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Watched the first half from a sports bar without sound and the second half from my hotel room, and when I got back today I looked at a few plays that I wanted to see again. Here is what I have.
First, that was, overall, a great team effort, and other than the win at Louisville in '12 was the single best defensive game we've played since the Edsall staff moved on. While the OL was just not good and strong enough to hold up at the line of scrimmage and establish a run, it was a hard, smart effort for the most part by the O as well. Specials let us down which, along with a few untimely mistakes and one awful call by the refs and one by the staff, left us just short of what would have been a historic win for the program. How historic? Well, we've NEVER beaten a ranked team from a power conference. Our only two raked wins were against USF and Louisville in conference. So I was bummed and disappointed. But, but, but -- this game coming in was more a test than a possible W, and we absolutely passed the test. Last year is gone. Pre-Cochrane '13 is gone. Other than the game at BYU, there is no game we have where I now won't want to win it when it kicks off. Are we consistent enough through all three units to win a lot of games -- maybe not. But we can compete in them and win our share. And that, my friends, was the first goal of the year. 6-6 would be the real success, and (more on that at the end) that is now looking more and more realistic.
A lot has been said over the weekend, but let's discuss a few plays. In the first Q, the staff designed a beautiful route where Max D broke totally free down the left seam. Bryant missed him, and threw into traffic left. But it showed, again, that our staff is going to give us some opportuities. The first fake FG was a good call. Boyle had all sorts of room deep and right to lead Bloom, and he didn't. That having been said, Bloom has to go back and make a play for the ball, and not just assume it's going to be perfectly thrown. The fake punt, while it worked brilliantly, I thought was dumb. WE converted. 60 yards from the end zone and punted after a few more plays. Where if we screwed it up, we're handing them points in what clearly was going to be a low scoring game. The missed 48 yard FG they didn't rush. Yeah, he missed. Not everyone is going to make a 48 yarder with their first college kick. But I think the Staff worried too much about the rush, when MIzzou was probably willing to see if we could make that. On their one TD drive, I looked at the third and short conversion again (which I thought yesterday was an incomplete pass), and am fairly certain that it was an incomplete pass. One of our players (Walsh?) signalled that on the sideline. Unfortunately, none of our staff in the booth apparently saw it well enough to take a time out for a challenge. On the last play, I've said it in other posts and won't dwell on it, but the high percentage page generally is to kick the 3 with Puyols. If HCBD lost faith, and just didn't think we'd make it, I can live with that but then go for it and let Shireffs make a play. One play no one spoke about -- if Levy doesn't get whistled for procedure on 2 and 5 from the 23, it all may have played out differently. Oh well.
Offense, defense and specials? I didn't think our OL was ready to run against them. Unfortunately, I was right. Don't know why we didn't see Arkeel -- punished for being in the wrong place on the handoff early? Hurt when he was creamed on the incomplete screen? Don't know, but I would have loved to have tried to get him the ball in space once or twice. I thought the pass blocking was not horrible given the level of competition. I thought Shireffs was good given the rush and competition, but he did, in my view, not find the open receiver on a few occasions where doing so might have been a big play. Thomas is a stud. I know our TEs should only be redshirt frosh but we needed more from them yesterday.
The D was so good that singling people out is hard, although the Williams pick took me back to a Perkins or Darius Butler making their breaks for the ball. Yes, we gave up one big play, but took it off the board with the goal line stand and the defensive numbers were absurdly good. If they play at 80% of that level, we will have a chance to win every game. Though I do wish Obi would eliminate the one stupid play a game (this time a totally unnecessary pass interference). But those are quibbles. You can't ask the D for more than it gave.
Don't know where that full blow up on specials came from. Manco hasn't rolled a snap back in 4 years, and when he did to Wain he was yelling at the ref after the play. I'm guessing something happened before he snapped it. The blocking, obviously, is disgraceful. There is no reason to have lost faith in Puyol -- he's 3 for 3 with FGs, and 2 of the blocked XPs are far more on the line than on him. But it has to improve. Coverages were still good. Head up play by McCAllister on the muffed punt. But the kicking has to be fixed before Saturday.
And I am a real big fan of the coaching overall. Yes, I think we were way too aggressive with the 3 kick fakes, and I think the last decision was awful, but they did so much right. The empty backfield on the last drive. The route for Max that wasn't found. Having Max throw the Anthony Sherman block on the corner for Ron Jon's TD. Not just creativity, but creativity that works with our personnel.
So a tough loss, certainly, but in a game that a month ago I would have laughed at you if you told me we'd have a chance to win for 59 minutes. I wasn't worried about 6-6 coming into the year, but now I think you have to look at getting to at least 6 wins. So where are they? USF at home and at Tulane are the easiest games. UCF on the road is probably 5. And then if Navy is really that much better than ECU, than getting either ECU or Houston has to be 6. But, as I and others have said, other than the road game at BYU we're not playing anyone that our D can't give us a chance to beat. And the Offense is unbelievably young, and we have our QB for two more years and nine games (hopefully ten games). You can't help but think not just that things are looking up, but that this can be a fun, interesting year. We need better OL play. We need to fix the kicking game. And we need the staff not to give away chances to win with brain farts. But in terms of spirit and schemes and player development, you have to be impressed with what HCBD and his staff are doing.
