Four Loss by 15 points...
- Thread starter Hawktech
- Start date
Many of my fellow Hawkeye fans seem to feel very entitled.
Why? In my lifetime exactly two (2) football teams have had a legitimate shot at a national title: 1985 and 2015. That's it.
Sure we want to win them all, we want to win a national championship. So do many other teams. It's not Kirk Ferentz's fault any more than it was Hayden Fry's fault.
Some don't seem to get the very basic understanding that the other team is trying to win the game too. Sometimes the other team is good. Sometimes the other team is very, very good. In three of Iowa's four losses this year Iowa played hard and barely lost to three better teams.
Iowa has a better football team than MSU and UN. I don't see any intelligent debate about it. The off-season is so long, why not enjoy the last three Hawkeye games?
Of course some people/posters are happiest when they have something to bich about. They will be very unhappy with the next two Iowa wins.
Why? In my lifetime exactly two (2) football teams have had a legitimate shot at a national title: 1985 and 2015. That's it.
Sure we want to win them all, we want to win a national championship. So do many other teams. It's not Kirk Ferentz's fault any more than it was Hayden Fry's fault.
Some don't seem to get the very basic understanding that the other team is trying to win the game too. Sometimes the other team is good. Sometimes the other team is very, very good. In three of Iowa's four losses this year Iowa played hard and barely lost to three better teams.
Iowa has a better football team than MSU and UN. I don't see any intelligent debate about it. The off-season is so long, why not enjoy the last three Hawkeye games?
Of course some people/posters are happiest when they have something to bich about. They will be very unhappy with the next two Iowa wins.
I wasn’t alive for 1985. But you couldn’t be more wrong about 2015. That team was nowhere close to a national title. 2002 and 2009 (without a Stanzi injury) were the teams that could have won a title. 2015 had an easy, easy schedule and got lucky along the way. Michigan State got boat-raced by Alabama in the playoffs in 2015.
Yeah, you are right about 2015. The Stanford loss was embarrassing. Looking back I wish Iowa had stopped Sparty so the Hawks could could to the playoff and boat-raced by Alabama. I stand by the rest of my post though.
Iowa and MSU beat the pizz out of each other then we each faced the best 2 running backs in college football. We faced C McCaffery who ran for almost 4,000 yards in 2 years at Stanford, then led the NFL and was all pro, while MSU had to face Bama and Derrick Henry who had over 2,200 yard and now over 12,000 in the NFL, the best back of the last 10 years...
That, they did... Every play was well covered. Except their last deep one on 3rd down... That was an offensive PI. Forearm holding down Deshawn Lee. BS call to give them the go-ahead TD.
YES ! a gift hold call while punting away the ball down by 7 to Rutgers, who was throwing for 500 yds. And beating a coach-less, qb less, PennU team by 1. But need those breaks some seasons, this team could had easily been 4-8 or worse.
The 2002 team beats the snot out of that 2015 squad. '02 was one of the few KF teams that had what I would actually call a good offense. Led the Big 10 in scoring offense that year.
I would put 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009 and maybe even 2019, ahead of 2015 talent wise.
No argument from me there. Maybe the 2010 team as well, although the wheels came off of that team for whatever reason.
2010 kind of reminds me of this year. Losing at Arizona late, losing to Wisconsin at home late. Probably a couple other games I’ve tried to erase from my memory.
Just Take the L and put it where the sun don't shine. I also said WON B1G championships, NOT awarded. Thats only been since 2011-2012.
It’s your L big fella. Wordsmith it however you want. It’s like the Chiefs. They used to be good. Now they won’t even make the playoffs.
Correct. And I have never seen the hawk defense not scoop up so many fumbles by the opposition. Just not it the right place.And in each game, you can point to one play that cost us the win(some with multiple single plays, like today)...
The next closest 4 loss team is LSU, with a 47 point spread... Just stating a sad fact.
Just not our year to execute!? We will be well stocked for a good run next year, if we can have a couple of DBs step up. And the right QB(s), which I think we have, if they all stay.
Hopefully the fellas can shake it off and finish strong!!!
On Iowa!&
ISU: they got some lucky bounces late and our defense snuffed them for the most part, but a stumble by Wetjen let their dback slip inside to pick that pass that was also huge, the only ISU TD
Grono gets hurt, Hank Brown throws a bad screen pass which should have got at least the first down and if so we rung the ball three times to the center of the field and with :02 seconds left snap it for a FG from even closer range.
