This is coming a little late, but I forgot to post it.
Disappointment. That’s how the Hawkeye faithful characterize their beloved football team’s abysmal performance during the 2007 season. The Hawks went 6-6 ending with a home loss to Western Michigan, which pushed the team out of bowl contention and left the Hawks staying home for the postseason for the first time in six years. Now Head Coach Kirk Ferentz has been dubbed the most overpaid coach in college football by Forbes magazine, a claim not entirely unjustified considering that Iowa paid him $3.4 million for six wins last year and $4.7 million to lead Iowa to an Alamo Bowl loss the year before that. Another shaky year for the Hawks could put him on the hot seat.
Offense
To say the Iowa offense was terrible last season would be a vast understatement. The unit ranked last or next to last in the Big Ten and near the bottom in the country in nearly every imaginable category. They were 10th in the conference in passing and rushing offense (92nd and 94th respectively nationally), and last in the conference in total offense and scoring offense (109th and 110th respectively nationally). Perhaps the most glaring stat however would be a conference worst (114th national rank) 46 sacks allowed.
Does that mean more of the same this season? On the surface, it appears so. Iowa returns eight starters on offense, meaning eight of eleven players responsible for their less than stellar performance in 2007. However, consider that Iowa’s offense was devastated by injuries last season, many came in the early half of the campaign including star tight end Tony Moeaki and wide outs Andy Brodell and Trey Stross. Let’s not forget the revolving door to starting offensive line positions, as none of the starters could stay healthy for very long.
To state the obvious, quarterback Jake Christensen must play better if the Hawks want to improve from last year’s disaster they called an offense. As mentioned earlier, Iowa missed a bowl appearance for the first time in six seasons with Christensen directing traffic. Out of all the starting quarterbacks in those years, Christensen had the lowest quarterback rating, which was good for last in the Big Ten and 87th in the country. All too often last season, Christensen looked uncomfortable and not confident in the pocket. Questionable decisions, overthrows, and holding the ball too long seemed like all hawk fans could count on him to do; that is if he wasn’t on his back. With everyone back healthy again, Christensen will have no excuses this time around.
Iowa needs to fill the enormous void left by the departures of running backs Albert Young and Damien Simms and projected starter Jovan Pugh who left the team. Walk-on Paki O’Meara was on the top of the depth chart through the spring where he impressed the Iowa staff, but Shonn Greene who is returning to the team after a year in junior college to clear up his academics and junior Nate Guillory are expected to challenge O’Meara for the starting job. Expect a three-headed monster at running back as Iowa searches for a standout guy in the first few weeks of the season.
Defense
Despite receiving absolutely no help from the offense, the Iowa defense still managed to be one of the better defenses in the conference. A lot of fans I’ve talked to about the season last year were down on the defense, but they fail to realize that the unit was 12th in the country in scoring defense. If it wasn’t for the defense’s strong performance last year, Iowa could have done a lot worse than six wins.
The NFL draft claimed a lot of talent from the D, including All-Big Ten players: corner Charles Godfrey, and ends Kenny Iwebema and Bryan Mattison. Iowa returns only five starters, but don’t let that make you think that the Hawks can’t match last year’s performance. On the contrary, the Hawk defense looks to improve from last year. How is that possible? For one, the defense from last year had a lot of depth. Many of the new starters have enough talent to be just as good if not better than the guys they are replacing. Case in point, new defensive ends Christian Ballard and Adrian Clayborn and new middle linebacker Jeff Tarpinian. Ballard and Clayborn brought an electric energy off the bench last season and both seem to have a motor Matt Roth would be proud of. Tarpinian stole the starting spot away from Jeremiah Hunter who also looks like more than a fitting replacement for Mike Klinkenborg.
Secondly, the defense’s veteran players will be even better. It all starts up front with star defensive tackles Mitch King and Matt Kroul. King looks to have another All-Big Ten season, making his presence felt in opposing backfields. Kroul will continue his consistent play while he makes everyone else on the line play better. Junior A.J. Edds, the only returning linebacker, anchors the front seven with his mix of talent and experience.
