Key Iowa State Stats

[Clones85']

I have seen a lot of talk on the message boards about how penalties are the reason our offense is struggling. Sure they hurt but they are hardly the reason why we are struggling.

Rushing Yards Per Game- 84th in the country
Passing Yards Per game- 97 in the country
Yards Per Game Total -106th in the country (119 teams)
Points Per Game- 99th in the country (this actually goes to 115 if you take out defensive TD's)

Now on the other hand we are averaging 6.5 penalties a game. Not great, not horrible either. We rank 63rd in the country in penalty yards a game.

These are some of the teams that currently rank in the bottom 20 in penalty yards a game

USC
Nebraska
Arizona
Michigan St
Boise St
Oklahoma St
Missouri
Maryland
Florida State

Combined record of those teams is 34-2. And some of them have some of the top offenses in the country.

My point is that you can overcome 6 penalties a game. 6 penalties a game doesn't stop you from passing for more than 100 yards against UNI. It doesn't stop you from only scoring 3 offensive TD's in the last 3 games. Does it hurt a little? Sure, but it's not the reason our offense is in the gutter right now. Execution is the problem.

 

[isuno1fan]

Our offense is unlikely to improve exponentially this year so we are what we are (see Nebbie last year). We need to minimize mistakes to aid the cause as much as possible.

 

[ISUFan22]

The problem is combining the two. A suspect offense and the penalties. This offense does not have the ability to overcome penalties. That much is virtually a proven fact at this point. When the offense gets penalized - it almost always leads to the drive ending.

I hate our offense right now. It's beyond horribly pathetic.

 

[Clones85']

My point is that if we had a good offense, 6 penalties a game (which is only 4 on offense) isn't going to kill us. I think penalties is an excuse for a horrible offense. It makes us feel better to say penalties are killing us rather than just saying our offense stinks. The #'s don't lie. 106th in ypg is horrible. Penalties don't change that at all

 

[RyCy04]

I think the point of most is out of all the things that are wrong with the team, penalties are the easiest fix.

 

[khaal53]

The problem is combining the two. A suspect offense and the penalties. This offense does not have the ability to overcome penalties. That much is virtually a proven fact at this point. When the offense gets penalized - it almost always leads to the drive ending.

I hate our offense right now. It's beyond horribly pathetic.

Exactly, narrowing a thin margin for error even further is the problem. Either the offense has to improve dramatically (not likely at this point) or the penalties need to stop.

My point is that if we had a good offense, 6 penalties a game (which is only 4 on offense) isn't going to kill us. I think penalties is an excuse for a horrible offense. It makes us feel better to say penalties are killing us rather than just saying our offense stinks. The #'s don't lie. 106th in ypg is horrible. Penalties don't change that at all

It isn't the number of penalties that's the problem. It is the timing of the penalties. Damn near every trip inside the red zone has one, and damn near every time that happens the possibility for a TD is taken off the board.

 

[Clones85']

Well we are not going to go through a game without penalties. No team does it. So what do we do? Go from 6 penalties a game to 4? I have a hard time believing it will make a difference.

 

[ISUFan22]

My point is that if we had a good offense, 6 penalties a game (which is only 4 on offense) isn't going to kill us. I think penalties is an excuse for a horrible offense. It makes us feel better to say penalties are killing us rather than just saying our offense stinks. The #'s don't lie. 106th in ypg is horrible. Penalties don't change that at all

Not many are making it the excuse for the pathetic offense. It's just yet another reason the offense stinks.

The timing of the penalties only makes it worse.

 

[jbhtexas]

These are some of the teams that currently rank in the bottom 20 in penalty yards a game

USC AP #18
Nebraska AP #6
Arizona AP #14
Michigan St AP #24
Boise St AP #3
Oklahoma St AP 24 votes
Missouri AP 51 votes
Maryland
Florida State AP 51 votes
[...]
My point is that you can overcome 6 penalties a game.

If you are a (near) top 25 team, you can probably overcome 6 penalties a game, especially given that the competition for many of the teams in your list has not exactly been stellar so far.

ISU is not a (near) top 25 team, and they are going into a stretch of playing good teams. Continuing to make 6 penalties per game on offense will dramatically decrease the chances of beating those good teams. That doesn't mean that other things on the offense aren't working well, but the amount of penalties has a huge negative impact on this team.

 

[d4nim4l]

Exactly, narrowing a thin margin for error even further is the problem. Either the offense has to improve dramatically (not likely at this point) or the penalties need to stop.



It isn't the number of penalties that's the problem. It is the timing of the penalties. Damn near every trip inside the red zone has one, and damn near every time that happens the possibility for a TD is taken off the board.

