NW has the worst rush defense in the BIG

[FWIW4922463]

So even if Iowa manages to have a decent, or maybe even a great game on the ground, it won't mean anything. And if Iowa's running game struggles at all . . . well, that would mean a lot.

NW's poor defense could be a one-week answer to Iowa's worst-in-the-nation "offense." Maybe. But at least the execution should be better against a bad team. But even bad teams can look good when they know exactly what plays you're running, knowledge which, BTW, makes execution more difficult.

The Press-Citizen points out today how pathetic Iowa's first quarter "offense" has been most of the season. Some coaches might try to light a fire and turn that around by, oh, going up-tempo/no-huddle, which is exactly what Iowa should have done @ Wisconsin. Get the defense on its heels. Be aggressive. Instead, even after a 45-yard KO return by Charlie Jones that left Iowa only 55 yards away from a TD, the Hawkeyes methodically walked up to the line of scrimmage three times, gained nothing, and punted. Beautiful stuff. And they maintained that pattern all afternoon. The Iowa offense may be the best sleep-inducer available.

Anyway, we'll see how it goes down in Evanston tomorrow night. A win would mean next to nothing while a loss would be devastating. Buckle those seatbelts.

BTW: The P-C also reports that, in eight games, Iowa's offense has tallied an incredible 66 plays that have lost yardage. I did the math for you, and that's more than 8 per game. Let that sink in. But whatever you do, be like KF and don't even THINK about using a mobile QB.

 

[mpfeiler]

As long as they beat Northwestern, I don't care how they do it! I will be at the game in my Black and Gold. I am a Hawkeye that lives in Evanston. I have had season tickets to NU for 10 years because I love college football. But this is the game that I wait for every year whether it is in Iowa City or Evanston. When they play the game in Iowa City it usually the only game I get back to. I am so tired of hearing the crowing from my NU friends about beating Iowa. GO HAWKS! KF & BF please run up the score if possible. This is a bad NU team.

 

[Greenway4Prez]

We’ve seen these scenarios before. The big one that comes to mind was an ISU run defense in 2014 that was one of the worst in the nation. We mustered 2.9 YPC. That ISU defense was putrid by just about every metric, and we made them look like a steel curtain.

If we have 150 yards rushing that will be a major feat.

 

[texas twister]

If Iowa manages 100 yards rushing, KF will talk about how they worked on a few things to make improvement. 🤣

 

[iafan44]

A win means more than next to nothing.

 

[Roy L Fuchs]

Run run sack punt
Repeat

 

[LarryMullenJr.]

Over/under on negative rushing plays is still 5.5

 

[83Hawk]

The resistible force meets the moveable object.

 

[SotaHawk87]

Over/under on negative rushing plays is still 5.5

And over under on drives with points when negative rushing plays happen is at.. 0

 

[mlb1399]

I know no one wants to hear this but I think the last 2 weeks simply came down to weakness vs strength. Purdue’s and WI’s front 7 simply overwhelmed our OL. They both have very impressive front 7’s and we have one of the worst OL’s of any major P5 team.

We could still lose a game or two here on out but I think we’ll be a lot more competitive and end up with 9 wins.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

So even if Iowa manages to have a decent, or maybe even a great game on the ground, it won't mean anything. And if Iowa's running game struggles at all . . . well, that would mean a lot.

NW's poor defense could be a one-week answer to Iowa's worst-in-the-nation "offense." Maybe. But at least the execution should be better against a bad team. But even bad teams can look good when they know exactly what plays you're running, knowledge which, BTW, makes execution more difficult.

The Press-Citizen points out today how pathetic Iowa's first quarter "offense" has been most of the season. Some coaches might try to light a fire and turn that around by, oh, going up-tempo/no-huddle, which is exactly what Iowa should have done @ Wisconsin. Get the defense on its heels. Be aggressive. Instead, even after a 45-yard KO return by Charlie Jones that left Iowa only 55 yards away from a TD, the Hawkeyes methodically walked up to the line of scrimmage three times, gained nothing, and punted. Beautiful stuff. And they maintained that pattern all afternoon. The Iowa offense may be the best sleep-inducer available.

Anyway, we'll see how it goes down in Evanston tomorrow night. A win would mean next to nothing while a loss would be devastating. Buckle those seatbelts.

BTW: The P-C also reports that, in eight games, Iowa's offense has tallied an incredible 66 plays that have lost yardage. I did the math for you, and that's more than 8 per game. Let that sink in. But whatever you do, be like KF and don't even THINK about using a mobile QB.

