I watched the game on Big Ten Network and then I watched it again a second time later because I just couldn’t help myself and I came to the same conclusion both times, this loss is on the coaching staff. Jake Rudock played pretty well considering it was his first action in a college football game (another thing we can blame the coaches for). Yes his pass that was picked off in the end that led to the game winning field goal for NIU was a bad read and an even worse throw but it should never have been that close in the first place. Play calling and poor personnel decisions throughout the game turned what should have been a solid win by the Hawkeyes into loss to good opponent. Apparently the near complete overhaul of the assistant coaching staff over the past two years hasn’t changed Kirk Ferentz as the Hawkeyes continue to make the same mistakes they have in the past. Here are some general and some specific examples of what I’m talking about.
– Throwing the bubble screen to your WRs can work if you throw it to your playmaking WRs and Iowa is in short supply of those so using this play over and over again is pointless. Iowa ran this play to Kevonte Martin-Manley, Riley McCarron, Jordan Cotton and Jacob Hillyer (TWICE). KMM is a possession receiver with little chance to break this play for a big gain. Riley McCarron is a small slot receiver who is unlikely to break this for a big gain. Jacob Hillyer is a big-bodied receiver whose strength is his size not his speed and he is unlikely to break this for big gain and the Hawks through it to him twice. Sensing a theme here? Jordan Cotton is the only one of these guys that has the slightest chance to make a play with this and he is hindered by the fact that NIU knew it was coming because Iowa ran it so much. Two things, first stop telegraphing this play, if I know when it’s coming the opponent knows when it’s coming too. Second Damond Powell needs to be the guy you throw this to. Ferentz keeps saying that Powell is still getting up to speed but apparently in the month he has been practicing with the team he has only learned the deep post route, seems like it’s about time you teach him a second play.
– When you get a lead on a smaller opponent and your RB starts off a drive ripping off a couple of 7-8 yard runs and your offensive line is starting to lean on that smaller opponent don’t get cute with the play calling and don’t take out the RB that is on a roll. In the third quarter with a seven point lead Iowa finally got the ball and Damon Bullock took over at RB and gained about 15 yards on two plays, he was jumping up, flexing and screaming for the ball, so what did the Hawkeyes do? Took him out and put in Jordan Canzeri who hadn’t taken a handoff all day. Momentum killed, drive stalled and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why. When you have an opponent down and you have a chance for a long demoralizing drive running the football down their throat you do not let up, you do not get cute, you let your offensive line dominate and you let the RB that is in a rhythm keep going. I’m all for rotating players in to keep guys fresh but Bullock didn’t need a breather and he was ready to go so let him play.
– The play (or plays) that everyone is still talking about. Iowa has a 3rd and 1 and Rudock goes play action fake and throws a bomb down the middle of the field to Damond Powell but the pass is over Powell’s head and then Iowa punts. WHAT? For half a second Kirk Ferentz and Greg Davis morphed into Chip Kelly and went for a big play when no one was expecting it and it was a fantastic call. Breaking out of the comfort zone, going to the kill shot and throwing it to your big playmaker Damond Powell after he had caught a deep pass over the middle in the first half. Crowd was excited the team had to love it and then…Iowa punted. Suddenly this brilliant play call just became the stupidest thing you could possibly do. The Hawkeye offense needed to stay on the field because the defense had been on the field for most of third quarter and going for the big play on 3rd and 1 is only a good idea if you have already decided to go for it on 4th down. When you don’t go for it you put your tired defense back out on the field and you tell your offense you don’t believe they can get 1 yard against an undersized opponent. Inexcusable decision by Ferentz, it is one thing to be conservative it is another to be scared. Oh and you can’t play the “field position” excuse when your punter is as inconsistent as Kornbrath has been.
– The fake punt for about a forty yard gain is ridiculous. I’m sure someone blew their assignment and I appreciate that Ferentz won’t throw that player under the bus but it isn’t the first time or the second time that the Hawks have been beaten with a fake punt play and that is on the preparation. Ferentz has always been conservative with his punt return teams and if you’re not going to go for the block and your returner isn’t likely to return it anyway why isn’t your entire punt return unit ready for the fake?
– Jordan Cotton is completely to blame for the ridiculous decisions he was making returning kickoffs from five yards deep in the end zone (you get the ball at the 25 yard line if you take a knee) and that isn’t on the coaches. However, Ferentz said that Cotton has instructions on when to come out and when not to so if his instructions are come out from five yards deep that needs to change (you aren’t pulling off a 30 yard return very often). If Cotton wasn’t following his instructions (I’m pretty sure Ferentz’s nature would preclude him from saying go for it from 5 yards deep) than take him out. Jordan Canzeri can return kickoffs, so could Powell or Martin-Manley or a host of other guys. Cotton was an excellent return man last season but he has to understand and the needs of the offense and if he doesn’t then find someone that does.
