ISU's Issues

[kingcy]

I wish people would realize that we have lost four games to at least good football teams. We have beaten every average to below team we have faced. Say what you will about Texas but you can't take away their talent or their defense. Its not like we are getting beat by 09 Baylor here.

With the new Big 12 ISU will play games like that every year. If the FB program is going to be viable it is time to step up and go toe to toe with the big boys or pack it up and give up on FB ever being good. This trying to put makeup on a fat chick is getting old. A loss is a loss and losing is getting old and some of us are tired of it and the excuses.

 

[sloaner]

The problems are the same now as they have always been. It is damn tough to get top level talent to come to school in Ames Iowa.

bull ****, how do they get talent in K State or other schools like Boise State and smaller schools?

Well Kansas has Jucos that if you graduate from you can go to KU or KSU fairly easily.

 

[kingcy]

And some would argue you need longer than that because initial success doesn't help until about the 3rd or 4th class. No one is coming in to ISU making us a top 25 team in less than 4 years. It just won't happen.

(Let me be clear that I mean reasonable choices for head coaches. For you who would pick it apart, Nick Saban isn't coming to ISU.)

IMO CPR is the guy that can get it done at ISU. If he cannot get it done I am not sure anyone can. He is building this from the bottom up and that takes time.

 

[UNIGuy4Cy]

Umm "new" Big 12 will be the same as the "old" Big 12 in two years.

 

[Tre4ISU]

With the new Big 12 ISU will play games like that every year. If the FB program is going to be viable it is time to step up and go toe to toe with the big boys or pack it up and give up on FB ever being good. This trying to put makeup on a fat chick is getting old. A loss is a loss and losing is getting old and some of us are tired of it and the excuses.

Yeah, I realize that. That wasn't the point. The point is that you have a program being built here. It's no in it's maturity. We aren't going to beat a lot of good teams right now. In the future, I see that changing.

 

[kingcy]

I agree and disagree. On a play-by-play basis, I disagree. There has, at time, been very good line play and mess ups by someone else. On the other hand a big key to us not being successful, IMO, has been poor line play. The line is a major issue, but when they do well, we don't take advantage.

Until the line play is good play in play out there will be issues. If the QB and RBs cannot trust the line there will be issues.

 

[cymachine]

Pointing to women's sports being able to attract tall, white women from the Midwest to Ames, isn't exactly apples-to-apples with recruiting football players to Ames.

I'm not saying that it can't be done, but you can't really use women's sports as proof that you can recruit to Ames.

Football is 10x more competitive than WBB or Volleyball.

Really????????? Is that your opinion or is it a fact. Ummmmm if you read my post i also used the example of the mens basketball team. Ya think that is 10x less competitive thans mens football which has maybe 5 or more numbersmof players. Thats ok, keep trying brother.....

 

[JUKEBOX]

I agree and disagree. On a play-by-play basis, I disagree. There has, at time, been very good line play and mess ups by someone else. On the other hand a big key to us not being successful, IMO, has been poor line play. The line is a major issue, but when they do well, we don't take advantage.

Our D-Line should be BIG in the future. From who this staff has recruited so far, I believe Nick Kron may be the shortest D-Lineman at 6'2". Every other D-Lineman is >=6'3". If the coaches develop some explosiveness and strength, the line could be set.
Here are the players on the D-Line that the staff has recruited (not counting JUCOS)
Nick Kron - Yahoo! Sports
Brandon Jensen - Yahoo! Sports
Devin Lemke - Yahoo! Sports
David Irving - Yahoo! Sports
Quinton Pompey - Yahoo! Sports
Collin Bevins - Yahoo! Sports
Mitchell Meyers - Yahoo! Sports
Pierre Aka - Yahoo! Sports

The LB core looks like it has some great talent for the future as well.
Jeremiah George - Yahoo! Sports
Floyd Mattison - Yahoo! Sports
C.J. Morgan - Yahoo! Sports
Jevohn Miller - Yahoo! Sports
Kane Seeley - Yahoo! Sports
Adam Pavlenko - Yahoo! Sports

 

[Tre4ISU]

