Commentators say Iowa has a basic defense. When teams have 3 weeks to prepare like Stanford and Tennessee, our basic defense does not work. Dennis Green said you only have to find one weak spot to destroy another team, and our weak spot has been exposed badly in the last two Bowl games and needs to be corrected.
What can Iowa do to avoid disaster's like Rose Bowl & Taxslayer Bowl
- Thread starter Iowa Hog
- Start date
Well keep in mind we still have all the same guys and I'll wager when they all run their Pro-days they'll be plenty fast enough for the NFL so I'm not sure I agree. Being fast and playing fast are 2 different things.
Comes down to talent. Tennessee was the most talented team Iowa faced that entire season (2014 season). Iowa was not a good team in 2014. They went 7-6 overall, 4-4 in the B1G West, didn't beat a ranked team, lost to Iowa State, Maryland, blown out by Minnesota, and only had 3 draft picks.
Last year's team was much better but I still don't think they were a top team in the nation by any means. Stanford was the most athletic and talented team by far that Iowa faced last year. I wouldn't say Iowa played a team last year with elite talent outside of Michigan State and Stanford, and they lost both of those games. Iowa can hang with the smash mouth teams but not the teams that like to air it out and spread you out and have the talent to take advantage.
Last year's team was much better but I still don't think they were a top team in the nation by any means. Stanford was the most athletic and talented team by far that Iowa faced last year. I wouldn't say Iowa played a team last year with elite talent outside of Michigan State and Stanford, and they lost both of those games. Iowa can hang with the smash mouth teams but not the teams that like to air it out and spread you out and have the talent to take advantage.
Couldn't we just have played bad? I tell you a secret, at the end of 2017 I wouldn't be surprised to find Iowa puts more kids in the NFL than Stanford. McCafferry was/is a special talent but their WR's weren't nor was the QB, we just played bad.
It doesn't always have to be something big...
Here is a question for you...GSW beat Cleveland by 32 points in the playoffs, then 3 days latter lost by 30..why?! It happens fellas its not some glaring problem or "speed" disadvantage or coaching or scheme...we have played plenty of spread teams and played them well. Its not a thing...
Case in point ILB Blake Martinez from Stanford ran a 4.71 forty and I would literally be shocked if most all of Iowa's top 6 or 7 Lbers didn't run similar (4.7ish) forty times or better when it comes their time to run. Thsi speed thing is literally one of the most over used/misunderstood things in football.
In the Spirit of being candid and fair, Iowa's talent pool as a result (my opinion and I've mentioned before) of those 2008-2009 classes caused us some grief in recent years but we are on an upswing. Stanford has been pumping kids into the NFL of late, 5 last year, 6 the year before.
]With that said not counting under classmen. Kittle, CJ, King, Mabin, Johnson and maybe Croston, maybe, maybe Vandy will all get looks and/or drafted next year.
The Next year will be another good one with Jewel, Niemann will have monster combine numbers wait and see, Bazata will have a shot, Welsh, Boettger, maybe Wadley, Miles Taylor...this team isn't slow or talent poor. We played absolutely horrible, and if I could watch it with you I could show just what went wrong. We played very poorly!!!
Missed tackles, Blitz that didn't get there, we didn't get over the top with the safety multiple times and Lomax wasn't slow he was out of position.
]With that said not counting under classmen. Kittle, CJ, King, Mabin, Johnson and maybe Croston, maybe, maybe Vandy will all get looks and/or drafted next year.
The Next year will be another good one with Jewel, Niemann will have monster combine numbers wait and see, Bazata will have a shot, Welsh, Boettger, maybe Wadley, Miles Taylor...this team isn't slow or talent poor. We played absolutely horrible, and if I could watch it with you I could show just what went wrong. We played very poorly!!!
Missed tackles, Blitz that didn't get there, we didn't get over the top with the safety multiple times and Lomax wasn't slow he was out of position.