A traditional strength for the Iowa defense was a glaring weakness in ‘07, the pass rush. Iowa greatly relies on the front four to get pressure in Norm Parker’s system of little to no blitz defensive system. The Hawks were 8th in the conference in sacks last season, which greatly hindered the rest of the unit’s production. Look for this to change in ’08 as Iowa has three bona fide pass rushers on the line, and the front seven looks as strong as ever. Imagine what an improved pass rush could do for an already strong defense and it will only help the two new starters at corner.
Game by game breakdown
Let’s make one thing clear: Iowa underachieved last year. Imagine if the Hawks had not lost against rival Iowa State and Western Michigan, two games that on paper, Iowa should have won handily. It’s all of sudden a very different season from the heartbreaking travesty that was the 2007 campaign. Also, a lot of people forget that Iowa nearly beat Wisconsin in Camp Randall last season, and should have won had it not been for a late Badger comeback in the 4th quarter. If Iowa performs to its potential this year, every game on the schedule is very winnable, especially since they avoid both Ohio State and Michigan.
August 30 vs Maine: Are you kidding me? An easy win, but perhaps the end of the consecutive home sellout streak of 30 games.
September 6 vs FIU: Hopefully no helmets will be used as weapons as the Hawks roll to victory in another tune-up game.
September 13 vs ISU: The first major test of nearly every Iowa football season in recent memory. The Cyclones visit Kinnick for the battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy. This is Gene Chizik’s second season as head coach and his team will be improved from last year’s version that defeated the Hawkeyes 15-13 in Ames last year. Expect the Cyclone kicker to not make five field goals in this year’s meeting. Iowa wins.
September 20 at #25 Pitt: The first road game of the season will be a doozy. Head Coach Dave Wannstedt is in his fourth year at the helm with his best team yet. Running back LeSean McCoy is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate who finished ’07 leading all freshman in rushing and second overall in the Big East. Pitt also possess a standout defense that ranked 5th nationally led by All-American linebacker, Scott McKillop. The Hawks traditionally struggle on the road, especially early in the season. This fact coupled with a Panther team with high aspirations, makes this game the first loss for the Hawks in ’08.
September 27 vs Northwestern: The Hawkeyes beat the Wildcats in Evanston last year 28-17. The Iowa defense will be tested by the potent Wildcat passing attack, but I believe Iowa wins a in close game.
October 4 at Michigan State: It took two overtimes to beat the Spartans in Kinnick last season, but I don’t think Iowa will be that fortunate this time around. Second year Head Coach Mark Dantonio looks to have a much-improved team. Iowa loses another on the road.
October 11 at Indiana: A myriad of mistakes and miscues characterized Iowa’s 38-20 loss to Indiana in Iowa City in ’07. Iowa was unable to stop quarterback Kellen Lewis and wide receiver James Hardy from tearing through the usually stout Iowa defense. Many also remember the last time Iowa visited Bloomington when Hardy got behind the Iowa defense for three scores which resulted in another Hawkeye defeat. James Hardy is no longer there, and I believe Indiana over achieved last year. Indiana will be back to being Indiana this year. Iowa wins.
October 18 vs #13 Wisconsin: In one of the closest series Iowa has with any team, the battle for the Heartland Trophy has been a thriller in recent years. I expect much of the same this year. It will be a hard fought, low scoring, defensive game. Fueled by their heartbreaking loss in ’07 the Hawkeyes will give everything they have in Kinnick this year, but it won’t be enough. Another heartbreaker.
November 1 at #20 Illinois: Star running back Rashard Mendenhall is off to the NFL now and Illinois will have to rely more on quarterback Juice Williams to throw the ball, which he’ll have a hard time doing against the relentless Iowa pass rush. Kirk Ferentz has had Ron Zook’s number and I don’t expect that to change. Iowa wins in Champaign.
November 8 vs #22 Penn State: Kirk Ferentz at one time had a four game winning streak against Joe Paterno’s Nittany Lions. It was hard to tell that from last year’s embarrassing 27-7 defeat. Expect a much closer game since this year’s meeting is in Iowa City. I can see this one easily going either way, but I’m picking a loss.