First, that was, overall, a great team effort, and other than the win at Louisville in '12 was the single best defensive game we've played since the Edsall staff moved on. While the OL was just not good and strong enough to hold up at the line of scrimmage and establish a run, it was a hard, smart effort for the most part by the O as well. Specials let us down which, along with a few untimely mistakes and one awful call by the refs and one by the staff, left us just short of what would have been a historic win for the program. How historic? Well, we've NEVER beaten a ranked team from a power conference. Our only two raked wins were against USF and Louisville in conference. So I was bummed and disappointed. But, but, but -- this game coming in was more a test than a possible W, and we absolutely passed the test. Last year is gone. Pre-Cochrane '13 is gone. Other than the game at BYU, there is no game we have where I now won't want to win it when it kicks off. Are we consistent enough through all three units to win a lot of games -- maybe not. But we can compete in them and win our share. And that, my friends, was the first goal of the year. 6-6 would be the real success, and (more on that at the end) that is now looking more and more realistic.
A lot has been said over the weekend, but let's discuss a few plays. In the first Q, the staff designed a beautiful route where Max D broke totally free down the left seam. Bryant missed him, and threw into traffic left. But it showed, again, that our staff is going to give us some opportuities. The first fake FG was a good call. Boyle had all sorts of room deep and right to lead Bloom, and he didn't. That having been said, Bloom has to go back and make a play for the ball, and not just assume it's going to be perfectly thrown. The fake punt, while it worked brilliantly, I thought was dumb. WE converted. 60 yards from the end zone and punted after a few more plays. Where if we screwed it up, we're handing them points in what clearly was going to be a low scoring game. The missed 48 yard FG they didn't rush. Yeah, he missed. Not everyone is going to make a 48 yarder with their first college kick. But I think the Staff worried too much about the rush, when MIzzou was probably willing to see if we could make that. On their one TD drive, I looked at the third and short conversion again (which I thought yesterday was an incomplete pass), and am fairly certain that it was an incomplete pass. One of our players (Walsh?) signalled that on the sideline. Unfortunately, none of our staff in the booth apparently saw it well enough to take a time out for a challenge. On the last play, I've said it in other posts and won't dwell on it, but the high percentage page generally is to kick the 3 with Puyols. If HCBD lost faith, and just didn't think we'd make it, I can live with that but then go for it and let Shireffs make a play. One play no one spoke about -- if Levy doesn't get whistled for procedure on 2 and 5 from the 23, it all may have played out differently. Oh well.
Offense, defense and specials? I didn't think our OL was ready to run against them. Unfortunately, I was right. Don't know why we didn't see Arkeel -- punished for being in the wrong place on the handoff early? Hurt when he was creamed on the incomplete screen? Don't know, but I would have loved to have tried to get him the ball in space once or twice. I thought the pass blocking was not horrible given the level of competition. I thought Shireffs was good given the rush and competition, but he did, in my view, not find the open receiver on a few occasions where doing so might have been a big play. Thomas is a stud. I know our TEs should only be redshirt frosh but we needed more from them yesterday.
The D was so good that singling people out is hard, although the Williams pick took me back to a Perkins or Darius Butler making their breaks for the ball. Yes, we gave up one big play, but took it off the board with the goal line stand and the defensive numbers were absurdly good. If they play at 80% of that level, we will have a chance to win every game. Though I do wish Obi would eliminate the one stupid play a game (this time a totally unnecessary pass interference). But those are quibbles. You can't ask the D for more than it gave.
Don't know where that full blow up on specials came from. Manco hasn't rolled a snap back in 4 years, and when he did to Wain he was yelling at the ref after the play. I'm guessing something happened before he snapped it. The blocking, obviously, is disgraceful. There is no reason to have lost faith in Puyol -- he's 3 for 3 with FGs, and 2 of the blocked XPs are far more on the line than on him. But it has to improve. Coverages were still good. Head up play by McCAllister on the muffed punt. But the kicking has to be fixed before Saturday.
And I am a real big fan of the coaching overall. Yes, I think we were way too aggressive with the 3 kick fakes, and I think the last decision was awful, but they did so much right. The empty backfield on the last drive. The route for Max that wasn't found. Having Max throw the Anthony Sherman block on the corner for Ron Jon's TD. Not just creativity, but creativity that works with our personnel.
So a tough loss, certainly, but in a game that a month ago I would have laughed at you if you told me we'd have a chance to win for 59 minutes. I wasn't worried about 6-6 coming into the year, but now I think you have to look at getting to at least 6 wins. So where are they? USF at home and at Tulane are the easiest games. UCF on the road is probably 5. And then if Navy is really that much better than ECU, than getting either ECU or Houston has to be 6. But, as I and others have said, other than the road game at BYU we're not playing anyone that our D can't give us a chance to beat. And the Offense is unbelievably young, and we have our QB for two more years and nine games (hopefully ten games). You can't help but think not just that things are looking up, but that this can be a fun, interesting year. We need better OL play. We need to fix the kicking game. And we need the staff not to give away chances to win with brain farts. But in terms of spirit and schemes and player development, you have to be impressed with what HCBD and his staff are doing.