Simplest way is to do what Iowa State does.
But that cuts both ways. Look at Georgia Tech in the 2009 orange bowl season. Or the other high profile teams Iowa has beaten in bowls where it was the KF era defense?
I think some match ups are just bad match ups and that's most of what happened in the rose bowl and against Tennessee in the taxeslayer. But it is also a case of executing the plan and Iowa simply hasn't done it in some years, while in other years they executed very well.
bowls are often won on emotion and who wants to be there. I believe all 8 teams that lost conference championship games also lost their bowl games. You would think a team would get up for the Rose bowl , however when you lose a chance to play in the final four you may be disappointed.
100% agreed, execution isn't talked about enough. Annndd Christian McCafferry destroyed us lets be honest. Fans always want to jump to coaching or "speed" or "talent" but there are other reasons. Teams do just play bad quite often...Stanford shouldn't be a bad match up for us but CM is a poor match up for anyone, especially a team making bad reads and sleepwalking. Go back and watch that game, you'll be shocked how badly we performed. It was all on the players and the coaches for NOT having them "ready"! The scheme and talent were fine. I'm not saying we were better or even as good but we were good enough. So was NW...just sayin'...
Yes, the same base schemes that beat Florida and LSU.
Iowa ran into a buzzsaw. Plain and simple. Tennessee and Stanford blew them away with speed. There isn't much more to it than that.
I've always hated that excuse and reasoning but it is real none the less, still just an excuse but....
Line their best DB up one on one with their best player. This is the most frustrating part about watching the Hawks. Too many times last year King was not lined up with the best receiver.
I went back and watched just that and King got beat a few times last year regardless of what us fans thought.. Besides you can't take your best DB and line him up on the Rber, too easy to scheme around. Also flip-flopping DB's has its limitations too, just because we don't see it doesn't mean its not there.
3 things about last year's bowl game.
1. Iowa and MSU completely piss-pounded each other in that game. It took a bit out of both teams. I know there was time in between the next games.
2. Iowa was completely exhausted before the Stanford game. The guys were so sick of practicing and beating on each other. Hence the bowl prep change.
3. Stanford was much better all around than Iowa was. The first two are not excuses. Stanford would've beaten Iowa even if Iowa was fresh and sharp. It just could've been much closer. The two teams weren't as far apart as that day indicated.
1. Iowa and MSU completely piss-pounded each other in that game. It took a bit out of both teams. I know there was time in between the next games.
2. Iowa was completely exhausted before the Stanford game. The guys were so sick of practicing and beating on each other. Hence the bowl prep change.
3. Stanford was much better all around than Iowa was. The first two are not excuses. Stanford would've beaten Iowa even if Iowa was fresh and sharp. It just could've been much closer. The two teams weren't as far apart as that day indicated.
Agreed, including Stanford being better. Keep in mind we were still pretty young. Hell we still are Sr poor per se, this defense will return 8 starters the following year too.
Going 12-0 wore on Iowa. The MSU loss was a war and a complete letdown. Iowa had to be disappointed going into the Rose. Stanford was a better team no doubt, but they weren't that degree better.
Tennessee was way better than that year's Iowa team; Stanford not as much last year. I'd like to play Stanford again as I don't see the gap being that huge. Sometime you play bad. Sometime you get outplayed. Both happened in the Rose Bowl and it spiraled down from there.
Tennessee was way better than that year's Iowa team; Stanford not as much last year. I'd like to play Stanford again as I don't see the gap being that huge. Sometime you play bad. Sometime you get outplayed. Both happened in the Rose Bowl and it spiraled down from there.
It looked like the defense did sleep walk most of the game. They were consistently out of position and slow and tentative when attacking the ball.
The offense lacks the outside speed to pull talented defenses away from the box.
