Iowa's offense is so frustrating. No news there. The core offense scheme was enough in instances where both talent was superior AND defensive schemes hadn't caught up/cracked the code. Now they have. The IZ/OZ/Stretch with a FB is a fine identity. But you have to have more.

You have to know yourself, then know that opposing defenses will know exactly what you know about yourself, then either have counters built in to exploit that or constraints built in to slow/exploit that. Whether it's implemented proactively to keep defenses from selling out, or

to bite off big chunks when they have sold out to stop your base (ideally both of those things). It feels like sometimes the offensive staff finally recognizes this every few years when their backs are against the wall, then they start to take a step in the direction to truly

address it and evolve. Most recently this year with a decent, first tier implementation of fly/jet sweep motion, and some tendency breaking with personnel packages, formations, down & distance decisions. Not a bad start! But it seems like as soon as that first step has some.

positive impact, the staff just forgets that those basic wrinkles exist & they revert back to their base, revert back to 2002. Whether their mental ruts/habits are just embedded that deeply, or its an arrogance of "see, our offense works, just needed to execute! We never needed

to add that junk", or whatever, it's horrible. An absolute inability to truly, effectively evolve. You can feel it in a lot of these games, and I'm sure it's reflected in the stats (I think of the YPC out of gun VS YPC under center stat that the TV broadcast highlighted a few

weeks back). When Iowa gets confidence, you can sense DCs wiping their brow and being like "Phew! Those Iowa boys are feeling themselves, thank goodness. Now we can just pull out our 15 year old scouting report & install it this week, because they're going to try to impose

their will & be the 'bullies' and we now exactly what their template & mindset is going to be, no need to worry about those wrinkles we've been seeing lately!" I'm not saying Iowa needs to change their core identity! I'm saying supplement your identity. Grow a little bit,

you get paid enough to do it, it's your full time gig. Remember that jet motion we saw the first few weeks? Effective, right? Where has it been? Would it not be effective against these defensive schemes? That motion is a simple addition once your personnel has the timing down,

which they've demonstrated they do, that you can build so much off of. Get eyes & feet going sideways instead of downhill. Put fast guys in space & make defenders tackle them. Help your OL & backs out, so the DL isn't mirroring your steps & slanting into your running lanes and

the LB aren't meeting your backs at the LOS and the secondary can't become box defenders without risk. Whatever, rant over, time to watch the second half and be annoyed. Go Hawks.