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As I sip my first cup of tea on Sunday morning, the first thing that goes through my mind is not to overreact to that game. We played what might have been the best team on our schedule, and we lost 10-7 in a game that was statistically very close but for turnovers. Our defense was, for the second straight week, close to perfect -- this time against a much better foe. Our special teams played very well, and outplayed the other side overall, but just didn't make any big plays. And our offense sucked. Was it a lack of execution by our players? Was it horrific scheming and play calling by the staff? Was it still suffering from a lack of playmakers on this side of the ball when P took over? Yes, yes and yes. We got badly outcoached, but that was far from all that went wrong with the O. We can still win a lot of games on that basis if we just simplify the offense and make less mistakes. This team can still go 8-4 or 9-3, but it will not do it pretending we have Donovan McNabb at QB. It can do it the way we did it in '10. Eliminate the mistakes on O and give the D a chance to win you the game without having to overcome 4 turnovers. Is out staff flexible enough to do that? We'll see. But, while I think the play calling on O was horrid, I don't think we fix our problems merely by changing coaching. Players still win and lose games. Our offensive players didn't execute, and there is a talent gap on that side of the ball.
Funny day weather wise. I thought fans were there early in the lots and the students were in their seats and ready to go early. But the crowd, while o.k., never came near taking over the game. Was it the crowd or early frustration on the lack of any offense? Don't know. The weather was supposed to be a factor, but I think I put my raincoat on 4 or 5 times during the game, but each time there was no more than a sprinkle before I took it off. Not a good thing that we can't sell out a game like this. NC State should be embarassed about the number of fans they brought. Baylor and Iowa State both did much better. But miscellaneous thoughts don't seem as important today, so let's get to the units.
On D, I think we did see more personnel in than you would have seen in the Edsall era. We played Norris off the bench at DE, and Pruitt (who played really well), McBride and Campenni with Wirth (who also played great) at DT. I saw Donohue spell Johnson at LB (didn' t see Ashiru or Vann from scrimmage). We saw Adams play at lot of the third safety in a 3-3-5 (which we played more than 4-3 to my eye), Mack played the nickel back in certain alignments and when Blidi was out and Mack played CB Stevenson took his role in the nickel. The defense, obviously, was great. Frankly, they were one play short of perfect. The one play, unfortunatealy, Blidi was out, Mack got burned badly on a third and long and that was the game. As someone who was pushing Mack to play last year, this, obviously, is why he didn't. I could ask why, with Blidi out, Mack was isolated on a third and long without any safety help, but the D was so unbelievably great it's hard to spend too much time asking why one play didn't go well. It was a great defensive effort, so great that's it is hard to single out individual players. Except one. I never thought Trevardo Williams would be as good as he's become. What a phenomonal game.
Our special teams play was really good. Coverage, kicking, punting, blocking, all executed well. No big returns but not a lot of opportunity. One thing to note -- the one time they tried to block a punt they had a much different unit on the line than normally. Smaller speed guys -- Williams, Foxx, Stevenson -- who I didn't see play normally were all put in next to each other on one side. One thing to keep an eye on later in the season.
On offense, let's start with personnel. I saw on the field 7 OL (both Cruz and Bullock got some run), both TEs, 5 WR (a cameo for Terbucky Jones along with Williams, David, Smith and Phillips), 2 TBs (Huppolyte showed a little burst on the one short passs he caught -- the first time with the ball in his hands I saw something in three years), 3 FBs (with Delorenzo lining up there in 3rd and long once or twice) and, including Michael Smith, 3 QBs. Pages have already been written about the O's failures on the Boneyard, but a few points. Geremy Davis doesn't seem to want to contest balls that the DB has a better, or equal, chance to get. He has to go for the ball regardless. John Delahunt has to hold onto the ball, and someone needs to figure out where Ryan Griffin has gone. They line him up all over the field (WR, H-back and TE) but actually look to throw to him -- not that I saw. The OL needs to figure out who its best five players are, stick with it and see if they can get a push one day. Michael Smith at QB -- I don't get why we'd do that with McCummings here. Deleone's attempt to fool the other team are juvenile. On 3rd and 1, when you line up a 210 pound TB at FB, does anyone in the stadium not know who is going to carry the ball? You think you can show a finesse play, lose it to a penalty, and run it again the next play? It was the worst called game that I have ever seen by a UConn OC. And yes, there is a difference between simple, conservative plays and stupid plays. One is a style -- a style you may not like but a style that doesn't keep a team from winning. Yesterday, Deleone kept us from winning. But having said that, I don't know how much better we are with a good OC. The players did not execute and I think there is a talent shortfall, inherited by P, on that side of the ball. (The McCombs bashing, however, has to stop. He may never be a great back -- probably won't be -- but the thought that he's keeping us from winning is dumb. He's fine)
The bottom line, to me, is this. With the offensive playcalling, and with the lack of offensive explosive playmakers, that was still a winnable game. Upperclassmen have to make plays when they have the opportunity. John Delahunt is a senior. He can't fumble the ball. Blidi is a senior. He can't plant his feet in the endzone and fail to down a punt inside the 3. Taylor Mack is a junior. You can play off a WR until you get your feet wet, but in a 3-0 game you simply can't get beat deep when you have no safety help. And the turnovers have to stop. If that means simplifying the playbook, fine. At some point, if that means going to JM, that can't be off the table (although I am far, far from asking for that). But the turnovers have to stop.
