On the field problems that must be fixed.

[Erik4Cy]

what are people's thoughts on what Iowa State needs to do on the field next year to get some more W's?

I thought last year our offensive line was a pleasant surprise after a terrible time in '06. On offense I think our biggest problem is the ability for the big play. Blythe has had a lot of great moments, but we now need players with breakaway speed and we need to have guys turn small gains into HUGE ones. I can def. see this happening in the running game next year. As for the passing games I have no clue if we will have big play ability.

On defense it is very simple: TACKLING. I think we are one of the worst tackling football teams that i watch consistently miss wrapping up. Alvin Bowen was a great tackler, but about the only one on our team and partly why his stats were so great bcuz he was forced to make tackles play after play on that defense and make them 20 yards away from where he started.

As far as special teams, good god...I think we need to get better EVERYWHERE on the field. the kicking game is looking to be addressed, but you never know. But we need to find kick and punt returners, bad.

Looking at recruiting it is very promising that we COULD address these problems with the right kind of hard work. Keep the Gene Machine running! Go Cyclones!!!

 

[JDB41]

I agree with all of those but would add the winning attitude that killer instinct. I think by the end of the season the team realized that winning is what its all about moral victories and playing for fun are for junior high kids. Winners play different they have that extra step and mental strength that we really lacked for the most part last year for example the Toledo game.

 

[ISUAlum2002]

I think we also had a chance to show killer instinct against OU as well. We had them on the ropes and couldn't land the body blows necessary to knock them down in the first half.

I will agree that we need guys that can turn quick out routes into big plays. That's one thing that really stands out when I watch teams from the SEC and the other great programs. They have guys who can break a tackle or two and get into the open field.

 

[theshadow]

Alvin Bowen was a great tackler

As a junior, yes. As a senior, no. He's a great guy and a real Cyclone, but I cannot count the number of times this year that Ace would go for the big hit instead of just wrapping up. Many times it resulted in missed tackles and ballcarriers bouncing away for more yardage. Absolutely maddening.

And it wasn't just Ace. It was a LOT of guys.

 

[cmoore_23]

to go along with the big plays.. i wouldnt mind if we played like the packers do on offense.. use 4 and 5 wide sets and throw quick slants and i think we have a better running game so we would not have to use the 4 and 5 as often.. but i would like to see some quick slants and a faster pace offense

 

[scottie33]

what are people's thoughts on what Iowa State needs to do on the field next year to get some more W's?

I thought last year our offensive line was a pleasant surprise after a terrible time in '06. On offense I think our biggest problem is the ability for the big play. Blythe has had a lot of great moments, but we now need players with breakaway speed and we need to have guys turn small gains into HUGE ones. I can def. see this happening in the running game next year. As for the passing games I have no clue if we will have big play ability.

On defense it is very simple: TACKLING. I think we are one of the worst tackling football teams that i watch consistently miss wrapping up. Alvin Bowen was a great tackler, but about the only one on our team and partly why his stats were so great bcuz he was forced to make tackles play after play on that defense and make them 20 yards away from where he started.

As far as special teams, good god...I think we need to get better EVERYWHERE on the field. the kicking game is looking to be addressed, but you never know. But we need to find kick and punt returners, bad.

Looking at recruiting it is very promising that we COULD address these problems with the right kind of hard work. Keep the Gene Machine running! Go Cyclones!!!

I think our tackling was excellent this year OVER the past few seasons. It seems the past few seasons we played off on the defenders 10 yards or so, and by the time they got the ball, we let the offender play us instead of us playing the offender. This year I seen us play up tight defense and when we played off 10 yards or so and we seen them throw a quick pass, I seen our defender bust his rear to make a play on the offender instead of the offender making a play on them. This makes a world of difference when it comes to tackling. If you are going to sit back and wait for him to put a move on you, your going to be picking up your jockstrap off the ground all over the field.

Our special teams was horrendous and almost embarassing. I think a big fix is going to be Guyer coming in and giving us a big leg. We put some speed on the kickoff with some size and we'll be improved.

Alvin Bowen was an animal on defense but I noticed he missed a bunch of tackles going for the knockout hit and not wrapping up. The RB's would absorb this hit and get another 3-5 yards after the hit. He did of a nose for the ball and was an excellent player and made the players better around him.

 

[bstegs]

One thing that has bothered me over the last couple of seasons is our lack of a sense of urgency on offense. This applies to both in mid-game situations but is more egregious in late game situations. We never run up to the line after a break in the huddle. You would think that when we are in a two minute offense, trying to mount a comeback, that there would be some sense of immediacy about getting to the line and getting the snap off. I have often wondered whether it was something to do with Meyer as a field general. We shall see if things change this year.

As an aside, I understand that lineman like to get a read of the defense as they approach the ball, but most o-line reads can be made at the line right before they get set.

 

[candg4ever]

I think we need more speed everywhere, (who doesn't?), and depth in the d-line. Guys that can make the big play at any time are definately game changers, but we also need a consistent offense that can control the clock and give the defense a breather once in a while. I don't care who you are, if your defense is on the field 65% of the time or more, your players are going to wear down.

We also could use a deeper rotation on the defensive line. You need depth to combat getting hammered on all day by the Texas' and OU's with their 6'5" - 360# lineman.

 

[snowcraig2.0]

All have made good points, but the biggest deficiency BY FAR was the lack of a pass rush. Generating some heat on the opposing QB is number 1, 2, and 3 on our priority list for next year. The lack of a pass rush made our back 8 look much worse than they actually were.

 

[isuno1fan]

All have made good points, but the biggest deficiency BY FAR was the lack of a pass rush. Generating some heat on the opposing QB is number 1, 2, and 3 on our priority list for next year. The lack of a pass rush made our back 8 look much worse than they actually were.

Somebody finally hit the nail on the head. This is easily the biggest urgency on our team. We need pressure on the QB without having to sell out and blitz.

 

[zach]

Need more explosive plays, Need better special teams play, Pass rush, and I am looking forward to what the new Q-back's bring to the team...

Z

P.s. Did I mention improvement of special teams play? Good, then I'll say it again!

 

[Benny34]

Offense - Find a way to finish off drives
if half of our red zone possessions against Iowa were TDs then it would have been a blow out. Hopefully our running game will pick up this year and take care of it in the red zone. Also some WR blocking would be nice.

Defense - Pass rush
I watched game in and game out our secondary get picked apart because the QB could just wait for someone to get open. Lots of new guys coming into the Dline hopefully the rotation/competition will help this.

Special Teams - Ouch...

Whole team - A passion for football, not just going through the motions. With it being the 2nd year under the current staff hopefully this will get better.