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IowaLaw's Post Game Analysis: Indiana

IowasLaw

All-Conference
Nov 19, 2019
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The Hawks blew out #17 Indiana for their 7th straight win! Better yet, the rest of the Big 10 west moved out of the way to allow the Hawks to jump up and grab first place. So how does Iowa's most objective fan evaluate the performance?

1. Petras is still Petras. There's a lot to be excited about after this win. However, many must have a disappointed feeling in the pit of their stomach tonight. We all had hopes that Petras worked hard in the off season and vastly improved upon his subpar accuracy and pocket presence. Sure, Pro Football Focus rates Petras the worst returning QB in all of college football, but homers in the Iowa media were quick to point out that he spent a few days with a "qb guru," "watched a lot of film of Alabama's QB," and had the opportunity to participate in the all important spring practice. Sadly, Petras put up the same subpar performance we've come to expect: 13/27 for 145 yards and 0 touchdowns. He missed on quite a few wide open WRs, had some head scratching underthrows where it was clear he pissed down his leg, and most concerning, he's got the same anxiety ridden happy feet he had last year. Sure, a game manager going 13/27 can win games when backed by a defense that has 2 pick 6s and doesn't give up a single touchdown. But will it be enough to carry the team against better teams?

2. Goodson's Mixed Bag Performance. Although last year I was admittedly on team Mekhi Sargent, believing he was the best back on the roster, I found myself yelling "Goodson for Heisman" in the first quarter today after he broke a 56 yard touchdown run to the outside. A few more runs like that against a Top 20 opponent could certainly create some Heisman buzz for the reigning all-Big 10 RB. Unfortunately, Goodson struggled after that run. He had 18 carries for just 43 yards the rest of the game, including a costly fumble that would have permanently put someone like Akrum Wadley in Kirk's dog house. I'd expect to see better production than 2.38 yards per carry when running behind the top center in college football.

3. Riley "Randy" Moss. Four years ago, an inexperienced Moss got torched a few times when Parker thrusted him into the lineup before he was ready. Fans Moss of being a step slow and randying around in tough losses. Fast forward to 2021, the guy is a man among boys. With two highlight reel interceptions that he turned into long touchdown runs (nearly 100 yards receiving on the day), Riley took ownership of the nickname, playing like Randy Moss out there. For context, 4 year starting WR Brandon Smith had a combined 2 tds all year last season and current WR starter Tyrone Tracy has just 1 td in his career. Could Moss be Josh Jackson 2.0? Thorpe Award? Stranger things have happened.

4. LaPorta: the Next Great Hawkeye TE. LaPorta looks every bit the TE that TJ Hockinson was two years ago. Aside from the 1 uncharacteristic drop, he finished with 5 catches for 83 yards (more than 50% of Iowa's receiving yards). He's got a knack for finding the seam and getting open and showed no fear making tough catches down the middle. If Petras can't learn to spread the ball out, look for more double coverage on LaPorta as the season progresses. If guys like Nico and Tracey step up, LaPorta could have a special season.

5. Benson Becoming the Guy at LB. Benson came out of nowhere last year to become honorable mention all-Big 10. This year, he's picked up where he left off. He's not the biggest guy or the best athlete out there, but he had 10 solid tackles and knows how to lay the wood.

6. Will the DL Be Enough? 3 of Iowa's 4 DL from last year are playing in the NFL. I was hoping the coaching staff might hit the transfer portal and bring in an upper classmen like Heflin to plug some holes this year. They didn't. Don't get me wrong, the DL played solid like Phil Parker's DLs always do (they gave up just 77 rushing yards), but it sure seemed like Penix had all day to throw back there. The Hawks recorded just 1 sack, and I'm guessing a more accurate QB might have had more success given the limited pass rush. It may be a matter of installing some blitz packages to get pressure on the QB.
 
Petras was ok. He didn't have to do much today as the Iowa D essentially controlled the entire game.
I'm neither up, nor down, on Petras. Let's see what happens next week if he has to do more than just not make major mistakes.
Yeah, I think Petras is getting too much flak. It was a C performance. He looked a lot better in week one of 2021 than 2020. The receivers also had some key drops on well thrown balls. Indiana has a pretty solid defense. Overall, I’m optimistic he’ll grow into a B quarterback. With Iowa’s defense, that’s all he’s needed to be for Iowa to have a good season.
 
