It was tough watching yesterdays game. It's tough losing period, let alone getting embarrassed on national TV. Over the coming weeks, the national storyline will be how overrated Iowa was, how didn't deserve to be there and probably how weak the B1G west was.
That's ok. It doesn't take away how fun it's been to watch this team this year and watch them come together.
This game will be fuel for their fire. Adversity can be a strange thing. Some people wilt and give up. Others use it to get better. With the leadership we have on this team and the strong group of players coming back next year, I'm going to bet on the latter. They will remember this game when they are lifting weights in the offseason, when they are practicing and when they line up to play games with another chip on their shoulders next year.
The future looks bright for this team. If King comes back to finish out his degree, that's even better. If Ott gets another year, well then we are going to be a B1G favorite. We return 13 starters without King. With King, we are at 14.
Beathard will be a senior and you can't help but love that kid. I mean he plays banged up all season and then gets battered yesterday. He doesn't give up. He plays with heart and toughness and the guys respect that. I can't wait to watch him play a full season healthy.
I'm hopeful that our OL will be better next year. They had their challenges this year, especially in pass blocking. Daniels is a promising young player and hopefully our OT's develop. We heard a lot of hype out of Boettger this year and unfortunately he battled injuries. He will add some much needed bulk and could be a good one. Welsh played pretty good at G this year and I think it was tough on him to have to move around and play 3 different positions this year. That shows a what a versatile talent he is.
Defensively, I think our front 7 only gets better. I appreciate Meier's and Fishers contributions but I think we can find better production out of both of those positions. Johnson, Jewell and Bazata will make the middle of our defense stout. While Hesse looked under matched at times, with another 10-15lbs, I'm excited to see him develop into a good DE. It will be interesting to see who wins the OLB spot. Bower has gotten some meaningful playing time. Mends was a great pass rusher who brought a high level of quickness to the position.
That's ok. It doesn't take away how fun it's been to watch this team this year and watch them come together.
This game will be fuel for their fire. Adversity can be a strange thing. Some people wilt and give up. Others use it to get better. With the leadership we have on this team and the strong group of players coming back next year, I'm going to bet on the latter. They will remember this game when they are lifting weights in the offseason, when they are practicing and when they line up to play games with another chip on their shoulders next year.
The future looks bright for this team. If King comes back to finish out his degree, that's even better. If Ott gets another year, well then we are going to be a B1G favorite. We return 13 starters without King. With King, we are at 14.
Beathard will be a senior and you can't help but love that kid. I mean he plays banged up all season and then gets battered yesterday. He doesn't give up. He plays with heart and toughness and the guys respect that. I can't wait to watch him play a full season healthy.
I'm hopeful that our OL will be better next year. They had their challenges this year, especially in pass blocking. Daniels is a promising young player and hopefully our OT's develop. We heard a lot of hype out of Boettger this year and unfortunately he battled injuries. He will add some much needed bulk and could be a good one. Welsh played pretty good at G this year and I think it was tough on him to have to move around and play 3 different positions this year. That shows a what a versatile talent he is.
Defensively, I think our front 7 only gets better. I appreciate Meier's and Fishers contributions but I think we can find better production out of both of those positions. Johnson, Jewell and Bazata will make the middle of our defense stout. While Hesse looked under matched at times, with another 10-15lbs, I'm excited to see him develop into a good DE. It will be interesting to see who wins the OLB spot. Bower has gotten some meaningful playing time. Mends was a great pass rusher who brought a high level of quickness to the position.
