1. Defensive Pressure
When you hear the name Kirk Ferentz what one position comes to mind? For me it is the OL. Coached it in the NFL and has turned out some great lineman so far at Iowa. Gets some darn fine recruits as well. Last year they struggled, but this season they return 3 starters and lots of experience.
We flat kicked their ass. Five sacks doesn’t begin to tell the story. Kudla is emerging as a beast. And Lawrence Wilson showed signs of brilliance today.
But props also go out to Malcolm Jenkins. As the secondary continues to develop the D can keep selling out on the pass rush and know they aren’t going to get burned. Iowa’s longest play from scrimmage today was 15 yards – even though they played the majority of the second half with a desperate need to move the ball downfield in large chunks.
2. AA Linebackers
Looks like the boys from Iowa City showed us up. Greenway and Hodge had 23 tackles between them while Hawk and Carpenter could only muster 13. Nit-pickers will argue that
OSU ran 24 more plays and gave them more opps. Others will suggest that Linebackers should shoulder some of the blame for a 323 yard difference in rushing yards. But we all know where the Butkus Award should go.
I was particularly impressed to see Greenway celebrating after one particularly stellar tackle – with his team down 24-0. (Does anybody else think that players on either O or D ought to maintain a low profile when the scoreboard shows they are getting their asses kicked?)
3. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a starting QB.
Forget the stats. Forget your personal preferences. If a QB can put the ball on the ground four times (the official stats say three, but I swear I saw four) while running a Jim Tressel offense and not come out of the game he clearly has no reason to be looking over his shoulder. JT has committed to a starting QB.
4. Spiking the Ball?
I heard several folks complaining that Tate should have been given a 15 yard unsportsmanship penalty for the spike instead of the five yard delay of game (after the game even Ferentz admitted he needed to check the rule book on that one). That 10 yard difference could have kept the shut out in tact (at least for a while).
I would submit, however, that any penalty was probably unwarranted in that instance. Tate was hit hard all day and that play was no exception. He may very well have thought he was getting up from scoring a TD.
Nothing is more fun than watching the other team come unglued.
5. New Traditions
I am ALWAYS at the games at least an hour early. But today my son had to work til noon and he has the ID that gets us into the game using faculty tix. So, my wife and I meet him when he gets off and rush to the game so she can drop us off on Lane. We then jog (for those who don’t know me I am an old man) to the far end of the stadium and race up the steps 2 at a time to get to our seats midway through the first quarter.
The bad news is that since things went so well today we have to start doing it this way for EVERY home game.
6. Stay in the damned end zone.
Never mind that hilarious play Iowa pulled off – that was fun. But what was Holmes brining the ball out from deep in his own end zone – twice? That is fine when you need to make something happen, but we were up 3 scores. He didn’t get back to the 20 either time and a lesser man would have dropped the ball, three teeth, and his jock on the second return. No place in Tressel-Ball.
7. Jamo
That’s twice. No place in Tressel-Ball.
8. Offensive Effectiveness- Making Distinctions
I was among those upset with the effectiveness of the O last week – and I don’t apologize. The SDSU game was an example of an ineffective O – pure and simple. They could not move the ball consistently against a very week offense. It is a problem we have seen often in the past several seasons.
Today we had some frustration in the Red Zone (will we ever see Schnitker carry the ball again?). We had at least SIX fumbles overall. But we consistently moved the ball (which with six fumbles is even more impressive). We had some individual mistakes, but that is a completely different problem than not being able to move the ball. Thirteen of eighteen on 3rd down conversions as impressive to me as our total offense numbers.
We knew we had receivers. Now we know we have an OL and a running back. Damn do we have a running back. Mo Wells did a nice job of making Pittman look even better than his 171 yards would indicate, but despite Iowa’s weak DL they have some good LBs and that is where a lot of his yards came from. This is going to be a very, very good football team.
There was a lot of hate and discontent in the stands starting around the 12 minute mark when JT began running out the clock. With a lead and a D that is what JT does. THAT is Tressel-Ball. It was intentional and effective. Very different from being unable to move the ball when you need to.
In retrospect we can look at four offensive performances this year. Two were exceptional. One was against an exceptional D. One we can now write off to a post-Texas let down, Smith shaking off the rust, the planets being out of alignment, or whatever you want to call it.
9. Total Offense
My favorite part of the scoreboard in the Shoe is the total offense stats in the North end. After Iowa’s first two possessions it showed them with 25 total yards. After their first four it dropped to 22. After five possessions it was 11. At the half it was 13.
That is freakin’ Defense. These guys are good. Scary good.
