2nd half team: I hate....
- Thread starter cment
- Start date
I think CJF wants to be more aggressive sooner. I think he learned that from the Rose Bowl and last years game @ Columbus.
Being aggressive (aka up early, and staying ahead) makes the opponent more one dimensional, and ideally speaking, makes it easier to defend them.
Of course it could also be that CJF also has no faith in the D, and knows he needs TONS of points to win, so gotta get ahead of the other team sooner.
In my humble opinion, taking the ball first is just dumb 100% of the time. It takes a few series for a QB, especially Trace, to chill out, and I really see no advantage when there is typically 56-57 more minutes to go in the game. Nothing better than scoring before and after halftime to break an opponent. I just hope that Ohio State is dumb enough to try to give Weber carries, and that our Safeties study up.
Clemson lost to Syracuse on a Friday night last year.
Everybody identified this as a trap game, but many still whine because it was close.
We are who we are. Our best talent is on offense. Our defense is going to be like this all year. Can they grow up like our offense did in '16? We hope!
Everybody identified this as a trap game, but many still whine because it was close.
We are who we are. Our best talent is on offense. Our defense is going to be like this all year. Can they grow up like our offense did in '16? We hope!
Have you ever considered the fact that you are universally considered to be a colossal douchebag?
6 unranked cupcakes and Washington. Whoop dee doo! And please tell me more meaningless factoids going back to last season!
2017 Michigan State: INTERCEPTION (Lost by 3)- guess it doesn't always work, huh bozo?
Ahh I dunno.. 7 straight games scoring a TD on our first possession seems like a streak you'd want to keep alive... maybe that's what they were doing?
Most the time, I'd agree with you, I'm not a fan of taking the opening kickoff. I think it's easier to settle into a game on defense than it is on offense, especially when you lack experience. It's also much more enticing to know that you'll get your hands on the ball at the start of the second half regardless of how terrible you played in the first half. I get that. I see why most teams should always kick the football.
But 7 straight games scoring a TD on the first drive, with a VETERAN Heisman candidate QB... you let your signal caller take the boys down the field for the score. And that's exactly what they've done. Until tonight...
Maybe now Franklin will kick it to the defense VS Ohio State, given the offense's flop tonight?
I’d be more concerned with the kicking game than the coin toss.
There's plenty to concerned about. Luckily there's so much talent on this team, that they can literally score on any play, so even if they mess up (so far) they just get back to work and get a score. It's like super-market sweep, let's score and score and score so they can't catch us.
So why does it take so long for the D to adjust? Not judging, just curious and trying to understand?
Actually, this team is playing pretty much the way I thought they would. A defense that would likely struggle with the run and a solid offense with Trace McSorley at the helm. The offense has been, at times, much better than I thought and the defense against run sometimes worse than I thought they’d be. Right now we just don’t have any run stuffing LB’s like Cabinda on this team and it shows.
Last edited:
Last year's d started games incredibly strong. 2016 and this season so far, the slow starts might be attributed to youth?
As for taking the ball first it's tough to argue with it when we roll down and score to start most games. 7-0 puts the pressure immediately on the other team especially at home.
Illinois won the opening coin toss and deferred to the second half, of course PSU elected to take the ball.
The fact that PSU had scored a TD on their opening drive in 6 consecutive games going into last night says that we do not need a few series to settle in on offense. They were well on their way to #7 last night until the fumble.
I wish he would defer when the wind is significant. I don't like being against the wind in the 4th.
I would defer most of the time, only because when teams get tired (2nd half) it's nice to have the ball more. On the other hand, this year I can see the counter argument more so than other years -- an overall weak defense but with the depth to substitute.
I believe we lost the coin toss in the last two games, so it’s not our call.
Our DTs don't penetrate opposing OLs very well. Our LBs tend to run themselves out of the gap or into the flow of blocking. Illinois had a lot of success on plays where they pulled. Their first TD came against a full unit of defensive subs other than perhaps a member of the secondary or two. We never actually lined up in a way to load the box and combat what they were doing.
The question is: is this on purpose because they have no faith in our guys being aggressive or they are withholding a lot for the Buckeyes?
I think it's less what the defense does, than the offense just overwhelms opponents in the second half. They become more 1 dimensional having to pass, which makes it a little easier to defend.
Well they've been very successful with doing it this year.
Besides one small detail, Illinois won the toss and deferred.
Well Illinois continued to try and run the ball in the second half last night. There was definitely a better effort in the second half by the D.
Also, deferring sometimes gives you the opportunity to score on 2 consecutive possessions (if you end the 1st half with points as time expires). More than that, I like the opportunity to control the ball after halftime adjustments have been made.
