Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - Iowa Football Rewatch: Was the win better or worse on 2nd view?

Episode Date: September 5, 2023

Trent Condon is back with the Hawkeye football rewatch after the 24-14 win over Utah State.Was it better or worse after a second viewing? Trent breaks down some of the befuddling play calls from Brian... Ferentz and why the concerns of him as an offensive coordinator will continue until he can show an ability to improve as a play caller in game along with on short yardage situations.Then a look through the numbers from Pro Football Focus and how they match up with what Trent saw on the rewatch. The offensive line graded out well, but that was because of the pass protection while the run blocking was rough.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!BirddogsGo to birddogs.com/lockedoncollege or enter promo code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for a free water bottle with any purchase. You won't want to take your birddogs off we promise you.NutrafolTake the first step to visibly thicker, healthier hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com/men and enter the promo code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE. Athletic BrewingGo to AthleticBrewing.com and enter code LOCKEDON to get 15% off your first online order or find a store near you! Athletic Brewing. Milford, CT and San Diego, CA. Near Beer.BetterhelpThis podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp.If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. Visit BetterHelp.com/lockedoncollege today to get 10% off your first month.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONCOLLEGE for $20 off your first purchase.LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONCOLLEGE. Terms and conditions apply.eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit. eBay Motors dot com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Right now, NEW customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get TWO HUNDRED in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 An Iowa football rewatch. We take a look back at Utah State. Positives, negatives. Was it better? A second time around, we break it down. Plus, the grades are in from Pro Football Focus. How did they see the Iowa win against Utah State? We break it down today.
Starting point is 00:00:17 Locked on Hawks. You are locked on Hawkeyes. Your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And I'm Trent Condon, and this is the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen every day. We're available wherever you get podcasts. While you're there, give us a five-star review.
Starting point is 00:00:52 And if you're on the YouTube side of things, hit that subscribe button. Helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans. Your team every day. That's what we do here on the Locked On Network. And we got you covered as we take a look back at the Iowa win against Utah State. My second viewing after being there in Kinnick Stadium, watching it on TV. A little bit different. We break things down
Starting point is 00:01:12 here today. Today's episode is brought to you by Bird Dogs. Go to birddogs.com slash lockdowncollege or you can just go online and enter the promo code LOCKDOWNCOllege for a free water bottle with any purchase. You won't want to take your bird dogs off.
Starting point is 00:01:30 We promise you. Let's get into it here as Iowa gets the win. We talked about it with a Rapid Reaction podcast. And now a little bit deeper dive into this football game. Second viewing, always a little bit different. Something that I do each and every week. And we will continue to do that throughout the course of this football season, and certainly a lot of things to spotlight here.
Starting point is 00:01:49 You start, of course, early on in how good the offense looked. The opening drive, the big kick return from Caleb Johnson leading to the second play and the touchdown pass. Seth Anderson wide open as he beats the defender to the end zone, hauls it in for the touchdown. Iowa is off and rolling. We talked about this a little bit yesterday. Of course, the second possession, they have the fourth
Starting point is 00:02:09 down play where they go for it inside the five-yard line, find Eric All, and it's quickly 14-0, and two touchdown passes in the first seven minutes of action, and you think things are off and rolling. Well, they only had one more touchdown to the board, and there were some parts of this game that certainly left you scratching your head.
Starting point is 00:02:27 And for all the optimism that we had coming into the season, everything that I was so positive about, the one thing that I guess I just pushed to the back burner was the play calling of Brian Ferentz. And this is a guy that has shown during his seven years now as the offensive coordinator, he's not very good at the job. He is a guy that just does not understand exactly what you're trying to do as a coordinator. Coordinating the offense, the simplest version of what you're trying to do.
