Iowa Hawkeye Football: What Did the Bowl Game Tell Us About Next Season?
It was a win that Iowa desperately needed.
After all, though Iowa beat Indiana, that game didn't feel like a win. Consequently, it's seemed like the Hawks haven't won a game since October.
Given the high hopes and expectations for this team at the beginning of the season, that sort of losing streak was tough to swallow.
However, now that we've celebrated, and now that we have something to hold us through until next season, it is time to look at the bowl game with an eye towards the future.
What can we take away from the win that will help us to have further unrealistic expectations going into next season? Conversely, what can we take away from the game that will bring us down to Earth?
Adam Who?
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I have mentioned many times how much I have been impressed by Iowa's sophomore running back, Adam Robinson.
His little-engine-that-could approach to playing is extremely admirable. Moreover, those heroics have served as a substantial spark to this offense for the last two seasons.
However, I think the Insight Bowl served as notice that the future of the Iowa tailback position belongs to true freshman, Marcus Coker.
At 230 pounds, Coker is a bruiser that is more reminiscent of a typical Wisconsin back than a Hawkeye runner. Then again, perhaps he is the vanguard for a new style of back that Iowa is looking to cultivate. After all, current Iowa running back commit Rodney Coe is listed at 240 pounds.
Either way, based on A-Rob's recent arrest, I'd admittedly be surprised if Coker isn't starting on September 3, against Tennessee Tech. In fact, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if we don't see A-Rob suiting up at all next year.
Of course, that is nothing but uneducated guessing. Nonetheless, the future of the Iowa running back position should be very bright with Coker in there.
Offensive Line
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Coker was the MVP of the Insight Bowl and rightfully so.
Not only did he run for 217 yards and two touchdowns, but he also ran over a number of Missouri would-be tacklers.
However, the unsung heroes of the night were the offensive linemen. Against the Tigers, Iowa lined up (from left to right): sophomore Riley Reiff, senior Julian Vandervelde, sophomore James Ferentz, senior Josh Koeppel and junior Markus Zusevics.
The line paved the way 225 total yards on the ground, but even more impressively, they didn't allow the Tigers to get to quarterback Ricky Stanzi even once.
Let's put all of that in perspective. Missouri didn't have a great rush defense. They were seventh in the Big 12, and allowed an average of 146.91 yards per game.
However, the only team on their schedule that eclipsed Iowa's 225-yard-total was Nebraska, who burned the Tigers for 328 yards. The Huskers, by the way, were the ninth-best rushing team in the country.
More notably, Mizzou was first in the Big 12, and eighth in the country, in sacks with 37. Previous to the Insight Bowl, no other team on their schedule had kept them sack-less.
Next season, Iowa will return three of the Insight Bowl O-line starters. Also, junior Adam Gettis and freshman Nolan MacMillan will be coming back. Both Gettis and MacMillan started multiple games and played significant snaps this season.
Finally, consider the best (statistically speaking) Hawkeye offenses under Kirk Ferentz: 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2008. What did all of those teams have in common?
A lot of returning experience on the offensive line.
You Think Iowa Didn't Miss DJK?
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During the first-half, Missouri ran a lot of zone looks. Some of those zone looks blew up, which, among other things, led to Don Nordmann's 38-yard grab.
However, in the second half, the Tigers ran almost exclusively man coverage. The reason they did that was because, outside of the one 49-yard bomb to Marvin McNutt, the Hawkeye receivers were getting absolutely no separation.
This led to no deep threat. If you thought Iowa's running game was dominant, can you imagine how good they would have been if Mizzou had feared Iowa burning them deep?
Looking forward there is a certain reality to face. McNutt can be a good possession receiver. Moreover, with his size, he can be murder in the red zone. Nonetheless, he is not a consistent deep threat.
If Iowa is going to find a new big play receiver, it's going to have to come from somebody else.
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Stanzi Had a Lousy Game
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Ricky Stanzi completed 52.4 percent of his passes for 200 yards. He had two interceptions to zero touchdowns. He wasn't sacked once.
