Michigan State Is Probably a Sleeping Giant

[Ripcord]

I strongly suspect that our nemesis is going to do very well starting soon (maybe as soon as 2026) for the following three reasons:

1) Pat Fitzgerald is a better coach than his won-loss record at NW would suggest. (Can you imagine trying to recruit good players with the academic requirements of Northwestern?) 7-5 or so at NW is actually very impressive, IMO.

2) Supposedly MSU received a $400 million endowment from one of their benefactors. Imagine what NIL players that could buy.

3) Levar Woods. No further explantion for my third point needs to be given.

I look for them to be like Wisconsin during the Barry Alvarez years. Yikes.

Signed, yours truly,

Chicken Little.

 

[oldxbbc]

I strongly suspect that our nemesis is going to do very well starting soon (maybe as soon as 2026) for the following three reasons:

1) Pat Fitzgerald is a better coach than his won-loss record at NW would suggest. (Can you imagine trying to recruit good players with the academic requirements of Northwestern?) 7-5 or so at NW is actually very impressive, IMO.

2) Supposedly MSU received a $400 million endowment from one of their benefactors. Imagine what NIL players that could buy.

3) Levar Woods. No further explantion for my third point needs to be given.

I look for them to be like Wisconsin during the Barry Alvarez years. Yikes.

Signed, yours truly,

Chicken Lit

I strongly suspect that our nemesis is going to do very well starting soon (maybe as soon as 2026) for the following three reasons:

1) Pat Fitzgerald is a better coach than his won-loss record at NW would suggest. (Can you imagine trying to recruit good players with the academic requirements of Northwestern?) 7-5 or so at NW is actually very impressive, IMO.

2) Supposedly MSU received a $400 million endowment from one of their benefactors. Imagine what NIL players that could buy.

3) Levar Woods. No further explantion for my third point needs to be given.

I look for them to be like Wisconsin during the Barry Alvarez years. Yikes.

Signed, yours truly,

Chicken Little.

Unfortunately those are very good points. Hope you are wrong!

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

I strongly suspect that our nemesis is going to do very well starting soon (maybe as soon as 2026) for the following three reasons:

1) Pat Fitzgerald is a better coach than his won-loss record at NW would suggest. (Can you imagine trying to recruit good players with the academic requirements of Northwestern?) 7-5 or so at NW is actually very impressive, IMO.

2) Supposedly MSU received a $400 million endowment from one of their benefactors. Imagine what NIL players that could buy.

3) Levar Woods. No further explantion for my third point needs to be given.

I look for them to be like Wisconsin during the Barry Alvarez years. Yikes.

Signed, yours truly,

Chicken Little.

I know this may not be popular, but I'm not sure I get all the Woods stuff. He's a good coach, no doubt. There are lots of good coaches out there. I'm still not convinced our special teams success was all on him, and frankly we had some pretty big screw ups on specials the last couple of years. Are those on him as well? I think the main reason we've been good on specials is because the staff, starting with the captain put a great deal of emphasis on that phase of the game, including using numerous starters in key positions. I guess we'll find out next season, but I think the personnel losses of all the kickers will be a bigger deal then losing coach Woods, so hopefully the new guys will step up in those roles.

I'd agree Fitz is a better coach then anyone there since Dantonio, and he'll have them playing good football...

 

[r_desihawk]

I know this may not be popular, but I'm not sure I get all the Woods stuff. He's a good coach, no doubt. There are lots of good coaches out there. I'm still not convinced our special teams success was all on him, and frankly we had some pretty big screw ups on specials the last couple of years. Are those on him as well? I think the main reason we've been good on specials is because the staff, starting with the captain put a great deal of emphasis on that phase of the game, including using numerous starters in key positions. I guess we'll find out next season, but I think the personnel losses of all the kickers will be a bigger deal then losing coach Woods, so hopefully the new guys will step up in those roles.

I'd agree Fitz is a better coach then anyone there since Dantonio, and he'll have them playing good football...

on the money. definitely expect fitz to be a total PIA (can't believe kirk gave him a free run within our program and still has junior in the building). woods was decent but we lost games due to his unit as recent as last year. i'm somewhat hopeful that both these guys will be constrained by their past where they got used to the luxury of coaching strait laced players and flame out with the uber talented but feral types evidently i'm not enamored with either of those guys

 

[BunchofAholes]

on the money. definitely expect fitz to be a total PIA (can't believe kirk gave him a free run within our program and still has junior in the building). woods was decent but we lost games due to his unit as recent as last year. i'm somewhat hopeful that both these guys will be constrained by their past where they got used to the luxury of coaching strait laced players and flame out with the uber talented but feral types evidently i'm not enamored with either of those guys

What games did we lose last year due to ST?

