 Marc MorehouseHi, I'm Marc Morehouse. I've covered sports for more than 15 years, mostly in Eastern Iowa. I've had Hayden Fry [...] |
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Stat Pak: Kinnick to the max
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz yells to players in the second quarter of the Michigan game at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, in Iowa City. (Liz Martin/SourceMedia Group News)
Sometimes, my job is worth the give-and-take that goes along with the moods of winning and losing.
Saturday afternoon was one of those days.
I usually hunker down in the press box, sticking closely to the notebook and voracious note taking. But there was a pause with about four minutes left and I decided to hop on the elevator and go down to the field.
Field-level, four-down, goal-line stand, Mr. Morehouse? Why, yes, thank you!
Here’s why your coach is worth the dough: During the emotional hurricane of those final moments, Kirk Ferentz was an overriding presence in the defensive huddle. He didn’t say a word. He let the coaches do the coaching. His only words were to get defensive backs coach Phil Parker away from staring down officials after that long TD run that wasn’t.
First-and-goal on the 3, his expression didn’t change. No flinching. It said, do your job and they did.
I believe teams feed off their coaches’ energy, both positively and negatively. I believe professionalism is more sustainable than emotionalism.
Of course, I do not expect total agreement on this topic. And you have your ammunition (the “losing to double-digit underdogs” thing is maddening).
Now, fun videos from those moments:
This is the call after Vincent Smith’s TD run was overturned and ruled down by contact. Check the Kinnick noise level, especially after the replay was shown on the stadium jumbotron (of course, they’re not jumbotron’s anymore, but I am a child of the ’70s, so let me have this one).
Here’s the closeup video of referee Dan Capron after the incompletion on Junior Hemingway’s near catch was upheld after video review. (It looked like the ball hit the ground.)
Kinnick to the max.
Here’s the boxscore:
Here’s Iowa’s season stats:
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Closer look at the numbers
Closing the deal (Red zone TDs/possessions)
Iowa 3-3
Michigan 2-5
Difference in the game. I’ve been writing for the last few weeks, Iowa’s defense can defend small spaces, thus the respectable red zone defensive number (71 percent no points inside Iowa’s 20). Big space, it’s troublesome, but if teams can’t close the deal, they can’t win.
Setting the tone (defensive three-and-outs)
Iowa 2 (Michigan’s final drive was 14 plays, 79 yards and 3 yards short.)
Michigan 2 (Iowa’s last three-and-out almost came back to bite them in the buttpad.)
After adjustments (second-half yards and avg. yards per play)
Iowa 111-4.23 (lowest in a long time for Iowa, I would attribute to Greg Mattison being a very good coach)
Michigan 195-4.76
Still, not a complete game for Iowa’s offense. Week 10 and still in search of a complete performance.
Game-changers (offensive plays of 20-plus yards)
Iowa 4 (WR Marvin McNutt had a pair. He most certainly leads the Hawkeyes. Another one of these from RB Marcus Coker this week, a 27-yarder that set up TE Brad Herman’s 1-yard TD catch. Please, try to make an intelligent argument for a No. 2 running back to get carries right now. And, no, “just in case” isn’t an argument. This team is beyond “just in case” and is totally locked into “fighting for championship life.”)
Minnesota 5 (Two for Denard, whose longest play was 22 yards.)
Two-minute magic (points, final two minutes of half)
Iowa 0 (Iowa was close, with Mike Meyer’s 42-yard field goal coming 2:11 before half. And, yes, horrible squib kick by Trent Mossbrucker on the ensuing kick. Iowa is having troubles with kickoff.)
Michigan 0 (By 3 yards.)
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I think we draw a false dichotomy when we make the choice as one between an “emotional” coach and a “professional” one. The best coaches know that sometimes, anger/fire/telling are a necessary part of their job, and know WHEN those moments are. There are times when Ferentz seems to have an innate sense of that moments, but there are others where he misses the moment. Which perhaps makes it that much more infuriating; you can’t blame someone who doesn’t know any better, but you can be disappointed in someone who does.
Fair point.
Remember before halftime Michigan State 2007?
Plus, we don’t see everything. I’m not even sure we see the tip of the iceberg sometimes.
Marc, I haven’t seen much mention of it, but the play of the game against Michigan could have been the tackle by James Morris that kept Michigan at the 3 yard line on that final drive. The Michigan receiver broke a tackle around the 10 and appeared headed for the end zone, but Morris didn’t quit on the play and flew in to slam the receiver down and set up what turned out to be Michigan’s 0-4 to end the game.
There are so many things that happen in a close game, but Morris should not be overlooked. It would have been easy for him and the rest of the defense to just watch as it appeared the tackle was being made and the play was over. But if James had made that assumption, Michigan would have scored and it would have come down to the 2-point conversion try.
Anyway, just wanted to shine the spotlight on the young man from Solon. He earned it. And it looks like James on the outside and Kirksey in the middle is a terrific adjustment for the defense. It plays to both players’ strengths and was a great boost for the Hawkeye defense all day.
Great point. He came out of nowhere on that, too. He, Hyde and someone else got a piece, but James made the play.
I think I’m asked more about him than any other Hawkeye. He’s only 19. He’s far from a finished product, but the play you mention shows why he’s a two-year starter now. Tough as hell, too.
After the excitement of winning the game with Michigan, I did a few chores and then watched the LSU-Alabama game. When the pre-game players’ comments trailed through, I could not help but notice the energy of the LSU comments and the “take care of business” comments of the Alabama team. As I was reminded of the typical Iowa response to game preparation, I immediately thought to myself that Alabama was in trouble.
I think if KF is guilty of anything, it’s not accounting for that energy coming from the other side.
Now, what does that tangibly translate into? That is hard to say, but I think the onside at Minnesota is in the ballpark.
If I were a coach, I’d be the same way. I’d leave the energy to the players. I’d make that their statement going into a game. I wouldn’t be anywhere near the front of the tunnel when they run out onto the field.
That said, that’s easier said than done.
Realistically, I’d be a cross between Pelini, Beilema and Hannibal Lechter.
And I think that is, generally, the approach Frenetz takes, he looks to a player/group of players to provide that spark of vocal leadership/fire during the game. And that works great when you have a Roth/King or even Angerer type hit; but hits a serious snag when you don’t. I think Ferentz sometimes forgets that fact and is too hesitant to be the one that steps up. On occasion, however, he will witness the Pitt game, there was the Keenan non-catch moment where KF got heated. But there was also the later non TD call on Bullock’s run that got KF agitated.Now, in the grand scheme of things, getting worked up over that seems silly as we had an incredibly high likelihood of scoring – and indeed did on the very next play – but its symbolism to the team was the most important aspect of it. KF was showing that he was going to fight for every yard and inch, that kind of attitude is inspiring.
Ferentz will never be, nor do we want him to be, a Mike Stoops-style emotion-on-your-sleeves-all-the-time type coach. But he needs to be a little more willing to pull that particular club out of the bag.