A few observations - MO

[jbdphi]

Just some quick thoughts on the game:

1) If you told me before the season that we would lose 9-6 on the road to a ranked SEC team with a chance to tie / win with a minute left, I would have laughed in your face.

2) On offense, we have a few guys who look like they really belong out there including BS and almost the entire receiver corps (particularly Noel Thomas) but the OL still needs a ton of work.

3) Most promising offensive play of the game for me was the first drive in the second half when BS actually took a traditional dropback, read the field and completed a pass to Noel Thomas who sat down in a dead spot in the zone. It's the first time we've done that this season and makes me think we can have a passing game that is more than WR screens and fly route timing patterns.

4) The announcers kept on saying it but I have no idea why the MO DB's didn't press at the line more.

5) Re: Ron Johnson / Arkeel - RJ was playing hold 'em with an off-suit 2-7 out there. Virtually no holes to speak of and I think Arkeel loses similar yardage on a lot of those same negative yardage plays.

6) Defense played great but I still think we don't know how complete a group they are. We have yet to play a team that has a viable passing game (and won't until BYU) so our secondary has yet to be put to the test.

Overall, a huge amount of progress from last year and I think a lot of that has to be due to our new QB. He better stay healthy...

 

[kcc1442]

Just some quick thoughts on the game:

1) If you told me before the season that we would lose 9-6 on the road to a ranked SEC team with a chance to tie / win with a minute left, I would have laughed in your face.

2) On offense, we have a few guys who look like they really belong out there including BS and almost the entire receiver corps (particularly Noel Thomas) but the OL still needs a ton of work.

3) Most promising offensive play of the game for me was the first drive in the second half when BS actually took a traditional dropback, read the field and completed a pass to Noel Thomas who sat down in a dead spot in the zone. It's the first time we've done that this season and makes me think we can have a passing game that is more than WR screens and fly route timing patterns.

4) The announcers kept on saying it but I have no idea why the MO DB's didn't press at the line more.
Because when you press cover, you take away a lot of the 5 to 7 yard stick routes. The short dink and dunk. You expose yourself to the longer routes but the announcers didn't believe we could block long enough nor successfully execute the passes farther downfield. Their DBs we playing 8 yards off of our WRs and giving us those short curls/down and outs/stick routes.

5) Re: Ron Johnson / Arkeel - RJ was playing hold 'em with an off-suit 2-7 out there. Virtually no holes to speak of and I think Arkeel loses similar yardage on a lot of those same negative yardage plays.

6) Defense played great but I still think we don't know how complete a group they are. We have yet to play a team that has a viable passing game (and won't until BYU) so our secondary has yet to be put to the test.

Overall, a huge amount of progress from last year and I think a lot of that has to be due to our new QB. He better stay healthy...

 

[jbdphi]

I guess I was saying I agreed with the announcers. Given the way our line was playing, press coverage seemed the right move.