 

[rchawk]

Yeah, MSU is a good school academically but Fitzgerald is going to be able to get players into there he never would have been able in at NU. He's also got plenty of years of coaching ahead of him.

Considering the challenges of the Northwestern job he was impressive there. Year one will likely be tough but the football future is looking bright in East Lansing

 

[nu2u]

MGM book O/U is 4.5 wins. About right, I guess. I will be keeping an eye on MSU in Year1 of the FitzSpartan era.

 

[Palmerhawk]

Fitz is overrated by Iowa fans due to some surprise wins vs hawks.
Fitz was 14-31 in the last 4 years at NW.
Def. Coordinator Hank retired right before that 4 year run. He was critical to fitz success.

Now that huge donation could bouy his chance for success at MSU,no doubt
NW fans had concluded he was a poor game day coach...too conservative,ie. KF.

I wish him no luck.
John Smith compiled a strong record with a weak program at Oregon St.
Not ready to say fitz is better.

 

[r_desihawk]

What games did we lose last year due to ST?

oregon, indiana, and arguably usc

 

[BunchofAholes]

oregon, indiana, and arguably usc

How so?

Our defense gave up late scores to both Indiana and Oregon. We matched the opponents punting avg. and gave up no big returns. We made our only field goal attempt against Oregon and 2/3 against Indiana. The defense then gave up 76 yards in 5 plays off the one miss. Even a made FG wouldn't have saved us if the D didn't hold up.

Against USC our offense went in the tank in the second half. That wasn't the special teams. We also made all FG attempts and matched or exceeded their punting avg. Gave up no big returns.

The ST didn't cost us these games.

 

[QChawks]

nah, sparty is a basketball school

 

[r_desihawk]

How so?

Our defense gave up late scores to both Indiana and Oregon. We matched the opponents punting avg. and gave up no big returns. We made our only field goal attempt against Oregon and 2/3 against Indiana. The defense then gave up 76 yards in 5 plays off the one miss.

Against USC our offense went in the tank in the second half. That wasn't the special teams. We also made all FG attempts and matched or exceeded their punting avg. Gave up no big returns.

The ST didn't cost us these games.

against oregon ****** long snap literally gave oregon 2 points, we missed a reasonable distance FG againt IU with 2 minutes left, horrible two punts in 4th quarter against USC. but for these goofs we win all three. yes ideally it would've been nice if other units had covered up these mistakes but fact remains these were all unforced errors by ST that shouldnt be overlooked. not saying we were an awful ST team, wetjen was money but overall we were so so.

 

[BunchofAholes]

against oregon ****** long snap literally gave oregon 2 points, we missed a reasonable distance FG againt IU with 2 minutes left, horrible two punts in 4th quarter against USC. but for these goofs we win all three. yes ideally it would've been nice if other units had covered up these mistakes but fact remains these were all unforced errors by ST that shouldnt be overlooked. not saying we were an awful ST team, wetjen was money but overall we were so so.

The bad snap was indeed an unforced mistake.

An extra 3 points against Indiana wouldn't have saved us unless the defense gets the stop. They won by 5 (7 actually, the self-inflicted safety was after the fact). Indiana got the ball at the 24, basically the same as a kickoff if we had made the FG. Defense couldn't stop them.

USC was on the offense and defense. Gave up 16, scored 0 in the second half.

 

[HMB Trumpet]

The bad snap was indeed an unforced mistake. (though those 2 points weren't the diff in the final and it didn't lead to any subsequent Oregon points).

An extra 3 points against Indiana wouldn't have saved us unless the defense gets the stop. They won by 5 (7 actually, the self-inflicted safety was after the fact). Indiana got the ball at the 24, basically the same as a kickoff if we had made the FG. Defense couldn't stop them.

USC was on the offense and defense. Gave up 16, scored 0 in the second half.

Actually, those two points were the difference against OU -- 18-16 was the final score.

But, you are right that the ST don't deserve singling out. The other units also had mistakes and missed opportunities.

IIRC, all three of our NFL draftees on the O-line were injured in the second half at USC, which contributed to the struggles.

 

[nu2u]

Fitz is overrated by Iowa fans due to some surprise wins vs hawks.
Fitz was 14-31 in the last 4 years at NW.
Def. Coordinator Hank retired right before that 4 year run. He was critical to fitz success.

