This - I think the UCLA game was a great example of how it should work.
It drives me nuts that we try to pin a 19 year old kid to go head to head with a Dcoordinator who has been doing this his whole life. It’s a chess match and plays set them up for later nuances. If DR is checking out of 60-70% of the plays it’s a losing battle and we give up a huge advantage that Dana “should” be giving us.
Do you really see a great coach like TO, or Saban or Meyer letting ANY QB check out of plays all the time, when they don't work? Only a .weak 500 career coach allows that kinda crap that hurts the team.
The less autonomy TJ had and the more he ran the play Dana called, the smoother the offense operated, albeit we were facing a weak defense. Getting the ball in and out of his hands quick was the key.
A subpar OL having to pass block for 2 seconds v. 4 seconds led to many less breakdowns, less physical stress during the game, and the ability to maintain that mental/physical edge.
How that works against PSU or IA remains to be seen, but it can't hurt. In the short week before IA, the Hawkeyes will learn an awful lot this Saturday night in how they prepare. Gonna be a tough one.