Iowa strives for balance on offense. That is the mantra repeated from the staff. Usually by the end of the season the rushing attempts and passing attempts are incredibly close in numbers. This season will probably be skewed more towards the pass and would have been even more if sacks weren't kept as rushing stats for college. With Stanzi as the QB Iowa had evolved into a pass to set up the run team. In the Northwestern game Iowa basically abandoned the run and passed at a 4 to 1 ratio. OSU was a much more balanced gameplan although still 60-40 tilted towards the pass. I believe the gameplan against the Gophers was to establish the run and try for big plays in the passing game. However when Robinson went down the running game went off track and the passing game that was designed never really got on track.
Jon sent me an email that said he didn't think the coaches wanted JVB throwing over the middle and I think he is absolutely correct. In the first half JVB ran 15 passing plays. He threw two over the middle: one an incompletion deep for Stross into double coverage and one to his second read to DJK that could have gone for more yards if he hit him in stride. In the second half he attacked the middle twice in a row for Tony Moeaki on the second series. That was it for the game. I understand the staff protecting a young QB but I felt he was capable of more in this game.
The playcalling on the first drive was very good until they got into the red zone. Minnesota had played Iowa with 7 in the box until Iowa entered that area. Iowa still tried to run the ball twice in a row, once into an eight man front and once into a nine man front. They still almost scored a TD on the drive on a nice audible by JVB on a slant pattern to DJK that wasn't executed.
The playcalling early in the game was a little disjointed to me. Only 4 of the first 16 plays were passes. Then the next 4, and 7 of the next 9 were passes. Iowa was a disaster all game on 3rd and long and the playcalls on that down didn't seem to do a young QB any favors. Kevin Cosgrove obviously watched a lot of the Northwestern gametape because a lot of those blitzes seemed familiar. Iowa needs to execute against zone blitz schemes much better in the future. I think there is plenty of blame to go around.
On Iowa's TD scoring drive the Hawks basically only ran two passing plays, the same play action pass out of different formations, and a nicely executed slant out of a two tight end, two wide out set. They ran the ball with the fullback in and scored with Wegher doing his trademark leap in the Goalline formation.
Iowa had six 3 and outs. They had very good field position for much of the day. In the first half they used a three receiver formation on a first or second down one time. They did run a couple of receiver screens- one for a one yard gain and the second was a dropped interception. Iowa didn't run a screen for a running back or a tight end. For some reason Iowa is more likely to run the ball to the short side of the field when Wegher is in the game instead of Robinson. I think the reverse makes sense.
The good news is the two defenses that gave us the most trouble- Northwestern and Minnesota, graduate all of their key players. The bad news is they were among the least physically talented that Iowa faced all season. Kevin Cosgrove is a very good, veteran coach who had matched wits with the Iowa staff for several years when he was with Wisconsin. He blitzed every team I watched Minny play preparing for the match ups article, so it is pretty disappointing that Iowa had so much trouble with the Gopher's blitz package.
I don't think the injury excuse is really an excuse at all. I think it is a legitamate explanation for some of Iowa's offensive issues. Wegher probably shouldn't have been playing as hurt as he was, and Robinson was playing incredibly well for as hurt as he was. Richardson was Iowa's best interior lineman all season and Iowa never really recovered from his loss. As well as Vandenberg played he still was up and down and sometimes that was on the same drive. He flashes so much potential, though, it is scary. I haven't been as excited about an Iowa QB's upside since Tate. And Vandy has NFL size. But Stanzi made winning plays. He has a very nice touch on his intermediate throws which is what JVB is missing right now. I am sure that will come with time. Iowa missed Moeaki, Bulaga, DJK, Chaney, Sandeman, and Vandervelde during the season to injuries at some point during the season. Not to mention Hampton and Brinson all season. That is a lot for a team to overcome. Ferentz's other 10 win regular season team was in 2002 and they had a remarkably healthy run.
This unit as a whole should improve next year. I am not sure why people thought the offense would be better than last season's team and especially after we had to replace Shonn Greene and Jewel Hampton. Seth Olsen and Rob Bruggeman are playing in the NFL. Shonn Greene is playing in the NFL. Brandon Myers is the NFL Special Teams Player of the week (got get that Jasper County Plug in there). Moeaki will probably play in the NFL, but Eubanks is a longshot. Reiff (in effect Olsen's replacement) is a red shirt freshman playing out of position. Robinson and Wegher have done outstanding but they had huge shoes to fill. Andy Brodell was a very underrated punt returner. It took half of the season for the staff to realize that Sandeman may have been Brodell reincarnated.
There is only one stat that gets me excited and that is wins. I didn't always feel that way and sometimes after a particularly ugly win I might take a few minutes to cool down and I might secretly curse some members of the coaching staff. I might make some jokes about missing letters of some of their names. But after 11 years I have come to the conclusion that Ferentz and his staff know what they are doing. When January comes around this will be a new team. It will be a team that scores points. They will be able to run and pass. They will be fun for anyone to watch until the second half gets out of hand unless you are a Hawkeye fan. When we roll whoever our opponent in the bowl is and you can't guess our plays because KOK breaks tendencies in the bowl game early on- remember you read it here first.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Minnesota Vs. Iowa Matchups
Saturday is the last regular season game for Iowa this year. It is more than the battle for Floyd. It is Senior Day, a chance for a 10 win season, and a chance to work off the frustration of back to back losses after riding the high of a 13 game winning streak. The Golden Gophers may be just the medicine for what is ailing Iowa. Minny comes into this game 6-5 but reeling after suffering through their own version of Iowa versus UNI, narrowly escaping the upset last weekend at the hands of South Dakota State. Minnesota is a very veteran team that is missing their biggest weapon in Eric Decker- a future pro Wide Receiver. Minny hung with Ohio State this season and beat Michigan State. They should have beaten Illinois. They are a decent team that has a habit of shooting themselves in the foot. That generally plays into the Hawkeye's hands. However we have seen this Iowa team play to the level of their competition in every game except for one. If Minny makes mistakes Iowa must punish them for it and score TDs like they did against Iowa State. Iowa has won every trophy game this season. They should make it a clean sweep.
Offensively the Rodents are led by O.C. Jedd Fisch. He should be a name to watch in the coming seasons. They are very multiple and will run or pass out of any formation and line up in any formation on any down regardless of the distance. The only real tendencies I could spot were a lot of first down play action, and if that failed the almost always ran on second down. They are trying to transition to a Pro-style offense from the spread but they are often more effective from the Shotgun formations. Adam Weber is a good quaterback when he has time to read his progressions. Losing Decker may have made him better. His new favorite target seems to be the tight end Nick Tow-Arnett and they scheme to get him the ball. If he is in motion or not near the line of scrimmage something is probably up.
They will bring in 5 MarQuies Gray to run "Wildcat" but is just a garden variety spread offense. Gray is not a threat to pass and has attempted only 11 passes all season completing 5 with his longest being a 16 yard TD in garbage time. His series of plays include the standard Qb read option, a speed option, a Qb Draw, and regular hand offs to the back. They run some funny 4 receivers to one side stuff but generally they have a Shotgun Y (3 WR 1 TE 1 TB, two wideouts and the TE on the wide side) formation when he is in the Qb position. He also plays receiver and will start as the QB with Weber on the field and they will switch positions. He is an effective runner and is making better decisions with his keep/ handoff reads. He is a bigger version of Michigan's Denard Robinson right now.
Lately they have discoverd the fullback in their offense and he appears to be a good one. 35 Jon Hoese is a decent blocker, but he has developed into a very good receiver and also a nice short yardage option for them in the running game. He has yet to be stopped for a loss this season.
Finally their offensive line favors zone running schemes but they aren't very athletic and they struggle to get a good push and to get to the second level. In the 4 games I watched they really struggled to run the ball, even against SDSU. They are not good in pass protection and are bewildered by the blitz. They gave up 7 sacks to the Illini and 4 to the Jackrabbits. Many other times Weber was running for his life. Against SDSU Weber was pressured into throwing a pick 6. Iowa probably doesn't have to blitz to pressure Weber but it might be fun to see. This is probably the most penalized unit in the Big Ten and may have more penalties alone than the entire Iowa team. They are plagued by false starts and holding calls.
Defensively the Rodents run a base 4-3. They have a very big front 4 and they are physical. They aren't really explosive but they play the run extremely well and I saw them repeatedly blow up zone running schemes. The defensive tackles are really big and they play with leverage. The D-ends play their gaps well and play the run first. Kevin Cosgrove (formerly of Wisconsin) runs a very aggresive D. When they are blitzing everyone in the stadium will know it. They don't disguise their blitzs. They are aggressive in every way and are vulnerable to play-action passes and the deep pass in general. I saw them repeatedly burned in Cover 2 to the strong side of the field by receivers just running away from the strong safety. Cover 3 seems to be what they run the most of however.
On 3rd and Longs or obvious passing downs they run some standard 4-3, some 3-3-5 and some Nickel. I would say 90% of the time they bring at least 5 and often 7. They don't hide their pressure. I saw 5 different blitzes against the freshman QB for Illinois- Charest. They cannot generate pressure with their front four and are forced to compensate by blitzing. Both of their starting OLBs Lawrence and Tripplett are decent blitzers. They have good speed for the position and take good angles to the QB. The only DL able to generate a pass rush on his own is the DT Brown.
Special Teams: Minnesota's special teams are not very consistent. The coverage units are a liability. The kicker 37 Eric Ellestad has the leg to kick it into the end zone but when he doesn't he either shanks it out of bounds, or they give up huge returns. I saw MSU return one for a TD, Illinois bust one for over 30 and SDSU take one back for 86. I imagine they have worked on this some.
The punter 38 Blake Haudan doesn't usually kick it far enough for the other team to return it but when he does this unit is also vulnerable. SDSU also ripped off a 47 yarder.
Ellestad isn't a very reliable field goal kicker and hasn't made one from beyond 40 this season. He is money on extra points however.
Troy Stoudermire is an excellent returner on Kickoffs. He has good patience, a nice ability to start and stop and accelerate again, he can break a tackle, and he is shifty in general. He struggles catching the ball at times. The other returner Jay Thomas also does a nice job of letting blocks develop and had a nice run back nullified by a penalty.
Bryant Allen returns the punts but he has only returned 3 all season. He is a fair catch machine but he catches the ball with his body. I predict at least one muff on Saturday. I haven't seen him return a punt.
One last thing before the Match Ups. This team is a lot like Iowa was last week. They have absolutely nothing to lose. They are probably treating last week's game as a loss. They are starting 11 players from last season's team whom remember last season's trip to the wood shed. I think they are actually well coached and I was suprised. I think if they can block for Weber he is as dangerous as any QB the Hawkeyes have faced, since Kafka was so limited. I think the Hawks should dominate this game, but MSU should have destroyed this team and Minny got a lead and kept scoring against a very good defense. They didn't get lucky, they executed a very souund offensive gameplan and did just enough defensively to hold on to that game. They won in spite of 17 penalties and 152 yards against them. They fought back and almost came back to beat Illinois scoring 22 points in the 4th quarter of that game. They could have easily packed it in last week after getting way more of a game than anyone expected. I doubt that they will fold because they are facing Iowa. They would love nothing more than to ruin Iowa's chances to go to the BCS. They are riding on a Bus to and from this game, Iowa could be flying to Tempe in 6 weeks. I bet they can find some motivation for this game.
The Match Ups:
79 Bryan Bulaga LT and 60 Kyle Calloway RT Vs. Sh.DE 89 Barrett Moen 6 3 282 SR, WiDE 55 Cedric Mckinley 6 6 282 SR, and DE 97 Anthony Jacobs 6 2 289 SO: Moen usually lines up on the short side of the field, Mckinley on the wide. They are similar in skill set although Mckinley is a little more athletic. Moen isn't real explosive and doesn't rush the passer very well. He can be sucked in on P/action. He is stout against the run and can dominate most TEs physically. He hustles. Mckinley has a good motor and also plays the run very well. He too can be sucked in by P/action. He has a little more explosiveness and can make up for it better. He has a couple of pass rush moves but doesn't get to the QB often. He has a great motor and pusues really well and will make a play 20-30 yards downfield. Jacobs plays on some of the Nickel packages and I don't have a single note written down about him other than that. Bulaga and Calloway played excellent last weekend. The only thing I have written down as a negative for either of them was on the last run before overtime on Bulaga, and he still tried to ride his guy out of the play. This will be the least physically challenging match up for these guys in some time.
Spud's Spin: Huge Edge Iowa: Both of Iowa's players could be playing for NFL teams next season. I don't think either of Minnys will. Both of Iowa's tackles can handle either guy in both phases and I think Moeaki can block either one too. I am not sure how Iowa will gameplan this but eventually they will be running the ball a lot, and I look forward to watching these guys go at it.
77 Riley Reiff LG, 52 Rafael Eubanks C, and 63 Julian Vandervelde RG Vs. DTs 98 Eric Small 6 2 306 SR, 99 Garrett Brown 6 2 310 SR, and 96 Brandon Kirksey 6 2 295 SO: Small and Brown are on the field alot. They are very effective against the run and Brown is a decent pass rusher. They are the keys to Minny's rushing defense. They remind me a little of having two Matt Krouls. They attack their gaps and try to penetrate vs. zone schemes. Small isn't really explosive off the snap but he finds the ball. He plays low and gets a good push in the running game. He is very strong and is willing to just hold his spot. He doesn't have the speed to track down plays away from him often. He plays very, very hard. Brown is pretty explosive and he is the more disruptive of the two. He has a little more burst in him and he can get to the runner from behind occasionally. He also has a little more success getting to the QB although he pretty much just tries to push his way there. Kirksey is pretty much just in there to give these guys a blow right now. I didn't see him do anything special except get off the ball really slow. #95 D.L. Wilhite scored a TD vs SDSU but isn't listed on the depth chart. Iowa's interior unit is coming off of its best game collectively but this will still be a tough match up for them. These guys are bigger than the OSU players and willing to just anchor against the run rather than try to run with the lineman and try to make plays. This will especially be a strength mismatch for Reiff and Eubanks.
Spud's Spin: Edge Gophers: These are some veteran players for Minnesota and they are having good seasons. They understand what their roles are in the defense they are playing and if they can make a play so much the better. Iowa should have the quickness edge here but Minny definately has the strength and especially in Reiff's case the experience edge. It will be important for Iowa's players to get to the second level vs. the Gophers because their LBs are pretty good downhill and know how to use their D-line to their advantage. They don't shed blocks well however.
81 Tony Moeaki TE Vs. 21 Simoni Lawrence 6 1 221 SR: Lawrence is a very good athlete but he is a little undersized and struggles at the point of attack in the run game. He is very comfortable in space and a good tackler. He gets good depth on his zone drops and he has very good make up speed if he takes a false step on P/action. He also has very good closing speed for a linebacker. He understands how to play his zone and doesn't take chances exposing his area of the field. He is a decent blitzer and possibly their best pass rushing threat. He can be swallowed up by lineman and tightends, though and he doesn't shed blocks very well, prefering to try to run around them. Moeaki played pretty well versus OSU. He had one dropped pass on a hitch route and one that he tipped that led to the first Iowa turnover. That was a pretty tough catch but I have seen him make those kinds of plays. I haven't seen Minny's D scheme for a particular receiver including B. White from MSU, prefering to either blitz to force the ball out early or play their regular coverages. Tony did a pretty good job blocking in both phases.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: Lawrence can run with Tony but I am not sure he can cover him. He is giving up a lot in Height and Weight in this match up and I think Tony could flat out dominate him run blocking him. Tony could have a big day if he is the hot receiver as much as Cosgrove likes to blitz. I would prefer to see Moeaki running a route on every passing play and not pass blocking in this game no matter how much pressure Minnesota is bringing. He could really rack up the YAC in this game if he is the outlet receiver and JVB has shown the ability to find his checkdown very well.
82 Allen Reisner TE and 36 Brett Morse FB Vs. 32 WLB Nate Triplett 6 3 247 SR: Triplett doesn't seem to change direction well and can really overpursue. He can make a tackle with a blocker on his hip and can sift through traffic. He has decent straight ahead speed and reads his keys well. He is very aggressive though and can really get sucked in on playaction. He doesn't miss very many tackles and will bring a guy down in space. He never gives up on a play. He is a good blitzer and finds a gap through the middle as well as any linebacker Iowa has faced this season. Reisner had a nice game last week and seems to be benefitting from the change in QB. He is also underrated as a blocker. Morse hasn't been as productive lately as he was early in the season but I think some of the blocks he is accused of missing are misunderstood. I think he is responsible for backside pursuit on a lot of Iowa's runs and isn't necassarily always a lead blocker in Iowa's scheme. He has also been a productive outlet for the passing game and is a very reliable pass blocker.
Spud's Spin: Edge Gophers: Triplett isn't always pretty but he finds the ball and makes the tackle. He also knows where he is supposed to be on the field and he gets there. He can be blocked but if he is he fights hard to get off of it. He is pretty strong and very instinctive. I think it is really important for Iowa's running game for him to be blocked. If he is consistently one of Iowa's runningbacks will have a big day.
WRs 86 Trey Stross, 15 DJK, 7 Marvin McNutt, 6 Keenan Davis, and 22 Colin Sandeman Vs. CBs 15 Traye Simmons 5 11 180 SR, 24 Marcus Sherels 5 11 172 SR, 1 Michael Carter 5 11 163, and 2 Ryan Collado 5 9 173 JR: I bet Simmons and Sherels remember last season. They were victimized by DJK repeatedly by double moves. They are very aggressive corners and they try to jump routes. They blow a lot of coverages. Simmons is a decent tackler on receivers but he doesn't seem to like to help in the run game. He is still vulnerable to the double move and will jump a route when he has deep responsiblity on Cover 3. He was hurt for much of the SDSU game, but was listed in the depth chart. Sherels is a little more disiplined but he can still be beaten by a double move. He is also not big on run support. He doesn't play the ball in the air on deep passes. He isn't extremely fast. He does seem to read routes well and closes well on short passes. Carter looks like he may be something special. He is by far the most physical of the outside players. He has the ability to turn and run with receivers. He isn't afraid to make a play on the ball in the air. He also has nice closing speed. Collado plays the Nickel Back. He is listed as a Safety on the two deep but I haven't seen him play that position. He looks pretty decent in coverage and he is a good tackler. He isn't as fast as the other three players but has a knack for understanding what receivers are trying to do. He plays his reponsibilities well. All of these players were beaten deep at least once and usually more than once. Simmons and Sherels were burned multiple times. Stross is coming off of a nightmare game. I am sure that isn't the homecoming he was hoping for but I imagine he will rebound nicely for Senior Day. DJK played well both as a receiver and as a returner. McNutt was fantastic. I don't understand why he is ever used in the slot. He is such a match up nightmare it seems senseless to not keep him on the perimeter. Davis and Sandeman didn't produce much but they did block well. Sandeman did have a nice run after a catch.