– Linebackers covering wide receivers. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. The Iowa Hawkeye defense is apparently crazy because I’m not sure how many times you have to let a WR beat a LB before you make an adjustment but the Hawkeyes passed that number a long time ago. You can’t blame the players for repeatedly being put in a position to be beaten and then getting beat, it is a predictable outcome. The Hawkeyes have three NFL caliber LBs but no one in the NFL is going to ask them to cover WRs. This might be the most talented group of LBs Iowa has had under Ferentz but it is ludicrous to use them this way.
Those examples are just the ones I can remember a few days after watching the game twice. My other problem with the coaching staff and Kirk Ferentz in particular stems from his press conference on Tuesday. Coach Ferentz was asked a question about getting the TE’s more involved in the offense and he said “where the ball goes is dictated by the defense”, that is directly from Ferentz’s mouth. What? I cannot begin to explain the problem I have with a coach that has that mentality. There are times in a game where you take what the defense gives you. It’s 3rd down and 4 and the CB is playing 10 yards off the WR, your WR’s read should be run 5 yards just past the 1st down marker, stop and the QB will hit you right there for the 1st down. Move the chains, new set of downs, next play. To allow an opponent like Northern Illinois to dictate that you don’t use your very talented group of TE’s let alone your 6’7 265 pound matchup nightmare CJ Fiedorowicz means you are failing as a coach. If a team like NIU can take away what should be a huge part of your offense what chance do you stand against Ohio St. or Wisconsin. The successful coaches in college football today scheme ways to create mismatches for their playmakers and then they exploit those mismatches. Football is an evolving sport and I’m not seeing an evolution from the Iowa Hawkeye staff and that starts and stops at Kirk Ferentz. I will forever be a fan of Kirk Ferentz the man and the University of Iowa will someday recognize the contributions he has made to the school and the football program but it is becoming increasingly hard to be a fan of Kirk Ferentz the coach. Maddeningly frustrating is the only way I can describe the Hawkeye program at this moment and while I would love to see them turn it around it is hard to believe it’s possible. The players didn’t play a flawless game against NIU but they played well enough to win (despite the turnovers) if the coaching hadn’t gotten in the way. Missouri St. is unlikely to put up much of a fight this weekend (and this game better not be close) but it is the next week against in-state rival Iowa St. that Ferentz has to pull off a win. The Cyclones lost to UNI opening weekend 28-20 and it really wasn’t as close as the score indicated. The Panthers ran all over the Cyclones and if Iowa can’t beat the Cyclones it is going to be a long year and basketball season won’t be able to get here soon enough.
A couple of good notes since it seems like I’m pretty down on the Hawkeyes.
– Jake Rudock played pretty well, not great but pretty well. He wasn’t perfect and unfortunately he threw a game changing pick but the kid is a player. Wonder what last year’s team would have done with him at QB? (Sorry I couldn’t help myself)
– Weisman is fine at RB and I know I said Bullock is an offensive weapon but Bullock has added a lot of muscle to his frame and he looks like he could carry the load. Weisman at fullback, Bullock at RB, should look at that more. (I can’t believe Bullock dropped that one screen pass; that was an aberration he has way better hands than that.)
– Don Shumpert is an excellent blocker at WR (there I said something nice about him). Now if he could just catch…sorry (don’t bring up the one he caught late against the prevent defense, I never said he drops everything just the ones that count).
– Damond Powell can beat anyone deep. On his long catch in the first half he beat a safety that had deep coverage and he had more than a step on him, the kid can fly.
– Iowa’s one trick play in the game was a flea flicker that ended with a long completion to Jordan Cotton. Good call, well executed, maybe the Hawks should try more than one trick play a game, not more than one flea flicker but more than one trick play.
– Jake Rudock knows what every Iowa Hawkeye fan and every NFL scout knows and that is that CJ Fiedorowicz is never covered in the red zone. Rudock put the ball up and granted the wish of every Hawkeye fan by letting Fiedorowicz just go up and get it and he did. Touchdown Iowa. Perhaps he’s open on other areas of the field too…hmmm.
– Mike Meyer has been working out. I don’t think NIU got to return a kickoff as Meyer put almost all them about 5 yards deep and NIU’s kick returner was smart enough to take the ball at the 25.
– Brandon Scherff is a monster. There were times when he was pushing his man five yards down the field using one arm. I think he was trying to give the guy a fighting chance…it didn’t help.
Better luck against Missouri St. Go Hawks!
The Hott Read 
Lots of really good comments Nate! I wonder how different the game would have been if Kirksey didn’t pick up the ball and score. But once he did that I thought the game was over. We should have never lost that game and it shouldn’t have been close. MO State should be over by halftime. But I still want Rudock in the game to get as many reps as he can (why wasn’t he in at mop up time in games last year or even for a few series in the Nebraska game?). And if ISU doesn’t make some major changes that should be a ground and pound victory. We should be 4-1 coming home vs Sparty on homecoming!