November 15 vs Purdue: Although Purdue routed the Hawkeyes 31-6 last season. The game epitomized all of Iowa’s troubles of ’07, a complete self-destruction. In recent years, Boilermaker teams have been plagued by inconsistent play, I’m picking an Iowa victory.
November 22 at Minnesota: Minnesota is bad and has been for the past few seasons. Although they have given the Hawks a run for their money, the golden gophers will not be hoisting Floyd back to their sideline this year.
Final record 8-4 (5-3)
Keys to returning to a bowl and respectability
1. Stay healthy: Iowa has been severely bitten by the injury bug for the past few seasons. Tight end Tony Moeaki and both lines must stay healthy to fully realize the team’s potential.
2. Protect Kinnick Stadium: In the past two seasons, the fear-inducing monolith that is Kinnick has been reduced to a Boy Scout retreat for opposing teams. Iowa must bring the luster back to Kinnick and not lose to opponents they shouldn’t lose to at home.
3. Turn the battle in the trenches in their favor: Iowa will have a veteran offensive line which will be much improved. It must protect Jake Christensen and open up holes for Iowa’s newcomer filled backfield. Iowa’s defense relies on QB pressure. This should be easy, but that’s what they thought last year.
There is certainly room for this to be a nine or ten win season. There is also significant room to slip up and end up back where they started, bowless. No matter what happens in 2008, it will certainly be a pivotal year for the Iowa Hawkeye football program and Kirk Ferentz.
Aug 28, 2008
Transcending History and the World...
Soul Calibur IV is finally here! Well, for me at least. Everyone else started their quest for the legendary blade on the 29th of last month, while I have had to wait until this last Sunday the 24th of August. It's been the typical growing pains of learning Cassandra's new move set, which hasn't changed much. However, almost all her useful combos were taken away, and she has lost numerous other moves but gained few. Despite that though, I have persevered in relearning her as well as incorporating the new mechanics of IV into my not dominate, but decent player status.
As everyone knows, what makes a fighting game a fun and rewarding experience is beating down other players in versus head-to-head combat. I haven't had the opportunity to play against others since Soul Calibur II, playing III exclusively against the CPU. Now with IV and Xbox Live, my Cassandra is free to slash through hordes of noobs whilst spewing victory chants over voice chat all with no lag. Fighting games have traditionally struggled with online play. Since every frame counts, even the tiniest bit of lag shows and is detrimental to having good fights. No game has exemplified this plague on fighters more than Super Smash Brother Brawl, where button lag is your best friend. No more with Soul Calibur IV. With a quick and easy way of telling if your potential opponent has a good connection, players can pick and choose without hassle the path to zero-lag country.
Needless to say, I'm addicted. The Character Creation (Create-A-Soul) is so deep, you can create ANYONE you can think of. From video game characters to celebrities, you're never sure just who or what you'll run into, whether it be online or creating yourself.
Now that my declaration of jubilation over this game is over, here are my impressions of the characters thus far.
Overall, balancing seems like it won't be as big of an issue as it was in the third installment. That being said, comparatively to the atrocity that resulted in pure brokenness in the last game, even the slightest improvement would seem like a huge step forward. What do I mean by this? Characters like Cervantes and Taki have combos that easy to do and can rack up tons of damage. Both also have good speed moves that are easily spammable. Mitsurugi has both speed and tremendous power, but his moves are not as cheap as the other two. These three characters are the ones I fear the most, and are quite popular online.
I haven't seen one single Cassandra...very curious. Sure, she was nerfed, but she was an excellent character in III. I still can dominate with her unique mix of speed and power. Also, she is fairly easy to learn, so I don't really understand why I haven't seen her EVER.
This game coinciding with school starting is not a good combination.
As everyone knows, what makes a fighting game a fun and rewarding experience is beating down other players in versus head-to-head combat. I haven't had the opportunity to play against others since Soul Calibur II, playing III exclusively against the CPU. Now with IV and Xbox Live, my Cassandra is free to slash through hordes of noobs whilst spewing victory chants over voice chat all with no lag. Fighting games have traditionally struggled with online play. Since every frame counts, even the tiniest bit of lag shows and is detrimental to having good fights. No game has exemplified this plague on fighters more than Super Smash Brother Brawl, where button lag is your best friend. No more with Soul Calibur IV. With a quick and easy way of telling if your potential opponent has a good connection, players can pick and choose without hassle the path to zero-lag country.
