A strong rushing offense alone will not result in more future wins.

[RustShack]

You're seriously and idiot if you think a teams like Iowa State's best shot at success is passing the ball. They need to run, control the clock, not turn the ball over, and play good defense. The best chance at beating a more talented team is to slow them down and make them beat themselves.

 

[CyCloned]

The bottom line is that teams that can not rush the ball will struggle to score. When the field tightens inside the red zone passes often does not lead to scores. I am not saying that you can't score from the 15 in by passes, but your chances of getting a TD improve a lot if you can rush the ball. I have said this many time, but it is still worth repeating, if ISU was able to consistently pick up 3rd or 4th and very short, they would have had a winning record this year. Go bad and look how many times in close games ISU failing to get a 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1 directly resulting in loosing the ball and the game. This is one reason that I am glad there is a new OL coach and strength and conditioning coach. When it came down to needing to rush the ball late in games ISU was horrible. It could be line coaching or it could be conditioning, but it was sad.

 

[drednot57]

Jamie Pollard recently quoted that in Big-12 games the team that rushed for the most yards, won 80% of the games and that our new coach had developed good offensive lines with better than average rushing offenses. The logic is that if we rush more we win more. It is not that simple though. I do not know the numbers, but I would bet that the team that has more passing yards in a game also wins the majority of the games they play. If you look at ISU history, in Troy Davis's sophomore and junior years he rushed for more than 2,000 yards each season, and in each of those years, ISU won 1 conference game. I think that the best predictor of where a team will finish, is how that team ranks on team defense, both total yards given and scoring. The top teams in the league give up the fewest points.

If ISU wants to return to 6+ win seasons, then the greatest improvement needed will have to come on the defensive side of the ball. I do not see ISU becoming a team that is able to average scoring 40-50 points a game. We have to become a team that gives up around 25-30 points a game. To do that, more play makers will be needed on defense which will have to come through recruitment and development. This will not be a quick fix.

I agree with you, but did you not listen to Coach Campbell's speech during his introduction on Monday? He said pretty much the same thing; he wants to improve all three phases of the team, and take it to a championship level.

 

[demoncore1031]

Running the football successfully can help control the clock, which will help keep the opposing offense off the field, which in turn helps the defense.


No one said the only the we ever have to do it run the ball and we'll win the National Championship.

HAHAHA!!!! Is that gif from Vampire's Kiss?

 

[demoncore1031]

We had our best rushing game in years and went 3-9. Enough said.

To win more games, here is what needs to happen:

-Pass protection. We allowed a ton of sacks this year. Coach Campbell is an O-Line coach whose teams at Toledo gave up very few sacks.

-QB Development. CPR had half a dozen QBs start games in 7 years and not a single one of them improved as their career went on. This can partly be blamed on the pass protection because we all know Sam was running for his life for most of his career. But that is on the coaches for not developing the o-line and not having some quick slant routes in play in those situations. Lanning has a cannon and seems to be a good decision maker, but if he is facing a nasty pass rush for an entire game then he gets flustered. Understandable. Our OL will be much better with the new staff, there is no doubt. This will be crucial when it comes to QB development.

-Defensive players taking bad angles and tackling. We saw a simple short route by WVU turn into a long TD. I'm sure it is hard to get these angles right because of the speed most Big 12 WR's and RB's have, but this is definitely fixable. If the new staff breaks down film on the other Big 12 teams, they will figure this out. Tackling should not be a big issue for any team in a Power 5 conference but for ISU it has been for a long time. I have seen some great open field tackles. I have seen our DBs come up and stop a run or make a stop on a WR screen. It comes back to angles. Our guys really don't miss many tackles when they get to a ball carrier. When they take a bad angle the ball carrier has a good chance to break a tackle.

-Defensive backs being put in the right spots. The secondary had talent this year, no doubt. What hurt them was the coaches putting them 10 yards off the line of scrimmage on a 3rd and short situation. Of course the other team is going to throw a short out pass right at the sticks and guess what, the DB is too far off the ball to come up and stop the WR short of the 1st down. I have no idea what was going on with our 3rd and 10+ coverage but we got torched almost every time. We probably had the worst 3rd down defense in the nation. But this is another area that can be fixed with proper coaching.

-Taking advantage of the WR's. Allen Lazard. Quenton Bundrage. Jauan Wesley. D'Vario Montgomery. Dondre Daley. Those are 5 really good football players. So why was our passing game so bad for a good portion of the season? Coaching. There is no reason why this group could not be as successful as any other team in the conference. We had a huge height advantage against every single opponent and rarely took advantage of that.

