Maybe.........it seems to me the teams that beat Iowa almost every year are the teams not afraid to lose. How many times does a team like Purdue (who most years has no business beating them) light them up? You cannot play "not to lose" football against them. Even Danny Mac.....the dean of playing not to lose knew this.
Can Someone tell me why...
- Thread starter mark82
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Maybe.........it seems to me the teams that beat Iowa almost every year are the teams not afraid to lose. How many times does a team like Purdue (who most years has no business beating them) light them up? You cannot play "not to lose" football against them. Even Danny Mac.....the dean of playing not to lose knew this.
Imo it's always been really robotic regardless of the routes.
Like it looks like the receivers stick to the exact measurements of 'set' route distance before cutting instead of reading or feeling out what's there to break or not even break at all if it's not needed.
Vs. a zone they seem to run right to defenders instead of sitting in a pocket and playing catch if it's there.
It's 100% a combination of scheme and discipline. Their "scheme" starts with a defensive line that is year and year out really good. They can typically get pressure on the QB and still drop 8 guys. They essentially play a shell coverage that doesn't let you beat them over the top nd their DB's and LB play their spaces damn near perfectly. Now with that being said there is a blueprint that has shown that Iowa's defense has holes. That requires spreading the field which makes those windows wider and allows QB's to free lance with their legs. Nebraska and Purdue have both had a ton of offensive success against Iowa doing this. Our offensive scheme has multiple tight formations and fewer spread formations. I get peoples frustrations but we aren't going to build a playbook for one game of the year. Yes we can add some wrinkles and we have done that.
And actually I thought Saturday Becht did a nice job of getting the ball out quickly which is also key in that type of game.
He had some rough spots clearly but he also can't do much with that many drops.
And IMO there should have been a directive to keep it on that last play and make a race to the sideline for the first down. If Iowa snuffs it out, tip the cap but handing off to the short side into the crowd from shotgun was just weird.
The EIU defense is built not to give up the big play, make the other team's offense drive the length of the field and more often than not, teams are not able to do it. It starts with a very good punting game, they are playing field position to back you up and then allow the defense to do their thing.
If you watch on first down, they crowd the line of scrimmage, why, because most teams like to run the ball on first down, and EIU comes up and holds you to a short gain. Now 2nd and 8, they slide back a little and play the flats, again trying to limit you to 2 yards or less, getting you into 3rd down and 6 or more.
They play basic defense, everyone stays in their lane, everyone in the defensive backfield is in zone, looking back at the ball. Do your job, cover your area and everyone flies to the ball.
The way to defeat it is to be patient, take what the defense gives you, throw deep enough so that the safeties cannot edge forward and slowly work the ball down the field. EIU does out athlete you generally they out scheme you and most importantly every person does their job, they really do a great job teaching technique that is why they do well at the next level, they are fundamental sound at there position.
If you watch on first down, they crowd the line of scrimmage, why, because most teams like to run the ball on first down, and EIU comes up and holds you to a short gain. Now 2nd and 8, they slide back a little and play the flats, again trying to limit you to 2 yards or less, getting you into 3rd down and 6 or more.
They play basic defense, everyone stays in their lane, everyone in the defensive backfield is in zone, looking back at the ball. Do your job, cover your area and everyone flies to the ball.
The way to defeat it is to be patient, take what the defense gives you, throw deep enough so that the safeties cannot edge forward and slowly work the ball down the field. EIU does out athlete you generally they out scheme you and most importantly every person does their job, they really do a great job teaching technique that is why they do well at the next level, they are fundamental sound at there position.
Iowa is almost never going to make a mistake and count on the fact that you're going to. They are as well coached a defense that exists at the college level and they've also had really good players over the years.
It's not that big of a mystery. It happens every year, it's not a coincidence.
It's not that big of a mystery. It happens every year, it's not a coincidence.
Teams like Purdue and NW have had great success against them because they were built around the short passing game. Those passes are like runs, which is the weak point of the EIU defense. They give plenty of cushion to the WR, and those two teams would just take the 5 or 6 yards and move down the field. If you look at the players, they are putting in the NFL, they are not the corners, it's the safeties that do the work. They come up quickly to support the run and since they are always looking back into the backfield, it allows them to jump passes for int's. Traits that carry over to the next level, most teams in the NFL play a lot of man, and EIU just does not do it, they rarely have their corners up tight in pump and run, its back seven yards in zone.
Was listening to the FART podcast and zoned out for a minute and when I refocused on it I thought the topic had switched to the ‘85 Bears defense.
It’s not that they aren’t afraid to lose. They just stay true to their identity and let the chips fall because at the end of the year no one cares if an L is a 20-13 L or a 31-10 L. If a win is win then a loss is a loss.
this is true, I work with a guy who used to be the OC at Simpson under Williams. He coached at Indianola high school and is now a head coach at another high school. He was the one that initially told me about the route trees, then other people on here were posting about it. One thing that stuck out to me a few years ago is he went so spring practices at UTSA, he came back and told me their offensive line was way better than Iowa State. I of course thought no way, ISU is P5, how is that possible?
My opinion is you have to attack Iowa in space with whatever speed you have. They have some good athletes, don't get me wrong, but if you want to score you have to go get it. They want you to do what Heacock wants you to do and try and dink it down the field 4-5 yards at a time. Both defenses know that then they only have to make one play to get you behind the chains and you aren't prepared to make up for that. They know that in the types of games we have played against them it's going to be one massive play that decides the outcome and they are almost always the team to make that play.
Sage and Jeff nailed it. You beat quarters by running someone underneath the safeties to draw them up then you run a post over the top of them. ISU either doesnt run this, cant run this, or as Jeff alluded to, the corners were allowed to play too physical to get that separation
If we go all season without giving up a sack can that be traded for a win or two? I am all in if that's the situation.
B*stard, now I can't get that song out of my head!
Actually the teams that give them fits are the teams that challenge them like Purdue. The teams the try to dunk and dunk it down the field always lose to them.
I agree we're a lot less bend but don't break than we used to be really since extra defensive backs have become more popular with the star and cash positions. Castros spot used to be a linebacker and we'd allow more intermediate routes. Now unless you can be a Michigan or Wisconsin power team the way to attack the Iowa defense is with medium size routs in the seams 15 to 20 yards downfield. This year I think it would be difficult for Iowa State to do that because Becht doesn't have big enough arm to fit it in those windows. Kohl if good as advertised could be type of quarterback to give us trouble in the future.
Their defense isn’t great. It’s very good and as a team they almost never make the catastrophic mistake in any phase.
ISU won most snaps. But when three of those snaps you lose are these, you’re probably losing:
Blocked FG
Poor gap discipline leading to a huge tun
Terrible out route combined with a bad QB decision leading to a pick 6
Those NW teams over the years disagree with you, because that is all they did, slowly work the ball down the field by the short pass. Purdue has already had one receiver that could get open deep and would catch everything his way, and Purdue would target him 8/10 times a game.