Now that huge donation could bouy his chance for success at MSU,no doubt
NW fans had concluded he was a poor game day coach...too conservative,ie. KF.

I wish him no luck.
John Smith compiled a strong record with a weak program at Oregon St.
Not ready to say fitz is better.

There is definitely correlation between Fitzpatrick’s success and DC Hankowitz. I think a similar case can be made for Phil Parker at Iowa relative to KF’s success. Coordinators are absolutely crucial hires.

At MSU, Fitz has Joe Rossi - one of the best DCs in the nation -leading the defense. Interesting to see how this season goes for Sparty.

 

[Ellobo]

I strongly suspect that our nemesis is going to do very well starting soon (maybe as soon as 2026) for the following three reasons:

1) Pat Fitzgerald is a better coach than his won-loss record at NW would suggest. (Can you imagine trying to recruit good players with the academic requirements of Northwestern?) 7-5 or so at NW is actually very impressive, IMO.

2) Supposedly MSU received a $400 million endowment from one of their benefactors. Imagine what NIL players that could buy.

3) Levar Woods. No further explantion for my third point needs to be given.

I look for them to be like Wisconsin during the Barry Alvarez years. Yikes.

Signed, yours truly,

Chicken Little.

1) MSU currently is last in the B10 in recruiting and had the 62nd ranked portal class. Let me repeat that...LAST IN RECRUITING AND 62ND RANKED PORTAL CLASS. Did I forget to mention that there was a mass exodus of players from last year's team? Any talent they had, from a bad team, walked out the door. I happen to like Fitz but he hasn't coached in 3 years and in his last 3 non-covid seasons he went 3-9, 3-9 and 1-11! He might not be the same guy anymore and he inherited a total dumpster fire.

2) Endowment money CANNOT be used for NIL. MSU's NIL is a mess. You might remember that a few years ago their collective went bankrupt and had to default on payments to players. That is why they had a mass exodus of players, had the 62nd ranked portal class and are currently last in B10 recruiting.

3) Don't know enough about Levar woods to discuss. I'll leave that to you guys.

 

[Oldman74]

I know this may not be popular, but I'm not sure I get all the Woods stuff. He's a good coach, no doubt. There are lots of good coaches out there. I'm still not convinced our special teams success was all on him, and frankly we had some pretty big screw ups on specials the last couple of years. Are those on him as well? I think the main reason we've been good on specials is because the staff, starting with the captain put a great deal of emphasis on that phase of the game, including using numerous starters in key positions. I guess we'll find out next season, but I think the personnel losses of all the kickers will be a bigger deal then losing coach Woods, so hopefully the new guys will step up in those roles.

I'd agree Fitz is a better coach then anyone there since Dantonio, and he'll have them playing good football...

Coach Woods was a huge loss to Iowa football. He is widely regarded as one of the best special teams coordinators in college football. He is the reason college and professional staffs regularly visited Iowa City to talk x's and o's. His departure is also being felt by high school coaches in the state. He is a tremendous recruiter and has always been an open book to any coach that needs anything. I personally had the opportunity to sit 1 on 1 on several occasions to pick his brain.
I think the program emphasis on special teams (not something that happens everywhere) gives Iowa a good chance to overcome his loss, but it will be felt. Anyone that thinks otherwise is simply wrong.

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

Actually, those two points were the difference against OU -- 18-16 was the final score.

But, you are right that the ST don't deserve singling out. The other units also had mistakes and missed opportunities.

IIRC, all three of our NFL draftees on the O-line were injured in the second half at USC, which contributed to the struggles.

Personally I never said that specials should be singled out for losses. Just that they had some issues last season. I'm also not convinced that Woods should get all the credit either, nor the blame. Besides some gaffs last season our field position suffered partly because Dakin wasn't anywhere near the specialist that Taylor was dropping those punts inside the 10 yard line. While Stevens had a monster leg, he missed a bunch of kicks between 35-45yds for whatever reason.

 

[BunchofAholes]

Actually, those two points were the difference against OU -- 18-16 was the final score.

But, you are right that the ST don't deserve singling out. The other units also had mistakes and missed opportunities.

IIRC, all three of our NFL draftees on the O-line were injured in the second half at USC, which contributed to the struggles.

Correct. I was off by a point in the score. That said, I concur that the ST were not the cause of any of those losses.