Needless to say, I'm addicted. The Character Creation (Create-A-Soul) is so deep, you can create ANYONE you can think of. From video game characters to celebrities, you're never sure just who or what you'll run into, whether it be online or creating yourself.
Now that my declaration of jubilation over this game is over, here are my impressions of the characters thus far.
Overall, balancing seems like it won't be as big of an issue as it was in the third installment. That being said, comparatively to the atrocity that resulted in pure brokenness in the last game, even the slightest improvement would seem like a huge step forward. What do I mean by this? Characters like Cervantes and Taki have combos that easy to do and can rack up tons of damage. Both also have good speed moves that are easily spammable. Mitsurugi has both speed and tremendous power, but his moves are not as cheap as the other two. These three characters are the ones I fear the most, and are quite popular online.
I haven't seen one single Cassandra...very curious. Sure, she was nerfed, but she was an excellent character in III. I still can dominate with her unique mix of speed and power. Also, she is fairly easy to learn, so I don't really understand why I haven't seen her EVER.
This game coinciding with school starting is not a good combination.
Aug 19, 2008
For someone with nothing to do... I sure am busy
It's true that I've made an art form out of procrastinating, lollygaging, and doing nothing. Since I've moved into my new apartment a week ago, I have had to innovate in my maverick field of laziness. I spent a good portion of each day sleeping, whether it be at night or napping, supplemented with computer time and the playing of video games. A tough way to live, but I pulled through it.
Now, instead of feeling infinitely lonely and bored, I've given myself things to do. All these tasks have and will take up significant chunks of my time leading up and into my junior year at Iowa. They range from actual meaningful work to hobbies. Now I find that my day is rather full, and if the time of writing this is any indication (3:32 AM), I can't find enough sunlit hours to do them all. What are they you say? I'm glad you asked.
They include: Playing through Metroid Fusion, writing an email of insights on my time spent playing Metroid Fusion, watching the entire Neon Genesis Evangelion box set (I'm on episode 14 of 26), managing my youtube page, editing video, planning my next videos, hanging out with friends, buying books for class, paying bills, writing a very long and in-depth preview of the iowa hawkeye football season, writing this blog.
I'm going to bed now.
Now, instead of feeling infinitely lonely and bored, I've given myself things to do. All these tasks have and will take up significant chunks of my time leading up and into my junior year at Iowa. They range from actual meaningful work to hobbies. Now I find that my day is rather full, and if the time of writing this is any indication (3:32 AM), I can't find enough sunlit hours to do them all. What are they you say? I'm glad you asked.
They include: Playing through Metroid Fusion, writing an email of insights on my time spent playing Metroid Fusion, watching the entire Neon Genesis Evangelion box set (I'm on episode 14 of 26), managing my youtube page, editing video, planning my next videos, hanging out with friends, buying books for class, paying bills, writing a very long and in-depth preview of the iowa hawkeye football season, writing this blog.
I'm going to bed now.
Aug 11, 2008
Jul 27, 2008
40% of Gamers Are Female...WTF?
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) reported back from their annual demographics study a couple days ago, and their findings have boggled more than a few minds--including mine. They found that 40% of gamers in the U.S. are female. After the initial reaction of shitting my pants, I was rather bewildered at the claim. Sure, with the influx of casuals games and the ridiculous success of the Wii in the U.S., it would make sense that there would be an increase in female gamers into the sausage-fest that is usually attributed with my favorite hobby. However, the figure looks to be wildly inflated.
