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What Would Woody Say?

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jimotis4heisman

jimotis4heisman

Banned
Hooley on ESPN,com

my favorite plain dealer moron now on the radio here in columbus daily seems to have his own column
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2197268
Ferentz, Hawkeyes been down this path before

<!-- end pagetitle --><!-- begin bylinebox -->By Bruce Hooley
Special to ESPN.com

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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><!-- begin leftcol --><!-- template inline -->When something happens three straight seasons, it stops being a coincidence and becomes a habit.
At least, it does everywhere but Iowa.
Coach Kirk Ferentz can't count on history repeating itself, particularly not this week with Michigan headed for Kinnick Stadium and a Big Ten title-shaping showdown Saturday afternoon.
Ferentz would have everyone believe that automatics don't exist in his program, even though it sure looks like they do, given the recent past.

a_ferentz_195.jpg

Slow starts are nothing new for Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes.


See Iowa sitting there at 3-1 in the Big Ten (5-2 overall), tied with Wisconsin and Penn State for first place in a league where 9 of 11 teams are bunched within one game in the loss column?
That's exactly where the Hawkeyes were a year ago amid a numbingly efficient run of eight straight wins that closed the season and secured a piece of the conference title.
"It's way too early," Ferentz said when reminded of that this week. "We're just trying to keep one foot in front of the other right now. And that's about as complex as we're making it."
Well, then let us complicate it for you, Kirk.
Back in 2003, Iowa lost its league opener and sat 1-2 in the Big Ten before closing with five wins in its final six games.
And in 2002, another early-season loss set the stage for an unbeaten sprint through the conference and eight wins in nine games.
That's some pretty damaging evidence that Ferentz's teams specialize in the sort of closing speed every cornerback would envy, which is why it's foolish to count the Hawkeyes out of the Big Ten despite a pair of September losses in which Iowa couldn't muster so much as a single touchdown.
Ferentz didn't panic back then, probably because he'd seen his team fall by a combined 50 points in the previous September and yet somehow fashion a rally without any of his top three tailbacks, all of whom tore knee ligaments.
Now one of those guys -- sophomore Albert Young -- has recovered to give the Hawkeyes a pretty respectable running game (182.1 yards per game) to augment the talents of quarterback Drew Tate.
Tate was the Big Ten's preseason offensive player of the year.
That looked like a laughable designation when he stuck his head into an interception scrum in a 23-3 loss at Iowa State and suffered a concussion, then lost his temper in a 31-6 loss at Ohio State and spiked the ball to take Iowa out of field goal range on one of its few successful drives that day.
Tate has since settled down, however, and is playing like the guy who almost single-handedly willed Iowa to victory last season, including a wing-and-a-prayer rescue over LSU on the final play of the Capital One Bowl.
Tate is completing 63 percent of his passes this season and has thrown for 11 touchdowns against only three interceptions.
Young, who's rushed for 100 yards or more in three straight games to reach 715 yards this season, gives Iowa a threat to keep defenses from collapsing on Tate.
"He's played tough," Ferentz said of Young. "He really carries himself well and gives us leadership out there. He's really playing good football. He's a very versatile football player, very unselfish football player. I'm really proud of him."
No doubt, because Young is positively Ferentzian when it comes to the subject of whether Iowa has turned the corner.
"I don't know about turning any corner," Young said. "Maybe, after the bye week [following Michigan] we can talk about corners."
The Wolverines inflicted a 30-17 thumping on Iowa last season in Ann Arbor to atone for two straight losses in the series.
Duplicating that at Kinnick won't be easy, though.
Iowa has won a school-record 22 straight at home and has seemingly plugged the defensive holes that leaked oil in the Big Ten opener at Ohio State.
The Buckeyes simply overpowered a defensive line that averages only about 260 pounds per man.
Ferentz was only briefly down after that defeat before locking himself back into the every-practice-matters mantra that he's sold his team on since starting a run of 35 wins in 44 games in 2002.
"After the Ohio State game, we're kind of thinking, 'Whoa, we've got a long ways to go,'" defensive end Bryan Mattison said. "But [Ferentz] breaks it down. He's like, 'Take a step every day that you come to the football complex, whether it be lifting or whether it's practice.' That does help and it gives you a little bit of reassurance, too."
The presence of linebackers Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge doesn't hurt, either.
Those two give the Hawkeyes valuable flexibility on defense, allowing them to play either a 4-3 or 3-4 alignment, depending on how pass-happy the opponent.
Also, Iowa doesn't offer much help via penalties.
It is the least-flagged team in the nation, with 2.83 infractions per game, having suffered just 17 penalties for 117 yards on the year.
That figures, given the focus Ferentz brings to his job and seemingly imparts to his players by osmosis.
"What happened last year is not going to automatically happen this year," Hodge said. "This is a new team with a new set of guys."
But the script sure looks familiar.
Bruce Hooley covered the Big Ten for 18 years and now hosts a daily talk show on WBNS-AM1460 in Columbus, Ohio.

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This paen to the Hawkeyes was written by the SAME GUY who said as recently as August that Texas was the ONLY team on OSU's schedule. Spielman called him on it and mentioned Iowa specifically, making some of the same points that Hooley makes as his own in the article. BH dismissed CS' argument with a wave of the hand, so to speak.

BTW: If the Bucks' Schedule is so weak, as Hooie claimed, how does he explain THIS.

Congratulations BH. You're a decent writer and you express yourself well. Now please try to express some consistent, thoughtful, original ideas. Or am I expecting too much?
 
