The Lions' Pride

1) Did you see McGloin's TD dive and discount double check against Northwestern? Now, I know the Iowa D can stop Rob Bolden on the goal line, but can they stop the Moxie Train?

2) Why did Iowa have to beat PSU in '08?
2a) Is it ok to cry about this 4 years later?

3) Is the pursuit of Akeel Lynch over, or will we have to go through that nightmare all next off season?

4) How hard would it be to find a ticket on Gameday in Iowa if I were to drive out there?

Definitely a hot button topic. There are a lot of Hawkeye fans that think he can do no wrong. On the other end of the spectrum, there are a lot of fans that think Iowa should be doing much better considering how much money Ferentz makes. And then there are obviously people in between as well. My best guess is that it's pretty even, maybe with a 60-40 edge on Ferentz's side. Of course, winning cures all, so there hasn't been nearly as much criticism after the past two games, but it was ugly after the debacle against Central Michigan.

On the season, Iowa actually has 207 rushing attempts, next to 195 passing attempts, so the Hawkeyes are pretty balanced this year. The running game has been much more effective than the passing game thus far, so it'd make sense for Iowa to focus a little more on that, but ideally, the Hawkeyes would like to stay as balanced as possible.

As far as James Vandenberg goes, he's taken an enormous amount of heat from Hawkeye fans this year. As I explained in another post, I think some of it's deserved, but a lot of it isn't. From having watched him play a lot, I can tell that he just isn't comfortable right now, because he looks noticeably worse than he did last year. But by the same token, he's still made a few phenomenal passes this year to show that he's still got it, and made the biggest pass of his career with the game on the line on Saturday in the Michigan State game. I do think the passing game will improve at some point this year, but the $1 million question is when it'll happen.

As you probably know, he tore his ACL back in April. He's made a remarkably fast recovery, and has been practicing full go for several weeks now. My impression is that Iowa is still trying to decide whether or not to redshirt him this year, as it may not make a lot of sense to use him as a backup running back this late in the season. He hasn't played yet this year, but he's listed as the second team running back on the two-deeps that were released today. If Weisman and Bullock (another recently-injured running back) can't go on Saturday, then the only two backs Iowa would have behind Garmon would be Canzeri and Michael Malloy, a true freshman. It's a similar situation with Malloy, as he hasn't taken any snaps this year, so I think Iowa would prefer to maintain his redshirt. If ever there was a week where Canzeri would play, it's probably this week. That being said, even if Garmon is the only available back that has played this year, I could see Iowa giving him the bulk of the carries, and then using the fullback (Brad Rogers) for a few snaps at tailback to spell Garmon.

Thank you Todd. I know it's your job and all, but I can't help but be impressed. Well done sir.

I'd expect Iowa to play mostly zone, unless Penn State starts hurting Iowa through the air, and the Hawkeyes are forced to blitz in order to generate pressure.

If BJ Lowery (typically a starting CB, but sat out the last two games with an injury) is available on Saturday, then I think Iowa is pretty solid at corner. The linebackers, particularly Kirksey, are also pretty good in coverage. I think the safeties are the weakest link of Iowa's back seven at this point.

As I mentioned in another post, I think this team is capable of beating anyone on the schedule, but could easily lose to anyone on the schedule as well. For this team to emerge as legitimate contenders to make it to Indianapolis, the passrush has to get much, much better. The defensive tackles are coming along, but I don't think the Hawkeyes have the horses at defensive end this year. On the other side of the ball, the passing game needs to click as soon as possible. As I mentioned earlier, I think there are a number of reasons for Iowa's struggles in the passing game, so it's not like there's one particular solution.

Thanks!

As I mentioned in some other posts, I think Vandenberg has taken too much heat from Hawkeye fans this year. He clearly has room for improvement in his game, but I don't think the passing game's struggles are even close to all his fault. I don't think he fully trusts his offensive line or his receivers yet, and he and his teammates are also trying to adjust to a new offensive system. Not easy for a fifth year senior to lose three offensive linemen to the NFL, including both tackles, lose the best receiver in school history and try to acclimate himself in a new offense.

I've addressed the defense and special teams in other posts.

And I feel like I'm missing out on an inside joke with this scandal. Can you elaborate?

Appreciate it!

Told ya he's a Nite Owl

Thanks for the feedback Todd! It's shaping up to be a battle royale on Saturday!

WE ARE...

Thanks for welcoming me - I'm having a blast so far.

David Kenney was a defensive end that was the first 2013 commit for Iowa back in April. His dad was hired in June as the Quality Controls for Recruiting at Indiana, and the Hoosiers have recruited him as hard as possible. Iowa had held Indiana off for awhile, but it looks like he'll be committing to Indiana in the near future. Crushing blow for the Hawkeyes, as he was one of the top players in Iowa's 2013 class and plays a position of enormous need.

David Dawson is an offensive lineman from Detroit that committed to Michigan back in February. As you might expect, other schools continued to recruit him after he committed. Michigan has a no-visit policy, and he wanted to take some more visits, so there was a mutual decision to part ways.

I think the verdict's still out on him in terms of his success at Iowa. Ferentz (or any of the other Iowa coaches) and Davis didn't have any connections from the past, but Ferentz said he was impressed with the way Davis was able to adjust his scheme to the skillsets of various quarterbacks (Young, McCoy, Simms, etc.) and running backs (Benson, Williams, etc.) throughout his career at several different schools.

He did a nice job switching from the pro style with Benson and Williams (who I still respect the hell out of, even as a Sooner fan) to the spread with Young and McCoy, but the switch back with Gilbert was disastrous.

I can't really blame him for anything Simms did, as he wasn't too solid either.

Many fans in Austin thought Vince and Colt hid a lot of his playcalling deficiencies, and nobody thought he stretched the field as often as he should have. A lot of people thought he fell in love with the sideline-to-sideline type passes.

That being said, he has a mNC, and the offenses under Benson, WIlliams, Colt, and Vince were extremely effective. I'll be interested to see how he has changed from Texas until now.

Really do appreciate the insight though.