With all these negative posts on Petras, I have to question whether we all watched the same game. He missed on two balls: the one where he booted left and threw it short, and the would be touchdown to Tracy. Otherwise, we had the dropsies, he threw a couple away because of coverage, he threw one bad pass on an out because a bad snap threw off the timing, and missed on a deep ball as he was getting hit on an untouched blitzer. Petras really didn’t do much wrong
 
Jfc Spencer looked fine (and I dogged him all last year). He had 2 bad throws, one overthrow to Goodson and one under throw to Tracy. He was the victim of many drops and good coverage. He made smart decisions and had zip on how throws. Much improved from last year. Too many people read ****ing stat lines.
 
Jfc Spencer looked fine (and I dogged him all last year). He had 2 bad throws, one overthrow to Goodson and one under throw to Tracy. He was the victim of many drops and good coverage. He made smart decisions and had zip on how throws. Much improved from last year. Too many people read ****ing stat lines.
It’s not necessarily just reading the stat line followed by “he sucked.”

He started the game with very accurate throws to the TE and looked like an exceptional short-yardage throwing QB but darn it, those happy feet were happier than ever.

And he had the drop by LaPorta and the drop by Ragaini, then there was the low toss to Tracy that may have been 6 if thrown even decently.
He had the great short-yardage run for the TD - pretty happy about it for sure. Then he’s rolling to his left with a WIDE open receiver & under minimal pressure and woefully under throws…..should have been 20-25 yd gain.

When do we, as the fans, expect more? I don’t know what time frame is acceptable but shit, our QB situation just isn’t going well in my eyes and you know what? It’s clear we’re not going to win any division or conference title with a “he didn’t make any big mistakes” quarterback and a stellar defense. We need this very stellar D and a potent offense if Iowa wishes to be something more.
 
Yeah, I think Petras is getting too much flak. It was a C performance. He looked a lot better in week one of 2021 than 2020. The receivers also had some key drops on well thrown balls. Indiana has a pretty solid defense. Overall, I’m optimistic he’ll grow into a B quarterback. With Iowa’s defense, that’s all he’s needed to be for Iowa to have a good season.
Agree! Counting on Coach Parker NEVER a bad thought.
 
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Disagree. You cant miss free touchdowns like the horrid throw to Tracy. That counts a lot more than just one bad throw. I am optimistic by nature but he is the biggest question by far.
I don’t think that many would disagree he is the biggest question - just this perception that he hasn’t gotten any better since last year. Additionally, a point I would make is that I think many here are failing to give a very very good and experienced Indiana defensive backfield enough credit
 
I suspect that Goodson's issues after the touchdown (with the notable exception of the fumble) had more to do with out of sync blocking on the OL than anything else. I would expect that to improve as the season moves along.

I think people are being overly critical of Petras. This was a game where his one goal after the first two minutes of the game was to not screw up and give Indiana the chance to come back in the game. He did that almost perfectly. Unfortunately, those types of games aren't games that are going to light up the stat line, particularly with the way Iowa plays those types of games. I'm not sure if Petras is the game changing QB that other teams have, he certainly hasn't given any reason to believe he is at this point. However, he does look every bit the solid game managing Iowa QB that will make smart decisions and be able to hit the tight end down the middle with a 15 yard route. I hope he becomes more than that, but if our defense is actually as good as it looked today, then we won't need much more than that.

Otherwise, I don't disagree with much else the OP posted.
 
Yeah, I think Petras is getting too much flak. It was a C performance. He looked a lot better in week one of 2021 than 2020. The receivers also had some key drops on well thrown balls. Indiana has a pretty solid defense. Overall, I’m optimistic he’ll grow into a B quarterback. With Iowa’s defense, that’s all he’s needed to be for Iowa to have a good season.
This is where I'm at too. Will grow into a B type QB and hopefully should be enough.

My only "complaint" would be to maybe work on his game outside the pocket. The throw across his body to Tracy is always tough but I think he had time to set his feet and throw a complete ball. He had all day. Seemed to rush it

The drops seemed to be mostly on the receivers. Definitely catchable and not too much of a laser. There may be chances to put more touch on ball tho

I was pretty hard on him last year but I think he played more than serviceable today. I at least saw improvements which is very encouraging. We will see next week
 
It’s not necessarily just reading the stat line followed by “he sucked.”

He started the game with very accurate throws to the TE and looked like an exceptional short-yardage throwing QB but darn it, those happy feet were happier than ever.

And he had the drop by LaPorta and the drop by Ragaini, then there was the low toss to Tracy that may have been 6 if thrown even decently.
He had the great short-yardage run for the TD - pretty happy about it for sure. Then he’s rolling to his left with a WIDE open receiver & under minimal pressure and woefully under throws…..should have been 20-25 yd gain.