This, exactly this. It's not the penalties that are causing the poor offensive statistics but it is something that needs to be solved in order to win with those poor offensive statistics.

We have no margin for error and so far the errors are sinking us more than the anemic offense.

 

[ISUFan22]

Also, if someone wants to talk stats - I'd love to know what the **** Franklin only caught one ball Saturday. ONE!

Clearly our best, most consistent receiving option and he had just one damn catch. I think there was only one other ball even thrown his way.

That is just inexcusable.

 

[Clones85']

If you are a (near) top 25 team, you can probably overcome 6 penalties a game, especially given that the competition for many of the teams in your list has not exactly been stellar so far.

ISU is not a (near) top 25 team, and they are going into a stretch of playing good teams. Continuing to make 6 penalties per game on offense will dramatically decrease the chances of beating those good teams. That doesn't mean that other things on the offense aren't working well, but the amount of penalties has a huge negative impact on this team.

Those teams are averaging 10 plus a game. That was my point.

I get what people are saying. We need to minimize penalties since our offense stinks. I get it. From a coaching perspective, I think it is the least of our worries offensively. The coaching staff needs to figure out what we are going to do when teams blitz us. How to get WR's open. How to move the ball. How to score. Penalties will happen. Especially with a frustrated offense tired of not moving the ball

 

[khaal53]

Also, if someone wants to talk stats - I'd love to know what the **** Franklin only caught one ball Saturday. ONE!

Clearly our best, most consistent receiving option and he had just one damn catch. I think there was only one other ball even thrown his way.

That is just inexcusable.

Tiller just didn't seem to look for him as much. I actually thought Arnaud tried to force Franklin the ball too often against KSU...but maybe he's the one Arnaud can rely on the most. I'm not sure I can make that evaluation.

 

[ISUFan22]

IMO, forcing the ball to Franklin is not a bad idea. The guy runs a great route and catches nearly everything thrown at him. Also, when he gets the ball he seems to always turn the right way to avoid the first defender. IMO, he's an NFL-caliber talent and currently is wasting away in this offense.

 

[3TrueFans]

My point is that if we had a good offense, 6 penalties a game (which is only 4 on offense) isn't going to kill us. I think penalties is an excuse for a horrible offense. It makes us feel better to say penalties are killing us rather than just saying our offense stinks. The #'s don't lie. 106th in ypg is horrible. Penalties don't change that at all

Can't it be both?

 

[HILLCYD]

The issue is the line play on both sides of the ball.

 

[Tre4ISU]

It isn't the number of penalties, it's the timing. While I agree that this runs deeper than just penalties, the penalties aresoming at terrible times. We aren't getting false starts on 2nd and 1. We aren't getting holding calls on returns. We are getting penaties on third downs and on 1st downs when we are close to or in the red zone. Penaties cannot be explained by just the number of them. If you get a hold or illegal block on a return it just makes the field longer, it has no affect on down and distance. Part of the reason penalties kill us is because our offense is not good enough to overcome them. So I guess I agree and disagree.

 

[jbhtexas]

Those teams are averaging 10 plus a game. That was my point.

It's not a really useful point, since ISU presently does not possess the tools to overcome penalties like those schools do.

I get what people are saying. We need to minimize penalties since our offense stinks. I get it. From a coaching perspective, I think it is the least of our worries offensively.

ISU also presently suffers from another problem...they don't have the athleticism that many of their upcoming opponents do. Teams of lesser athletic ability can certainly win those games, but it usually requires playing near mistake-free ball, even for an offense that isn't dysfunctional. Until ISU is stacked with 4 and 5-star recruits, penalties are always going to be a major detriment to winning games.

 

[Clones85']

Can't it be both?

It can be both. It probably is a LITTLE of both. I just think the lack of offensive scoring is 10% penalties, 90% poor execution

 

[Clones85']

It's not a really useful point, since ISU presently does not possess the tools to overcome penalties like those schools do.



ISU also presently suffers from another problem...they don't have the athleticism that many of their upcoming opponents do. Teams of lesser athletic ability can certainly win those games, but it usually requires playing near mistake-free ball. Until ISU is stacked with 4 and 5-star recruits, penalties are always going to be a major detriment to winning games.

You are saying the same thing I am saying. We don't have the players and offensive talent to be good on offense. That and our execution stinks. Penalties is an excuse to make us feel better. Penalties don't bother those teams. Why? They have more talent and their offense runs better. So that is why I continue to say that penalties is the last thing I am worried about with ISU. Better offensive execution and talent upgrade is needed