Iowa vs. Georgia Tech: Orangle Bowl Odds and Ends

[lostinamerica]

I'll be editing these posts later in the day as time permits. But I wanted to get something out there earlier rather than later.



Conventional Wisdom:


(1) The best angle in my arsenal for capping of Bowl games is to look for veteran teams with excellent coaches that tasted an embarrassing or heartbreaking loss in their Bowl game the prior year. Georgia Tech is a relatively young team under excellent HC Paul Johnson and last year they were trounced 38-3 by LSU. But like everything, that angle doesn't operate in a vacuum exclusive of other factors, it's just a tool that stands large in any equation.


(2) Disciplined assignment football by a good defense with time to prepare is the proper prescription for containing an option attack. A suspect defense with tons of speed will just spend their time running themselves out of position and chasing down players from behind


(3) It almost became a badge of honor among Iowa fans during the course of the 2009 season . . . (stay tuned)


(4) A preview:

http://cfb-campus.com/00602_2009_college_football_bowls_fedex_orange_bowl

(5) Forecast: Temperatures hovering around 40 degrees.




Fact or Fiction:


(1) Even teams that don't score much have consistently scored on GT this season.

(2) An option offense is great in lower tier Bowls against an opponent that doesn't want to be there.

(3) "Paul Johnson's veer option/flexbone (offense) is based on running two or three plays extremely well, to the extent that the base offense will "never lose" if the quarterback makes the right decisions against a base defense; the defense has to adjust to take away a certain aspect of the option, and when it does, it opens itself to be exploited by another aspect of the system. Johnson is a master of in-game adjustments and play-calling . . ."

(4) If the line moves in favor of the better defense getting points . . .

(5) With more time I could make my case on why Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi . . . stay tuned

(6) Georgia Tech: http://www.ajc.com/sports/georgia-tech/winning-orange-bowl-could-266736.html
- - "(HC Paul)Johnson has made no secret that he accepted the job at Georgia Tech because he thought he could win a national championship . . . Tech is seemingly on their way. The Yellow Jackets have already won 20 games Johnson's first two seasons as well as the ACC championship, competing primarily with players signed by Johnson's predecessor, Chan Gailey, for a pro-style offense. The offense improved by an average of 70 yards and 11 points per game between Johnson's first two years. The defense, for all its issues, slipped by 43.5 yards and a relatively modest 4 points per game . . . Tech appears well-positioned for a 2010 run. It is a relatively young team that will lose just six scholarship seniors, only of three of whom were starters this season. Three of the five starters on the offensive line return, as will all of the starters at the skill positions on offense. On defense, only linebacker Sedric Griffin will graduate . . .However, there are four key juniors who could leave early for the NFL. Each has said he hasn't made a decision because he is focused on the Orange Bowl . . . "I think everyone's still on the fence about Georgia Tech, at least as far as I can tell, reading the Internet and articles," guard Joseph Gilbert said. "A good solid win in the Orange Bowl would legitimize us in a lot of people's eyes . . . But the main thing would be motivation for next year. A big win in the Orange Bowl would hopefully result in a top-five finish this year and a shot at the real thing next year."



GL

 

[lostinamerica]

Iowa Defense: Sound principles for containing the GT veer option/flexbone, or nothing of the kind.


http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100103/SPORTS020502/100103008/-1/ORANGE_BOWL/Orange-Bowl-Iowa-s-A.J.-Edds-quietly-makes-noise-on-the-field

"A.J. Edds has the requisite characteristics on the field to handle the quietest position for Iowa?s defense.

At 6-feet-4 and 244 pounds, he?s big and strong enough to take on blocks at the line of scrimmage, agile and fast enough to cover receivers in space and unselfish enough to embrace the numbers that come ? or rather don?t come ? with playing outside linebacker in Iowa?s scheme.

?Edds is super intelligent,? (DC Norm) Parker said. ?If you ask him a question, it?s about a 10-minute answer, so be careful when you ask him a question.?

?Our defense is kind of built for our inside guys and our safeties to make the plays,? Edds said. ?The outside linebacker, in theory, is kind of an edge defender, kind of the outside guy to force it back in, which seems pretty mundane. But if you can do it the right way, you can still find a way to make some plays out there, I guess.

