SB Nation User Blog: HoyaGoon

Crossed Signals

HoyaGoon — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:48:43 -0000

Crossed Signals

Well, that certainly explains why us getting a play in looks like a retarded monkey fucking a football out there.

Zook Throws Williams Under the Bus

HoyaGoon — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:53:24 -0000

Zook Throws Williams Under the Bus

Glad to see the Zooker is standing-up and taking the blame. Oh wait, not so much. I'm still very worried about the Illinois game though, but I am always reassured to see Zook on the other sidelines.

Greene going pro?

HoyaGoon — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 19:04:54 -0000

He seems legitimately undecided, and I wish him the best of luck regardless (though I hope he's back next year). But this quote from Adrian Clayborn at the end gives me pause about his academic future:

"If I was him, I'd stay for my senior year. I kind of like college, not the school part, but I still think it's neat to go to college."

Looking Back, Halfway In

HoyaGoon — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:52:23 -0000

Looking Back, Halfway In

Shockingly, you guys actually seemed to know what you were talking about. What happened to that? And what happened to Jebus?

A chance for redemption?

HoyaGoon — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:39:47 -0000

[bumped, although HoyaGoon has been sent to the gulags for making us remember that fucking game.--OPS]

It was almost exactly 2 years ago to the day that Iowa lost to Indiana 28-31. Entering the game at 5-1, Iowa still seemed poised to finish a strong 2nd or 3rd in the Big Ten, rebounding from the OSU loss by crushing Purdue the prior week. There was just enough reason to believe the hype about Iowa that the OSU loss diminshed. But the inexplicable loss to a truly below-average Indiana is the point that it all went to shit. To my mind, this was the point where Iowa football lost its way, if we're ever going to rise again, it starts this weekend with Indiana.

I remember watching the first half of the game and seeing Iowa absolutely dominate. But the signs of the impending collapse were already there. Missed opportunities to score, Austin Signor shanking field goals, Adam Shada's inability to cover a corpse let alone James Hardy, and a score at half (21-17) that was far closer than it ought to have been. I was convinced, however, that Iowa was still a dominant team and would roll in the 2nd half. I was wrong. The second half was a seemingly never-ending series of miscues, turnovers and bad execution that unfortunately has come to define our program over the past two years.

Obviously, this trend has continued to today (see e.g., Pitt, NU, MSU). But I believe this weekend's game offers us the chance to right the ship, to atone for our prior sins and point the program back in the right direction. All the pieces are there. We are a much better team this year than last, but execution remains our Achilles heel. The death spiral began with Indiana, our opportunity to rise like a Phoenix begins in Bloomington.

And if we lose, I may kill myself with cheap hooch.

[Sir, if you're drinking to die, don't cheat yourself. Expensive hooch.--OPS]

Flyin' Hawaiian Grounded?

HoyaGoon — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:11:29 -0000

Flyin' Hawaiian Grounded?

Looks like Moeaki is out. Again.

Quo Vadimus?

HoyaGoon — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:29:31 -0000

It's taken a few days, but the numb and shock of losing to the Wildcats is finally beginning to dissipate. And though Iowa's play should have taught me never to look farther ahead than the next game (hell, the next play), I can't help but wonder "Where do we go from here?"

To say these past two games have been a little disheartening would be a bigger understatment than saying that Mark Mangino is "a little heavy." These were two games we absolutely, positively, should have won. I'm not saying that we necessarily outplayed NU or Pitt, or that we "deserved" to win, only that these past two games were ours (by hook or crook) and we lost them both. Before the season, I would have been ecstatic to be 4-1 after 5 games and could probably find a way to be ok with 3-2. But after the way we played early (admittedly against weak competition), and the way the last two games played out, I can't help but think that anything less than 5-0 is a disaster.

The most troubling aspect is that, despite it all, Iowa could still salvage the season but I don't see any evidence to give me hope that this will happen. I'm not looking for any kind of 2004 miracles where back-to-back ass-whooppings sparked a fire underneath the team - and there's no indication that this has happened to this team yet - I just want some reason for hope. I look at the remaining games and see possibility. Iowa "should" be able to beat Indiana, Purdue and Minnesota and if they could steal a victory from one of the other games, then we're 7-5. Unfortunately, the way we've played, NO GAME can be taken as a given in the W column and we could just as easily end up 4-8 (despite what I said above, I just can't imagine Iowa losing in the final game at Kinnick North).

So, in the end, we're back to my original question "Where do we go now?" Unfortunately, I just don't have an answer at all.

Is the Northwestern game a no-win situation? Reading Lake the Posts this week I've come to the...

HoyaGoon — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:57:29 -0000

Is the Northwestern game a no-win situation? Reading Lake the Posts this week I've come to the conclusion that NU, like the ISU game, is a no-win for Iowa. If we lose, then the season is a disaster; if we win, then "so what?" we were supposed to win because, after all, they're just Northwestern. In the meantime, we tend to get an opposing team and fanbase that is completely fired up to play and beat us. And like ISU, I just don't think I'll be able to handle LTP's triumphalism all year if NU somehow pulls out the W. It's as annoying as Clones fans, albeit with much better grammar and correct spelling.

Sutton 100% for Saturday

HoyaGoon — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:49:08 -0000

Sutton 100% for Saturday

[Bumped. And my ass he's 100%. --OPS]

Looks like Tyrell Sutton's injury isn't that serious and he'll be at 100% for Saturday. This actually gives me some trepidation, someone please tell me there is nothing to worry about. You know, something along the lines of "Northwestern can't beat us, we can only beat ourselves" (hahaha).

Question for the Masses

HoyaGoon — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:00:08 -0000

I'll be at the Iowa-ISU game this weekend. This marks the first game I'll see at Kinnick since 1993 (when I was in high school). So my question is, WHERE THE HELL DO I GO FOR THE BEST TAILGATING? Given the nature of many BHGPers (read: problem drinkers), I figure one of you has some good advice for me in my hour of desparate need. Or barring "good" advice, just some recommendations as to where I should pickle my liver.