Brooklyneagle {l Wrote}:We lost for a number of reasons. But, by itself, the fact that our guys were slipping all over the place and the Iowa guys weren't was a sufficient cause for the loss. (I saw an Iowa guy slip once. Poor Dillon was visibly missing traction before he even got the ball on about half his carries.) That we were apparently playing in the wrong shoes should be considered a fireable offense, Mr. Jarmond. The staff had at least 15 days (long range forecast that I saw) warning that the field would be frozen. Did they take the time to test the shoes they were planning on using by practicing on a frozen field in Boston or were all the practices in the bubble? Did they bring anything other than sneakers as an alternative to put on, Under Armour be damned? I can imagine that our guys were really demoralized by the disadvantage they were suffering -- a disadvantage Iowa wasn't experiencing to anything like the same extent. It's not as though the football world, especially the NFL, has no experience with frozen grass fields at this time of year. There's even a certain pro team that operates in the same hometown... But they've got a professional staff, of course.
I wonder to what extent the shift in momentum from the first half to the second was a result of the demoralizing effect of the bad shoes -- on top of the botched field goal, the cause of which was standing on the sideline. Iowa made adjustments at the half. We never do. Our only plan on offense was to run Dillon, no matter what.
Why wasn't Dillon on the field for most of the passing plays -- or so it seemed to me? If the opponent is keying their defense on Dillon, why do you remove that threat when you call a pass? Not to mention that you are telegraphing that you are likely to pass. (I thought Dillon was limping slightly when he came off the field toward the end of our first offensive series. Amazing that he did as well as he did under the circumstances.)
Who was kicking off for us? Was it the German soccer guy? If so, the kicks were awful short, even given the temperature.
I just got home from NY and haven't heard or seen any of the postgame commentary (except this thread to this point). Anyone see/hear any further explanation why BC was so poorly shod for the frozen field?
And, yes, I cared a lot whether we'd win or lose. A mystery to me why any fan would claim a reason not to care.
The announcers said BC subbed Hilliman for Dillon on pass plays because Hilliman is a better pass blocker. I don't know if that's announcer bullshit or a legitimate tip they got, but I never found Dillon's pass blocking to be a liability this year.
A friend of mine questioned if Iowa practiced outdoors in preparation for this bowl game and if that resulted in them handling the conditions better. I guess temps in Iowa have been in the teens most of December. If so, that would go a long way to explaining why BC was disproportionately affected by the field, cuz I'm pretty sure BC practiced in the bubble.