During the second-half, he resembled 2009 Stanzi—of the Stanziball—except there was no point where he turned into super-fourth-quarter-man, and became unstoppable.
Statistically, this was Stanzi's worst outing of the season.
Don't get me wrong. I will always hold a fond place in my heart for the Americanzi. However, after a month of practicing and reflection, his regression continued.
Yes, statistically speaking, Missouri was the best defense Iowa faced all season, but some of those ill advised second-half passes had nothing to do with the Hawks' opponent. Yes, receivers not getting open played a part. On the other hand, he also had great protection and a dominant running game.
Yes, he was missing two of his five top receivers, but one simply has to roll with the punches.
I again ask what I've mentioned multiple times: Is Ken O'Keefe a quarterback coach that can consistently develop quarterbacks?
No Special Teams Breakdowns
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Mike Meyer was 2-for-2 on field goals. Even more impressively, he kicked one touchback, and the average starting spot for the Mizzou offense after a kickoff was just shy of the 20-yard-line.
Furthermore, the Iowa kickoff return team averaged 29.5 yards per return, despite missing their regular return man, DJK.
Certainly, the special teams weren't perfect. Ryan Donahue had a less-than-stellar day kicking two punts into the end zone and netting around 25 yards on both of them.
Moreover, Paul Chaney Jr. had a lot of trouble fielding the rugby-style punts of Missouri punter Matt Grabner.
Finally, Meyer had one really ugly extra point that bounced off one of the uprights.
Still, for a team that has struggled with special teams all season long, this was a step forward. It was an obvious sign that the coaches had placed a degree of significance on immediate improvement in this vital area.
Iowa Has to Find a Better Way to Stop Good Quarterbacks
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As we know, Iowa's defensive philosophy is bend-don't-break. They force teams to put together 10-15 play drives in order to get into the end zone.
Some fans have complained about this, but the fact of the matter is that it works. There are very few offensive units, and most specifically, there are very few college-level quarterbacks that execute at the necessary level in order to score four-five times a game against the Hawks
This was an anomalous season. The Big Ten and specifically the Iowa Hawkeyes' schedule was loaded with good, experienced, patient, accurate quarterbacks.
Nick Foles, Scott Tolzien, Kirk Cousins, Ben Chappell, Dan Persa and Blaine Gabbert.
How many years is Iowa going to face a slate of quarterbacks that are that good, experienced, patient and accurate?
Not too many. Nevertheless, in most seasons, Iowa is going to run up against at least a few quarterbacks of that ilk. Next season, the Hawks will go up against Persa and Cousins again, and potentially against Purdue's Robert Marve.
The fact is, Iowa's bend-don't-break philosophy works, but the coaches have got to come up with a contingency plan for when they run up against just such a quarterback and offensive scheme.
After all, it couldn't have come as a surprise to Kirk Ferentz that Gabbert and his receivers were able to execute against Iowa's defense. Yet, when they were, it seemed that more often than not, Iowa ran the same old schemes.
I am not, in any way, saying Iowa needs to overhaul their defense. I am saying that for the two-three times a year they have to face a team like Northwestern or Missouri, they need to make specific adjustments.
In the end, there is a reason Northwestern is 5-1 against the Hawks in the last six meetings, and it's not because Pat Fitzgerald is an evil wizard.
Where Was the Pass Rush?
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During the Insight Bowl, Missouri went 8-15 (53.33) on third down conversions. In the regular season, they only converted 35.33 percent. That was last in the Big 12.
The only other game in which they had a better third down conversion percentage was against Kansas (56.25). Incidentally, Kansas had the worst scoring defense in the Big 12, the third-worst total defense and was the worst defense on third downs.
The Tigers' conversions against Iowa included a 3rd-and-19 and a 3rd-and-12. It also included one 2nd-and-18 that Mizzou chopped down to 3rd-and-9, which they then converted.
On top of that, Missouri had six passes of 20 yards or longer.
Yes, Iowa's defense is such that teams are forced to work their way down the field. Furthermore, good, patient quarterbacks do nickel and dime their way down the field against the Hawks.
