The Hawkeyes keep Floyd at home.
The 23-7 final score doesn’t truly reflect the way the Hawkeyes dominated the Gophers in all phases of the game. The vaunted Minnesota rushing attack was no match for Iowa’s run defense and for once it wasn’t Iowa’s passing attack that was plagued by poor throws and dropped passes. Jake Rudock is growing up before our eyes and he is a far better fit for Greg Davis’s scheme than James Vandenberg was and it shows. The past two games have shown the potential that Rudock and the Hawkeyes offense has to go along with a devastating run defense. The offense wasn’t perfect against the Gophers and this team still stops itself a little more often than I would like to see but the progress compared to the end of last year’s team is incredible. This obviously occurred a week after the Hawkeyes thoroughly dominated Western Michigan and it certainly has breathed life back into the program. A four game winning streak seemed like a far-fetched dream after the season opening loss to Northern Illinois but here the Hawkeyes sit and two of those wins came in rivalry games on the road. I would like to congratulate Jake Rudock for winning his first two road games and tying James Vandenberg’s career total for road victories. If you think I’m kidding; Purdue in 2011 and Michigan St. in 2012, look it up. This team still has some issues; outside pass rush, blocking on the interior of the offensive line and not getting the TE’s involved enough. However, they look a lot better overall and are starting to resemble previous Kirk Ferentz teams that started off the season shaky but figured it out and played their best football as the season wore on. I’ve been pretty skeptical that Kirk Ferentz had another program turnaround in him but I would be plenty happy if I’m wrong. I’m not convinced just yet but the odds have certainly started to shift. Michigan St.’s defense is going to be the first huge test for this Jake Rudock led offense and the Hawkeyes will undoubtedly lean on Mark Weisman like they did last year against the Spartans. The problem with that strategy is that Pat Narduzzi’s defense is one of the best in the country and they will be prepared to stop Weisman. The Hawkeye’s success in this game will be tied to the play of Jake Rudock and a passing attack that is starting to figure out who to count on and who to ignore. Michigan St.’s offense isn’t exactly having a banner year and Iowa’s defense isn’t going to make it easy on them so I’m expecting an ugly offensive game. It looked like Mark Dantonio had finally figured out that Andrew Maxwell was not the guy at QB and Connor Cook had taken over and played well. However, Dantonio inexplicably took out Cook (who wasn’t having a great day) for the last drive against Notre Dame and replaced him with Maxwell and he predictably went 0 for 3 passing and couldn’t make a first down. Apparently whatever disease afflicted Kirk Ferentz that made him loyal to James Vandenberg last year has travel up to East Lansing and Dantonio has caught a mild case of it when it comes to Maxwell. Sorry Spartan fans but the only known cure is graduation.
College Football thoughts
Most of you know that while I am a college football fan and an NFL fan my favorite thing is where the two come together…the NFL Draft. I thought I would take a look at some of the early season play and how it will affect the draft.
– The first major thing to know about the 2014 Draft is that it has massive potential at the QB position. The 2013 Draft was one of the worst at the position but next year’s draft could restock a third of the league with QBs. There are five underclassmen that could turn the 2014 class into something special. Teddy Bridgewater (Louisville), Marcus Mariota (Oregon), Brett Hundley (UCLA), Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M) and Braxton Miller (Ohio St.); they aren’t all likely to come out but I would say a minimum of 3 will. The senior class has loads of talent regardless of what the underclassmen do. Tajh Boyd (Clemson), Aaron Murray (Georgia), Zach Mettenberger (LSU), David Fales (San Jose St.), Derek Carr (Fresno St.) and AJ McCarron (Alabama) are all potential early round draft picks. Bryn Renner (North Carolina), Stephen Morris (Miami) and Logan Thomas (Virginia Tech) are all flawed prospects with potential. Yep, I just listed 14 QB’s that I believe have starting potential in the NFL, it’s mind-blowing how the draft changes from year to year.
– Here’s how I see it for the underclassmen. Bridgewater would be a fool not to come out early since he is the likely first overall pick (the Jaguars can’t be dumb enough to pass on him). Mariota has been compared to Colin Kaepernick and he may need an adjustment year like Kaepernick had when he entered the league but the payoff will be huge. Hundley may end up being the best of the bunch but if he returns to UCLA he is likely the odds on favorite to go #1 in 2015. Manziel is the enigma as his playmaking ability may be offset by his complete meltdown potential off the field (he might just be a kid that needs to grow up or he might be Ryan Leaf 2.0). Miller has star potential but he may need even more time to adjust to the pros and he would probably be better suited to return to Ohio St. and avoid this draft class all together.
– Here’s how I see it for the top seniors. Tajh Boyd will be entering the league with the type of athletic skillset NFL teams are dying for; he’s a good player and safe choice. Aaron Murray reminds me of Drew Brees, he isn’t the biggest or the strongest or the fastest player but he’s highly accurate and has a great arm. Murray is my favorite QB in this class after Bridgewater. Mettenberger has every physical tool you could ask for from a QB and the coaching by offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has raised Mettenberg’s game immensely. I haven’t seen much of David Fales or Derek Carr but they both fit the mold of NFL QB’s and they raise the game of the players around them. Carr has Fresno St. looking like a possible BCS buster early in the season. AJ McCarron doesn’t wow anyone with his physical gifts and he is overshadowed by the sheer number of pro prospects on Alabama’s team but the kid is a winner. I know so was Ken Dorsey but McCarron has the skills to be a solid NFL starter at some point. McCarron knows how to get it done and if my starting QB was Christian Ponder or Blaine Gabbert right now and you offered me AJ McCarron I’d switch in a heartbeat. Bryn Renner, Stephen Morris and Logan Thomas are all players that need good coaching to bring their game up a level but they all have shown flashes of serious talent.