Starting point is 00:02:54 Does he know football? Absolutely. Does he know how to coach? You can argue that. But does he know how to put together an offensive scheme, an offensive game plan of what to do? He is not showing that kind of ability. And it showed up once again in this one on the rewatch and just those different opportunities
Starting point is 00:03:11 where Iowa had chances to blow the game open, to take complete control of the football game and just was never able to do that. And play calling and scheme were a huge part of that. The scheme doesn't work. The run game is broken. And I don't believe that there is anything that's going to happen this season that is going to completely fix it. Look, this team has enough talent offensively to be a lot better than what they're going to turn out to be. And we talk about the 25 points per game and the pip that is put in
Starting point is 00:03:39 for Brian Ferentz this season and how that makes Iowa a little bit of a laughingstock on the national scale and the frustrations for that. That aside, though, you look at this offense and what they're trying to do. And though the zone blocking scheme is still a part of it, they're also going hat on hat. And how many times we saw the offensive line struggle. And it's just, well, one guy misses. Well, one guy misses, you're in trouble. Because when you're trying to block five with five, and you're doing it, and one guy's missing,
Starting point is 00:04:07 and no matter how good the tight ends are blocking, and Lachey and Eric Hall are both excellent blockers. Still, Lianos is a guy that is step forward. Estrengo is a guy that can help you out. Hayden Large at the fullback position. You put all these things together, well, when one guy misses, it's going to happen. And this was across the board.
Starting point is 00:04:24 Now, this was not just one guy struggling. And we'll get into the numbers from Pro Football Focus and the breakdown of the way that they saw it because I think it marries pretty well with what we saw. There were some things that we have a little bit of issue with and we will get into that when we break it down. But here's a perfect example. So Iowa gets the ball back after those two opening touchdowns.
Starting point is 00:04:43 And instead of kicking a field goal on fourth and one, instead they decide that they're going to go for it. All right, we're going to go, we're going to go big boy football. We're going to line up. We're going to pound it in there. Well, they didn't do that. Instead, they got the running back eight yards behind the line of scrimmage. You have a play call where you're trying to run it up the middle, but instead of just doing that and doing an iso play, just a simple dive play, have the fullback follow him up the gut and get the first down and get the yard. Instead, it's this cockamamie play where Brian Ferentz decides to dial it up, got everybody jumbled in the middle, you got guys falling over, you got both ends that are coming in untouched and completely blow the thing up. It's those kind of situations where Iowa continually in the Brian Ferentz era
Starting point is 00:05:27 has been awful in short yardage situations. This should not be this difficult. It should not be this tough, yet it is for Iowa. In fact, going back and watching the game, the biggest thing, my biggest takeaway in the running game was schematically the issues that showed up there, the same thing that I thought being in Kinnick Stadium but the second part was that if I was not going outside if they're not doing plays to the edge they can't run the ball in the middle of the field that's a problem when you are predicated on running the football and you can't do it up the gut you got big time issues and this team has big time issues the guard play was awful. Absolutely brutal.
Starting point is 00:06:05 And the Logan Jones, I thought, looked a whole lot better. It was not just the weird delay snap that we saw so many times a year ago. That was a way, at least for a game. I thought the tackles played okay at times. I was very impressed at times by Mason Richmond, though he had his own whiffs out there. Still, the inside play, the guard play. You go back to the team three years ago, four years ago now. Oh, geez, man.
Starting point is 00:06:28 Goes fast. You go back to that team that had Tristan Wirfs on one side, Alaric Jackson on the other, Tyler Lindbaum in the middle. You think this offensive line is going to be great. It wasn't. It wasn't because the guard play was bad. And the guard play that I saw again on Saturday, it was bad. And that is scary.
Starting point is 00:06:44 Because if you're not going to be able to run the football up the middle, you are going to have big time issues with this offense. But that play, the play call was just brutal. It was a bad play call. And we see this happen too much. Why does it have to be so difficult for them to be able to pick up a yard on third and fourth and one? Iowa, for a team that should be so much better at it than they were,
Starting point is 00:07:05 it doesn't happen. You know, we go back to the 2019 team and what they were able to do and how much fun we had in that bowl game with Nate Stanley just going up under center and just getting the sneak every single time. And they're going and they're getting six, seven yards of crack and they're just physically manhandling, just dominating the middle of the USC defense in that bowl game. Where is that? Where's that gone? Do we point to George Barnett? It is 30 year now as the offensive line coach. Look, the last two years with attrition, with injuries, playing a bunch of young guys, it was hard to put everything on his shoulders. There's no more excuses. And if this continues at this level, George Barnett needs to find another place because it is not good enough at Iowa. And if this continues at this level, George Barnett needs to find another place
Starting point is 00:07:45 because it is not good enough at Iowa. And I know that Kirk Ferentz is very hands-on with the offensive line and he's doing the things, but it's just not working up front. It's a game in, is it overreaction? Probably, but we got more overreactions. We continue our conversation about this team and about what we saw on the rewatch.
