Hawkeye Nation: MMQB - MSU - Summary of Iowa football and basketball games

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Hawkeye Nation: MMQB - MSU

Hawkeye Nation: MMQB - MSU - DRAFT

10/13/2002 by Jon Miller of Hawkeye Nation

Former Hawkeye all Big Ten quarterback Chuck Hartlieb was full of opinions today, so much so that we had to break down our ‘Monday Morning Quarterback’ feature into three parts, otherwise it would take until late in the afternoon to transcribe the entire interview. Here is part one. Chuck’s General Comments on Michigan State “First of all I was dead wrong. Last week, I felt that Michigan State was going to be the toughest game for the rest of the year. Maybe if I would have seen a little bit more coaching film, I could have figured this one out.” “It was a great performance by Iowa, but I was just really disappointed in Michigan State as a team. I want to give Iowa as much credit as possible, but the Spartans came in and just didn’t show up. It starts with Smoker. We talked about it last week in that they have always been a bit of an undisciplined team and I think you saw that on Saturday. I was really surprised with what they brought to Iowa City.” “Iowa played well in all aspects of the game but Michigan State did their part to get Iowa a big ‘W’ as well.” HN.com: Chuck, talk about the play of the Iowa defense, particularly the defensive line (we will get to the secondary later in the interview). Iowa threw some new stunts at Michigan State and basically had their way with the Spartan offensive line. Also, talk about the play of Matt Roth Hartlieb: “It (the DL stunts) was a nice twist and I hope they have some more tricks that they can pull out of the bag the rest of the way. Obviously, Iowa had great preparation. I thought they played with a lot of heart and they appeared motivated. That was another reason why I was concerned with this game. It is very tough to ‘get up’ for games week in and week out and after two dramatic wins for Iowa (OT v PSU and last week v Purdue) I felt that this game could be a flat spot for the team.” “But the defense played with a lot of intensity. I think the budding superstar is Matt Roth. He is something special and I know they were talking highly of him last year, but they knew that inside linebacker probably wasn’t going to be his position. It looks like he has found a home. His quickness is unbelievable and the intensity that he brings just rubs off on the rest of the team and I think he will be a leader for Iowa’s defense for the next few years.” HN.com: You said that it’s hard for the players to ‘get up’ for games week in and week out. In traveling to Indiana, what pitfalls will Iowa need to avoid and is it possible for Iowa to NOT look ahead to Michigan? Hartlieb: “It’s going to be a real challenge. It’s two fold. First, it’s seeing Indiana on film and knowing that you are better then them and a getting a win shouldn’t be that difficult and then seeing that the big game is just two weeks down the road and that is the game that will likely determine the Big Ten title for you.” “This is going to be a real challenge. When I think of Indiana, there is one difficult aspect of playing there that unless you have played, it’s hard to get a feel for.” “Week in and week out Iowa typically plays in front of raucous and crazy crowds, especially at Kinnick. Then you run out onto the field at Bloomington and it’s like you are in a church. It’s sad, but it’s difficult to get motivated, even if you have preparation and then you look around and the stadium is half full, it’s extremely quiet and it’s a Big Ten college football game.” “Plus, you will have a pumped up Indiana team now.” “Iowa is going to have to reach deep down, stay focused and try to build off of the momentum they have going right now.” HN.com: If you are an opposing Defensive Coordinator, how to you prepare for Iowa now that Ken O’Keefe is opening it up a bit more, Banks is running so effectively and Iowa just went away from a lot of their tendencies last week? Hartlieb: “I agree, O’Keefe is mixing things up well and he has a good balance right now. If I am a DC preparing for Iowa, I still come in and try to take away the running game first. I have to take my chances with some run blitzes, I have to keep the strong safety up and I have to see what Brad Banks can do to me on first and second down.” “I think a DC might be thinking ‘if we can hold these guys on first and second down and get them into a third and medium or third and long, then we get them in the passing situation and we can still confuse Banks and bring a blitz to end the drive’. Those first two downs are so critical for Iowa to stay out of the third and long.” “My concern is that the last two weeks, there have been some inconsistencies on offense, which is not a problem, but I think they need to get it turned around and get back to a killer instinct on offense.” “I am little concerned right now. Offensive execution is the critical aspect for this team right now in regards to Iowa’s chances of winning out the rest of the way. Will Brad Banks be able to get it done when they have 7 or 8 guys in the box.” Hartlieb: “I would say that it’s impossible to be at the same level for 11 straight weeks. You are going to have two or three flat spots. I don’t know of any coach who can get the kids to play consistently over 11 games. If that flat spot is coming up, it could certainly happen this weekend. But, if there is one huge word that is playing in Iowa’s favor right now, it’s momentum.” “When the world is crashing around you, and you are 1-10 or 1-6 out of the chute, the negative momentum is so difficult to turn around and we have seen that with this team. It is tough to get the wins even when you are right there.” “But on the positive side, when you have momentum going your way, that is lights out. You feed off of that and you feed off of one another and you can see that championship right ahead of you. That is the one thing that helps you get up. You have to say to yourself that ‘this is one opportunity that I may never get another shot at’. I think momentum will get them through the flat spots.“ “I think it’s more internal than anything a coach can do. I think the players are going to have to prepare themselves to work that way, and I don’t know if the coaches can have that much of an impact on that. From here on out, it’s going to be about the heart of the players to be able to overcome the flat spots.