Stat Pak: The ‘Tightening’ might be picking nits

Iowa's Don Shumpert gives the Gopher the business during Iowa's 31-13 victory over Minnesota on Saturday. (Gazette photo)

FIVE SENTENCES ON MINNESOTA RESULT

1) Kirk Ferentz talked about this critical five-week block that began Iowa’s season before the upcoming off week, but was it a success at 3-2?

2) The Iowa passing game is a complicated deal with a lot of hands involved and no easy answers, but to exclusively point the finger at James Vandenberg is short-sighted.

3) Minnesota was overrated and not ready for its closeup.

4) Mark Weisman for something, probably Big Ten offensive player of the week this week.

5) I asked in this space last week if this team was over-coached, and that still stands in regard to the passing offense, but hey, the hands team is now 1-for-2 and that showed that the suggestion box is still open.

THREE PLAYERS WHO PLAYED

1) OL Brandon Scherff/Matt Tobin — These guys were tremendous. Maybe the quintessential snapshot of this game was Tobin locking up with a UM linebacker and driving him some 15-plus yards down the field while running back Mark Weisman booked around his side for a 17-yard gain. These two should be Big Ten co-offensive players of the week, but that never happens (I think maybe the Badgers did it once, correct me if I’m wrong?)

2) LB James Morris — The junior linebacker had 10 tackles, a sack and a pass breakup against UM. Kirk Ferentz quietly mentioned before Northern Illinois that he though Morris had turned the corner (Ferentz’s words). This week on his radio show and during Tuesday’s press conference, that was rather prominent in Ferentz’s thoughts. It’s the open-field tackles that impress me.

3) DT/DE Steve Bigach — The senior was credited with three tackles, including one for loss, and a forced fumble against UM. He started the game at tackle and was flipped out to end. He does whatever he’s told to do as hard and as tough and as well as he can. He talked earlier this season about struggles keeping his pad level down and how that was job 1 for him as he transitioned from end to tackle. This is a cerebral player who squeezes every drop of talent out of his body. He’s not a superstar, but he is a survivor. He also looked OK in coverage during the couple of zone blitzes Phil Parker threw into the mix in the second half. (I think there were two.)

TIGHTENING

1) Passing game — When Vandenberg says the opportunities missed in the passing game will haunt the Hawkeyes when the Big Ten schedule ramps up, he couldn’t be more correct. Same page, gotta get there if this team wants to play interesting football in November. Or even in October. The book is out: Blitz Iowa, make the Hawkeyes beat you through the air. Michigan State and Penn State have read this book.

2) Closing — Iowa ran the final 6:31 off the clock in the second quarter and took a 24-0 lead into halftime. In that regard, the final drive of the half was a success. It was the Hawkeyes’ third-longest drive of the season and two minutes longer than anything they put together against Central Michigan. Still, points here and that Gophers are burying their dead in the second half.

3) Getting Rudock in — I’m totally trolling here. For the record, the redshirt freshman did have his helmet on and if Iowa would’ve gotten the stop instead of the UM TD on the Gophers’ final drive, he would’ve gone in with Connor Boffeli as center. Alas, it didn’t happen. I’m sure this is last on the list of things Kirk Ferentz gives a rip about. Get over it.

TWO PLAYS

1) Inside zone left — On second-and-11, running back Mark Weisman took an inside zone to the left, behind Tobin, Scherff and tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz (Tobin is from Dyersville, is not a farm kid, but definitely knows how to plant judging by the way he stuff #92 into the Kinnick FieldTurf) and went 27 yards to Iowa’s 42. Next play, same play. This time Fiedorowicz flipped to the wide side. Fullback Brad Rogers got a kick out on the linebacker and WR Keenan Davis rooster’d a DB old school for a 44-yard gain. Two carries, 61 yards. No chicanery, straight-on power.

2) Flea Flicker — “As soon as he [Jordan Cotton] brought it in, there was a lot of excitement,” Vandenberg said. It was the perfect play and it was called at a perfect time. It made it nearly impossible for Iowa to pass more than 5 yards down field the rest of the game, because Minnesota was dropping and staying dropped, but it was a home run for a segment of Iowa’s offense that needed it.

NEXT — OFF WEEK

– It’s not a bye week.

– Iowa is 2-4 since 2002 coming off idle weeks, with a win at Michigan in 2010 and a loss at Penn State last season.

BOX SCORE

IOWA05

SEASON STATS

IACUME05

WHAT KIRK FERENTZ SAID

Coach Ferentz - 09 29 12

IOWA GAME NOTES/STATS

Postgame Notes 05

CLOSER LOOK AT THE NUMBERS

Closing the deal (Red zone TDs/possessions)

Iowa 2-for-2

Minny 2-for-2

All about timing here. The Hawkeyes’ two red-zone TDs came during a 21-point blitz in the second quarter. Minnesota’s came while trailing 24-0.

