Solution for Iowa Offense
Iowa's offense isn't just terrible, but an absolute liability, putting its stellar defense in horrible positions.
Today, we've seen their defense play admirably well to hold the Buckeyes to mostly field goals despite 5 turnovers by their offense, including a pick 6 and 2 picks inside the 25 of Iowa territory.
My short term solution: WildCat Now
Just go to the wildcat. Get an extra blocker in there and run 3 plays, or 4 if its 4 and 1, and try to just grind out the game and even better, keep winding the clock to keep your stellar defense as fresh as possible. Even Iowa's defense will get exhausted - as we saw agains our Wolverines...help give them a break with a couple first downs on the ground.
Long term solution: Triple Option Offense
Because they refuse to develop, evolve, recruit, or fire coaches (Kirk's son), they should run the triple option going forward.
1) We have seen the triple option give really good teams fits as nobody really prepares for it.
2) Imagine if every team had to prep mid year for an Army or Georgia Tech type offense mid-year.
3) Even Brian Ferentz can't F that up? It would wind the clock and shorten the game.
4) It would help protect their stellar defense and minimize turnovers
5) No need to develop any offensive skill players (which they can't) or devise a modern offensive scheme (which they can't)
What say you? Is this an absurd idea? Maybe...but I don't think it is more absurd than what Iowa's offense is putting on the field right now which handicaps their entire team.
October 22nd, 2022 at 7:03 PM ^
Xavier Worthy.....hide your moms....
October 22nd, 2022 at 3:00 PM ^
I know this might sound absurd to some people but I'm just not impressed with OSU as much as most.
It sure took them a long time to start spanking Iowa despite numerous gifts in plus territory for OSU.
I think we will mash that defense into the ground and we'll get after Stroud again, I question his game when pressured.
This score sure feels like a misnomer.
October 22nd, 2022 at 3:58 PM ^
It sure took them a long time to start spanking Iowa despite numerous gifts in plus territory for OSU.
I mean, Ohio State did have exactly twice as many points going into halftime as Michigan did going into halftime against Iowa (26 vs 13).
October 22nd, 2022 at 4:57 PM ^
Watching the game, the points don't tell the story on how inept OSU offense looked in the first half. Stroud bails out and throws errant pass even if the defender is 5 yards from him.
October 22nd, 2022 at 5:29 PM ^
Right. 19 of the 26 were attributable to the Iowa "offense." There was the pick 6, and four FGs after getting the ball in plus territory.
October 22nd, 2022 at 5:18 PM ^
They also had what, 5? Drives start inside the Iowa 35 plus a pick 6.
October 22nd, 2022 at 4:18 PM ^
thanks, I didn't realize OSU sucks at football
October 22nd, 2022 at 3:00 PM ^
This is gonna be like 54-10 and you're gonna be like "yeah, not really blaming the Iowa defense for that score"
October 22nd, 2022 at 3:18 PM ^
I mean, it doesn’t matter how good your defense is when your offense is completely incapable of staying on the field, putting drives together that end in points, and giving the defense a rest. Iowa’s defense is just gassed.
October 22nd, 2022 at 6:40 PM ^
They're no longer capable of even possessing the ball for multiple plays....
October 22nd, 2022 at 3:53 PM ^
Good call.
October 22nd, 2022 at 3:59 PM ^
Exactly. It was the beginning of the 4th quarter, 40-10, and OSU had only 200ish yards of offense. At that point, IDK how Iowa's defenders would even be interested in playing anymore. It is really a travesty to see such a poor offense at a decent program.
October 22nd, 2022 at 3:01 PM ^
Their special teams have been bad today also. They kept bringing kickoffs out of the end zone and starting drives inside the 15. The rules literally give you a quarter of the field on the touchback. When you have the worst offense in the world, why are you not taking that.
October 22nd, 2022 at 3:57 PM ^
they have a better chance of returning the kickoff for a TD than their offenses driving from the 25
October 22nd, 2022 at 4:12 PM ^
It's not just Iowa. I wonder why anyone runs a kickoff out of the end zone. Or even from insider the 5.
October 22nd, 2022 at 4:21 PM ^
Michigan does.
When you have a good returner who can occasionally break one, why not? And if you have an offense that can sustain drives, why not?
But for Iowa, I was advocating the free 25 yards. The offense needed all the help it could get.
October 22nd, 2022 at 11:47 PM ^
if you have an elite playmaker, hell yes, let him return every reasonable kick. if tackled at the 20, who cares. i will take that trade for a big play.
October 22nd, 2022 at 3:10 PM ^
that was the longest translation of the words "fire Brian Ferentz" i've ever seen
October 22nd, 2022 at 3:12 PM ^
Iowa’s problem isn’t which particular version of the “just don’t fuck up” offense they run. It’s that they’ve spent a decade barely trying to score and this is the logical endpoint of that philosophy.