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

Coach Woods was a huge loss to Iowa football. He is widely regarded as one of the best special teams coordinators in college football. He is the reason college and professional staffs regularly visited Iowa City to talk x's and o's. His departure is also being felt by high school coaches in the state. He is a tremendous recruiter and has always been an open book to any coach that needs anything. I personally had the opportunity to sit 1 on 1 on several occasions to pick his brain.
I think the program emphasis on special teams (not something that happens everywhere) gives Iowa a good chance to overcome his loss, but it will be felt. Anyone that thinks otherwise is simply wrong.

Well you have your opinion and I have mine, (which you've already decided is wrong ). I also think your statement that "HE is the reason college and professional staffs regularly visit Iowa City to talk X's and O's", is way off base. Regardless of what some posters here thing Kirk is one of the most respected HC by both college and Pro organizations, and that's not even getting into what Phil has done at Iowa or the respect for him at every level, but you think these coaches all come to Iowa City just to talk to Levar? "He's the reason", is your statement? Really? I think the next time you "sit down with him" you may want to ask coach Woods about that, considering the tremendous respect he has for Kirk and his knowledge of the game.

 

[silasstarr]

on the money. definitely expect fitz to be a total PIA (can't believe kirk gave him a free run within our program and still has junior in the building). woods was decent but we lost games due to his unit as recent as last year. i'm somewhat hopeful that both these guys will be constrained by their past where they got used to the luxury of coaching strait laced players and flame out with the uber talented but feral types evidently i'm not enamored with either of those guys

The ST failures had nothing to do with woods and everything to do with college kids being college kids. Woods is elite at coaching ST and is widely respected as one of if not the best ST coach in college FB. It was a big loss to lose him.

 

[silasstarr]

against oregon ****** long snap literally gave oregon 2 points, we missed a reasonable distance FG againt IU with 2 minutes left, horrible two punts in 4th quarter against USC. but for these goofs we win all three. yes ideally it would've been nice if other units had covered up these mistakes but fact remains these were all unforced errors by ST that shouldnt be overlooked. not saying we were an awful ST team, wetjen was money but overall we were so so.

and none of that was because of coaching. It was all college kids making mistakes.

 

[silasstarr]

1) MSU currently is last in the B10 in recruiting and had the 62nd ranked portal class. Let me repeat that...LAST IN RECRUITING AND 62ND RANKED PORTAL CLASS. Did I forget to mention that there was a mass exodus of players from last year's team? Any talent they had, from a bad team, walked out the door. I happen to like Fitz but he hasn't coached in 3 years and in his last 3 non-covid seasons he went 3-9, 3-9 and 1-11! He might not be the same guy anymore and he inherited a total dumpster fire.

2) Endowment money CANNOT be used for NIL. MSU's NIL is a mess. You might remember that a few years ago their collective went bankrupt and had to default on payments to players. That is why they had a mass exodus of players, had the 62nd ranked portal class and are currently last in B10 recruiting.

3) Don't know enough about Levar woods to discuss. I'll leave that to you guys.

Iowa's class is arguably just as bad. Check 247's ranking. It has Iowa dead last in BT recruiting.

https://247sports.com/season/2027-football/teamrankings/?Conference=Big%20Ten

 

[Oldman74]

Well you have your opinion and I have mine, (which you've already decided is wrong ). I also think your statement that "HE is the reason college and professional staffs regularly visit Iowa City to talk X's and O's", is way off base. Regardless of what some posters here thing Kirk is one of the most respected HC by both college and Pro organizations, and that's not even getting into what Phil has done at Iowa or the respect for him at every level, but you think these coaches all come to Iowa City just to talk to Levar? "He's the reason", is your statement? Really? I think the next time you "sit down with him" you may want to ask coach Woods about that, considering the tremendous respect he has for Kirk and his knowledge of the game.

Special teams x's and o's was all Coach Woods which is exactly what I meant. Since this was a discussion of special teams, I assumed you'd pick up on that. Clearly you didn't.

 

[85Bears]

C

Special teams x's and o's was all Coach Woods which is exactly what I meant. Since this was a discussion of special teams, I assumed you'd pick up on that. Clearly you didn't.

Xs And Os on special teams ? Lol it ain’t rocket science Sparky. BTW ST was not good last year.

the virtue signalling for Lavar is pathetic

 

[Iron Doc]

Not worried about MSU.
We should roll them.

I definitely recall back when the NW fanbase wanted ol' Pat gone big time.
Nothing special as a HC.

Agree that Woods will be a major plus for MSU.