Our D-Line should be BIG in the future. From who this staff has recruited so far, I believe Nick Kron may be the shortest D-Lineman at 6'2". Every other D-Lineman is >=6'3". If the coaches develop some explosiveness and strength, the line could be set.
Here are the players on the D-Line that the staff has recruited (not counting JUCOS)
Nick Kron - Yahoo! Sports
Brandon Jensen - Yahoo! Sports
Devin Lemke - Yahoo! Sports
David Irving - Yahoo! Sports
Quinton Pompey - Yahoo! Sports
Collin Bevins - Yahoo! Sports
Mitchell Meyers - Yahoo! Sports
Pierre Aka - Yahoo! Sports

The LB core looks like it has some great talent for the future as well.
Jeremiah George - Yahoo! Sports
Floyd Mattison - Yahoo! Sports
C.J. Morgan - Yahoo! Sports
Jevohn Miller - Yahoo! Sports
Kane Seeley - Yahoo! Sports
Adam Pavlenko - Yahoo! Sports

You add Donald Smith, Adrian Bennett and Cqulin Hubert to that group and and the LBers are outstanding.

 

[acgclone]

Really????????? Is that your opinion or is it a fact. Ummmmm if you read my post i also used the example of the mens basketball team. Ya think that is 10x less competitive thans mens football which has maybe 5 or more numbersmof players. Thats ok, keep trying brother.....

MBB and Football are apples and oranges too. Look at the number of small, yet successful MBB schools. Totally different than football, because you only have to recruit a small handful of players.

In MBB you have schools such as Xavier, Marquette, Gonzaga, that are very good b-ball schools, but could never compete in FB.

Getting 22+ good football players, in a small population state is VERY difficult, and just because it's been done in volleyball holds no bearing on FB.

 

[ajk4st8]

ISU will be blown out in every conference game, minus KU.


When every team in your conference is blowing you out you need major talent upgrades at EVERY position just to catch up to being 'not terrible'

 

[mikem]

Boys if it were easy to get top level football talent to come to ames ia ...well...


In the words of Jamie Pollard..."Some coach would have already dont it"....



You guys just have to accept that without any Winning Tradition, and winning NO conference championships that anyone who is now alive can remember its just ..


Mission Fricking Impossible to close the gap with the top teams in the big 12 er texas ten conference....


In a few more losing seasons which are sure to come some of you will Wax Poetically about how good the McCarney years were with 5 strait wins over the HOKS and five bowl games in six years.....[/QUOTE]


The rest of the post is correct, but the bold is half truth ********, and you know it.

The simple fact of the matter is had mac been able to coach his way out of a paper bag, and won the two gift division titles, or better yet tried to continue to coach rather than spin when his mentor didn't even think about hiring him, we would not be in this predicament.

I get that revisionism is the only way to make mac the mediocre look good, but when you realize what the division title in 2004, and a 10-11 win season in 2005 would have meant to this program, it makes him even more indefenseable. Add the fact that we were competitive because everyone else in the North got bad, and we didn't play the good south teams, and it becomes clearer what he really "accomplished" in 12 ******* years.

Then when you realize even further, that after Alvarez chuckled at him, and he pretty much stopped recruiting, leaving this program in nearly as big of a hole as he found it....well the FACTS of his tenure should come into focus.

CPR is not rebuilding this program, he is BUILDING a program. It is going to take a lot longer than three years folks.

 

[ShankinPATs]

I noticed at the A&M game that Reeves in particular was 7 yrds off the receiver and they were running slants and outs all day on him its so frustrating that we can't tighten up the coverages and why can't our future NFL lineman Kelechi go on two or for godsake not hold I did think our DLine did much better getting a push

 

[Wesley]

You are exactly right. I dont understand all the negative points of view being expressed here. The argument that we cant recruit to ames due to it being ames or non-tradition doesnt stand up to facts. First, other sports have done so, such as womens volleyball. There was no tradition and it is the same town. Second, most of the kids hoiberg is bringing to town have no idea about isus tradition in the past. Third, have you been to waco or lubbock? Cmon man..... I was a student at texas a&m in the 70s, one in ames in the late 70s- early 80s, and live in iowa city now. Ames beats all of them. Comon man, have some pride in your school and town. You guys are selling an outstanding school, town and athletic program short. Iowa state has a helluva lot to offer. Most recruits are looking for pt, a place to make an impact, a bigtime conference, a coach they can play for and respect, good facilities, fan support and a nice place to live. Isu has it all and any recruit would be making a big mistake not to consider iowa state.

You forgot to mention going to bowl games.

