The Offensive Numbers - Rewatch ISU

[NCHawkeye24]

I re-watched the game through 3 quarters and charted the passing plays. While we are all thrilled that we (Iowa) are 2-0, we also are concerned about the offensive production. Keep in mind that the quickest release in the NFL is around 2.35 seconds, the median is around 2.6 and some of the higher ones are 3.1-3.2. The quick releases are for teams wanting to throw short, run long, and have the most dynamic of playmakers at the receiver positions. The higher clock times are for more play action teams or down field throws.

I charted 25 passing plays for Petras. Out of those:

Play Action: 0-3. 0 yds. His pocket times before he had pressure were 3.0, 3.6 and the other was a quick throw. Know that the play we all remember with CJ and Tevaun Smith in the B1G Championship Game was at 4.1 seconds. To be under center, fake a hand off, turn around, set, takes time. And this is 99% of the time a 1 read route. The 2 attempts were covered and Petras was sacked on 1 and just about sacked on the other.

Designed quick throw/screen. 5/7. 22 yds. These are 1 read routes for the most part, and while he had a higher completion percentage, there were no yards there.

Pressure throws. Petras was pressured/hit/sacked 13 out of the 25 passing plays. The average available pocket time was 2.59 seconds. The times are as follows: 2.0INC, 1.8SCRAM, 2.2Check, 3.0PA, 2.3Sack, 3.6PA SACK, 2.2HIT 21yds, 3.2SCRAM, 3.2SCRAM, 2.8DROP, 2.6 0yds, 2.7SACK, 2.4SACK.

No Pressure. 4-6. 62 yds. 1 TD. 2 of them were on 1st down, 3 on 2nd down, and 1 on 3rd down.

For his throws, Petras only had 1 throw that he should have progressed to another option (waggle to LaPorta instead of Lachey), and 1 bad throw which was high to LaPorta on 3rd down outside the hash marks. Other than that, he made the right decisions. The 2 sacks should have been avoided, but, this is as much to do with the play calling here than the QB. Because on 3rd down, the pocket times were 2.0, 1.8, 2.3, 3.2, 2.2, 2.7, 2.4.

ANALYSIS

ISU's defensive line is elite. Not only did those guys play with power, they also were quicker off the ball and played with maximum intensity the entire game. An example of that is on one play 55 beats the double team then runs down Goodson from behind as he turned the corner. What they were able to do with 3 down lineman was unbelievable. They were able to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback with 3, while we had 5 and sometimes 7 to block as we would bring in the TE and the RB to max protect, and still get to the quarterback! They kept their linebackers clean to plug holes and man the underneath crossing routes. Petras couldn't roll out because most of the time the pocket was closing on both sides, we couldn't screen to Goodson because he needed to stay in to block, and we couldn't go downfield because ISU caused all that havoc with 6, so that meant we had 3 receivers against 5 DB's, not counting the linebackers.

I don't know anything about how they grade the performance of offensive lineman, but from the re-watch it was obvious. Linderbaum is our best lineman, we all know that. 2nd has to be DeJong, although he did get beat pretty badly on the 2nd play of the game. 3rd would be a tie between Richman, Colby and Britt. Ince and Plumb looked to be totally overwhelmed out there. Not only did they not provide Petras time to throw, on the running plays the flowing action of the line usually took place 2-3 yards behind the line of scrimmage. For reference, I looked up some old video of Iowa yesteryears to see how the line looked when we were able to run the ball and the common denominator is that all of the flowing action takes place atleast 2-3 yards on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Then, on the big runs, there are lineman running downfield, getting second and sometimes third level blocks. None of that happened here. And, remember, ISU did all of this with 3 down lineman.

Now, the line has a lot of work to do, no question. But they aren't the only ones to blame here. The receivers are not getting open, nor are they holding their blocks in the running game. I would imagine that Petras always has a hot read, but when your check downs are not open or even double covered where do you go? It is obvious Jones is emerging as the best receiver on this team, the most engaged and most intense. Tracy so far is very underwhelming with respect to his talent. I wish I had access to the ALL 22 tape to see all the plays, but most of what I see is Tracy running half speed, not taking blocking seriously, even coming out of the huddle disengaged. Ragaini in the slot is not doing enough. The TE's are playing well, and I would not be surprised to see us go to a lot of 12 personnel with Jones and Tracy.

One last note. Campbell is and will be kicking himself for a long time over pissing this game away. They had all the tools this year, and I think had ISU stuck to the run and the dink and dunk stuff on the edges, kicked some field goals, they could have won this game. But he flinched first, got them behind, and then they kept getting Tory Taylor'ed (the best punter in the country hands down).

And one last, last note. I did a little scouting on our remaining opponents, and it is my opinion that ISU is by far and away the best defense we will face all year, both by scheme and personnel. Watching Wisconsin play, their defensive line is not nearly as talented, their linebackers are decent and their secondary is very suspect. PSU has a better secondary than Wisconsin, their defensive line is average but their linebackers are underwhelming and get caught up in the action too much. So saying that, I think we will be able to run on PSU and be able to pass on Wisconsin. I don't see anyone else on the schedule that will have the horses to match up.

 

[David1979]

Obviously the offensive needs work but I also think Iowa has the most difficult start to the season than any other Power 5 team in terms of the defenses it has faced. And the numbers are also affected by the leads Iowa has had. That is why in offensive efficiency they are not good but still average around I think 50 something. or 60. Florida has really good offensive numbers to start the season but their offense isn't great. I think it is actually a benefit to start this way to know what Iowa has to work on and the guys know they have a lot to work on as opposed to say starting with two cupcakes and you really don't get a sense of what you really are.

 

[BBHawk]

I agree with the OP completely. The blocking was underwhelming and MUST GET BETTER! Starting next week, this team needs to see improvement because they will encounter tougher, deeper teams. IA State probably was affected more by the heat than Iowa so that might have helped after halftime. Iowa won't always have that advantage.

That said, I expect the o-line to take time to gel. Happens every year. Getting Shooter back will help, but the tackles have to start playing better. Plumb has looked pedestrian if not horrible so far. He can play better but, if not, there is hopefully someone behind him that can.

