Rewind back to the beginning of the year

[hoopitup]

I remember coming on here after the UNI loss and reading a thread that started with someone's wife ran into one of the coach's wives at a grocery store on Sunday morning. The poster went onto say that the coaching staff was surprised by the loss and that they were not going to make a big deal out of it because our team is so young - they didn't want to hurt the team's psyche. They were targeting next year as the year we should break through.

I wanted to call BS on this so badly because that doesn't sound like a college coaching staff to me. Well now this seems to make sense. Look back at some of the decisions - 2 come to mind right away - the FG at the end of the Texas game rather than going for TD and the end of 1st half at Tech with 1:15 left and 2 timeouts and needing 30-35 yards for a FG opportunity instead we run out the clock. To me this statement made by the poster following the UNI loss now makes a lot more sense. If true, the quesiton becomes is the staff putting the team in position to win games?

Yesterday at the end of the first half we get the ball with less than a minute to go on our side of the field and this time the staff decides to try to get points - the right call in my opinoin. So, in other words, is our coaching staff starting to make better decisions?

I agree with Rhoads and Bruns that injuries on the OL have really hurt us. Imagine if we had the same starting OL for all 7 games or at least 4-5 of those games. I bet our running game is better and a young SR has a much higher comfort level in the pocket. He has shown the ability to make good throws, but most of the year he has not had the time. If he had time and a decent running game I would be willing to bet that SR would be one of the top 3-4 QBs in the league. Those saying "I can't wait for Curtis/Campos/Lazard/Mister", think again. These guys will be RS FR or true Fr next year. Chances are not all these guys are going to step on the field next year.

I sure as hell hope we win more than 1 game this year. Whether we end up with 1 win or 5 wins, this year needs to be a wakeup call for everybody in the program from the AD to the head coach to his OC and DC to assistants, grad assistants and right down to players. If the same **** still happens next year then it may be time to start talking about Rhoads leaving. But right now with injuries and young, inexperienced yet talented skill players, I'm giving him a pass.

 

[Wesley]

It also reinforces that we must never again lose to a UNI in the opening game. We were not ready for the season to start after all.

 

[CyBobby]

Anybody on this board attend those 2 thrilling losses to UNI under Jimmy Dean Walden in ...oh lets see...I think it was 1993 & 1994.

Never lose to UNI again...I will 2nd that notion.


Lets Go Clones Beat that Old Man and his Mildcats!

 

[clonedude]

Losing to UNI should ALWAYS be a red flag.

Anyone who thought we could still be a bowl type team after that loss was fooling themselves. UNI smoked us physically, mentally, and coaching wise too.

After we lost that night, I think the coaches did probably realize we were in for a long year. How could you not?

 

[CyFanInChiLand]

I don't think you can say losing to UNI means no bowl game. Iowa should have lost to them the year they went to the Orange Bowl (Seriously, hawks can spin it however they want, blocking 2 FG's on consecutive plays is a miracle). Now, if they had lost to UNI, sure they wouldn't have made that bowl. But they sure as heck would have been playing in a nice bowl that year.

 

[Palmer]

I don't think you can say losing to UNI means no bowl game. Iowa should have lost to them the year they went to the Orange Bowl (Seriously, hawks can spin it however they want, blocking 2 FG's on consecutive plays is a miracle). Now, if they had lost to UNI, sure they wouldn't have made that bowl. But they sure as heck would have been playing in a nice bowl that year.

Too bad the Hawks staff is not in Ames....

 

[ISUKyro]

Rewind back the beginning of the year?!?!? **** NO! I lived through it once, that was too much as it was.

 

[FanatiClone]

Losing to UNI should ALWAYS be a red flag.

Anyone who thought we could still be a bowl type team after that loss was fooling themselves. UNI smoked us physically, mentally, and coaching wise too.

After we lost that night, I think the coaches did probably realize we were in for a long year. How could you not?

I thought I remembered a couple posts of yours where you alluded to hopes of still making a bowl game, far after the UNI game debacle. In fact I cut and pasted the date of the post that I first came upon that was evidence of you saying such a thing, 10-06-2013, 11:01 AM. In the post, it was as if you had just come to the realization that a bowl game probably wasn't in the cards for this year. Look at the date! I can certainly appreciate the optimism, as it clearly outlasted many a poster's, however, who was really fooling themselves? As the saying goes...pot meet kettle.

 

[83Clone]

No good season every started with a loss to UNI, especially this UNI team that has turned into a train wreck of their own

 

[KcClone01]

It is a leadership problem with this coaching staff. The HC, OC, and other staff are not seeing eye to eye or communicating effectively. Or putting the team in the best position to win. Injuries and thin depth chart just exacerbates the problem.

 

[cymate]

I don't think you can say losing to UNI means no bowl game. Iowa should have lost to them the year they went to the Orange Bowl (Seriously, hawks can spin it however they want, blocking 2 FG's on consecutive plays is a miracle). Now, if they had lost to UNI, sure they wouldn't have made that bowl. But they sure as heck would have been playing in a nice bowl that year.

I was at that game. It was one of the weirdest things ive ever seen.

 

[demoncore1031]

I remember coming on here after the UNI loss and reading a thread that started with someone's wife ran into one of the coach's wives at a grocery store on Sunday morning. The poster went onto say that the coaching staff was surprised by the loss and that they were not going to make a big deal out of it because our team is so young - they didn't want to hurt the team's psyche. They were targeting next year as the year we should break through.

I wanted to call BS on this so badly because that doesn't sound like a college coaching staff to me. Well now this seems to make sense. Look back at some of the decisions - 2 come to mind right away - the FG at the end of the Texas game rather than going for TD and the end of 1st half at Tech with 1:15 left and 2 timeouts and needing 30-35 yards for a FG opportunity instead we run out the clock. To me this statement made by the poster following the UNI loss now makes a lot more sense. If true, the quesiton becomes is the staff putting the team in position to win games?

Yesterday at the end of the first half we get the ball with less than a minute to go on our side of the field and this time the staff decides to try to get points - the right call in my opinoin. So, in other words, is our coaching staff starting to make better decisions?

I agree with Rhoads and Bruns that injuries on the OL have really hurt us. Imagine if we had the same starting OL for all 7 games or at least 4-5 of those games. I bet our running game is better and a young SR has a much higher comfort level in the pocket. He has shown the ability to make good throws, but most of the year he has not had the time. If he had time and a decent running game I would be willing to bet that SR would be one of the top 3-4 QBs in the league. Those saying "I can't wait for Curtis/Campos/Lazard/Mister", think again. These guys will be RS FR or true Fr next year. Chances are not all these guys are going to step on the field next year.

I sure as hell hope we win more than 1 game this year. Whether we end up with 1 win or 5 wins, this year needs to be a wakeup call for everybody in the program from the AD to the head coach to his OC and DC to assistants, grad assistants and right down to players. If the same **** still happens next year then it may be time to start talking about Rhoads leaving. But right now with injuries and young, inexperienced yet talented skill players, I'm giving him a pass.

Well, IMO I think since there is no shot at a bowl and the season is over (technically), I bet we see more things like this. More 4th down attempts, more trying to get points at the end of a half, more aggressive play calling all around. I could be wrong. Who knows?