense will look better next week. But remember, even with a great defensive line Iowa's defense generally goes as far as the talent that they have at linebacker. It would be a miracle if they reached the caliber that Campbell brought last season.

 

[Steamboat529529]

I can't conclude anything after 1 game, especially since the most improvement is supposed to happen between game 1 and 2. Sadly, the last few years, at least on the OL, that hasn't happened. I can guarantee the defense will look better next week. But remember, even with a great defensive line Iowa's defense generally goes as far as the talent that they have at linebacker. It would be a miracle if they reached the caliber that Campbell brought last season.

It’s still hard for me to say anything bad about the defense. Our number 1’s still didn’t give up a touchdown. Missing starters, guys playing for the first time as starters at linebacker and cornerback.
Up front on offense wasnt every guy on the roster and starting last season at times last year? Man we could use Kadyn right now.

 

[sober_teacher]

The first two points just aren't true. After rewatching the game and highlights, Cade threw it downfield several times, and a handful of those times were third and longs. Very impressive to what we've seen before.

While Lachey had the most catches, we still passed to a number of receivers. Could we use them more? Of course. But Kirk was adamant on trying to establish a run game that wasn't working. But the WRs were involved.

Yeah, at times it honestly felt like we had more downfield passes yesterday than we did all season last year.

Miscues are understandable and part of the game. Watching both lines underperform versus a 6-7 team retuning 8 starters at our home field is concerning.

Will have to rewatch tomorrow, but idk if I totally agree with this. To some extent (Kirk alluded to this in postgame), USU was an unusual team to prep for with all the roster turnover (59 new players), new defensive coaches, etc. While I expected better from the offense, especially the o-line, I wonder if maybe we're not totally giving enough credit USU - they certainly didn't have alot of the breakdowns one might expect from a unit learning a new system.

1. McNamara was good. As you said, drops. He did miss a wide-open Lachey on a 15-yard dig and try to force it in to All for 5 yards once, but he at least as good and probably better than Stanley.

2. Dink and dunk. 6.1 ypc vs. the starters, even at a high percentage isn't a concern.
6. Either Jackson will play better at will, or he will play less. It was pretty shocking.

3. I saw Higgins in practice this spring. It's clear that he has command of the defense and is a great leader. Not the talent of Campbell, but few are. I had very high expectations for him, and he lived up to them week one.

4. Run blocking was terrible, pass protection was at least okay. Going forward, the schemes and game plans should reflect that rather than trying to prove that they can run the ball.

Passing game I think there's stuff to build on - if not for drops we're up 21-3 at halftime instead of settling for a field goal for example. O-line was more of a concern, that will need to improve.

Defensively - while not dominant like last year, and honestly, that's an unfair expectation as that was perhaps the best defense in the Kirk-era, and arguably one of the best at Iowa ever. They held USU to 200 yards until garbage time and more subs came in. Not concerned about Jackson - he spent most of his day in coverage so there weren't many tackling opportunities for him. I would also note that the defense missed 2 interceptions, including one that was likely a pick-6 if Cooper had been able to snare it.

 

[sober_teacher]

It’s still hard for me to say anything bad about the defense. Our number 1’s still didn’t give up a touchdown. Missing starters, guys playing for the first time as starters at linebacker and cornerback.
Up front on offense wasnt every guy on the roster and starting last season. Man we could use Kadyn right now.

Yes about the o-line, but only Jones and Richmond were in the same positions as at the bowl game.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

The first two points just aren't true. After rewatching the game and highlights, Cade threw it downfield several times, and a handful of those times were third and longs. Very impressive to what we've seen before.

While Lachey had the most catches, we still passed to a number of receivers. Could we use them more? Of course. But Kirk was adamant on trying to establish a run game that wasn't working. But the WRs were involved.

I consider "downfield" to be 20+ yards. Not many attempts and not many completions. I thought Cade played well, considering all the rust he had to shake off - better than we've had for sure.

4 catches by WR's, including Ragaini, is not what I was hoping for. Utah St had a WR that caught 12.

Did win time of possession by a little, no turnovers. But 7 penalties and 284 yds total offense against Utah St is very poor.

But, it's game one. KF teams rarely play great in game 1.

 

[Johnsoda123]

The first two points just aren't true. After rewatching the game and highlights, Cade threw it downfield several times, and a handful of those times were third and longs. Very impressive to what we've seen before.

