Leathernecks

Kevin Wilson does not approve of this post. It isn't a win if you don't score 40+.

One nice thing about our board is that we don't get a lot of people from other fanbases. They can sometimes be alright, but reading the Iowa fans on the IU Rivals board makes me want to beat them even more. So arrogant.

I hope we come out like we did against MSU 2 years ago. Give Penix a lot of short throws to get in rhythm. I thought a couple times last year he was airing it out before he really got a feel for the game.

That's a big reason why I got out of teaching. School boards in rural areas can get away with whatever they want. Since covid started, I feel like it has given a much larger voice to a lot of the idiots who are on school boards.

I'm really interested to see what Jones plays like this year. I think his extra weight last year was a huge detriment to his play. I also think the OL knows all the talk about how they struggled last year, so hopefully they come out looking to make a statement. Not sure what to expect from our DL. Sounds like the transfers have been looking good. With how much we blitzed last year, our DL almost turned into block eaters instead of pass rushers. Hopefully they can keep the Iowa OL from creating too many holes in the run game. We really need to keep Goodson from getting in too much space.

It started that way, but it sure as hell isn't that discussion anymore.

Right, and I would guess he probably feels the same about you. Just put him on ignore, or laugh at what he says, or whatever you need to do. Both of you are valuable members of the board, and this back and forth isn't good for anybody.

Can we please keep this back and forth about Covid off the football board? I know it started as a discussion about covid and the NFL, but it clearly has moved away from that. Some people actually want to talk and read about the NFL or high school football, or IU football without those threads devolving into the same discussion. I'm going to go out on a limb and say one thing we can all agree on is that @IU Scott and @btownqb will never agree on Covid vaccinations. We're still all IU fans, can't we all just get along?

I'm hopeful we are better able to help our OL this year. I thought our play calling didn't always do the best to put then in favorable positions. We were really vanilla in the run game, and Allen has talked about that being much different this year. Hopefully with Sheridan having a year as OC under his belt, and brining in McCullough we can put the OL in better matchups. If the OL struggles again this year, I think there are going to be a lot of questions about Hiller and/or Sheridan.

They did lose some, but they still return one of the best linemen in all of college football. That, and their track record put them decently ahead of us. We should have a better line than last year, but that isn't saying much until they show how much improvement they've made.

I remember 2 years ago, there were threads on IU sites asking when Allen would be fired, and threads on PU sites saying Brohm was the 2nd coming. That was just 2 years ago. Crazy how much changed in a little over 700 days.

I've thought that too. They definitely have us on the OL. I know they lost a few, but they are definitely ahead there. Other than that, I'm not sure. Probably running back depending on what Carr looks like. Goodson is pretty good. I like the athleticism of our defense to hold him in check though. I really think this is a good matchup for us. I also think Hendershot will be a difference maker. In the bowl game 2 years ago, he carried us for a while until he got hurt. Iowa plays to avoid big plays, so I think he'll have a lot of opportunities. He seems to have taken last year's disappointing season to heart, and looks to have something to prove.

From what I've read, Evans has a stronger leg than Whitehead, but Whitehead was deadly at pinning teams deep. Hopefully Evans is prepared for the atmosphere on Saturday. That Chargers punter was a WIU Leatherneck like myself. Of course he was awesome!

This is definitely an important season. We'll still be solid next year due to our quality of depth, but we will lose quite a bit this year (especially if Penix and Mullen go pro). Really have to capitalize with 8 or 9 wins to keep momentum going.

Booooo! Where's the down vote when you need it!

One of my biggest concerns is tackling. We've started slow the first few weeks the last couple seasons (like most teams do). We really need to do a good job of tackling, or Goodson could really hurt us. That's something I saw Allen emphasized during his conference today, so hopefully we're ready for it.

Must be nice playing in the West. Last year their crossover games were MSU, and PSU after they started 0-4 and had given up. I'd love to blow up that streak too.

Not too much stood out in the depth chart. I'm kind of surprised to see Taylor listed as PR. That was something that Matthews did really well for FSU. Hoping that means that we really like what he brings to the offense and don't want to risk injury. Taylor is obviously important to the defense too, but we're deeper at CB than at slot receiver. I'm excited to see Da'Shaun Brown listed behind Matthews. I've been saying it for 2 years, but I still want to see him get the ball in space a few times and see what he can do. Surprised to see Bonhomme listed as #4 at the Bull position. As much as we rotate, I'm sure all of those guys will get time, but I thought Bonhomme was looking good that last few games last season, and thought he'd be the starter there. About the only other thing that stood out was in the pronunciation guide...didn't know Katic was pronounced that way!

I agree. I think this is a good match up for us, and I think people aren't giving us the respect we deserve. I can't wait for Saturday!

I think my biggest keys for the game are how the two QBs will look. That's true for a lot of games, but I feel like it especially is for this one. Will Penix have any rust to shake off, and how will Petras play? I'm not a fan of Petras, and was not at all impressed in the few games I watched last year. Iowa lost their #1, 3, and 5 leading receivers from last year (one was a TE). Those 3 accounted for roughly 50% of their passing yards. If we can slow down LaPorta at TE, and Ragaini in the slot, they don't appear to have any deep threats. Nobody returning caught a pass over 28 yards last year (outside of their RB who I don't count as a deep threat). For comparison, we return guys who had longs of 68, 65, 51, and 32. I'm assuming we haven't lost our aggressive nature from last year, so if we can get pressure on Petras, I don't see them doing a ton of damage through the air. Iowa is definitely a team that's best when playing with the lead. If we can get a lead and make Iowa beat us passing, it could be a big day for our defense. Dial up the blitzes, don't give Petras time to think, and I could see him throwing 2+ interceptions. The only time he really had to throw it much last year was against NW. He threw for only 216 yards on 50 attempts (not a typo), and threw 3 interceptions. Most of the other games he was a game manager. On our side, having Hendershot back to the form he was in 2 years ago would be huge. He seems like he put in the work with a normal offseason to get back there. That would be a big help for Penix if he is a little rusty. Hit a few short ones to Hendershot to get in the groove a bit.

I was just getting ready to post this with my thoughts about the game. God bless copy and paste.

I checked Allen's original tweet when it was posted here, and Dasan had already liked it at that point, so he didn't make this post the first time he saw it. Makes me think he might have talked to Alf (can we call him Alf with all the Allen's we already have?), liked what he heard, and went back and did this post.

Just don't drop her. You don't want to end up in a song.

The only league I've been in the last few years is a superflex, individual defense, dynasty league with 30 man rosters, so going down to 14 is weird to me. Getting used to the guys who are good to roster in our league is going to take some time.

You've clearly adapted to married life quickly.