Thoughts on Indiana Game

It is virtually impossible for a college football team composed of 18-22 year olds to play to their potential every game over the course of twelve Saturdays. Nonetheless, successful teams are able to overcome games in which they do not play their best. Iowa’s 18-13 win over Indiana was such a game. Here are my thoughts.

Red Zone Woes. Is there any doubt that Adam Robinson is one of the most valuable players on this team? Granted, Marcus Coker had a fantastic premiere as the starting running back rushing for 129 yards on twenty two carries, but Iowa’s offense struggled the entire game in the red zone walking away with only twelve points. With Robinson in the lineup, the Iowa offense is much more dangerous in the red zone due to Robinson’s ability to gain the extra two to three yards as he is being tackled. If Iowa had scored on one of those drives, the game would have likely had a completely different outcome. Hopefully the Iowa coaching staff re-evaluates their red zone and goaline playbook this week.

Defensive Performance. During and shortly after the game, I was thinking about how disappointing the defense played against Indiana and how disappointing they have seemed to be at some points during the season, but after further reflection, the Iowa defense actually played a great game against the Hoosiers. Indiana quarterback Ben Chappell was limited to 222 yards through the air, well short of his 296 yard average. Likewise, the Iowa defense held the Hoosiers to only 91 yards on the ground, which was also below their average of 97 yards. Iowa fans have become spoiled with Iowa defenses of yesteryear that were able to come in and, as Norm Parker is fond of saying, “put out the fire.” As I thought about it more, I wondered if the statistics reflect the perception that this defense has not been able to put out the fire. My first thought was that the defense may not be as good on third down; however, when one looks at the actual numbers, Iowa is third in the Big Ten in third down conversion defense allowing opponents to convert at only a 33% clip. My next thought was that the number of sacks are low. However, the Iowa defense has 14 sacks on the year, which ranks in the middle of the Big Ten. Last year’s defense had 31 on the season, which was also in the middle of the Big Ten. Finally, Iowa’s pass defense is the best in the Big Ten allowing only 152 yards per game in conference play. So while the perception is that this defense has struggled at times this season, the numbers tell a completely different story. Thus, it seems as though Iowa fans’ expectations might be unrealistic especially given that last year’s unit featured two of the best linebackers in the Kirk Ferentz era and a shutdown corner that Iowa has not had in a long time.

Fearless Freshman. Say what you want about the suspect Iowa special teams this season, but Michael Meyer is having a very solid season as a freshman kicker. Meyer converted on four of five attempts on Saturday with a long of 42. Meyer is nine of eleven thus far on the season. As a freshman, Nate Kaeding missed eight field goals over the course of his inaugural campaign. Meyer’s miss came on a 22 yard attempt from the right hash mark. For a right footed kicker, a short kick from that hash mark is one of the more difficult kicks to ask a kicker to convert. Meyer’s ability to shake off his 22 yard miss and connect on a crucial 27 yard field goal showed me that he has the mental ability to be a kicker at the collegiate level.

The Leader. It was clear that Ricky Stanzi did not have one of his better games on Saturday, but when it mattered in the fourth quarter, Stanzi made the throws necessary to put his team in a position to win. Stanzi’s leadership in the huddle and calm presence in the fourth quarter is something that I am going to miss next year when he is gone. With only three regular season games and a bowl game left, I have to continue to remind myself how much I enjoy watching Stanzi play quarterback and how much Iowa fans will miss the intangibles that he brings to the position.

After breathing a collective sigh of relief on Saturday after Demarlo Belcher’s dropped pass, Iowa fans now have to look forward to Iowa’s most pesky opponent, the Northwestern Wildcats. While the fans have every reason to be concerned about the Wildcats, something tells me that this team is going to be focused in practice and will come out with a chip on its shoulder next Saturday.