While Lachey had the most catches, we still passed to a number of receivers. Could we use them more? Of course. But Kirk was adamant on trying to establish a run game that wasn't working. But the WRs were involved.

I believe the WRs caught 4 passes.

 

[amahawk]

Might be an idea to see how the season plays out. Followed by a real hard and honest look at the coaching staff at the end of the season. The future will be here and does Iowa want to be competitive in it?

 

[MVPFAN]

Jackson was absolutely unimpressive at linebacker. We need better than that on the field.

 

[Macbride79]

Beth Goetz is going to have to make the tough call after the season since 325 points in 13 games looks unattainable with the running game scheme and poor OL.

Brian’s coaching reputation is so bad right now that there are limited options for him to save face with a new position. Belichick may need to be more focused on improving the NE offense rather than trying to do Kirk a favor.

 

[cmhawks99]

After what seemed like an eternity, college football is back! Week 1 is in the books and the Hawks are a perfect 1-0 following a 24-14 win against one of the worst defenses in the country.

1. Is Cade Elite or a Game Manager? Cade was benched then suffered a serious injury. Despite that, Hawk fans hope he's the guy to heal the wounds suffered as a result of 3 years of the worst QB play in all of college football. Cade turned in a 17/29 for 191 and 2 tds performance. That's a solid, steady stat line, especially when you account for all of the terrible drops. One concern to monitor is he seemed to check down quite a bit. He relied heavily on short passes to the TEs and RBs (though, unlike Petras, he hit them in stride so they could gain yards after catch). It's too soon to tell whether Cade's Drew Tate like confidence will allow him to take chances down the field or if Brian and Kirk will instill their patented fear of mistakes that led to pattern of QB regression at Iowa.

2. Is the Defense Still Elite? Last year's defense ranked #1 in the nation and boasted two first round draft picks. Still, most just assume the D will always be elite because of Phil Parker Up until the 4th quarter, the D showed potential. However, when you look at the post-game stats, the D allowed a below avg QB to complete 32/48 for 213 yards and their RBs averaged nearly 6 yards per carry. Will Iowa once again lead the nation this year in yards per play? Highly unlikely, unless Big 10 OLs and RBs are inferior to Utah State's.

3. Is Higgins the Most Underrated Player on the Team? Going into the season, most media hype centered around Cade, DeJean, Taylor, Jackson, and the tight ends. Higgins was more of an after thought. All he did was go out there today and have a Big 10 player of the week caliber game! He notched 15 tackles (mostly solo), batted down a pass, and made plays when it mattered. This guy paid his dues over the years, waited his turn, and looks to be Iowa's next great defensive player.

4. Are the OL & WRs "Much Improved" Like Kirk Said? Iowa's underperforming OL & WR coaches kept their jobs after last year's abysmal job, were given raises, and were the beneficiaries of the Swarm Collective going out and bringing in some OL & WR grad transfer talent. Sadly, I saw very little improvement out there. Once again, the OL couldn't open holes for the running game (Iowa's "top tier" RBs averaged just 2.6 yards per carry against a defense that finished 121st in the country last year in rushing D). The much touted upgraded WR group caught just 3 passes from a playoff caliber QB (1 of the 3 catches involved the defender falling down and Seth Anderson being left wide open in the end zone). Those are Petras caliber numbers. Perhaps most disappointing, highly touted 4 star OSU transfer Kaleb Brown had zero catches and no involvement in special teams or the run game.

5. Wetjen? The 5'10, 175 lb walk on transfer from Iowa Western showed glimpses of Charlie Jones out there. Underutilized, like Charlie, as he wasn't targeted in the pass game, but he's lightening quick and rushed for more yards on just 3 carries than Williams and Patterson combined. I don't know who this guy is, but I'd like to see him (or Brown) get more involved in the offense and special teams.

6. Big Time Grad Transfer Jackson? The addition of 3 time all-ACC LB Nick Jackson was expected to help us forget all that Iowa lost on defense last year. Unfortunately, Jackson was invisible out there today. He may have led the ACC in tackles last year, but today he finished with just 1 solo tackle and 4 assisted, mostly jumping on the pile when a guy was already almost down. On the bright side, looking over at Oregon's box score, former Hawk LB Jestin Jacobs had ZERO stats (maybe he's still hurt?). Let's hope Jackson turns out to be an upgrade over what we lost to the portal.

The next time you anre objective will be the 1st.

With that said Jackson was very visible in a bad way!

