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 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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Battle for ’12 lost, build for ’13 begins
Hawkeyes carry spoiler role into Friday's matchup with No. 17 Nebraska
ANN ARBOR, Mich., — No one saw this coming, and yet here it is.
Iowa’s bowl game is this Friday. It’s against No. 17 Nebraska (9-2, 6-1 Big Ten) in the exotic locale of Iowa City. There’s a trophy involved, but with the Hawkeyes (4-7, 2-5) in the throes of a five-game losing streak, in which they’ve been outscored 31.8 to 18.6, the Heroes Trophy will be on display out of ceremony.
The Hawkeyes are in the role of spoiler, something thrust on them by the Michigan student section before and after the 42-17 drubbing the No. 20 Wolverines put on them last Saturday. “Beat Nebraska,” the students chanted. Going into the the Big Ten’s final weekend, the Huskers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Michigan for the Legends Division title and a berth opposite Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game.
Meanwhile, Iowa is bowl-less for the first time since 2007 and will post is first losing regular season since 2000. Iowa is four quarters from turning in the gear.
“We’ll do our best to show up ready to win on Friday,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said in the Michigan postgame. “We’ll get as much work done as we can in the next six days, and then when that’s over, we’ll address what’s in front of us, just like we did after the ’07 season, or the ’99, 2000 season as well.
“It’s not much fun, but we’ll go back to work and focus on finding solutions and focus on seeing what we can do to get back to where we want to be.”
The college defiance is gone. This team has been through five weeks of decapitation. Reality has set in for even the most hopeful competitors.
“We’re getting what we deserve,” said wide receiver Keenan Davis, who was held without a catch for the first time in 24 games. “We’re not playing well enough to win games and that’s the thing. The good thing is with this team, we’re going to keep trying. That’s what I love about this team. Everybody is going to keep fighting.”
Iowa’s offense has generated just 306 yards a game in November. That’s No. 115 in the country. Also in November, Iowa is No. 106 in rushing with 99.3 yards a game and No. 106 in total defense, allowing 492.0 yards a game.
Iowa is 0-3 this month and will post its fourth straight non-winning November. The 2008 Hawkeyes finished 3-1 this month. Since then, it’s been 0-3 this season, 2-2 in ’11, 1-3 in ’10 and 1-2 during the 2009 Orange Bowl season.
“Obviously, this hasn’t turned out as we wanted,” quarterback James Vandenberg said. “We talk about we’re always building, whether you’re building for one this year or building for a championship next year.
“Obviously, we’re building for next year now. That hurts as a senior, but it’s something I still want to be a part of.”
Ferentz has been conscious of setting a tone the last several weeks that has nothing to do with surrender. Practices have been among the most physical of the season. Ferentz short circuited during a radio interview coming out of halftime against Purdue and kept that fire lit through two news conferences last week.
Saturday, he sat forward in a chair and leaned on the table set out in front of him. He spoke in hushed, matter-of-fact tones, which, after five defeats, is appropriate. The build is now for next year and beyond. That point wasn’t going to be made in the minutes following 42-17 at Michigan Stadium.
“The last game is about pride,” senior cornerback Micah Hyde said. “It’s a rivalry game. We obviously don’t have any postseason play, so we’ve just got to out there and lay it on the line. It’s about pride now.”
Several different ways to look at Friday. A first step in a build might be the healthiest for everyone Iowa.
Keenan Davis says ‘were not playing good enough to win”, Vandenberg says “were playing for the future”, Hyde says” its about pride”, Ferentz says” we’ll do our best to show up”. 3 Seniors and a Head Coach. Where and the heck have these guys been all season? You’ve played 11 games and horrible for 5 in a row and you all make those comments. I say BS.
Part of me wants to say that there are a lot of pieces coming back and that makes for optimism but part of me also thinks that a lot of pieces coming back from this team isn’t all that wonderful.
In 2000 or even 2007 you could say that those teams weren’t very good but they weren’t overmatched (the 2000 team in particular got better as the season went on).
Saturday I saw a team that was outmanned and overmatched. I just don’t think the talent level is very high. We’ll see what happens but for the first time in a long time I am not real confident about Iowa football being able to bounce back.
That said, they did play an awful lot of freshman and sophomores so you’d like to think that will pay off down the road. But the QB position HAS to get better. And the defense better find a way to rush the passer or it’s going to be 2012 all over again.
Mike, I agree, I want to hope. But here is the problem. We are the worst team in the Big Ten, and we play a much toughter schedule next year with Ohio State and Wisconsin replacing Indiana and Penn State. Also, ISU is on the road. Even if we improve a lot, we will still be the worst team in the Big Ten. Hlas wrote about how this reminds him of Hayden’s last year. I absolutely agree. The cupboard is completely bare. This is a total mess, and I think 2-10 lies around the corner in 2013. I want to hope, but this coach and his staff have given me nothing to believe in. I will be at the Husker game on Friday, hoping to see some fight. Unfortunately hope is not a strategy.
There is losing, and there is losing. When Hayden Fry’s first two teams went 5-6 and 4-7, it was easy to see the new attitude, the competent and innovative coaching, the improvements in every aspect of the program. And in the third year, after 19 consecutive non-winning seasons, Iowa ties for the Big Ten title and goes to the Rose Bowl. Amazing. And no matter how the Fry era ended, Kirk Ferentz is nowhere near the same league as Hayden Fry.
Losing last season, and again this season, has been miserable. Ferentz gives no one any hope that things will change. He takes a mediocre offensive record, changes OCs, and turns mediocre into a laughingstock. He says it’s only a game as he cashes those checks that add up to $4 mil a year. He essentially tells the fans, the people who pay the bills, to get lost if they don’t like it. Many of us will.