Other than these issues I think there were a lot of positives and we do return a lot of experienced and talented players. All the problems with the team are things that can be fixed with good coaching.

 

[Stormin]

We had our best rushing game in years and went 3-9. Enough said.

To win more games, here is what needs to happen:

-Pass protection. We allowed a ton of sacks this year. Coach Campbell is an O-Line coach whose teams at Toledo gave up very few sacks.

-QB Development. CPR had half a dozen QBs start games in 7 years and not a single one of them improved as their career went on. This can partly be blamed on the pass protection because we all know Sam was running for his life for most of his career. But that is on the coaches for not developing the o-line and not having some quick slant routes in play in those situations. Lanning has a cannon and seems to be a good decision maker, but if he is facing a nasty pass rush for an entire game then he gets flustered. Understandable. Our OL will be much better with the new staff, there is no doubt. This will be crucial when it comes to QB development.

-Defensive players taking bad angles and tackling. We saw a simple short route by WVU turn into a long TD. I'm sure it is hard to get these angles right because of the speed most Big 12 WR's and RB's have, but this is definitely fixable. If the new staff breaks down film on the other Big 12 teams, they will figure this out. Tackling should not be a big issue for any team in a Power 5 conference but for ISU it has been for a long time. I have seen some great open field tackles. I have seen our DBs come up and stop a run or make a stop on a WR screen. It comes back to angles. Our guys really don't miss many tackles when they get to a ball carrier. When they take a bad angle the ball carrier has a good chance to break a tackle.

-Defensive backs being put in the right spots. The secondary had talent this year, no doubt. What hurt them was the coaches putting them 10 yards off the line of scrimmage on a 3rd and short situation. Of course the other team is going to throw a short out pass right at the sticks and guess what, the DB is too far off the ball to come up and stop the WR short of the 1st down. I have no idea what was going on with our 3rd and 10+ coverage but we got torched almost every time. We probably had the worst 3rd down defense in the nation. But this is another area that can be fixed with proper coaching.

-Taking advantage of the WR's. Allen Lazard. Quenton Bundrage. Jauan Wesley. D'Vario Montgomery. Dondre Daley. Those are 5 really good football players. So why was our passing game so bad for a good portion of the season? Coaching. There is no reason why this group could not be as successful as any other team in the conference. We had a huge height advantage against every single opponent and rarely took advantage of that.

Other than these issues I think there were a lot of positives and we do return a lot of experienced and talented players. All the problems with the team are things that can be fixed with good coaching.

Having a good rushing offense sets up the passing game. Pretty simple.

 

[CyInDFW]

Jamie Pollard recently quoted that in Big-12 games the team that rushed for the most yards, won 80% of the games and that our new coach had developed good offensive lines with better than average rushing offenses. The logic is that if we rush more we win more. It is not that simple though. I do not know the numbers, but I would bet that the team that has more passing yards in a game also wins the majority of the games they play. If you look at ISU history, in Troy Davis's sophomore and junior years he rushed for more than 2,000 yards each season, and in each of those years, ISU won 1 conference game. I think that the best predictor of where a team will finish, is how that team ranks on team defense, both total yards given and scoring. The top teams in the league give up the fewest points.

If ISU wants to return to 6+ win seasons, then the greatest improvement needed will have to come on the defensive side of the ball. I do not see ISU becoming a team that is able to average scoring 40-50 points a game. We have to become a team that gives up around 25-30 points a game. To do that, more play makers will be needed on defense which will have to come through recruitment and development. This will not be a quick fix.

If the defense isn't constantly being put into bad positions whether turnovers or three and outs there will be better defensive play. To put blame solely on the defense is ridiculous. How many times over the past three years have they been left out to dry because of an inept offense? I'm not saying that the defense is not at fault at all, it's just not the main reason for the record over the last three years.

Hey offense, try to hold onto the ball, not throw it to the opposition, get a few first downs throughout the game not just the first half...the new coaching staff will hopefully take care of any problems on both sides of the ball.

 

[sheepplucker]

If the defense isn't constantly being put into bad positions whether turnovers or three and outs there will be better defensive play. To put blame solely on the defense is ridiculous. How many times over the past three years have they been left out to dry because of an inept offense? I'm not saying that the defense is not at fault at all, it's just not the main reason for the record over the last three years.