 

[David1979]

I re-watched the game through 3 quarters and charted the passing plays. While we are all thrilled that we (Iowa) are 2-0, we also are concerned about the offensive production. Keep in mind that the quickest release in the NFL is around 2.35 seconds, the median is around 2.6 and some of the higher ones are 3.1-3.2. The quick releases are for teams wanting to throw short, run long, and have the most dynamic of playmakers at the receiver positions. The higher clock times are for more play action teams or down field throws.

I charted 25 passing plays for Petras. Out of those:

Play Action: 0-3. 0 yds. His pocket times before he had pressure were 3.0, 3.6 and the other was a quick throw. Know that the play we all remember with CJ and Tevaun Smith in the B1G Championship Game was at 4.1 seconds. To be under center, fake a hand off, turn around, set, takes time. And this is 99% of the time a 1 read route. The 2 attempts were covered and Petras was sacked on 1 and just about sacked on the other.

Designed quick throw/screen. 5/7. 22 yds. These are 1 read routes for the most part, and while he had a higher completion percentage, there were no yards there.

Pressure throws. Petras was pressured/hit/sacked 13 out of the 25 passing plays. The average available pocket time was 2.59 seconds. The times are as follows: 2.0INC, 1.8SCRAM, 2.2Check, 3.0PA, 2.3Sack, 3.6PA SACK, 2.2HIT 21yds, 3.2SCRAM, 3.2SCRAM, 2.8DROP, 2.6 0yds, 2.7SACK, 2.4SACK.

No Pressure. 4-6. 62 yds. 1 TD. 2 of them were on 1st down, 3 on 2nd down, and 1 on 3rd down.

For his throws, Petras only had 1 throw that he should have progressed to another option (waggle to LaPorta instead of Lachey), and 1 bad throw which was high to LaPorta on 3rd down outside the hash marks. Other than that, he made the right decisions. The 2 sacks should have been avoided, but, this is as much to do with the play calling here than the QB. Because on 3rd down, the pocket times were 2.0, 1.8, 2.3, 3.2, 2.2, 2.7, 2.4.

ANALYSIS

ISU's defensive line is elite. Not only did those guys play with power, they also were quicker off the ball and played with maximum intensity the entire game. An example of that is on one play 55 beats the double team then runs down Goodson from behind as he turned the corner. What they were able to do with 3 down lineman was unbelievable. They were able to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback with 3, while we had 5 and sometimes 7 to block as we would bring in the TE and the RB to max protect, and still get to the quarterback! They kept their linebackers clean to plug holes and man the underneath crossing routes. Petras couldn't roll out because most of the time the pocket was closing on both sides, we couldn't screen to Goodson because he needed to stay in to block, and we couldn't go downfield because ISU caused all that havoc with 6, so that meant we had 3 receivers against 5 DB's, not counting the linebackers.

I don't know anything about how they grade the performance of offensive lineman, but from the re-watch it was obvious. Linderbaum is our best lineman, we all know that. 2nd has to be DeJong, although he did get beat pretty badly on the 2nd play of the game. 3rd would be a tie between Richman, Colby and Britt. Ince and Plumb looked to be totally overwhelmed out there. Not only did they not provide Petras time to throw, on the running plays the flowing action of the line usually took place 2-3 yards behind the line of scrimmage. For reference, I looked up some old video of Iowa yesteryears to see how the line looked when we were able to run the ball and the common denominator is that all of the flowing action takes place atleast 2-3 yards on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Then, on the big runs, there are lineman running downfield, getting second and sometimes third level blocks. None of that happened here. And, remember, ISU did all of this with 3 down lineman.

Now, the line has a lot of work to do, no question. But they aren't the only ones to blame here. The receivers are not getting open, nor are they holding their blocks in the running game. I would imagine that Petras always has a hot read, but when your check downs are not open or even double covered where do you go? It is obvious Jones is emerging as the best receiver on this team, the most engaged and most intense. Tracy so far is very underwhelming with respect to his talent. I wish I had access to the ALL 22 tape to see all the plays, but most of what I see is Tracy running half speed, not taking blocking seriously, even coming out of the huddle disengaged. Ragaini in the slot is not doing enough. The TE's are playing well, and I would not be surprised to see us go to a lot of 12 personnel with Jones and Tracy.

One last note. Campbell is and will be kicking himself for a long time over pissing this game away. They had all the tools this year, and I think had ISU stuck to the run and the dink and dunk stuff on the edges, kicked some field goals, they could have won this game. But he flinched first, got them behind, and then they kept getting Tory Taylor'ed (the best punter in the country hands down).

And one last, last note. I did a little scouting on our remaining opponents, and it is my opinion that ISU is by far and away the best defense we will face all year, both by scheme and personnel. Watching Wisconsin play, their defensive line is not nearly as talented, their linebackers are decent and their secondary is very suspect. PSU has a better secondary than Wisconsin, their defensive line is average but their linebackers are underwhelming and get caught up in the action too much. So saying that, I think we will be able to run on PSU and be able to pass on Wisconsin. I don't see anyone else on the schedule that will have the horses to match up.

Wisconsin defense is really good. Maybe not elite DL but I would put their defense up with ISU any day.

 

[SI_NYC]

I re-watched the game through 3 quarters and charted the passing plays. While we are all thrilled that we (Iowa) are 2-0, we also are concerned about the offensive production. Keep in mind that the quickest release in the NFL is around 2.35 seconds, the median is around 2.6 and some of the higher ones are 3.1-3.2. The quick releases are for teams wanting to throw short, run long, and have the most dynamic of playmakers at the receiver positions. The higher clock times are for more play action teams or down field throws.

I charted 25 passing plays for Petras. Out of those:

Play Action: 0-3. 0 yds. His pocket times before he had pressure were 3.0, 3.6 and the other was a quick throw. Know that the play we all remember with CJ and Tevaun Smith in the B1G Championship Game was at 4.1 seconds. To be under center, fake a hand off, turn around, set, takes time. And this is 99% of the time a 1 read route. The 2 attempts were covered and Petras was sacked on 1 and just about sacked on the other.

