Things are not OK in Iowa City.
For a game that started as BADLY as it did, it will ultimately and inevitably go down as yet another winnable game, at home, against a ranked opponent that Kirk Ferentz let slip away late – his second of the year – because the program is just not developing enough anymore.
It’s just not.
Since that fateful Holiday Bowl game when you could squint and see Brian Ferentz as the future leader of this team, Iowa has depended solely on their defense and special teams to win games while holding tight to an outdated offensive philosophy that was sputtering at best. Rather than building an offense that could effectively move the ball down field by utilizing their history and pipeline to the NFL to acquire and develop talent at the offensive line and tight end position, the ineptitude within the Iowa football program turned that phase of football into a vehicle used for field position and clock management exclusively.
For five years we have watched Phil Parker and LeVar Woods and their respective units carry ALL of the water. And to their credit, they moved an ocean’s worth. But for that system, that philosophy to win actual meaningful games, two of the three phases have to be ELITE and PERFECT basically 100% of the time.
Again, much to Iowa’s credit, against much of the Big Ten, they have been.
For five straight years now, the defense has been called upon to pitch shut out after shut out after shut out while also having to find ways to score. And they often did.
Their partner in crime, the special teams unit, needed to basically pin every team worth a damn inside their 10-yard line 12-15 times a game, return punts for touchdowns, get the occasional safety with the backing of the lunatics in the South Endzone and make each and every one of their field goals. And they often did.
It works until it doesn’t. Because it’s impossible to play that way every single week. It’s impossible to hold off the ELITE teams (TEAMSSSSSSSSSS) for four straight quarters playing that way. It’s impossible to play college football with your hands duct taped together, a double blindfold on and a monkey on your back.
And yet, despite all of the embarrassing losses to the teams in which Iowa would like to hold themselves comparable to, it’s seemingly hardened Kirk Ferentz. As the wins stacked up, Kirk Ferentz’s resolve hardened.
It was THAT’S FOOTBALL’s final form.
Which brings us here.
Five weeks into the season and we have two winnable games stationed in the “L” column because the defense and special teams aren’t ELITE this year. Try as they might, they just aren’t able to bail out that same ol’ same ol’ offensive game plan.
Don’t get me wrong, they are both more than serviceable (yes, that’s an understatement when it comes to the defense). But the overwhelming strengths in which brought Iowa to those Big Ten Championship games and stacked wins are not as strong as they once were. The linebackers aren’t where they need to be for Iowa to win games this way. We all knew that was possible. They are playing up for sure, but there is a drastic drop off from what we had. They were always going to have ginormous shoes to fill, but they’re trouncing around like my daughter in my size 12’s. The pass rush is meh and Phil is having to get creative to drum up any sort of pressure. Again, fine. The secondary is seemingly leading the team in tackles which is NOT GREAT.
But we all knew this was going to be the case. You can’t lose what Iowa lost last year and expect things to be PERFECT. Even with Phil Parker at the helm.
And to his credit, he’s somehow not too far off and you can see his guys taking small steps each and every week.
But the point remains, we all knew it was going to take step back. So therefore, it’s safe to assume, the program knew it too.
What did they do to help it along?
*CRICKETS*
The special teams on the other hand continues to have errors stack up against them. Was the Kaden Wetjen game against UMASS amazing to watch? It sure was. But that doesn’t take away that it was just a box full of Twinkies and it wasn’t enough to erase the blunders that have hurt Iowa’s chances of winning games against Iowa State and now Indiana.
And, of course, there’s the offense with its lack of tight end talent (to say the least)…something that should never, ever, ever be typed about an Iowa team under this regime. You’re supposed to be TEU! I know Addison Ostrenga got hurt and that is something you can never plan on, but where are the other horses in the stable? This program should have four guys champing at the bit to get in there to show off their talent. This program should be able to lean on 12-personnel when they need a big time drive to produce points.
But, it can’t and they don’t and 15- points and 13-points against the only ranked teams you’ve played so far this season is once again, NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
And now their quarterback along with more essential pieces of this roster are injured and lord only knows what the rest of the season is going to look like.
Oregon, please have mercy.
There are just so many developmental and roster construction issues here. So if we’re not developing like we used to and we’re going to keep everything else the same while teams like Indiana GO FOR IT in all aspects of coaching, roster construction, NIL and development, how exactly are we going to win games against any programs that aren’t more inept than we are?
By scoring 13 and 15 points and hoping our defense and special teams can pitch shutouts despite being objectively less talented than what we’ve seen in the past?
Seriously, I’m asking. I hope someone out there has the answer.
And again, I think the defense played pretty well against an Indiana team that I think most people assumed would be able to move the ball all over the field given the lack of experience out there. If we wrapped up a little bit more, maybe the outcome is different and Phil Parker’s team would have bailed Iowa out once again.
But at this point, I’m over moral victories when it comes to Iowa Football. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Win, Graduate, Do it Right. We’ve been eating moral victories for years and years and years. At the end of the day, Kirk has lost 11-straight games against ranked opponents. ELEVEN STRAIGHT. That was with and now without two ELITE phases of football.
That is WITH an offense that’s just not talented enough.
If it wasn’t clear then, it surely is now – pretty good defense + meh offense + average special teams = THIS.
It’s not good enough to justify the paycheck. It’s not good enough for five more years. And it’s just not good enough for one of the most loyal fanbases in all of sports who continuously back this program with their voices, their presence and their hard earned cash.
So many people have been so afraid of what it would look like without Kirk Ferentz at the helm for so long now. We’ve all seen these types of comments and replies:
“We could be like Wisconsin!” they say.
“It could be like the Bob Commings and Frank Lauterbur and Ray Nagel and Jerry Burns years… you weren’t even born then you jackass. Be appreciative of what we have now!” they scream.
But after another conservative loss that should have been a win against a ranked opponent and yet another season where Iowa is doing the same things and seeing what we have on the roster, it’s quite possible, we’re about to live out that nightmare anyways.
Category: General Sports
