WARNING! Not safe for Mace! Biggest chokers ever?

[TheJON]

I got to thinking yesterday that I cannot remember a big choker in college football history- perhaps any sport- than the 2010 Iowa Hawkeye football team. I know, Mace, I'm a clueless moron. Bla bla bla.

Here are the facts, and we can allow the board to decide:

Iowa was a preseason Top 10 team.

Iowa is 7-4 with 1 automatic win- err, 1 should win (Ferentz is the coach so who knows?)- left before most likely beating another middle of the pack SEC team in the Outback Bowl.

The wins are 6 blowouts and 1 game we would have lost if the Indiana WR caught the easiest touchdown pass he will ever have. So as you can see, no clutch wins at all.

The losses have come as follows:

4 games. 3 games with a lead with less than 3 minutes to play. 1 game was tied- because we missed a PAT to take the lead with a few minutes left.

In each game, the opposing team drove 70+ yards for a go-ahead touchdown with 2 minutes or less left in the game. Northwestern drive 85+ yards......twice.....to overcome a 10 point lead with 7 minutes to play. So, technically, that is 5 clutch drives our defense faced and 5 70+ yard scoring touchdown drives. 100%. This doesn't include the Indiana game where they drove 70 yards but dropped the game winner with 30 seconds left on 4th down. Or it would actually be 6-6 on clutch drives against our defense.

As for the offense......

In all 4 losses, we had an opportunity to answer back. 2 of the games we needed a touchdown or lose. 2 of the games we needed a FG to tie/win. All 4 times we had 2-3 timeouts and between 1:30 and 2:00 to play with the ball between the 20-30 yard lines to start. All 4 times we completely failed to even get close to scoring range.

The stat line summed up:

0-6 in clutch drives by our defense stopping the opponent (essentially)
0-4 in 2-minute drills
4 late blown leads (should have been 5)
Only close win was because of pure luck

So.......

Can anyone come up with a bigger group of chokers than the 2010 Iowa football squad?

[TheJON]

I hate to say this. But I prefer your troll, The Big Pickle, sometimes. This is one of those times.

Except I have never had a troll........at least not since Smackchat.

[M Club]

you can call them chokers. the rest of us just don't think they're a very good football team.

[Mace]

It's okay, this has become theJON's obsession and, really, he needs something to take his mind off of his fat, drug addicted girlfriend that dumped him for a McDonalds fry cook, so it's totally understandable. The guy is still hurting and he's pooled all of his vast intramural footbal knowledge to come up with this whole "choker" angle. Give the little guy a break.....he's obviously off his meds.

[War Wagon]

It's okay, this has become theJON's obsession....

Is this like a Des Moines thing?

I know many people originally from Iowa who now work in KC and they are all solid people, the kind you wouldn't mind loaning $15 to.

I might loan Jon $15, but I doubt it.

[Mace]

It's okay, this has become theJON's obsession....

Is this like a Des Moines thing?

I know many people originally from Iowa who now work in KC and they are all solid people, the kind you wouldn't mind loaning $15 to.

I might loan Jon $15, but I doubt it.

No, I don't think it's a Des Moines thing.....it's a stupid douchebag thing.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

the kind you wouldn't mind loaning $15 to.

:sigh:

-Wolfman

[TheJON]

you can call them chokers. the rest of us just don't think they're a very good football team.

How can a team that is 4 plays away from playing for a national title not be a good team?

They're a good team that chokes. Crappy teams don't either win or come within 1 play of winning every single game they play. Choking teams......that's a different story.

[TheJON]

It's okay, this has become theJON's obsession and, really, he needs something to take his mind off of his fat, drug addicted girlfriend that dumped him for a McDonalds fry cook, so it's totally understandable. The guy is still hurting and he's pooled all of his vast intramural footbal knowledge to come up with this whole "choker" angle. Give the little guy a break.....he's obviously off his meds.

Yep, they're clearly not chokers. This is the most clutch team of all-time. Silly me.