October 22nd, 2022 at 3:14 PM ^
Even the Triple Option requires linemen who know their left from their right. Sadly, we are all too familiar with what it takes to rebuild a good O-Line after a coach or two manage to create disasters.
October 22nd, 2022 at 3:28 PM ^
Man, the box score for this game is just bonkers. OSU has 54 points and 350-ish yards of total offense, and Iowa has picked up 6 (SIX!) turnovers and managed 10 points. Their quest to find the weirdest ways to do football math is fascinating.
October 22nd, 2022 at 4:04 PM ^
Right. And if you look closer, most of the points OSU scored before the 4th quarter were on drives of 25 yards or less.
October 22nd, 2022 at 4:24 PM ^
It reminds me a lot of *shudders* our offenses in 2013 and 2014, where our drives would fall apart and put the defense in consistently terrible positions.
October 22nd, 2022 at 4:47 PM ^
Yep, those 360 yards are totally misleading as I believe I heard in the 4th quarter that the longest drive - for a FG of TD - that OSU had all day was from their own 45 - outside of that long TD pass they had in the 2nd half. All of that was a result of Iowa's putrid offense and turnovers. I feel bad for their defense as no one could realistically expect them to hold up all day
October 22nd, 2022 at 3:34 PM ^
The answer is simple.....execution & I'm in favor of it
October 22nd, 2022 at 3:35 PM ^
People are acting like there’s a rational solution here, an option that would fix an intractable roster situation or something.
But the problem is not the absence of solutions. The problem is that Kirk Ferentz wants a specific kind of offense and his son to run it.
Kirk can, at any time, choose to change the program’s approach to offense. He can hire any number of coaches who coach any number of styles.
He doesn’t want to.
October 22nd, 2022 at 4:01 PM ^
He doesn't want to, and no one is forcing him to.
October 22nd, 2022 at 4:25 PM ^
He has the same 2 QBs this season he had last season. How does a coach not make an effort to try to pull one out of the transfer portal to at least give himself another option? Maybe Martinez could've been interested, who knows, but he has to do something. Petras is just terrible.
At the B1G championship, Iowa fans were grumbling loudly about him. Everyone knew they had to do something, but didn't.
October 22nd, 2022 at 5:14 PM ^
The BigTen West show some interesting athletic administrations marked by patience. So despite the poor showing this year, one shouldn't assume there will be back changes.
Nebraska after years of coaching issues, finally decided to make a change. Going to Ireland to lose and losing to a "sure win" money game was too much.
Wisconsin despite some good success felt they were stuck at a plateau and so moved on.
Iowa made the BigTen championship game last year, so it might take a few years more before they part ways with KF and his son.
October 22nd, 2022 at 3:38 PM ^
They'd probably be better off just running 3 times in a row and then punting every single drive, rather than passing. At all.
October 22nd, 2022 at 3:40 PM ^
Solution for Iowa Offense: get an actual coach.
October 22nd, 2022 at 4:56 PM ^
Yep, not that hard
October 22nd, 2022 at 4:00 PM ^
The entire staff is expired. I say clean house like Wisconsin and move on. Ferrentz is done at Iowa
October 23rd, 2022 at 12:14 AM ^
Not for at least 7 more years.
October 22nd, 2022 at 4:01 PM ^
Triple Option isn't a bad idea...
October 22nd, 2022 at 4:04 PM ^
is it possible to haunt a thing while alive?
October 22nd, 2022 at 4:16 PM ^
I'm a Wolverine fan so the Iowa offensive woes is no concern for me. Who cares east of Iowa City?
October 22nd, 2022 at 4:31 PM ^
Biggest issue was pointed out by Klatt. O line sucks. So running in EVERY down is the worst possible idea.
October 22nd, 2022 at 4:31 PM ^
Quit for two weeks then quit all together is the solution
October 22nd, 2022 at 5:24 PM ^
nobody gives a shit.
October 22nd, 2022 at 5:26 PM ^
I'm confused as to why we should give a shit about fixing Iowa's offense.
October 22nd, 2022 at 6:52 PM ^
I even care about elections in other States.
October 22nd, 2022 at 5:29 PM ^
Final score
OSU offense: 47
OSU defense: 7
Iowa defense: 7
Iowa offense: 3
October 22nd, 2022 at 6:20 PM ^
this aged well.
October 22nd, 2022 at 6:47 PM ^
Of course, there's always the fire Brian Ferentz option; just sayin'...
October 22nd, 2022 at 7:11 PM ^
The QB at our local high school is just as good as Petras and Padilla. They just have horrible talent and poor coaching.
October 22nd, 2022 at 8:14 PM ^
Your point 3) is invalid: Yes, Brian Ferentz COULD fuck up a triple option.
October 22nd, 2022 at 8:59 PM ^
They only have themselves to blame. Sick.
October 22nd, 2022 at 10:41 PM ^
Punt on 1st down?