The Takeaway: Northwestern

::sniff sniff::

You’re just trying to break us down before you build us back up.

That’s what killed PSU at Ohio State this week. Well, that and a pair of pick sixes and a hella-garbage TD pass by Pryor. But in all seriousness, the main culprit was that we have one great player for every two of theirs. The defense was gassed by the third quarter.

14/25 = 56%, not 70%. Typo, or am I missing something? Either way it ain’t too pretty.

How can you have depth when the backups never see the field? I don’t feel like the second stringers had an opportunity to build up their own confidence/reputation all year. At the same time it might be because they didn’t do anything to blow anyone out of the water. Either way, their final scoring drive was beyond ugly. Our entire line was standing there, hands on hips, tired as hell, getting ran over. Is it really too much to ask for the lineman to be rotated every once in a while? Is a dogged out Adrian Clayborn really better than a fully rested LeBron Daniel? I guess the coaches think so.

this off marc’s blog:
Happy birthday – Iowa freshman linebacker James Morris, who turns 19 on Saturday, is the only Hawkeye with a birthday this week. He ranks fi fth on the team in tackles (46). Morris amassed a personal-best 13 tackles, including sack.

5th?? Hasnt he only played like half the season?? There were times during the second half that this kid was around the ball on every play. Young man has big time potential..

Obviously there’s still the rest of this season to play and should Iowa win out a solid, albeit bittersweet season is possible. But is it too early to look towards next year and hope that some backups see some playing time throughout the next two games?

Playing some backups might help this year as well as next year. I’m not saying backups should be playing even %30 of the snaps but why not rotate some d-lineman in and or an extra cornerback/safety in a nickle package the next two games. Mr Pryor is pretty darn mobile and methinks having a little better rested defense in the 4th quarter might be enough of a difference to get the significant stop/turnover that we haven’t seen yet.

with apologies to Coots and Gillespie
You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I’m telling you why
Ohio State is coming to town
They’re making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out the defensive line gets winded
And the linebackers drop too deep
Ohio State is coming to town
They block you when you’re peeking
They throw underneath the coverage
They know our defense is like sieve in quarter four
So beware of Pryor’s horde
O! You better watch out!
You better not cry
Better not pout
I’m telling you why
Ohio State is coming to town
(and you don’t know how dificult it is for me to write this, i got to live among these assholes)

But honest to goodness, compare our cool quiet attitude on offense to Northwestern’s exuberance. Or, look at that picture up there.

All this stuff about execution and assignments and “no mistakes” can be taken to a passionless extreme. Does Iowa play with passion?

I have a whole series of thoughts about trying to teach college kids to play like jaded pros, but I’m not going there.

I think AJ is brilliant on the 4Q defensive meltdowns, and that he is mistaken on the depth issue. Remember, this is a team that started a swimmer at DT a few years ago, and shot the lights out. We have more depth now than ever before. Something else is at work.

…..but the essence of it is this: he’s right, and it costs us ballgames.

I’ve heard the arguments about the per game avg of points that we give up, and how we hold so-and-so to under a certain season avg, and that’s great.

Great, only if we score MORE than what they do. Do I give a shit right now whether we held NW to under their season avg on Sunday? (Rhetorical question)

When it counts, the D sucks. We haven’t stopped anyone in the 4th quarter all season when we needed to, except maybe UM, and that’s because they had too big of a hurdle to ever overcome. But AZ, IN, WI, and NW all ate us alive in the 4th qtr.

The problem is this: NW ran 86 or so fucking plays. They ran about a third of those plays in the 4th quarter. Why the hell shouldn’t the players be running out of gas? No defensive lineman can run 35 plays in the 4th quarter—pass plays—and survive. It’s not possible. So here’s what I want to know:

Is a freshman LB better in a 4th quarter situation than a non-frosh safety or CB? Is ANY LB better than a safety or CB when you know the NW QB is going all pass-happy, with the exception of scrambles or QB draws?

NO.

Persa is not a 240 pound RB. NW doesn’t HAVE a 240 pound RB. We’re already asking four DB’s to solo tackle WR’s and TE’s, so why not have five of them back there to do the job—AND provide pass coverage? Do we really gain an advantage with Morris playing over Castillo or Bernstine when the LB is consistently being matched-up against a receiver? When a defender has to chase a fleet-footed QB out of the pocket—would you rather have a DB or an LB do the chasing?

I cannot fathom why, in the 4th quarter, when you KNOW that NW is not going to run “Student Body Right”, when you KNOW they are going to pass or run the QB, that you do not have five or six DB’s back there, instead of LB’s and the random nickle back.

This is not rocket science, contrary to what some think. It’s common sense! You’re not stopping John Clay behind a bunch of big uglies—you’re stopping a mobile QB and a bunch of five-wide receivers. Why play any goddamn LB’s at all, really, in that situation? Or play Tarp, but have two DB’s instead.

Maybe I’m a dumbass or ignorant or something, I dunno. But traditionally, a defense tries to defend receivers with DB’s. Why should that change when their are FIVE receivers out there?

I’m vexed. I’m horribly vexed.