0-4 in 2-minute drills
0-6 in stopping the opponent from driving 70+ yards for a game winning score

Oh yeah, clutch as fuck. Man, I must be insane to call this team "chokers"! How on earth could anybody formulate that opinion based on those FACTS!?

When you think of the 2010 Hawkeyes, there's 1 word any somewhat intelligent human being could possibly come up with, and that is.........chokers. You have to be a god damn idiot to dispute that.

Let me guess, Mace.........you know so much more about football than everyone else and anyone that thinks a team that's pissed every close game they've had down their legs ISN'T a choker???

[Mace]

you can call them chokers. the rest of us just don't think they're a very good football team.

Crappy teams don't either win or come within 1 play of winning every single game they play.

They can if they're well coached. That's what you're too stupid to figure out.

[Mace]

Let me guess, Mace.........you know so much more about football than everyone else....

No, Kirk Ferentz and Ken O'Keefe know much more than me. I just know much more than you.

[Killian]

you can call them chokers. the rest of us just don't think they're a very good football team.

How can a team that is 4 plays away from playing for a national title not be a good team?

They're a good team that chokes. Crappy teams don't either win or come within 1 play of winning every single game they play. Choking teams......that's a different story.

ND 2009. They were arguably 6 plays from being undefeated, but they were also 4 plays from being 2-10. ND was a shitty team.

[FLW Buckeye]

Needs a 5th option on this survey...

My name is Jon and M2 is in my head


Btw, is M2 still banned? Just curious.

[TheJON]

ND 2009. They were arguably 6 plays from being undefeated, but they were also 4 plays from being 2-10. ND was a shitty team.

Good point. But Iowa is not 4 plays away from being 2-10. We will finish 8-4 and 4 plays away from 12-0, but the other games (except for Indiana) were over at halftime. So it is a little different.

M Club has been saying how overated Iowa has been the last few years. We haven't lost by more than a touchdown in ANY game since 2007. That includes 2 bowl victories and (after Saturday) 28 wins. That's just a ridiculous statement.

[TheJON]

I just know much more than you.

Sincerely,
Dude that claims 12 years of evidence isn't good enough to suggest it's a coaching trend and not a players issue.

[TheJON]

We haven't lost by more than a touchdown in ANY game since 2007.

This comment was a mistake. No, Screw, this wasn't me trying to bait you!

[indyfrisco]

Good God jon, you're insufferable.

This chick:



would leave you for a fry cook.

[TheJON]

Good God jon, you're insufferable.

This chick:



would leave you for a fry cook.

I'm just keeping it real. I hate having to do this, but it's the truth. This team is a bunch of chokers. Do you disagree?

[M Club]

you can call them chokers. the rest of us just don't think they're a very good football team.

How can a team that is 4 plays away from playing for a national title not be a good team?

They're a good team that chokes. Crappy teams don't either win or come within 1 play of winning every single game they play. Choking teams......that's a different story.

representative samples, jon. they're not a good team that chokes because good teams don't choke in the first place. you can lament how oh-so-close iowa is to the national championship, but so can lots of other teams, only some of them get to say they were one or two plays away from a national championship, not four. recounting near misses is not unique to iowa football.

here's the thing with football, especially with how it's played in the big ten: the margin for error is so tiny that the punter is one of the most important players on the team. iowa's never been a dominant program in the big ten, but they've traditionally been regarded as a tough outing. they're maulers, and the strategies in those games tend to be run, run, pass, punt and try to keep the upper hand in field position. they typically end 24-17 or something like that.

and of course iowa doesn't lose games by more than two scores. they eat up clock by running the ball, the other team does the same, and by the end of the game each team has only had seven or eight possessions. not a lot of points come out of eight possessions.

M Club has been saying how overated Iowa has been the last few years. We haven't lost by more than a touchdown in ANY game since 2007. That includes 2 bowl victories and (after Saturday) 28 wins. That's just a ridiculous statement.

i thought iowa would be a middling big ten team this year. you thought they'd possibly win the big ten title. who was right and was wrong?

