Wisconsin won because of a coaching blunder

University of Iowa football fans, Kirk Ferentz is arguably the best college football coach in America. But he got out-coached Saturday by Bret Bielema.

Wisconsin has the ball, fourth down and four yards to go, fairly deep in their own territory, with six minutes left in the game, trailing by six points. He calls for a fake punt out of that crazy formation they use ... and the rest is history.

Now don't you think the Iowa coaching staff should have at least considered the possibility of a fake?

Facts: Both Wisconsin and Iowa could move the ball offensively on the other's defense, but Wisconsin had not scored on one big play. All were time-consuming drives, and they had to get the ball into the end zone to win.

Had Wisconsin punted, Iowa gets the ball with at least the opportunity to make a couple of first downs and pretty much ice the game.

But at the snap, at least nine Hawkeyes turned their backs to the line of scrimmage and sprinted downfield to set up for a punt return. They made Bielema look like a genius.

I am a Hawkeye forever. But that fake punt never should have happened.

That, my friends, was a coaching blunder.

Don Banning

North English