JVB is still the only QB in the universe to have taken every snap this season. Unless injury occurs, he will take every snap on Friday, even after Nebraska has taken a 49-0 lead in the 3rd quarter.
The Iowa program is a shambles, and everyone knows who’s to blame. What we don’t know is what’s going to be done about it.
Sanji;
I love your post. Truth be known, KOK choose to leave for a new opportunity in coaching, Ferentz didn’t change the OC position.
I hope you are one of the many that leave.
Tom:
Why would you want sanji to become unemployed (and from where?)? That seems harsh….
Kinnick will be 75% red on Friday. Let the Husker fans subsidize our AD budget.
This situation is much worse than 1998, the end of Hayden’s era.
Bowsby had a chance to hire a great coach to replace him in 1998, instead we got Ferentz. He has won 53% of his Big Ten games.
Barta handed Ferentz a gold mine in early 2010 due to insecurity or insanity, depending on your outlook. Now one of his kids is getting a hefty paycheck from the athletic department too.
It will be several more years of losing before the university can afford to fire him, then let the rebuilding process begin. New coaches, better recruits and a new system by 2022, maybe?
One of the great things about Iowans, they are loyal, very loyal… Even though the 70′s, 50,000 people could be counted on at Kinnick to cheer the Hawks. The party is too big to ignore now. Too bad competitive football will not be a part of the party for years to come.
The Iowa Hawkeye football team crashed this year. They are now in a “search and recovery mode” … trying to determine what players from this year and what 2013 verbal recruits will be with the team next year. This is a very sad time for Iowa football.
As a long time (40+ year) Hawkeye football supporter and financial contributor to the University and athletic department . I have never seen such a dysfunctional team (coaching staff and players). And I have witnessed some very bad times and down years in between some good years. Poor coaching,
lack of talent, lack of improvement (coaches and players) and lack of effort are the ingredients that have resulted in disaster for the Iowa program.
Unless some major changes happen soon (changes in coaching philosophy and system, get rid of Greg Davis – Offensive Coordinator, more effective recruitment and retention of players, etc.), the next few years will be miserable, embarrassing and difficult to watch. The 2008 and 2009 recruiting classes (current juniors and seniors) were ranked at the
bottom level of the Big Ten and a number of those recruits are no longer with the program. Kirk Ferentz has gone on record supporting his assistant coaches 100%, and Gary Barta has gone on record as supporting Kirk Ferentz. Kirk Ferentz attributes most of the problems to lack of player execution. So don’t look for any coaching changes between now and next year. However, if the Iowa football team continues to have a similar record and performances next year, I don’t think that the alumni, season ticket holders and financial supporters of the athletic department will tolerate “it.”
And their voices will be heard in multiple ways. The University President will need to replace the athletic director AND subsequently one or more assistant coaches will go. Kirk Ferentz will continue to have a job and financial security. But hopefully his attitude, philosophy and system will change for the better, or else his legacy will be one of failure at the end of his contract.
This bunch is a disgrace to leather helmets. God have mercy on Iowa, for the coaches of the Big Ten will have none.
not to many good ways to look at this football season or next if everthing remands the same (with staff and AD). One plus will be ticket prices should start dropping after next season. I know of at least half a dozen season ticket holders that said one more season like this one and I’m giving up my seats.
As an old Rolling Stone song says:” well I used to love her but its all over now”
My goodness, what drama!! The season is not over yet. Still a game to win on Friday! The Hawkeyes are young and are making mistakes that have reflected glaringly in losses. This too will pass, my friends. Be of good cheer, experience breeds better future performance.
Experience only breeds future success when there is talent to be developed – talent that will be erratic but at least flash during the season. There’s been very few “flashes” of talent this year on the field by the youngsters – what makes you believe that next year will be different? Since 2005, KF and company have developed talent ONCE – for about 1 1/2 seasons worth of good football = out of EIGHT seasons. That’s not a strong program – that’s mediocre to average at best. KF isn’t going anywhere – but it’s not as much a product of the execution on the field = it’s the execution off-the-field in merchandising and his ridiculously stupidly-constructed contract (given by the idiot AD).
Until profits decrease – and a few years more put down the buyout $$$, people might as well get used to Ferentz being around. I don’t foresee major changes in the program for at least 3-4 more seasons = and why should it change? So many Iowa fans seem to be tickled to be mediocre to average…
Dude have you watched any games?!?! Have you seen our last 2 recruiting classes?? There is nothing but dark times in IC. The school doesn’t care since the $$$$ rolls on in. We are the worst team in the big ten and thank goodness that we played minn without their starting QB and didn’t play Illinois or they would have gotten a win this year. The only good thing is they are sooooo bad that I can enjoy my Weekend by not even tuning in for 1 second and play with my kids instead.
Well David, your family is more important than a football game, so that’s good. I am an optimist and yes I have watched the games. You are probably more of a realist. An optimist sees the glass as half full, the pessimist sees it half empty, and the realist sees it as still needing twice more water. I will always be for the Hawkeyes and am disappointed when they don’t win. They won’t win every game. The recent basketball seasons have been very challenging, but Coach Fran seems to be getting that ship turned around. Wrestling was a tough pill last year with all my Penn State friends. What I take away from this whole season is that the coaching staff have a lot of work to do. Yet they have done it before, so I’m not too worried. Enjoy your family these holidays because the Iowa football team may be very disappointing for you.
Mike, experience only breeds future success if you learn from it. Ferentz and Company do not appear to be able to do that.
The glass is twice as big as it needs to be…