[SunCoastSooner]

Jesus, just two weeks ago Iowa was destined to rule the Big Televen and rest of the world. It's amazing what how much jonsense changes in two weeks.

[Mace]

Jesus, just two weeks ago Iowa was destined to rule the Big Televen and rest of the world.

You're thinking of the Hawkeye wrestling team. ;)

[Cross Traffic]

We are the biggest choke job of the 2010 season.

Signed,
Kyle Brotzman and the BSU Broncos

[Mikey]

We are the biggest choke job of the 2010 season.

Signed,
Kyle Brotzman and the BSU Broncos

BSU and 'Bama should be playing in the Choke Bowl.

[Truman]

We'll need a trophy, Mikey...

[TheJON]

you can call them chokers. the rest of us just don't think they're a very good football team.

How can a team that is 4 plays away from playing for a national title not be a good team?

They're a good team that chokes. Crappy teams don't either win or come within 1 play of winning every single game they play. Choking teams......that's a different story.

representative samples, jon. they're not a good team that chokes because good teams don't choke in the first place. you can lament how oh-so-close iowa is to the national championship, but so can lots of other teams, only some of them get to say they were one or two plays away from a national championship, not four. recounting near misses is not unique to iowa football.

here's the thing with football, especially with how it's played in the big ten: the margin for error is so tiny that the punter is one of the most important players on the team. iowa's never been a dominant program in the big ten, but they've traditionally been regarded as a tough outing. they're maulers, and the strategies in those games tend to be run, run, pass, punt and try to keep the upper hand in field position. they typically end 24-17 or something like that.

and of course iowa doesn't lose games by more than two scores. they eat up clock by running the ball, the other team does the same, and by the end of the game each team has only had seven or eight possessions. not a lot of points come out of eight possessions.

M Club has been saying how overated Iowa has been the last few years. We haven't lost by more than a touchdown in ANY game since 2007. That includes 2 bowl victories and (after Saturday) 28 wins. That's just a ridiculous statement.

i thought iowa would be a middling big ten team this year. you thought they'd possibly win the big ten title. who was right and was wrong?

M Club,

There isn't a god damn bit of truth in ANY of that. The only take that wasn't completely off base was the argument that good teams don't choke. That's a good point. But as a counter point, I would say this.......Iowa beat an 11-1 team by 31 points and also led 2 other 11-1 football teams with less than 3 minutes left to play. So while you say that good teams don't choke, I would say bad teams aren't in position to choke or come as close as Iowa has.

As for the tons of teams can say they're only a few plays away......that's absolutely not true. Not as close as Iowa with this many losses. Last 11 losses by a combined 40 points (since the start of 2008). All 5 losses this year were by a combined 18 points. If you think there are more than 1-2 teams every 5-6 years that have 5 losses in a year by 18 points, you are sadly mistaken. In fact, I would be surprised if ANY BCS conference team has done that in the last 20 years. If so, there's no more than 1 or 2. Nobody ever has an 11 game stretch of 40 points combined. It just doesn't happen. Point me to ANY team over the last 20 years that has done that. I bet Iowa is the only team.

As for the ignorance on how Iowa shouldn't lose games by 2 scores or more.......

So then why are almost all of our wins by double digits? We lose games down the stretch because our defense chokes and our offense is inept in the 2-minute drill because our coaching staff hasn't learned how to teach it in 12 years. You would be surprised to know that Iowa rarely does win games late or pulls out close wins.

You do realize that, except for 1 game, our 7 wins have come by 3 touchdowns or more this year don't you???

As for the "they run the ball so much" garbage, so they will have a lot of close games.....

What the fuck are you talking about? Stanzi threw the ball 29 times a game this year. We've been pretty much 53% pass and 47% run in the Ferentz era. Yeah, not as much throwing as a spread offense by any means, but this ain't exactly Tom Osborne offense. There have actually been a few years where we have been 60%+ passing the ball.

We don't play more close games (win or lose) than most teams. That is an ignorant statement and shows your lack of knowledge of Iowa football. You said absolutely nothing of fact in that post. Try again.