Clutches and Traps

[Carl Spackler]

Things are always on top of the world great when you win, and things are always end of word tty when you lose - correct?

Wrong.

There is - always - a winner and loser, but things are never as good as they seem, and things are never as bad as they seem.

We've got lots of room to improve, LOTS. THings deserving of mention:

When I look for things like signs of life from our offense - I'm looking at clutch play, and clutch play, means third downs.

WE've got a QB folks, sticker is off the helmet. Chandler Whitmer stood in the pocket stepped into the throws, and delivered third down conversions. More than once, and he did with a rush in face and got creamed. And then he got up.

He's young, but you don't teach that toughness, you got at QB, or you don't, and I'm getting the field that we're starting to develop some clutch players on third downs.

There's chatter about first downs, second downs, play calling BS etc,......you get better on offense, you get better on first and second downs, when you get clutch players making clutch plays, with the pressure on third downs. That confidence starts to build on offense.

That said, we've got some SERIOUS, and I mean serious improvement to do in blocking, from the other 10 guys on the field not taking the snap. But that's fundamentals.

When you can start to play fast - and with confidence, the fundamentals start to get sharpened. Look at what a Pitt team, playing fast, did to VTech. Want to know what "playing fast" means, go back to your DVR of the game, and watch our defense play.

So - I get the eye test that we're getting clutch play on third downs. I haven't looked at the stats, but I'm going to guess that through three games, on third and long, we have been much better than we've been in the past. I expect it to continue.

McCummings offensive package? CLUTCH on the long drive that we needed late in the game.

Signs of life from the offense. Playing a little faster, confident. Confidence in converting third downs. Great signs.

But if we can't ducking block - well - I still want to see a little bit more of a nasty attitude from our guys up front and our fullbacks leading the way.

Lyle McCombs was our most vicious lead blocker on Saturday. That can't happen again.

Defense? Special Teams? Complimentary game. I like that we play the way we do, and and watching the lanes set up on the returns, and watching the swarms to the ball on coverages?

As far as D - just a real pleasure to watch, a real pleasure. We've got guys dropping like flies, giving all we got, and all those people that talk about recruiting, and this and that, well, we're going to find out just how deep our defensive front is, with recruiting as this season moves on.

But the play on kick coverages adn returns. Frigging awesome. There's nothing like the energy of kick coverages and returns. Got to continue to be more consistent there. We've got a real player in Nick Williams that can change games, if the other 10 guys are doing their jobs, and there were a couple (and I don't know without going to the tape) that had KEY - and I mean KEY blocks to spring that punt return TD, and without the energy, focus and discipline - they don't find the way.

The two big plays that got Maryland points, one was a defensive breakdown - that simply left the field unsealed. The end of the formation didn't do what they were supposed to do.

So - hell yes - the defense has room to improve.

The scoring kicking game? Lots of gusts during the games, and we missed one, but that's just more motivation to hone the skills, so the kicks are the same, every time.

S0 - TRAPS.

In a Bill Parcells coached team world, there would be mousetraps showing up randomly in players lockers this week, players would walk into a meeting room, with a bunch of mousetraps hanging from the ceiling tiles.

WHY - talked about this before the season. Trap week.

Western Michigan. A team that came to Rentschler last year, and lit up the scoreboard, and beat us.

Our guys won't have the fan support in the stadium this week in Michigan. Period. I know I can't make the trip. I know that 4,000+ fans helped this week.

Next saturday - we will do all we can, but the players won't be able to hear and see us through our television sets.

I HOPE - they all know - that we ALL will be watching, and if our voices could be heard, through the TV - they would hear them just as loud and clear as they did this weekend.

BIG test. This team needs to bring the energy they had two days ago, back on the road - in 5 days. It's up to them this time....HUGE test.

They haven't won back to back games in a long time, let alone back to back road games.

It was a wonderful weekend..

When every player opens their locker tommorrow, I don' t know what tricks P has up his sleeve to make it happen, but every player should get a big SNAP - of a mousetrap.

It's a new week, and season 4 of this series of 12 one-week seasons.

Is a rematch with Western Michigan, who beat us last time, and this time, we're on the road, and will have to bring our own energy.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I see things differently I guess. I actually thought the blocking improved on Saturday to the point that we had an adequate running game. And one area I think we absolutely sucked in was kick coverage against MD. 15 of 16 first down plays were runs. I know you think it's small time chatter but I disagree.

This game scares me from the emotional letdown perspective. Agree with you there.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I see things differently I guess. I actually thought the blocking improved on Saturday to the point that we had an adequate running game. And one area I think we absolutely sucked in was kick coverage against MD. 15 of 16 first down plays were runs. I know you think it's small time chatter but I disagree.