?I would compare it almost to a d-lineman or an interior tackle. If you just do your job, people aren?t really going to notice it. Then whenever you do your job and make plays, people notice it. But when you mess up, people also notice that pretty quickly as well. It?s kind of like a long snapper as well. It?s just part of the defense. That?s the assignment and role I?m put into.

?I figured out early on that you can?t try to make too many plays out there or else you?re going to bust stuff pretty quick and there?s going to be mistakes based on what I?ve done. I learned that, bought into the system pretty early on with coach Parker and coach (Darrell) Wilson and luckily it?s worked out pretty well for me.?

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http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100103/SPORTS020502/100103007/-1/ORANGE_BOWL/Orange-Bowl-Tyler-Sash-is-Iowa-s-Mr.-Opportunithy

(Tyler) Sash, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound sophomore from Oskaloosa, developed into an all-Big Ten strong safety during his second season as a starter with the Hawkeyes. He collected 84 tackles, picked off six passes, broke up six more and forced two fumbles.

Sash said his biggest area of improvement came in run support.

?My freshman year, I didn?t know exactly what it was going to be like,? he said. ?Just having a year of experience means a lot (with) just reading my keys, reading the offensive line when I read run coming down and just being an extra guy in the box sometimes.?

Sash said he?ll be in the box more to help stop the run against Georgia Tech?s flexbone offense.

?I?ve got to read my keys, that?s the biggest thing,? Sash said. ?Obviously, there?s the option attack and I?m going to have some responsibilities here and there and I have to read my keys because they do pass here and there, and it seems like every time they do pass it?s going for a touchdown just because people are sucking up on the run and trying to stop the option, especially the defensive backs.

"They?ll lull you to sleep, trying to get you to come up and support the run and all of a sudden it?s a play-action pass and you?re chasing the receiver down the field.?

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GL

 

[lostinamerica]

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100103/SPORTS020502/1040314/-1/ORANGE_BOWL/Orange-Bowl-A-dream-for-twin-brothers-Karl-and-Kevin-Klug

"Twin brothers Karl and Kevin Klug will collect a separate set of Orange Bowl memories.

Karl realized his childhood dream of competing at the major-college level and is now a solidifying force on the Hawkeyes' defensive front four.

Kevin's athletic path was derailed as a ninth-grader, when he developed achalasia - a throat condition in which the esophageal muscle does not relax and food is unable to enter the stomach.

The affliction made it difficult for Kevin Klug to gain weight.

Kevin underwent surgery to correct the problem and eventually became a 6-2, 208-pound starter for Minnesota State.

"I feel very lucky," (Karl) said. "I guess any time we go on big trips like this and play big games ... I wish (Kevin) was there. But that's not the way it happened."

Kevin Klug will be at Land Shark Stadium on Tuesday, giving him an opportunity to share part of the Bowl Championship Series experience with Karl.

"When we were kids we'd always look at all the bowl games," Kevin said, "and the Orange Bowl was pretty prestigious.

"I'm so happy for the dude, and I get to watch him. I just hope he has a good game."

The Klugs will only visit briefly in the days leading up to kickoff.

Karl, who made 59 tackles during the regular season, including 12 for losses, is practicing. Kevin is soaking up the scenery.

"We're throwing the Frisbee around on the beach," Kevin said. "We're just having a good time down here."

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Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously said that the task of trying to provide a shorthand description to define hard-core pornography may be attempting to define the indefinable, "But I know it when I see it."

When capping football (treading water) or golf (quite profitably) for ANGLES and INFORMATION, I frequently start my research not knowing what I expect to find or even hope to find, "But I know it when I see it."

Klug's twin brother also plays college football, but they'll only visit briefly in the days leading up to the game . . . That tells me with more confidence and better than anything else I've heard or seen what I wanted to try and find out about the extent to which this Iowa team is on a serious business trip.


GL

 

[lostinamerica]

I'm a U of I grad and I love football and the Hawks, but I bleed the green and gold of the Green Bay Packers.

