A strong rushing offense alone will not result in more future wins.

[cyborg]

Jamie Pollard recently quoted that in Big-12 games the team that rushed for the most yards, won 80% of the games and that our new coach had developed good offensive lines with better than average rushing offenses. The logic is that if we rush more we win more. It is not that simple though. I do not know the numbers, but I would bet that the team that has more passing yards in a game also wins the majority of the games they play. If you look at ISU history, in Troy Davis's sophomore and junior years he rushed for more than 2,000 yards each season, and in each of those years, ISU won 1 conference game. I think that the best predictor of where a team will finish, is how that team ranks on team defense, both total yards given and scoring. The top teams in the league give up the fewest points.

If ISU wants to return to 6+ win seasons, then the greatest improvement needed will have to come on the defensive side of the ball. I do not see ISU becoming a team that is able to average scoring 40-50 points a game. We have to become a team that gives up around 25-30 points a game. To do that, more play makers will be needed on defense which will have to come through recruitment and development. This will not be a quick fix.

 

[ForbinsAscynt]

I havent seen the quote but I wouldnt put much stock in his view on how to win games. We have a new coach that will decide what it takes to win.

 

[CloneFan4]

I'm sure a coach who has never ended a season without being in the postseason knows that you have to do more than just run the ball to win a football game

 

[sheepplucker]

I don't think isu will ever be able to win many games with any run first offense. Just my opinion

 

[clone52]

OMG, it seems like 90% of the fans on this board were begging for more rushing all season when it looked like Mike Warran was a monster and our passing was sputtering. Now that Pollard verbalizes what everyone was thinking, we are skeptical.

 

[dmthornt]

Jamie Pollard recently quoted that in Big-12 games the team that rushed for the most yards, won 80% of the games and that our new coach had developed good offensive lines with better than average rushing offenses. The logic is that if we rush more we win more. It is not that simple though. I do not know the numbers, but I would bet that the team that has more passing yards in a game also wins the majority of the games they play. If you look at ISU history, in Troy Davis's sophomore and junior years he rushed for more than 2,000 yards each season, and in each of those years, ISU won 1 conference game. I think that the best predictor of where a team will finish, is how that team ranks on team defense, both total yards given and scoring. The top teams in the league give up the fewest points.

If ISU wants to return to 6+ win seasons, then the greatest improvement needed will have to come on the defensive side of the ball. I do not see ISU becoming a team that is able to average scoring 40-50 points a game. We have to become a team that gives up around 25-30 points a game. To do that, more play makers will be needed on defense which will have to come through recruitment and development. This will not be a quick fix.

The statistics JP quoted were true, even in the Big 12, but like all statistics if you don't look at the entire picture you will draw the wrong conclusions. Oklahoma is a perfect example, last year they had a tremendous rushing offense. Perine had over 2700 yds rushing. This year Bob Stoups completely revamped his offense to an Air Raid scheme. Perine now rushed for about 1700 yards, but the other back and the new QB Mayfield rushes for a bunch more. For the season, OU had more yds passing than rushing, yet they still out rushed all there opponents. Also, I think Baylor leads the Big 12 in total rushing yards, another air raid offense. These teams have used the air raid offense to open up their rushing game. The results are, they average more yards per carry and more rushing yards per game than their opponents. Oh and they also average nearly 600 yards of total offense per game.

Last year Toledo's offense produced almost the exact some numbers for passing and rushing yards as Iowa State.

 

[cyhiphopp]

Running the football successfully can help control the clock, which will help keep the opposing offense off the field, which in turn helps the defense.


No one said the only the we ever have to do it run the ball and we'll win the National Championship.

 

[dmthornt]

OMG, it seems like 90% of the fans on this board were begging for more rushing all season when it looked like Mike Warran was a monster and our passing was sputtering. Now that Pollard verbalizes what everyone was thinking, we are skeptical.

Actually, I believe most fans were hoping that we would run up tempo a lot more, because that opened up the run game. Ever wonder why we never scored in the second half, especially after having a lead? Stopped running up tempo, passing sputtered, and the run game stopped. Mike Warren got most of his yards when they were running up tempo and the pass game was working. Defensive players are to good and to fast, run a typical run style offense, they stack the box, 5 blockers on 7 defense guys, running back has no place to go but down.

 

[HitItHard58]

The statistics JP quoted were true, even in the Big 12, but like all statistics if you don't look at the entire picture you will draw the wrong conclusions. Oklahoma is a perfect example, last year they had a tremendous rushing offense. Perine had over 2700 yds rushing. This year Bob Stoups completely revamped his offense to an Air Raid scheme. Perine now rushed for about 1700 yards, but the other back and the new QB Mayfield rushes for a bunch more. For the season, OU had more yds passing than rushing, yet they still out rushed all there opponents. Also, I think Baylor leads the Big 12 in total rushing yards, another air raid offense. These teams have used the air raid offense to open up their rushing game. The results are, they average more yards per carry and more rushing yards per game than their opponents. Oh and they also average nearly 600 yards of total offense per game.

Last year Toledo's offense produced almost the exact some numbers for passing and rushing yards as Iowa State.

Perine rushed for 1713 last year and 1291 so far this season.

 

[NetflixAndClone]

I don't think isu will ever be able to win many games with any run first offense. Just my opinion

Have you heard of a school called K State?