Starting point is 00:08:04 Some of the positives, some of the negatives negatives how about late in the first half more mismanagement of the clock this has been something that's been a problem for the better part of 25 years of Kirk Ferentz and it showed up once again on Saturday going into the half a complete screw-up we'll get into that we also get into the grades from pro football focus doesn't mirror what we saw on the football field. We will get that into that as we continue here. This is the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Well, I got my bird dogs on right now. Can't get them up on camera for you. I'm not that stretchy anymore, but they are so comfortable. So good. Bird dogs, we talk about them all the time. What bird dogs do for you is they give you that stylish look that you're looking for, not that stiff, old school,
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Starting point is 00:09:51 That's birddogs.com slash locked on college for a free water bottle at checkout. You won't want to take off your bird dogs. We promise you. Trent Conant back with you once again on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen every day. So late in the first half, Iowa, a chance to take another big lead into the halftime locker room. We're feeling good.
Starting point is 00:10:16 Had those two possessions that lead into touchdowns early on. Then they hit a little bit of a lull. Cade McNamara not looking quite as sharp, not getting the running game going, but they hit a little bit of a lull kate mcnamara not looking quite as sharp not getting the running game going but they're aided so there's a play fourth down as drew stevens comes out to kick the field goal he knocks it in looks like they're gonna get go into the locker room with 17 on the board and what do they do well we got a guy that just jumped over the uh center and he can't do that the long snapper can't do that. So Iowa gets a first down out of it. So they have it first in goal from like the nine-yard line.
Starting point is 00:10:50 And nice play call on the outside. LaShawn Williams gets to the edge and picks up seven. It is second in goal from the two-yard line. So 30 seconds left. He's bumped out, knocked down at the two-yard line. And instead of using their timeout right away, which would have left them 30 seconds, they had two timeouts left at this time.
Starting point is 00:11:08 Instead of doing that, they let 10 seconds go off the clock. Now they put two more on there, but it's still at 22. At minimum, there should have been 29 seconds left. And the reason these things matter is because of play calling. I don't understand why Iowa continually, with the great defense that they have, that they don't trust them with an extra couple of ticks here and there and why this continues to be an issue for Kirk Ferentz and this coaching staff, why they continually shoot themselves in the foot in clock situations and it happened there. So, all right, they use the time
Starting point is 00:11:41 out 22 seconds left at second and goal. And what do you do? You have one timeout remaining. Second and goal, it's very simple. From the two-yard line, you throw the football into the end zone, or you throw the football there. If it's incomplete, clock stops. Third and goal from the two, you can go a couple of different ways. Then you can either run it, or you can pass it, knowing that you have your timeout in your pocket. What do they do? Of course they don't throw the football. God forbid Brian Ferencz actually make a good decision in game. Hey, you have those scripted plays. It looks pretty good.
Starting point is 00:12:13 When you're in the heat of battle, though, Brian Ferencz does the worst thing that you can do in that situation with one timeout. He runs the football. They don't get it. What do they have to do? They have to burn the timeout. And then what do you do on third and goal?
Starting point is 00:12:28 You have to throw the football. Now, great get it. What do they have to do? They have to burn the timeout. And then what do you do on third and goal? You have to throw the football. Now, great play call. Absolutely beautiful. They get it out on the edge, but LaShawn Williams drops it. All right. Drop, work down, come out, kick the field goal. It's just those little simple things that shouldn't be that difficult. That should be football 101. What is it? In the water, boy? Where you got a coach over there reading football for dummies? This is football for dummies. You have one timeout, it's second and goal, you throw the football there. They don't do it. And that's what happens. You don't get the touchdown.
Starting point is 00:12:54 Get the field goal, Drew Stevens knocks it in. And they got 17 on the board going into that one. A couple other things on the rewatch, gotta mention. Got lucky on the punt that bounced off of Deshaun Lee. That's going to happen. We talked yesterday a ton about the play from Jay Higgins.
