Onside kick...

[mwitt]

The risk in the NDSU reverse pass is you have an incomplete pass. The risk in the onside kick has to do with field position and momentum of the game. Believe it or not games can and often do hinge on a few crucial plays. This was one play definitely changed the flow of the game. I'm not saying we didn't have opportunities to recover from it, but we could have easily had Iowa punting from the 25 with us taking over ahead 3-0 from our 30.

Okay. That's a fair point, but my post and the post I responded to had nothing to do with risk. We were talking about the fact that it sent a message to the team that we have to resort to trickery because we didn't think we could beat them. I brought up the trick we used in the NDSU game, that is all.

 

[Cyclone42]

Okay. That's a fair point, but my post and the post I responded to had nothing to do with risk. We were talking about the fact that it sent a message to the team that we have to resort to trickery because we didn't think we could beat them. I brought up the trick we used in the NDSU game, that is all.

I've been thinking of one word to describe this on-side kick, and I came up with one. It is probably the worst thing a person could come up with to describe a play by CPR, to die-hard CPR fans. That word is this:

That on-side kick was Walden-esque.

 

[swammi]

I will say this: Suyccessful onside kicks happen about 20-25% of the time in general. But take away the really low percentage attempts, when it's late in the game and you're behind and everyone in the stadium is looking for it and the percentage of those "total surprise" attempts is probably much higher.

Iowa is a well coached squad, known for solid special teams play. It was a big risk that might have paid off. The thing that bugs me is this: the defense had already gotten us the ball twice without giving up points. What we were doing was working. So keep doing it. Keep giving the Hawks the long field. Be patient.

The coaches obviously had seen something in Hawkeye films and maybe on the first kickoff that led them to believe this had a good chance of success.

 

[Bobber]

It was gutsy call by Rhoads. It didnt' work but I don't have any probems with his reasoning on why he did it. The Iowa lineman even admited it surprised them.

 

[Steve]

I will say this: Suyccessful onside kicks happen about 20-25% of the time in general. But take away the really low percentage attempts, when it's late in the game and you're behind and everyone in the stadium is looking for it and the percentage of those "total surprise" attempts is probably much higher.

There is an oddity associated with onside kicks - it's usually best to call them when it doesn't make sense to call them.

 

[Melvin]

I'm sure the coaches saw some things on tape that made them think an on-side would work. I did not like the call because we had momentum and Iowa's offense was sputtering. But I have faith in the coaches that they believe they were doing the right thing.

 

[mustangcy]

It was the wrong call...it cost ISU any bit of momentum it had just gained. We'd just stopped Iowa on it's first two possessions and had taken the lead. Anyone that says this wasnt a major turning point in the game is lying. I still love CPR but it was absolutely the wrong call. Have some faith in your defense to get a stop and to get the ball back!

Look, there's a reason you never see something like this...because the risk FAR AND AWAY outweigh the potential payoff. To me this was the beginning of the end of the game.

 

[swammi]

I am guilty as charged. But I would not characterize it as whining. Whining is incessant complaining about something small. Criticising that kick is like pointing out a half pound of spinach stuck in your friend's teeth. Mac sat on 3 point leads and PR squandered one. The failed onside kick changed the momentum. The following personal foul just added fuel to the fire.

 

[Clones21]

MOOD BREAKER

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Dmvhc0lYY]YouTube - Waterboy Baseball Scene[/ame]

 

[Stormin]

I am guilty as charged. But I would not characterize it as whining. Whining is incessant complaining about something small. Criticising that kick is like pointing out a half pound of spinach stuck in your friend's teeth. Mac sat on 3 point leads and PR squandered one. The failed onside kick changed the momentum. The following personal foul just added fuel to the fire.

The onside kick did NOT cost us the game. It was the five interceptions and the fumble. Plus all the stupid penalties.

Everyone keeps talking about the message sent to Iowa was that we were a desperate team. I totally disagree. I think the message sent was that our opponents better be prepared for anything. We will be unpredictable.

I think we lost many more games by being predictable in the past. We played terribly Saturday. But to blame this loss on the fact that we tried an onside kick early in the game is ridiculous.

 

[AmesCloneFan]

Had we recovered the kick, we would have all considered it the greatest play call of the year. We are a fan base that complains about boring play calling, then when the staff mixes it up, we complain about that as well.

Great call -> but bad execution IMO. Could have been a huge momentum boost, still would not have equalled a win though.