Worst Iowa football games in Ferentz era: Nos. 7-9 (conclusion)

If you're just joining this, I'm offering this as a footnote to the 10 best Iowa football games in the Kirk Ferentz era. We Gazetteonline folks did that earlier this month. You can find them here, and at the Gazetteonline blogs of Scott Dochterman and Marc Morehouse.

I'm not trying to get everyone all hot and bothered by going negative. First and foremost, it's blog filler while I take a few days off from my regular job and try to come up with an economic plan for America in the 21st Century.

Secondly, I believe you have to note the potholes that previously existed to really appreciate a good road.

But mostly it's that first thing.

7. Purdue 31, Iowa 6 (2007, at West Lafayette, Ind.)

The headline on my column from that game was "Hawkeyes utilize weapons of self-destruction." Purdue entered the game having allowed 34 points in Big Ten games. Iowa didn't score a touchdown.

"I don't think I'm doing anything but stating the obvious," Kirk Ferentz said. "Our biggest challenge is righting the offense. We're a little bit younger than we'd like to be, probably a little more inexperienced than we'd like to be, and a little thinner than we'd like to be."

"We couldn't get anything going in any phase of the game," Iowa cornerback Adam Shada said. We weren't matching routes as well as we should have, we weren't getting off blocks the way we needed to. Go down the list, we just didn't get the job done."

It was no coincidence the '07 Hawkeye were the only Ferentz team between 2001 and the present to miss out on a bowl bid.

However, Iowa did rifle off wins in its next three games to set up a bowl inviation. All it needed to do was win its season-finale against ...

8. Western Michigan 28, Iowa 19 (2007, Kinnick Stadium)

This win improved the Broncos' record to 4-7.

Western Michigan built a 19-0 lead and gained 489 yards on a Big Ten field. Some fans booed and jeered.

That was just three seasons ago. Things can come apart in a hurry, and things can come back together if the people in charge act smartly and quickly.

9. (Parlay: Iowa 46, Maine 3 and Iowa 42, Florida International 0, 2008)

OK, play one or the other to start the season. Everybody plays a Maine and a Florida International. But don't play them on consecutive weeks. It makes grumps like me, well, grumpy. There's nothing to write about. And, it can give a misleading picture about your team.

Iowa followed up those two wins and a 17-5 victory over Iowa State with three straight losses. I blame the Maine and FIU games. It's irrational to do so, but I can if I want.

Plus, I'm doing this in chronoloical order, and I got to 2008 needing one more game to make nine. Instead of going back to a bad game from 2000 or 2006 and having to tear this up, I took the easy way out. I don't recommend you kids out there do likewise. It only gets you in trouble down the road.