No passing threat - Defenses keying in on the run

[Buddehawk]

Our Oline hasn't come together yet. To much dancing, not enough blocking. Would like to see a little more straight forwarded physical blocking. That might help them jell.

Defenses disregarding the pass on 1st and 2nd down. Selling out to stop the run. Even if we do pass on 1st and 2nd down they don't see it as a threat where they can't react and cover. We need to make them pay for their aggressiveness.

Seeing more formations but it looks like we only do 2 or 3 things out of each formation. Pretty easy to cover. When Marsette goes into a speed motion who doesn't think he is getting the ball on a jet sweep?

No misdirection to slow pursuit. No counters, reverses, screen passes, might have seen a bootleg or 2 in the 1st 5 games.

Kirk is right about execution being the problem. Take away the coma the Hawks were in in the 1st quarter and the turnovers in the 2nd half and we probably win the game.

 

[Pepperman]

I agree the passing game isn't working, but I will put a different slant on it. Right now, teams have little to worry about with Iowa's running game. Wadley, being the playmaker he is, MIGHT elude 9 defenders crashing the LOS for a long run... but more likely than not, he'll get stuffed in the backfield for no gain or a loss of a couple yards. Wouldn't a bigger back like Young be a better choice at times? Let him plow straight ahead with his shoulders low and get the team into a lot more 2nd and 7 type situations. Iowa's offense works a lot more on 2nd and 7 than it does on 2nd and 11.

Your points are valid though - try more formations, run out of more 3 and 4 WR sets... try new things and trust the players to do it. I loved that fake punt at MSU. That shocked me. I wasnt' sure what the hell Iowa was going to do there, but I thought it was a pooch punt and I sure as hell never imagined Epenesa was going to catch a ball.

 

[Ihawkhoops]

We have a staff of paid, professional coaches to design schemes to help us win. None of these guys, including Kirk, are earning their money. Blame the line, QB, receivers if you want, but there aren't any perfect teams out there. You take the guys you have and tweak your style to fit your personnel. Ok, that is what forward-thinking non-dogmatic coaches do.

At Iowa, we run the ball into 8-9 man fronts because we ARE Iowa. Passing? Highly overrated aspect of offense. We will try it a couple of times with little done to set it up and in most cases, only in the most obvious of situations to ensure the defense is prepared. If it looks like they are guessing pass, we will take 10 seconds to check down to the zone read to the short side.

The line is not good, but how many lines can block 8 guys when the D knows what is coming? Same with Stanley. Sure he has missed some guys, but he does not get much time to make decisions and is learning on the fly. Wadley is the second best back in the B1G, but we use him as a battering ram vs. getting him touches outside the run game. IKM and Young should get more touches in the run or screen game to give defenses another look. Our big "adjustment" is to put Wadley in the slot and never throw to him. This is about as innovative as KF gets, so not holding my breath for any changes this season. Kirk sees nothing wrong with the offense, just have to get the D to shut the other guys out and we would be undefeated.

 

[bagdropper]

Hit one of those longer passes each games, the defense will back off.

The plays have been there, just keep getting overthrown. Once those start clicking, the run blocking will look better cause there's suddenly 1 or 2 less guys they have to block.

I don't believe Iowa has to reinvent the wheel here...

 

[mvhomerj]

Maybe not reinvent the wheel, but make it more circular.
They tend to work better that way.

 

[83Hawk]

Each game I keep expecting Stanley to hit on 1-2 long ones. Hopefully he will find his touch, but it is also possible he never will.