This game scares me from the emotional letdown perspective. Agree with you there.

I disagree that we got good play out of the full back position - it was the weakest spot. Very disappointing. That guy, has got to hit the hole ahead of the ball carrier with some force and attitude. McCombs was leading the way from McCummings, the way that a guy in fullback body needs to do. Our full back either whiffed on run blitzes, or got blown up. Sorry to single the dude out, but if we're going to face run blitzes, and play a power running game - that position is essential and needs to improve.

Our OL was mvoing a hell of a lot better this week than last, but still has some work. We had a couple really big potential plays fall apart, for a couple reasons, that confidence and playing fast can fix. Our OL is built to hold up at the point of attack, but looks to me, like it will be most effective when we can really get moving off the line scrimmage. McCombs TD run, was an example of what we can do - if we get all the guys up front blocking right, and firing off the line scrimmage to the second level.

It does take everybody though. We had a couple short passes to the back, fall apart (one b/c McCombs slipped - he had three blockers in front of him ready to clear the way) - and another because our new Center got himself out into space where he was supposed to be (one of the first times I've seen it so clear) but I think he was so surprised that he missed his block.

Signs of life - but we need to get better at blocking. They did play faster up front on offense though, and when you play faster, that means you're more confident. Just need to build on it now.

Our wideouts? PLaying great. Without their blocking, McCombs doesn't score that TD.

 

[Husky25]

WMU is not a trap game. One of the attributes of a Trap game is that there is an overwhelming favorite. The line for next week opened at pick'em and is now UConn -2 (source: Americasline.com).

 

[SAMCRO]

I don't see this as a trap game. Our D (and especially our D. Coordinator) will have a big time chip on their/his shoulders after giving up mega-passing yards in a home loss to the Broncos l.y.
A win this Saturday, with RU and BE play awaiting in two weeks (on a short week no less) could move the UB game to the "trap game" category, but not WMU after what happened last season.

 

[UConnErik]

Whitmer looked better on the whole. Before I call him clutch, he has to throw a catchable ball on 3rd and 3 in crunch time to Geremy Davis (I think....couldn't see from my seats). That play could have pretty much ended the game.

 

[CTMike]

I agree it's nice that we moved the chains a few times on 3rd and long, but I'd still rather have a few more 3rd and 2 or 3rd and 3's...

 

[mattp]

I don't see how this can be a trap game considering they beat us last year. I think if we played Buffalo this week, with WMU following, our players might be looking ahead, but I can't imagine they are this week. Personally I think "trap game" is one of the most overused football cliches out there right now. People want to use the term for any losable game.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Everybody has different opinions, that's fine. I think that this next game is yet another huge test for this team, because it's a road game, and we've yet to demonstrate that we can be good in those things, and it's all about energy, and there's no way that this team is not feeling an incredible high, with the fan support they had on the road in a win on Saturday. They won't have that energy from the stands on Saturday, and will have to channel it themselves, and going on the road - well it is what it is, - and I think what I think.

This team needs to get level heads, and - and more focused than ever - and to me - traps are about a team's focus, not point spreads. This team needs to demonstrate that they can play with the energy they played last week, on the road - again, and they won't have the fan support, and if you don't think it means a lot, I don't know what to tell you.

As for the 'clutch' when a QB can stand and deliver the ball the way Whitmer did on third downs while taking a shot in the chin, that's clutch to me.

When a player like #6, runs a clean route, gets the ball, and then shakes the tackle to get the first down. THat's clutch.

When a TE - strings across the formation and the offensive line is holding it's blocks that extra second or two for the QB, and the TE catches a rocket for the first down - that's clutch (missed one too - QB led him just a bit too far)

This QB, when he's got time to think, and is playing like a freshmen. THe swing pass he missed to McCombs. That long third down late, when he tried to put some touch on a pass (it looked like) and it didn't seem to go to anybody.....(that's the one I think was mentioned)...

When he doesn't have time to think, and the pressure is on, he plays like a QB should play. I like it.

All I'll say on that Maryland game now, here.

This is a new week.

 

[ibleedhuskyblue]

Gary Wilburn is not playing Saturday.

That was our biggest problem last year.

not meaning to blast a player (former player), but if everyone remembers, we switched to Jones at CB after that game.

 

[mattp]

Whitmer's had 3 games to get his feet wet. At this point there's only two more games before we start the Big East schedule, and I sure as heck hope he has a passing TD by then. I get the conservative offense last week on the road, and we didn't need the points last week, but we might need them against WMU.