 

[ianoconnor]

The statistics JP quoted were true, even in the Big 12, but like all statistics if you don't look at the entire picture you will draw the wrong conclusions. Oklahoma is a perfect example, last year they had a tremendous rushing offense. Perine had over 2700 yds rushing. This year Bob Stoups completely revamped his offense to an Air Raid scheme. Perine now rushed for about 1700 yards, but the other back and the new QB Mayfield rushes for a bunch more. For the season, OU had more yds passing than rushing, yet they still out rushed all there opponents. Also, I think Baylor leads the Big 12 in total rushing yards, another air raid offense. These teams have used the air raid offense to open up their rushing game. The results are, they average more yards per carry and more rushing yards per game than their opponents. Oh and they also average nearly 600 yards of total offense per game.

Last year Toledo's offense produced almost the exact some numbers for passing and rushing yards as Iowa State.

wut?

Season	GP-GS	Rush	Yds.	Avg.	TD	Long	Rec.	Yds.	Avg.	TD	Long
2014	13-8	263	1713	6.5	21	66	15	108	7.2	0	19
2015	12-12	211	1291	6.1	15	72	13	84	6.5	1	16
Career	25-20	474	3004	6.3	36	72	28	192	6.9	1	19

 

[jbhtexas]

Oklahoma is a perfect example, last year they had a tremendous rushing offense. Perine had over 2700 yds rushing. This year Bob Stoups completely revamped his offense to an Air Raid scheme. Perine now rushed for about 1700 yards,

I'd recheck those rushing stats...

 

[RyCy04]

I disagree.

 

[sheepplucker]

Have you heard of a school called K State?

We are not k state. But yes I have heard of them

 

[Stormin]

I don't think isu will ever be able to win many games with any run first offense. Just my opinion

Not sure if serious. We had a pass first offense and absolutely sucked. We had more 3 and outs than you could count. Our offense would only have the ball for about a minute and then it was time for our defense to take the field and not get any rest.

Look at Snyder teams. They run and run and sometimes pass. They play solid defense and control the ball. The BEST thing you can do against these high powered Big 12 offenses is to keep them off the field and not allow them to get into a rhythm. And when the defense takes the field they have gotten some rest.

Look at all the games we won with our pass happy offense. And then look at how much better we were with more of a run first offense. Pretty obvious.

 

[clone52]

Running the football successfully can help control the clock, which will help keep the opposing offense off the field, which in turn helps the defense.


No one said the only the we ever have to do it run the ball and we'll win the National Championship.

There are also 2 ways to rush for more yards than the opponent. Rushing for more yards on offense and stopping them from rushing.

The OP is right though, there is more to it than that. I disagree with the OP about there not being a quick fix. Will it be quick to be a 10 win team, of course not. Can it be quick to get back to the 6-7 win plateau? For sure.

This year, if we make 1 more play at a key moment in the game, we beat Toledo, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and maybe Iowa. Last year it was Kansas State, Texas and Texas Tech. The year before it was UNI, Iowa, Tech and TCU.

Look, I'm not saying Iowa State is on the verge of being a powerhouse, but a little bit of offensive improvement and and little bit of defensive improvement and Iowa State can move to respectability. They could build on that respectability and take them next step to above average.

 

[dmthornt]

Running the football successfully can help control the clock, which will help keep the opposing offense off the field, which in turn helps the defense.


No one said the only the we ever have to do it run the ball and we'll win the National Championship.

That only works if you score every possession and keep the other team from scoring, When your opponents
average scoring drive is less than 2 minutes who cares about time of possession? BTW, if the win/loss record was time of possession, the Cyclones would be 12 and 0. That's right, we had the ball more than every other team we played, including Kansas State and we still lost to them.

Remember, when ISU played Baylor, Baylor scored on 80% of their possessions when starting from their own 20 yard line.

 

[BCClone]

The statistics JP quoted were true, even in the Big 12, but like all statistics if you don't look at the entire picture you will draw the wrong conclusions. Oklahoma is a perfect example, last year they had a tremendous rushing offense. Perine had over 2700 yds rushing. This year Bob Stoups completely revamped his offense to an Air Raid scheme. Perine now rushed for about 1700 yards, but the other back and the new QB Mayfield rushes for a bunch more. For the season, OU had more yds passing than rushing, yet they still out rushed all there opponents. Also, I think Baylor leads the Big 12 in total rushing yards, another air raid offense. These teams have used the air raid offense to open up their rushing game. The results are, they average more yards per carry and more rushing yards per game than their opponents. Oh and they also average nearly 600 yards of total offense per game.

Last year Toledo's offense produced almost the exact some numbers for passing and rushing yards as Iowa State.

2700 yards? No heisman? Something is off somewhere.

 

[Spam]

Yeah that was some accountant use of numbers by Jamie there.

 

[clone52]

That only works if you score every possession and keep the other team from scoring, When your opponents
average scoring drive is less than 2 minutes who cares about time of possession? BTW, if the win/loss record was time of possession, the Cyclones would be 12 and 0. That's right, we had the ball more than every other team we played, including Kansas State and we still lost to them.

Remember, when ISU played Baylor, Baylor scored on 80% of their possessions when starting from their own 20 yard line.

If your opponent is more likely to score on their possessions than you are on your possessions, then your best chance to pull of the upset is to limit possessions. Is it fool proof? Of course not, but its your best chance.

If you score 90% of the time when mostly passing the ball and only 50% of the time when running it, then you pass the ball. However, when your passing game is not as effective as your rushing game, then you should rush the ball more.

Prior to switching to QBs this season, Iowa States drives of more than 50 yards were significantly more run heavy than their drives of less than 50 yards. It was Iowa State's best option to lean on the run.