Iowa, the United Nations University among the college football teams that need to change
Forty names, games, teams, and minute details made news in college football, as Florida State and LSU proved it. It can coexist extremely sloppy and very entertaining:
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Second Quarter
Maybe it’s time for some rest
The first week showed us that loyalty to your playing style, coach or hiring philosophy doesn’t always lead to optimal results. Sometimes, relationships are just too deep.
never b Iowa (11), the most stubborn program in the nation. The Hockeys set the sport back several decades with offensive World War I-era performances against South Dakota. They won seven goals the hard way – two from safety and one field goal – to beat an FCS opponent in front of the apprehensive 69,250 fans who had seen this black-and-white movie before.
“I saw a lot of good things,” Coach Kirk Ferenc (12) He said, causing everyone to wonder if he had hallucinations for three hours.
Ferenc won 191 career games largely by playing this way – eager, discreet, addicted to field position and completely unfazed by the lack of style points. (or nearly any real score, in this case). His son Brian is the coordinator who orders plays for the nation’s third worst offense one week later: 166 total yards, 2.72 yards per game.
The only team to bet 10 times in one game this season and win? You guessed it. Yes.
I pity the poor people of Backpocket Brewing in Iowa City, who threw a game watching party and Announced Free Jell-O Snapshots per landing in Iowa. They spent the rest of the weekend swimming in the Jell-O Surplus.
Ferenc’s and Frentz’s brain confidence remains committed to fifth-year quarterback Spencer Petras, despite the fact that he turned in a statistically brutal seventh consecutive performance dating back to the middle of last season. Since Iowa State beat Penn State to start the game 6-0 in 2021, Trass has thrown one touchdown pass and eight interceptions. He played the entire game on Saturday and presumably will start against rival Iowa State this week.
“I still trust him a lot,” said Kirk Ferenc. “I think the noise outside is probably a lot louder than it is inside. I have complete confidence. He is training well. He is a great guy. We will be better next week.”
The Hockeys would almost certainly be better – that’s how they roll. But if they are to defend their title in the Big Ten West, they will have to adopt a more modern offensive approach – and perhaps a fresh start QB.
Somewhere near the other end of the spectrum from Iowa is sitting Bordeaux (13). Boilermakers can be too passive, and too free, for their own good. Take their next loss forward to Pennsylvania last Thursday.
Most good teams are able to run the ball when the opponent knows they need to run the ball. He’s never been a force under head coach Jeff Brohm, but he understands the need for a ground game and said a lot at Big Ten media days in July. It is a vital component for holding leads and finishing games.
He then gave up any pretense of running into the final possessions while trying to protect a three-point lead against the Nittany Lions. In their possessions until 31-28, Bordeaux called 14 passes and one run. The two thrusters took just under three minutes and 50 seconds, giving Penn State plenty of time to go 80 yards for the winning score.
Bordeaux will always be on top under Broome – the Boilers were essentially a 40-60 pass team in the previous three seasons. With one game this year, they occupy them 28% of the time. At least balance can be helpful.
in North Carolina (14)MacBrown tried to reboot an old favorite through Recruitment Jane Chesick (15) as his defensive coordinator in January. The two had success together in Texas, including winning the 2005 National Championship, but that was a long time ago.
Mack and Gene 2.0 headed the Atlantic Coast Conference’s worst defense in two games, giving up 42.5 points and 492 yards per game, and did not face the Tar Heels after a Power 5 opponent. The Heels gave up a barely believable 40 points in the final quarter of a 63-61 victory alien to the Appalachian state.
Jay Bateman was not retained as defensive coordinator after North Carolina ceded 32.1 points and 418 yards per game last year. Those numbers don’t look bad now.
in navy (16)The decline appears to be accelerating for coach Ken Numatalulu. He’s had an impressive career in school, winning 105 games over 14 seasons, but the slip is real. Three of the previous four seasons ended in losing records, including the 7-15 mark in 2020 and 21.
Now the Midshipmen have begun the 2022 season with a shock 14-7 loss to Delaware, and are one of only two FBS teams to have lost to the FCS competitor so far this season. The Blue Hen advances 14-0 before the Navy installs the game’s only landing engine late in the third quarter. It was a continuation of two seasons of offensive struggle.
The Mids ran for 184 yards, only 2.9 per carry—and if the Navy couldn’t run, the Navy couldn’t win. Numatalulu demoted offensive coordinator Evin Jasper last year, then brought him back to the position this year, and early returns aren’t good with harder matches to come.
in Boise (17)the tradition of hiring from within the family tree may have infected a dead branch.
When Dirk Koetter left for Arizona after upgrading the program, he was replaced by offensive coordinator Dan Hawkins. When Hawkins left for Colorado in 2006, the quick (and smart) decision was to replace him with OC Chris Petersen. He took the program to an all-time high, then was replaced by former OC’s, Brian Harsen, who spent two seasons as an assistant at Texas and one as a head coach at Arkansas State before returning. Harsin’s move to Auburn followed the appointment of his old defensive coordinator, Andy Avalos, who played for the Boise under Hawkins and spent 12-18 for the Broncos before going to Oregon for two years.
In last year’s Avalos debut season, Boise went 7-5 – his worst mark of the century. The Broncos then opened the 22nd season by trucking it in Oregon. The final score was 34-17, but it was 24-0 in the first half and there was no doubt. The Boys had five turnovers and ceded 470 yards to beavers.
For a program trying to present itself as an attractive expansion option for the Pac-12, things are going in the wrong direction.
in Memphis (18)However, the trend of hiring junior coaches has hit a difficult spot. From Larry Porter to Justin Fuente to Mike Norville, the path has been upward. But now Ryan Silverfield has flipped the arrow down.
The former Norville assistant went 8-3 his first year, then slipped to 6-6 in 2021 – including five losses as a favourite. Year three started with 49-23 from Mississippi State, a team the Tigers beat last year. Like Boise, Memphis is an ambitious program looking to upgrade the conference (ideally to the Big 12, as fellow AAC programs Cincinnati, UCF and Houston). Like Boise, Memphis is struggling at an inopportune time.
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In the ACC (19)There has always been a willingness to play opponents other than the Fifth Force on the road. This year, the ACC has set 10 such matches, while no P5 league has set more than three. While it’s commendable in terms of being willing to break out of the usual home cocoon — and being financially responsible in terms of avoiding big payments for guaranteed games — it does present a risk.
Virginia Tech discovered it at Old Dominion on Friday, as reported by Dash’s First Quarter. Two more were lucky to win on Saturday: the previously mentioned North Carolina escape in Appalachia, and North Carolina (20) He scored a one-point win in East Carolina. seeded Wolfbeck came out of Greenville only unbeaten, as the Buccaneers striker missed an extra point and a field goal in the final three minutes.
Three ACC teams are taking the risk this week: Louisville at UCF on Friday, a short turnaround from Saturday night’s road loss to Syracuse; North Carolina is in the state of Georgia, which is a really weird stretch of two heels; Syracuse in Connecticut.
Subsequent road matches against non-P5 opponents: Pittsburgh in western Michigan on September 17; Georgia Tech at UCF on Sept 24; Boston College Yukon Oct 29; and Virginia Tech in Liberty on November 19. Best be prepared.
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