– Jake Matthews (Texas A&M) and Taylor Lewan (Michigan) have separated themselves at Offensive Tackle from Cyrus Kouandjio, James Hurst and Antonio Richardson. Alabama’s line hasn’t been nearly as dominate this season as it was last season and Kouandjio has struggled at times. Hurst (North Carolina) and Richardson (Tennessee) are good prospects and they could both be first round players but they aren’t in the same league as Matthews and Lewan. Iowa’s LT Brandon Scherff isn’t getting a lot of national attention when it comes to the draft but rest assured if he wants to leave early he’ll be in the conversation after Matthews and Lewan. Scherff is a dominate run blocker and he’ll get better at pass blocking. He is comparable to former Hawkeyes Bryan Bulaga and Riley Reiff and if he returns for his senior season he could go much higher in the 2015 Draft.
– Two redshirt sophomores that have emerged early in this season and could really impact the draft at their positions are Texas A&M WR Mike Evans and Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon. Evans is a 6’5 215 lb. athletic freak with the size and speed combination every NFL team wants. USC WR Marquise Lee and Clemson WR Sammy Watkins were regarded as the best draft eligible WR’s but Lee is injured and his production was down before his injury and Watkins isn’t the physical specimen Evans is. The RB position isn’t exactly overflowing with top prospects which is why Gordon’s rise up the boards has come so quickly. Gordon is a game breaking RB with good size (6’1 207 lb.) and blinding speed. A guy like Oregon’s De’Anthony Thomas brings the same type of speed and playmaking ability but he is seriously undersized and won’t likely be used as a traditional tailback in the NFL. Gordon comes from Wisconsin so being used like a traditional tailback is in his blood.
– Jadaveon Clowney hasn’t been nearly as good this year as he was last year and I suspect it is a combination of two factors. The first one being the fact that every team is scheming their offense to negate the Clowney factor and South Carolina doesn’t seem to possess anyone else on defense that can make opponents regret that decision. The second factor is that Clowney is likely playing a bit conservatively in order to keep himself healthy. I don’t think he is doing it on purpose but when you’re facing constant double and triple teams that you are unlikely to beat there is little incentive to take any risks. NFL scouts know this and they know he won’t face this problem in the NFL so it is unlikely to impact his draft status. The one thing that will impact his draft status is the fact that QB trumps all else and most bad teams are bad because they need a QB. Bridgewater is almost assuredly going to go first overall but Mariota and Hundley have the potential to jump Clowney if they come out simply because teams prioritize QB over DE almost every time.
– UCLA LB Anthony Barr is going to go quite a bit higher than people anticipate right now and he could be a revelation in the NFL. Barr only moved to LB before last year and he is still learning the position, when he figures it out, look out. BYU LB Kyle Van Noy and Alabama LB CJ Mosley are two other top LB prospects that will be early starters in the NFL.
– Ohio St. CB Bradley Roby is seen as potentially the top prospect at his position in the 2014 Draft and if he wants to hold on to that spot he better hope that all evidence of the Buckeyes game against Wisconsin disappears from the planet. Wisconsin WR Jared Abbrederis is a fantastic WR that just knows how to play the position and he owned Roby all day last Saturday. The competition to overtake Roby as the #1 CB in the draft is flawed but Roby left the door wide open this weekend and it will be interesting to see if he can atone or if someone can blow past him… you know like Abbrederis did all day long.
Other Football thoughts
– USC’s four year descent into a nightmare finally ended after their embarrassing loss at Arizona St. last weekend. USC AD Pat Haden mercifully ended the Lane Kiffin era…aka debacle…after the flight back to LA. No one has ever stumbled his way up the coaching ladder as successfully as Lane Kiffin. Hired at 32 to be the head coach of the Oakland Raiders (yep, Al Davis was that senile by then) but dismissed because he and Al didn’t get along. Then he lucks into the Tennessee job for a year before Pete Carroll bolts for the Seahawks and former AD Mike Garrett panics and hires the only former Carroll assistant he can find. Lane Kiffin is not his father but he may be better off being a coordinator for someone else instead of being a head coach, he just isn’t cut out for it.
– UConn fired Paul Pasqualoni as football coach after starting his third year 0-4, yeah I don’t care either I just thought I’d mention it.
– Texas AD Deloss Dodds is retiring next year which means the temperature on Mack Brown’s hot seat just moved to boiling. If the Longhorns lose to Iowa St. tonight in their Thursday night matchup Brown will go from boiling to fired in record time.
– I’m not sure which college job Greg Schiano will be at next season but he isn’t a sustainable NFL coach and the sooner the Buccaneers realize that the better. This isn’t about Josh Freeman anymore, Schiano does not have the players trust because they see him stabbing Freeman in the back and now he’s resorted to bringing in his former Rutgers players. When hiring your “friends” is the only way to win over the locker room, you’ve already failed. Schiano never learned that in the NFL respect is a two way street with your players, in college you can get kids to respect you through fear, in the NFL players just hate you especially when you’re losing.
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