When do we, as the fans, expect more? I don’t know what time frame is acceptable but shit, our QB situation just isn’t going well in my eyes and you know what? It’s clear we’re not going to win any division or conference title with a “he didn’t make any big mistakes” quarterback and a stellar defense. We need this very stellar D and a potent offense if Iowa wishes to be something more.
I thought Petras looked far more comfortable today than at any point last year. There were I think 4 drops that were well-thrown. And the way the game unfolded, they very clearly told him to be cautious, because the only way Indiana was coming back was with big mistakes by Iowa.
 
Actually Petras had a great 1st half in accuracy. He was hitting the receiver's hands but they werent catching it. I will ahve to watch second half again to see what he really did. Op thinks a ball bouncing off the receivers hands is a bad throw.

sbhawk thinks he is a Rookie analyst
 
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Actually Petras had a great 1st half in accuracy. He was hitting the receiver's hands but they werent catching it. I will ahve to watch second half again to see what he really did. Op thinks a ball bouncing off the receivers hands is a bad throw.

sbhawk thinks he is a Rookie analyst
I don't remember any bad passes in the second half. Just a lot of balls thrown out of bounds because he didn't want to risk throwing to someone who was partially covered. Or maybe there were open people, but we couldn't see them on TV.
 
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Hey so in full disclosure, yes Im a Husker fan, but I just wanted to come on here and give yall major props on handling Indiana convincingly today. The west is most likely urs for the taking after seeing that Wiscy train wreck today. Anyways, much respect.
Thanks. FYI, your teams needs a new coach. AM can not be your best weapon by running and survive the season
 
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I think today’s game showed the growth in both Spencer and Brian. Today’s game started out a lot like the Northwestern game last year with Iowa jumping out to an early lead. The difference was that Brian called a more conservative game and did not ask Spencer to throw 50 times. Spencer for his part threw the ball out of bounds and did not force anything .

The only thing at Indiana was going to win this game after the first quarter was for Iowa to turn the ball over and give Indiana good field position, which did not happen. Like many others, I was hoping Spencer would light up Indiana’s secondary and put up more points. This was the best secondary Iowa will face all year and did not need the offense to dominate.

This may be different next week. If so, hopefully Spencer and the offense can step up. Regardless, many people were saying that 1-1 after the first two games would be a good start. We know that Kirk and the boys will do everything they can to win next week, but it is kind of like playing with house money at this point.
 
I suspect that Goodson's issues after the touchdown (with the notable exception of the fumble) had more to do with out of sync blocking on the OL than anything else. I would expect that to improve as the season moves along.

I think people are being overly critical of Petras. This was a game where his one goal after the first two minutes of the game was to not screw up and give Indiana the chance to come back in the game. He did that almost perfectly. Unfortunately, those types of games aren't games that are going to light up the stat line, particularly with the way Iowa plays those types of games. I'm not sure if Petras is the game changing QB that other teams have, he certainly hasn't given any reason to believe he is at this point. However, he does look every bit the solid game managing Iowa QB that will make smart decisions and be able to hit the tight end down the middle with a 15 yard route. I hope he becomes more than that, but if our defense is actually as good as it looked today, then we won't need much more than that.

Otherwise, I don't disagree with much else the OP posted.
Totally agree. Being up big doesn’t exactly scream have to take big chances in the passing game. My biggest gripe is him relying too much on SLP.
He still needs to work on those damn happy feet but I think from a game management argument he did what he needed to do.
Will be interesting to see what BF does next week. Somehow I suspect he will have some surprises for Clown U
 
Petras improved as last season went on. He improved over the offseason. If he continues to improve throughout the year we will be in good shape.
 
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I don't remember any bad passes in the second half. Just a lot of balls thrown out of bounds because he didn't want to risk throwing to someone who was partially covered. Or maybe there were open people, but we couldn't see them on TV.
What about the horrid under thrown ball to Tracy that was a sure TD? Had a bad overthrown ball to Tracy as well when he was wide open on the sideline.
 
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6. Will the DL Be Enough? 3 of Iowa's 4 DL from last year are playing in the NFL. I was hoping the coaching staff might hit the transfer portal and bring in an upper classmen like Heflin to plug some holes this year. They didn't. Don't get me wrong, the DL played solid like Phil Parker's DLs always do (they gave up just 77 rushing yards), but it sure seemed like Penix had all day to throw back there. The Hawks recorded just 1 sack, and I'm guessing a more accurate QB might have had more success given the limited pass rush. It may be a matter of installing some blitz packages to get pressure on the QB.
Penix did NOT have all day to throw. There may have been only 1 sack, but he was consistently pressured, which led to 2 of the 3 INT's, and we all know there should have been a couple more. How many deep pass attempts did you see from Penix today? Not many, because he did not have time.
 