Oh the Oregon game: Wetjen fumbles at the OU 14, looks like he corrals it and the whistled had blown iirc but they let the OU guys mug him and strip the ball, bad luck and poor officiating because when there is an inadvertant whistle the defense only gets the recovery if they have in cleanly which they didnt , bad break for UI, and there were several other bad luck type of things in that game
Against USC it was totally fitting that Wetjen's toe was barely out of bounds and a few pictures show it wasnt. And the missed facemask etc
Like you say, the players keep battling and I hope they can win these last two and win a bowl to go
9-4
Last edited:
I agree with just about everything except the “no intelligent debate that Iowa is better than Nebraska”. Nebraska is, after all, 7-3 which is better than 6-4.
Maybe Iowa is the better team, maybe not. Their season has gone about the same as ours. Just because Iowa has beaten them x times in a row doesn’t mean they will do so this year. Yes, their starting qb is out, but the backup seems as good or maybe better. I certainly don’t think you can say there is “no debate” that Iowa is better.
I think a lot of fans are underestimating Nebraska. We’ll find out in 11 days who the better team is.
We’re a more physical team on both sides of the ball. However, they have an explosive running back. Watched the backup against USC and he clearly struggled but that was a tough situation. Have not seen him play since. Nebraska normally implodes and beats themselves against us. If they don’t turn the ball over it will be a close game.
Looking at the schedules and play against high-quality competition, Iowa is better than UN. Iowa has strengths on both sides of the ball, and mediocrity that is magnified because it is not a strength. UN has genuine weaknesses- see both lines.
Iowa IS the better team. How much better, time will tell. The game is in Lincoln and they do hate Iowa's guts, but those emotional charges tend to wear off after a couple of series. Then it comes down to the blockers vs. the tacklers.
I don’t think the schedules prove anything. Nebraska beat a team that has been ranked (Cincinnati). They only lost by 3 to a ranked Michigan team and 4 to USC.
Is Iowa the better team? Maybe. Probably. It is all conjecture and opinion at this point, not “fact”. If you were not an Iowa fan I doubt you would say anything with certainty about either team.
We will find out in 11 days who the better team is. I hope it’s Iowa!
Last edited:
4 losses by a combined 15 points....in 4 games where we scored 17 combined second half points. Seven-fu__ing-teen.
A little 2001-ish.And in each game, you can point to one play that cost us the win(some with multiple single plays, like today)...
The next closest 4 loss team is LSU, with a 47 point spread... Just stating a sad fact.
Just not our year to execute!? We will be well stocked for a good run next year, if we can have a couple of DBs step up. And the right QB(s), which I think we have, if they all stay.
Hopefully the fellas can shake it off and finish strong!!!
On Iowa!
We went to the Orange Bowl the next year. Just sayin.
Unfortunately the big difference is in 2001 we knew with a fairly high degree of certainty who our 2002 QB would be as we'd seen him perform at a high level in live action (not just garbage time) throughout the 2001 season. Though we all hope Hecklinski is a solid QB next year, he ain't Brad Banks-in-waiting.
Matt Vandeberg said on the podcast with his wifey that this team when healthy is the best overall since the 2015 team.
I agree. The chips just didn't fall our way... They can still finish strong, so let's hope for that!
Then roll into next year! Both of our lines will be solid, to very good. Plenty of RBs. WRs should be capable. The QB room is a question mark, but I am hoping the Hank Brown & Jeremy Hecklinski can man up and compete at a high level!
LBs will be good, and have depth. The DBs will be a potential question mark. X & DJ Hall will be gone, and they are having solid years. Need to have a couple of backs rise to the occasion and/or pick up another one or two.
We should have a much more favorable schedule next season, from the looks of it. That noted, in this day of NIL, who knows how good a team will be from one season to the next. OR if they finding a couple of billionaire donors to become a future Blue Blood(see IU).
And in each game, you can point to one play that cost us the win(some with multiple single plays, like today)...
The next closest 4 loss team is LSU, with a 47 point spread... Just stating a sad fact.
Just not our year to execute!? We will be well stocked for a good run next year, if we can have a couple of DBs step up. And the right QB(s), which I think we have, if they all stay.
Hopefully the fellas can shake it off and finish strong!!!
On Iowa!
I am hoping that Hecklinski & Brown prove to be more than capable starters, with this spring having a lot of competition... I really do not want to do the portal again. Although Gronowski I do like very much.