As one of our other coaches would say, “the pre-season is over; now to the regular season.” Of course, our 1-3 record in OOC games stifles virtually any hope for the breakout 8+ win season many of our fans were looking to. And it means we need to go at least 5-3 in conference play (something we’ve only done once before in the AAC) to extend our mini-string of minor bowl appearances.
So, what’s the story? We lost in a close game to Oklahoma who may be grossly overrated. The next week, we crushed possibly the worst team in the FCS. We then were dismantled by an Ole Miss team that may be much better than previously thought. And last evening we lost by a touchdown in a game that wasn’t that close. The toughness and hard-hitting that Oklahoma commented on doesn’t appear to be consistently applied. And the lack of tackling on defense and the number of drops on offense are the most visible of a plethora of problems affecting our success.
The Offense
Our running game has been the least successful in the Fritz era. Last night we netted 90 yards in 28 carries and, but for the 24-yard run by Booker late in the first half, we’d have 66 yards in 27 carries (2.4 yds/rush). Our line simply isn’t opening up holes and our backs aren’t playing up to expectations. Joey Claybrook has been a particular disappointment after playing well much of last season. Of our backs, Carroll doesn’t seem to have the quickness or drive he did last year. And, with his lack of playing time, it appears that Spears is not near 100% as has been so often claimed. Brumfield has looked good when he has played, though most of that was against Morgan State, and he was virtually invisible last night. Booker showed some signs of life last night which was encouraging. But, we can’t win against our future opponents without a much improved running game.
Our passing game has numerous issues. We had at least seven drops last night as the most obvious. But, our line play isn’t allowing time for Pratt to throw or for our receivers to get open. Of course, getting open is also dependent on the receivers as well as the play calling and, whatever the reason, our wide receivers are not getting open. Most catches are contested or require extremely accurate throws. Conversely, our tight ends seem to be more open though James and Wallace accounted for at least 4 of our drops, including the disastrous one by Wallace. Open receivers have to catch the ball. And, speaking of receivers, where was Wyatt last night? He was one of few bright spots against Ole Miss but was invisible against UAB. Of course, Pratt isn’t perfect either. He was 27 for 49 passing (55%) which isn’t great but, again, he didn’t have a lot of open receivers. I honestly don’t recall any really open guys he missed but I’m sure there were some. Certainly, the one interception was a bad pass, though the other was a drop that went to UAB. Also, when he has time (which isn’t often) he probably “takes off” a little early. Still, he’s the strength of our offense in my view.
The Defense
Our defense is supposed to be tough against the run. Well, not so much lately. In the last two game, Ole Miss and UAB rushed 109 times for a net of 565 yards (5.2 yds/carry). Some of our problem is missed tackles and some being out of position, caused by missed assignments or poor scheme/alignment. Although I think our linebackers are our most talented single group, they have been “sucked” out of position far too often, allowing runners to break past the first few yards and into the secondary. And tackling from our secondary has been poor.
Defending the pass is also a major problem, possibly the greatest one for our defense. Opponents are completing almost 70% of their passes (69.8%). And in our three games against BCS teams, they completed 73% of their passes for an average of 296 yds/game. Those are bad numbers which don’t bode well for games against the major passing outfits we’ll play the rest of the year.
Special Teams.
Our kickoffs and punts have been excellent and going 2 for 2 on on-side kicks is spectacular. Glover hit his only FG attempt this year, from 40 yards, and all of his extra points. Coaches don't have any confidence in his longer kicks even though most of his kickoffs land deep in the end zone. We’ve also covered well on punts and kickoffs and done pretty well returning the few opportunities we’ve had. So far, special teams have been a strength.
Coaching
If players don’t tackle or catch passes, some of that has to be on the coaches. Similarly, if players are out of position, it well could be that coaches put them there. Some on here know much more about football than I, but it seems to me that during the past two games, we didn’t play up to our talent level. That doesn’t mean the opponents didn’t have more talent; they may have. But we didn’t make plays I think we have the capability of making. In our three losses, Oklahoma led us 37-14; Ole Miss led 40-14, and UAB led 21-0, a combined 98-28, before we made much of a move. For the rest of those three games, we outscored the opposition 49-31. Were we not ready to play? Did our coaches make good adjustments after falling far behind? Or did the opponents subconsciously lose some of their drive? I don’t know, but coaching must shoulder a good portion of the blame for a 1-3 start.