 

[Ripcord]

1) MSU currently is last in the B10 in recruiting and had the 62nd ranked portal class. Let me repeat that...LAST IN RECRUITING AND 62ND RANKED PORTAL CLASS. Did I forget to mention that there was a mass exodus of players from last year's team? Any talent they had, from a bad team, walked out the door. I happen to like Fitz but he hasn't coached in 3 years and in his last 3 non-covid seasons he went 3-9, 3-9 and 1-11! He might not be the same guy anymore and he inherited a total dumpster fire.

2) Endowment money CANNOT be used for NIL. MSU's NIL is a mess. You might remember that a few years ago their collective went bankrupt and had to default on payments to players. That is why they had a mass exodus of players, had the 62nd ranked portal class and are currently last in B10 recruiting.

3) Don't know enough about Levar woods to discuss. I'll leave that to you guys.

thx for your insights. they are enlightening, as for starters they highlight my nescience.

 

[Oldman74]

C

Xs And Os on special teams ? Lol it ain’t rocket science Sparky. BTW ST was not good last year.

the virtue signalling for Lavar is pathetic

Spoken like someone who's never coached special teams.

 

[85Bears]

Spoken like someone who's never coached special teams.

Coached special teams, lol. theres A reason no head coaches are hired directly from Special Teams coaches. how many HC offers has LW had ? Zero

 

[uihawk82]

1) MSU currently is last in the B10 in recruiting and had the 62nd ranked portal class. Let me repeat that...LAST IN RECRUITING AND 62ND RANKED PORTAL CLASS. Did I forget to mention that there was a mass exodus of players from last year's team? Any talent they had, from a bad team, walked out the door. I happen to like Fitz but he hasn't coached in 3 years and in his last 3 non-covid seasons he went 3-9, 3-9 and 1-11! He might not be the same guy anymore and he inherited a total dumpster fire.

2) Endowment money CANNOT be used for NIL. MSU's NIL is a mess. You might remember that a few years ago their collective went bankrupt and had to default on payments to players. That is why they had a mass exodus of players, had the 62nd ranked portal class and are currently last in B10 recruiting.

3) Don't know enough about Levar woods to discuss. I'll leave that to you guys.

Was it endowment money or money to the athletic dept

 

[Rifler]

I expect Fitzgerald to do well at MSU, and would not be surprised to see Woods return to Iowa City in the future...

 

[Max Rebo]

Fitz has spent almost his entire career, as a player and a coach, at Northwestern. (In a 3-decade span from 1993 to 2022, he spent 27 years at NW.) Sometimes there are guys who find magic at their alma mater that can't necessarily be replicated elsewhere. Whether that will be the case for Fitz remains to be seen.

Also, his last few years at NW were pretty dismal. Would Hawkeye fans be happy to hire a coach who went a combined 14-31 over his previous four seasons (high academic requirements or not)? It's worth pondering what changed to cause the dropoff from the previous 13 seasons, when Fitz had pretty consistent success, with the same academic requirements.

All this to say that he might do great at MSU, or he might not. Time will tell. But there have been countless coaches who have come into the B1G at various schools with high hype, only to fall well short of pundits' expectations. I'm not going to worry about MSU until I see something to worry about.

 

[Ripcord]

I expect Fitzgerald to do well at MSU, and would not be surprised to see Woods return to Iowa City in the future...

I sincerely hope you are correct about the second half of your sentence, but I am not so sure. I just do not grasp the idea of him making a lateral move like that (and to an archrival, to boot). It just implies to me that Woods was passed over for promotion; i.e., that he knows something about the succession plan that is not public knowledge. I don't know, but that is what it looks like to me.

just curious, what makes you believe he would come back?

 

[RuggieC]

How so?

Our defense gave up late scores to both Indiana and Oregon. We matched the opponents punting avg. and gave up no big returns. We made our only field goal attempt against Oregon and 2/3 against Indiana. The defense then gave up 76 yards in 5 plays off the one miss. Even a made FG wouldn't have saved us if the D didn't hold up.

Against USC our offense went in the tank in the second half. That wasn't the special teams. We also made all FG attempts and matched or exceeded their punting avg. Gave up no big returns.

The ST didn't cost us these games.

I remember sitting with my brother in the stands vs Indiana and we probably lost that game when QB1 went down late. BUT, I thought...ok,,,kick the short FG and play tough D for 1:30 and we are good. Then the missed FG.....the air went out of the stadium. As far as the defense giving up the TD, I truly believe (or Phil did) that as they were around midfield driving that we needed to make a play otherwise they were slowly picking us apart and one or two more plays they would be in FG range and end the game. So, he brought X on a blitz and I said to my brother.....oh no! X was picked up and our corner was left 1 on 1 and stood very little chance on the slant....he was gone. So yes the D gave up the TD late but I truly believe if we MAKE our FG, we don't send X on a safety blitz. Maybe they tie us and it goes to OT....who knows, but missing that FG limited options for sure and gave Indiana HUGE confidence. Just a bad set of circumstances once Mark went down.

