GWPFFL BrianW Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 Night game, Kinnick Stadium, national television. As an Iowa fan, I realize that if Iowa ever once to take the next step as a big time college football program, it starts on Saturday. The national media loves Kirk Ferentz, and believe he's of of if not the hottest coach in college football. Iowa hasn't played well thus far this year, however they haven't showed any of there bread and butter offense. Even in tight games vs Syracuse (with the god awful Jason Manson in for the hurt Drew Tate) or Iowa State when they were getting beat most of the game, they still didn't show much of there offense. They have the home field advantage, the coach, and they have experience at Quarterback. But it's Ohio State. And this certainly isn't the first time Iowa has fielded a pretty good team against Ohio State. Iowa's record vs Ohio State and Michigan is not good at all. Against the maize and blue, it usually is a heartbreaker at the end of a game that seals our fate. Against Ohio State, I dunno what it is, but it's always psyche out time, and it usually isn't pretty. One bad thing during the Kirk Ferentz era, is when the spotlight on Iowa has been the brightest, Iowa has failed. It's unfortunate. Go back and look at the 2003 Orange Bowl vs USC. Iowa was not prepared to play that game at all. The play calling was very suspect, and by the time Iowa knew what hit em, Carson Palmer was lighting up the score board setting Orange Bowl records. In 2003, Iowa cracked the Top 10 early in the season, with a plethora of returning All Americans including Robert Gallery, Demond "Bob" Sanders, and Nate Kaeding. One visit to East Lansing, and they forgot how to play. Later that year they lost close games to Purdue and Ohio State, where they had chances to really make an impact. 2004, the stars were aligned, but a trip to Arizona State, and a trip to the Big House, stuck Iowa with 2 early season losses, that they coudln't 100 % recover from, despite sharing there 2nd Big Ten Title in 3 years. Last year the team vastly underachieved. The debacle in Iowa State, and then losing games they shouldn't have lost to Michigan, Northwestern, and Florida. Not to mention getting humbled in Columbus. With each passing year the spotlight gets brighter and brighter on Kirk Ferentz and his program. This Saturday is his chance to deliver. He hasn't delivered yet. Like I said, if Iowa wants to take that next step, it begins on Saturday night. If not, then Iowa will still find itself on the 2nd tier of Big Ten programs behind Michigan and Ohio State. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffeeman Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 Good luck - I hope you guys can win. A couple turnovers and/or some big special teams plays could help you guys surprise them, if you can keep Smith and Ginn from running wild. But they look pretty strong so far... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWPFFL BrianW Posted September 25, 2006 Author Share Posted September 25, 2006 (edited) The trick is gonna be pressure on Troy Smith defensively with the boys up front. Last year we had no pressure on him, and he was able to do whatever he wanted. He torched us. Offensively, it's time for Albert Young to start acting like the workhorse that he was in 2005. Iowa MUST run the ball. Texas went away from it, Iowa must committ to it. You run the ball, and that sets up Drew Tate for play action roll out plays out of the pocket, and make high percentage throws to the 2 big tight ends, and freshie Dominique Douglas. It won't be easy as Ohio State's defense is improving with great strides every week. If those 2 things occur, Iowa has a fair shot. As I stated earlier, Iowa hasn't shown really any of its offense yet. VERY vanilla thus far. Obviously Montana is not Ohio State, but Montana would put 8, 9, 10 guys in the box, and Iowa would still run it right at them. Contrary to last years game against Ball State, where Iowa pretty much did everything they do best, and obviously won by a convincing margin, but it didn't do much for the long haul as teams knew exactly what we were gonna do and when to do it, and we got smacked in the mouth by Iowa State the next week. This year we've just been gradually making improvements. It all has to come together this week though for Iowa to have a chance. My hope is Ferentz has been saving some tricks for THIS game. Either that or Iowa is really THAT bad. If Troy Smith can sit back and have all the time in the world to choose whether to run or pass, it's over, and Ohio State will roll, but if Iwebema, King, Kroul, Bain, and Mattison can get penetration up front, with the loud and crazy crowd, who knows? Edited September 25, 2006 by GWPFFL BrianW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeohiostate Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 The trick is gonna be pressure on Troy Smith defensively with the boys up front. This is the single greatest mistake OSU will be counting on. Smith excels when pressured, many of his big plays are made outside the pocket scrambling from the rush. I hope Iowa gets pressure up the middle, i like Smith's chances for some Heisman highlights if so. Now no team likes getting pressure, but with a guy like Smith, just like Young last season, his best ball is played on the run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarryTheRock Posted September 25, 2006 Share Posted September 25, 2006 Go Hawkeyes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWPFFL BrianW Posted September 25, 2006 Author Share Posted September 25, 2006 (edited) I disagree TOSU. While you're right Troy Smith is at his best when on the run, he's usually on the run in controlled environments. The pressure has to come from the middle, the outside, and the backside. You can't completely shut down Ohio State. I am not dumb enough to think that, but last year, Iowa got no pressure on Smith at all, and he absolutely torched us threw the air and on the ground, we basically gave him free will. Same with USC in the Rose Bowl last year. Vince Young, when actually pressured, wasn't near as dominant as he was when he wasn't, because then he could basically pick which one he wanted to