Designed quick throw/screen. 5/7. 22 yds. These are 1 read routes for the most part, and while he had a higher completion percentage, there were no yards there.

Pressure throws. Petras was pressured/hit/sacked 13 out of the 25 passing plays. The average available pocket time was 2.59 seconds. The times are as follows: 2.0INC, 1.8SCRAM, 2.2Check, 3.0PA, 2.3Sack, 3.6PA SACK, 2.2HIT 21yds, 3.2SCRAM, 3.2SCRAM, 2.8DROP, 2.6 0yds, 2.7SACK, 2.4SACK.

No Pressure. 4-6. 62 yds. 1 TD. 2 of them were on 1st down, 3 on 2nd down, and 1 on 3rd down.

For his throws, Petras only had 1 throw that he should have progressed to another option (waggle to LaPorta instead of Lachey), and 1 bad throw which was high to LaPorta on 3rd down outside the hash marks. Other than that, he made the right decisions. The 2 sacks should have been avoided, but, this is as much to do with the play calling here than the QB. Because on 3rd down, the pocket times were 2.0, 1.8, 2.3, 3.2, 2.2, 2.7, 2.4.

ANALYSIS

ISU's defensive line is elite. Not only did those guys play with power, they also were quicker off the ball and played with maximum intensity the entire game. An example of that is on one play 55 beats the double team then runs down Goodson from behind as he turned the corner. What they were able to do with 3 down lineman was unbelievable. They were able to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback with 3, while we had 5 and sometimes 7 to block as we would bring in the TE and the RB to max protect, and still get to the quarterback! They kept their linebackers clean to plug holes and man the underneath crossing routes. Petras couldn't roll out because most of the time the pocket was closing on both sides, we couldn't screen to Goodson because he needed to stay in to block, and we couldn't go downfield because ISU caused all that havoc with 6, so that meant we had 3 receivers against 5 DB's, not counting the linebackers.

I don't know anything about how they grade the performance of offensive lineman, but from the re-watch it was obvious. Linderbaum is our best lineman, we all know that. 2nd has to be DeJong, although he did get beat pretty badly on the 2nd play of the game. 3rd would be a tie between Richman, Colby and Britt. Ince and Plumb looked to be totally overwhelmed out there. Not only did they not provide Petras time to throw, on the running plays the flowing action of the line usually took place 2-3 yards behind the line of scrimmage. For reference, I looked up some old video of Iowa yesteryears to see how the line looked when we were able to run the ball and the common denominator is that all of the flowing action takes place atleast 2-3 yards on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Then, on the big runs, there are lineman running downfield, getting second and sometimes third level blocks. None of that happened here. And, remember, ISU did all of this with 3 down lineman.

Now, the line has a lot of work to do, no question. But they aren't the only ones to blame here. The receivers are not getting open, nor are they holding their blocks in the running game. I would imagine that Petras always has a hot read, but when your check downs are not open or even double covered where do you go? It is obvious Jones is emerging as the best receiver on this team, the most engaged and most intense. Tracy so far is very underwhelming with respect to his talent. I wish I had access to the ALL 22 tape to see all the plays, but most of what I see is Tracy running half speed, not taking blocking seriously, even coming out of the huddle disengaged. Ragaini in the slot is not doing enough. The TE's are playing well, and I would not be surprised to see us go to a lot of 12 personnel with Jones and Tracy.

One last note. Campbell is and will be kicking himself for a long time over pissing this game away. They had all the tools this year, and I think had ISU stuck to the run and the dink and dunk stuff on the edges, kicked some field goals, they could have won this game. But he flinched first, got them behind, and then they kept getting Tory Taylor'ed (the best punter in the country hands down).

And one last, last note. I did a little scouting on our remaining opponents, and it is my opinion that ISU is by far and away the best defense we will face all year, both by scheme and personnel. Watching Wisconsin play, their defensive line is not nearly as talented, their linebackers are decent and their secondary is very suspect. PSU has a better secondary than Wisconsin, their defensive line is average but their linebackers are underwhelming and get caught up in the action too much. So saying that, I think we will be able to run on PSU and be able to pass on Wisconsin. I don't see anyone else on the schedule that will have the horses to match up.

Great post. Perhaps others will read this and lighten up on Petras some.

 

[mooresville hawk]

Thank you for taking the time to do this. There is some very good analysis. The offense needs to get better and I feel confident that it will. The offensive line will continue to gel, especially with getting Shooter back. I am concerned about Tracy looking disengaged. Hopefully, Brian and Kelton can fix this by getting him more involved. It is hard to believe that Iowa is ranked number five in the country and has not been playing its best ball on offense yet.

 

[fezzador]

Great post. Perhaps other will read this and lighten up on Petras some.

I think a lot of what we saw in real-time was knee-jerk reactions and folks were quick to blame Petras because he's a convenient scapegoat. After further review, I've definitely softened my stance some since Saturday. It was a little aggravating watching SP take sacks instead of throwing the ball away, but he has really done an excellent job of maintaining possession of the ball and helping win the field position battle. When he starts fumbling or chucking mindless INTs then yes fans should be clamoring for a change, but when he's getting very little help from the rest of the offense it's completely unfair to squarely place the blame on him. He needs a running game to open up the passing attack. OL has to improve both in run and pass blocking. And I suspect they will in time. The Maryland game might be sneaky-tough, but it's our defense that will be tested more than our offense. It's the Penn State game that will really test the offense's mettle.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

Thank you for the complimentary replies. Its impossible to get objective analysis on any of these teams because the "experts" can't possibly dissect everyone's game film and so most just look at the scores or the stats. In this case, with this ISU game being a top ten game, on the road with an experienced team, the game plan was going to be:

1. No turnovers. Zero.
2. Try to run the ball as much as you can. This eats clock, shortens the game, makes each possession much more valuable and limits the chance of a turnover.
3. Win the field position battle with the best weapon on the field in Taylor. I can't stop gushing about that guy because not only can he kick it long, he can kick it high and have the amazing ability to kick it differently if he wants to check the ball.
4. No penalties.
5. Hang around and wait for the opponent to make the first mistake.
6. Capitalize on the mistakes.
7. Continue to suck the life out of them by making them one-dimensional, which makes them press and makes them make more mistakes.

