The first thing I did this am was to read through the entire game thread for my usual enjoyment. I usually do it right after the game, but it took over two stinking hours to get out of the parking lot which really irks me. Anyway, here are my observations about the game. Disclaimer: never coached after football, but have knowledge & ability to be unbiased.
1. First off, let's get this whole QB thing out of the way. I don't always agree with MK, but in this case, he is spot on. I actually will go so far as to say that Hack would be getting a ton of press and maybe even some Heisman hype if he was playing behind the lines at OSU or Bama. Look folks, our line is not good and the receivers are not getting him a lot of separation to work with. I was at all the games & it is obvious when you see the routes. The WR are all young & feeling things out still. They have no vertical passing game because any route that takes more than 3 seconds is going to get Hack killed and there's very little separation. When all you have is screens in the flat or quick slants, things get crowded at the line & there isn't much to do about it. I am hopeful that over the next 3 weeks we can gain a little confidence with the line & then start taking a few shots down the field. Hack had A Rob as a freshmen; he doesn't have that guy now or the play calling might be different. Polk or Thompson are the ones I'd like to see out there more to get some speed threat outside. Hitting the TE in the seam is impossible because, again, they are largely keeping the TE in to help block and those routes take longer to develop. I think I remember one shot yesterday & one last week. Can't do it- no time. So, let the McSorley talk go. If the line doesn't develop, we will continue to be extremely limited in our play calling & will not have enough in the arsenal to challenge NW or UM, never mind the two big boys. Oh, and he had some good checks that resulted in positive yardage as well. He's seeing the D; just can't do what he wants to yet.
2. Watching the young LBs making all the checks on D was really fun. Cabinda looks like he is taking over the D and looks cerebral out there with the checks. It looked a little chaotic at times, but he generally got the D set. The young guys on D really look incredibly promising for the future. They can all tackle, too.
3. The secondary is fast & can hit. They need to wrap up but they can hit. A lot of promise here too, simply because of natural athletic ability. The penalties are simply the reflection of a young team. That will get cleaned up.
4. Special teams are once again special for the first time in forever. This is clearly the most improved unit. They are a threat with each return & coverage has been excellent. They controlled field position because of it, the complete opposite of last year.
5. Shout out to Jordan Lucas for channeling Nyeem and taking his number. He was all over the field, including swatting the ball out of the end zone on a punt and getting the ball downed around the two. Fundamentals & the little things- usually what leads to the big things.
6. Shout out to the fans for bringing it the whole game, and that included the rest of the house, not just the students. I recall at least 3 penalties credited to the noise again. When the place is full and loud, its intimidating. I saw some looks of awe on the faces of the RU players before the game.
7. Why the hell didn't the student section participate in the stripe out? The place looked awesome & then there was one big white section. Odd.
8. I really would like to not get wet next week. Seriously.
9. Talked to a bunch of RU fans at the game & they seemed to be treated with respect which made me very happy. There were likely a minority of fans who made it tough for us last year, so I am glad we didn't seem to stoop to that level & were good sports. Success with honor.
10. Love the crowd reaction to showing Joe on the big board before the game.
11. Had a nice talk with JayPa before the game. The legal fight goes on & he had some interesting comments, but for another thread. Just a very bright and nice guy, regardless of what you think of his coaching.
12. Finally, I love to read the threads after the game because I love the passion of our fans, and can 'read' just how much these games mean to everyone. I feel the same....but there's a bunch of posters who really need to learn something about football. Wow.
1. First off, let's get this whole QB thing out of the way. I don't always agree with MK, but in this case, he is spot on. I actually will go so far as to say that Hack would be getting a ton of press and maybe even some Heisman hype if he was playing behind the lines at OSU or Bama. Look folks, our line is not good and the receivers are not getting him a lot of separation to work with. I was at all the games & it is obvious when you see the routes. The WR are all young & feeling things out still. They have no vertical passing game because any route that takes more than 3 seconds is going to get Hack killed and there's very little separation. When all you have is screens in the flat or quick slants, things get crowded at the line & there isn't much to do about it. I am hopeful that over the next 3 weeks we can gain a little confidence with the line & then start taking a few shots down the field. Hack had A Rob as a freshmen; he doesn't have that guy now or the play calling might be different. Polk or Thompson are the ones I'd like to see out there more to get some speed threat outside. Hitting the TE in the seam is impossible because, again, they are largely keeping the TE in to help block and those routes take longer to develop. I think I remember one shot yesterday & one last week. Can't do it- no time. So, let the McSorley talk go. If the line doesn't develop, we will continue to be extremely limited in our play calling & will not have enough in the arsenal to challenge NW or UM, never mind the two big boys. Oh, and he had some good checks that resulted in positive yardage as well. He's seeing the D; just can't do what he wants to yet.
2. Watching the young LBs making all the checks on D was really fun. Cabinda looks like he is taking over the D and looks cerebral out there with the checks. It looked a little chaotic at times, but he generally got the D set. The young guys on D really look incredibly promising for the future. They can all tackle, too.
3. The secondary is fast & can hit. They need to wrap up but they can hit. A lot of promise here too, simply because of natural athletic ability. The penalties are simply the reflection of a young team. That will get cleaned up.
4. Special teams are once again special for the first time in forever. This is clearly the most improved unit. They are a threat with each return & coverage has been excellent. They controlled field position because of it, the complete opposite of last year.
5. Shout out to Jordan Lucas for channeling Nyeem and taking his number. He was all over the field, including swatting the ball out of the end zone on a punt and getting the ball downed around the two. Fundamentals & the little things- usually what leads to the big things.
6. Shout out to the fans for bringing it the whole game, and that included the rest of the house, not just the students. I recall at least 3 penalties credited to the noise again. When the place is full and loud, its intimidating. I saw some looks of awe on the faces of the RU players before the game.
7. Why the hell didn't the student section participate in the stripe out? The place looked awesome & then there was one big white section. Odd.
8. I really would like to not get wet next week. Seriously.
9. Talked to a bunch of RU fans at the game & they seemed to be treated with respect which made me very happy. There were likely a minority of fans who made it tough for us last year, so I am glad we didn't seem to stoop to that level & were good sports. Success with honor.
10. Love the crowd reaction to showing Joe on the big board before the game.
11. Had a nice talk with JayPa before the game. The legal fight goes on & he had some interesting comments, but for another thread. Just a very bright and nice guy, regardless of what you think of his coaching.
12. Finally, I love to read the threads after the game because I love the passion of our fans, and can 'read' just how much these games mean to everyone. I feel the same....but there's a bunch of posters who really need to learn something about football. Wow.