Hey offense, try to hold onto the ball, not throw it to the opposition, get a few first downs throughout the game not just the first half...the new coaching staff will hopefully take care of any problems on both sides of the ball.

or maybe it was the 10 yard cushion they gave every receiver they faced...

 

[CyPlainsDrifter]

Jamie Pollard recently quoted that in Big-12 games the team that rushed for the most yards, won 80% of the games and that our new coach had developed good offensive lines with better than average rushing offenses. The logic is that if we rush more we win more. It is not that simple though. I do not know the numbers, but I would bet that the team that has more passing yards in a game also wins the majority of the games they play. If you look at ISU history, in Troy Davis's sophomore and junior years he rushed for more than 2,000 yards each season, and in each of those years, ISU won 1 conference game. I think that the best predictor of where a team will finish, is how that team ranks on team defense, both total yards given and scoring. The top teams in the league give up the fewest points.

If ISU wants to return to 6+ win seasons, then the greatest improvement needed will have to come on the defensive side of the ball. I do not see ISU becoming a team that is able to average scoring 40-50 points a game. We have to become a team that gives up around 25-30 points a game. To do that, more play makers will be needed on defense which will have to come through recruitment and development. This will not be a quick fix.

A couple thoughts...

We don't necessarily need to score 40-50 per game and that is why a strong rushing attack works. It BURNS THE CLOCK. Yes the ISU defense needs a lot of work, but if you're possessing the ball longer on the game clock due to more rushing, the other team will not score as much.

Also, no one including JP thinks all we need to do is run the ball more, and everything will be fine. He wanted a guy who believes in the foundation of a strong rushing attack, as there are facts that back that up (and not WAGs like your passing stat). That in no way implied to me that we should just completely ignore trying to get better on the defensive side of the ball, which is apparently what you took from JPs rushing stat.

 

[demoncore1031]

A couple thoughts...

We don't necessarily need to score 40-50 per game and that is why a strong rushing attack works. It BURNS THE CLOCK. Yes the ISU defense needs a lot of work, but if you're possessing the ball longer on the game clock due to more rushing, the other team will not score as much.

Also, no one including JP thinks all we need to do is run the ball more, and everything will be fine. He wanted a guy who believes in the foundation of a strong rushing attack, as there are facts that back that up (and not WAGs like your passing stat). That in no way implied to me that we should just completely ignore trying to get better on the defensive side of the ball, which is apparently what you took from JPs rushing stat.

Agreed. A good rushing attack is a must, but it's pointless without a balanced passing game and decent defense. Our defense is better than people think. We have some good athletes on both sides of the ball. All they need is proper coaching, no offense to the previous staff.

 

[Cyclad]

Jamie Pollard recently quoted that in Big-12 games the team that rushed for the most yards, won 80% of the games and that our new coach had developed good offensive lines with better than average rushing offenses. The logic is that if we rush more we win more. It is not that simple though. I do not know the numbers, but I would bet that the team that has more passing yards in a game also wins the majority of the games they play. If you look at ISU history, in Troy Davis's sophomore and junior years he rushed for more than 2,000 yards each season, and in each of those years, ISU won 1 conference game. I think that the best predictor of where a team will finish, is how that team ranks on team defense, both total yards given and scoring. The top teams in the league give up the fewest points.

If ISU wants to return to 6+ win seasons, then the greatest improvement needed will have to come on the defensive side of the ball. I do not see ISU becoming a team that is able to average scoring 40-50 points a game. We have to become a team that gives up around 25-30 points a game. To do that, more play makers will be needed on defense which will have to come through recruitment and development. This will not be a quick fix.

I agree with your comments. However, I am a proponent of the KSU model. I think rushing the football, shortening the game, keeping your defense off the field will give the opponent less time and opportunities....hence less points. It certainly does not mean you will win, but it might mean you do not need 50 points to win either. The worst thing you can do against some of the high power jet tempo teams we play is to be up tempo yourself, and be bad at doing it. You just hurry up and give them the ball back. So....I agree we need big defensive improvement, but I think it is somewhat related to your offensive production.

 

[Tedcyclone]

well heres the top 25 rushing teams.