Could we have done more? Absolutely, but, with risk. Crossing patterns are effective, especially against an over-pursuing line, but are prone to tipped passes. Look at all the passes that have been tipped by us at the line of scrimmage in the first 2 games. Its a lot and some of them have been converted into interceptions. Then, the other throw that is going to be available are the out-routes over the second level. Those throws are very risky and really low-percentage. Petras will have to make that throw sometime, for sure, but if he doesn't have to, why do it? So what the coaches are doing are taking the higher percentage stuff, mostly all line-of-sight patterns.

This last game was all about the percentages, and Campbell chose to bite on the poison apple and go against the percentages when they really never had to. That is how you win games on the road, and how we have a coach for 23 years.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

I think a lot of what we saw in real-time was knee-jerk reactions and folks were quick to blame Petras because he's a convenient scapegoat. After further review, I've definitely softened my stance some since Saturday. It was a little aggravating watching SP take sacks instead of throwing the ball away, but he has really done an excellent job of maintaining possession of the ball and helping win the field position battle. When he starts fumbling or chucking mindless INTs then yes fans should be clamoring for a change, but when he's getting very little help from the rest of the offense it's completely unfair to squarely place the blame on him. He needs a running game to open up the passing attack. OL has to improve both in run and pass blocking. And I suspect they will in time. The Maryland game might be sneaky-tough, but it's our defense that will be tested more than our offense. It's the Penn State game that will really test the offense's mettle.

I actually didn't mind the sacks as much. If you think about the game play at the time, we had a lead in both instances, the field position, and had control pretty much on defense. If you replay those plays, the pressure he gets is sudden and unexpected, especially the one up the middle. So at that point he could have tried to throw it away, but risk getting his arm hit and fumbling or throwing a pick, so the safest thing to do was tuck it an go down. Everything is still in play if he does that. I think he really did the right thing because if we had turned it over there the momentum could have swung and got them back in the game.

But know, the safer play there is to either run the ball or to quick throw to a hot read (which they probably did on both occassions but were covered), or screen, which neither would be popular either. I would say it is hard to stand in there on 3rd and 10 when you know you have 1.8-2.0 seconds to get rid of a ball before you get hit.

 

[desihawk]

great posts. i don't have anything original to offer since i've seen these mentioned by others but --

1. Zero turnovers didn't happen by accident, so the offense deserves a ton of credit for this. Offensive output of 400-yards with two TDs and 2 INTs makes the qb and offense look more prolific but doubt the score difference would be any better.

2. I think BF deliberately called those dropbacks on 3rd down. Not that he intended Petras to get sacked but they are setting up something for later. It was a no brainer otherwise to just hand the ball to the FB or even have Petras lug it for a few yards. Easy FG both times and perhaps the complaints about the offense are much more muted...

 

[fezzador]

I actually didn't mind the sacks as much. If you think about the game play at the time, we had a lead in both instances, the field position, and had control pretty much on defense. If you replay those plays, the pressure he gets is sudden and unexpected, especially the one up the middle. So at that point he could have tried to throw it away, but risk getting his arm hit and fumbling or throwing a pick, so the safest thing to do was tuck it an go down. Everything is still in play if he does that. I think he really did the right thing because if we had turned it over there the momentum could have swung and got them back in the game.

But know, the safer play there is to either run the ball or to quick throw to a hot read (which they probably did on both occassions but were covered), or screen, which neither would be popular either. I would say it is hard to stand in there on 3rd and 10 when you know you have 1.8-2.0 seconds to get rid of a ball before you get hit.

I don't disagree with that. Throwing the ball away is obviously preferable to taking a sack, but taking a sack while maintaining possession is infinitely preferable to a turnover.

Still, the OL has work to do. The coaching staff saw everything we did in the game, and noticed things that we didn't notice. They'll have plenty to work on in all three phases of the game over the next 3 weeks. I suspect we'll move the ball a little better with each successive week until a potentially huge showdown with Penn State - this will have the feel of a de facto B1G championship game.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

I re-watched the game through 3 quarters and charted the passing plays. While we are all thrilled that we (Iowa) are 2-0, we also are concerned about the offensive production. Keep in mind that the quickest release in the NFL is around 2.35 seconds, the median is around 2.6 and some of the higher ones are 3.1-3.2. The quick releases are for teams wanting to throw short, run long, and have the most dynamic of playmakers at the receiver positions. The higher clock times are for more play action teams or down field throws.

I charted 25 passing plays for Petras. Out of those:

Play Action: 0-3. 0 yds. His pocket times before he had pressure were 3.0, 3.6 and the other was a quick throw. Know that the play we all remember with CJ and Tevaun Smith in the B1G Championship Game was at 4.1 seconds. To be under center, fake a hand off, turn around, set, takes time. And this is 99% of the time a 1 read route. The 2 attempts were covered and Petras was sacked on 1 and just about sacked on the other.

Designed quick throw/screen. 5/7. 22 yds. These are 1 read routes for the most part, and while he had a higher completion percentage, there were no yards there.

Pressure throws. Petras was pressured/hit/sacked 13 out of the 25 passing plays. The average available pocket time was 2.59 seconds. The times are as follows: 2.0INC, 1.8SCRAM, 2.2Check, 3.0PA, 2.3Sack, 3.6PA SACK, 2.2HIT 21yds, 3.2SCRAM, 3.2SCRAM, 2.8DROP, 2.6 0yds, 2.7SACK, 2.4SACK.

No Pressure. 4-6. 62 yds. 1 TD. 2 of them were on 1st down, 3 on 2nd down, and 1 on 3rd down.

For his throws, Petras only had 1 throw that he should have progressed to another option (waggle to LaPorta instead of Lachey), and 1 bad throw which was high to LaPorta on 3rd down outside the hash marks. Other than that, he made the right decisions. The 2 sacks should have been avoided, but, this is as much to do with the play calling here than the QB. Because on 3rd down, the pocket times were 2.0, 1.8, 2.3, 3.2, 2.2, 2.7, 2.4.

