Wistrom Disciple

Time of Possession Season average - 28:42 minutes per game (93rd in the nation out of 127 eligible teams in '20) -- 28:54 in '19 (85/130) -- 28:02 in '18 (104/130) -- Home games - 23:49 mpg (123/127) -- 26:36 in '19 (122/130) -- 28:25 in '18 (97/130) -- Away games - 31:37 mpg (T-32/127) -- 32:07 in '19 (18/130) -- 27:35 in '18 (109/130) I believe there is a correlation between time of possession and success, specifically with our defense. The longer our defense is on the field, the more likely we are to give up points. Also, the longer our offense is able to hold onto the ball and sustain drives, the more effective our pace can be over four quarters. It was not a coincidence that Rutgers was gassed this past game as we held the ball for nearly 40 minutes and ran 86 plays. If Frost & Co. can solidify the formula for the possessing the ball and churning out first downs while occasionally mixing their penchant for home run play calls, we should be much more effective long-term.

Since there is no slam dunk or even close to a sure fire upgrade at this point, I’d lean more towards sticking with who we have unless a big improvement comes along. Yes, we could name a few dozen transfer QBs who turned out to be great improvements for their respective programs. However for each great improvement, there are 5x-10x more who didn’t pan out

Not great for sure. But didn’t get owned by the Sun Belt either.

Well we’re proving to be a pretty tough team, I don’t remember the last opponent to have this many players get time outs for injuries. Feels like at least two every drive.

Do we not have a kicker on the roster that can kick through the back of the end zone? Special teams hurting us badly today.

*Bill Callahan* enters the chat

They prevented the conversion... outside of a turnover, that was the outcome we would want?

Could be, but can’t improve if they don’t play. Gotta hold onto the belief... you’ve held on this long after all.

Deluded? I’m just not as pessimistic. Yes they need to improve, hence spring football being vital for that.

Where was the excuse in my statement? Dude you need to relax, your blood pressure can’t handle it.

Yes tough start to his career here. Too early to jump to conclusions for next year. Spring football will be vital.

Lol Frost is fired as we’re down 3-0 to Rutgers while still in the first quarter... relax man.

His ego isn't the bit he's stroking when reading these. Wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to send Nelson as a missle into him next season for good measure. I still found it funny that he felt compelled to boast last season over his kicks against a 5-7 Nebraska team... I'm sure his boyfriend was super proud though.

Definitely possible but I don't think the staff shifts are quite done yet. There were quite a few accusations being levied a few months ago, I'd be surprised if the silence holds. I also think how Nebraska handles the next 9 months will be vitally important in whether or not we lock in the in-state studs next year. If we demonstrate big improvements, we may open some eyes more, especially at Micah's TE position.

Will be interesting to watch for the next 12 months. I get a feeling the Iowa racial problems are not quite over and turmoil is never good. Hard to believe it was only the strength coach who had the issue based on the lawsuits and player testimonies.

Agreed with @Husker in WI above, Riley's staff was to blame for the poor depth at the receiver spot initially. Striking out with all the big names they pursued set us back quite a bit. Same goes for offensive line and their big miss with Foster Sarell as they would go all in on top guys, miss and scramble to find replacements. This was how Chris Walker got a scholarship versus a greyshirt or walk-on. Now, Frost & Co. tried finding some bandaids that ended up being less productive than hoped. I also think the Hunt/LeGrone situation severely hurt us as Hunt was expected to be a starter last season and LeGrone was in the rotation top 5-6. Those two being kicked out put the staff behind the 8-ball and pushed Noa out wide. Thankfully they are addressing the issue with the past couple classes that will hopefully translate to better success next year and beyond.

You are speculating when you claim his wife and kids are high maintenance or that his house being robbed had some kind of impact on the program or that liking Florida weather means she and the family doesn't like living here. You're jumping to massive conclusions basing the program's struggles on Frost because he likes being a father and husband? Shame on him, right? I recommend you stop going down this hole.

