[81alum]

I haven't watched a single Iowa game.  From the stats, it looks like they have a top 15 defense, an above average running game, and an efficient but not prolific passing game.  How well does their offense match up against our defense?  How well does their defense match up against our offense?

One thing I have noticed.  Having a whole month to prepare allows the two teams to study each other to death and to develop and install specific defenses and schemes to defeat the opponent's bread and butter offense.  This is what MSU did to us.  Unlike the week-to-week games in which there is limited time to make major adjustments, we can expect Iowa to copy every scheme that has worked against us and deploy them all.  We will need new wrinkles on offense, given that they will spend a month getting read to take away our top few plays.  If I were the Iowa DC I think I would assign about three players just to shadow McCaffrey wherever he goes!  Make Stanford beat you with anyone not named McCaffrey. 

As a hopeful sign, I was overjoyed to see McCaffrey getting many of his yards on spread-out single back formations rather than power--this took advantage of his greatest asset, which is reading blocks and holes and then darting through them.  That is a sign that Shaw has been evolving the offense according to personnel and circumstance.

As a less than hopeful sign, there was MSU in the Rose Bowl, where we seemed unable to respond effectively to the loaded box run blitzes that kept coming all game, and kept trying to run our bread and butter power into the proverbial brick wall.

I think Shaw has become more flexible and creative than ever this year, and I think we will get a well thought out game plan designed to exploit whatever defensive weaknesses Iowa may have.

[81alum]

I haven't watched a single Iowa game.  From the stats, it looks like they have a top 15 defense, an above average running game, and an efficient but not prolific passing game.  How well does their offense match up against our defense?  How well does their defense match up against our offense?

One thing I have noticed.  Having a whole month to prepare allows the two teams to study each other to death and to develop and install specific defenses and schemes to defeat the opponent's bread and butter offense.  This is what MSU did to us.  Unlike the week-to-week games in which there is limited time to make major adjustments, we can expect Iowa to copy every scheme that has worked against us and deploy them all.  We will need new wrinkles on offense, given that they will spend a month getting read to take away our top few plays.  If I were the Iowa DC I think I would assign about three players just to shadow McCaffrey wherever he goes!  Make Stanford beat you with anyone not named McCaffrey. 

As a hopeful sign, I was overjoyed to see McCaffrey getting many of his yards on spread-out single back formations rather than power--this took advantage of his greatest asset, which is reading blocks and holes and then darting through them.  That is a sign that Shaw has been evolving the offense according to personnel and circumstance.

As a less than hopeful sign, there was MSU in the Rose Bowl, where we seemed unable to respond effectively to the loaded box run blitzes that kept coming all game, and kept trying to run our bread and butter power into the proverbial brick wall.

I think Shaw has become more flexible and creative than ever this year, and I think we will get a well thought out game plan designed to exploit whatever defensive weaknesses Iowa may have.