Lol we're still going to struggle to run the ball.

All the motivating talk and the throwing out of stats by Kirk isn't going to change or improve what we have on offense, particularly at the OL and then, consequently, at QB.

Our WR routes are still gonna be dumb as f***, and we're still gonna see lame as f*** waste of a f***ing play stretch runs for little to lost yardage.

But hey............

We might win!

 

[kceasthawk]

A win means more than next to nothing.

Really? And what would a loss mean? I'll take a W over North estern anyday.....

 

[red/green hawk]

When an immoble force meets a penetrable object...must watch television.
🥳

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

When an immoble force meets a penetrable object...must watch television.
🥳

It's like being at a kids birthday party.......and you're the piñata.

 

[nbanflfactory]

I know no one wants to hear this but I think the last 2 weeks simply came down to weakness vs strength. Purdue’s and WI’s front 7 simply overwhelmed our OL. They both have very impressive front 7’s and we have one of the worst OL’s of any major P5 team.

We could still lose a game or two here on out but I think we’ll be a lot more competitive and end up with 9 wins.

9 wins would be a very disappointing season

 

[cecilB]

So even if Iowa manages to have a decent, or maybe even a great game on the ground, it won't mean anything. And if Iowa's running game struggles at all . . . well, that would mean a lot.

NW's poor defense could be a one-week answer to Iowa's worst-in-the-nation "offense." Maybe. But at least the execution should be better against a bad team. But even bad teams can look good when they know exactly what plays you're running, knowledge which, BTW, makes execution more difficult.

The Press-Citizen points out today how pathetic Iowa's first quarter "offense" has been most of the season. Some coaches might try to light a fire and turn that around by, oh, going up-tempo/no-huddle, which is exactly what Iowa should have done @ Wisconsin. Get the defense on its heels. Be aggressive. Instead, even after a 45-yard KO return by Charlie Jones that left Iowa only 55 yards away from a TD, the Hawkeyes methodically walked up to the line of scrimmage three times, gained nothing, and punted. Beautiful stuff. And they maintained that pattern all afternoon. The Iowa offense may be the best sleep-inducer available.

Anyway, we'll see how it goes down in Evanston tomorrow night. A win would mean next to nothing while a loss would be devastating. Buckle those seatbelts.

BTW: The P-C also reports that, in eight games, Iowa's offense has tallied an incredible 66 plays that have lost yardage. I did the math for you, and that's more than 8 per game. Let that sink in. But whatever you do, be like KF and don't even THINK about using a mobile QB.

What if they were intending to go up tempo to start off last week, after a good return, but got derailed due to a 1st down meltdown in pass pro?

 

[Dargo]

Why in hell would we go up tempo with a qb that can't throw over 5 yards consistently and no running game? So our offense can be on the field for 30 seconds then punt? At least we can possess the ball for a minute or two before we punt by running the play clock all the way down.

 

[Dargo]

NW has the worst run defense in the nation almost so that means our genius OC will come out passing.

 

[desihawk]

NW defense: #96 rank
Iowa Offense: #124 rank
So it's all relative, let's not assume that we are going up against a bunch of chumps.

Iowa defense: #9
NW offense: #108
I'm hopeful we'll stop or slow NW's offense but those guys are apparently going to unveil a new dual-threat QB against Iowa (tell me again how Fitz treats Iowa like the rest).

 

[desihawk]

When an immoble force meets a penetrable object...must watch television.
🥳

 

[mlb1399]

9 wins would be a very disappointing season

I thought we’d win 8 coming into the season, so I can’t complain with that. Are you speaking from your expectations coming into the season or from the 6-0 overhyped train?

 

[bansheexyz]

I would prefer to see what we have with Padilla, perfect opponent for it. But KF will throw Petras out there for the confidence boost. The eternal optimists will then make their usual posts about how we're 7-2 and we would've taken that at the beginning of the season, blah blah.

 

[ChiPackHawk]

So even if Iowa manages to have a decent, or maybe even a great game on the ground, it won't mean anything. And if Iowa's running game struggles at all . . . well, that would mean a lot.

NW's poor defense could be a one-week answer to Iowa's worst-in-the-nation "offense." Maybe. But at least the execution should be better against a bad team. But even bad teams can look good when they know exactly what plays you're running, knowledge which, BTW, makes execution more difficult.