Starting point is 00:13:13 And boy, watching it again, he was all over the place. Another guy, though, that deserves a ton of credit is Sebastian Castro. Running from that cash position, just how good he was all over the field, both in coverage and tackling. He was all over the place. There was a play, it was a screen pass, and that's basically all Utah State did throughout the football game. That was their running game for the most part is what they did in the screen game. And there were two blockers on him. He blows up both blockers. He gets the tackle, gets a third down stop. He was absolutely incredible. A couple of misses out there, but overall, Sebastian Castro.
Starting point is 00:13:46 From where Castro was at the beginning of his career, what he turned into last year at the cash position, his versatility, of course, playing backup safety, and then that position, he's been so good. And he was a huge, huge part of that. Nick Jackson walked away disappointed with his play. So as we're going through and we've talked about these players at different levels for the last couple of days,
Starting point is 00:14:07 let's see if these numbers mirror what we saw with the guys over at Pro Football Focus. If you don't know Pro Football Focus, we get the numbers from them each and every week. It breaks down and it's a statistical profile of players and what they do each and every time. What it is, every single play that they are out there, they are graded and for offensive line, both run blocking and every time. What it is, every single play that they are out there, they are graded,
Starting point is 00:14:25 and for offensive line, both run blocking and pass blocking. Quarterback play, it's not just what you do throwing the football, also running the football. It takes account everything that you do on the football field on every single play. Let's start with the offense and Cade McNamara. So Cade McNamara, pretty solid game overall. His number, a 69.2, is the final grade in that one. Of course, not much of a runner right now with the quad injury. That was a 57, but as a passer, that was a 71. When he was clean in the pocket, and he was for the most part, the offensive line, as bad as they were run blocking,
Starting point is 00:14:58 they were good pass blocking. 15-25 for 145 and the two touchdowns with the clean pocket. Against pressure, 2-4 for 46 yards. A couple of those deep plays up the field were a pressure in his face. Loved to see that. There was no, you know, crap in his pants like we saw some quarterbacks of the past happening. He stood in there, stood tall, didn't fall over, didn't collapse. He stood and made throws.
Starting point is 00:15:22 And that's what you want to see out of your quarterback. When he was blitzed for a seven for 59 yards and a touchdown in that situation. So that's what we got out of him. Deacon Hill just won a three, hit his first pass, missed on his next two. Deacon Hill, if he is our starting quarterback, we are in big trouble. Cade McNamara, absolutely have to have him. We talked about the struggles of the running game, and that showed up in the numbers here. I think it was more a run-blocking issue than it was a running back issue. Caleb Johnson, incredibly talented. Jazzyon Patterson had that nice screenplay early in the game. Thought he was good. Maybe a little bit more LaShawn Williams than I would have liked to see. LaShawn Williams, though, he's a guy that, for the most part, though he gave up a sack, I believe he
Starting point is 00:16:03 was in there on the one sack that Iowa gave up as a guy came through untouched. Probably should have been there picking it up. That's what the TV broadcast also mentioned on that. Disappointing day, though, overall, from the running back. Your top receiver was a guy that really wasn't a receiver. Caleb Wetchin, who was running the jet sweeps out there three different times. One of them was absolutely blown up as I decided not to
Starting point is 00:16:25 block the defensive end on that side. I don't know. The first one, that guy was also one block, but he didn't have his eyes in the right spot. And Wetchin was able to get by him for a big gain, used him in a different way, in a different kind of look, coming back the other way in the second half of the football game. Of course, didn't have a catch in the game, but he is your top rated wide receiver. A little bit scary there. A little bit surprised Seth Anderson. He was a 60.5. Thought that'd be a tick higher for his performance. Nico Ragaini played 15 snaps in the game as he comes back from his injury. Had the big play up the left side. Also had the drop in the end zone. That could have been a monster play. Would have been difficult.
Starting point is 00:17:03 You know, he was looking back, basically straight back for the football. Still one you'd like to see him haul in earlier in that drive. Also, Luke Lachey had a drop there. Caleb Brown goes with a 52.9. Did not have a catch in the game as he played 21 snaps. Also, a guy without a catch was Deontay Vines. He graded out with a 51. Luke Lachey, a 63.5.