Who do you see in the arcades, the trade shows, the online boards, the natural habitat of a gamer? You see males. I can assure you the demographics of those locations won't report back 40% female. In fact, a sighting in a place like this is a rare and usually always surprising find. Obviously, it would seem the ESA's definition of "gamer" in their study was very broad, so broad as to include a good portion of the Bejeweled, Wii Sports, and Cooking Mama crowd. I can't speak for anyone else, but when I think of the term, "gamer" I don't think of anyone who routinely plays the above titles. "Gamer" doesn't even have to be so narrowly defined within the hardcore regions of gaming. I know plenty of people who own a video game console just so they can play their Guitar Hero and Halo without going to a friend's house. Guess what? They're all male! I would include those guys as "gamers" because they do play games on a regular basis, even if they don't play a wide range or number of them. But wait, what about all those people (females) who regularly play Bejeweled, Wii Sports, blah, blah, blah, etc? You're forgetting a key component, the console. Even though those guys I mentioned before only play a few games, they still went out and bought a gaming machine for themselves. And that is how I would define "gamer"--someone who buys a a console (or a PC for that matter) for themselves to play games.
It is a well known fact that a good portion of Wii consoles bought in the U.S. are bought for family entertainment. If the ESA is counting moms doing yoga in Wii Fit as gamers, then I'm more surprised the number isn't larger than 40%. I'm not sure what the ESA is trying to accomplish by skewing their numbers, but as of right now, it just comes off as extremely weird.
In their poll of the day, Gamefaqs sought out to test the accuracy of the ESA's findings. At first glance, the ESA's final tally looks accurate with combined 41.83% saying that they are either a female gamer themselves or live with one that plays regularly or occasionally. However, "occasionally" is the key word. That option had 25.43% of the 41.83% that responded they either are or live with a female "gamer." The poll shows us that the ESA seems to have indeed used a very loose definition for what a female "gamer" should be.
Who do you see in the arcades, the trade shows, the online boards, the natural habitat of a gamer? You see males. I can assure you the demographics of those locations won't report back 40% female. In fact, a sighting in a place like this is a rare and usually always surprising find. Obviously, it would seem the ESA's definition of "gamer" in their study was very broad, so broad as to include a good portion of the Bejeweled, Wii Sports, and Cooking Mama crowd. I can't speak for anyone else, but when I think of the term, "gamer" I don't think of anyone who routinely plays the above titles. "Gamer" doesn't even have to be so narrowly defined within the hardcore regions of gaming. I know plenty of people who own a video game console just so they can play their Guitar Hero and Halo without going to a friend's house. Guess what? They're all male! I would include those guys as "gamers" because they do play games on a regular basis, even if they don't play a wide range or number of them. But wait, what about all those people (females) who regularly play Bejeweled, Wii Sports, blah, blah, blah, etc? You're forgetting a key component, the console. Even though those guys I mentioned before only play a few games, they still went out and bought a gaming machine for themselves. And that is how I would define "gamer"--someone who buys a a console (or a PC for that matter) for themselves to play games.
It is a well known fact that a good portion of Wii consoles bought in the U.S. are bought for family entertainment. If the ESA is counting moms doing yoga in Wii Fit as gamers, then I'm more surprised the number isn't larger than 40%. I'm not sure what the ESA is trying to accomplish by skewing their numbers, but as of right now, it just comes off as extremely weird.
In their poll of the day, Gamefaqs sought out to test the accuracy of the ESA's findings. At first glance, the ESA's final tally looks accurate with combined 41.83% saying that they are either a female gamer themselves or live with one that plays regularly or occasionally. However, "occasionally" is the key word. That option had 25.43% of the 41.83% that responded they either are or live with a female "gamer." The poll shows us that the ESA seems to have indeed used a very loose definition for what a female "gamer" should be.
Jul 11, 2008
Jul 4, 2008
Anime on Jeopardy!
I know I've been beating the proverbial anime horse for a prolonged period of time, but this is worth reporting-- an anime category on Jeopardy. It was in the double jeopardy round about three weeks ago. Any hardcore anime fan would have surely answered all of the questions correctly as they were child's play with answers from Pokémon, Sailor Moon, and Princess Mononoke. I was quite shocked when one of the contestants, the one in the champion's position at the time, answered all correctly with the exception of one. The clue he missed was for the movie, "Akira," but he dubiously answered "Akiro." Honest mistake I guess, if you're an uptight smarty-pants adult who doesn't watch any anime. I love Jeopardy even more now.
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