I know my share of Hawkeye fans that bleed black and gold, and in four words I can sum up the gold standard of success that has still not been achieved since the renaissance started by Hayden Fry in 1979: WIN THE ROSE BOWL.

The Orange Bowl is not the Rose Bowl and never will be, but it's a damn big game. You can't convince me a first since 1959 Rose Bowl win wouldn't be more satisfying than two or more other BCS Bowl wins, but an Orange Bowl win would mean more than two or more Capital One Bowl wins.

I trust these Hawkeyes know what stage they are on and what that patch on their uniform means and are prepared to fully embrace it. I don't think they are playing as a launching pad for "a shot at the real thing next year."

I'm thrilled at having a chance to invest my money in a live dog.

GO HAWKS!

Derrell Johnson-Koulianos mugs for the camera during the coaches' luncheon on Monday.


GL

 

[lostinamerica]

Just finishing up what I started earlier . . .

I'll be editing these posts later in the day as time permits.

Conventional Wisdom:

(3) It almost became a badge of honor among Iowa fans during the course of the 2009 season that . . . (stay tuned)

. . . Norm Parker's defense likes to line up and play their base defenses time and again. Not a lot of situational substitutions. Not a lot of exotic schemes or blitzing, regardless of the style and tendencies of their opponent. Don't bitch, just go in and put out the fire. (I always thought it funny how this was seen as a virtue when contrasted with some of the vanilla schemes and game plans of offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe which have him in line for a lynching party every season for sticking close to what IMO expresses the staple of Ferentz's fundamental offensive philosophy, which is you need to run the ball in the 1st quarter and keep at it if you expect it to pay dividends in the 4th quarter.) Some have argued a primarily one-dimensional scheme allows the Iowa defense to play faster when they don't stray far from what they know best. As for me, I've always believed Iowa has the playmakers and depth to be far more exotic and aggressive with their defensive game plans from week to week, but as I said, this "nothing flashy, stick with what we know" approach was practically elevated to badge of honor status this season, and I really don't concur . . . As for tonight, Iowa's base defense is built around a 4-3 and cover 2 principles that should be effective against on option attack, but there will have to be adjustments to the entire game plan, and by definition that is entirely out of character for an Iowa defense . . . I didn't say all this as well as I wanted, but I think I got my points across, and I need to move on.

Fact or Fiction:

(5) With more time I could make my case on why Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi . . . stay tuned

. . . reminds me of Tony Romo by being streaky good or streaky bad. However, my Hawkeye cohorts have persuaded me he's far more unpredictable than that. The passing attack comes up big one moment, then looks horrible the next; making it look easy when the chips are down, and throwing strikes while on the run, and the next moment the offense is their own worst enemy when easy opportunities present themselves. I think Iowa has a really nice complement of offensive weapons this season, so I've been especially disappointed and surprised with Stanzi's failure to develop into an elite QB this year . . . Now it's fair to wonder whether Stanzi will show some rust after a long layoff and/or press because of doubt about his status going forward vis-a-vis James Vandenberg . . . Running the football has been a staple at Iowa forever, and this year it?s been more of a struggle for a variety of reasons . . . On the whole, the offense of this 10-2 team qualifies as just having taken advantage of the opportunities afforded them by their defense.


(7) Iowa hasn't played since November 21, while GT played on December 5 . . . However, that supposed advantage didn't play out as such in a very similar matchup between Ohio State (Nov. 21) and Oregon (Dec. 3).

(8) If I didn't already know it back then, the #1 lesson I learned as a fan of the Green Bay Packers during the Mike Holmgren regime is easy for me to state: a good coaching staff develops players. Players improve over the course of a season and from season to season, things that were problems get corrected, or they eventually find someone to take your place. Applying that valuable lesson to the Iowa program, Kirk Ferentz and his staff are among the best coaching staffs in the country, and it is an abberational year (i.e., injuries, etc) when Ferentz's Iowa teams are not at their best in November and January . . . And the fundamental strengths of those Iowa teams make them good propositions in big games and in their underdog roles.



GL

 

[lostinamerica]

IT'S GREAT TO BE A HAWKEYE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya-ArnK8Bpk&feature=related

GL

 

[Full court press]

:mj06: :00hour :director: kurby