So a winnable game next week, but not an easy one on the road. Maryland has an offense we should be able to dominate defensively. Can our offense win the game? If not, can they keep from losing it? We'll see. But did losing by 3 points to the Wolfpack really change the equation? No, it didn't. Maryland does not have NC State's personnel. We just have to get it done.
Oh -- and it wouldn't hurt the team or the program any if a few thousand of us save the 12 hours they would otherwise spend on the boneyard this week complaining about the coaches and instead get in their cars and make a 24 hour trip to greater DC to support our team. I know I will.
Funny day weather wise. I thought fans were there early in the lots and the students were in their seats and ready to go early. But the crowd, while o.k., never came near taking over the game. Was it the crowd or early frustration on the lack of any offense? Don't know. The weather was supposed to be a factor, but I think I put my raincoat on 4 or 5 times during the game, but each time there was no more than a sprinkle before I took it off. Not a good thing that we can't sell out a game like this. NC State should be embarassed about the number of fans they brought. Baylor and Iowa State both did much better. But miscellaneous thoughts don't seem as important today, so let's get to the units.
On D, I think we did see more personnel in than you would have seen in the Edsall era. We played Norris off the bench at DE, and Pruitt (who played really well), McBride and Campenni with Wirth (who also played great) at DT. I saw Donohue spell Johnson at LB (didn' t see Ashiru or Vann from scrimmage). We saw Adams play at lot of the third safety in a 3-3-5 (which we played more than 4-3 to my eye), Mack played the nickel back in certain alignments and when Blidi was out and Mack played CB Stevenson took his role in the nickel. The defense, obviously, was great. Frankly, they were one play short of perfect. The one play, unfortunatealy, Blidi was out, Mack got burned badly on a third and long and that was the game. As someone who was pushing Mack to play last year, this, obviously, is why he didn't. I could ask why, with Blidi out, Mack was isolated on a third and long without any safety help, but the D was so unbelievably great it's hard to spend too much time asking why one play didn't go well. It was a great defensive effort, so great that's it is hard to single out individual players. Except one. I never thought Trevardo Williams would be as good as he's become. What a phenomonal game.
Our special teams play was really good. Coverage, kicking, punting, blocking, all executed well. No big returns but not a lot of opportunity. One thing to note -- the one time they tried to block a punt they had a much different unit on the line than normally. Smaller speed guys -- Williams, Foxx, Stevenson -- who I didn't see play normally were all put in next to each other on one side. One thing to keep an eye on later in the season.
On offense, let's start with personnel. I saw on the field 7 OL (both Cruz and Bullock got some run), both TEs, 5 WR (a cameo for Terbucky Jones along with Williams, David, Smith and Phillips), 2 TBs (Huppolyte showed a little burst on the one short passs he caught -- the first time with the ball in his hands I saw something in three years), 3 FBs (with Delorenzo lining up there in 3rd and long once or twice) and, including Michael Smith, 3 QBs. Pages have already been written about the O's failures on the Boneyard, but a few points. Geremy Davis doesn't seem to want to contest balls that the DB has a better, or equal, chance to get. He has to go for the ball regardless. John Delahunt has to hold onto the ball, and someone needs to figure out where Ryan Griffin has gone. They line him up all over the field (WR, H-back and TE) but actually look to throw to him -- not that I saw. The OL needs to figure out who its best five players are, stick with it and see if they can get a push one day. Michael Smith at QB -- I don't get why we'd do that with McCummings here. Deleone's attempt to fool the other team are juvenile. On 3rd and 1, when you line up a 210 pound TB at FB, does anyone in the stadium not know who is going to carry the ball? You think you can show a finesse play, lose it to a penalty, and run it again the next play? It was the worst called game that I have ever seen by a UConn OC. And yes, there is a difference between simple, conservative plays and stupid plays. One is a style -- a style you may not like but a style that doesn't keep a team from winning. Yesterday, Deleone kept us from winning. But having said that, I don't know how much better we are with a good OC. The players did not execute and I think there is a talent shortfall, inherited by P, on that side of the ball. (The McCombs bashing, however, has to stop. He may never be a great back -- probably won't be -- but the thought that he's keeping us from winning is dumb. He's fine)
The bottom line, to me, is this. With the offensive playcalling, and with the lack of offensive explosive playmakers, that was still a winnable game. Upperclassmen have to make plays when they have the opportunity. John Delahunt is a senior. He can't fumble the ball. Blidi is a senior. He can't plant his feet in the endzone and fail to down a punt inside the 3. Taylor Mack is a junior. You can play off a WR until you get your feet wet, but in a 3-0 game you simply can't get beat deep when you have no safety help. And the turnovers have to stop. If that means simplifying the playbook, fine. At some point, if that means going to JM, that can't be off the table (although I am far, far from asking for that). But the turnovers have to stop.
So a winnable game next week, but not an easy one on the road. Maryland has an offense we should be able to dominate defensively. Can our offense win the game? If not, can they keep from losing it? We'll see. But did losing by 3 points to the Wolfpack really change the equation? No, it didn't. Maryland does not have NC State's personnel. We just have to get it done.
Oh -- and it wouldn't hurt the team or the program any if a few thousand of us save the 12 hours they would otherwise spend on the boneyard this week complaining about the coaches and instead get in their cars and make a 24 hour trip to greater DC to support our team. I know I will.