Starting point is 00:17:24 I thought that was going to be a whole lot higher. Seven catches, 73 yards in the game. Made a couple of plays. Had a drop in there, as mentioned a little bit earlier. Not sure if it would have went for a touchdown. Would have been very close. That's what you get for Lachey. And Eric Gall, he graded out as well in this one.
Starting point is 00:17:39 A little bit lower, 55.5 for Eric Gall. Looked like his blocking got better got better though as the game went on in fact in the fourth quarter when iowa scored their only touchdown of the second half that was eric all that was actually lined up as fullback on that play not a bad idea i think him in that role could be pretty good and he grades out at a 55.5 the biggest surprise though the offensive numbers was the grading out of the offensive line. It graded out incredibly well. It graded out incredibly well, though, because of the pass blocking.
Starting point is 00:18:10 Not so much on the run blocking side of things. At the front was Mason Richmond. He grades out with a 72.7 grade and 86.8, though, in pass blocking. Nick DeYoung was second on the team with a 70.4. And Jennings Dunker right behind him at a 69.9. Great pass blocking for both those guys. DeYoung was an 85 and a 79 for Dunker in the grading scale. Kobe was the fifth graded guy in his 41 snaps out there, a 64.3. Logan Jones, solid, not great.
Starting point is 00:18:45 That's an improvement from what we saw a year ago. The guys off the bench, though, it was rough. Tyler Ellsbury and Rusty Fett, both those guys really, really struggled in the football game. We continue here on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. We'll jump over to the defensive side of the football. The grades from Pro Football Focus. What do they say? And there's one, Xavier Wampa what they
Starting point is 00:19:07 saw different than what I saw we'll talk about that hand out the grades also take a look and see can this running game be fixed we'll get into that as we roll through here on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast today's episode of Lockdown Hawkeyes is brought to you by FanDuel get ready for the NFL season with incredible offers from FanDuel. It's America's number one sportsbook. Right now, you new customers out there, you can bet $5 and get 200 in bonus bets guaranteed. Plus all customers, new, returning customers, all of us,
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Starting point is 00:20:06 And as you would imagine, a very low total. 36.5 is the over-under in the game with the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones. Visit fanduel.com slash lockdown and kick off the NFL season with an offer you won't want to miss. FanDuel, official partner of the NFL. College football season is here,
Starting point is 00:20:28 and this season Locked On is kicking up our coverage with Locked On College Football Kickoff live. Each Friday, Locked On is going to go live from 10 to noon Central Time on every Locked On College YouTube channel, including right here with Locked On Hawkeyes. College Football Kickoff live. Going to cover everything going on in the world of college football.
Starting point is 00:20:48 Deion's dominating the headlines. Playoff implications already looking forward. Florida State, we put them number one. Rivalry games, well, we got a big one here this week with Iowa, Iowa State. And we'll go in depth like only Locked On can, including insight and analysis from our stable of Locked On College hosts, including yours truly, covering your team every day. Find Locked On College Football Kickoff Live every Friday from 10 to noon Central Time on any Locked On College YouTube channel.
Starting point is 00:21:17 You won't want to miss this. Trent Conant back with you one final time. This is the Lockeddown Hawkeyes podcast thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day but to wrap on things and we jump over to the grades from the defense from Pro Football Focus defensive line, defense in general
Starting point is 00:21:38 I guess left a little something to be desired now a ton of the yardage came in the fourth quarter including the touchdown drive for Utah State that made it 24-14 after they scored the touchdown in the two-point conversion. Wide open touchdown, an easy one there. They brought a little pressure on the two-point conversion, couldn't get home, and they flipped it onto the one-yard line and walked in for the two-point conversion that made it 24-14.
Starting point is 00:22:02 But there were a couple of drives. They moved the football, I thought, more effectively than I was anticipating. This was a Utah State team that did not return much up front, and yet they moved the football. Now, their quarterback, I thought, did a nice job. But overall, this would be an okay performance from the Iowa defense, even with all those caveats put in there. Let's see the defensive numbers. Now, Joe Evans was your best defensive lineman. He graded out huge, 89.4 for Joe Evans. Aaron Graves also very high at an 87.3. Logan Lee also in the 80s at an 81.3.