ANALYSIS

ISU's defensive line is elite. Not only did those guys play with power, they also were quicker off the ball and played with maximum intensity the entire game. An example of that is on one play 55 beats the double team then runs down Goodson from behind as he turned the corner. What they were able to do with 3 down lineman was unbelievable. They were able to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback with 3, while we had 5 and sometimes 7 to block as we would bring in the TE and the RB to max protect, and still get to the quarterback! They kept their linebackers clean to plug holes and man the underneath crossing routes. Petras couldn't roll out because most of the time the pocket was closing on both sides, we couldn't screen to Goodson because he needed to stay in to block, and we couldn't go downfield because ISU caused all that havoc with 6, so that meant we had 3 receivers against 5 DB's, not counting the linebackers.

I don't know anything about how they grade the performance of offensive lineman, but from the re-watch it was obvious. Linderbaum is our best lineman, we all know that. 2nd has to be DeJong, although he did get beat pretty badly on the 2nd play of the game. 3rd would be a tie between Richman, Colby and Britt. Ince and Plumb looked to be totally overwhelmed out there. Not only did they not provide Petras time to throw, on the running plays the flowing action of the line usually took place 2-3 yards behind the line of scrimmage. For reference, I looked up some old video of Iowa yesteryears to see how the line looked when we were able to run the ball and the common denominator is that all of the flowing action takes place atleast 2-3 yards on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Then, on the big runs, there are lineman running downfield, getting second and sometimes third level blocks. None of that happened here. And, remember, ISU did all of this with 3 down lineman.

Now, the line has a lot of work to do, no question. But they aren't the only ones to blame here. The receivers are not getting open, nor are they holding their blocks in the running game. I would imagine that Petras always has a hot read, but when your check downs are not open or even double covered where do you go? It is obvious Jones is emerging as the best receiver on this team, the most engaged and most intense. Tracy so far is very underwhelming with respect to his talent. I wish I had access to the ALL 22 tape to see all the plays, but most of what I see is Tracy running half speed, not taking blocking seriously, even coming out of the huddle disengaged. Ragaini in the slot is not doing enough. The TE's are playing well, and I would not be surprised to see us go to a lot of 12 personnel with Jones and Tracy.

One last note. Campbell is and will be kicking himself for a long time over pissing this game away. They had all the tools this year, and I think had ISU stuck to the run and the dink and dunk stuff on the edges, kicked some field goals, they could have won this game. But he flinched first, got them behind, and then they kept getting Tory Taylor'ed (the best punter in the country hands down).

And one last, last note. I did a little scouting on our remaining opponents, and it is my opinion that ISU is by far and away the best defense we will face all year, both by scheme and personnel. Watching Wisconsin play, their defensive line is not nearly as talented, their linebackers are decent and their secondary is very suspect. PSU has a better secondary than Wisconsin, their defensive line is average but their linebackers are underwhelming and get caught up in the action too much. So saying that, I think we will be able to run on PSU and be able to pass on Wisconsin. I don't see anyone else on the schedule that will have the horses to match up.

If Iowa can pick up Wisconsin's pressures ... then that diffuses much of their defensive threat. They make their money by getting penetration ... blowing up early down plays ... and getting the opposition stuck playing behind the chains.

Pick up those pressures, keep on schedule, and work in some shots downfield ... and your looking at a REAL ability to move the ball.

Penn State has some "dudes" as rushers ... but their D is likely, at best, the 4th best unit we face this year.

 

[mstp1992]

Thank you for the complimentary replies. Its impossible to get objective analysis on any of these teams because the "experts" can't possibly dissect everyone's game film and so most just look at the scores or the stats. In this case, with this ISU game being a top ten game, on the road with an experienced team, the game plan was going to be:

1. No turnovers. Zero.
2. Try to run the ball as much as you can. This eats clock, shortens the game, makes each possession much more valuable and limits the chance of a turnover.
3. Win the field position battle with the best weapon on the field in Taylor. I can't stop gushing about that guy because not only can he kick it long, he can kick it high and have the amazing ability to kick it differently if he wants to check the ball.
4. No penalties.
5. Hang around and wait for the opponent to make the first mistake.
6. Capitalize on the mistakes.
7. Continue to suck the life out of them by making them one-dimensional, which makes them press and makes them make more mistakes.

Could we have done more? Absolutely, but, with risk. Crossing patterns are effective, especially against an over-pursuing line, but are prone to tipped passes. Look at all the passes that have been tipped by us at the line of scrimmage in the first 2 games. Its a lot and some of them have been converted into interceptions. Then, the other throw that is going to be available are the out-routes over the second level. Those throws are very risky and really low-percentage. Petras will have to make that throw sometime, for sure, but if he doesn't have to, why do it? So what the coaches are doing are taking the higher percentage stuff, mostly all line-of-sight patterns.

This last game was all about the percentages, and Campbell chose to bite on the poison apple and go against the percentages when they really never had to. That is how you win games on the road, and how we have a coach for 23 years.

Very good, and educational posts you've made. I have to ask, though, was Iowa State's defense just that good or is Iowa o-line really kind of a bust right now? Or is it some of both?

It really got to the point that I thought with 3rd and long, but in FG range I was hoping Petras would just sneak it forward for a couple yards; the ol' KISS principle. Fortunately, Shudak has a cannon for a leg.

 

[kceasthawk]

great posts. i don't have anything original to offer since i've seen these mentioned by others but --

1. Zero turnovers didn't happen by accident, so the offense deserves a ton of credit for this. Offensive output of 400-yards with two TDs and 2 INTs makes the qb and offense look more prolific but doubt the score difference would be any better.

2. I think BF deliberately called those dropbacks on 3rd down. Not that he intended Petras to get sacked but they are setting up something for later. It was a no brainer otherwise to just hand the ball to the FB or even have Petras lug it for a few yards. Easy FG both times and perhaps the complaints about the offense are much more muted...

ZERO turnovers for the last FIVE games against ISU. Now thats impressive! Kf has this Cyhawk thing figured out.......