“ HN.com: You have seen some great teams at Iowa when you were there dating back to 1984 when you arrived on campus and when your brother (Jon) was there, how good is this team compared to the 17 or more Iowa teams that you have seen.? Hartlieb: “You have to play the full season, you have to ask that question at the end of the year. But at the midpoint, this looks to be one of the better three or four offenses of the last 20 years. Now, as a team, this could rank up as one of the best five or so but the defense is a real concern. I don’t think you can take a lot of confidence away from the Michigan State game. I can’t believe how poorly the Spartans played.” “But, I still remain extremely concerned about the defense. I love their intensity and I think they are doing the best that they can, but they have some weaknesses that are going to get exploited if they don’t find a way to cover them up.” “But offensively, things are in line for this group to be very special.” “I keep going back to the NFL caliber of players on this team and I think there are five or six future pro’s on the offensive side of the ball. It’s a great offense, but we have to make those judgments at the end of the year.” HN.com: Do you think the defense could have found and identity on Saturday as they jammed the MSU receivers at the line and just played a very physical football game? Hartlieb: “I thought that was huge for their confidence. So much of this game is mental. I think Iowa will be able to play off of the Michigan State game the rest of the year. I still remain very concerned about the defense keeping it together. I am not saying that they can’t, but it’s the big question mark.” “Now, you look at the rest of the schedule and you don’t have many more great offenses out there. Indiana, Northwestern and Minnesota; I don’t think they scare you offensively.” “Hopefully Iowa can bring the right packages to Ann Arbor and that defense will be fine. But the concern is the execution of the defensive packages and how they will hold together.” HN.com: One of the great things about interviewing you each week is your perspective on Iowa football both past and present. You were there when Rob Houghtlin was making the big, game-winning kicks and until lately, Houghtlin has been the clear cut best kicker of all-time at Iowa. Is Nate Kaeding making a run at that claim? Hartlieb: “Houghtlin was most known for his clutch kicks (41-yard winner as time expired in the Holiday Bowl, game winner as time expired against #2 Michigan in 1985 when Iowa was #1), but Kaeding hit the Alamo Bowl winner and the winner at Penn State two years ago. That might distinguish Rob a little bit, but other than that, you could almost say right now that Kaeding is the best kicker in Iowa history and he could easily go down as one of the best kickers in Big Ten history. I love that kid. He is so consistent and it’s very difficult for any college player to play at the consistent level he has been playing at.” “His kicks are dead center and they have great height. I am really impressed with what he has done. He is an unsung MVP, because having a kicker like Nate gives the offense so much more confidence. If they get it to the 30-yard line and the offense runs out of gas, they feel they will still get three points. The red zone is what is tough these days, but you can put a 30 or 40 yard drive together and sputter, but still put three points on the board.” “That really helps the offensive confidence when you can run off the field and put points on the board. Kaeding really is underrated as far as how much of an impact he has on this team.” “He has a great future ahead of him.” Hartlieb’s thoughts on Brad Banks “I am really impressed with his decision making. Week in and week out, I think this kid is making a lot of great decisions. It’s tough on TV to see what is happening downfield, but you can just sense that he is seeing the field very well. He has his #1 or #2 check downs, but he sees the DB’s closing in on them, doesn’t feel good about it and he is not afraid to either throw it away, or tuck it and run.” “At this stage of the game, decision making is what it is all about. For him to be a first year starter, he looks like he has been playing for four years at Iowa and I just think he is doing a super job.” “On the other hand, I am really concerned about him running. We can’t lose this kid and all that it takes is one pop to separate his shoulder or twist his knee and now the season is going in a different direction. Hopefully, they can get across to him to slide or run out of bounds. He is tough and I respect that, but we have to keep him healthy and I am getting more and more worried the more I see him run the ball.” “(backup QB) Nate Chandler could probably get it done against Minnesota or Northwestern, but it would be tough to beat Michigan or Wisconsin without Brad.” HN.com: Iowa fans are talking about the Rose Bowl and you know that is the goal of the team. But if not the Rose Bowl, what opponent would you like to see Iowa face in the post-season? “I would love to see an SEC match up or a game against one of the top B12 teams. I think that the B10 and B12 are more equal than people are giving the B10 credit for. Miami, Texas and Oklahoma might be a notch above and I am not sure about Texas now. But after that, I really think that Iowa could compete right now with Florida, Tennessee and Colorado, obviously. It would be great to get a big conference match up on January 1st.” “But let’s not talk about that Jon. I am thinking Pasadena if not the BCS. I think we might be looking at one of the best finishes in Iowa football history here what with the momentum they have going and the health of the football team. The schedule sets up for a pretty special holiday season.” HN.com: So far, so good Chuck, as you are perfect on your predictions this year. How do you see the game this weekend? Hartlieb: “I count last week as a loss, as I called that one wrong. I thought we would have a hard time against MSU and tip might hat to the Iowa coaching staff for getting the players focused again. I think it’s hard to have a big let down when you have a superior running game. I am hoping that this is one time where Iowa can knock them off the ball then go over the top for some deep passes. I will go Iowa 31, Indiana 16.” HN.com: You were at Iowa when Kirk Ferentz was an assistant and you know about his NFL background. Can a coach help a team stay focused and not overlook an opponent, or does that ultimately fall on the players? Can Kirk’s NFL background of taking each week very seriously help Iowa stay focused?

Hawkeye Nation was founded by Jon Miller, and later acquired by Rivals and Sports Illustrated. You can visit them at HawkeyeNation.com

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