Iowa vs. ULM: A Change of Pace for Hawkeye Football?

Traditionally, Iowa football under Kirk Ferentz is pretty straight forward. Iowa has long been a run-first offense that attempts to control the clock with a slow-tempo ground attack. The pass, while an important part of the offense, has generally been an accessory to the meat-and-potatoes run game.

Last Saturday against Pitt, that approach didn't work. The Hawkeyes only averaged 2.3 yards per carry on the day and fell to a 24-3 deficit with just over three minutes to go in the third quarter.

Marcus Coker eventually picked up 86 yards on 23 carries, but they didn't come easily and they rarely amounted to first downs.

To say the situation in Iowa City looked bleak would be a massive understatement. I, and many Hawk fans, had written the game off as a loss and wondered just how bad this season was going to be.

Then Ricky—excuse me—James Vandenberg got the "go" from Kirk Ferentz and Ken O'Keefe. In the span of a quarter and three minutes, Iowa's offense came to life, and brought the rest of the team with it.

Using an up-tempo attack that often went no-huddle, Iowa came up with 28 points and allowed only a field goal in between. The Hawkeyes put together the biggest comeback victory in school history and left Kinnick Stadium with the scoreboard still showing Iowa 31, Pitt 27.

As thrilling a victory as that was, many still wondered what the future would hold for the Hawkeyes. Would the up-tempo attack that carried the Hawkeyes to victory be vaulted for another situation when they have no other choice? Or would it remain a part of Iowa's repertoire to pull out at will and stump opponents who were expecting the old-school ground attack the Hawkeyes usually employ?

I've often been harsh on Kirk Ferentz of late. I've not been particularly impressed with his game approach or his clock management (such as sitting on the ball at the end of regulation against Iowa State). 

However, I readily admit that the man is no fool. He's a student of the game and has certainly tested his abilities in a number of venues prior to coming to Iowa. While in Iowa City, he has routinely put together bowl teams that have been a thorn in the sides of virtually every team in the Big Ten.

The man knows how to coach, even if I don't necessarily always agree with his methods.

During his press conference last Tuesday, Coach Ferentz was asked a couple of times about the no-huddle offense and whether or not it would continue to be a part of Iowa's attack this season.

"We’re going to do whatever we have to do any given season to win, that’s our plan."

That was Ferentz's reply every time the press tried to squeeze a little more detail out of him. "We're going to do whatever we have to do."

Ferentz also laid a little groundwork for why this attack wasn't brought up sooner.

"...coming out of camp, we were in a bit of a quandary at our receiver position based on what we saw in August. I think if there’s been a real positive the last two weeks, our receiver group has taken some positive steps forward."

The fans and coaches all knew that Marvin McNutt was a proven commodity, but he's just one man, and it's very easy to put a couple of cover men on him. The rest of the receiver corps was a toss-up.

Would Keenan Davis put the better parts of his spring performance to good use in real games? Would Kevonte Martin-Manley be able to step up and provide a third target for Vandenberg to turn to while the others were drawing the defensive attention?

Nobody really knew, and without knowing that, the pass game couldn't be relied on heavily.

What's more, coming into the season, Marcus Coker looked like the safest, most reliable option for carrying the offense. His performances last season leading up to—and certainly during—the Insight Bowl, were impressive. He was a strong runner that took care of the football.

With a couple of fumbles already on his seasonal stats, and an apparent lessening of confidence, Coker is no longer such a safe bet.

This week, the Hawkeyes host the University of Lousiana-Monroe, who is 1-2 on the season. However, those two losses have come to No. 11 Florida State and No. 20 TCU. Their one win was a comfortable 35-7 victory over Grambling.

Coach Ferentz spoke cautiously about ULM's team and what they bring to the table.

"They’re a very veteran football team. Then their schemes both offensively and defensively really pose some challenges for you. They’re a little bit different, a little bit unique compared to what we’ve played in recent memory. We have some work to do there."

ULM runs their own version of a spread offense and can throw a lot at the Hawkeye defense that they might not be fully prepared to face. Their defense meanwhile, operates a 3-3-5 kind of set.

That should mean that the door could be open for Coker to have a career day and for the offense to return to the run-first approach that has defined this team over the years. Wouldn't it?

Ferentz didn't sound so convinced, and neither am I.

"They make it really hard to run the football, make it a challenge. TCU had some success, but they also have an option element to their game which we don’t have which really makes a big difference."

Just because they don't put a lot of guys on the line doesn't mean they can't get a lot of guys in the box in a hurry. No doubt, they will have looked at a lot of Iowa game film and seen how heavily they rely on guys like Coker.

They won't be fooled into thinking they can manage him with just the three down linemen. They're not designed to do that, and it's not how they play run defense.

So, could we see a return of the high-flying Hawkeyes that pulled out the exciting come-from-behind victory last weekend?

When asked if Iowa would try to establish the run this week, Ferentz was clear.

"Probably bad week to set that one as a goal just based on the way they line up. Don’t want to be set up for failure."

So don't be surprised if you see James Vandenberg come out like a wild gunslinger of the old west.

"First of all, we want to try to win the game. That’s above everything else."

While I am in no position to question someone like Kirk Ferentz, I've done it frequently. It's great to hear though, that he is flexible enough to see that this team isn't necessarily set up like past teams have been and is willing to make the necessary changes to lead the Hawkeyes to victory.

So sit back Hawkeye fans, and get ready for something you don't often see at Iowa—fireworks.