1	GEORGIA SOUTHERN	436.9	375.6	6.71
2	NAVY	420.5	330.1	5.71
3	AIR FORCE	462.1	323.5	5.41
4	BAYLOR	616.0	291.5	5.69
5	OREGON	548.3	287.9	6.06
6	APPALACHIAN STATE	470.1	266.8	5.61
7	GEORGIA TECH	378.0	256.7	5.28
8	ARMY	337.6	254.0	4.88
9	NEW MEXICO	379.0	249.2	5.26
10	LOUISIANA STATE	419.0	245.9	5.80
11	SOUTH FLORIDA	428.7	243.8	5.33
12	OHIO STATE	428.9	242.0	5.65
13	WEST VIRGINIA	464.8	241.5	4.85
14	HOUSTON	499.8	240.7	5.01
15	SAN DIEGO STATE	373.5	235.5	4.89
16	OKLAHOMA	542.9	235.0	5.21
17	TEXAS	376.5	231.1	5.22
18	NORTH CAROLINA	495.7	230.0	6.01
19	ARIZONA	494.2	226.9	5.52
20	ARKANSAS STATE	440.2	226.1	4.76
21	TENNESSEE	422.5	223.5	4.76
22	STANFORD	437.4	221.8	5.06	2
23	TEXAS CHRISTIAN	564.3	218.9	5.10	3
24	NOTRE DAME	471.9	215.6
25	TOLEDO	463.8	213.7	5.13

 

[ThatllDoCy]

The defense was really young this year. I always thought that our old staff did an at least adequate if not very good job with the Defense especially Linebackers. They got better and you can't fault them for getting stomped by OU, that is an excellent football team that would do that to 90% of the teams out there.

In the Big 12, with the emphasis on air raid and spread offenses, we need speed at Safety and CB. Size is important at CB but I would have a mix of guys that are just plain fast regardless of size, and big guys. Then match them up to the individual personnel that we are facing week to week. We seemed stuck on having guys playing only one spot on th field so they could get caught up in mismatches. I could be wrong, and maybe they mixed it up, but I thought they were pretty consistent on what side of the field they lined up on.

In recruiting the new DC should think talent, talent, talent, and on the field matchups, matchups, matchups.

 

[CyBobby]

You're seriously and idiot if you think a teams like Iowa State's best shot at success is passing the ball. They need to run, control the clock, not turn the ball over, and play good defense. The best chance at beating a more talented team is to slow them down and make them beat themselves.

I agree..........trying to Out Do Baylor and TCU by running a spread offense is pure insanity.....When our strength in the Midwest is Linemen.....It makes sense to run the football down Baylor and TCU's throat while their passing offenses stand on the sidelines.....................

In football the team that rushes for more yards usually wins (not always just usually) on any level of football....

 

[VeloClone]

I agree..........trying to Out Do Baylor and TCU by running a spread offense is pure insanity.....When our strength in the Midwest is Linemen.....It makes sense to run the football down Baylor and TCU's throat while their passing offenses stand on the sidelines.....................

In football the team that rushes for more yards usually wins (not always just usually) on any level of football....

A spread offense does not preclude running the ball. You can be a run first offense while using spread formations to spread the defense out. You also don't have to choose. I not a fan of Hayden Fry for a multitude of reasons but he said it very well: scratch where it itches. If you find a weakness in a defense or something you are having success at keep using it; maybe not every play but make it a centerpiece of the strategy for that game and force them to adjust and stop it. When they adjust you exploit what their adjustment has left vulnerable. They practiced that week more for the original defensive plan so they will execute it best. Their adjustment plan will probably not be executed as well.

 

[jbhtexas]

Back in 2012, when KSU tied for the top of the conference, in conference games, they were 5th in the Big 12 in rushing at 181 ypg (BU was #1 at 232 ypg). KSU was 8th in passing at 215 ypg (TT was #1 at 360 ypg). KSU certainly wasn't as pass-happy as others in the Big 12, but they still had a credible passing game, and had more passing yards than rushing yards per game. KSU was 4th in scoring at 38.9 ppg (OU was #1 at 41.9 ppg).

In fact, if you look back over the past 6 years, except for one year, in general, when KSU became relatively more run-oriented, they finished lower in the conference than they did when they passed more.

You need to score points to win in the Big 12. Not even Wizard Snyder is immune to that.

 

[jcyclonee]

Troy Davis approves of this thread.

 

[CyCloned]

We had our best rushing game in years and went 3-9. Enough said.

The problem with this is two fold. 1. the best in 3 years is still not good enough. 2. It seems like ISU ended the season with a negative 50 in the TO margin. Way too many TO and the defense couldn't take the ball away if it was handed to them.

 

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

CMC should have no problem finding his new OC. He apparently doesn't need to look outside of this thread.

 

[NickTheGreat]

Agreed. The spread has historically worked out better for ISU :twitcy: