The kids were shell-shocked, nervous, the new D-coodinator had them in a weird set-up to start the game (where the back 7 mostly went left to cover WRs & the IOWA RB {Iowa is mainly a rushing team] went to the right, unopposed around the line.), the running game with Carr was improved at the expense of the passing game, etc.....
Nightmare.
No crossing routes or post patterns (skinny or otherwise) till that first drive of the second half, only routes where the WRs went straight down the field & came back (or tried to), or underneath throws...
Look: I was fearful of two things before the game:
1. That the IU that played Ole Miss (discombobulated & out-of-synch) would show up, rather than the IU that played the other 7 games last year.
or
2. That the players would not understand the difficulty, intensity, and challenge of what they were up against in playing in a place with 70,000 fans screaming against them.
Unfortunately BOTH happened....in SPADES..!!!
I should have realized, when I saw coach Sheridan say at one of the NUMEROUS pressers the IU coaches held in the last three weeks in answer to a question about simulating crowd-noise:
"Well, we cranked up the speakers some at some of the practices, but - really - you can't simulate it very well..."
The answer seemed entirely too nonchalant to me, and I flashed back to a key game the Denver Broncos were to play against the KC Chiefs some years ago where the Boncs did everything they COULD (Cranked speakers to the max, brought people in to yell at them, etc.) to prepare the team for the bedlam they were to play in....and these were PROS (!)....
So while the kids didn't play well, the coaches DEFINITELY didn't prepare them well, nor incorporate McCollugh's run game well into Sheridan's "Air Raid" (basically) offense very well....
MP's Heisman hopes are now dashed, CTA's reputation is tarnished, the transfers who came here are I'm sure disappointed, the race for winning the B1G East is severely diminished, etc..
An IU-grad buddy of mine, trying to cheer us both up, said "Well, there's now nowhere to go but UP...!!"
"Yeah", I replied, "but TBH I thought we were PASSED that..!?!!!?!!" 🤷♂️😮🤷♂️
Nightmare.
No crossing routes or post patterns (skinny or otherwise) till that first drive of the second half, only routes where the WRs went straight down the field & came back (or tried to), or underneath throws...
Look: I was fearful of two things before the game:
1. That the IU that played Ole Miss (discombobulated & out-of-synch) would show up, rather than the IU that played the other 7 games last year.
or
2. That the players would not understand the difficulty, intensity, and challenge of what they were up against in playing in a place with 70,000 fans screaming against them.
Unfortunately BOTH happened....in SPADES..!!!
I should have realized, when I saw coach Sheridan say at one of the NUMEROUS pressers the IU coaches held in the last three weeks in answer to a question about simulating crowd-noise:
"Well, we cranked up the speakers some at some of the practices, but - really - you can't simulate it very well..."
The answer seemed entirely too nonchalant to me, and I flashed back to a key game the Denver Broncos were to play against the KC Chiefs some years ago where the Boncs did everything they COULD (Cranked speakers to the max, brought people in to yell at them, etc.) to prepare the team for the bedlam they were to play in....and these were PROS (!)....
So while the kids didn't play well, the coaches DEFINITELY didn't prepare them well, nor incorporate McCollugh's run game well into Sheridan's "Air Raid" (basically) offense very well....
MP's Heisman hopes are now dashed, CTA's reputation is tarnished, the transfers who came here are I'm sure disappointed, the race for winning the B1G East is severely diminished, etc..
An IU-grad buddy of mine, trying to cheer us both up, said "Well, there's now nowhere to go but UP...!!"
"Yeah", I replied, "but TBH I thought we were PASSED that..!?!!!?!!" 🤷♂️😮🤷♂️
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