I just can’t do it. I’m still pissed about the game, with the exception of meeting some of you, it was a miserable day. I’m sorry. I’m sure everything that I’m saying was already screamed multiple times.
I’m really beginning to think that Norm needs to retire and KOK be shown the door. I just don’t have confidence in Norm being able to dedicate the time the team needs. Please keep him in some capacity for his knowledge, but the team needs someone dedicated who can make the call to make a change if something isn’t working. Or perhaps to say, hey we’ve gotten killed by teams who use mobile QBs hitting quick passes over the past couple of years. That’s what we’re facing this week. Maybe we should adjust a little to try to work that to our advantage.
On the offensive side, I just don’t know. We’re predictable. I don’t feel like we challenge the other team. We have a variety of weapons, but we don’t seem to be able to use them. Ricky doesn’t look like he did early in the year, he seems off target, but I don’t know why. I just don’t understand why we’re not able to attack average defenses. I blame KOK because I don’t know who else to blame.
I’m just frustrated. The only hope I have for OSU is that we “match up well with them”, which is to say, they don’t attack our weaknesses in quite such an obvious manner. But they have talent.
And why the fuck couldn’t I get a damn hot pretzel at the game? or a funnel cake that didn’t taste 3 days old. I’ve been to high school games that had better concessions than that hell hole.
AAARRHEHGHH. Now I’m just pissed again. Sorry.

it hurts

the insight, reflection, angst, turmoil and for the most intelligent analysis of any team, any on any site ever over the last 2+ days….. I think the thing none of us can get over is the depth of feeling we have for the Hawks, collectively, indivudually, coaches, players, each other…from minute, meaningful stats to just raw nerves hurting

i can’t remember another game or stretch of games that has torn our souls apart to this extent……

and if nothing else, if you don’t have depth of feeling what do you have?

the depth of feeling hurts and hurts and hurts but in the end that is what BHGP is and that is who we are …and couldn’t be prouder

and it still hurts

it means a lot when it hurts,,,
and i just hope these kids
rededicate themselves
to what is left,,,,,,
if they want it they have the talent,,
i may be done, but im not out

2 minute offense execution from last year? In all 3 losses we looked like a monkey fucking a football out there.

maudlin or that I don’t care that the Hawks played like (fill in the blank) the past 2 games, but I’m afraid that the way this season is playing out will diminish the accomplishments of a group of seniors who have given Iowa fans many great moments that included a great BCS bowl victory. As much as I’d like to see the Hawks find a way to beat OSU (and I think they are capable), I have a greater desire to see them play their final game at Kinnick knowing that our fanbase is proud of their accomplishments and the great memories they’ve left. I fear that if the OSU game doesn’t go well — a few of our vocal a-hole fans may express their frustration in a way that will diminish these great players. Stanzi has driven me crazy at times as much as many here, but I’m going to miss the hell out of the guy and feel that he’s been an exceptional QB and leader. Does this mean that I wasn’t screaming at my TV the past two weeks? Of course I was — we all were. But right now, I choose to focus on the great memories these seniors have given me and I could care less whether, at this point in time, Stanzi or Clayborn, et. al., are giving us the performances that we think we deserve.

By all means, let’s vent away — that’s what we do here, but let’s try to keep it in perspective.

he’s going to “bleed black and yellow till death.” If only he knew, after five years, that the school colors are black and GOLD. I can’t talk, read or think about Northwestern anymore, so I’m going to pick on DJK. Picking on 22 year old kids is fun. I need some fun after the Port-a-John Stadium debacle.

Persa was just damn unsackable. he got away from three or four sacks and always got rid of the ball right before they got to him. Persa played like the best QB in the nation yesterday against an Iowa line that frankly looked like the best line in the nation. this was maybe the first time this whole year i thought the line looked like it was living up to the hype and Clayborn was pushing his guy way back every time. he pushed the guy on top of the kicker on one play, that was sick.

frankly iowa is good at defending the run and long passes and ok at stopping running QBs, its the short passes thats hurting us.

There are dickwads in every crowd. I suspect that on Saturday, somewhere in Ryan field, a Hawkeye fan got the same treatment you got in Iowa City. Happens every week at every venue. Please, don’t assume we are all as such.

But, you are right. Until we change a couple of things we are a mid tier Big Ten team. And it pains me to say so.

One other thing the “bend but don’t win” defense does is keep your defense on the field. Tiring out a defense is legal.

I think a big part of the problem is first down. We cushion 8-10 yards off wideouts on early downs, often allowing for 4-6 yard gains. Someone runs for 2-3 yards second down. Then its a short pickup for a first, making it easy to do, hence the large number of 3rd down conversions. This is the bend-don’t break mantra. Now, if we get a stop on first down (or short gain) suddenly, everything goes in our favor (duh). Everyone knows we don’t blitz and we give up the short under stuff, so they are taking it, and it gives them a good shot on third.

On another note, I think this is why our offense is struggling. We are getting very little on first down, leading to long distance third downs. It seemed like NW had a bajillion 3-and-2s last Saturday, and we had a bunch of 3-and-8s.

I should note that I have not broken down game film and have no stats to back me up. If I didn’t spend so much time reading this blog at work, maybe I could do that sort of work up. But that is my working theory. We need more first down pressure, stops on D.

The D-line has plenty of depth including six guys who could be starters with Binns, Ballard, Klug, Clayborn, Daniels and Daniel. Then we also have Bigach who has also come in and he and Daniel both have at least one sack.

What’s been killing our D is giving up 8 yards of cusion ON EACH AND EVERY PLAY! It has been scheme and the failure to adjust by the new interim DC(s).

It also hasn’t helped that teams like Michigan and NU have run something like 8,546 Offensive plays each quarter. If the Offense could actually produce something on the field then the D would have a breather.