do, run or pass. Can he make those sensational heisman highlight plays while being pressured? Absolutely! I expect him too. But can he do it consistantly all game long? I don't think he can. You can't beat Ohio State if you don't put pressure on Troy Smith. You also can't beat Ohio State if you can't run the ball and control the tempo. For Iowa to win, they must win in the trenches. Edit to add: I also want to emphasize that Iowa must get pressure with the front 4. Not just by blitzing. The linebackers will be the ones that have to clean up the play. Iowa's front 4 while a weakness in last years game, is supposed to be a strength this year. We shall see if it's true. As I said, if it's not, you can forget about any upset, because this Hawkeye fan knows that you don't beat Ohio State without being sound on the d line. You just don't. That goes for any other team in the country. Crappy d line play=playing for 2nd place at best. Edited September 25, 2006 by GWPFFL BrianW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacosud Posted September 28, 2006 Share Posted September 28, 2006 (edited) Here's is my opinion on what Iowa must do to beat OSU. Keep Troy and OSU offense on the sideline. Iowa must be able to run the ball and move the chains mix in the short middle to flat passes to the TE and Screen passes on 1st and 2nd downs. You have to hit OSU with quick hitters between the tackles. OSU is very good at east west pursuit of the ball BUT North and South is open once Young gets beyond Larinitus he can can get cute with moves and such. BALL CONTROL is a must. The Key to Iowa sucess is not so much get pressure on Troy as it is the secondary must cover well enough to give the front 4 the time to contain Troy in the pocket with enough time the pressure has to reach Troy. This allows the lb's to fill the gaps and stuff the draws and run. This also forces OSU into short intermiten passing or quick 3 step drop passing(not Troy's best feature) Most teams that have had sucess have taken Ginn out of the game. You need to know if you have a db that can do this Penn State's King and Texas's Griffin was able to do this, however most can not. Iowa at some point must make a decision to trust their #1 db to be able to hang with Ginn without help at points in the game (roll the dice)Iowa most likely will not go this route choosing to cover Ginn with the saftey either side that Ginn goes too. I would cover with a safety alot probaly early but may take some chances on 1st down. I would never show 1 on 1 coverage but think your #1 DB at some point must do his coverage thing alone of course this will be hidden prior to the snap. If Iowa chooses to double Ginn whole game Gonzo will eat you up on slants in the middle and that's where Gonzo gets open the most and that little wheel route he likes where he sneeks to the middle flat area. Ginn,Robiskie,Hartline go deep to clear out and Gonzo and Nichols sneek to the flat area. Pittman flashes in this area alot as well. "The Point"is you take a physical defender early(with saftey help) and beat on Ginn man him up be very physical with him(jamming)at the line and make sure your help stays with Ginn do not bite on play action THIS IS A HUGE KEY shut Ginn down and that's a HUGE step. Do the unexpected. Pass on first downs and run some draws on 3rd and longs make the defenders guess a little. I would go deep on the first play of th game if I was Kirk. I would take my fastest receiver and have Drew air it out. This will get the DC thinking and will show OSU your able and not afraid to go deep and your not trying to just hang with OSU but going to try to win it. The running game is key and if it's working stick with it. I still have no idea why Texas quit running the ball too much of trying to do the unexpected. When I say do the unexpected I mean pick your spots. MSU got to cute with Notre Dame look what happend there what a collapse that was. Last thought keep the players and the crowd loud and jacked up encourage the players to encourage the crowd make it difficult to hear check offs and adjustments and maybe supply the the frats with extra beer during the day to help things out. In the end it's not going to be easy for this to happen but Iowa has from the start been the team that worries me. OSU better jump on the Hawkeyes early and keep the pressure on. Tress ball won't work open it up Tress and if you get up by 14 don't stop till your up 28. Iowa is a team that can hang and catch up. Troy,Ginn,Pttman,Wells,Datish,Richardson,Freeman,Larinitus,Jenkins,Smith(Predator)Gonzo,Robskie,Hartline,Nichols, and the rest if you want the ring you will have to earn it at a wild Kinnick(mispelled I'm sure.)stadium. GOOOOOOOOOOO BUCKS I have no idea why my spacing on this post got screwed up!!!!! Looks fine when I type it out. Edited September 28, 2006 by sacosud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWPFFL BrianW Posted September 28, 2006 Author Share Posted September 28, 2006 Well said. Excellent analysis. Only thing that worries me is Iowa doesn't have a proven corner yet. It's all first year starters at the corners. So we'll see. Our safeties are underrated. Merrick and Paschal, both can lay the lumber (Bob Sanders was there mentor, nuff' said). They must keep everything in front of them, and Iowa will have to win the battle when Ohio State gets into the red zone. I don't think Iowa needs a great running game, more an effective one. The kind that gets you those 3 yards in the key 3rd down moments. The one nice thing about Iowa's running game is they are very versatile in the backfield. Albert Young is a complete back that is great coming out of the backfield in the passing game. Shawne Greene is a bruiser, and will go toe to toe with any linebacker. He just don't give a fucc. And Damien Simms is a burner. The mixture of the 3 thus far has been kind of fun, because though they haven't done much yet, you can see, this might be a big advantage later in the year. The thing that worries me the most though, is how fast the Ohio State defense has gelled as a unit. It has been amazing. To replace that many starters, and really not miss a beat (and in some ways better than last years great d) is unbelievable, and scary. One thing you mentioned too