And 4.4 yards per pass attempt is a recipe for success in our defense. And I also think he’ll prove to be a pretty good Qb!

Lastly our defense, partially as a result of Jackson being out of position left too much space, but to be fair…..

They ran 72 plays for 329 yards @ 4.56 yds per play. They ran 24 times, that’s a recipe for success for us.

Take off the ridiculously fast 3 play drive of 70 yds where we just quit playing (you’ll notice we subbed some starters back in next drive) that’s 69 plays at 259 yds for 3.65 yds per play…

That’s an objective review!!

I’ve got nothing for our run game, it sucked!!

 

[littlez]

The next time you anre objective will be the 1st.

With that said Jackson was very visible in a bad way!

And 4.4 yards per pass attempt is a recipe for success in our defense. And I also think he’ll prove to be a pretty good Qb!

Lastly our defense, partially as a result of Jackson being out of position left too much space, but to be fair…..

They ran 72 plays for 329 yards @ 4.56 yds per play. They ran 24 times, that’s a recipe for success for us.

Take off the ridiculously fast 3 play drive of 70 yds where we just quit playing (you’ll notice we subbed some starters back in next drive) that’s 69 plays at 259 yds for 3.65 yds per play…

That’s an objective review!!

I’ve got nothing for our run game, it sucked!!

So you continue to bash on Jackson in every thread. We ask a ton from our linebackers, ask them to cover, stop the run, and in a lot of cases they don’t come off the field. That’s a tough situation for a linebacker anywhere to be asked to go cover guys in the slot. It’s a mismatch most of the time. Now that’s a reason Phil has made some changes over the years to the Cash. Let’s see how Jackson does moving forward.

 

[cmhawks99]

So you continue to bash on Jackson in every thread. We ask a ton from our linebackers, ask them to cover, stop the run, and in a lot of cases they don’t come off the field. That’s a tough situation for a linebacker anywhere to be asked to go cover guys in the slot. It’s a mismatch most of the time. Now that’s a reason Phil has made some changes over the years to the Cash. Let’s see how Jackson does moving forward.

LOL….Ironic isn’t it. But you are right. I honestly didn’t mean it as a bash, but in hindsight the amount of times I mentioned it. It certainly comes off that way. Thanks for calling me out. I had it coming…

What I should’ve said, and I have kind of said it this way a couple times… He’s only been here a month and it shows. But he wasn’t replaced so that means undoubtably, Phil thinks he is the guy, but it was noticeable he wasn’t quite yet on the same page.

But my insistence in many threads wasn’t fair and you calling me out made me think to myself many players in his position have been replaced so that means Phil has great confidence in him!

Good call out….😊

 

[littlez]

LOL….Ironic isn’t it. But you are right. I honestly didn’t mean it as a bash, but in hindsight the amount of times I mentioned it. It certainly comes off that way. Thanks for calling me out. I had it coming…

What I should’ve said, and I have kind of said it this way a couple times… He’s only been here a month and it shows. But he wasn’t replaced so that means undoubtably, Phil thinks he is the guy, but it was noticeable he wasn’t quite yet on the same page.

But my insistence in many threads wasn’t fair and you calling me out made me think to myself many players in his position have been replaced so that means Phil has great confidence in him!

Good call out….😊

All good.

 

[im4hawks50595]

Jackson was absolutely unimpressive at linebacker. We need better than that on the field.

Didnt he play mlb not the outside at Virginia so it might be a bit of adjustment for him

 

[Hawgk]

Keep in mind the following:

Kaleb Brown had at least one deep target, unfortunately the ball was overthrown. He had separation and would've likely taken it to the house.

Utah State relied heavily on the pussy ass "dink and dunk" strategy. Continuously using quick screens to earn yards, but for 95% of the game, it didn't really work out for them until garbage time.

Brown beat his man off the line, then ran an ugly stop and go route. The stop was late and unnecessary as defender was already beat. It appeared Cade saw him beat his guy and threw the go route. They probably connect without the stop.

 

[mthawkeyes]

Didnt he play mlb not the outside at Virginia so it might be a bit of adjustment for him

This. Jackson had a bad day, and there's no way to sugarcoat it. He had back-to-back plays (early in the 4th?) where he tried to play inside-out (like a Mike would) on a B-gap run. If he is really struggling badly, maybe Higgins moves out to Will (he has total command of the defense) and Jackson moves to Mike where he is best.