I got the offensive grades up yesterday (a B+ overall) and tonight is the defense. Much like the offense, the defense improved for the 3rd week in a row. They stuffed Arizona all day besides 3 long running plays...and basically only gave up 3 point (one TD was a pick-six, and the other was when Iowa was playing prevent defense after the game was already over).
The Defense
Defensive Line: A-
The defensive line was probably the most improved unit on the entire team. As a whole they were very disruptive and were consitently in the backfield pressuring the QB. They also did well against the run except on a couple of draw plays.
Adrian Clayborn was an absolute beast recording 6 tackles, 1 sack, 3 QB hurries, and a forced fumble. He completely worked #74 all day long and that one play that he ran down Grigsby from behind was just ridiculous. Klug had a nice game as well coming up with a big sack and 5 total tackles.
Linebackers: B+
The linebackers had a pretty good game. They definitely were able to stay in the box and make plays a little bit more in the previous weeks with Arizona's more "traditional" offense. Hunter's name was called a lot as he racked up a team high 7 tackles. Angerer also had a good game. He was pretty good in coverage, and knocked down a pass on a zone blitz. The middle of the field was open for Arizona's receivers often however.
Secondary: A
The Wildcat passing game was almost non-existent. Arizona's QBs combined for only 105 yards on 10 of 26 passes. Again the safeties were excellent. Sash got his 7th pick in 5 games and recorded 5 tackles. Greenwood also had 5 tackles and was generally solid (minus the one long run in the 4th quarter where he totally missed the runner). Cato, coming off the bench, also had a huge tackle for loss on 1st and goal.
Shaun Prater came of suspension and earned the starting spot opposite of Spievey. He looked very sharp, especially considering it was his first game. He had 3 tackles and I don't remember him getting beat at all. Spievey, of course, was excellent. He had a pass breakup on the goal line and had 4 total tackles.
Defense as a Whole: A-
Really the only thing the defense needs to work on is avoiding the occasional long running play. It seemed to be a combination of bad tackling and being surprised by draw plays that lead to the long runs. Other than that, the rush defense was good and the pass defense was excellent. Next week will be more of a test, but I think Iowa is up for the challenge.
Archive page 108
Grades For Iowa: Arizona Game (Offense)
I decided to re-watch the game before I did the grades. I had great seats on Saturday location-wise, but the fans in front of me were obstructing my view most of the game so it was hard to get a good feel for how individuals were playing. (They were some "kids" probably around 5'7", so not really short, who stood on the stands the for the majority of the game. We asked them the step down, but sure enough every time the ball was thrown in the air, or a run went for more than 2 yards, they were back up on the stands. And guess why the couldn't see very well and needed to jump up on the stands??...their dad, a freakin' grown man, was right in front of them up on the stands the whole time as well. Come on people! Just because they are named "stands" does not mean you should stand on them.) Anyway, it's late now, so I'm just doing the offense tonight. Defense and special teams will come tomorrow.
The Offense
Quarterback: B
I'm probably going to sound like a broken record here....but for the third week in a row, Stanzi had a bad first half (C-) and an excellent second half (A-). Just look at the stats: 1st half - 9/18, 101 yards, 0TD, 1 Int = QB rating 86.0; 2nd half - 11/14, 104 yards, 0 TD, 0 Int = QB rating 206.7. He was particularly impressive on the final scoring drive in the fourth quarter going 4 for 4, including 3 3rd down conversions. The drive chewed up 8:30 and put the game out of reach for the Wildcats.
Running Back: B+
Last week was Wegher's turn for a 100-yard game, this week was Robinson's turn. Robinson looked particularly good today rushing for 101 yards on 18 carries. He had 2 goal-line touchdowns and a game changing 43 rush on a 3rd and 23 draw play where he broke about 5 tackles.
Wegher also had a good game going for 46 yards on 17 carries. He had another leaping touchdown (the picture on the right is the from the play a second before he jumps) and a couple of catches out of the backfield. He and Robinson both did a very nice good picking up blitzers and blocking for Stanzi.
Wide Receivers: A
I am very excited about this group of receivers. It is as deep and as talented as I can ever remember. Today they were able to find holes in the talented Wildcat defense (mostly over the middle against the linebackers) and I saw some good downfield blocking that led to yards after the catch.
Each week, different guys have been stepping up...this week was Colin Sandeman. He has been nursing an injury the first couple of weeks, but turned in a 5 catch, 47 yard performance today. He had a great catch over the middle on 3rd down on the first drive of the game that led to a touchdown.