 

[obfuscating]

You could look back 20 years and have the same post...rinse and repeat.

ISU runs a 3-5(ish) Defense that is built to stop the run, and with little to no pass threat, even harder.

 

[longliveCS40]

This is good analysis, OP. I was pretty hard on Petras after the first two games but when I rewatched a bit and saw the lackluster OL run blocking and pass blocking, I realized it wasn't his issue a lot of the time.

 

[LIV4GOD]

Throwing the ball away is obviously preferable to taking a sack, but taking a sack while maintaining possession is infinitely preferable to a turnover.

Except in the case where the sack takes us out of FG range. That, in essence, is a turnover. instead of going for 3 you're giving them the ball back.

 

[mstp1992]

This is good analysis, OP. I was pretty hard on Petras after the first two games but when I rewatched a bit and saw the lackluster OL run blocking and pass blocking, I realized it wasn't his issue a lot of the time.

Again, zero turnovers by Petras against a very solid defense (Indiana) and a top 10 defense (Iowa State). Perhaps I’ve been too harsh on Petras as well. With Iowa’s defense and Taylor’s punting, I can see going very conservative on offense makes a lot of sense.

 

[longliveCS40]

Again, zero turnovers by Petras against a very solid defense (Indiana) and a top 10 defense (Iowa State). Perhaps I’ve been too harsh on Petras as well. With Iowa’s defense and Taylor’s punting, I can see going very conservative on offense makes a lot of sense.

Agreed. It's the formula that has led to big years at Iowa. Good defense and special teams and wear teams down over the course of the game.

If Petras can learn to throw the ball away rather than taking sacks (without turning them into interceptions) we'll be in good shape. If Petras starts getting more time to throw due to better pass blocking and a better run game, we'll be in great shape.

 

[fezzador]

Except in the case where the sack takes us out of FG range. That, in essence, is a turnover. instead of going for 3 you're giving them the ball back.

Yes and no. It's a field-position battle, so would you rather miss a 48 yard field goal and have your opponent start on their own 30-31 yard line, or get sacked to the 40 and potentially pin your opponent inside their own 10?

 

[twindman]

At first I thought Petras should get rid of the ball quicker and avoid sacks. Or step up into the pocket. But then I noticed that on some of the sacks, there were cyclones coming up the middle AND from the outside. I wasn't sure if he could be better at picking up where the pressure will come from and turn the other way maybe??? Otherwise, he had no chance on many plays because of the poor line play.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

Very good, and educational posts you've made. I have to ask, though, was Iowa State's defense just that good or is Iowa o-line really kind of a bust right now? Or is it some of both?

It really got to the point that I thought with 3rd and long, but in FG range I was hoping Petras would just sneak it forward for a couple yards; the ol' KISS principle. Fortunately, Shudak has a cannon for a leg.

To answer your question, I think it is definitely some of both. I don't think our o-line is a bust, I think it is just cohesion issues. Often times against the 3 man front there was atleast one of our offensive lineman that weren't blocking anyone. But on the flip side, ISU's defensive ends could get to the quarterback by bull rushing, quickness to the inside and pure speed on the outside, while showing they could beat double teams. I personally think they are really really good and if they play with that type of intensity throughout the season opposing offenses will be in trouble. Of all the games I watched and re-watched, the intensity of both Iowa and ISU is off the charts compared to everyone else. This was literally a playoff atmosphere and effort on both sides.

Going forward Shooter is really going to help on the inside next to Linderbaum. Then, I have a lot of confidence in Richman, DeJong and Colby as they are so young to grow exponentially from week to week. I think Plumb is overwhelmed, Ince is serviceable and I don't know what to really think about Britt. But I think by the middle to the end of the year you will see those first 5 guys in lineup and possibly a new guy or 2 emerge.

 

[DodgerHawki]

Except in the case where the sack takes us out of FG range. That, in essence, is a turnover. instead of going for 3 you're giving them the ball back.

The one where Iowa was up 21-10 and he took the sack to set up a 51-yard field goal was bad. But I blame the coaching as much as what happened. By that time in the game, Iowa couldn't protect in 3rd and long. Call a run to get a few yards and set up a shorter FG to go up 2 TD's. Throwing it away can be tricky if you can't get out of the pocket. If you are still in the pocket, it has to be thrown in the vicinity without having a chance of an interception. That can be difficult when the rush is caving in.

Basically the OL needs to improve quite a bit in the next 2 weeks.

 

[Lone Clone]

Yes and no. It's a field-position battle, so would you rather miss a 48 yard field goal and have your opponent start on their own 30-31 yard line, or get sacked to the 40 and potentially pin your opponent inside their own 10?

That's a good point. IIRC -- and I'm trying to forget as much as I can -- the only time ISU had even decent field position was when Shudak missed his first FG attempt.

 

[LIV4GOD]

Yes and no. It's a field-position battle, so would you rather miss a 48 yard field goal and have your opponent start on their own 30-31 yard line, or get sacked to the 40 and potentially pin your opponent inside their own 10?

I'd rather have the opportunity of making the field goal.

 

[LIV4GOD]

That's a good point. IIRC -- and I'm trying to forget as much as I can -- the only time ISU had even decent field position was when the snapper caused the Shudak missed FG attempt.

FIFY

We've got a good kicker in this Shudak. We need to give that boy more opportunities.

 

[Cresthawk]

Some great analysis above. SP needs to know how to unload the ball as I'm not sure the Oline will improve enough during the year for him to have the luxury of time in the pocket on 3rd downs. The Oline is awfully young but I'm not sure the physical ability is there at the tackle spots. We have at least one WR that can't create any separation unless the defense screws up. He's a great kid and teammate who doesn't make mistakes but he just can't get away from anyone and has an unfortunate history of dropping the ball. We need another talent on the outside. With the Dline showing its stuff, this team will go as far as the Oline can take it at this point. SP will be up and down but the Oline needs to step up.

 

[rider57]

There was a levels route (#1 ran a post, #2 a dig) on Iowa's first trip inside ISU territory, where he went for the homerun. If he had read the safety like he should have on that play he would have hit the underneath route, which would have went for big yards. So there is at least one more misread.