 

[Wesley]

I noticed at the A&M game that Reeves in particular was 7 yrds off the receiver and they were running slants and outs all day on him its so frustrating that we can't tighten up the coverages and why can't our future NFL lineman Kelechi go on two or for godsake not hold I did think our DLine did much better getting a push

My biggest complaint is that only our linebackers appear to be the only ones tointercept the ball these days. We obviously are not playing in front of receivers at that point.

 

[checker21]

I disagree. I think jb did pretty well. I think our wr play was awful. they ccontinue to drop passes that would have kept drives going. I think if they make those catches its a different ballgame

 

[CyCloned]

And we're running an offense we don't have the talent to be successful with

I hate to say it, but this looks like the real problem. The ISU defense can play pretty well in short periods of time, but when they are out there for extended periods they wilt. I like CPR and what he brings to the table, but this hurry up offense is just not working and is causing the defense to play way too many downs. It is not a bad idea if you have a QB that can complete 75% of his passes and a offense that can consistantly generate first downs without the turnovers. Maybe Barnett will be the guy that can move the team with some consistancy, but so far the hurry up spread is just a fast way to get the punter on the field.

 

[Taylor29]

Yeah, the talent level is the biggest issue. Our talent would be good enough to compete in the Big 10 IMO, at least get to bowl games. But the Big 12 is just loaded with talent.

For example, we think we have good RBs, but then you see Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael yesterday and realize that James White would NEVER see the field if he was at A&M. And James White is a good RB folks, don't get me wrong, but the RBs in the Big 12 are almost all elite type RBs. Now carry that kind of talent across the board to all positions on your team and you realize what ISU is up against every week.

I've been saying on here for weeks, we are going to struggle to get back to a bowl game in the new 10 team Big 12 IMO. Our schedule will be a nightmare each and every single year. Especially if we keep playing Iowa every year. Not that we can't beat Iowa, as we proved once again this year, but it's not a cupcake win that we can always count on. If we're only going to play 3 non-conference games every year, they had better be cupcakes. And as this year is pointing out, going 3-0 in the non-con probably isn't even good enough to make it bowling anymore.

We will probably never have as much talent on the field as almost everyone else in the Big 12, besides maybe KU. So, for us to win, we have to out-smart and out-coach other teams. We're doing neither of those right now. We play dumb, commit way too many turnovers and penalties, AND our OC isn't very good IMO and won't be able to outsmart any defense in this league with his predictable playcalling and scheme.

Just my opinions.

I agree with you on the OC, terrible play calling. How about two bubble screens in a row. lol:twitcy:

 

[Peter]

Iowa State will struggle in a 10 team conference and it is crucial that the Big 12 get back to 12 teams. I'm as optimistic as anybody but a 9 game conference schedule is to much for the program right now.

Offensively, we are just so inconsistent and have been since the arrival of Tom Herman. He does not deserve all the blame but when you are in year 3 you should start seeing some consistency and the only thing we are consistent at is being inconsistent.

How much longer can we keep scoring 17 pts. in a conference where you need to score 30 to even give yourself a shot before we take a hard look at our offensive philosophy. We are trying to run the same offense as everyone else without the same talent. Iowa State needs to be different than its foes. Look at Northwestern in the b1g, they have been competitive (minus this year) because they are doing something different. b1g teams have to prepare for an offense that they just don't see every week. Northwestern, although for different reasons, has recruiting limitations like we do.

I'm not proposing we go all Georgia Tech on people but I would love to run a pro style offense (similar to A&M's) where we at least get under center some of the time. A&M's offense does not lack big play ability and they don't run 4-5 receivers on the field every possession. With that type of offense, you can actually control the ball and try to keep the other offense off the field. In this conference, that is huge.

I'm by no means throwing Herman under the bus and saying he needs to be canned, but at some point you have to look at our offensive philosophy and wonder if that gives us the best chance to win. Iowa State will never out recruit the other teams in the conference so they need to find ways to be different.

Good post. However, I don't know if we necessarily need to be different than other teams. I think we should find a system that we can be really really good at rather than constantly switching our offense to counter our opponents. We need to figure out what kind of players we can recruit and develop on a consistent basis and build an offense based on those player's abilities. Maybe that is a pro-style system...I don't know, but I'm skeptical we will ever consistently get the players we need for Herman's offense.

 

[CRAZYGREG]

I agree with you on the OC, terrible play calling. How about two bubble screens in a row. lol:twitcy:

It was three in a row I believe. The first one worked well and then they stuffed the next two in a row.