Spud's Spin: Huge Edge Iowa: I had pretty large expectations for this group but they have exceeded them. Iowa receivers have had some pretty nice games against Minny recently and I see the trend continuing. I would love for nothing more than for the first play call be designed for Stross. He needs to be a big part of the game plan. 3 receiver sets should be the norm against this team and the Strong Safety should be attacked downfield. He can be run away from without the need for precise route running. If Iowa gets a lead they need to keep their boot on Minny's throat. I want Stross to approach DJK's day last season and Brodell's day from 2006.
TBs 32 Adam Robinson and 3 Brandon Wegher Vs. 30 MLB Lee Campbell 6 3 246 SR: Cambell is a fairly complete MLB. He can be sucked in on P/action but he has the speed to make up for a false step. He would prefer to play downhill and attack the run. He really does a nice job of sniffing out the run and using his D-line as a screen to get to the ballcarrier. If he is engaged he struggles to get off of blocks. He takes good angles to the ball and gets the ballcarrier down. He gets good depth on his zone drops. He reads the Qb's eyes well and tries to make plays on the pass. He is probably the better athlete between he and Triplett. Robinson was incredible last weekend. He was gutty and found yards after contact that shouldn't have been there. He also did a nice job of picking up the blitz in pass protection. He showed his usual good vision and didn't seem to be any worse for the wear after missing two weeks. Wegher is supposed to be a go, and it would be nice to have him as he could be a nightmare for Minny to cover in this game. He is too fast for their linebackers and would force them into some type of zone if he played the slot. He had been playing his best football before missing last week.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: If only one of these guys can go than it is a push. But these guys are really starting to understand the one cut and go philosophy of Iowa's zone scheme. That will be important because I think that Minny's D-line can do a respectable job trying to make their life miserable. However, both Robinson and Wegher have proven to be assets in the passing game and have gotten yards against tougher defenses than this one. And Iowa's Oline is coming off of its best performance.
16 QB James Vandenberg Vs. FS 3 Kim Royston 5 11 193 JR and SS 27 Kyle Theret 5 10 193 JR: Royston and Theret are very solid in both run support and pass coverage. Royston is a very good tackler, very physical, good in space and had pretty good speed. He doesn't cover well one on one. Theret is very aggressive in run support and is a good tackler. He takes very good angles and understands his limitations. He doesn't have super athleticism but he is very heady. He can make up for some of that by his instincts. He is a step slow in deep coverage and can be exploited in Cover 2. He is also vulnerable to P/action. JVB played very well last week. He made good decisions with the ball almost always. He had a physical mistake on his first two picks. He had a couple of bad reads that didn't hurt him (1 penalty, 1 great play by Moeaki). He also showed a lot of pocket presence. OSU didn't blitz him as often as Northwestern did however and Minny will probably blitz him a ton. I think if he gets help from the Oline he could have a very big day. He finds single coverage.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: Minny's D is kind of like Iowa's they line up and try to out execute you. JVB has shown early that he understands the mental part of the game and he made a huge leap from in one week on the physical part. I think another week developing chemistry with this group of WRs and with a solid and aggressive gameplan he could possibly throw for 300+ yards.
94 Adrian Clayborn RDE and 91 Broderick Binns LDE Vs. 76 LT Dom Alford 6 3 336 JR and 71 RT Jeff Willis 6 7 365 JR: These guys really struggle in pass protection. Willis also is good for at least one false start a game. Willis does have a nice punch and if he can lock on to a defender it is over. He doesn't move his feet well though and he can just be run around on either side. He doesn't have good quickness. He is out of his element in the zone blocking run scheme. He needs to be able to drive block straight ahead and this style really doesn't suit him. Alford also really struggles with a speed move in PP. He also has bad feet. He also is miscast in this zone scheme. Several times he struggled to reach anyone on stretch plays. Clayborn had the best game of Iowa's D-lineman including one highlight reel trackdown of Pryor that will for sure have to be on his film review if he decides to turn pro. He must be licking his chops watching tape of Alford. Binns really struggled in the run game against OSU. Both Ballard the TE and Shugarts the RT were able to wash him or seal him out of plays for long stretches of drives. He played the contain on Pryor very well though. He should also be very excited about this weekend's opponent.
Spud's Spin: Huge Edge Iowa: Clayborn and Binns will be racing each other to Weber. I am wondering if his #8 won't rub off on their jerseys'. The only thing preventing them from piling up multiple sacks will be if Ballard and Klug get them first. Clayborn has been a beast against the run most of the season also. Binns should be able to reassert himself in that phase this week.
DTs 46 Christian Ballard and 95 Karl Klug Vs. 68 LG Chris Bunders 6 3 322 SO, 53 C D.J. Burris 6 2 290 JR, 73 RG Matt Carufel 6 5 302 JR, and 78 G Ryan Orton 6 4 296 SO: This unit really struggles with pass protection as well. They do not pick up the blitz well and one of them are often left standing alone while Weber is picking himself up from a pile of opponents. They do get a decent surge in the run game. Bunders usually finds somebody at the second level and is good on the double team in the run game. He seems to understand the timing of the scheme. But in pass protection he misses cut blocks a lot, he can be run around, he doesn't have good feet and doesn't keep them moving, and I see him standing around blocking no one a lot. Burris is a pretty good run blocker. He misses a lot of his protections but is new to the position (starting at least). He is on the ground a ton though. He doesn't get to the second level well. He has bad balance and can be easily pushed backwards in PP. He doesn't do a good job of blitz pickup or recognition. Carufel is a Notre Dame transfer and I think a H.S. teammate of Binns. He looks the part for this scheme but he doesn't play it. I don't know if he was hurt last week or just replaced. He may be the best of this trio at getting to the second level. He really struggles with speed in PP. He doesn't anchor well and can be pushed back easily. He doesn't keep his feet moving when pass blocking. Orton only played against SDSU but when he played the run blocking noticeably improved. He also struggled with PP. SDSU just kept blitzing inside and Minny never had an answer for it. Orton is listed as second team this week. Ballard and Klug played their contain against Pryor well but were pushed around in the running game on several drives by OSU's interior. Ballard showed his athleticism though by almost chasing down Pryor at least three times and causing him either throw incompletions or scramble for little to no gain. Klug also did a nice job pass rushing but never recorded a sack. He did take good angles against Pryor.
Spud's Spin: Huge Edge Iowa: Klug and Ballard should be looking to stop the run first and I think they can. They are physically better than the guys they are facing. Minnesota doesn't do a ton of misdirection and the best back is a one cut and go type. When Weber drops straight back they should feast right alongside Clayborn and Binns. I am not sure who will have the most TFLs. but Ballard may be the most explosive of the group including Clayborn.
42 Jeremiha Hunter/ 33 Jeff Tarpinian WLB Vs. 48 TE Nick Tow-Arnett 6 3 248 SR: Tow-Arnett has replaced Decker as Weber's go to guy. He really runs good routes and recognizes soft spots in zones. He is a natural catching the ball away from his body and will catch the ball in traffic. He takes punishment and still makes plays. He can do something with the ball in his hands. He is an adequate blocker. He isn't going to pancake anyone but he will get in the way long enough to create a crease. He is also a decent pass protector. Hunter has been having a pretty good season. He has really improved his pass coverage and is a beast against the run. He was missed in the second half against OSU. Tarpinian is stronger in pass cover than Hunter but he doesn't have Hunter's experience or feel for diagnosing plays yet. He also took some poor angles to the ball in the OSU game and Kevin Whaley is fast enough to exploit that this week. One of these guys will be lined up around or over Tow-Arnett most of the time and they need to know where he is on the field.
Spud's Spin: Edge Gophers: NTA is well rounded enough to give him the edge here. Weber will find him no matter how well Iowa plays coverage on him because he really doesn't trust his other receivers yet. Hunter will be able to exploit him in the run game, and Tarp could cover him but neither can do both phases well enough yet to win this match up completely.
49 A.J. Edds SLB, CBs 19 Amari Speivey, 28 Shaun Prater, and 10 Willie Lowe Vs. WRs 83 Da'Jon McKnight 6 3 200 SO, 1 Brandon Green 6 0 183 SO, Troy Stoudermire 5 10 183 SO, 4 Heyo Carpenter 5 11 174, 81 Bryant Allen 6 0 167 T.FR, and 16 Ben Kuznia 6 0 186 SR: McKnight, Green and Stoudermire are really the guys who are on the field the most. Kuznia is almost a tight end on the Flank. Carpenter was a heralded recruit that I have seen targeted once and he dropped the pass, and Allen looks like he could be something special working from the slot. MarQueis Gray also plays receiver. McKnight uses his size well. He isn't afraid to go over the middle. He is beginning to run clean routes and develop chemistry with Weber. He can make catches in traffic and drop a ball with no one around him. Green is very quick, he is very effective out of the slot. He runs very good routes and is not afraid to work the middle of the field. He is smooth in and out of breaks. He has very good hands and can make a catch on the move. He is dangerous with the ball in his hands. Stoudermire is very athletic and very inconsistent. He gets open and drops passes. He makes the incredible catch and drops the routine ones. He is also very dangerous with the ball in his hands. If his is in motion they are usually trying to do something with him. Spievey actually made a mistake last week. I think he forced a run to the outside on the 50 yard TD. Tarpinian has taken a lot of the heat for that one but it looked to me like it was Spievey that lost contain. He is probably getting bored. Teams are not working his side very often. Prater played well last week also. He could also improve a little in run support but he is a true sophmore who I think will only improve. His cover skills will probably be tested as I expect Weber to avoid Spievey also. Lowe only played special teams last week. Edds quietly played his excellent pass coverage and was excellent in contain. His athleticism was on display several times last week when he forced Pryor out of bounds for little or no gain by taking excellent anlges and still coming at him very aggressively. He is to the Leo what Greenway is to the Weakside. The standard.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: Minny's guys will get some catches, Weber is too good not to complete some against Iowa's zone. What I am looking forard to is when he tries to squeeze on in behind the corner and under the safety. He has gotten away with that throw in every game I have seen but that is a mistake against Iowa. Iowa's tackling problems seemed to have vanished around the PSU game and they must continue to limit YAC as all of these receivers are capable of running with the ball.
43 Pat Angerer Vs. TBs 22 Duane Bennett 5 9 203 SO, 6 Kevin Whaley 5 9 179 T.FR, and 23 DeLeon Eskridge 5 9 183: Bennett is pretty much a straight ahead runner. Whaley likes to go for the edgle and Eskridge is kind of a combination of both without the total package to pull it off. Bennett is a very good receiver and has made explosive plays in the passing game. He has very good hands and they scheme to get him the ball. He can catch the ball on the run and away from his body. As a runner he doesn't have break-away speed but he always seems to find what is there. He tries to set up his blocks but sometimes he just bulldozes ahead. He does a nice job of protecting the ball. Whaley has the home run speed. He is doesn't break a lot of tackles. He does a nice job of reading his blocks and making one cut and hitting a hole. He runs hard for his size. Eskridge has a nice initial burst but no real long speed. He doesn't break a lot of tackles. He may have the best vision of the trio. Angerer was really washed out of a lot of plays. OSU's backs did a nice job of setting up cut backs and didn't allow him to read his keys. He fought through traffic to make some plays anyway, its just that it was 4 or 5 yards downfield. I don't think he will be engaged as often by this fullback or by this O-line. He needs to be aware of the play pass though as that is a staple of this offense.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: Angerer is not leaving Kinnick without knocking one of these guys two yards backwards. I can't imagine him not getting a few TFLs in this game given the circumstances and the opposition he is facing. These runners aren't as physically gifted as Herron and Saine and they certainly don't have the Oline that OSU had. Minnesota ran 48 times for 137 yards against SDSU.
9 SS Tyler Sash and 30 FS Brett Greenwood Vs 8 QB Adam Weber 6 3 221 JR: Weber is a talented player. He makes good reads, finds the open guy, uses his eyes to manipulate coverage, and has nice touch on his throws- especially the deep ball when he has time. When he has a pocket to work with he is fairly mobile in it finding a throwing lane and protects the ball well. He isn't going to kill you with his legs but he isn't afraid to run and he will finish it, too. He is a gutty player, I don't know how many times I watched him stand in and get drilled while throwing a pass but it didn't affect him until last week. He pretty accurate until last week, where even when he had time he started to feel phantom pressure and missed open receivers. He was sacked alot early but not much after that but he was still struggling to find a rhythm and seemed to get happy feet. He threw a terrible pick 6 trying to throw a safe pass avoiding pressure. He carries out his playfakes well but the running game isn't effective enough to freeze defenders right now. He can throw on the run if it is designed but he is better if he is set up. He is willing to throw to anyone on the field. Sash and Greenwood played okay last week but they didn't seem their usual selves. They diagnosed plays well but didn't always make every tackle like Hawk fans have been accostumed to. I know they are both fighting injuries and they should be able to play more coverage in this game. If the D-line is as dominant as I expect they could be calling each other off for interceptions.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: Iowa's safety duo can go out and fly around because they know they have the next several weeks to heal. Weber isn't afraid to attack downfield and that usually equals interceptions for these two. Minny's running game shouldn't be effective enough for them to react to playfakes and they should be in position to play several passes early in this game.
Some terrible predictions:
1. Trey Stross 8 catches 133 yards 3 TDs and there better be a standing O for Senior Day.
2. Tony Moeaki takes out Lawrence and his back up Cooper in the first half after catching passes.
3. Colin Sandeman scores a TD on a slot jailbreak screen, sprung by Don Nordmann.
4. John Wienke enters the game in the 4th quarter and completes 5-5 for 1 td (see above) causing a trifecta QB controversy. Ferentz calls Tommy from Des Moines and asks him to name the starter for the Bowl.
5. Iowa wins and KOK retires to become a farmer after realizing what the sticker means.
Spud's Spin: I really think the Hawks are going to roll this team, but I felt like they would roll- UNI, Arky State, Indiana, and Northwestern. For some reason Kinnick has not been that kind to the Hawkeyes this season. Senior Day is always wierd, a lot of strange emotion, distractions for the players and the fans sometimes spend some of their energy a little early. If the team doesn't get off to an incredible start it can be a long game. This Minnesota team is capable of making this a game. They have a clever coaching staff and start 9 seniors on defense. They have a 3 year starting QB on offense who can be patient which is the key to executing against Iowa's D. But they also have a propensity for not blocking anyone on offense, committing 10+ penalties a game and letting receivers run down the field completely alone. So I am going to predict that the Gophers don't enjoy their bus ride here, and loathe it on the way home. Iowa 38 Gophers 13. Congratulations Pat, Kyle C., Joe, Dan, A.J., Rafael, Chad, Bryce, Taylor, Andy, Travis, Tony, Dace, Chris, Kyle S., and Trey but most importantly THANK YOU.
Offensively the Rodents are led by O.C. Jedd Fisch. He should be a name to watch in the coming seasons. They are very multiple and will run or pass out of any formation and line up in any formation on any down regardless of the distance. The only real tendencies I could spot were a lot of first down play action, and if that failed the almost always ran on second down. They are trying to transition to a Pro-style offense from the spread but they are often more effective from the Shotgun formations. Adam Weber is a good quaterback when he has time to read his progressions. Losing Decker may have made him better. His new favorite target seems to be the tight end Nick Tow-Arnett and they scheme to get him the ball. If he is in motion or not near the line of scrimmage something is probably up.
They will bring in 5 MarQuies Gray to run "Wildcat" but is just a garden variety spread offense. Gray is not a threat to pass and has attempted only 11 passes all season completing 5 with his longest being a 16 yard TD in garbage time. His series of plays include the standard Qb read option, a speed option, a Qb Draw, and regular hand offs to the back. They run some funny 4 receivers to one side stuff but generally they have a Shotgun Y (3 WR 1 TE 1 TB, two wideouts and the TE on the wide side) formation when he is in the Qb position. He also plays receiver and will start as the QB with Weber on the field and they will switch positions. He is an effective runner and is making better decisions with his keep/ handoff reads. He is a bigger version of Michigan's Denard Robinson right now.
Lately they have discoverd the fullback in their offense and he appears to be a good one. 35 Jon Hoese is a decent blocker, but he has developed into a very good receiver and also a nice short yardage option for them in the running game. He has yet to be stopped for a loss this season.
Finally their offensive line favors zone running schemes but they aren't very athletic and they struggle to get a good push and to get to the second level. In the 4 games I watched they really struggled to run the ball, even against SDSU. They are not good in pass protection and are bewildered by the blitz. They gave up 7 sacks to the Illini and 4 to the Jackrabbits. Many other times Weber was running for his life. Against SDSU Weber was pressured into throwing a pick 6. Iowa probably doesn't have to blitz to pressure Weber but it might be fun to see. This is probably the most penalized unit in the Big Ten and may have more penalties alone than the entire Iowa team. They are plagued by false starts and holding calls.
Defensively the Rodents run a base 4-3. They have a very big front 4 and they are physical. They aren't really explosive but they play the run extremely well and I saw them repeatedly blow up zone running schemes. The defensive tackles are really big and they play with leverage. The D-ends play their gaps well and play the run first. Kevin Cosgrove (formerly of Wisconsin) runs a very aggresive D. When they are blitzing everyone in the stadium will know it. They don't disguise their blitzs. They are aggressive in every way and are vulnerable to play-action passes and the deep pass in general. I saw them repeatedly burned in Cover 2 to the strong side of the field by receivers just running away from the strong safety. Cover 3 seems to be what they run the most of however.
On 3rd and Longs or obvious passing downs they run some standard 4-3, some 3-3-5 and some Nickel. I would say 90% of the time they bring at least 5 and often 7. They don't hide their pressure. I saw 5 different blitzes against the freshman QB for Illinois- Charest. They cannot generate pressure with their front four and are forced to compensate by blitzing. Both of their starting OLBs Lawrence and Tripplett are decent blitzers. They have good speed for the position and take good angles to the QB. The only DL able to generate a pass rush on his own is the DT Brown.
Special Teams: Minnesota's special teams are not very consistent. The coverage units are a liability. The kicker 37 Eric Ellestad has the leg to kick it into the end zone but when he doesn't he either shanks it out of bounds, or they give up huge returns. I saw MSU return one for a TD, Illinois bust one for over 30 and SDSU take one back for 86. I imagine they have worked on this some.
The punter 38 Blake Haudan doesn't usually kick it far enough for the other team to return it but when he does this unit is also vulnerable. SDSU also ripped off a 47 yarder.
Ellestad isn't a very reliable field goal kicker and hasn't made one from beyond 40 this season. He is money on extra points however.
Troy Stoudermire is an excellent returner on Kickoffs. He has good patience, a nice ability to start and stop and accelerate again, he can break a tackle, and he is shifty in general. He struggles catching the ball at times. The other returner Jay Thomas also does a nice job of letting blocks develop and had a nice run back nullified by a penalty.
Bryant Allen returns the punts but he has only returned 3 all season. He is a fair catch machine but he catches the ball with his body. I predict at least one muff on Saturday. I haven't seen him return a punt.
One last thing before the Match Ups. This team is a lot like Iowa was last week. They have absolutely nothing to lose. They are probably treating last week's game as a loss. They are starting 11 players from last season's team whom remember last season's trip to the wood shed. I think they are actually well coached and I was suprised. I think if they can block for Weber he is as dangerous as any QB the Hawkeyes have faced, since Kafka was so limited. I think the Hawks should dominate this game, but MSU should have destroyed this team and Minny got a lead and kept scoring against a very good defense. They didn't get lucky, they executed a very souund offensive gameplan and did just enough defensively to hold on to that game. They won in spite of 17 penalties and 152 yards against them. They fought back and almost came back to beat Illinois scoring 22 points in the 4th quarter of that game. They could have easily packed it in last week after getting way more of a game than anyone expected. I doubt that they will fold because they are facing Iowa. They would love nothing more than to ruin Iowa's chances to go to the BCS. They are riding on a Bus to and from this game, Iowa could be flying to Tempe in 6 weeks. I bet they can find some motivation for this game.
The Match Ups:
79 Bryan Bulaga LT and 60 Kyle Calloway RT Vs. Sh.DE 89 Barrett Moen 6 3 282 SR, WiDE 55 Cedric Mckinley 6 6 282 SR, and DE 97 Anthony Jacobs 6 2 289 SO: Moen usually lines up on the short side of the field, Mckinley on the wide. They are similar in skill set although Mckinley is a little more athletic. Moen isn't real explosive and doesn't rush the passer very well. He can be sucked in on P/action. He is stout against the run and can dominate most TEs physically. He hustles. Mckinley has a good motor and also plays the run very well. He too can be sucked in by P/action. He has a little more explosiveness and can make up for it better. He has a couple of pass rush moves but doesn't get to the QB often. He has a great motor and pusues really well and will make a play 20-30 yards downfield. Jacobs plays on some of the Nickel packages and I don't have a single note written down about him other than that. Bulaga and Calloway played excellent last weekend. The only thing I have written down as a negative for either of them was on the last run before overtime on Bulaga, and he still tried to ride his guy out of the play. This will be the least physically challenging match up for these guys in some time.
Spud's Spin: Huge Edge Iowa: Both of Iowa's players could be playing for NFL teams next season. I don't think either of Minnys will. Both of Iowa's tackles can handle either guy in both phases and I think Moeaki can block either one too. I am not sure how Iowa will gameplan this but eventually they will be running the ball a lot, and I look forward to watching these guys go at it.
77 Riley Reiff LG, 52 Rafael Eubanks C, and 63 Julian Vandervelde RG Vs. DTs 98 Eric Small 6 2 306 SR, 99 Garrett Brown 6 2 310 SR, and 96 Brandon Kirksey 6 2 295 SO: Small and Brown are on the field alot. They are very effective against the run and Brown is a decent pass rusher. They are the keys to Minny's rushing defense. They remind me a little of having two Matt Krouls. They attack their gaps and try to penetrate vs. zone schemes. Small isn't really explosive off the snap but he finds the ball. He plays low and gets a good push in the running game. He is very strong and is willing to just hold his spot. He doesn't have the speed to track down plays away from him often. He plays very, very hard. Brown is pretty explosive and he is the more disruptive of the two. He has a little more burst in him and he can get to the runner from behind occasionally. He also has a little more success getting to the QB although he pretty much just tries to push his way there. Kirksey is pretty much just in there to give these guys a blow right now. I didn't see him do anything special except get off the ball really slow. #95 D.L. Wilhite scored a TD vs SDSU but isn't listed on the depth chart. Iowa's interior unit is coming off of its best game collectively but this will still be a tough match up for them. These guys are bigger than the OSU players and willing to just anchor against the run rather than try to run with the lineman and try to make plays. This will especially be a strength mismatch for Reiff and Eubanks.
Spud's Spin: Edge Gophers: These are some veteran players for Minnesota and they are having good seasons. They understand what their roles are in the defense they are playing and if they can make a play so much the better. Iowa should have the quickness edge here but Minny definately has the strength and especially in Reiff's case the experience edge. It will be important for Iowa's players to get to the second level vs. the Gophers because their LBs are pretty good downhill and know how to use their D-line to their advantage. They don't shed blocks well however.
81 Tony Moeaki TE Vs. 21 Simoni Lawrence 6 1 221 SR: Lawrence is a very good athlete but he is a little undersized and struggles at the point of attack in the run game. He is very comfortable in space and a good tackler. He gets good depth on his zone drops and he has very good make up speed if he takes a false step on P/action. He also has very good closing speed for a linebacker. He understands how to play his zone and doesn't take chances exposing his area of the field. He is a decent blitzer and possibly their best pass rushing threat. He can be swallowed up by lineman and tightends, though and he doesn't shed blocks very well, prefering to try to run around them. Moeaki played pretty well versus OSU. He had one dropped pass on a hitch route and one that he tipped that led to the first Iowa turnover. That was a pretty tough catch but I have seen him make those kinds of plays. I haven't seen Minny's D scheme for a particular receiver including B. White from MSU, prefering to either blitz to force the ball out early or play their regular coverages. Tony did a pretty good job blocking in both phases.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: Lawrence can run with Tony but I am not sure he can cover him. He is giving up a lot in Height and Weight in this match up and I think Tony could flat out dominate him run blocking him. Tony could have a big day if he is the hot receiver as much as Cosgrove likes to blitz. I would prefer to see Moeaki running a route on every passing play and not pass blocking in this game no matter how much pressure Minnesota is bringing. He could really rack up the YAC in this game if he is the outlet receiver and JVB has shown the ability to find his checkdown very well.
82 Allen Reisner TE and 36 Brett Morse FB Vs. 32 WLB Nate Triplett 6 3 247 SR: Triplett doesn't seem to change direction well and can really overpursue. He can make a tackle with a blocker on his hip and can sift through traffic. He has decent straight ahead speed and reads his keys well. He is very aggressive though and can really get sucked in on playaction. He doesn't miss very many tackles and will bring a guy down in space. He never gives up on a play. He is a good blitzer and finds a gap through the middle as well as any linebacker Iowa has faced this season. Reisner had a nice game last week and seems to be benefitting from the change in QB. He is also underrated as a blocker. Morse hasn't been as productive lately as he was early in the season but I think some of the blocks he is accused of missing are misunderstood. I think he is responsible for backside pursuit on a lot of Iowa's runs and isn't necassarily always a lead blocker in Iowa's scheme. He has also been a productive outlet for the passing game and is a very reliable pass blocker.
Spud's Spin: Edge Gophers: Triplett isn't always pretty but he finds the ball and makes the tackle. He also knows where he is supposed to be on the field and he gets there. He can be blocked but if he is he fights hard to get off of it. He is pretty strong and very instinctive. I think it is really important for Iowa's running game for him to be blocked. If he is consistently one of Iowa's runningbacks will have a big day.
WRs 86 Trey Stross, 15 DJK, 7 Marvin McNutt, 6 Keenan Davis, and 22 Colin Sandeman Vs. CBs 15 Traye Simmons 5 11 180 SR, 24 Marcus Sherels 5 11 172 SR, 1 Michael Carter 5 11 163, and 2 Ryan Collado 5 9 173 JR: I bet Simmons and Sherels remember last season. They were victimized by DJK repeatedly by double moves. They are very aggressive corners and they try to jump routes. They blow a lot of coverages. Simmons is a decent tackler on receivers but he doesn't seem to like to help in the run game. He is still vulnerable to the double move and will jump a route when he has deep responsiblity on Cover 3. He was hurt for much of the SDSU game, but was listed in the depth chart. Sherels is a little more disiplined but he can still be beaten by a double move. He is also not big on run support. He doesn't play the ball in the air on deep passes. He isn't extremely fast. He does seem to read routes well and closes well on short passes. Carter looks like he may be something special. He is by far the most physical of the outside players. He has the ability to turn and run with receivers. He isn't afraid to make a play on the ball in the air. He also has nice closing speed. Collado plays the Nickel Back. He is listed as a Safety on the two deep but I haven't seen him play that position. He looks pretty decent in coverage and he is a good tackler. He isn't as fast as the other three players but has a knack for understanding what receivers are trying to do. He plays his reponsibilities well. All of these players were beaten deep at least once and usually more than once. Simmons and Sherels were burned multiple times. Stross is coming off of a nightmare game. I am sure that isn't the homecoming he was hoping for but I imagine he will rebound nicely for Senior Day. DJK played well both as a receiver and as a returner. McNutt was fantastic. I don't understand why he is ever used in the slot. He is such a match up nightmare it seems senseless to not keep him on the perimeter. Davis and Sandeman didn't produce much but they did block well. Sandeman did have a nice run after a catch.
Spud's Spin: Huge Edge Iowa: I had pretty large expectations for this group but they have exceeded them. Iowa receivers have had some pretty nice games against Minny recently and I see the trend continuing. I would love for nothing more than for the first play call be designed for Stross. He needs to be a big part of the game plan. 3 receiver sets should be the norm against this team and the Strong Safety should be attacked downfield. He can be run away from without the need for precise route running. If Iowa gets a lead they need to keep their boot on Minny's throat. I want Stross to approach DJK's day last season and Brodell's day from 2006.
TBs 32 Adam Robinson and 3 Brandon Wegher Vs. 30 MLB Lee Campbell 6 3 246 SR: Cambell is a fairly complete MLB. He can be sucked in on P/action but he has the speed to make up for a false step. He would prefer to play downhill and attack the run. He really does a nice job of sniffing out the run and using his D-line as a screen to get to the ballcarrier. If he is engaged he struggles to get off of blocks. He takes good angles to the ball and gets the ballcarrier down. He gets good depth on his zone drops. He reads the Qb's eyes well and tries to make plays on the pass. He is probably the better athlete between he and Triplett. Robinson was incredible last weekend. He was gutty and found yards after contact that shouldn't have been there. He also did a nice job of picking up the blitz in pass protection. He showed his usual good vision and didn't seem to be any worse for the wear after missing two weeks. Wegher is supposed to be a go, and it would be nice to have him as he could be a nightmare for Minny to cover in this game. He is too fast for their linebackers and would force them into some type of zone if he played the slot. He had been playing his best football before missing last week.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: If only one of these guys can go than it is a push. But these guys are really starting to understand the one cut and go philosophy of Iowa's zone scheme. That will be important because I think that Minny's D-line can do a respectable job trying to make their life miserable. However, both Robinson and Wegher have proven to be assets in the passing game and have gotten yards against tougher defenses than this one. And Iowa's Oline is coming off of its best performance.
16 QB James Vandenberg Vs. FS 3 Kim Royston 5 11 193 JR and SS 27 Kyle Theret 5 10 193 JR: Royston and Theret are very solid in both run support and pass coverage. Royston is a very good tackler, very physical, good in space and had pretty good speed. He doesn't cover well one on one. Theret is very aggressive in run support and is a good tackler. He takes very good angles and understands his limitations. He doesn't have super athleticism but he is very heady. He can make up for some of that by his instincts. He is a step slow in deep coverage and can be exploited in Cover 2. He is also vulnerable to P/action. JVB played very well last week. He made good decisions with the ball almost always. He had a physical mistake on his first two picks. He had a couple of bad reads that didn't hurt him (1 penalty, 1 great play by Moeaki). He also showed a lot of pocket presence. OSU didn't blitz him as often as Northwestern did however and Minny will probably blitz him a ton. I think if he gets help from the Oline he could have a very big day. He finds single coverage.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: Minny's D is kind of like Iowa's they line up and try to out execute you. JVB has shown early that he understands the mental part of the game and he made a huge leap from in one week on the physical part. I think another week developing chemistry with this group of WRs and with a solid and aggressive gameplan he could possibly throw for 300+ yards.
94 Adrian Clayborn RDE and 91 Broderick Binns LDE Vs. 76 LT Dom Alford 6 3 336 JR and 71 RT Jeff Willis 6 7 365 JR: These guys really struggle in pass protection. Willis also is good for at least one false start a game. Willis does have a nice punch and if he can lock on to a defender it is over. He doesn't move his feet well though and he can just be run around on either side. He doesn't have good quickness. He is out of his element in the zone blocking run scheme. He needs to be able to drive block straight ahead and this style really doesn't suit him. Alford also really struggles with a speed move in PP. He also has bad feet. He also is miscast in this zone scheme. Several times he struggled to reach anyone on stretch plays. Clayborn had the best game of Iowa's D-lineman including one highlight reel trackdown of Pryor that will for sure have to be on his film review if he decides to turn pro. He must be licking his chops watching tape of Alford. Binns really struggled in the run game against OSU. Both Ballard the TE and Shugarts the RT were able to wash him or seal him out of plays for long stretches of drives. He played the contain on Pryor very well though. He should also be very excited about this weekend's opponent.
Spud's Spin: Huge Edge Iowa: Clayborn and Binns will be racing each other to Weber. I am wondering if his #8 won't rub off on their jerseys'. The only thing preventing them from piling up multiple sacks will be if Ballard and Klug get them first. Clayborn has been a beast against the run most of the season also. Binns should be able to reassert himself in that phase this week.
DTs 46 Christian Ballard and 95 Karl Klug Vs. 68 LG Chris Bunders 6 3 322 SO, 53 C D.J. Burris 6 2 290 JR, 73 RG Matt Carufel 6 5 302 JR, and 78 G Ryan Orton 6 4 296 SO: This unit really struggles with pass protection as well. They do not pick up the blitz well and one of them are often left standing alone while Weber is picking himself up from a pile of opponents. They do get a decent surge in the run game. Bunders usually finds somebody at the second level and is good on the double team in the run game. He seems to understand the timing of the scheme. But in pass protection he misses cut blocks a lot, he can be run around, he doesn't have good feet and doesn't keep them moving, and I see him standing around blocking no one a lot. Burris is a pretty good run blocker. He misses a lot of his protections but is new to the position (starting at least). He is on the ground a ton though. He doesn't get to the second level well. He has bad balance and can be easily pushed backwards in PP. He doesn't do a good job of blitz pickup or recognition. Carufel is a Notre Dame transfer and I think a H.S. teammate of Binns. He looks the part for this scheme but he doesn't play it. I don't know if he was hurt last week or just replaced. He may be the best of this trio at getting to the second level. He really struggles with speed in PP. He doesn't anchor well and can be pushed back easily. He doesn't keep his feet moving when pass blocking. Orton only played against SDSU but when he played the run blocking noticeably improved. He also struggled with PP. SDSU just kept blitzing inside and Minny never had an answer for it. Orton is listed as second team this week. Ballard and Klug played their contain against Pryor well but were pushed around in the running game on several drives by OSU's interior. Ballard showed his athleticism though by almost chasing down Pryor at least three times and causing him either throw incompletions or scramble for little to no gain. Klug also did a nice job pass rushing but never recorded a sack. He did take good angles against Pryor.
Spud's Spin: Huge Edge Iowa: Klug and Ballard should be looking to stop the run first and I think they can. They are physically better than the guys they are facing. Minnesota doesn't do a ton of misdirection and the best back is a one cut and go type. When Weber drops straight back they should feast right alongside Clayborn and Binns. I am not sure who will have the most TFLs. but Ballard may be the most explosive of the group including Clayborn.
42 Jeremiha Hunter/ 33 Jeff Tarpinian WLB Vs. 48 TE Nick Tow-Arnett 6 3 248 SR: Tow-Arnett has replaced Decker as Weber's go to guy. He really runs good routes and recognizes soft spots in zones. He is a natural catching the ball away from his body and will catch the ball in traffic. He takes punishment and still makes plays. He can do something with the ball in his hands. He is an adequate blocker. He isn't going to pancake anyone but he will get in the way long enough to create a crease. He is also a decent pass protector. Hunter has been having a pretty good season. He has really improved his pass coverage and is a beast against the run. He was missed in the second half against OSU. Tarpinian is stronger in pass cover than Hunter but he doesn't have Hunter's experience or feel for diagnosing plays yet. He also took some poor angles to the ball in the OSU game and Kevin Whaley is fast enough to exploit that this week. One of these guys will be lined up around or over Tow-Arnett most of the time and they need to know where he is on the field.
Spud's Spin: Edge Gophers: NTA is well rounded enough to give him the edge here. Weber will find him no matter how well Iowa plays coverage on him because he really doesn't trust his other receivers yet. Hunter will be able to exploit him in the run game, and Tarp could cover him but neither can do both phases well enough yet to win this match up completely.
49 A.J. Edds SLB, CBs 19 Amari Speivey, 28 Shaun Prater, and 10 Willie Lowe Vs. WRs 83 Da'Jon McKnight 6 3 200 SO, 1 Brandon Green 6 0 183 SO, Troy Stoudermire 5 10 183 SO, 4 Heyo Carpenter 5 11 174, 81 Bryant Allen 6 0 167 T.FR, and 16 Ben Kuznia 6 0 186 SR: McKnight, Green and Stoudermire are really the guys who are on the field the most. Kuznia is almost a tight end on the Flank. Carpenter was a heralded recruit that I have seen targeted once and he dropped the pass, and Allen looks like he could be something special working from the slot. MarQueis Gray also plays receiver. McKnight uses his size well. He isn't afraid to go over the middle. He is beginning to run clean routes and develop chemistry with Weber. He can make catches in traffic and drop a ball with no one around him. Green is very quick, he is very effective out of the slot. He runs very good routes and is not afraid to work the middle of the field. He is smooth in and out of breaks. He has very good hands and can make a catch on the move. He is dangerous with the ball in his hands. Stoudermire is very athletic and very inconsistent. He gets open and drops passes. He makes the incredible catch and drops the routine ones. He is also very dangerous with the ball in his hands. If his is in motion they are usually trying to do something with him. Spievey actually made a mistake last week. I think he forced a run to the outside on the 50 yard TD. Tarpinian has taken a lot of the heat for that one but it looked to me like it was Spievey that lost contain. He is probably getting bored. Teams are not working his side very often. Prater played well last week also. He could also improve a little in run support but he is a true sophmore who I think will only improve. His cover skills will probably be tested as I expect Weber to avoid Spievey also. Lowe only played special teams last week. Edds quietly played his excellent pass coverage and was excellent in contain. His athleticism was on display several times last week when he forced Pryor out of bounds for little or no gain by taking excellent anlges and still coming at him very aggressively. He is to the Leo what Greenway is to the Weakside. The standard.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: Minny's guys will get some catches, Weber is too good not to complete some against Iowa's zone. What I am looking forard to is when he tries to squeeze on in behind the corner and under the safety. He has gotten away with that throw in every game I have seen but that is a mistake against Iowa. Iowa's tackling problems seemed to have vanished around the PSU game and they must continue to limit YAC as all of these receivers are capable of running with the ball.
43 Pat Angerer Vs. TBs 22 Duane Bennett 5 9 203 SO, 6 Kevin Whaley 5 9 179 T.FR, and 23 DeLeon Eskridge 5 9 183: Bennett is pretty much a straight ahead runner. Whaley likes to go for the edgle and Eskridge is kind of a combination of both without the total package to pull it off. Bennett is a very good receiver and has made explosive plays in the passing game. He has very good hands and they scheme to get him the ball. He can catch the ball on the run and away from his body. As a runner he doesn't have break-away speed but he always seems to find what is there. He tries to set up his blocks but sometimes he just bulldozes ahead. He does a nice job of protecting the ball. Whaley has the home run speed. He is doesn't break a lot of tackles. He does a nice job of reading his blocks and making one cut and hitting a hole. He runs hard for his size. Eskridge has a nice initial burst but no real long speed. He doesn't break a lot of tackles. He may have the best vision of the trio. Angerer was really washed out of a lot of plays. OSU's backs did a nice job of setting up cut backs and didn't allow him to read his keys. He fought through traffic to make some plays anyway, its just that it was 4 or 5 yards downfield. I don't think he will be engaged as often by this fullback or by this O-line. He needs to be aware of the play pass though as that is a staple of this offense.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: Angerer is not leaving Kinnick without knocking one of these guys two yards backwards. I can't imagine him not getting a few TFLs in this game given the circumstances and the opposition he is facing. These runners aren't as physically gifted as Herron and Saine and they certainly don't have the Oline that OSU had. Minnesota ran 48 times for 137 yards against SDSU.
9 SS Tyler Sash and 30 FS Brett Greenwood Vs 8 QB Adam Weber 6 3 221 JR: Weber is a talented player. He makes good reads, finds the open guy, uses his eyes to manipulate coverage, and has nice touch on his throws- especially the deep ball when he has time. When he has a pocket to work with he is fairly mobile in it finding a throwing lane and protects the ball well. He isn't going to kill you with his legs but he isn't afraid to run and he will finish it, too. He is a gutty player, I don't know how many times I watched him stand in and get drilled while throwing a pass but it didn't affect him until last week. He pretty accurate until last week, where even when he had time he started to feel phantom pressure and missed open receivers. He was sacked alot early but not much after that but he was still struggling to find a rhythm and seemed to get happy feet. He threw a terrible pick 6 trying to throw a safe pass avoiding pressure. He carries out his playfakes well but the running game isn't effective enough to freeze defenders right now. He can throw on the run if it is designed but he is better if he is set up. He is willing to throw to anyone on the field. Sash and Greenwood played okay last week but they didn't seem their usual selves. They diagnosed plays well but didn't always make every tackle like Hawk fans have been accostumed to. I know they are both fighting injuries and they should be able to play more coverage in this game. If the D-line is as dominant as I expect they could be calling each other off for interceptions.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: Iowa's safety duo can go out and fly around because they know they have the next several weeks to heal. Weber isn't afraid to attack downfield and that usually equals interceptions for these two. Minny's running game shouldn't be effective enough for them to react to playfakes and they should be in position to play several passes early in this game.
Some terrible predictions:
1. Trey Stross 8 catches 133 yards 3 TDs and there better be a standing O for Senior Day.
2. Tony Moeaki takes out Lawrence and his back up Cooper in the first half after catching passes.
3. Colin Sandeman scores a TD on a slot jailbreak screen, sprung by Don Nordmann.
4. John Wienke enters the game in the 4th quarter and completes 5-5 for 1 td (see above) causing a trifecta QB controversy. Ferentz calls Tommy from Des Moines and asks him to name the starter for the Bowl.
5. Iowa wins and KOK retires to become a farmer after realizing what the sticker means.
Spud's Spin: I really think the Hawks are going to roll this team, but I felt like they would roll- UNI, Arky State, Indiana, and Northwestern. For some reason Kinnick has not been that kind to the Hawkeyes this season. Senior Day is always wierd, a lot of strange emotion, distractions for the players and the fans sometimes spend some of their energy a little early. If the team doesn't get off to an incredible start it can be a long game. This Minnesota team is capable of making this a game. They have a clever coaching staff and start 9 seniors on defense. They have a 3 year starting QB on offense who can be patient which is the key to executing against Iowa's D. But they also have a propensity for not blocking anyone on offense, committing 10+ penalties a game and letting receivers run down the field completely alone. So I am going to predict that the Gophers don't enjoy their bus ride here, and loathe it on the way home. Iowa 38 Gophers 13. Congratulations Pat, Kyle C., Joe, Dan, A.J., Rafael, Chad, Bryce, Taylor, Andy, Travis, Tony, Dace, Chris, Kyle S., and Trey but most importantly THANK YOU.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Ohio State Gameplanned Iowa and Deserved to Win
That was a heartbreaking game for Hawkeye fans, and even harder to go back and chart. I came away very impressed with several Buckeyes, but even more impressed with heart and tenacity of the Iowa players. They could have easily quit at several points in the game and they fought back again and again. Coach Ferentz word for this squad has been resilient but I don't think it does this team justice. These guys are fighters and they fight together as a team as well as any Iowa unit I can remember. I am only 32 and have really paid extreme (in my OCD kind of way) attention since 2000. This is my favorite Hawkeye team ever so far and it is hard to pick out individuals because it takes everyone of them to make this thing work. Today's post is going to concentrate on the defensive side of the ball.
This is going to be a long post so I am going to just address the offense and the coaching decisions in one paragragh. I am very pleased with the play of JVB but I am not suprised. I don't think that any player should lose their job due to an injury and that means in my mind, Stanzi should be the clear cut starter as soon as he is healthy enough to play and into next season. I think he is a pro prospect and would make a great developmental QB for some NFL team's roster after next season if he continues to improve his play and he avoids a catostrophic injury. The best thing that could have happened to him is the emergence of Vandenberg. I am disappointed with the decision to sit on the ball at the end of the 4th quarter. I have read and listened to all of the arguments. I understand where KF and Co. were coming from by sitting on it. I still think it was an opportunity wasted. OSU was on their heels and JVB had repeatedly attacked their best corner. He was finding single coverage and even if they rushed 3 and dropped 8 at that time I feel he would have been able to check down to Robinson for serviceable gains. Hindsight is 20/20 and I still think that Ferentz is a great coach. This will continue to be a very special season, and it is Ferentz and his staff that have gotten Iowa to this point.
Jon's article about the youth and number of skill position players left was excellent, but Iowa is potentially stronger on the other side of the ball. Even if Spievey and Clayborn leave (and I think they will) Iowa will return 7 starters next season to that side of the ball: DTs- Ballard and Klug, DE- Binns, WLB- Hunter, CB- Prater, and both Safeties- Sash and Greenwood. Iowa has depth at the corner position with the return of Bernstine from a medical red shirt, and Lowe and Hyde have impressed me in limited playing time. Tyler Nielson will have huge shoes to fill taking over for the vastly underrated A.J. Edds but I believe he has the athleticism to take his spot. It will be interesting to see if Tarpinian moves to MLB, or if Troy Johnson and Bruce Davis fight it out for that spot. Angerer will be missed for more than his play on the field, he is a great leader and a comedian off the field. Lebron Daniel and Cody Hundertmark have looked pretty decent at Defensive End in limited reps this season but they will need to make a huge leap if Clayborn does indeed leave. Daniel almost looks like Clayborn's clone physically but I don't know if he quite has his athleticism yet. At D-tackle Mike Daniels has also played well in limited appearances this season and his future looks bright. A place on the field should be found for David Cato. He is a playmaker when he is on the field and maybe he could grow into the Leo role and Iowa could slide Nielson to MLB. Iowa also has had two very strong recruiting classes focusing on that side of the ball and another one coming in stacked with linebackers. It will be interesting to see who is relatively unknown at this point, pushing for playing time after the bowl practices and spring drills.
Now to the game. Ohio State had a very effective gameplan limiting the exposure of talented, but error prone, Terrelle Pryor. They put the game into the hands of their O-line and a True Freshman Fullback and they delivered. Iowa kept OSU off schedule( meaning forcing 3rd and long) for the first two drives and did an excellent job of containing him for most of the game. Pryor's longest pass completion was for 14 yards, and that was about the longest pass attempt. That was unfortunate for Iowa. His accuracy on his first couple of downfield throws were pretty shaky. Iowa thrives on forcing teams into third and long. They are looking to force mistakes or underneath throws where they can chase and tackle receivers for less than the yardage needed to convert. Iowa's overall #s weren't that bad but they were slightly misleading. OSU converted 8 of 17 third downs. However 3 of those were basically conceding the ball- one at the end of each half, and the overtime. Pryor did enough on third down to help the Buckeyes win the game.
When Iowa forced a third and long scenario they were generally successful. The exceptions were a 7 yard scramble by Pryor on the first third down of the 2nd Drive(bad spot also). He took advantage of a large gap left when Klug and Ballard were running a twist and scampered for just enough.
He threw a great pass to a well covered (Angerer) Sazenbacher over the middle, to get 6 yards when he needed 5 on the first 3rd down of the 3rd Drive. On the second 3rd down (3+8) of the same drive he found Posey for a 14 yard gain throwing the ball on time and to a wide open receiver. On the third 3rd down of that drive Pryor found the TB Saine on a nice little flare route in front of Spievey for 7 yards when they needed 3. On the fourth 3rd down of that drive Norm brought pressure and forced an incompletion. That lead to OSU's first field goal.
Pryor was pretty much held in check until the Third Drive of the Second Half. He converted back to back third downs. One was a scramble away from Clayborn that led to a completion to Freshman Duran Carter (who actually caught it) and the second was on a 3rd and 10. Iowa ran a twist again with the DTs and at first I thought it was a called QB draw. However Ballard the TE is running a route and doesn't block anyone until Pryor is on his back so I think credit should just be given to TP for seeing some space and making a play. He also made a nice move on Angerer on his way to 19 yards. The next play was Dan Herron's Wildcat TD. I felt like Iowa lined up wrong on this formation. Either they saw something I didn't or were expecting something tricky. OSU ran basically an off tackle run every time they lined up in this formation and Iowa didn't line up a linebacker over the TEs on this formation and had Edds to the wide side of the field and away from the action. Tarpinian may have taken a bad angle, but a healthy Greenwood and Sash probably stop this for a loss anyway.
Tarpinian has also taken some heat for the next TD, a lead play where Brandon Saine went for 50 yards. He didn't take a very good angle, but I actually think that Amari Spievey should have forced the run back to the inside and is just as guilty of taking a bad angle as Tarp on that play. Edds and Clayborn were also blocked very well by OSU on that play. I actually thought Tarpinian played pretty well. He took on the fullback as well as any of the Iowa linebackers and that includes Hunter. He diagnosed plays well, he just didn't always take the best route to the ballcarrier. The longer he was in the game the better he played. I think he will have a very strong senior year.
OSU deserves much of the credit for Iowa's defense not playing up to the level Iowa fans' are accustomed to. Iowa couldn't stop them from running from Power based formations and consequently took the ball out of Pryor's hands. The Boren brothers, #65 Justin and #44 Zach, consistently took Pat Angerer out of plays or made him make tackles 5-8 yards beyond the LOS. OSU's entire Oline played much better than I expected and the only Iowa D-lineman to consistently win his matchup was Clayborn. Klug played well in flashes, but both he and Ballard were handled for much of the game. Binns also flashed at times but he was driven off the LOS more times than not. One of two things could happen to help these guys. More players could be rotated in to help keep them fresh, or they must get physically stronger and trade some explosiveness for the ability to anchor against the run. I would prefer more bodies.
Dan Herron and Brandon Saine also deserve a lot of credit for setting up cut back lanes and for excellent vision. They consistently pressed a hole over one guard and skipped to the opposite guard, allowing the Iowa linebackers to overpursue and get caught out of position. They both displayed excellent vision and did this time after time. They almost ran the Wisconsin Counter play with out pulling guards. Herron especially deserves credit for running physically and carrying the pile. I would be curious to see how many yards after contact he accumulated.
Iowa's coaching staff stuck to their guns. They kept the safety out of the box and most of the time still had Edds over the slot when OSU came out with twin receivers running Power formations. I am not sure if Iowa running 8 in the box would have made much of a difference in this game. One, it isn't what the Hawks do and might create more confusion than benefit and two, they still had to defeat the guys who were blocking them and for most of the 2nd and 3rd quarter that didn't happen. Norm calls more defenses than people realize but OSU never really gave them a chance in this game because they consistently were in 3rd and short or didn't have 3rd downs at all. I am not sure schematically there was much the coaches could do in this game. I would have liked to see them try something but ultimately the defense kept Iowa in the game. Iowa had a chance to win and didn't. They have nothing to be ashamed of. But I think it will be a long time before I see the Hawks get physically beaten at the line of scrimmage again.
Iowa has had a lot to overcome this season. I am not sure that having Stanzi in this game would have helped Iowa that much. Iowa shot them selves in the foot several times offensively with drops and penalties. They didn't force a TO and committed 3. They had only one healthy running back. And OSU still needed OT to put the Hawkeyes down. There is so much to be proud of if you are a Hawkeye fan. Wherever this team goes bowling I would hate to be the team that faces them. If this team gets relatively healthy this bowl game most likely will be a repeat of the last one. First things first, Iowa must protect the pig. I will tell you about Minny on Thursday. Thanks for reading these so far.
This is going to be a long post so I am going to just address the offense and the coaching decisions in one paragragh. I am very pleased with the play of JVB but I am not suprised. I don't think that any player should lose their job due to an injury and that means in my mind, Stanzi should be the clear cut starter as soon as he is healthy enough to play and into next season. I think he is a pro prospect and would make a great developmental QB for some NFL team's roster after next season if he continues to improve his play and he avoids a catostrophic injury. The best thing that could have happened to him is the emergence of Vandenberg. I am disappointed with the decision to sit on the ball at the end of the 4th quarter. I have read and listened to all of the arguments. I understand where KF and Co. were coming from by sitting on it. I still think it was an opportunity wasted. OSU was on their heels and JVB had repeatedly attacked their best corner. He was finding single coverage and even if they rushed 3 and dropped 8 at that time I feel he would have been able to check down to Robinson for serviceable gains. Hindsight is 20/20 and I still think that Ferentz is a great coach. This will continue to be a very special season, and it is Ferentz and his staff that have gotten Iowa to this point.
Jon's article about the youth and number of skill position players left was excellent, but Iowa is potentially stronger on the other side of the ball. Even if Spievey and Clayborn leave (and I think they will) Iowa will return 7 starters next season to that side of the ball: DTs- Ballard and Klug, DE- Binns, WLB- Hunter, CB- Prater, and both Safeties- Sash and Greenwood. Iowa has depth at the corner position with the return of Bernstine from a medical red shirt, and Lowe and Hyde have impressed me in limited playing time. Tyler Nielson will have huge shoes to fill taking over for the vastly underrated A.J. Edds but I believe he has the athleticism to take his spot. It will be interesting to see if Tarpinian moves to MLB, or if Troy Johnson and Bruce Davis fight it out for that spot. Angerer will be missed for more than his play on the field, he is a great leader and a comedian off the field. Lebron Daniel and Cody Hundertmark have looked pretty decent at Defensive End in limited reps this season but they will need to make a huge leap if Clayborn does indeed leave. Daniel almost looks like Clayborn's clone physically but I don't know if he quite has his athleticism yet. At D-tackle Mike Daniels has also played well in limited appearances this season and his future looks bright. A place on the field should be found for David Cato. He is a playmaker when he is on the field and maybe he could grow into the Leo role and Iowa could slide Nielson to MLB. Iowa also has had two very strong recruiting classes focusing on that side of the ball and another one coming in stacked with linebackers. It will be interesting to see who is relatively unknown at this point, pushing for playing time after the bowl practices and spring drills.
Now to the game. Ohio State had a very effective gameplan limiting the exposure of talented, but error prone, Terrelle Pryor. They put the game into the hands of their O-line and a True Freshman Fullback and they delivered. Iowa kept OSU off schedule( meaning forcing 3rd and long) for the first two drives and did an excellent job of containing him for most of the game. Pryor's longest pass completion was for 14 yards, and that was about the longest pass attempt. That was unfortunate for Iowa. His accuracy on his first couple of downfield throws were pretty shaky. Iowa thrives on forcing teams into third and long. They are looking to force mistakes or underneath throws where they can chase and tackle receivers for less than the yardage needed to convert. Iowa's overall #s weren't that bad but they were slightly misleading. OSU converted 8 of 17 third downs. However 3 of those were basically conceding the ball- one at the end of each half, and the overtime. Pryor did enough on third down to help the Buckeyes win the game.
When Iowa forced a third and long scenario they were generally successful. The exceptions were a 7 yard scramble by Pryor on the first third down of the 2nd Drive(bad spot also). He took advantage of a large gap left when Klug and Ballard were running a twist and scampered for just enough.
He threw a great pass to a well covered (Angerer) Sazenbacher over the middle, to get 6 yards when he needed 5 on the first 3rd down of the 3rd Drive. On the second 3rd down (3+8) of the same drive he found Posey for a 14 yard gain throwing the ball on time and to a wide open receiver. On the third 3rd down of that drive Pryor found the TB Saine on a nice little flare route in front of Spievey for 7 yards when they needed 3. On the fourth 3rd down of that drive Norm brought pressure and forced an incompletion. That lead to OSU's first field goal.
Pryor was pretty much held in check until the Third Drive of the Second Half. He converted back to back third downs. One was a scramble away from Clayborn that led to a completion to Freshman Duran Carter (who actually caught it) and the second was on a 3rd and 10. Iowa ran a twist again with the DTs and at first I thought it was a called QB draw. However Ballard the TE is running a route and doesn't block anyone until Pryor is on his back so I think credit should just be given to TP for seeing some space and making a play. He also made a nice move on Angerer on his way to 19 yards. The next play was Dan Herron's Wildcat TD. I felt like Iowa lined up wrong on this formation. Either they saw something I didn't or were expecting something tricky. OSU ran basically an off tackle run every time they lined up in this formation and Iowa didn't line up a linebacker over the TEs on this formation and had Edds to the wide side of the field and away from the action. Tarpinian may have taken a bad angle, but a healthy Greenwood and Sash probably stop this for a loss anyway.
Tarpinian has also taken some heat for the next TD, a lead play where Brandon Saine went for 50 yards. He didn't take a very good angle, but I actually think that Amari Spievey should have forced the run back to the inside and is just as guilty of taking a bad angle as Tarp on that play. Edds and Clayborn were also blocked very well by OSU on that play. I actually thought Tarpinian played pretty well. He took on the fullback as well as any of the Iowa linebackers and that includes Hunter. He diagnosed plays well, he just didn't always take the best route to the ballcarrier. The longer he was in the game the better he played. I think he will have a very strong senior year.
OSU deserves much of the credit for Iowa's defense not playing up to the level Iowa fans' are accustomed to. Iowa couldn't stop them from running from Power based formations and consequently took the ball out of Pryor's hands. The Boren brothers, #65 Justin and #44 Zach, consistently took Pat Angerer out of plays or made him make tackles 5-8 yards beyond the LOS. OSU's entire Oline played much better than I expected and the only Iowa D-lineman to consistently win his matchup was Clayborn. Klug played well in flashes, but both he and Ballard were handled for much of the game. Binns also flashed at times but he was driven off the LOS more times than not. One of two things could happen to help these guys. More players could be rotated in to help keep them fresh, or they must get physically stronger and trade some explosiveness for the ability to anchor against the run. I would prefer more bodies.
Dan Herron and Brandon Saine also deserve a lot of credit for setting up cut back lanes and for excellent vision. They consistently pressed a hole over one guard and skipped to the opposite guard, allowing the Iowa linebackers to overpursue and get caught out of position. They both displayed excellent vision and did this time after time. They almost ran the Wisconsin Counter play with out pulling guards. Herron especially deserves credit for running physically and carrying the pile. I would be curious to see how many yards after contact he accumulated.
Iowa's coaching staff stuck to their guns. They kept the safety out of the box and most of the time still had Edds over the slot when OSU came out with twin receivers running Power formations. I am not sure if Iowa running 8 in the box would have made much of a difference in this game. One, it isn't what the Hawks do and might create more confusion than benefit and two, they still had to defeat the guys who were blocking them and for most of the 2nd and 3rd quarter that didn't happen. Norm calls more defenses than people realize but OSU never really gave them a chance in this game because they consistently were in 3rd and short or didn't have 3rd downs at all. I am not sure schematically there was much the coaches could do in this game. I would have liked to see them try something but ultimately the defense kept Iowa in the game. Iowa had a chance to win and didn't. They have nothing to be ashamed of. But I think it will be a long time before I see the Hawks get physically beaten at the line of scrimmage again.
Iowa has had a lot to overcome this season. I am not sure that having Stanzi in this game would have helped Iowa that much. Iowa shot them selves in the foot several times offensively with drops and penalties. They didn't force a TO and committed 3. They had only one healthy running back. And OSU still needed OT to put the Hawkeyes down. There is so much to be proud of if you are a Hawkeye fan. Wherever this team goes bowling I would hate to be the team that faces them. If this team gets relatively healthy this bowl game most likely will be a repeat of the last one. First things first, Iowa must protect the pig. I will tell you about Minny on Thursday. Thanks for reading these so far.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Ohio State Vs Iowa Match Ups
If you aren't busy around 2:30 there is a football game you might be interested in. It has some minor implications to the Big Ten Championship, but otherwise really shouldn't be all that interesting. Iowa comes in limping, literally and figuratively, after a crushing loss to Northwestern and Ohio State comes in very confident after physically dominating a pretty good Penn State team in Happy Valley. In my opinion this is a match up featuring the two best defenses in the Big Ten. Ohio State has a fearsome front line that is actually 5 deep. The headliner of the squad however is Terrell Pryor, the mobile QB and he certainly merits the attention. How how Iowa contains Pryor on defense and if they can pass protect on offense will determine if this is a game in the second half.
Offensively the Buckeyes use a lot of Shotgun formations. They will use several variations but like to keep a tight end on the field. When they run under center they split 50/50 between I formations and two tight ends. When they go I they almost always have "twin" receiver sets. The most common "Ace" formation is a heavy bunch set with a staggered Tight end off set by a Wing and a tight Wide out.
They don't have a lot of variation to their running game. When they are in Shotgun the Oline uses a zone scheme and they are generally running some type of read option or a speed option. They also have called QB draws but their most effective running plays this season have been when Pryor pulls the ball down on called passing plays. When they run out of the I they usually man block with a guard pulling. Their Fullback #44 Zach Boren is a very effective lead blocker and doesn't often miss his assignment. When they use their Ace Bunch scheme they have three basic runs. A lead over the strong side with the weak side guard pulling, a strong- side toss sweep, and a counter play with both the strong side guard and tackle pulling. This is very similar to the play Wisconsin had a lot of success with in the beginning of that game. I haven't seen the boot but I know its coming.
OSU doesn't have a real complicated passing scheme. Pryor doesn't sell playaction well. The will roll him out on occasion but he is most comfortable from the Shotgun. If #8 Posey is in the slot something is coming his way. He doesn't line up there often and it is usually some type of slot screen. OSU's best pass play is usually just a bomb lobbed for Posey. #12 Sazenbacher runs decent routes but Pryor doesn't seem comfortable working the middle of the field. The tight ends aren't often involved in the passing game by design.
Defensively OSU runs a base 4-3 scheme out of a 3-4 look. The weak side end is often in a 2 point stance but it is rare that he doens't rush or play contain responsibilities. Against traditional schemes they play their Sam LB over the TE like Iowa. If they go 4-3 against a 3 wide look the Sam lines up over the slot unless they are blitzing. If he isn't on the slot something is coming and they are usually in man cover. On obvious passing situations they go to a 3-3-5 look with sometime 2 men down sometimes 3 and sometimes 4. They are very good about disguising blitzs. They have a lot of talent on that side of the ball and they play alot of players in the secondary but they don't tip their hand by who is in the game. They trust any of their players to man up anyone they are matched with although they try to play two deep safeties often. I think their linebacking unit is solid, not spectacular. If you had their DC alone after too many beers, I bet he would admit he would rather have Iowa's players. They are pretty quick and they hustle, though. The whole team hustles to the ball. It is like watching Iowa. They rally to the ball better than any team I have watched all season. Heyward and Worthington can be unblockable at times and they move around. #43 Nate Williams looks like a young Matt Roth. He is going to be a player to watch in this game. #4 Kurt Coleman is a steady player but this secondary benefits from the pressure the front 4 generate. He doesn't flash to me and is slower to read the run than the other safeties he plays with.
Special teams is an area where Iowa may be able to gain an advantage. There kicking game is struggling and they can't reliably make a field goal over 40 yards right now with the injury to regular K Aarron Pettrey. Replacement Devin Barclay has looked shaky and may not be counted on to finish drives. He has looked fine on kick offs and they have a pretty solid cover unit. DJK has looked like he was a block or a stumble away from making big plays over the last couple of weeks and if he were to break one this week it would be a big morale boost to the entire team.
The punter Jon Thoma is decent and he gets a lot of air under the ball preventing returns. The cover unit is also outstanding. Given that Iowa really doesn't have an established returner here I would give OSU a huge edge here.
Ray Small is an outstanding returner on both punt and kick returns. He is fast, shifty and sets up blocks very, very well. He also gets good blocking from both units and they are the rare return unit that isn't flagged every other return. Iowa must contain him especially on the Kick Offs and make OSU execute for 70 to 80 yards a drive.
The Match Ups:
79 Bryan Bulaga LT and 60 Kyle Calloway RT VS. 97 Cameron Heyward 6'6 287 DE/DT JR, 90 Thad Gibson 6'2 240 WDE JR, 43 Nathan Williams 6'3 245 DE SO: Heyward is the key here. He lines up anywhere on the front line and is extremely disruptive. He also prepares very well and understands what the other team is trying to do. When he is playing DE he plays his responsibility first, he doesn't crash in on the running game. He pretty much just bull rushes but he has really long arms and uses them well. He has a great first step and is explosive for his size. He sets up his blocker all game long taking different routes to the QB. In the run game he shoots gaps and disrupts. He carries lineman and can make tackles while engaged. He is the best d-lineman Iowa has faced this season and they have faced some good ones. Gibson and Williams line up in a 2 point stance a lot. Gibson is the more likely of the two to drop into coverage and he looks good doing it. He is a very good athlete. He is really fast but tries to beat tackles to the outside every time. He is agile enough to turn the corner in a hurry. He shed's blocks from TEs well but can be handled by Olineman in the run game. Given another off-season to bulk up, he could be a better college player than Gholston was. Williams was the guy who really flashed to me, though. I hadn't heard of him and all I saw was him living in the other teams' backfield on passing situations. He can rush from either side and from a two point stance or with his hand on the ground. He is cat quick and uses his hands very well. He is relentless and never gives up on a play. Calloway has struggled with speed rushers and he will be facing two in Williams and Gibson. I thought he handled Wootton for most of the day, and Davie rarely rushed for NW. Calloway probably had the best game of all of the Iowa lineman last week. Bulaga will be lineman matched up with Heyward most often. He has the tools to handle him and if he could keep him quiet that would go a long way towards making JVB's first start easier. Bulaga has the feet to handle the speed of the other two. What Calloway and Bulaga need to work on is seeing the blitz and getting the inside guy first. The whole line needs help with that though.
Spud's Spin: Push. I think the bookends for Iowa can hold their own in both phases of the game. In fact I think Calloway can dominate Gibson and Williams in the running game. It all hinges on how well they pass protect. Both of these guys are Sunday players and possibly even high round selections. If they are playing their best football they can handle anything OSU throws at them.
77 Riley Reiff LG, 52 Rafael Eubanks C, and 63 Julian Vandervelde RG Vs. DTs 84 Doug Worthington 6'6 276 SR, 92 Todd Denlinger 6'2 292 SR, and 54 John Simon 6'3 274 True FR: Worthington is the standout of this group. He is long armed and very quick off the ball. He is very athletic- he dropped into coverage a few times in zone blitzs. He also plays very well while engaged. He hustles too, he will make a play 20 yards from the line of scrimmage. Denlinger is a two down player. He comes off in obvious passing downs. He is a decent run stuffer who plays low and flows down the LOS against a zone scheme closing off cut back lanes on runs that flow away from him. He isn't a great athlete, he is a try hard guy. Simon is a very good athlete who is getting decent playing time as a true freshman and playing both interior spots. He gets off the ball well but is better suited to rush the passer than to stop the run right now. He can be pushed off the ball. Reiff, Eubanks and Vandervelde had a rough go of it against NW. I assume that Eubanks is in charge of line calls and he needs to do a really good job on Saturday because I don't think you want a R.Fr QB calling out protections with everything else he has on his plate. The Hawkeye Interior really struggled with identifying blitzers when the Wildcats ran zone schemes at them in a 3-3-5 look and that is OSU's basic Nickel package. They must do a better job communicating this weekend. I think if these guys can get a push in the run game they can do a very good job on OSU's linebackers. I think that Eubanks has really come on with his run blocking recently and that Vandervelde has turned the corner in that phase of the game also. KOK could help them out formationally by getting a seventh or eight defender out of the box in this game. Reiff is getting a better push than I initially gave him credit for but he will have his hands full in this game.
Spud's Spin: Edge OSU. I went into this thinking the Buck's would have a much bigger advantage here and they still could. Worthington is a beast and Heyward spends half of his time lined up as a DT. It is almost more important for Eubanks to call out where Heyward is than it is for him to block someone. When Denlinger is in the game Iowa needs to run to his side and cut Heyward and make sure he is on the ground. That would usually mean a run to Calloway's side. Iowa cannot give up on the run too early, as OSU's LBs and Safeties can be exploited if they actually have to make plays.
81 Tony Moeaki Vs. 38 Austin Spitler 6'3 234 SLB: Spitler is a tough player who reads plays well but is over aggressive and can take bad angles to the ball. He has very good speed and lateral quickness and is a very good tackler but he isn't scary physical. He (and this whole linebacking corps) is a drag down tackler and he can be run through. He is usually pretty sound though. He is very good in pass coverage and looks comfotable in space. Moeaki has been gameplanned effectively by the opposing team since the Michigan game. His only catches are coming on playaction when teams are drastically fooled. He runs good routes but he has been bracketed almost every time he has gone out and has stayed in and protected on 33% of Iowa's passing plays in the last two games. He has done a pretty good job of pass blocking and an excellent job run blocking.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa. I know Hawkeye fans are getting restless with the lack of attention that TM has gotten in the passing game recently but it has opened things up for the outside receivers and they have been taking advantage. Iowa is also trying to do things to get him open. Tony has a physical advantage and is just as athletic as Spitler, he can take him out on Strong side running plays. If he is the hot read in a blitz scenario he needs to make a play after the catch for Iowa to be successful. I have a feeling he will be a leading character in this game as OSU hasn't seemed to scheme for any one player this season.
82 Allen Reisner TE and 36 Brett Morse FB Vs. 51 Ross Homan 6'0 230 WLB JR: Homan is their best LB in my opinion. He is very assignment sound and more athletic than he looks. He is the best at sifting through traffic and he makes plays with blockers on him. He is also very aggressive and can be caught on playaction. He stays in on Nickel and gets good depth on zone covers. He doesn't look out of place playing man but it isn't something he is asked to do often. He doesn't miss a lot of tackles. He reads plays very well and is another guy who never gives up on a play. Reisner and Morse do a lot of blocking on the backside of running plays and they may want to stick to this guy for an extra second or so if he is their assignment. Morse has been struggling a little after his strong start and needs to reassert himself with some of the physical lead blocking he is capable of. Reisner needs to be an outlet for a young QB and neither can afford to drop a pass if it comes their way.
Spud's Spin: Edge OSU. Homan is going to make tackles and these two need to make sure they aren't TFL's. Homan diagnoses the run pretty well and Iowa tends to tip the run with motion so he could have a field day if he isn't blocked well. Morse and Reisner must not miss an assignment in pass protection. That could lead directly to a turnover in this game. Turnovers = loss.
15 DJK, 86 Trey Stross, 7 Marvin McNutt, 6 Keenan Davis, and 22 Colin Sandeman Vs. CBs 5 Chimdi Chekwa 6'0 188 JR, 10 Devin Torrence 6'1 193 JR, NB/S 7 Jermale Hines 6'2 210 JR, 13 Andre Amos 6'1 183 Sr: The one thing all of these guys have in common is they are tall for corners. Chekwa is fast and aggressive, he likes to press and he can do it well. OSU plays a lot of Cover 2 and they let Chekwa disrupt routes with physical play. He has good make up speed and likes to read the QB. Torrence isn't nearly as aggressive and he gives more space on his side. He is quick but he doesn't have the awareness or closing speed of Chekwa yet. Hines is a safety but he plays over the slot in the Nickel package and he has very good closing speed. He understands route combos, but he plays his responsibilities and doesn't seem to jump off of his man. He looks stiff when he is asked to turn and run with a receiver downfield. Amos must be hurt because he is hardly ever on the field and I rememer looking pretty solid in limited appearances before his injury last season. This unit excells in zone coverage and they usually get very solid safety play behind them so they can take some chances. I don't know if Sandeman will play but it would be nice to have him back returning punts. DJK and Stross are Ohio natives and you know this game means a lot to them. McNutt has really impressed me more every week as I watch the little things he does on his route running. Davis ran good routes last week he just didn't get a chance to catch any passes as the only ball thrown his way was more of a throw away than a real attempt to complete a pass. All of these guys continue to do a great job in the run phase.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa. Chekwa is good. I would prefer that Iowa take limited shots to his side of the field and if they do they are downfield. Torrence and Hines can be exploited and if they are in man should be targeted. Hines especially could be vulnerable to double moves out of the slot if Iowa hits a couple of early quick passes in his area. The Key is for JVB to have time to take advantage of longer routes developing. Iowa must have an outlet designed in every play.
TBs 3 Brandon Wegher and 32 Adam Robinson Vs. 36 Brian Rolle 5'11 221 MLB Jr: Rolle is very fast and he is very good in pass coverage but I think he is overrated. When he appears on post season awards lists is is completely due to the players on OSU's front line. He is rarely engaged by a lineman and when he is it is over. He runs around traffic and consequently overpursues often. He is very fast for a MLB. He has the speed to make up for a false step or two in play action. He stays on the field for Nickel. I don't have any super secret information that Robinson is playing, I am just reading between the lines of some articles I have read and looking at how soon Moeaki came back from a similar injury. If Robinson can give Iowa two series a half it could make all the difference in the world. Wegher is playing well. He doesn't always pick the best hole but he is a true freshman running in an entirely new scheme for him. He has stopped trying to be faster than every one and is truly making one cut and getting up the field. He lost his first fumble last week in his tenth game and it was questionable (I thought he lost it). On the TD that was called back he showed the speed and burst that recruitniks have been telling the casual fan about. He isn't going to outrun too many OSU defenders but if he can consistently find 3-4 yards a pop that would be huge in this game.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa. First I don't think Rolle is that good. He is pretty good, but not outstanding "man I wish he was on my team" (Sean Lee, Navarro Bowman, Greg Jones) good. Second if Robinson plays a single series and gets any kind of positive yardage it will give the Offense a mental push. Finally I think that Wegher has gotten better every week and the way He and Robinson were alternated has prevented him from hitting any kind of "freshman wall" and could find success both as a runner and a receiver.
16 James Vandenberg QB (6'3 205) Vs. 4 Kurt Coleman 5'11 188 SS SR and 21 Anderson Russell 6'0 205 FS SR: Coleman is a very good player, he is a sound tackler who understands his role and doesn't try to do too much. He is very good in coverage and plays a devastating centerfield. He is great at reading a QB's eyes and breaking on long passes. He rarely lets anyone behind him when he is zone cover. Russell is the box safety. He isn't extremely physical and it wouldn't shock me for Hines to start instead of him. He is really fast. He can play man cover over a slot or an outsider receiver. This is basically his 4th season as a starter so he has plenty of experience. Vandy needs to know where these guys are on the field and what it means to him. OSU plays a lot of Cover 2 but I saw plenty of defenses called and many of them were very well disguised. If he decides to take a shot downfield and test one of these guys I would prefer it be Russell because Coleman is a playmaker.
Spud's Spin: Edge OSU. This could be a huge edge depending on how aggressively Co-DCs Jim Heacock and Luke Hickell choose to be. I think they should try to confuse JVB and Iowa's line with as many looks as possible. Northwestern really had a lot of success with zone blitzes. That certainly isn't a foriegn concept to this team and is a natural call given the front they present on all three downs. If they come out and play 2 deep with 7 or 8 in coverage I think they are playing into Iowa's hands. I think Vandy is smart and can be accurate if he is given the chance to get a rhythm in this game. He came out hot after halftime of the NW game and NW began attacking after that. If you think Iowa is conservative you haven't watched a lot of Buckeye football.