 

[Whiskeydeltadeltatango]

Im pretty sure watching teams crash the box because they have zero fear of getting beat over the top is watching Iowa footbal 101 for all but about 5 of KFs years.


Its the 2021 Hawkeyes and again we have achance to watch how far a great defense can carry a sub par offense.

 

[LampoonYou]

I re-watched the game through 3 quarters and charted the passing plays. While we are all thrilled that we (Iowa) are 2-0, we also are concerned about the offensive production. Keep in mind that the quickest release in the NFL is around 2.35 seconds, the median is around 2.6 and some of the higher ones are 3.1-3.2. The quick releases are for teams wanting to throw short, run long, and have the most dynamic of playmakers at the receiver positions. The higher clock times are for more play action teams or down field throws.

I charted 25 passing plays for Petras. Out of those:

Play Action: 0-3. 0 yds. His pocket times before he had pressure were 3.0, 3.6 and the other was a quick throw. Know that the play we all remember with CJ and Tevaun Smith in the B1G Championship Game was at 4.1 seconds. To be under center, fake a hand off, turn around, set, takes time. And this is 99% of the time a 1 read route. The 2 attempts were covered and Petras was sacked on 1 and just about sacked on the other.

Designed quick throw/screen. 5/7. 22 yds. These are 1 read routes for the most part, and while he had a higher completion percentage, there were no yards there.

Pressure throws. Petras was pressured/hit/sacked 13 out of the 25 passing plays. The average available pocket time was 2.59 seconds. The times are as follows: 2.0INC, 1.8SCRAM, 2.2Check, 3.0PA, 2.3Sack, 3.6PA SACK, 2.2HIT 21yds, 3.2SCRAM, 3.2SCRAM, 2.8DROP, 2.6 0yds, 2.7SACK, 2.4SACK.

No Pressure. 4-6. 62 yds. 1 TD. 2 of them were on 1st down, 3 on 2nd down, and 1 on 3rd down.

For his throws, Petras only had 1 throw that he should have progressed to another option (waggle to LaPorta instead of Lachey), and 1 bad throw which was high to LaPorta on 3rd down outside the hash marks. Other than that, he made the right decisions. The 2 sacks should have been avoided, but, this is as much to do with the play calling here than the QB. Because on 3rd down, the pocket times were 2.0, 1.8, 2.3, 3.2, 2.2, 2.7, 2.4.

ANALYSIS

ISU's defensive line is elite. Not only did those guys play with power, they also were quicker off the ball and played with maximum intensity the entire game. An example of that is on one play 55 beats the double team then runs down Goodson from behind as he turned the corner. What they were able to do with 3 down lineman was unbelievable. They were able to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback with 3, while we had 5 and sometimes 7 to block as we would bring in the TE and the RB to max protect, and still get to the quarterback! They kept their linebackers clean to plug holes and man the underneath crossing routes. Petras couldn't roll out because most of the time the pocket was closing on both sides, we couldn't screen to Goodson because he needed to stay in to block, and we couldn't go downfield because ISU caused all that havoc with 6, so that meant we had 3 receivers against 5 DB's, not counting the linebackers.

I don't know anything about how they grade the performance of offensive lineman, but from the re-watch it was obvious. Linderbaum is our best lineman, we all know that. 2nd has to be DeJong, although he did get beat pretty badly on the 2nd play of the game. 3rd would be a tie between Richman, Colby and Britt. Ince and Plumb looked to be totally overwhelmed out there. Not only did they not provide Petras time to throw, on the running plays the flowing action of the line usually took place 2-3 yards behind the line of scrimmage. For reference, I looked up some old video of Iowa yesteryears to see how the line looked when we were able to run the ball and the common denominator is that all of the flowing action takes place atleast 2-3 yards on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Then, on the big runs, there are lineman running downfield, getting second and sometimes third level blocks. None of that happened here. And, remember, ISU did all of this with 3 down lineman.

Now, the line has a lot of work to do, no question. But they aren't the only ones to blame here. The receivers are not getting open, nor are they holding their blocks in the running game. I would imagine that Petras always has a hot read, but when your check downs are not open or even double covered where do you go? It is obvious Jones is emerging as the best receiver on this team, the most engaged and most intense. Tracy so far is very underwhelming with respect to his talent. I wish I had access to the ALL 22 tape to see all the plays, but most of what I see is Tracy running half speed, not taking blocking seriously, even coming out of the huddle disengaged. Ragaini in the slot is not doing enough. The TE's are playing well, and I would not be surprised to see us go to a lot of 12 personnel with Jones and Tracy.

One last note. Campbell is and will be kicking himself for a long time over pissing this game away. They had all the tools this year, and I think had ISU stuck to the run and the dink and dunk stuff on the edges, kicked some field goals, they could have won this game. But he flinched first, got them behind, and then they kept getting Tory Taylor'ed (the best punter in the country hands down).

And one last, last note. I did a little scouting on our remaining opponents, and it is my opinion that ISU is by far and away the best defense we will face all year, both by scheme and personnel. Watching Wisconsin play, their defensive line is not nearly as talented, their linebackers are decent and their secondary is very suspect. PSU has a better secondary than Wisconsin, their defensive line is average but their linebackers are underwhelming and get caught up in the action too much. So saying that, I think we will be able to run on PSU and be able to pass on Wisconsin. I don't see anyone else on the schedule that will have the horses to match up.

Dang, You took some serious time to evaluate the offensive production! I had my suspicions on the WR play because I didn’t see much separation.
Seriously great work!

My wife (no pic allowed she’s too hot) would break out the honey do list and slap me silly if I sat down with a stop watch and charted plays.
Now can we get one on the Iowa defense? 😜

 

[AuroraHawk]

If you replay those plays, the pressure he gets is sudden and unexpected, especially the one up the middle. So at that point he could have tried to throw it away, but risk getting his arm hit and fumbling or throwing a pick, so the safest thing to do was tuck it an go down. Everything is still in play if he does that. I think he really did the right thing because if we had turned it over there the momentum could have swung and got them back in the game.

