Kirk Ferentz likes to say that, on any given week, the margin for error is thin for Iowa football. Now, Kirk has been taking a lot of heat lately for the results on the field - and this is fair. The results have not been good. But, this season, I've seen this criticism venture into territory that I don't think is fair. Specifically, some of the posters here and elsewhere, and some of the sports writers I follow have made it seem like the program is inherently, irredeemably broken. Listening to some people, one would get the sense that we're not even close to where we need to be. And this is just not the case. The program has been very close on and off the field lately (explanation/support below).
The main problem with the Iowa program the last few years is that our running game has just stunk. Our whole team is built around a successful running game (as are a lot of teams - Wisconsin, for example). Our offense is predicated on maintaining drives and wearing out defenses with the running game (Note: this also keeps our defense fresh, sets up the pass, etc), and we haven't been able to do that. Why? We haven't had a feature-level back since at least Marcus Coker - who, of course, was run out on a rail due to off-field issues. rightly or wrongly. We've recruited guys that could tote the ball but, for whatever reason, they haven't stuck. Brandon Wegher. Jewel Hampton. Marcus Coker. Greg Garmon (maybe). Mikail McCall (maybe). Markel Smith (probably).
As we all know, Melvin Gordon was committed to Iowa. The Iowa program, with no other changes, but Melvin Gordon in the backfield, would have looked completely different.We'd be talking about 10 and 11 win seasons. That was a narrow miss on a single player. You do not get much closer than that. The class he was in would have ranked about the same. The team's resaults would have been completely different. Likewise, Marcus Coker (or any of the other talented backs we had at the time; you name them) staying would have meant several more wins each year during his tenure. But Coker was the last feature back we had. Markel Smith, to look at his film, could have fit this bill, and I think we'd be talking about a "resurgent" Iowa program if the kid could have passed his ACTs.
Very little of our RB issues, so far as we can tell, has been KF's fault. He can't control injuries, off-field issues, etc. At worst, we can wonder if personality clashes contributed to running off Greg Garmon and Mikail McCall.
Basically, the Iowa program needs to find, recruit, and keep legitimate running backs. And that's the one position where the wheels have come off the last five-or-so years.
Disclaimer: Last season, in particular, was also about our inability to keep the shelf stocked at linebacker. That is a smaller, but more systemic problem. It seems like we bring linebackers through in waves and our defense suffers badly every 3-4 years as a result. This is something the coaches need to fix.
The main problem with the Iowa program the last few years is that our running game has just stunk. Our whole team is built around a successful running game (as are a lot of teams - Wisconsin, for example). Our offense is predicated on maintaining drives and wearing out defenses with the running game (Note: this also keeps our defense fresh, sets up the pass, etc), and we haven't been able to do that. Why? We haven't had a feature-level back since at least Marcus Coker - who, of course, was run out on a rail due to off-field issues. rightly or wrongly. We've recruited guys that could tote the ball but, for whatever reason, they haven't stuck. Brandon Wegher. Jewel Hampton. Marcus Coker. Greg Garmon (maybe). Mikail McCall (maybe). Markel Smith (probably).
As we all know, Melvin Gordon was committed to Iowa. The Iowa program, with no other changes, but Melvin Gordon in the backfield, would have looked completely different.We'd be talking about 10 and 11 win seasons. That was a narrow miss on a single player. You do not get much closer than that. The class he was in would have ranked about the same. The team's resaults would have been completely different. Likewise, Marcus Coker (or any of the other talented backs we had at the time; you name them) staying would have meant several more wins each year during his tenure. But Coker was the last feature back we had. Markel Smith, to look at his film, could have fit this bill, and I think we'd be talking about a "resurgent" Iowa program if the kid could have passed his ACTs.
Very little of our RB issues, so far as we can tell, has been KF's fault. He can't control injuries, off-field issues, etc. At worst, we can wonder if personality clashes contributed to running off Greg Garmon and Mikail McCall.
Basically, the Iowa program needs to find, recruit, and keep legitimate running backs. And that's the one position where the wheels have come off the last five-or-so years.
Disclaimer: Last season, in particular, was also about our inability to keep the shelf stocked at linebacker. That is a smaller, but more systemic problem. It seems like we bring linebackers through in waves and our defense suffers badly every 3-4 years as a result. This is something the coaches need to fix.