94 Adrian Clayborn RDE and 91 Broderick Binns LDE Vs. 64 Jim Cordle 6'4 297 LT SR and 76 J.B. Shugarts 6'8 298 RT SO: Cordle has move to left tackle this season from center and the results have been somewhat mixed. He has really good feet and quickness but can be overwhelmed by physical pass rushers. He is a technical run blocker and isn't going to get a lot of pancakes in the run game. He has been fighting injuries all season. Shugarts has slow feet and is unsure of himself in pass protection. He has really long arms though and he has a good punch. If he can lock on, he generally wins. He plays a little high in the run game and doesn't generate the kind of push that you would expect. He isn't real effective in the second level due to his feet. Both Clayborn and Binns got Sacks last week against a scheme that is designed to get rid of the ball. Clayborn was in the backfield all day long and really played well. Binns also played pretty well but he struggled a little against the run. I kept thinking he was going to pick off one of those slants or outs and completely change the game. He is very technically sound for a first year starter and a redshirt sophmore at that.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa. Clayborn and Binns are the exact kind of match up that each player for OSU struggles with individually. While they could have a free path to the QB they must play contain first and eliminate Pryor's rushing yards on broken passing plays. It is fine for him to get some on designed runs because then Iowa can hit him, but Iowa needs to keep Pryor in the pocket and throwing downfield.
DTs 46 Christian Ballard, 95 Karl Klug, and 93 Mike Daniels Vs.65 LG Justin Boren 6'3 315 JR, 50 C Mike Brewster 6'5 296 SO, and 70 RG Bryant Browning 6'4 312: Boren is the best player of this group. He is a physical run blocker and the most consistent pass protector. He does a nice job of finding someone to hit when he pulls and finishes his blocks with some nastiness. Brewster and Browning struggle in both phases. Browing has slow feet and really struggles when he is asked to pull. None of these guys excell at getting to the second level when they run their zone scheme out of the shotgun. Browning really struggles with pass protection. He has slow feet and loses his balance easily. Ballard and Klug played well against NU but they will be tested here. They really need to stop the inside run as that is the key to OSU's scheme outside of shotgun. They also need to be involved in the contain phase as Pryor likes to run up the middle if he is flushed. Daniels has come on in spot duty with Ballard sometimes sliding out to DE and has done a nice job. He needs to play contain first and not run himself out of the play if he gets a good pass rush.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa. This would be larger if not for Pryor's escapability. It is more important for Klug and Ballard to stop the run, especially early, than to rush the passer. They should be able to dominate the players in front of them but they must stay in their lanes on the pass rush. Daniels is quietly having a solid season backing these two up.
42 Jeremiha Hunter WLB Vs. 86 Jake Ballard 6'6 256 TE SR: Ballard might as well be another offensive tackle. He is kept in to block a lot. He has decent hands, he just isn't often a target in the passing game. OSU doesn't run a lot of balanced formations so this match up doesn't totally make sense, for the most part it will be Angerer or Edds lined up on Ballard. #11 Jacob Stoneburner is the second TE and I talked about the Fullback Boren in the offensive breakdown. Hunter is reading his run keys really well and this will be a nice change of pace for him. If Greenwood is back I think it will make him more aggressive. I saw him trying to hide behind Binns a few times as if he was unsure if he had safety help of some stretch type runs against NU. Early this season he was attacking those. He also is Iowa's best linebacker at attacking Power formations and really takes on blockers well.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: Hunter will lead the team in tackles. Hopefully most of them are for little to no gain. I think he is going to be busy. I expect a lot of option to the weak side of OSU's formation and Hunter is going to have to be the guy who stops that play dead in its tracks. He is also going to have to attack the run in OSU's traditional sets. If he can beat there lineman to there spots he could pile up the TFLs.
49 SLB A.J. Edds and CBs 19 Amari Spievey, 28 Shaun Prater, and 10 Willie Lowe Vs. WRs 8 Devier Posey 6'3 205 SO, 12 Dane Sazenbacher 5'11 175 JR, 82 Ray Small 5'11 180 SR, and 9 Duron Carter 6'2 183 FR: Posey is a stud. He is probably the #1, 2 and 3 option on every passing play. I am not sure if he runs great routes or he is just that athletic. He gets behind coverage in every game. He makes catches in traffic and is the one player I fear with the ball in his hands. I wish he was a year older so he was gone after this season. Sazenbacher is a good route runner and tough blocker. He is wasted in this offense right now because TP is uncomfortable throwing over the middle where this guy should be making his living. Small is a better returner than a receiver and looks disinterested if he's not the primary call. He is shifty after the catch but needs lots of space to work. Carter is the son of NFLer Chris and I think that is why he is playing. His dad "just caught touchdown" passes and he just drops passes. He is a true Freshman. Iowa had some success blitzing Edds against NU and I think they should do that again when OSU is in shotgun. Pryor isn't going to beat you with his mind but he can throw the ball about 70 yards with a nice arc and they try it about 8 times a game. They are bound to get lucky once unless TP is to gunshy to let that develop. This is the kind of game that Spievey has to be relishing. I guarantee if they throw his way he will have at least one pick. Prater also should be excited as this won't be the disciplined short passing game he had to face last week. I thought he did well last week. Lowe played only a little last week on defense as he and Hyde came in on one down for a dime package. I don't expect to see a lot of Nickel this week either. He has come a long way in a few short weeks since being picked on at Arky State.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: Posey is the only thing keeping it from being a huge edge. Iowa is much more talented in this area than PSU or Purdue or Wisconsin for that matter. Spievey will open up some eyes on a national level. Edds apparently already has. Look in they 11-11 links at the one I posted. Prater is going to have to play big in this game but he hasn't given me a reason all season for me to think he won't.
43 Pat Angerer MLB Vs. TBs 3 Brandon Saine 6'1 217 JR, 1 Dan "Boom" Herron 5'10 197 SO, and 29 Jordan Hall 5'9 180 FR: Saine is a tough runner. He has good feet and decent vision, and when he gets a head of steam he falls foward. He struggles in pass protection. Herron and Saine or of the same mold but Herron is a little more explosive early. Neither has stunning breakaway speed. I understand Herron is nursing an injury but he has never impressed me. Jordan Hall is the guy to fear here. He is a true freshman and seems to have the most patience of the three. He is shifty in the hole and has an incredible burst. He does possess the home run speed. He isn't going to break a lot of tackles though, he is looking to juke someone or run around them. I am not sure he has all the protections down because he isn't often asked to stay in and block. These guys are rarely thrown a pass. Angerer has continued to play outstanding. He showed great acceleration on his blitzes last week taking out Persa on one of them. He finishes plays. He sheds traffic about as well as anyone not named Greg Jones in the Big Ten. He is going to have to play the run extra aggressively in this game because TP rarely throws into his zone. I wouldn't be shocked to see him blitz 5- 8 times again in this game.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: Angerer will get his tackles. He needs to get them at the LOS or behind it. I would love to see him spy TP but Iowa hasn't really done that to anyone all year. He has the make up speed to get fooled in Playaction but Pryor really doesn't sell it well anyway. If Ballard and Klug take out the two guards and center Hunter and Angerer will feast in this game.
9 Tyler Sash SS and 30 Brett Greenwood/ 20 Joe Conklin FS Vs. 2 QB Terrelle Pryor 6'6 235 SO: Pryor is very physically gifted. As a passer, he has an amazing touch and range on his deep ball. He has above average arm strength but if you had a radar gun it wouldn't suprise me if JVB had the bigger gun. He is much more comfortable passing out of the shotgun. From under center his footwork can be a little sloppy and he isn't an accurate passer from anywhere. He is very streaky. He stares down his first read a lot. More than Stanzi a lot. He is a pick waiting to happen. He really doesn't like the middle of the field, he works the edges and the deep ball on either hash- to the sideline. What makes him special though is he running. He doesn't look fast but he eats up a lot of ground with each stride. He is very nimble for his size and has very good quickness and suddenness. He makes great reads in the option game. He is most dangerous after he pulls the ball down on a called pass. He almost always breaks contain and the next defender miss. He is strong enough to break arm tackles He does a good job of protecting himself. Sash is playing about as good as any safety in the nation. He has 6 picks this season and diagnoses plays faster than any other safety I have scouted. He goes from Centerfielder to runstopper in the blink of an eye and he rarely misses a tackle. Greenwood was beginning to get the recoginition he deserved before his injury. He really made a leap from last season to this one. He is another player who diagnoses plays well and closes gaps fast. With him in there the LBs can be more aggressive chasing TP around. I think Conklin has been very good in coverage. He hasn't tried to do too much and keeps the play in front of him. He made a nice catch on his pick last weekend. He doesn't have the game experience that Sash and Greenwood have yet to make the snap decision on run/pass and it shows. I think he is also a step slower physically. In this game that will equal two steps slow and that could be the margin if Iowa's offense holds up their end.
Spud's Spin: Edge Push if Greenwood plays, Edge OSU if Conklin is in the whole game. Tressel will be smart enough to run his Shotgun speed options away from both Sash and Edds, negating there read and speed abilities. Pryor has played within himself and has the playmakers to help him win this game if he doesn't try to do it all himself. I think Iowa has a good chance of pressuring him into mistakes. Its how he handles the adversity that will show how far he has come this season. If OSU gameplans around Sash and protects Pryor 3 out of 4 passes Iowa cannot win this game.
Some Terrible Predictions:
1. Jeremiha Hunter 18 tackles 5 TFL 2FF amd 2 sacks BTDPOW
2. Adrian Clayborn hits Pryor with his shoulder nearly scalping him and will again be flagged for it.
3. Devier Posey will have more catches than the rest of his teammates combined 6.
4. Brian Rolle will tackle Brandon Wegher for a 3 yard gain and we will hear how awesome he is. He will have 14 less tackles than Hunter.
5. Trey Stross will score the winning TD with 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter on an out and up from the slot. It will be the last points either team scores.
Spud's Spin: An already tought task got tougher last weekend with around 11:54 seconds left on the gameclock in the second quarter. When Stanzi went down the Hawks played like they had been punched in the gut for the rest of the first half. The second half was a different story. They moved the ball better than you remember taking only one three and out on the second series of the second half. This game absolutely hinges on the play of both lines on either side. Each D-line has a decided advantage over the other teams' O-line. But there is a reason Iowa is 9-1 and it isn't all Ricky Stanzi. Iowa's defense is the best of the Ferentz era. They have been put in bad spot after bad spot and they continue to respond. OSU is coming in overconfident in this game. Pryor, Posey, Herron, Brewster, Boren, Heyward, and Worthington none of these guys have played Iowa. They don't know what its like, they have only heard. Iowa's Oline has been getting a lot of criticism and much of it is fair. I bet they come out and push OSU around on the first drive at least. If that happens KOK needs to ride that for as long as he can. Some of the criticism is unfair. I don't know how many times it has been between a safety and Wegher or Robinson for a big play and the safety has won, but when that is the case the O-line has done its job and I have seen plenty of that this season, too. This season's run struggles aren't entirely the fault of the O-line. This is Ohio State in the 'Shoe and I know Iowa is supposed go in meekly like a lamb to slaughter. I just don't see it this season.
Iowa 17 OSU 10 poor Reece Davis having to wipe the spittle off of his face.
Offensively the Buckeyes use a lot of Shotgun formations. They will use several variations but like to keep a tight end on the field. When they run under center they split 50/50 between I formations and two tight ends. When they go I they almost always have "twin" receiver sets. The most common "Ace" formation is a heavy bunch set with a staggered Tight end off set by a Wing and a tight Wide out.
They don't have a lot of variation to their running game. When they are in Shotgun the Oline uses a zone scheme and they are generally running some type of read option or a speed option. They also have called QB draws but their most effective running plays this season have been when Pryor pulls the ball down on called passing plays. When they run out of the I they usually man block with a guard pulling. Their Fullback #44 Zach Boren is a very effective lead blocker and doesn't often miss his assignment. When they use their Ace Bunch scheme they have three basic runs. A lead over the strong side with the weak side guard pulling, a strong- side toss sweep, and a counter play with both the strong side guard and tackle pulling. This is very similar to the play Wisconsin had a lot of success with in the beginning of that game. I haven't seen the boot but I know its coming.
OSU doesn't have a real complicated passing scheme. Pryor doesn't sell playaction well. The will roll him out on occasion but he is most comfortable from the Shotgun. If #8 Posey is in the slot something is coming his way. He doesn't line up there often and it is usually some type of slot screen. OSU's best pass play is usually just a bomb lobbed for Posey. #12 Sazenbacher runs decent routes but Pryor doesn't seem comfortable working the middle of the field. The tight ends aren't often involved in the passing game by design.
Defensively OSU runs a base 4-3 scheme out of a 3-4 look. The weak side end is often in a 2 point stance but it is rare that he doens't rush or play contain responsibilities. Against traditional schemes they play their Sam LB over the TE like Iowa. If they go 4-3 against a 3 wide look the Sam lines up over the slot unless they are blitzing. If he isn't on the slot something is coming and they are usually in man cover. On obvious passing situations they go to a 3-3-5 look with sometime 2 men down sometimes 3 and sometimes 4. They are very good about disguising blitzs. They have a lot of talent on that side of the ball and they play alot of players in the secondary but they don't tip their hand by who is in the game. They trust any of their players to man up anyone they are matched with although they try to play two deep safeties often. I think their linebacking unit is solid, not spectacular. If you had their DC alone after too many beers, I bet he would admit he would rather have Iowa's players. They are pretty quick and they hustle, though. The whole team hustles to the ball. It is like watching Iowa. They rally to the ball better than any team I have watched all season. Heyward and Worthington can be unblockable at times and they move around. #43 Nate Williams looks like a young Matt Roth. He is going to be a player to watch in this game. #4 Kurt Coleman is a steady player but this secondary benefits from the pressure the front 4 generate. He doesn't flash to me and is slower to read the run than the other safeties he plays with.
Special teams is an area where Iowa may be able to gain an advantage. There kicking game is struggling and they can't reliably make a field goal over 40 yards right now with the injury to regular K Aarron Pettrey. Replacement Devin Barclay has looked shaky and may not be counted on to finish drives. He has looked fine on kick offs and they have a pretty solid cover unit. DJK has looked like he was a block or a stumble away from making big plays over the last couple of weeks and if he were to break one this week it would be a big morale boost to the entire team.
The punter Jon Thoma is decent and he gets a lot of air under the ball preventing returns. The cover unit is also outstanding. Given that Iowa really doesn't have an established returner here I would give OSU a huge edge here.
Ray Small is an outstanding returner on both punt and kick returns. He is fast, shifty and sets up blocks very, very well. He also gets good blocking from both units and they are the rare return unit that isn't flagged every other return. Iowa must contain him especially on the Kick Offs and make OSU execute for 70 to 80 yards a drive.
The Match Ups:
79 Bryan Bulaga LT and 60 Kyle Calloway RT VS. 97 Cameron Heyward 6'6 287 DE/DT JR, 90 Thad Gibson 6'2 240 WDE JR, 43 Nathan Williams 6'3 245 DE SO: Heyward is the key here. He lines up anywhere on the front line and is extremely disruptive. He also prepares very well and understands what the other team is trying to do. When he is playing DE he plays his responsibility first, he doesn't crash in on the running game. He pretty much just bull rushes but he has really long arms and uses them well. He has a great first step and is explosive for his size. He sets up his blocker all game long taking different routes to the QB. In the run game he shoots gaps and disrupts. He carries lineman and can make tackles while engaged. He is the best d-lineman Iowa has faced this season and they have faced some good ones. Gibson and Williams line up in a 2 point stance a lot. Gibson is the more likely of the two to drop into coverage and he looks good doing it. He is a very good athlete. He is really fast but tries to beat tackles to the outside every time. He is agile enough to turn the corner in a hurry. He shed's blocks from TEs well but can be handled by Olineman in the run game. Given another off-season to bulk up, he could be a better college player than Gholston was. Williams was the guy who really flashed to me, though. I hadn't heard of him and all I saw was him living in the other teams' backfield on passing situations. He can rush from either side and from a two point stance or with his hand on the ground. He is cat quick and uses his hands very well. He is relentless and never gives up on a play. Calloway has struggled with speed rushers and he will be facing two in Williams and Gibson. I thought he handled Wootton for most of the day, and Davie rarely rushed for NW. Calloway probably had the best game of all of the Iowa lineman last week. Bulaga will be lineman matched up with Heyward most often. He has the tools to handle him and if he could keep him quiet that would go a long way towards making JVB's first start easier. Bulaga has the feet to handle the speed of the other two. What Calloway and Bulaga need to work on is seeing the blitz and getting the inside guy first. The whole line needs help with that though.
Spud's Spin: Push. I think the bookends for Iowa can hold their own in both phases of the game. In fact I think Calloway can dominate Gibson and Williams in the running game. It all hinges on how well they pass protect. Both of these guys are Sunday players and possibly even high round selections. If they are playing their best football they can handle anything OSU throws at them.
77 Riley Reiff LG, 52 Rafael Eubanks C, and 63 Julian Vandervelde RG Vs. DTs 84 Doug Worthington 6'6 276 SR, 92 Todd Denlinger 6'2 292 SR, and 54 John Simon 6'3 274 True FR: Worthington is the standout of this group. He is long armed and very quick off the ball. He is very athletic- he dropped into coverage a few times in zone blitzs. He also plays very well while engaged. He hustles too, he will make a play 20 yards from the line of scrimmage. Denlinger is a two down player. He comes off in obvious passing downs. He is a decent run stuffer who plays low and flows down the LOS against a zone scheme closing off cut back lanes on runs that flow away from him. He isn't a great athlete, he is a try hard guy. Simon is a very good athlete who is getting decent playing time as a true freshman and playing both interior spots. He gets off the ball well but is better suited to rush the passer than to stop the run right now. He can be pushed off the ball. Reiff, Eubanks and Vandervelde had a rough go of it against NW. I assume that Eubanks is in charge of line calls and he needs to do a really good job on Saturday because I don't think you want a R.Fr QB calling out protections with everything else he has on his plate. The Hawkeye Interior really struggled with identifying blitzers when the Wildcats ran zone schemes at them in a 3-3-5 look and that is OSU's basic Nickel package. They must do a better job communicating this weekend. I think if these guys can get a push in the run game they can do a very good job on OSU's linebackers. I think that Eubanks has really come on with his run blocking recently and that Vandervelde has turned the corner in that phase of the game also. KOK could help them out formationally by getting a seventh or eight defender out of the box in this game. Reiff is getting a better push than I initially gave him credit for but he will have his hands full in this game.
Spud's Spin: Edge OSU. I went into this thinking the Buck's would have a much bigger advantage here and they still could. Worthington is a beast and Heyward spends half of his time lined up as a DT. It is almost more important for Eubanks to call out where Heyward is than it is for him to block someone. When Denlinger is in the game Iowa needs to run to his side and cut Heyward and make sure he is on the ground. That would usually mean a run to Calloway's side. Iowa cannot give up on the run too early, as OSU's LBs and Safeties can be exploited if they actually have to make plays.
81 Tony Moeaki Vs. 38 Austin Spitler 6'3 234 SLB: Spitler is a tough player who reads plays well but is over aggressive and can take bad angles to the ball. He has very good speed and lateral quickness and is a very good tackler but he isn't scary physical. He (and this whole linebacking corps) is a drag down tackler and he can be run through. He is usually pretty sound though. He is very good in pass coverage and looks comfotable in space. Moeaki has been gameplanned effectively by the opposing team since the Michigan game. His only catches are coming on playaction when teams are drastically fooled. He runs good routes but he has been bracketed almost every time he has gone out and has stayed in and protected on 33% of Iowa's passing plays in the last two games. He has done a pretty good job of pass blocking and an excellent job run blocking.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa. I know Hawkeye fans are getting restless with the lack of attention that TM has gotten in the passing game recently but it has opened things up for the outside receivers and they have been taking advantage. Iowa is also trying to do things to get him open. Tony has a physical advantage and is just as athletic as Spitler, he can take him out on Strong side running plays. If he is the hot read in a blitz scenario he needs to make a play after the catch for Iowa to be successful. I have a feeling he will be a leading character in this game as OSU hasn't seemed to scheme for any one player this season.
82 Allen Reisner TE and 36 Brett Morse FB Vs. 51 Ross Homan 6'0 230 WLB JR: Homan is their best LB in my opinion. He is very assignment sound and more athletic than he looks. He is the best at sifting through traffic and he makes plays with blockers on him. He is also very aggressive and can be caught on playaction. He stays in on Nickel and gets good depth on zone covers. He doesn't look out of place playing man but it isn't something he is asked to do often. He doesn't miss a lot of tackles. He reads plays very well and is another guy who never gives up on a play. Reisner and Morse do a lot of blocking on the backside of running plays and they may want to stick to this guy for an extra second or so if he is their assignment. Morse has been struggling a little after his strong start and needs to reassert himself with some of the physical lead blocking he is capable of. Reisner needs to be an outlet for a young QB and neither can afford to drop a pass if it comes their way.
Spud's Spin: Edge OSU. Homan is going to make tackles and these two need to make sure they aren't TFL's. Homan diagnoses the run pretty well and Iowa tends to tip the run with motion so he could have a field day if he isn't blocked well. Morse and Reisner must not miss an assignment in pass protection. That could lead directly to a turnover in this game. Turnovers = loss.
15 DJK, 86 Trey Stross, 7 Marvin McNutt, 6 Keenan Davis, and 22 Colin Sandeman Vs. CBs 5 Chimdi Chekwa 6'0 188 JR, 10 Devin Torrence 6'1 193 JR, NB/S 7 Jermale Hines 6'2 210 JR, 13 Andre Amos 6'1 183 Sr: The one thing all of these guys have in common is they are tall for corners. Chekwa is fast and aggressive, he likes to press and he can do it well. OSU plays a lot of Cover 2 and they let Chekwa disrupt routes with physical play. He has good make up speed and likes to read the QB. Torrence isn't nearly as aggressive and he gives more space on his side. He is quick but he doesn't have the awareness or closing speed of Chekwa yet. Hines is a safety but he plays over the slot in the Nickel package and he has very good closing speed. He understands route combos, but he plays his responsibilities and doesn't seem to jump off of his man. He looks stiff when he is asked to turn and run with a receiver downfield. Amos must be hurt because he is hardly ever on the field and I rememer looking pretty solid in limited appearances before his injury last season. This unit excells in zone coverage and they usually get very solid safety play behind them so they can take some chances. I don't know if Sandeman will play but it would be nice to have him back returning punts. DJK and Stross are Ohio natives and you know this game means a lot to them. McNutt has really impressed me more every week as I watch the little things he does on his route running. Davis ran good routes last week he just didn't get a chance to catch any passes as the only ball thrown his way was more of a throw away than a real attempt to complete a pass. All of these guys continue to do a great job in the run phase.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa. Chekwa is good. I would prefer that Iowa take limited shots to his side of the field and if they do they are downfield. Torrence and Hines can be exploited and if they are in man should be targeted. Hines especially could be vulnerable to double moves out of the slot if Iowa hits a couple of early quick passes in his area. The Key is for JVB to have time to take advantage of longer routes developing. Iowa must have an outlet designed in every play.
TBs 3 Brandon Wegher and 32 Adam Robinson Vs. 36 Brian Rolle 5'11 221 MLB Jr: Rolle is very fast and he is very good in pass coverage but I think he is overrated. When he appears on post season awards lists is is completely due to the players on OSU's front line. He is rarely engaged by a lineman and when he is it is over. He runs around traffic and consequently overpursues often. He is very fast for a MLB. He has the speed to make up for a false step or two in play action. He stays on the field for Nickel. I don't have any super secret information that Robinson is playing, I am just reading between the lines of some articles I have read and looking at how soon Moeaki came back from a similar injury. If Robinson can give Iowa two series a half it could make all the difference in the world. Wegher is playing well. He doesn't always pick the best hole but he is a true freshman running in an entirely new scheme for him. He has stopped trying to be faster than every one and is truly making one cut and getting up the field. He lost his first fumble last week in his tenth game and it was questionable (I thought he lost it). On the TD that was called back he showed the speed and burst that recruitniks have been telling the casual fan about. He isn't going to outrun too many OSU defenders but if he can consistently find 3-4 yards a pop that would be huge in this game.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa. First I don't think Rolle is that good. He is pretty good, but not outstanding "man I wish he was on my team" (Sean Lee, Navarro Bowman, Greg Jones) good. Second if Robinson plays a single series and gets any kind of positive yardage it will give the Offense a mental push. Finally I think that Wegher has gotten better every week and the way He and Robinson were alternated has prevented him from hitting any kind of "freshman wall" and could find success both as a runner and a receiver.
16 James Vandenberg QB (6'3 205) Vs. 4 Kurt Coleman 5'11 188 SS SR and 21 Anderson Russell 6'0 205 FS SR: Coleman is a very good player, he is a sound tackler who understands his role and doesn't try to do too much. He is very good in coverage and plays a devastating centerfield. He is great at reading a QB's eyes and breaking on long passes. He rarely lets anyone behind him when he is zone cover. Russell is the box safety. He isn't extremely physical and it wouldn't shock me for Hines to start instead of him. He is really fast. He can play man cover over a slot or an outsider receiver. This is basically his 4th season as a starter so he has plenty of experience. Vandy needs to know where these guys are on the field and what it means to him. OSU plays a lot of Cover 2 but I saw plenty of defenses called and many of them were very well disguised. If he decides to take a shot downfield and test one of these guys I would prefer it be Russell because Coleman is a playmaker.
Spud's Spin: Edge OSU. This could be a huge edge depending on how aggressively Co-DCs Jim Heacock and Luke Hickell choose to be. I think they should try to confuse JVB and Iowa's line with as many looks as possible. Northwestern really had a lot of success with zone blitzes. That certainly isn't a foriegn concept to this team and is a natural call given the front they present on all three downs. If they come out and play 2 deep with 7 or 8 in coverage I think they are playing into Iowa's hands. I think Vandy is smart and can be accurate if he is given the chance to get a rhythm in this game. He came out hot after halftime of the NW game and NW began attacking after that. If you think Iowa is conservative you haven't watched a lot of Buckeye football.
94 Adrian Clayborn RDE and 91 Broderick Binns LDE Vs. 64 Jim Cordle 6'4 297 LT SR and 76 J.B. Shugarts 6'8 298 RT SO: Cordle has move to left tackle this season from center and the results have been somewhat mixed. He has really good feet and quickness but can be overwhelmed by physical pass rushers. He is a technical run blocker and isn't going to get a lot of pancakes in the run game. He has been fighting injuries all season. Shugarts has slow feet and is unsure of himself in pass protection. He has really long arms though and he has a good punch. If he can lock on, he generally wins. He plays a little high in the run game and doesn't generate the kind of push that you would expect. He isn't real effective in the second level due to his feet. Both Clayborn and Binns got Sacks last week against a scheme that is designed to get rid of the ball. Clayborn was in the backfield all day long and really played well. Binns also played pretty well but he struggled a little against the run. I kept thinking he was going to pick off one of those slants or outs and completely change the game. He is very technically sound for a first year starter and a redshirt sophmore at that.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa. Clayborn and Binns are the exact kind of match up that each player for OSU struggles with individually. While they could have a free path to the QB they must play contain first and eliminate Pryor's rushing yards on broken passing plays. It is fine for him to get some on designed runs because then Iowa can hit him, but Iowa needs to keep Pryor in the pocket and throwing downfield.
DTs 46 Christian Ballard, 95 Karl Klug, and 93 Mike Daniels Vs.65 LG Justin Boren 6'3 315 JR, 50 C Mike Brewster 6'5 296 SO, and 70 RG Bryant Browning 6'4 312: Boren is the best player of this group. He is a physical run blocker and the most consistent pass protector. He does a nice job of finding someone to hit when he pulls and finishes his blocks with some nastiness. Brewster and Browning struggle in both phases. Browing has slow feet and really struggles when he is asked to pull. None of these guys excell at getting to the second level when they run their zone scheme out of the shotgun. Browning really struggles with pass protection. He has slow feet and loses his balance easily. Ballard and Klug played well against NU but they will be tested here. They really need to stop the inside run as that is the key to OSU's scheme outside of shotgun. They also need to be involved in the contain phase as Pryor likes to run up the middle if he is flushed. Daniels has come on in spot duty with Ballard sometimes sliding out to DE and has done a nice job. He needs to play contain first and not run himself out of the play if he gets a good pass rush.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa. This would be larger if not for Pryor's escapability. It is more important for Klug and Ballard to stop the run, especially early, than to rush the passer. They should be able to dominate the players in front of them but they must stay in their lanes on the pass rush. Daniels is quietly having a solid season backing these two up.
42 Jeremiha Hunter WLB Vs. 86 Jake Ballard 6'6 256 TE SR: Ballard might as well be another offensive tackle. He is kept in to block a lot. He has decent hands, he just isn't often a target in the passing game. OSU doesn't run a lot of balanced formations so this match up doesn't totally make sense, for the most part it will be Angerer or Edds lined up on Ballard. #11 Jacob Stoneburner is the second TE and I talked about the Fullback Boren in the offensive breakdown. Hunter is reading his run keys really well and this will be a nice change of pace for him. If Greenwood is back I think it will make him more aggressive. I saw him trying to hide behind Binns a few times as if he was unsure if he had safety help of some stretch type runs against NU. Early this season he was attacking those. He also is Iowa's best linebacker at attacking Power formations and really takes on blockers well.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: Hunter will lead the team in tackles. Hopefully most of them are for little to no gain. I think he is going to be busy. I expect a lot of option to the weak side of OSU's formation and Hunter is going to have to be the guy who stops that play dead in its tracks. He is also going to have to attack the run in OSU's traditional sets. If he can beat there lineman to there spots he could pile up the TFLs.
49 SLB A.J. Edds and CBs 19 Amari Spievey, 28 Shaun Prater, and 10 Willie Lowe Vs. WRs 8 Devier Posey 6'3 205 SO, 12 Dane Sazenbacher 5'11 175 JR, 82 Ray Small 5'11 180 SR, and 9 Duron Carter 6'2 183 FR: Posey is a stud. He is probably the #1, 2 and 3 option on every passing play. I am not sure if he runs great routes or he is just that athletic. He gets behind coverage in every game. He makes catches in traffic and is the one player I fear with the ball in his hands. I wish he was a year older so he was gone after this season. Sazenbacher is a good route runner and tough blocker. He is wasted in this offense right now because TP is uncomfortable throwing over the middle where this guy should be making his living. Small is a better returner than a receiver and looks disinterested if he's not the primary call. He is shifty after the catch but needs lots of space to work. Carter is the son of NFLer Chris and I think that is why he is playing. His dad "just caught touchdown" passes and he just drops passes. He is a true Freshman. Iowa had some success blitzing Edds against NU and I think they should do that again when OSU is in shotgun. Pryor isn't going to beat you with his mind but he can throw the ball about 70 yards with a nice arc and they try it about 8 times a game. They are bound to get lucky once unless TP is to gunshy to let that develop. This is the kind of game that Spievey has to be relishing. I guarantee if they throw his way he will have at least one pick. Prater also should be excited as this won't be the disciplined short passing game he had to face last week. I thought he did well last week. Lowe played only a little last week on defense as he and Hyde came in on one down for a dime package. I don't expect to see a lot of Nickel this week either. He has come a long way in a few short weeks since being picked on at Arky State.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: Posey is the only thing keeping it from being a huge edge. Iowa is much more talented in this area than PSU or Purdue or Wisconsin for that matter. Spievey will open up some eyes on a national level. Edds apparently already has. Look in they 11-11 links at the one I posted. Prater is going to have to play big in this game but he hasn't given me a reason all season for me to think he won't.
43 Pat Angerer MLB Vs. TBs 3 Brandon Saine 6'1 217 JR, 1 Dan "Boom" Herron 5'10 197 SO, and 29 Jordan Hall 5'9 180 FR: Saine is a tough runner. He has good feet and decent vision, and when he gets a head of steam he falls foward. He struggles in pass protection. Herron and Saine or of the same mold but Herron is a little more explosive early. Neither has stunning breakaway speed. I understand Herron is nursing an injury but he has never impressed me. Jordan Hall is the guy to fear here. He is a true freshman and seems to have the most patience of the three. He is shifty in the hole and has an incredible burst. He does possess the home run speed. He isn't going to break a lot of tackles though, he is looking to juke someone or run around them. I am not sure he has all the protections down because he isn't often asked to stay in and block. These guys are rarely thrown a pass. Angerer has continued to play outstanding. He showed great acceleration on his blitzes last week taking out Persa on one of them. He finishes plays. He sheds traffic about as well as anyone not named Greg Jones in the Big Ten. He is going to have to play the run extra aggressively in this game because TP rarely throws into his zone. I wouldn't be shocked to see him blitz 5- 8 times again in this game.
Spud's Spin: Edge Iowa: Angerer will get his tackles. He needs to get them at the LOS or behind it. I would love to see him spy TP but Iowa hasn't really done that to anyone all year. He has the make up speed to get fooled in Playaction but Pryor really doesn't sell it well anyway. If Ballard and Klug take out the two guards and center Hunter and Angerer will feast in this game.
9 Tyler Sash SS and 30 Brett Greenwood/ 20 Joe Conklin FS Vs. 2 QB Terrelle Pryor 6'6 235 SO: Pryor is very physically gifted. As a passer, he has an amazing touch and range on his deep ball. He has above average arm strength but if you had a radar gun it wouldn't suprise me if JVB had the bigger gun. He is much more comfortable passing out of the shotgun. From under center his footwork can be a little sloppy and he isn't an accurate passer from anywhere. He is very streaky. He stares down his first read a lot. More than Stanzi a lot. He is a pick waiting to happen. He really doesn't like the middle of the field, he works the edges and the deep ball on either hash- to the sideline. What makes him special though is he running. He doesn't look fast but he eats up a lot of ground with each stride. He is very nimble for his size and has very good quickness and suddenness. He makes great reads in the option game. He is most dangerous after he pulls the ball down on a called pass. He almost always breaks contain and the next defender miss. He is strong enough to break arm tackles He does a good job of protecting himself. Sash is playing about as good as any safety in the nation. He has 6 picks this season and diagnoses plays faster than any other safety I have scouted. He goes from Centerfielder to runstopper in the blink of an eye and he rarely misses a tackle. Greenwood was beginning to get the recoginition he deserved before his injury. He really made a leap from last season to this one. He is another player who diagnoses plays well and closes gaps fast. With him in there the LBs can be more aggressive chasing TP around. I think Conklin has been very good in coverage. He hasn't tried to do too much and keeps the play in front of him. He made a nice catch on his pick last weekend. He doesn't have the game experience that Sash and Greenwood have yet to make the snap decision on run/pass and it shows. I think he is also a step slower physically. In this game that will equal two steps slow and that could be the margin if Iowa's offense holds up their end.
Spud's Spin: Edge Push if Greenwood plays, Edge OSU if Conklin is in the whole game. Tressel will be smart enough to run his Shotgun speed options away from both Sash and Edds, negating there read and speed abilities. Pryor has played within himself and has the playmakers to help him win this game if he doesn't try to do it all himself. I think Iowa has a good chance of pressuring him into mistakes. Its how he handles the adversity that will show how far he has come this season. If OSU gameplans around Sash and protects Pryor 3 out of 4 passes Iowa cannot win this game.
Some Terrible Predictions:
1. Jeremiha Hunter 18 tackles 5 TFL 2FF amd 2 sacks BTDPOW
2. Adrian Clayborn hits Pryor with his shoulder nearly scalping him and will again be flagged for it.
3. Devier Posey will have more catches than the rest of his teammates combined 6.
4. Brian Rolle will tackle Brandon Wegher for a 3 yard gain and we will hear how awesome he is. He will have 14 less tackles than Hunter.
5. Trey Stross will score the winning TD with 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter on an out and up from the slot. It will be the last points either team scores.
Spud's Spin: An already tought task got tougher last weekend with around 11:54 seconds left on the gameclock in the second quarter. When Stanzi went down the Hawks played like they had been punched in the gut for the rest of the first half. The second half was a different story. They moved the ball better than you remember taking only one three and out on the second series of the second half. This game absolutely hinges on the play of both lines on either side. Each D-line has a decided advantage over the other teams' O-line. But there is a reason Iowa is 9-1 and it isn't all Ricky Stanzi. Iowa's defense is the best of the Ferentz era. They have been put in bad spot after bad spot and they continue to respond. OSU is coming in overconfident in this game. Pryor, Posey, Herron, Brewster, Boren, Heyward, and Worthington none of these guys have played Iowa. They don't know what its like, they have only heard. Iowa's Oline has been getting a lot of criticism and much of it is fair. I bet they come out and push OSU around on the first drive at least. If that happens KOK needs to ride that for as long as he can. Some of the criticism is unfair. I don't know how many times it has been between a safety and Wegher or Robinson for a big play and the safety has won, but when that is the case the O-line has done its job and I have seen plenty of that this season, too. This season's run struggles aren't entirely the fault of the O-line. This is Ohio State in the 'Shoe and I know Iowa is supposed go in meekly like a lamb to slaughter. I just don't see it this season.
Iowa 17 OSU 10 poor Reece Davis having to wipe the spittle off of his face.