However, 3rd-and-19 is not a nickel and dime situation. In order for a quarterback to find a player 20 yards downfield, that quarterback needs time. The only way he's going to get time is if the defense doesn't pressure him.
Despite returning all of its component pieces, the 2010 line was not as good as the 2009 version. I don't know why that was. I do know that if you're looking for reasons as to why the line has consistently looked gassed at the end of the game, just look at the stat line.
Missouri converted 8-15 third downs. Missouri got 32 first downs to Iowa's 19. Missouri ran 86 plays to Iowa's 58.
Simply put, the Iowa defense has to find a way to pressure the quarterback and get off the field. If it comes via blitzing, then blitz. If it comes via a base four man rush, then go with that. If it comes via dropping eight or nine men into coverage, then go that route.
But allowing a team to convert 3rd-and-19 is borderline shameful.
The Secondary
8 of 10All's well that ends well, but as FC Stix Symmonds pointed out, the play of the defense occasionally left something to be desired.
As already mentioned, the pass rush was, at times, non-existent. Also, the linebackers had real trouble covering their assignments. Throughout the first half, Troy Johnson was getting picked on mercilessly. Finally, and most importantly, the tackling was kind of ugly.
However, the secondary played a strong game. Obviously, there were the two interceptions.
The first was a solid play by cornerback Shaun Prater to deflect the ball into the hands of the always opportunistic safety Brett Greenwood.
The second was all cornerback Micah Hyde, and will become the stuff of Hawkeye lore.
On top of that, the two leading tacklers for the Hawks were Greenwood and Prater. Yes, it is never a good sign when defensive backs are your top tacklers, but you have to keep Iowa's defensive philosophy and scheme in mind.
An Iowa D-backs' primary responsibility is to keep everything in front of him. Prater, Hyde, Greenwood and strong safety Tyler Sash did exactly that.
Moreover, Iowa mixed backups Jordan Bernstine, Greg Castillo, B.J. Lowery, Tanner Miller and Anthony Hitchens into the play. All of them also took care of their assignments.
Next season, all but Greenwood are expected to return. If Iowa can suitably replace Greenwood—a four-year starter—the Hawkeyes, along with Penn State, should have one of the two best secondaries in the Big Ten.
Depth Should Not Be an Issue
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Speaking of backups, the good thing about Iowa's back seven getting decimated by injuries this season, is that a wealth of depth has been built up.
To begin with, there were two true freshmen that started the bowl game. Specifically, the aforementioned Marcus Coker and linebacker James Morris.
Also, another true frosh—Tanner Miller—served as backup to Brett Greenwood, and substituted for him when Greenwood came out of the game with health issues.
On top of that, redshirt freshman Shane Dibona started three games and saw meaningful action at linebacker this season.
Finally, redshirt freshman Brad Rogers got a start subbing for injured senior fullback Brett Morse.
In short, injuries are never a good thing, and you'd prefer for all of your starters to be upperclassmen. However, the coaches seem to feel that these relative novices are ready to see the field, and that's good enough for me.
Delay of Game Penalties and Clock Management
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This point may seem picayune. After all, Iowa had 19 penalty yards on the night. That is a very good number.
However, over the course of Kirk Ferentz's tenure at Iowa, it has too often seemed like the offense is struggling to get plays in, like they are rushed and the time clock is winding down to its last seconds.
I realize the nature of Iowa's offense is somewhat "slow" and it requires a lot of audibling at the line. This is to be differentiated from Missouri or Illinois, for example, both of who use a hurry-up offense all the time.
Nevertheless, the team has to have time to get plays off.
Against Missouri, Iowa took a delay of game penalty at the beginning of the third quarter. It wound up not hurting the Hawks, as they converted the first down on the next play.
Still, the delay of games and having to hurry up at the line are indicative of clock management issues that this staff has always had.
This clock management issue manifests itself in delay of game penalties and hurrying to get audibles in. It also manifests itself when the offense should be trying to run out the game clock, yet they snap the ball with time left on the play clock.
Finally, it manifests itself egregiously in the two-minute-offense.
Is it a small issue? Yes, but it is symptomatic of a much larger issue.
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