Chaney has also been impressing me this year. He looks like a totally different player than years past. He got the ball on the end around 3 times (KOK must be setting something up with that play...we've seen it a lot so far this year) gaining 16 yards on the ground. He also had 3 catches for 22 yards including a great 3rd down catch on the final scoring drive where catch the ball short of the marker but was able to beat his defender for the 1st down.
McNutt had a couple of note worthy plays as well. He had a ridiculous one handed grab for 7 yards and the longest completion of the day, a 34-yarder that led to the Hawkeyes second touchdown.
Tight End: B
Reisner put in a good effort yesterday filling in for Moeaki. He did a good job catching the ball in traffic and had a great 29 yard catch where he ran right up the seam. I didn't notice him a whole lot blocking wise, but that's probably a good thing.
Offensive Line: B-
The offensive line was pretty good today and did not give up too many negative plays. I think the running backs were stopped behind the line only twice (not 100% on that), but Stanzi was sacked 3 times. Bulaga was out for the second game in a row, but Reiff held his own once again. The line really started to dominate later in the game against a worn down Arizona defense as Iowa had a huge time of possession advantage (37:56 - 22:04).
Offense as a Whole: B+
Considering this was by far the best defense that Iowa has faced this year, the offense did really well. Even with the slow start by Stanzi, Iowa was able to dominate the time of possession in the first half, and it showed in the forth quarter when the Arizona defense looked gassed on the final 8:30 drive.
The Offense
Quarterback: B
I'm probably going to sound like a broken record here....but for the third week in a row, Stanzi had a bad first half (C-) and an excellent second half (A-). Just look at the stats: 1st half - 9/18, 101 yards, 0TD, 1 Int = QB rating 86.0; 2nd half - 11/14, 104 yards, 0 TD, 0 Int = QB rating 206.7. He was particularly impressive on the final scoring drive in the fourth quarter going 4 for 4, including 3 3rd down conversions. The drive chewed up 8:30 and put the game out of reach for the Wildcats.
Running Back: B+Last week was Wegher's turn for a 100-yard game, this week was Robinson's turn. Robinson looked particularly good today rushing for 101 yards on 18 carries. He had 2 goal-line touchdowns and a game changing 43 rush on a 3rd and 23 draw play where he broke about 5 tackles.
Wegher also had a good game going for 46 yards on 17 carries. He had another leaping touchdown (the picture on the right is the from the play a second before he jumps) and a couple of catches out of the backfield. He and Robinson both did a very nice good picking up blitzers and blocking for Stanzi.
Wide Receivers: A
I am very excited about this group of receivers. It is as deep and as talented as I can ever remember. Today they were able to find holes in the talented Wildcat defense (mostly over the middle against the linebackers) and I saw some good downfield blocking that led to yards after the catch.
Each week, different guys have been stepping up...this week was Colin Sandeman. He has been nursing an injury the first couple of weeks, but turned in a 5 catch, 47 yard performance today. He had a great catch over the middle on 3rd down on the first drive of the game that led to a touchdown.
Chaney has also been impressing me this year. He looks like a totally different player than years past. He got the ball on the end around 3 times (KOK must be setting something up with that play...we've seen it a lot so far this year) gaining 16 yards on the ground. He also had 3 catches for 22 yards including a great 3rd down catch on the final scoring drive where catch the ball short of the marker but was able to beat his defender for the 1st down.
McNutt had a couple of note worthy plays as well. He had a ridiculous one handed grab for 7 yards and the longest completion of the day, a 34-yarder that led to the Hawkeyes second touchdown.
Tight End: B
Reisner put in a good effort yesterday filling in for Moeaki. He did a good job catching the ball in traffic and had a great 29 yard catch where he ran right up the seam. I didn't notice him a whole lot blocking wise, but that's probably a good thing.
Offensive Line: B-
The offensive line was pretty good today and did not give up too many negative plays. I think the running backs were stopped behind the line only twice (not 100% on that), but Stanzi was sacked 3 times. Bulaga was out for the second game in a row, but Reiff held his own once again. The line really started to dominate later in the game against a worn down Arizona defense as Iowa had a huge time of possession advantage (37:56 - 22:04).
Offense as a Whole: B+
Considering this was by far the best defense that Iowa has faced this year, the offense did really well. Even with the slow start by Stanzi, Iowa was able to dominate the time of possession in the first half, and it showed in the forth quarter when the Arizona defense looked gassed on the final 8:30 drive.