The Press-Citizen points out today how pathetic Iowa's first quarter "offense" has been most of the season. Some coaches might try to light a fire and turn that around by, oh, going up-tempo/no-huddle, which is exactly what Iowa should have done @ Wisconsin. Get the defense on its heels. Be aggressive. Instead, even after a 45-yard KO return by Charlie Jones that left Iowa only 55 yards away from a TD, the Hawkeyes methodically walked up to the line of scrimmage three times, gained nothing, and punted. Beautiful stuff. And they maintained that pattern all afternoon. The Iowa offense may be the best sleep-inducer available.

Anyway, we'll see how it goes down in Evanston tomorrow night. A win would mean next to nothing while a loss would be devastating. Buckle those seatbelts.

BTW: The P-C also reports that, in eight games, Iowa's offense has tallied an incredible 66 plays that have lost yardage. I did the math for you, and that's more than 8 per game. Let that sink in. But whatever you do, be like KF and don't even THINK about using a mobile QB.

I'm pretty sure you will find Goodson is easily the team leader in plays for a loss.

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

I know no one wants to hear this but I think the last 2 weeks simply came down to weakness vs strength. Purdue’s and WI’s front 7 simply overwhelmed our OL. They both have very impressive front 7’s and we have one of the worst OL’s of any major P5 team.

We could still lose a game or two here on out but I think we’ll be a lot more competitive and end up with 9 wins.

Agreed. And while our offensive scheme does leave a lot to be desired and Petras' play has been largely subpar, virtually all of this team's problems come back to absolutely putrid O-line play. Bama and Georgia would also suck on offense with a line like this. Everything else is almost irrelevant when your O-line is this inept. The D obviously pays a price, too, because they're on the field far more than they should be, often defending short fields. If there's a worse O-line in a P5 conference, I'd like to see it.

And the unfortunate truth is that few things in football take longer to rectify than a bad O-line. Nothing but time, strength training, improved technique, and experience -- or perhaps new personnel altogether, who will also likely require the same preparation -- will really help significantly. So as much as I want to see a miraculous improvement in our O-line play, I think we'll need more turnovers and spectacular special teams play to be successful down the stretch.

 

[nbanflfactory]

I thought we’d win 8 coming into the season, so I can’t complain with that. Are you speaking from your expectations coming into the season or from the 6-0 overhyped train?

you can't ignore a 6-0 start

starting 6-0 and then going 3-4 with the weak schedule remaining would be an epic failure.

if we lose half or more of our division games that's pitiful and i'd have said that to start the year

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Of course, if the Hawks lose the explosion on this Board will be epic. No surprise there. Everyone angry

If the Hawks win by 10 points, it will be considered a near epic failure. Everyone angry

If the Hawks win by 30+, the Board will be pissed that they gave away wins vs, PU and Wisc. Everyone angry

Conclusion - the Board is going to be angry next week.

 

[obfuscating]

NW will mimic Purdue on O and Wiscy on D the best they can. Iowa will somehow turn it into a slug fest of 2 mediocre fighters in a wet paper bag.

 

[HawkInArk]

I know no one wants to hear this but I think the last 2 weeks simply came down to weakness vs strength. Purdue’s and WI’s front 7 simply overwhelmed our OL. They both have very impressive front 7’s and we have one of the worst OL’s of any major P5 team.

We could still lose a game or two here on out but I think we’ll be a lot more competitive and end up with 9 wins.

Yeah, another wasted season in a weak division.

 

[iafan44]

Really? And what would a loss mean? I'll take a W over North estern anyday.....

I agree. I'm sick of losing to them. I was trying to say a win actually means alot. Beating a team that's had the Hawks number. Big difference between 5-3 unranked and 7-2 and in the top 20.

A 3rd loss in a row this year and to the worst NW team in quite awhile would not be good.

 

[kceasthawk]

I agree. I'm sick of losing to them. I was trying to say a win actually means alot. Beating a team that's had the Hawks number. Big difference between 5-3 unranked and 7-2 and in the top 20.

A 3rd loss in a row this year and to the worst NW team in quite awhile would not be good.

So if we lose we not only pick a loss, but lose a game in the win column as well to drop to 5-3? Wow, that really would suck....