We have very good coaches, we don't have great coaches that can simply prepare the team to outsmart the teams we cannot simply pound. These are the first words that every coach in every competitive activity should say at the opening meeting, and many times thereafter....our motto back when I was a baron among nerds coaching debate at Valley: CRUSH THE WEAK. TRICK THE STRONG. Only a very few teams in a very limited number of games of competition are ever sufficiently talented to simply out talent everyone on their schedule. In NCAA BCS level football teams there's probably one on team a year that can do that; and sometimes they win on smarts.
Stanford was more prepared. They have a great staff, very good athletes and mostly pretty smart players. That's usually a pretty tough out for everyone.
But we are on the cusp of autumn, when sweater vests and Hawkeye football return. We are reborn and as of yet undefeated. Go Hawks!!!! Lets crush the weak and trick the strong, when they finally appear on the schedule.
The offense lacks the outside speed to pull talented defenses away from the box.
We have very good coaches, we don't have great coaches that can simply prepare the team to outsmart the teams we cannot simply pound. These are the first words that every coach in every competitive activity should say at the opening meeting, and many times thereafter....our motto back when I was a baron among nerds coaching debate at Valley: CRUSH THE WEAK. TRICK THE STRONG. Only a very few teams in a very limited number of games of competition are ever sufficiently talented to simply out talent everyone on their schedule. In NCAA BCS level football teams there's probably one on team a year that can do that; and sometimes they win on smarts.
Stanford was more prepared. They have a great staff, very good athletes and mostly pretty smart players. That's usually a pretty tough out for everyone.
But we are on the cusp of autumn, when sweater vests and Hawkeye football return. We are reborn and as of yet undefeated. Go Hawks!!!! Lets crush the weak and trick the strong, when they finally appear on the schedule.
Very well said and I pretty much agree on every account. Playing devils advocate though outside of Christian McCafferry I would suggest Stanford isn't necessarily all that speedy on the outside and although I think Iowas defense has been way faster than our fans have understood, we still do not have great skill position players as a general rule.
Lastly there isn't a whole lot of tricking getting done in coaching circles anymore. Nick Saban is the best of the best because not only can he recruited 5000-4 star players he seemingly has some masterful way of keeping them engaged and mostly moving forward. I even saw an article written about it once, don't remember when? He doesn't have any great schemes or anything in particular going on he just always has them ready. And that's no small feat even or maybe I should say especially with all those talented egos on a team.
Last edited:
I found this comical and was ready to wish you kudos and then I remember we did have some serious cleat issues and a lot of falling down, right?
I agree that Iowa played very bad football in the first 17 minutes. Bad special teams, players slipping, bad penalties, etc. Iowa was completely shell shocked off the bat. But I just re-watched the first 17 minutes and Iowa's OLine couldn't handle the Stanford pass rush. Iowa's WRs couldn't do a thing against the Stanford corners. CJ Beathard took an absolute beating. Stanford's players got off the ball so much better, blocked downfield. They kicked Iowa's butt, plain and simple.
Lomax wasn't out of position, he got flat out beat by an athletic move by McCaffrey and by QB Hogan on the second score.
I can buy the bad game a little bit but Stanford was the better team and Iowa hadn't faced anything like that all year.
I'll buy the Iowa got shell shocked or it was too big of stage for them but I'm not buying that they were tired from the B1G Championship game or they weren't happy to be in the Rose Bowl.
I was a part of the program for 3 years and we were ready to line up and play someone other than ourselves by the time we left for the bowl game (December 24th most years). It's a long time off from December 5th to January 1st.
So again, I'll stick with my original claim. Iowa needs better players to compete with these athletic teams in the bowl games.
I think a lot of times that we play like our competition during the year. When we play the Illinois like teams we get used to that level of competition and are not prepared for a quality or hybred type of team. Example: If you are going to play a state pool champ that is in the back of your mind all the time and you seek out better competition to practice against play against etc. If you don't bring your best all the time every time that show up at wrong time and the "other guy" is one shot better or one play better or a whole game better
I hate this argument. Every time the SEC loses a bowl game they come out with that excuse - "We didn't really want to play in this bowl". If the staff can't get the team up to play the Rose Bowl (or whatever bowl), that's on the staff. Stanford was better... On that day.
