that comment literally changed our program
He got so tight after it.. gave that game away two years ago during the first drive. And it’s been that way for 3 straight games. There’s not another team on our schedule that stoops would go for in on our own 30 in the first half- and he’s done it against them multiple times.
What changed our program was the attempt to go to a more “balanced, pro style offense”.
We had an identity. We were a power football team with the big blue wall. It played to stoops defensive strengths of bend don’t break and keeping the other teams offense off the field….clock control. Keep the score under 28.
We will never recruit enough NFL talent at all positions 2-3 deep to compete with the southern powers or states that produce more instate talent. Cool…we have fancy wide receivers now. Great. The reality is, you can find Randall Cobbs and Chris Rodriguez types in the 2-3star world. It’s why HBCU and FCS schools have great skill positions but not the interiors.
We are better off running a hybrid option offense that is 70-80% run with a high level athlete at QB that can grow well enough to keep the D honest. Lynn Bowden w a little better arm. It takes a lower recruiting higher for the same, if not better, results.
It isn’t a coincidence that we haven’t been even solid since the switch from Eddie Gran and the emphasis on getting more balanced and pro style as an attempt to “take the next step”. Not a coincidence our best season was riding Bennie Snell and CRod to 9-10 win season with a down hill run heavy offense. No coincidence that our next best season was Lynn Bowden running almost every play even though everyone knew it was coming. If we don’t waste the first 4 games of the season before the switch…that’s a 10 win season as well.
Sure it isn’t pretty. People hate on Iowa even tho they have been top 15 type team. Truth is..they’ll fall off when they try to get more balanced too. You can recruit corned interior linemen capable of blocking straight ahead run…harder to block high level, agile, great footwork, big guys that will play in the league one day.
There’s a reason the academies put up a fight against the NDs of the world etc. and citidel even has had some upsets of SEC teams. Do more with less. Make the other team play perfect disciplined football. Use misdirection. No negative plays, downhill for 1-4 yards at a time and bust a few here and there and then hit a pass over too. Same as Tim Tebow Broncos year after an 1-4 start before they ditched the traditional offense and started Tebow in power option. Just takes a big hit pass off play action against a stacked box here and there to blow a game open when it’s a limited possession game.
You don’t have to go full blown triple option. But you can be speed option, run dominant, down hill, clock control using different tempos. It’s easier to recruit to and balances the talent level in the field. The Gavin Wimstatt first series before he threw the pick is a good example. First time we moved the ball all day. Chip Kelly early Oregon days type O is one extreme…triple option is the other extreme. Blend the concepts.
Especially in an era where we are going to have to decide how to spend our SEC money…I’d rather dump it into a national title contender and stay on top of the sport that we have historically been a top 3 program then be average to slightly above average at both when we can get the same football results with less budget and scheme even if it’s “gimmicky”. It’s easier to buy a top 5 basketball team when you only need 3-6 pieces vs a 50+ man playing time roster of football.
We should have leaned into our “run the damn ball” clock control, smash mouth football identity instead of wanting “flashy” skill positions and recruiting wins. Now we have no identity and are right back to the bottom of the SEC