Starting point is 00:22:35 These numbers show you that these guys are playing at a super high level. Fourth on the list is a guy that needs to be playing more, and that's Brian Allen. He was the star of Kids Day. He was a star out there as he played more in the second half of the football game. I think Brian Allen needs to be out there a whole lot more. No offense to Ethan Hurkett, to Max Llewellyn. We need to see him on the field more.
Starting point is 00:22:56 He's just an impact kind of guy. He just is. He is a playmaker, and he has shown that in the limited availability that we saw. Even going back to the spring game, he was a guy that I thought showed up at that time, and certainly the case are right there. After that top four, Y.A. Black, he graded out with a 77. Hurkett behind him at a 75. Deontay Craig at 70.
Starting point is 00:23:15 Of course, he had the only sack of the game for the Hawkeye defense, followed up by Pittman and Llewellyn. The linebackers, well, no surprise, Jay Higgins, really good. A 76.3, which I thought was going to be higher when you look at the 16 tackles that he had in the game. Tackling was excellent. Run D was great. I guess a couple in pass coverage that dropped his number down a little bit more. Kyler Fisher was the third pick with the numbers here, just ahead of Nick Jackson, who looked lost at times. Now, remember Nick Jackson going into a new scheme. He's also playing a different position than what he's used to playing outside.
Starting point is 00:23:51 So there's going to be some growing pains. But I thought, expected more, at least game one, out of Nick Jackson. That was one of the disappointing ones. But the one that jumped out more than anything, we get to the defensive backfield and the pro football focus numbers. DeSean Lee, he grades out as the top defensive back. He scores a 78.5 on their grading scale, though his tackling was a 40.7.
Starting point is 00:24:15 I know he had a missed tackle. I thought he tackled well. That one really surprised me. Quinn Schulte, really good. He grades out as a 74. Cooper DeGene at 73. Cole Kolarik, who we saw late in the game, a 70.4. Cole Entringer, who came in for Xavier Wampa
Starting point is 00:24:29 after he exited with cramps. He's next up on the list. Sebastian Castro, though, is what? The sixth guy on this list. That's wrong. It's just wrong. TJ Hall thought he came in late. He showed some good signs.
Starting point is 00:24:41 Xavier Wampa, though, down at a 40.1 tackling. Didn't see that of course had the interception he was all over the place I I walked away impressed by Xavier these numbers didn't play out with that also at Hilson and Dia Fernandez who played late in the football game weird numbers I I didn't see it that way but pro football focus look they got guys grading things they also get the all 22 something we don't get on the TV side of things when you're re-watching games. Just some surprises. So my big question going in to this week is, can this run game be fixed?
Starting point is 00:25:13 And we know the old adage, right? You make your biggest leap from the first game to the second game. We have to hope that's the case, right? They have to be better. But this team is going to hit the heights that we want, that we anticipate, that I believe that they still can. It's going to start with the running game. After re-watching it, there were frustrating moments. I mentioned a couple of them earlier in the podcast here today.
Starting point is 00:25:36 But I think it can. It's going to take better play calling. It's going to take better play from the guards. It's going to take everything working together. It's going to take better play from the guards. It's going to take everything working together. But I still hold out hope. Maybe I'm crazy. I've been called worse. I've definitely been called worse.
Starting point is 00:25:54 Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. We'll be back with you later in the week. Jason's going to stop by. We also got, of course, LaShawn Daniels, who will stop in. We will talk plenty of football with them. Excited to continue here throughout our conversations on Hawkeye football. And now it's time to gear up for hate week and Iowa State as we will take a deep dive into the Cyclones and what we saw in their victory against UNI. Iowa gets the win. They're 1-0 on the season. We're good about that. Now it is a road trip. Got to be better if we're going to go to Ames and get a victory.
Starting point is 00:26:30 Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen every day. Your team every day. That's what we do here on the Lockdown Network. You're an NFL fan. Doesn't matter here if you're a Chiefs, a Vikings, a Bears, a Packers, or any of the 32 NFL teams, we have you covered. You play fantasy football, boom, we got you covered. How about the gambling side of things? We got you covered there as well with Lee Sterling. Baseball season coming down to the final month of the season. NBA, NHL right around the corner.
Starting point is 00:26:58 Your team every day. That's what we do here on the Locked On Network. This is Locked On Hawkeyes. We'll talk to you again tomorrow. Go Hawks.

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