 

[IAHUNTER]

So what you are saying is, Iowa will make NW defense look good

 

[mlb1399]

you can't ignore a 6-0 start

starting 6-0 and then going 3-4 with the weak schedule remaining would be an epic failure.

if we lose half or more of our division games that's pitiful and i'd have said that to start the year

I’m not. It was a fun ride and put us ahead of where I thought we’d be. I think we got lucky to win the PSU game, so honestly it could have been much worse.

I’m just trying to figure out where pitiful and epic failure fit in. It’s not like Iowa is some elite program or that Ferentz has a history of dominating our division. He’s got a losing a record vs Fitzgerald, Brohm and Chryst. If Nw wasn’t so god awful this year, I’d be doubting this upcoming game too.

We knew coming into the season that we had a pretty inexperienced DL, a QB who ranked in the bottom 20 of QB’s through a majority of the season last year and had a bunch of holes on the OL.

Kirk does enough to put out good teams and keep fans in the stands. We don’t have the lows of other programs and underachieve based on our talent at times because he’s not a great a scheme or X’s and O’s Guy.

I’m just surprised that fans expect anything else after watching his teams for 20+ years. We have to have an overwhelming amount of NFL talent to overcome his weaknesses as a coach. And I don’t see that on this team and didn’t see it coming into the season.

This is pretty much Iowa football. Not great, not bad but somewhere in the above average to good range.

 

[nbanflfactory]

I’m not. It was a fun ride and put us ahead of where I thought we’d be. I think we got lucky to win the PSU gameso honestly it could have been much worse.

I’m just trying to figure out where pitiful and epic failure fit in. It’s not like Iowa is some elite program or that Ferentz has a history of dominating our division. He’s got a losing a record vs Fitzgerald, Brohm and Chryst. If Nw wasn’t so god awful this year, I’d be doubting this upcoming game too.

We knew coming into the season that we had a pretty inexperienced DL, a QB who ranked in the bottom 20 of QB’s through a majority of the season last year and had a bunch of holes on the OL.

Kirk does enough to put out good teams and keep fans in the stands. We don’t have the lows of other programs and underachieve based on our talent at times because he’s not a great a scheme or X’s and O’s Guy.

I’m just surprised that fans expect anything else after watching his teams for 20+ years. We have to have an overwhelming amount of NFL talent to overcome his weaknesses as a coach. And I don’t see that on this team and didn’t see it coming into the season.

This is pretty much Iowa football. Not great, not bad but somewhere in the above average to good range.

if you wouldn't find it pitiful losing half or more games vs the west, then we clearly have different expectations.....

 

[iafan44]

So if we lose we not only pick a loss, but lose a game in the win column as well to drop to 5-3? Wow, that really would suck....

Losing to this northwestern team would not be a good loss. 7-2 and ranked in the top 20 is better than 6-3 and not ranked with 3 straight losses.
I'm sure we both want the same thing but I'm struggling to understand your posts to be honest. Are you giving me shit because I think losing to this northwestern team and losing 3 in a row and dropping out of the rankings would suck?

 

[Pat McGroyne]

Losing to this northwestern team would not be a good loss. 7-2 and ranked in the top 20 is better than 5-3 and not ranked with 3 straight losses.
I'm sure we both want the same thing but I'm struggling to understand your posts to be honest. Are you giving me shit because I think losing to this northwestern team and losing 3 in a row and dropping out of the rankings would suck?

He's telling you to check your numbers.

 

[hawkguy90]

7 step drops and stretch zone read run plays are prone to being blown up for losses even with a good OL

 

[mlb1399]

if you wouldn't find it pitiful losing half or more games vs the west, then we clearly have different expectations.....

I think the difference is I just don’t really have any expectations. Like I said, this is KF/Iowa football. Not bad, not great and closer to good. 8-9 wins is good for a KF coached team. And this team could still end up with 10-11 wins. Let’s not act like we’re out of the dog fight yet.

 

[iafan44]

He's telling you to check your numbers.

Hehe. Thank you. 6-3. Point still stands. 3 straight losses and not ranked vs 7-2 and top 20. He definitely could have just let me know instead of going about it that way. He knew what I meant. I usually enjoy his posts too.

 

[Thunderlips71]

So when Iowa has the ball it will be like a sloth “running” into a wet paper bag?

 

[hawk224]

Yeah, another wasted season in a weak division.

And this is exactly what’s wrong with college football these days. 9 wins is a wasted season? Give me a break. If the whole season is a bust because we didn’t make it to Indy and get curb stomped by OSU, then you might as well not watch at all.