What about the horrid under thrown ball to Tracy that was a sure TD? Had a bad overthrown ball to Tracy as well when he was wide open on the sideline.
Yes, the pass to Tracy was under thrown. But, hey, at least is was a completion. Last year Petras might have one-hopped that one, or sailed it over Tracy's head.

Baby steps...
 
What about the horrid under thrown ball to Tracy that was a sure TD? Had a bad overthrown ball to Tracy as well when he was wide open on the sideline.
Pretty sure those were the first half but I could be wrong. Still, those were the two bad passes. In his first game of the season. I can accept that.
 
The Hawks blew out #17 Indiana for their 7th straight win! Better yet, the rest of the Big 10 west moved out of the way to allow the Hawks to jump up and grab first place. So how does Iowa's most objective fan evaluate the performance?

1. Petras is still Petras. There's a lot to be excited about after this win. However, many must have a disappointed feeling in the pit of their stomach tonight. We all had hopes that Petras worked hard in the off season and vastly improved upon his subpar accuracy and pocket presence. Sure, Pro Football Focus rates Petras the worst returning QB in all of college football, but homers in the Iowa media were quick to point out that he spent a few days with a "qb guru," "watched a lot of film of Alabama's QB," and had the opportunity to participate in the all important spring practice. Sadly, Petras put up the same subpar performance we've come to expect: 13/27 for 145 yards and 0 touchdowns. He missed on quite a few wide open WRs, had some head scratching underthrows where it was clear he pissed down his leg, and most concerning, he's got the same anxiety ridden happy feet he had last year. Sure, a game manager going 13/27 can win games when backed by a defense that has 2 pick 6s and doesn't give up a single touchdown. But will it be enough to carry the team against better teams?

2. Goodson's Mixed Bag Performance. Although last year I was admittedly on team Mekhi Sargent, believing he was the best back on the roster, I found myself yelling "Goodson for Heisman" in the first quarter today after he broke a 56 yard touchdown run to the outside. A few more runs like that against a Top 20 opponent could certainly create some Heisman buzz for the reigning all-Big 10 RB. Unfortunately, Goodson struggled after that run. He had 18 carries for just 43 yards the rest of the game, including a costly fumble that would have permanently put someone like Akrum Wadley in Kirk's dog house. I'd expect to see better production than 2.38 yards per carry when running behind the top center in college football.

3. Riley "Randy" Moss. Four years ago, an inexperienced Moss got torched a few times when Parker thrusted him into the lineup before he was ready. Fans Moss of being a step slow and randying around in tough losses. Fast forward to 2021, the guy is a man among boys. With two highlight reel interceptions that he turned into long touchdown runs (nearly 100 yards receiving on the day), Riley took ownership of the nickname, playing like Randy Moss out there. For context, 4 year starting WR Brandon Smith had a combined 2 tds all year last season and current WR starter Tyrone Tracy has just 1 td in his career. Could Moss be Josh Jackson 2.0? Thorpe Award? Stranger things have happened.

4. LaPorta: the Next Great Hawkeye TE. LaPorta looks every bit the TE that TJ Hockinson was two years ago. Aside from the 1 uncharacteristic drop, he finished with 5 catches for 83 yards (more than 50% of Iowa's receiving yards). He's got a knack for finding the seam and getting open and showed no fear making tough catches down the middle. If Petras can't learn to spread the ball out, look for more double coverage on LaPorta as the season progresses. If guys like Nico and Tracey step up, LaPorta could have a special season.

5. Benson Becoming the Guy at LB. Benson came out of nowhere last year to become honorable mention all-Big 10. This year, he's picked up where he left off. He's not the biggest guy or the best athlete out there, but he had 10 solid tackles and knows how to lay the wood.

6. Will the DL Be Enough? 3 of Iowa's 4 DL from last year are playing in the NFL. I was hoping the coaching staff might hit the transfer portal and bring in an upper classmen like Heflin to plug some holes this year. They didn't. Don't get me wrong, the DL played solid like Phil Parker's DLs always do (they gave up just 77 rushing yards), but it sure seemed like Penix had all day to throw back there. The Hawks recorded just 1 sack, and I'm guessing a more accurate QB might have had more success given the limited pass rush. It may be a matter of installing some blitz packages to get pressure on the QB.
I'll start with the fact that Tracy has more than 1 career touchdown..........

But by all means leave it as is because I know how you like to present everything you say as facts, and rarely return to your own threads to begin with. ;)
 
I read and basically agree with everything.
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Why does goodson's long touchdown count but the yards don't? Also did we watch the same game? Or did you have the bulk of this post written before the game even started and then added a few fluff stats to back up your nonsense. I'm not expecting a reply.
 
