It's hard to find a less-inspired effort from our football team ... 1990 Oklahoma and 1967 Sugar Bowl come to mind. We kept a very bad football team in the game until the 4-minute mark, and their coach helped us out a couple of times. We have got to get a lot better to be thinking national championship. There doesn't appear to be a great team out there including us. We are a team of two great players (Crouch and Polk) and a developing star in Stella and an unused gamebreaker in Newcombe. Bobby looks like he doesn't want to be out there. Give him the ball or sit him down because he doesn't block. Somehow we need to wake this guy up and give him the ball.

The offense threw the ball with purpose and was effective. We have as fine a set of receivers as we have ever had ... Let's use them. Frank went back into his shell for most of the game and the play-calling was unimaginative. No jail-break screens and we ran the same plays out of all formations. Frank was going to run out the clock at the end of the first half until we ran for a first down. We almost lost the ND game because our offense could only muster three TDs. This week only five on a bad Iowa team. Let's mix it up and throw some on first down ... safe passes to playmaking receivers and let them run. I don't think we are taking full advantage of all the weapons that we have, our defense is not controlling the line of scrimmage and that is why we aren't stopping the run or getting pressure on the passer. Iowa ran delayed drag patterns all day. They are slow-developing and worked because of a lack of pressure. But our defense is young and has been banged up. I believe they are a work in progress.

The special teams are embarrassing and show no signs of progress. This team worries me a lot. Something is missing and I can't put my finger on it. Our offense is not dominating like they should be, and that is what bothers me the most. Because I felt that our offense would score so much that the defense would have time to develop, like in '83. But the offense is inconsistent and the defense is shaky and our special teams are bad.

We have the talent and the right coach to get better, but we better get with it and sharpen up before the schedule gets tougher.
 
-- The Colonel