College GameDay: Iowa at Penn State
I'll get to my reactions from the Arizona game a little later. But for now, I just saw that it has been confirmed that ESPN's College GameDay will be headed to Happy Valley next weekend. This should be great national exposure for the Hawkeyes and the atmosphere will be, no doubt, electric as Penn State fans will be in all white and the players looking for revenge. The game is also the prime-time ABC game and will be shown nationally.Arizona: The Special Teams
The special teams have been a pain point for Arizona this year. They are breaking in a new kicker who has been hit or miss so far. He made 4 field goals (all short) against CMU, but missed his only attempt over 40 yards, had a chip shot blocked against NAU, and missed a PAT (supposedly hit his own player in the back of the helmet with the ball…horray for low kicks!).
The punter has been okay this year only needing to punt 3 times. He has a decent average at 41.0 yards a kick, but hasn't had a single one downed inside the 20 (Donahue's specialty).
In the return and coverage game that have been decent as well. They average about 30 yards per kickoff return and give up only 22 yards. However, they did allow at 57 yard return against Northern Arizona last Saturday.
Overall Thoughts:
The punter has been okay this year only needing to punt 3 times. He has a decent average at 41.0 yards a kick, but hasn't had a single one downed inside the 20 (Donahue's specialty).
In the return and coverage game that have been decent as well. They average about 30 yards per kickoff return and give up only 22 yards. However, they did allow at 57 yard return against Northern Arizona last Saturday.
Overall Thoughts:
- Iowa definitely holds the advantage on special teams. The Hawkeyes should be better in every facet.
- A big advantage could be Donahue versus Crier. If the game is the defensive battle that is expected, field position should play a big roll.
Arizona: The Defense
Oh my, how will Iowa be able to compete with all the speed? So Arizona’s defense is fast…they shut down a Central Michigan team that just beat Michigan State and they handled Northern Arizona without putting up much of an effort. The Hawkeyes will be the first team, however, that can pose a real threat to run the ball.
Against the Pass:
The real strength of the Wildcat defense is against the pass. They have a lockdown corner and ball hawk, Trevin Wade, who’s only a sophomore but very talented and has 2 interceptions on the year already. The other cornerback, Devin Ross, is a senior with starting experience and is second on the team with 11 tackles.
The safety positions also have some experience. FS Cam Nelson is a senior and this will be his third year starting. He is the team’s leading returning tackler from last year and the leader of the defense. The other safety Robert Golden is a little green (not gold yet) and is just a true sophomore. He’s played well in his first two games starting, though, and has 7 tackles.
Against the Run:
Arizona has only given up 141 rushing yards in the first two games…though neither team they faced had much of a running threat. The defensive line is chock full of experience as the 4 starters have 62 game of starting experience between them. The defensive ends are probably the strength of the line. Ricky Elmore has 7 tackles on the year including 1 sack.
The linebackers are probably the least talked about unit on the defense, but the unit is solid overall. All three are seniors. Middle linebacker Vuna Tuihalamaka leads the team in tackles with 12 and WLB Xavier Kelley has been good as well with 8 tackles.
Overall Thoughts:
Against the Pass:
The real strength of the Wildcat defense is against the pass. They have a lockdown corner and ball hawk, Trevin Wade, who’s only a sophomore but very talented and has 2 interceptions on the year already. The other cornerback, Devin Ross, is a senior with starting experience and is second on the team with 11 tackles.
The safety positions also have some experience. FS Cam Nelson is a senior and this will be his third year starting. He is the team’s leading returning tackler from last year and the leader of the defense. The other safety Robert Golden is a little green (not gold yet) and is just a true sophomore. He’s played well in his first two games starting, though, and has 7 tackles.
Against the Run:
Arizona has only given up 141 rushing yards in the first two games…though neither team they faced had much of a running threat. The defensive line is chock full of experience as the 4 starters have 62 game of starting experience between them. The defensive ends are probably the strength of the line. Ricky Elmore has 7 tackles on the year including 1 sack.
The linebackers are probably the least talked about unit on the defense, but the unit is solid overall. All three are seniors. Middle linebacker Vuna Tuihalamaka leads the team in tackles with 12 and WLB Xavier Kelley has been good as well with 8 tackles.
Overall Thoughts:
- Arizona has been some what susceptible to give up the short, underneath routes, so that may be one area that Iowa can try to gain an advantage.
- Iowa will need to establish a run gain against this offense and hopefully force the Wildcats to stack the box freeing up some room in the secondary.
- The Wildcats have 4 takeaways in the first 2 games. Iowa (especially Stanzi) really needs to protect the ball in this game.