No. Urban Meyer is not coaching here and sending feelers out is foolish. Your argument that Frost is distracted by family is not a good one for the program's rocky past three years. I encourage you to not speculate about a man's family life or make assumptions about his wife or kids. Frost & Moos are not going to be fired for any performance-based issues for several years at minimum. Speculating about it is useless and wasting your time.

Did you read the rest of the post or stop after the first sentence? Talent alone does not win games and talent alone does not equal draft picks. Coaching and play calling are crucial to putting the talent in the correct spots and plays called that favor the skills of the talented players. Hell look at Texas every year or Michigan. Programs with more pure talent than 90% of the teams in the country. Where the failures are in large part is due to coaching errors. Running a bad scheme (s/o Bob Diaco), poor play calls and misusing players fall on coaching. The caliber of talented players in our program is enough to win the Big Ten West division.

I don't know that replacing Austin is the answer here. Austin was given the title of run game coordinator last year and we run less with our RBs than before. When our QBs are running more than our runningbacks, it's an issue. Same for trying to throw the ball into the wind when the defense drops eight back in coverage. I don't think he'd be calling for less running plays so the calls are coming from above his head. Yes, there is an obvious need for development with the linemen but we also need to start playing to their strengths consistently if we want to be successful.

@Mavric I agree, the talent is in the program. The outcomes this season also indicate that we aren't far off from winning these close games but we're playing down to our competition in a lot of facets. I think the coaches need to do a better job of finding ways to get the talented players on the field in whatever fashion best suits them at this stage. If Nance only runs Go routes well, send him out there a few times a game and have him run that route. If Hickman can only consistently execute a 5 yard out, throw him out there once in awhile. Having these guys stand on the sidelines all year and expecting everything to just click in practice the following week hasn't proven to work yet. Getting some game reps in can not only boost their confidence but it can help keep their attention to detail in film study and practices. In addition, the players get more familiar with game speed and can begin to build on concepts. Also, putting the guys on the field gives another wrinkle for opposing coaches to try and prepare for when facing us. Praying Wandale is able to hit multiple +25 yard plays a game for us is not a viable solution long-term so this coming spring and offseason will be a big indication of where this program is heading.

We also have Reimer inside available as well, right? If the Temple transfer can bring pressure on a blitz then I'm all for it but otherwise, you're right in that we have a pretty decent setup at the spot already.

I haven't seen anything from Dismuke that pushes him beyond an average-at-best player. Nothing shown from him (in my view) that indicates he would all of a sudden turn into an all-conference caliber player for us next year. Hell Farmer had two interceptions in one half against Northwestern... Dismuke has zero in his career. He's a fine fill-in starter but given the desire for playmakers by this staff, Dismuke has not proven to be one and thus we should move on. Agreed on Domann though at already 23 (24 next fall), I'd be surprised if he comes back another season though I think it could be mutually beneficial. And really hoping Wright has a great future, looks the part for sure.

Honas would be a benefit for us if he returns, same goes for Jaimes. Stille is coming into his own this season and could help next fall though we should have enough coming up to offset his production. Also applies to Bootle & Mills. Will be addition by subtraction with Dismuke & Farniok

I don't think I can agree here, defense played pretty well. They held Minnesota to 4-13 on third down and 2-4 on fourth downs and had several TFLs. Considering the time of possession and average starting field position, I was very pleased with the defensive performance again. Yes, they failed to get a sack or a turnover but what they did do was keep us in the game. I think @seaofred92 did a pretty good job in his summary though I don't necessarily see # 12 & Held/Mills in the same light. I think the coaches are a little too in love with Wandale's big play ability that they fail to accept 3-4 yard gains from Mills/Scott/Johnson as positives. I don't know if that's a Frost, Held or Lubick issue as we continually send Wandale back there and try to slam him into the teeth of the defense, especially in the redzone. Mills rarely loses yards for us but we seem to hesitate in using him over the course of a game. Remove Wandale's 47 yard run today and he rushed seven times for a whopping 2 yards. Until our coaches start to play to our strengths and maintain possessions, every game is going to feel like a roller coaster. We can't have 3-and-outs taking 60-90 seconds before asking the defense to go out and save us every time. Add in bad starting field position and we're asking for trouble. Hoping the coaches learn something this week and we come out better next time.