Agree but I definitely think the 12 game run plus the grueling B10 championship game ending in a loss was a factor in the let-down
I 100 hundred percent agree that's exactly what happened but that's not a speed thing that's getting your ass physically manhandled thing. I personally think that's typically what happens when teams "look faster". Alabama versus Notre Dame was another obvious example they weren't getting their heads up and looking for the ball until they were pushed 5 yards downfield.
I'm not sure which play you're talking about but if you're talking about the very first play the game that wasnt on Lomax that was on the linebackers and if you're talking about all the other plays I watched them too, one was a cornerback blitz where Lomax reacted late to the wide receiver, the other was Desmond king turned his guy loose and Lomax didn't react to the ball. Lomax ran a 4.58 40 that's at The very least an average safety time in the NFL.
I don't know what else to say I've watched combine & Pro day times for Iowa the SEC & all relevant teams for 15 years speed isn't the problem playing good is the problem!
Last edited:
Yes they were. Whether that was a product of the shoes or the other team remains debatable....
I understand what you're saying 100%. With that said nobody plays their best every game. Clearly Cleveland and Golden State didn't play their best every game in the NBA finals.
And quite frankly the Cubs were probably the best team in baseball last year and they certainly are this year but will they win?
Golden State was record wise last Bball season and they didn't!
We're talking about 100+ years of sports history, nobody plays great teams all the time in fact lots of teams play fairly suspect competition and still continue to rise to the level but literally nobody plays their best every game it just doesn't happen.
Quite frankly sports isn't all that complicated, everyone wants to talk about schemes and play calling but the coaches real job is continually keeping his players focused and motivated and it helps if you have good peer leadership. Iowa didn't have that a few years back but the focus always has to be are you ready, do you know what you're doing, do you have satisfactory motivation and do you have the desire to want it more than your competition?!
Stop and think about all the games every year in every sport & I watch a lot of them. Germany wasn't five or six or seven goals better than Brazil in the last World Cup but all the same they sure as hell kicked their ass! Ps...i'll wager man-to-man Brazil was way faster than Germany!
And this speed thing is truly baffling & a borderline myth. When you play bad you look "slow". In fact losing by 30 points always makes you look slow. And although I'm sure some people consider this semantics there's a big difference between playing slow and being slow. One you can fix fairly easily the other one takes more than a year or two years and maybe even three?!
They ultimately become the same thing but this all comes back to that perspective thing that I often times talk about and people get mad at me because they think I'm suggesting they have no clue what they're talking about but the reality is playing fast is playing fast. It's a formula that involves but isn't limited to a "timed" number? How many people know Vontaez Burfict, idiot though he may be, ran a 5.09, 40 yard dash? Now again he is a true knucklehead but nobody at the linebacker position in the NFL looks faster than him on the field. He was rumored to have been hurt but I never found a better recorded time than 4.93. I assure you the top 7, 8 or nine linebackers on Iowas roster all run way way faster times than that.
Yet they don't play as fast as Vontaez?!
Rose Bowl? Iowa was beat to shit coming off the most crushing loss in the history of the program. Imagine riding the high Iowa's players were to have it all come crushing down. Iowa was thinking Playoffs and the chance to play for the national title for a while. They tried to manufacture enthusiasm for the Rose Bowl, but I really dont think they ever got it. That team was absolutely crushed after the Michigan State game. Not taking anything away from Stanford, they coached, prepared and played better than Iowa by a lot.
Taxslayer, I just dont think Iowa was very good. Young LBs, innefective QB, running a fullback at RB
Taxslayer, I just dont think Iowa was very good. Young LBs, innefective QB, running a fullback at RB