 

[BunchofAholes]

I remember sitting with my brother in the stands vs Indiana and we probably lost that game when QB1 went down late. BUT, I thought...ok,,,kick the short FG and play tough D for 1:30 and we are good. Then the missed FG.....the air went out of the stadium. As far as the defense giving up the TD, I truly believe (or Phil did) that as they were around midfield driving that we needed to make a play otherwise they were slowly picking us apart and one or two more plays they would be in FG range and end the game. So, he brought X on a blitz and I said to my brother.....oh no! X was picked up and our corner was left 1 on 1 and stood very little chance on the slant....he was gone. So yes the D gave up the TD late but I truly believe if we MAKE our FG, we don't send X on a safety blitz. Maybe they tie us and it goes to OT....who knows, but missing that FG limited options for sure and gave Indiana HUGE confidence. Just a bad set of circumstances once Mark went down.

How did the missed field goal limit options? Indiana started from the same place on the field, with the same amount of time, needing the same outcome. A field goal or touchdown. Iowa needed to stop them.

 

[RuggieC]

Fitz has spent almost his entire career, as a player and a coach, at Northwestern. (In a 3-decade span from 1993 to 2022, he spent 27 years at NW.) Sometimes there are guys who find magic at their alma mater that can't necessarily be replicated elsewhere. Whether that will be the case for Fitz remains to be seen.

Also, his last few years at NW were pretty dismal. Would Hawkeye fans be happy to hire a coach who went a combined 14-31 over his previous four seasons (high academic requirements or not)? It's worth pondering what changed to cause the dropoff from the previous 13 seasons, when Fitz had pretty consistent success, with the same academic requirements.

All this to say that he might do great at MSU, or he might not. Time will tell. But there have been countless coaches who have come into the B1G at various schools with high hype, only to fall well short of pundits' expectations. I'm not going to worry about MSU until I see something to worry about.

I think one thing Fitz did with his team was build the program to a better level, and I think he was smart by singling out Iowa. The Iowa game for them was the opportunity for them to show THEY could get to the next level. He made it a really big game for their players....i.e. this is where WE need to be. There is no way he could have done that with Michigan and OSU so it was the next level below them and for many years that is where we were...below Mich and OSU and bunched with other teams. Now at MSU he will have to rebuild. Lots of people left and as mentioned not great recruiting.

 

[RuggieC]

How did the missed field goal limit options? Indiana started from the same place on the field, with the same amount of time, needing the same outcome. A field goal or touchdown. Iowa had to stop them.

By missing the FG I do NOT think we blitz when we gave up the TD. In other words one option is "don't get exposed on man coverage by blitzing.....if we give up 3 and go to overtime then so be it." By missing the FG, it is a much shorter distance for them to get into fg range and win and Phil gambled, X did not get there and our single coverage did not hold up.

 

[HawksRule73]

How did the missed field goal limit options? Indiana started from the same place on the field, with the same amount of time, needing the same outcome. A field goal or touchdown. Iowa needed to stop them.

There's a vast difference in defensive strategy where a FG beats you vs a FG tying you.

Had Stevens made the FG, we would have gone up 16-13 where the only thing that beats you is a TD, so Phil would have played it much differently than he did where an Indiana FG wins the game. He was much more aggressive on that TD drive by Indiana because a FG would have beat us. He would have played much more conservatively had he had the FG cushion.

 

[HawksRule73]

As it relates to Woods, I'm guessing there's a reason he was passed over for the Asst. Head Coach job that went to Wallace. Lots of things happen in the building and behind closed doors that we aren't privy to.

 

[BunchofAholes]

There's a vast difference in defensive strategy where a FG beats you vs a FG tying you.

Had Stevens made the FG, we would have gone up 16-13 where the only thing that beats you is a TD, so Phil would have played it much differently than he did where an Indiana FG wins the game. He was much more aggressive on that TD drive by Indiana because a FG would have beat us. He would have played much more conservatively had he had the FG cushion.

Fair enough. Could be.

That said, the loss isn't on the ST. The D didn't stop them on the last drive and the O couldn't deliver either (2 INTs, <100 yards rushing). Team loss.