Monday, November 9, 2009
All Hope Is Not Yet Lost
I wasn't planning on writing this post. In fact I had two in the can,and was looking foward to having a relatively easy week. This post is going to concentrate on the play of James Vandenberg. I have read alot of message board critiques of his play some of them fair and some of them so far off the mark I don't know what game those people were watching. My initial impression was that he didn't lose the game. I did my regular review of the game and then watched every throw at least once more and usually two to three times. I came away even more impressed. I thought he made two bad decisions all day. One on his first throw and one forcing the ball to DJK on the desperation drive 3rd and 10 on the last series. I have every one of his plays charted and will try to post that on the message board eventually but it will take forever and there is to much to get to in this post tonight. First to wrap up the NU game.
I hate Northwestern. But I tip my hat to them. Pat Fitzgerald, Mick McCall and Mike Hankwitz ran a very effective scheme against Iowa both offensively and defensively. Once Stanzi went down they started bleeding the clock immediately. I am pretty sure they didn't have that many running plays worked into their regular gameplan. Hankwitz also ran a very clever blitz scheme, but he lucked into some of those calls in the second half. Wootton deserves all the praise he garners, Phillips is a very smart and solid football player who is much better in coverage than I had anticipated. Hahn and Bryant did an excellent job of clogging up the middle and Iowa inexplicably chose this opponent to run the most middle runs of the season. I thought Mabin played well but he was beaten badly a couple of times. NU lucked out a little too. It is tough to use the injury excuse on a team that is more beaten up than Iowa, though. Kafka was a shadow of himself and Concannon is gutty, but he won't be their feature back next season. Their Oline did just enough to keep them on the field, too. In the end they won the game with disciplined play and some clever zone blitz schemes that Iowa's line never figured out.
Before I get to the meat of this post I want to address the biggest controversy of the game: KOK's playcall at the 6 that ended Stanzi's season. I know what I said about Wootton. I am tired of reading how that is the same playcall that worked against Indiana. It isn't, its a different play and completely different formation. Iowa had Morse in as a 3rd Tight End and before the play you can see Reisner say something to him before the play. I am sure that one of them is supposed to get a better chip on Wootton but Stanzi is responsible for Wootton on that type of play and he had time to ditch the ball. JVB had more throw-aways in this game than Stanzi has in his career and that was a clear case of some of his issues catching up to him. Again his head came around late. He could have chucked it away without fear of penalty- he had both Reisner and Morse in the area. And you would hope he would be aware that Wootton is on that side of the field on that kind of playcall. I am sorry he is hurt. He probably would have won this game for us. But the playcall in itself ( while kind of dumb) shows the confidence the staff has in him. He didn't live up to his end of the bargain there. I understand that is pretty harsh. I have watched the play proabably 50 times and I can't see it any other way. If he didn't like what he saw there he had the option to audible to the run. NW had 2 deep safeties there. Live to play another day.
The other big play was the hold on Eubanks. That was a terrible call and again sucked the life out of the Hawks. The ref had a poor angle and that looked like a good old fashioned pancake to me. The 11-09 daily links has some excellent articles today that are relevant to a lot of what I am discussing here and one of them (I can't recall which one) has some classy quotes from Eubanks taking the high road. It is hard not to like these kids.
Marc Morehouse has an excellent column about the subject of the rest of today's post that can be reached from the same link. Again I am going to throw some #s at you that won't match up to the game stats.
I am going to try to do a column type deal here and every time I have tried this it has failed. I apologize in advance. What I am trying to establish here is that while the general feeling was that JVB was unprepared, I disagree with that sentiment and apparently so did the coaching staff. While the game circumstances were certainly different I am going to try to show run/pass break down, first down passes called and how often Stanzi and JVB throw to their first read.
Name Formations Runs Passes P/action 1rst Read Play Variation 1rst Down Passes
Stanzi 10 9 10 4 5 18 4/9
1h JVB 8 6 5 1 1 11 3/5
2h JVB* 7 8 17 3 7 23 6/10
LD JVB 2 0 8 0 5 6 2/2
*doesn't include last drive LD is the last drive.
I guess what I am trying to explain here is that Vandenberg ran at least 34 plays from 10 formations before the last drive. Most of those were passes, and several were runs that I hadn't seen very often if ever from this Iowa staff. To put that into perspective- Stanzi ran 15 formations, 45 different play calls in an entire game last week. There was only one formation that Stanzi ran in this game that Vandenberg didn't and it was a 2 tight end I formation that Iowa has shown one pass out of all season. He seemed to understand what he was doing running the offense. I didn't see any fumbled snaps or poor timing on hand offs. He has some coachable flaws. His grasp of the offense doesn't seem to be that much of an issue. It looks like he prepares very well.
Iowa ran essentially the same scheme with Vandenberg as it did with Stanzi. I think KOK tried to take advantage of his ability to throw the out a little more often and I didn't expect that arm strength. Stanzi makes more run audibles. I don't think it matters as teams are on to them as it seems to be the Hawk's only audible- run to the short side if it is a pass, opposite side if it was a run. I saw only one audible out of Vandy and that was on the second play. It went for 10 yards. I have seen Vandy take some heat for bouncing a couple of balls but if you watch the game again you would realize that #98 Bryant goes completely unblocked on 3 step drops twice (between Eubanks and Vandervelde) and hurries a throw that where pressure shouldn't be an issue. One was from the Empty set on a zone blitz ( he identified a hot receiver Moeaki just didn't have time to set and fire) and the second was from the I formation (pass intended for DJK 7-8 yard hitch).
The encouraging thing to me in this game was that almost every time he threw to a receiver it was a good read, after his first throw (that was a bad playcall imo). He had a couple of outstanding throws from the opposite hash- one to McNutt where he threw the ball before he made his break, and one to DJK where he threw off his back foot while being pressured that was incomplete. He also threw a ball to Moeaki that was on the money before he made his break (the play on the last drive where his Jersey was grabbed). Unless he was making a 3 step drop he rarely stared down his receiver and even looked off a safety on his long miss to McNutt in the First Half. He is very poised for someone of his experience level. While he might give up on a play too early, when he scrambles his eyes are almost always downfield. Some of his best decisions were to throw the ball out of bounds. With the defense he has behind him he can afford to live for the next drive. He was able to throw to either side of the field, although he seemed afraid to test the deep middle after his pick. I am not exactly Ron Jaworski but on his 30 called passing attempts I thought that he had only two terrible throws. He made winning decisions.
On the discouraging end, he could use some touch on his shorter passes. He hit DJK on a crossing pattern that ended up for nice gain but I think he was bailed out on that catch. He was almost picked on the last drive after drilling Stross from about 8 yards away on the same route. His first interception needed to be dropped in over the second level, not thrown through it. He could probably check down to an outlet receiver some of the times he threw the ball out of bounds but it looked like to me he was only being asked to read one half of the field. He isn't going to win a footrace with too many linebackers. But, he showed decent pocket awareness, although he was flushed from phantom pressure at least four times. That will come with more game experience. He also missed a wide open DJK for a game tying TD. He wasn't just a little open either. He could have put a lot more air under that pass. I hope that too will come with time.
What JVB can't possibly possess right now is Stanzi's leadership or intangibles. Stanzi just flat out wins games. I think in spite of all of the foolish things he does, he still will go down as one of the greatest Iowa QBs ever. He had a 13 game win streak, he has freakish composure and has some incredible physical abilities. Vandenberg doesn't yet have Stanzi's touch on the deep ball or his confidence to audible out of bad plays. That may come this season but I am not sure. He certainly didn't have Stanzi's 2 minute magic but I am not sure how much of that goes on him.
I don't feel like he was put in the best position to succeed in this game. Iowa struggled to run the ball for most of the game, but sometimes they are their own worst enemy. The reverse play made no sense for this game. The backside end wasn't crashing, he wasn't the problem with the run game. If Iowa is going to try to line up and physically dominate the opponent that is fine, but they must stick to it. Iowa has only two formations that might make the opponent guess- the I and the Ace slot (3 receivers, 1 TE, and 1 TB). Every other formation you can play tendencies and not get burned, especially if Iowa motions. A couple of plays need to die- the max protect 2 man play-action out of the I. That doesn't work. It really doesn't work when you don't have a running game that teams fear, and they don't have to pack the box to stop the run. The Bubble screen to the Split is also a dumb playcall. Dlineman and LBs are already keying for the stretch and they react to quickly for lineman to get out to block on the short side of the field. Iowa's regular zone scheme was working. Sometimes Wegher or Paki didn't choose the correct hole but I think that the middle runs by design were not the answer.
The final drive was also a disaster. I don't know exactly what was going on there but it kind of looked like KOK was drawing plays up in the sand there. The crossing patterns executed by Moeaki and McNutt looked very well rehearsed, like me sitting in with Pearl Jam. I have seen that play 0 times this season. Iowa was trying to run a lot of Pick type routes- freeing receivers over the middle but it didn't look like that should have been necessary as the middle was manned by the MLB and WLB who were slow footed and just looking to keep receivers in front of them. Where is a screen to Wegher there? I know hindsight is easy, but reliving that was extremely painful.
KF, KOK and the rest of the offensive staff have a week to get ready for the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes have much more talented personnel than the team the Hawks just faced. NU just gave OSU a scheme with which to wreak havoc on the Oline. They have a talented Redshirt Freshman getting ready to make his first start. They have the Big Ten Title on the line. Iowa is scheming to get Moeaki the ball. He has lined up in the slot several times, and also appeared as the "H" a time or two. Iowa needs to break out the game tape of the PSU gameplan. Even though the offense didn't execute there were some really solid playcalls in that game and they should be throws that JVB could build a rhythm with. Forget the home run for a quarter or two and just try to possess the ball. No more deep throws on 3rd down. Move the chains. 2 first downs and a punt is a win. Play physical and smart football. A five yard out is as good as a 5 yard run. Right now your best offensive weapons are on the perimeter of the field. Vandy is capable of keeping Iowa in this football game. Give him a plan he can succeed with.
I hate Northwestern. But I tip my hat to them. Pat Fitzgerald, Mick McCall and Mike Hankwitz ran a very effective scheme against Iowa both offensively and defensively. Once Stanzi went down they started bleeding the clock immediately. I am pretty sure they didn't have that many running plays worked into their regular gameplan. Hankwitz also ran a very clever blitz scheme, but he lucked into some of those calls in the second half. Wootton deserves all the praise he garners, Phillips is a very smart and solid football player who is much better in coverage than I had anticipated. Hahn and Bryant did an excellent job of clogging up the middle and Iowa inexplicably chose this opponent to run the most middle runs of the season. I thought Mabin played well but he was beaten badly a couple of times. NU lucked out a little too. It is tough to use the injury excuse on a team that is more beaten up than Iowa, though. Kafka was a shadow of himself and Concannon is gutty, but he won't be their feature back next season. Their Oline did just enough to keep them on the field, too. In the end they won the game with disciplined play and some clever zone blitz schemes that Iowa's line never figured out.
Before I get to the meat of this post I want to address the biggest controversy of the game: KOK's playcall at the 6 that ended Stanzi's season. I know what I said about Wootton. I am tired of reading how that is the same playcall that worked against Indiana. It isn't, its a different play and completely different formation. Iowa had Morse in as a 3rd Tight End and before the play you can see Reisner say something to him before the play. I am sure that one of them is supposed to get a better chip on Wootton but Stanzi is responsible for Wootton on that type of play and he had time to ditch the ball. JVB had more throw-aways in this game than Stanzi has in his career and that was a clear case of some of his issues catching up to him. Again his head came around late. He could have chucked it away without fear of penalty- he had both Reisner and Morse in the area. And you would hope he would be aware that Wootton is on that side of the field on that kind of playcall. I am sorry he is hurt. He probably would have won this game for us. But the playcall in itself ( while kind of dumb) shows the confidence the staff has in him. He didn't live up to his end of the bargain there. I understand that is pretty harsh. I have watched the play proabably 50 times and I can't see it any other way. If he didn't like what he saw there he had the option to audible to the run. NW had 2 deep safeties there. Live to play another day.
The other big play was the hold on Eubanks. That was a terrible call and again sucked the life out of the Hawks. The ref had a poor angle and that looked like a good old fashioned pancake to me. The 11-09 daily links has some excellent articles today that are relevant to a lot of what I am discussing here and one of them (I can't recall which one) has some classy quotes from Eubanks taking the high road. It is hard not to like these kids.
Marc Morehouse has an excellent column about the subject of the rest of today's post that can be reached from the same link. Again I am going to throw some #s at you that won't match up to the game stats.
I am going to try to do a column type deal here and every time I have tried this it has failed. I apologize in advance. What I am trying to establish here is that while the general feeling was that JVB was unprepared, I disagree with that sentiment and apparently so did the coaching staff. While the game circumstances were certainly different I am going to try to show run/pass break down, first down passes called and how often Stanzi and JVB throw to their first read.
Name Formations Runs Passes P/action 1rst Read Play Variation 1rst Down Passes
Stanzi 10 9 10 4 5 18 4/9
1h JVB 8 6 5 1 1 11 3/5
2h JVB* 7 8 17 3 7 23 6/10
LD JVB 2 0 8 0 5 6 2/2
*doesn't include last drive LD is the last drive.
I guess what I am trying to explain here is that Vandenberg ran at least 34 plays from 10 formations before the last drive. Most of those were passes, and several were runs that I hadn't seen very often if ever from this Iowa staff. To put that into perspective- Stanzi ran 15 formations, 45 different play calls in an entire game last week. There was only one formation that Stanzi ran in this game that Vandenberg didn't and it was a 2 tight end I formation that Iowa has shown one pass out of all season. He seemed to understand what he was doing running the offense. I didn't see any fumbled snaps or poor timing on hand offs. He has some coachable flaws. His grasp of the offense doesn't seem to be that much of an issue. It looks like he prepares very well.
Iowa ran essentially the same scheme with Vandenberg as it did with Stanzi. I think KOK tried to take advantage of his ability to throw the out a little more often and I didn't expect that arm strength. Stanzi makes more run audibles. I don't think it matters as teams are on to them as it seems to be the Hawk's only audible- run to the short side if it is a pass, opposite side if it was a run. I saw only one audible out of Vandy and that was on the second play. It went for 10 yards. I have seen Vandy take some heat for bouncing a couple of balls but if you watch the game again you would realize that #98 Bryant goes completely unblocked on 3 step drops twice (between Eubanks and Vandervelde) and hurries a throw that where pressure shouldn't be an issue. One was from the Empty set on a zone blitz ( he identified a hot receiver Moeaki just didn't have time to set and fire) and the second was from the I formation (pass intended for DJK 7-8 yard hitch).
The encouraging thing to me in this game was that almost every time he threw to a receiver it was a good read, after his first throw (that was a bad playcall imo). He had a couple of outstanding throws from the opposite hash- one to McNutt where he threw the ball before he made his break, and one to DJK where he threw off his back foot while being pressured that was incomplete. He also threw a ball to Moeaki that was on the money before he made his break (the play on the last drive where his Jersey was grabbed). Unless he was making a 3 step drop he rarely stared down his receiver and even looked off a safety on his long miss to McNutt in the First Half. He is very poised for someone of his experience level. While he might give up on a play too early, when he scrambles his eyes are almost always downfield. Some of his best decisions were to throw the ball out of bounds. With the defense he has behind him he can afford to live for the next drive. He was able to throw to either side of the field, although he seemed afraid to test the deep middle after his pick. I am not exactly Ron Jaworski but on his 30 called passing attempts I thought that he had only two terrible throws. He made winning decisions.
On the discouraging end, he could use some touch on his shorter passes. He hit DJK on a crossing pattern that ended up for nice gain but I think he was bailed out on that catch. He was almost picked on the last drive after drilling Stross from about 8 yards away on the same route. His first interception needed to be dropped in over the second level, not thrown through it. He could probably check down to an outlet receiver some of the times he threw the ball out of bounds but it looked like to me he was only being asked to read one half of the field. He isn't going to win a footrace with too many linebackers. But, he showed decent pocket awareness, although he was flushed from phantom pressure at least four times. That will come with more game experience. He also missed a wide open DJK for a game tying TD. He wasn't just a little open either. He could have put a lot more air under that pass. I hope that too will come with time.
What JVB can't possibly possess right now is Stanzi's leadership or intangibles. Stanzi just flat out wins games. I think in spite of all of the foolish things he does, he still will go down as one of the greatest Iowa QBs ever. He had a 13 game win streak, he has freakish composure and has some incredible physical abilities. Vandenberg doesn't yet have Stanzi's touch on the deep ball or his confidence to audible out of bad plays. That may come this season but I am not sure. He certainly didn't have Stanzi's 2 minute magic but I am not sure how much of that goes on him.
I don't feel like he was put in the best position to succeed in this game. Iowa struggled to run the ball for most of the game, but sometimes they are their own worst enemy. The reverse play made no sense for this game. The backside end wasn't crashing, he wasn't the problem with the run game. If Iowa is going to try to line up and physically dominate the opponent that is fine, but they must stick to it. Iowa has only two formations that might make the opponent guess- the I and the Ace slot (3 receivers, 1 TE, and 1 TB). Every other formation you can play tendencies and not get burned, especially if Iowa motions. A couple of plays need to die- the max protect 2 man play-action out of the I. That doesn't work. It really doesn't work when you don't have a running game that teams fear, and they don't have to pack the box to stop the run. The Bubble screen to the Split is also a dumb playcall. Dlineman and LBs are already keying for the stretch and they react to quickly for lineman to get out to block on the short side of the field. Iowa's regular zone scheme was working. Sometimes Wegher or Paki didn't choose the correct hole but I think that the middle runs by design were not the answer.
The final drive was also a disaster. I don't know exactly what was going on there but it kind of looked like KOK was drawing plays up in the sand there. The crossing patterns executed by Moeaki and McNutt looked very well rehearsed, like me sitting in with Pearl Jam. I have seen that play 0 times this season. Iowa was trying to run a lot of Pick type routes- freeing receivers over the middle but it didn't look like that should have been necessary as the middle was manned by the MLB and WLB who were slow footed and just looking to keep receivers in front of them. Where is a screen to Wegher there? I know hindsight is easy, but reliving that was extremely painful.
KF, KOK and the rest of the offensive staff have a week to get ready for the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes have much more talented personnel than the team the Hawks just faced. NU just gave OSU a scheme with which to wreak havoc on the Oline. They have a talented Redshirt Freshman getting ready to make his first start. They have the Big Ten Title on the line. Iowa is scheming to get Moeaki the ball. He has lined up in the slot several times, and also appeared as the "H" a time or two. Iowa needs to break out the game tape of the PSU gameplan. Even though the offense didn't execute there were some really solid playcalls in that game and they should be throws that JVB could build a rhythm with. Forget the home run for a quarter or two and just try to possess the ball. No more deep throws on 3rd down. Move the chains. 2 first downs and a punt is a win. Play physical and smart football. A five yard out is as good as a 5 yard run. Right now your best offensive weapons are on the perimeter of the field. Vandy is capable of keeping Iowa in this football game. Give him a plan he can succeed with.
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