What can Iowa do to avoid disaster's like Rose Bowl & Taxslayer Bowl

[INXS83]

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.

Recruit better across the board. Continually upgrade athleticism with each class.

Prime example; both starting OT's in the 2016 Rose Bowl were former walk-ons. Just how much upside does a walk-on have versus a deep blue 3 or 4 star recruit? Usually not as much athleticism.

Walk-ons who turn into starters make for good success stories, but I'd rather have a team full of 3 or 4 star recruits who grew and developed into legitimate studs. I think with the 2015 & 2016 class of recruits and who they have committed for 2017 so far, they are getting there.

To the OP: I hope you are not suggesting Kirk change the nature this program is built upon? Hard nosed, disciplined, physical, run the ball well and stop the run first, make the other team execute well 10+ plays in a row to get into the end zone, etc.? That formula has served Kirk well for most of his 17 years. It made them competitive in year 2 and winners again by year 3 after Fry left with the cupboard literally bare.

It's seldom pretty or amazing, but ask Baylor how that's working out for them now?

 

[klemman]

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.

I think that's part of the equation. When neither team is as happy to be there as they would if playing in another bowl, the difference on game day may be momentum. That's were the talent or so-called speed can become a factor. That team may be more likely to have a big play. If they can put together two big plays in a short time span, that's where you tend to see the opening of the floodgates that can lead to a blowout victory.