1. #14 was steady, even in the face of a very good D. He hit 3 TD passes, didnt have much of a run game, make some important QB keepers, and most importantly, made near-perfect passes to his top two receivers. Hence, Cliff continues to establish himself as the leader of the O, and a tough QB who can play well in the tough games. And...he has only just begun.......
2. Chisena's emergence on STs was very noticeable. He is the man to watch when we KO. withhis "laser-like focus!" Great confidence in his speed, unblockability, and sure tackling. The kid ishaving an awesome year. Also he WILL catch at least one, maybe two TD bombs before the year is out. The sooner our run game emerges, the sooner that will happen.
3. The chinks in our Defensive armor are being exposed by the best teams we play, which will make us a better team down the stretch, and beyond. Young DEs get picked on enough and finally learn not to go for the sack and leave holes for RBs to escape thru. DBs are covering much better and not giving up quite as many completions for quite as much yardage. The LB crew ( esp. #11) had a terrific game, with #11 almost flawless. He is becoming aggressive and instinctual, and vs UM played like a 5 star. Looks like he has arrived. Then, on top of that we have excellent LB depth with #40 and Katshir both contributing, behind the SR LBers.
Did anyone notice how similar our DE pressure was vs Mich and vs Pitt? We were inches away from sacks on numerous plays. Our DL is doing a much better job of collapsing the pocket, but not quite enough for the DEs to get to the QB. In both games we got our hands on him many times but never enough to complete the sack, but we did rush numerous passes. Close but no tootsie roll. Since UM is a better team than Pitt, I call that progress.
4. OL: The Big Boys did just enough vs two great D's: IA and UM. I'd even put Pitt in there, as a very good D. When we play some lesser D's they should be able to establish our run game in a more meaningful way. Are they better than last year? Id have to say YES. And they are improving in the games that count most. Two down and two to go.
5. Strength of schedule: Purdue is proving to be a tough "out." Despite losing their top two players they are coming on strong, and it started in the 2nd half of our game with them. Pitt is another very good team that many think could wind up with 10 W's! I like IA a lot, led by their Top Ten D and a senior QB. Upcoming games with MSU-MN-OSU makes for 7 very tough opps. Our future is in our hands, in a tough league. While they should peak in 2020 or beyond, its clear that they have come a long way in 2019, and are only beginning to scratch the surface of their talent.
5. Recruiting: CJF was-is-and always will be a terrific recruiter. Look at the past several years and how well stocked the pantry is. Now if we could only learn to win the close games against top teams. WAIT!. We just did! Twice.! So coaching is improving, as well.
Looks to me that we are on the verge of a nice run, lasting at least several years. Maybe we ARE back?
2. Chisena's emergence on STs was very noticeable. He is the man to watch when we KO. withhis "laser-like focus!" Great confidence in his speed, unblockability, and sure tackling. The kid ishaving an awesome year. Also he WILL catch at least one, maybe two TD bombs before the year is out. The sooner our run game emerges, the sooner that will happen.
3. The chinks in our Defensive armor are being exposed by the best teams we play, which will make us a better team down the stretch, and beyond. Young DEs get picked on enough and finally learn not to go for the sack and leave holes for RBs to escape thru. DBs are covering much better and not giving up quite as many completions for quite as much yardage. The LB crew ( esp. #11) had a terrific game, with #11 almost flawless. He is becoming aggressive and instinctual, and vs UM played like a 5 star. Looks like he has arrived. Then, on top of that we have excellent LB depth with #40 and Katshir both contributing, behind the SR LBers.
Did anyone notice how similar our DE pressure was vs Mich and vs Pitt? We were inches away from sacks on numerous plays. Our DL is doing a much better job of collapsing the pocket, but not quite enough for the DEs to get to the QB. In both games we got our hands on him many times but never enough to complete the sack, but we did rush numerous passes. Close but no tootsie roll. Since UM is a better team than Pitt, I call that progress.
4. OL: The Big Boys did just enough vs two great D's: IA and UM. I'd even put Pitt in there, as a very good D. When we play some lesser D's they should be able to establish our run game in a more meaningful way. Are they better than last year? Id have to say YES. And they are improving in the games that count most. Two down and two to go.
5. Strength of schedule: Purdue is proving to be a tough "out." Despite losing their top two players they are coming on strong, and it started in the 2nd half of our game with them. Pitt is another very good team that many think could wind up with 10 W's! I like IA a lot, led by their Top Ten D and a senior QB. Upcoming games with MSU-MN-OSU makes for 7 very tough opps. Our future is in our hands, in a tough league. While they should peak in 2020 or beyond, its clear that they have come a long way in 2019, and are only beginning to scratch the surface of their talent.
5. Recruiting: CJF was-is-and always will be a terrific recruiter. Look at the past several years and how well stocked the pantry is. Now if we could only learn to win the close games against top teams. WAIT!. We just did! Twice.! So coaching is improving, as well.
Looks to me that we are on the verge of a nice run, lasting at least several years. Maybe we ARE back?