The Hawks blew out #17 Indiana for their 7th straight win! Better yet, the rest of the Big 10 west moved out of the way to allow the Hawks to jump up and grab first place. So how does Iowa's most objective fan evaluate the performance?

1. Petras is still Petras. There's a lot to be excited about after this win. However, many must have a disappointed feeling in the pit of their stomach tonight. We all had hopes that Petras worked hard in the off season and vastly improved upon his subpar accuracy and pocket presence. Sure, Pro Football Focus rates Petras the worst returning QB in all of college football, but homers in the Iowa media were quick to point out that he spent a few days with a "qb guru," "watched a lot of film of Alabama's QB," and had the opportunity to participate in the all important spring practice. Sadly, Petras put up the same subpar performance we've come to expect: 13/27 for 145 yards and 0 touchdowns. He missed on quite a few wide open WRs, had some head scratching underthrows where it was clear he pissed down his leg, and most concerning, he's got the same anxiety ridden happy feet he had last year. Sure, a game manager going 13/27 can win games when backed by a defense that has 2 pick 6s and doesn't give up a single touchdown. But will it be enough to carry the team against better teams?

2. Goodson's Mixed Bag Performance. Although last year I was admittedly on team Mekhi Sargent, believing he was the best back on the roster, I found myself yelling "Goodson for Heisman" in the first quarter today after he broke a 56 yard touchdown run to the outside. A few more runs like that against a Top 20 opponent could certainly create some Heisman buzz for the reigning all-Big 10 RB. Unfortunately, Goodson struggled after that run. He had 18 carries for just 43 yards the rest of the game, including a costly fumble that would have permanently put someone like Akrum Wadley in Kirk's dog house. I'd expect to see better production than 2.38 yards per carry when running behind the top center in college football.

3. Riley "Randy" Moss. Four years ago, an inexperienced Moss got torched a few times when Parker thrusted him into the lineup before he was ready. Fans Moss of being a step slow and randying around in tough losses. Fast forward to 2021, the guy is a man among boys. With two highlight reel interceptions that he turned into long touchdown runs (nearly 100 yards receiving on the day), Riley took ownership of the nickname, playing like Randy Moss out there. For context, 4 year starting WR Brandon Smith had a combined 2 tds all year last season and current WR starter Tyrone Tracy has just 1 td in his career. Could Moss be Josh Jackson 2.0? Thorpe Award? Stranger things have happened.

4. LaPorta: the Next Great Hawkeye TE. LaPorta looks every bit the TE that TJ Hockinson was two years ago. Aside from the 1 uncharacteristic drop, he finished with 5 catches for 83 yards (more than 50% of Iowa's receiving yards). He's got a knack for finding the seam and getting open and showed no fear making tough catches down the middle. If Petras can't learn to spread the ball out, look for more double coverage on LaPorta as the season progresses. If guys like Nico and Tracey step up, LaPorta could have a special season.

5. Benson Becoming the Guy at LB. Benson came out of nowhere last year to become honorable mention all-Big 10. This year, he's picked up where he left off. He's not the biggest guy or the best athlete out there, but he had 10 solid tackles and knows how to lay the wood.

6. Will the DL Be Enough? 3 of Iowa's 4 DL from last year are playing in the NFL. I was hoping the coaching staff might hit the transfer portal and bring in an upper classmen like Heflin to plug some holes this year. They didn't. Don't get me wrong, the DL played solid like Phil Parker's DLs always do (they gave up just 77 rushing yards), but it sure seemed like Penix had all day to throw back there. The Hawks recorded just 1 sack, and I'm guessing a more accurate QB might have had more success given the limited pass rush. It may be a matter of installing some blitz packages to get pressure on the QB.
God, you truly are a dick.. are you typing from your prison cell?
 
Petras was ok. He didn't have to do much today as the Iowa D essentially controlled the entire game.
I'm neither up, nor down, on Petras. Let's see what happens next week if he has to do more than just not make major mistakes.
Iowa showed nothing offensively. No need... When you are up 14-0 2 minutes into the game, just ride the D.
 
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Penix did NOT have all day to throw. There may have been only 1 sack, but he was consistently pressured, which led to 2 of the 3 INT's, and we all know there should have been a couple more. How many deep pass attempts did you see from Penix today? Not many, because he did not have time.
Incorrect.

#1. Penix is overrated. Tuttle is the best QB on Indianas roster.

#2. Indiana has a terrible OL coach and OC. I suspect that Tom Allen will fire those guys after they inevitably lose more games than they should.

You guys have a really good team. But Indiana played like Dog crap. And a lot of that is on them.
 
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