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DaddyBigBucks said:
This paen to the Hawkeyes was written by the SAME GUY who said as recently as August that Texas was the ONLY team on OSU's schedule. Spielman called him on it and mentioned Iowa specifically, making some of the same points that Hooley makes as his own in the article. BH dismissed CS' argument with a wave of the hand, so to speak.

BTW: If the Bucks' Schedule is so weak, as Hooie claimed, how does he explain THIS.

Congratulations BH. You're a decent writer and you express yourself well. Now please try to express some consistent, thoughtful, original ideas. Or am I expecting too much?
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Are you complaining that he wrote off the Iowa game? Did I miss something? Didn't we absolutely destroy Iowa, much worse than anyone else, including big underdogs like SDSU? Last year, Iowa was awful at the beginning and then turned it around to make the BCS. This year, they are having a similar type of season thus far. Saying that doesn't disregard his prediction that Iowa would not test OSU, in fact it confirms that claim.

And now you are criticizing his analysis of 2005's schedule by referencing games from back when Craig Krenzel was QB in 2003? That doesn't make any sense.
 
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jwinslow said:
Are you complaining that he wrote off the Iowa game? Did I miss something? Didn't we absolutely destroy Iowa, much worse than anyone else, including big underdogs like SDSU? Last year, Iowa was awful at the beginning and then turned it around to make the BCS. This year, they are having a similar type of season thus far. Saying that doesn't disregard his prediction that Iowa would not test OSU, in fact it confirms that claim.

And now you are criticizing his analysis of 2005's schedule by referencing games from back when Craig Krenzel was QB in 2003? That doesn't make any sense.
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Not to nitpick, but Iowa didn't make a BCS bowl last year. And you've lost me with the second paragraph. If you're refering to his link, looks like it was dated 2005 to me. Unless I missed something.
 
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DaddyBigBucks said:
Exactly holy and Iron...

I was not referring to 2003, I have no idea where that came from...

As far as Iowa...

I was not arguing one way or another about Iowa. My point is that BH has argued both ways, and recently.
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and now we know why you don't post right after you wake up. :! (sorry guys) greens for those who pointed out my inadequacies (tho they were fairly obvious).
 
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I don't know how to feel about these guys using Woody's image. :banger: :groove:

But I will tell you one thing. If Woody was around, the defense would be everything it is today and he'd be running the ball down people's throats, controlling the clock. And he would be passing the ball more too. I hate the way Forde makes it look like he was a Goober who wouldn't have known what to do.

Yes, you do have to score some points, but am I wrong in assuming that the last comment and perhaps this entire article is a dig at Tressel? Why does the Big Ten have to be a "wide-bodied" WAC? Why can't these guys just say, "hey, if you thought the Big Ten was just power backs and rushing attacks, check this out.." Always the back-handed compliment. Perhaps I am too critical.:sad2:

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Here's the link to Forde's column, I was looking to see if the game tomorrow was televised
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2198460
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Big Points, Big Drama In The Big Ten
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True fact: Ohio State coach Woody Hayes (1) watched his team run the ball 49 straight plays against Michigan in 1973, in a 10-10 tie.
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u_hayes_195.jpg

Ohio State legend Woody Hayes wouldn't recognize the Big Ten if he saw it today.
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Given that information, you know what Woodrow would do if he saw today's Big Ten (2): slug the nearest opposing player for turning his league into a touch football outfit.
Somebody stole Woody's Big Ten and replaced it with a wide-bodied WAC (3). Scoreboards are lighting up, last-minute games are the norm and offense is trumping defense in a conference that built its reputation on cloud-of-dust conservatism.
The Dash offers a sampling of outrageous statistics to consider:
• In 18 of 19 league games, the winning team has scored at least 23 points. (Lone exception: Penn State 17, Ohio State 10.) In 16 of those 19 games, the winner has scored at least 30.
• For the first time since it started Big Ten play in 1896, Michigan (4) has given up 23 or more points in each of its first four conference games. That's from pre-Fielding H. Yost until today. First time. Ever.
• For the sixth time in its history, Wisconsin (5) has given up 20 or more points in its first four Big Ten games. Its combined record the previous five times: 4-16. Its record this time: 3-1.
• For the first time since it began recording scores of games in 1888, Northwestern (6) has opened the season by scoring 21 or more points in each of its first six games.
• Seven teams are in the top 35 nationally in scoring offense, all at 31 points per game or higher. The only other conference with seven teams (and with more than four) in the top 35 is the perennially porous Pacific-10.
But this hasn't become just a shootout league. It's a nailbiter league, too. Ten of 19 games have been decided by a touchdown or less, and half of those by a field goal or less. Eight games have been won in the last two minutes or in overtime, and six have gone down to the final minute or OT.
That includes all four of the Wolverines' league games. They've lost by three points twice, won by three and won by two.
And if you want unpredictable, you've got it. It's only mid-October, and already nobody is undefeated in league play. It's only the second time in the last 20 years that nobody's started 4-0.
"It speaks to the parity in the league," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr (7) said.
Spread offenses seem to have helped level the playing field and crank up the scoring, as defenses scramble to catch up. Carr and Ohio State coach Jim Tressel (8) said this week that they continue to put faith in defense first to win championships, and wonder whether touchdowns scored on special teams and on defense might be inflating the point totals.
Maybe not. The Big Ten has seven teams in the national top 40 in scoring offense and only four in scoring defense -- and that's actually better than the league's numbers in total offense (seven in the top 40) and total defense (just three in the top 40).
Hopefully Woody isn't listening in Buckeye Heaven, because here's the reality of Big Ten football in 2005: The league winner is going to have to score its way to the top.
 
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