Setting the tone (defensive three-and-outs)

Iowa 4 — Probably about average, but three of these came in the first half when Iowa built its big lead. There also was a four-play drive that ended with Tanner Miller’s pick. Iowa’s defense was dominant in the first half, allowing the Gophers to collect just three first downs and backup QB Max Shortell no room to breathe.

Minny 2 — Iowa will have to put together two halves at some point. Probably Oct. 13 at Michigan State. It squandered a pair of turnovers and average starting field position of Iowa’s 44 during a scoreless second half (for the offense, anyway).

After adjustments (second-half yards and avg. yards per play)

Iowa 46-2.5

Minny 224-5.2

Horrible number for Iowa. If the passing game would’ve been able to click once in the face of double-corner blitzes, the Hawkeyes would’ve had at least one TD in the second half and I probably wouldn’t have written the “Opportunities” post. Minnesota’s yards were empty calories. Ding Dongs. Man, I loved Ding Dongs, which now are on the list of things I can eat along with beer.

Game-changers (offensive plays of 20-plus yards)

Iowa 8 — On the second play of the game, James Vandenberg hit TE C.J. Fiedorowicz for a 45-yard gain, the longest play of his career. Six of these came in the first half. Weisman put up three (27, 32, 44 runs). Cotton’s flea flicker reception was the longest of his career and first TD. TE Ray Hamilton had his first catch of the season, a 20-yarder. I’m throwing in LB Christian Kirksey’s 68-yard interception return.

Minny 2 — The Gophers had a 24-yarder that helped along a fourth-quarter TD drive.

Two-minute magic (points, final two minutes of half)

Iowa 0 — I still think the 6:31 drive to end the first half was a success. Showed this offense can play the four-minute game. It preserved a 24-0 lead and was a whiplash from the end of the first half from the CMU game.

Minny 6 — Iowa still needs to shut the front door. The trend is giving up points in the final two minutes. Of course, it didn’t hurt yesterday, but it might later on.

Stat Pak: The ‘Tightening’ might be picking nits

David Reynolds said: On October 1, 2012
Marc -
My impression is that Coach Davis is trying to simply things for Vandenberg so that it’s easier for him to make decisions and get into a rhythm. When you get a smart player like Vandenberg, it’s a bit too easy for a guy like that to succumb to “paralysis by analysis.” That probably contributed to why Vandenberg was holding onto the ball too long on too many occasions early in the season. Of course, the simplification isn’t just for Vandenberg … it presumably meant to help simplify things for the receiving targets too.
Thus, Vandenberg is probably being given easier reads and fewer routes to focus on. Unfortunately, he might be taking his instructions too literally … and he’s not giving himself a chance to just play “football” and draw outside of the lines.
Of course, given the fact that we’re seeing less of Shumpert and Hillyer and more of Cotton and Smith … that could also be a painful reminder that we still are having “issues” at WR. As I recall, during preseason camp Ferentz went so far as to say that WR-play had been a “pain point.”
Sue-Don Immer said: On October 1, 2012
Until our wideouts absorb the GD optionality, VDB is going to look disjointed. He uncorks a few wild-appearing throws, but some of those have nothing to do with him. If he were truly wild we’d have thrown more than 2 INTs after five games. (We’re sitting with three turnovers after five games, two of which we lost by a total of five, and one of which was just an epic choke, and has nothing to do with the QB.)
I was at the game and saw VDB in KMM’s and Soup’s face after one of the blown corner blitz hot routes. The passing game is a two-way street, and while VDB is not Chuck Long, he’s not getting the help on the outside that the new system requires.
I don’t think our DLine is being set up to be playmakers, but rather to hold their lanes so that a top-tier linebacking group can clean up. That’s why UM couldn’t run the ball and we have two of the top three tacklers in the Big 10. And the #3 tackler in the country. That the DLine has been doing this effectively, to me, is one of the very pleasant surprises with this team. Are they good enough to stuff Nebraska? Probably not. Northwestern? I think so. Michigan? I think so.
Also check out the right side of the line’s performance on all those left side runs. They sealed extremely well. There was no doubt. Something is going very well for Brian and his cohort and I’m already looking forward to watching this line next year and in the years ahead.
I think we’re capable of 7-8 wins if the receivers catch up with the offense, and CJ is better exploited. That means we’re going to beat a couple of good teams.
In general, VDBs mechanics (h/t Pete Gales) raise eyebrows, but I think he’s taking way too much heat. He’s a man in a system, which is always the Iowa way, and he’s better than a few of our QBs over the past 10 years. (Chandler comes to mind who — on a team where everyone knew where they were supposed to be on every play — enjoyed more success.)
We’re a system team, and when or if the guys start running the right routes, we’ll average 35 points a game against everyone not named Nebraska or Michigan.