Grading ISU's Offense So Far

**aeroclone** · 09-20-2010, 02:50 PM

According to ESPN.com we are averaging 194 passing yards per game, good for 82nd in division 1A. Rushing is 129 yards per game for 84th overall. Scoring is 18 points per game for 103.

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There are a total of 120 FBS football teams this year. We score fewer points per game than 85.83% of them. That can only lead me to one possible grade...

F

**CyBroncos** · 09-20-2010, 03:27 PM

Franklin has been good and I've liked what I've seen from Woody in the few instances he's been in there...but other than that, the offense has been a big letdown this year so far

**synapticwave** · 09-20-2010, 03:31 PM

Originally Posted by aeroclone

Scoring is 18 points per game for 103.

F

The offense's job is to score points. We haven't. So right now we get an F.
Honestly, I wouldn't care if our stats are terrible, I wouldn't care if AA's mechanics are terrible or if we only had 1 pancake all season, if we averaged 28-35 ppg, I wouldn't care 1 bit.

The up side is that, we are only 1/4 of the way through the season, still time to get better, still time to pull that ppg average up a ways.

**Wesley** · 09-20-2010, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by Cyclone1985

Thank you for a logical response. All this lack of 'seperation' talk is old. Now could it be the receiver's fault for not finding the soft spot in the zone? if so, then they deserve a low grade.

Maybe AA can only radar track one receiver at a time when five are running routes. Maybe he is not Brett Farve.

**Wesley** · 09-20-2010, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by synapticwave

The offense's job is to score points. We haven't. So right now we get an F.
Honestly, I wouldn't care if our stats are terrible, I wouldn't care if AA's mechanics are terrible or if we only had 1 pancake all season, if we averaged 28-35 ppg, I wouldn't care 1 bit.

The up side is that, we are only 1/4 of the way through the season, still time to get better, still time to pull that ppg average up a ways.

The way we score points is like squeezing blood out of a turnip. It is very hard.

**TheCity** · 09-20-2010, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by Cyclone1985

Thank you for a logical response. All this lack of 'seperation' talk is old. Now could it be the receiver's fault for not finding the soft spot in the zone? if so, then they deserve a low grade.

This could be the issue, one of the hardest things to teach a WR is how to settle in zones. Not saying that this is the excuse for us not producing, just stating a fact. I think that we came into the season with the strategy of throwing short passes to open up the run instead of running to open up the play action/deeper passes. Right now we're just not executing.

**bigmark** · 09-20-2010, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by TheCity

This could be the issue, one of the hardest things to teach a WR is how to settle in zones. Not saying that this is the excuse for us not producing, just stating a fact. I think that we came into the season with the strategy of throwing short passes to open up the run instead of running to open up the play action/deeper passes. Right now we're just not executing.

Agree all the way

**CyCloned** · 09-20-2010, 07:13 PM

Not having access to game films, we can not see if WRs are getting open or not. Watching games on TV you only see where the play is and where the ball is going. I was at the NIU game, and there were lots of times that there was a guy open and AA threw it the other way. Now I know that AA can't see everything, but from what I have seen, he is looking at one, maybe two guys, no matter how much time he has. He absolutely locks in on one receiver most of the time.

**clonedude** · 09-20-2010, 07:14 PM

Anything but an F is considered a passing grade... so there's no other option IMO than an F. It has failed... period.

For a team who's head coach and offensive coordinator BOTH said we need to score 30 pts a game to be succesful... I don't see how you can grade it any other way?

And we didn't score against Iowa folks.. don't kid yourselves. It was our 1st offense against their 3rd string defense. If you want to get all happy and excited about that... then you have much different definitions of success than I do. And this week, we scored 13. If we score 13 pts a game the rest of the season, we don't win another game.

**sdcyfan** · 09-20-2010, 08:13 PM

Originally Posted by AllN4Cy

Offense
QB Grade: C-
This year was supposed to be Arnaud's year. He's had time to learn and absorb Tom Herman's offensive scheme and has two full years of experience. He still doesn't seems comfortable with the offense however. Austen has 2 TDs to 5 picks on the year, and is completing under 60% of his throws which is worse than 2009. His legs have provided some first downs in designed QB runs and scramble situations, but his arm and decision making are not where they need to be for this offense to have any success.

Line: B
The line seems to be gelling fairly well. Against Iowa, possibly the best defensive front in football, they looked suspect, but Iowa will make many teams look that way this year. The running game is averaging over 4.5 yards per carry (not including QB rushing stats), and haven't given up many sacks.

RB: C+
ARob was listed on some pre-season watch lists, but that seems like a long shot at this point. His 65 yeard TD run against Northern Illinois was exciting and nice to see, but otherwise he hasn't been able to break anything open. We'll need ARob to run lights out to have any chance of becoming bowl eligible. It would also be nice to see Shontrelle Johnson and Jeff Woody get some additional carries in relief.

WR: C
This position was highly anticipated before the season with the return of several key receivers from injury. ISU has playmakers and speed. They need to catch the ball! ISU does not have a good enough QB to overcome dropped balls. If a ball is thrown anywhere near the receiver, it needs to be caught. Missing passes that turn into pick-6s isn't acceptible. Still I can't mark them down too far as I think much of the blame lies on the passer. It is nice to see the ball getting spread fairly evenly around to the receivers - this should help keep defenses guessing.

TE: A
This seems to be the brightest spot on offense. Collin Franklin is averaging roughly 50 yards and 5 catches per game, which leads the entire receiving corps.

Overall: C The offense was supposed to be the strength of this year's team with a senior QB, talented running backs and receivers, and a big and experienced o-line. The offense has scored 54 points in three games, an average of just 18 points per game. That includes 7 points against Iowa's reserves. However, excluding Iowa, which many believe has one of the best defenses in college football, Iowa State has averaged 23.5 points per game. Either way, this isn't enough production to win many games in the high scoring Big XII. The entire offense looks out of sorts, even moreso than last year. The line has pretty good pass protection, but just hasn't been able to produce the holes needed for a good ground game. The passing attack has focused on short dumps, and the few downfield opportunities have been missed by Arnaud. ISU has been able to sustain some drives, but mistakes including dropped balls, penalties, and poor throws have led to stalled drives or turnovers.

You forgot a key part of the offense. The guy who calls the plays!

Coach Herman= F, for the second year in a row. Not impressed with him at all.

**clonedude** · 09-20-2010, 08:16 PM

Originally Posted by sdcyfan

You forgot a key part of the offense. The guy who calls the plays!

Coach Herman= F, for the second year in a row. Not impressed with him at all.

This. I can't believe how much of a free pass this guy gets. Although we went to a bowl and won it last year, it had almost nothing to do with the offense. They were horrible last year, and even worse this year thus far.

He gets a pass because he's supposed to be soooo smart and innovative. "Smart" and "Innovative" are not the first words to come to my mind when watching this offense. More like "confused" and "inept".