that I thought about yesterday, was Ohio State "blowing its wad" too early. Jumping off to the early lead, and like you said, play Tress ball. They did that vs Northern Illinois, NIU wasn't good enough to take advantage of that mistake. But it kind of reminded me of the Iowa-Michigan game in 2003, where Michigan was clicking on all cylanders in the first quarter and a half, and then Ferentz got past his scripted first 15 plays, found out what Michigan was doing wrong, and Iowa took over. But it was Fred Russell and the running game on that day, we'll have to get the same out of one of our 3 backs, particularly AY. There is no doubt though, that Ohio State can move the ball on anyone in the country, that's why Iowa must control the clock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Ryan Posted September 30, 2006 Share Posted September 30, 2006 Lets hope for a great game. The OSU - TEXAS, OUR TEXAS, OH HAIL THE MIGHTY STATE, TEXAS OUR TEXAS, SO WONDERFUL AND GREAT... was all hype. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeohiostate Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 The stadium looks "hopping". Good thing we have a vertern QB that has been in these big games before, otherwise i don't see us escaping. Hang our hat on Smith, this is a big step towards the Heisman with a solid performance and win. Ginn has been dormant a few weeks, look for Iowa to be overly cautious about Gonzo and Ginn to have the big day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loaf Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 The stadium looks "hopping". Good thing we have a vertern QB that has been in these big games before, otherwise i don't see us escaping. Hang our hat on Smith, this is a big step towards the Heisman with a solid performance and win. Ginn has been dormant a few weeks, look for Iowa to be overly cautious about Gonzo and Ginn to have the big day. I was looking at it the other way. Gonzo and Robiskie coming up big to cover for the lack of Ginn. I still believe the Bucks to be overrated... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeohiostate Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 I was looking at it the other way. Gonzo and Robiskie coming up big to cover for the lack of Ginn. I still believe the Bucks to be overrated... Then if you think they are overrated, who else DESERVES to be #1. and where would you rank them #3 or #4, if so, then being #1 is being over rated much if any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeohiostate Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 I was looking at it the other way. Gonzo and Robiskie coming up big to cover for the lack of Ginn. Nice call. Where would we be without this guy, he's been HUGE all season. I don't know if it's a product of Ginn or Smith's ability to run that leave the middle of the field wide open for Gonzo to work his magic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeohiostate Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Tressel had better open his eyes as to what is going on here. If they are going to allow the Iowa defenders to push, pull, tug, hold and tackle our WR's before the ball is in the air, we better get ready to have Pittman carry the rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primetime9287 Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Iowa is going to win this game in the 2nd half. I have that feeling after seeing Drew Tate's great career! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loaf Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Gonzo! Game over. Put yer stick up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeohiostate Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Gonzo What a run! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeohiostate Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Gonzo! Game over. Put yer stick up! Has your opinon changed on them being over rated? They've already disposed of #2 and #24 and now looking very good against #13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loaf Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 nope. I would really like to see them play auburn or usc or someone during the season instead of cinci Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeohiostate Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 nope. I would really like to see them play auburn or usc or someone during the season instead of cinci Texas isn't someone? Auburn played Buffalo and Washington St, i guess that's a better out of confernece schedule Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeohiostate Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 INCOMPLETE???? ARE you guys blind? What a crock! There wasn't a shred of video that even resembled and incomplete pass. How does that get overturned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loaf Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Texas isn't someone? Auburn played Buffalo and Washington St, i guess that's a better out of confernece schedule texas was overrated then too. I'm a pessimist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primetime9287 Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Texas isn't someone? Auburn played Buffalo and Washington St, i guess that's a better out of confernece schedule Auburns Conference games kill OSUs and Wash. St. just gave USC a great game. I'm not saying they are better, just talking schedules... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeohiostate Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 Auburns Conference games kill OSUs and Wash. St. just gave USC a great game. I'm not saying they are better, just talking schedules... schedule to date, OSU was MUCH better though. Auburn should have been beat by SC , no doubt they go down in SEC play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primetime9287 Posted October 1, 2006 Share Posted October 1, 2006 schedule to date, OSU was MUCH better though. Auburn should have been beat by SC , no doubt they go down in SEC play. Auburn plays LSU, UF, UGA, @ Alabama & SEC title game. Even at the end of the season, OSU won't play a tougher in-conference schedule than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.