Thoughts After Loss to Iowa
Iowa is who we thought they were
Going into the Iowa game, I was adamant that Iowa would cover the spread against Middle Tennessee State. When GoMiddle's predictions were released the line was at 24.5 in favor of the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Iowa breezed and covered the spread Saturday, winning by 45 points.
I didn't expect the game to be so lopsided, but Iowa did what I thought they would do. What I mean by that is that I knew prior to the game that Iowa would just beat up and bludgeon the offensive and defensive lines of MTSU.
To be quite honest, at times it was just comical.
The Hawkeyes rushed for 351 yards and averaged around seven yards per carry.
Fire up the film replay if you don't believe me. Often times the Iowa offensive line was opening up holes so big you could have driven a bus right through the whole.
On the flip side, the defense terrorized the Middle offensive line. Asher O'Hara really did not have a chance.
Not time to press the panic button
Believe it or not MTSU fan, it is not the end of the world. I can almost guarantee you that most Middle fans anticipated a 1-3 start to the season. If you just randomly approached MTSU fans before the season and asked what Middle's record would be through four games, I'd be willing to bet most fans would say 1-3.
I've said before and I'll say it again, all of MTSU's goals are still ahead of them. We are now getting to the Conference USA slate and MT has the opportunity to get sweet redemption by winning the C-USA championship.
Do I think this years' Middle team has the goods to win a Conference USA championship? Yes, yes I do. Do I think this team is perfect? No, no I don't. As mentioned above, the offensive and defensive lines were exposed by Iowa and they definitely have concerns when it boils down to the lines.
Play in the trenches has to improve
I have touched on this and alluded to this in the earlier two segments. The lethargic play in the trenches could be the main thing that roadblocks Middle from winning the Conference USA.
They won't have to be perfect, but they will have to make some strides moving forward. One thing to point out is that from here on out they will not encounter a team as big as Iowa in the trenches. Heck, the Duke Blue Devils are pretty big as well.
Simply put, the lines, especially the offensive line, could be a hindrance and the achilles heel that lingers and prevents MT from fulfilling their goals in league play.
The coaches can draw and scheme up as much as they want, but the bottom line is that line play has to make progress.