Hope for a better result the next 8 games.
Roll Wave!!!
So, what’s the story? We lost in a close game to Oklahoma who may be grossly overrated. The next week, we crushed possibly the worst team in the FCS. We then were dismantled by an Ole Miss team that may be much better than previously thought. And last evening we lost by a touchdown in a game that wasn’t that close. The toughness and hard-hitting that Oklahoma commented on doesn’t appear to be consistently applied. And the lack of tackling on defense and the number of drops on offense are the most visible of a plethora of problems affecting our success.
The Offense
Our running game has been the least successful in the Fritz era. Last night we netted 90 yards in 28 carries and, but for the 24-yard run by Booker late in the first half, we’d have 66 yards in 27 carries (2.4 yds/rush). Our line simply isn’t opening up holes and our backs aren’t playing up to expectations. Joey Claybrook has been a particular disappointment after playing well much of last season. Of our backs, Carroll doesn’t seem to have the quickness or drive he did last year. And, with his lack of playing time, it appears that Spears is not near 100% as has been so often claimed. Brumfield has looked good when he has played, though most of that was against Morgan State, and he was virtually invisible last night. Booker showed some signs of life last night which was encouraging. But, we can’t win against our future opponents without a much improved running game.
Our passing game has numerous issues. We had at least seven drops last night as the most obvious. But, our line play isn’t allowing time for Pratt to throw or for our receivers to get open. Of course, getting open is also dependent on the receivers as well as the play calling and, whatever the reason, our wide receivers are not getting open. Most catches are contested or require extremely accurate throws. Conversely, our tight ends seem to be more open though James and Wallace accounted for at least 4 of our drops, including the disastrous one by Wallace. Open receivers have to catch the ball. And, speaking of receivers, where was Wyatt last night? He was one of few bright spots against Ole Miss but was invisible against UAB. Of course, Pratt isn’t perfect either. He was 27 for 49 passing (55%) which isn’t great but, again, he didn’t have a lot of open receivers. I honestly don’t recall any really open guys he missed but I’m sure there were some. Certainly, the one interception was a bad pass, though the other was a drop that went to UAB. Also, when he has time (which isn’t often) he probably “takes off” a little early. Still, he’s the strength of our offense in my view.
The Defense
Our defense is supposed to be tough against the run. Well, not so much lately. In the last two game, Ole Miss and UAB rushed 109 times for a net of 565 yards (5.2 yds/carry). Some of our problem is missed tackles and some being out of position, caused by missed assignments or poor scheme/alignment. Although I think our linebackers are our most talented single group, they have been “sucked” out of position far too often, allowing runners to break past the first few yards and into the secondary. And tackling from our secondary has been poor.
Defending the pass is also a major problem, possibly the greatest one for our defense. Opponents are completing almost 70% of their passes (69.8%). And in our three games against BCS teams, they completed 73% of their passes for an average of 296 yds/game. Those are bad numbers which don’t bode well for games against the major passing outfits we’ll play the rest of the year.
Special Teams.
Our kickoffs and punts have been excellent and going 2 for 2 on on-side kicks is spectacular. Glover hit his only FG attempt this year, from 40 yards, and all of his extra points. Coaches don't have any confidence in his longer kicks even though most of his kickoffs land deep in the end zone. We’ve also covered well on punts and kickoffs and done pretty well returning the few opportunities we’ve had. So far, special teams have been a strength.
Coaching
If players don’t tackle or catch passes, some of that has to be on the coaches. Similarly, if players are out of position, it well could be that coaches put them there. Some on here know much more about football than I, but it seems to me that during the past two games, we didn’t play up to our talent level. That doesn’t mean the opponents didn’t have more talent; they may have. But we didn’t make plays I think we have the capability of making. In our three losses, Oklahoma led us 37-14; Ole Miss led 40-14, and UAB led 21-0, a combined 98-28, before we made much of a move. For the rest of those three games, we outscored the opposition 49-31. Were we not ready to play? Did our coaches make good adjustments after falling far behind? Or did the opponents subconsciously lose some of their drive? I don’t know, but coaching must shoulder a good portion of the blame for a 1-3 start.
Hope for a better result the next 8 games.
Roll Wave!!!
