More Tips for Iowa to Earn Respect (Supplement to Earlier Post)
- Jake Hunter
- Oct 15, 2021
- 1 min read
Win Almost Every Game By Double Digits More Convincingly
Pretty straightforward here. Iowa may win by double digits and almost never be in danger at the end of games, but the advanced analytics accurately point out that the score of the games don’t matter and that Iowa is not as dominant as the scores of their games may suggest.
Block For the Other Team’s Starting QB Instead of Hitting Him Hard Enough to Knock Him Out of the Game
Penn State’s starting QB Sean Clifford was on pace to score no less than 784 points against Iowa‘s defense last Saturday before Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell inexplicably blitzed and TACKLED Clifford, ultimately knocking him out of the game with a potential rib injury. Football is not supposed to be a sport where there’s the slightest chance of anyone getting hurt or even bruised. Iowa needs to find ways to play within the rules and not pick up a cheap, undeserved win. At least Alabama had the decency to lose to Texas A&M’s backup when given the opportunity.
I think another few things they could do would be:
1) Kneel on third down more often. This would provide a clearer signal to the rest of the nation that the Hawks are legitimate contenders for top ten placement. Instead of trying to impress the ranking scouts by using all three pre-punt snaps as opportunities to advance the sticks, Iowa would greatly benefit from using those knee pads the institution provides for more than celebratory injury prevention.
2) Always go for it on fourth down instead of punting. Why march a punter onto the field that consistently pins the opposition inside the 10? If they really want to show their defensive chops, going for it while inside their own 30…
Honestly how dare Iowa play great defense after a backup quarterback goes in. How dare Iowa convince Penn State's O-line to go offsides 3 times in a row and then punt the ball away.