I agree on the one up the middle (where Shudak drilled the FG afterwards). Taking the 11 yard loss outside of the pocket was a different story. Plenty of time to chuck it to the cheap seats. That one was a mental error on Petras' part.

 

[fezzador]

I'd rather have the opportunity of making the field goal.

Well yeah, obviously getting 3 points is preferable to either getting sacked and forced to punt, or missing altogether.

In a game where points are at a premium, if you're in "no man's land" where FGs are far from automatic but too close to punt (basically the 25-35 yard lines, depending on the strength of your kicker). If you're inside the 30 you might as well go for it if you don't have much faith in your kicker. If it's at the 30 or 35, it might be best to take a delay-of-game penalty to give your punter some extra room to work with, because if it goes in the end zone it ends up being only a 10 or 15 yard net difference. If you can pin your opponent inside their own 15 then the decision was absolutely worth it.

 

[LIV4GOD]

I'm really looking forward to seeing this game. There are two things I'll be watching more closely.

1. Can the offense produce more? Texax A & M never punted against Kent State.
2. Can the defense shut down the flashes running game? They're ranked 2nd in the nation at 360 yds/game.

 

[LIV4GOD]

Well yeah, obviously getting 3 points is preferable to either getting sacked and forced to punt, or missing altogether.

In a game where points are at a premium, if you're in "no man's land" where FGs are far from automatic but too close to punt (basically the 25-35 yard lines, depending on the strength of your kicker). If you're inside the 30 you might as well go for it if you don't have much faith in your kicker. If it's at the 30 or 35, it might be best to take a delay-of-game penalty to give your punter some extra room to work with, because if it goes in the end zone it ends up being only a 10 or 15 yard net difference. If you can pin your opponent inside their own 15 then the decision was absolutely worth it.

I see your points. You started out with would you rather miss a 48 yard field goal, or get sacked and put them inside the 10 after getting sacked scenario That's a tiny bit too pessimistic for me. I'll take going for the 48 yarder every single time. Try to score points. If your kicker sucks, then yeah, you may change your strategy. But ours doesn't. And I'm not unduly concerned with them starting out on the 30 versus the potential 10 yard line with our D. Plus, remember, Taylor did great this week, but just the week before he put many kicks into the end zone, yielding them starting on the 20 yard line.

 

[hawkfeever]

Im pretty sure watching teams crash the box because they have zero fear of getting beat over the top is watching Iowa footbal 101 for all but about 5 of KFs years.


Its the 2021 Hawkeyes and again we have achance to watch how far a great defense can carry a sub par offense.

Yet they were the 2nd ranked offense in the Big Ten just last year.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

There was a levels route (#1 ran a post, #2 a dig) on Iowa's first trip inside ISU territory, where he went for the homerun. If he had read the safety like he should have on that play he would have hit the underneath route, which would have went for big yards. So there is at least one more misread.

Great observation. I went back and re-watched that play and I kind of have to disagree with you, even though it looks like in the end the misread. Petras is definitely staring at the safety who pretty much just stayed still, not biting on the PA nor the post route. When Petras makes his decision, Tracy is 5 yds behind the safety and the safety is still looking at Petras. But then as soon as Petras winds up, the safety turns around and runs, all while the other safety kind of re-routes Tracy. Petras could have thrown it to Jones, maybe, but he had a linebacker running with him, and it was across the middle in traffic. I think it was just a hell of a play by the safeties to not bite on the PA and run down the play. I think though had Jones taken a little deeper path and Petras had a little more time to throw, it may have gone for a touchdown, but its a tough throw. And btw, Ince is who totally whiffed on the block as to why Petras and pressure in his face.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

Yet they were the 2nd ranked offense in the Big Ten just last year.

The addition of Alaric Jackson, Kallenberger, Schott and ISM would definitely make this offense more dynamic right now. Ihmir certainly opened up a lot of things especially.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

Dang, You took some serious time to evaluate the offensive production! I had my suspicions on the WR play because I didn’t see much separation.
Seriously great work!

My wife (no pic allowed she’s too hot) would break out the honey do list and slap me silly if I sat down with a stop watch and charted plays.
Now can we get one on the Iowa defense? 😜

Thanks for the compliment! I just had the opportunity to escape to my office for a little bit. Defense? I will work on that!

 

[The Deplorable Sleeping Dog]

Thank you OP. Just yesterday my bro and I were arguing with a couple of guys about Petras. We kept pointing out that his feet might not get so happy if he wasn't on the run so much. Those stats show a ridiculous lack of time to get the passes off.

We are locked in a bad dilemma and it involves line play. We have to get behind the defense more often so some of the defenders on or near the line of scrimmaged get pulled away, thus creating real running lanes. On the other hand the QB has to have enough time to get behind the defense and 2.8 seconds is not enough time.

On the upside, these really may have been the best defenses we'll face, only time will tell. But I think we will need better line play to get to the B!G game.

 

[mstp1992]

To answer your question, I think it is definitely some of both. I don't think our o-line is a bust, I think it is just cohesion issues. Often times against the 3 man front there was atleast one of our offensive lineman that weren't blocking anyone. But on the flip side, ISU's defensive ends could get to the quarterback by bull rushing, quickness to the inside and pure speed on the outside, while showing they could beat double teams. I personally think they are really really good and if they play with that type of intensity throughout the season opposing offenses will be in trouble. Of all the games I watched and re-watched, the intensity of both Iowa and ISU is off the charts compared to everyone else. This was literally a playoff atmosphere and effort on both sides.

Going forward Shooter is really going to help on the inside next to Linderbaum. Then, I have a lot of confidence in Richman, DeJong and Colby as they are so young to grow exponentially from week to week. I think Plumb is overwhelmed, Ince is serviceable and I don't know what to really think about Britt. But I think by the middle to the end of the year you will see those first 5 guys in lineup and possibly a new guy or 2 emerge.

Maybe it was just a bad observation on my part but there were a couple times when Goodson went to the sideline it appeared he was walking a bit gingerly. I wonder if that impacted his ability to hit the holes (such as they were) as quickly as we’re used to seeing from him.