Wow!!! Our offense the first half realized the potential we’d seen in Fritz’s teams at Sam Houston and Georgia Southern. Recognizing that Tulsa has a woefully bad run defense (as well as overall), it was still impressive. As Banks and others have gotten more comfortable with the scheme, the coaches have opened up and expanded the playbook to make it much more difficult to defend and makes play calling much less predictable. Can we continue with yesterday’s offensive results? Probably not. But as the play book develops and players are recruited to run it, I think we can expect success to follow.
After a game against Army in which we were defeated at the point of attack more often than not (both lines), we saw a major turnaround. Two weeks ago, we had a couple of very long TD runs that inflated our rushing statistics. But, we only gained four or more yards on 47% of our plays(14 of 30). Against Tulsa, it was over 61% of the time (43 for 70), including two short TD’s that dropped the percentage. Despite those, it was over 70% in the first half. That’s how you move the chains.
Our starting five on the offensive line had their best game at Tulane and rivaled OLine performance I have witnessed in the past 50+ years. The tight ends blocked well for a change and the wide outs sprung five yard gains into long runs.
At running back, most everyone had good games and Hilliard was spectacular. Four TD’s and 175 yards rushing is beyond good. 93 yards for Banks, 71 for Bradwell, and 68 for Badie isn’t too shabby either. All of them moved the pile and broke tackles for yards after contact, something we’ve become used to. Brantley, with obvious instructions to keep the ball on the ground, added another long TD to his resume as a dangerous runner from the QB position. It was also good to see Strickland get his first playing time behind a makeshift line. He looked good.
Banks, of course, had a terrific game. He made good decisions, took care of the ball, kept plays alive with his feet, and ran the option to near perfection. He even slid when necessary to protect himself, probably the one guy we simply can’t afford to lose. The long TD pass to Encalade, in which Terren outfought the defender for the ball, served a dual purpose. Obviously the TD was important, but the ball traveled over 55 yards in the air. That tells future Defensive Coordinators they must defend the entire field.
Charles Jones only caught two passes but it seemed like the tight ends were much more involved in the passing attack than previous, even as decoys. Again, that threat makes us tougher to defend.
We only threw two passes in the second half but it was obvious, had we wished to, we’d have had continued success throwing the ball. The run threat simply took up their defense’s entire attention.
On defense, we dominated the line of scrimmage with our starters. Through the first 40 minutes, Tulsa had 13 carries with only 3 gaining at least 4 yards. Eleven of their final 15 rushes, frequently against reserves, gained at least 4. Of course, by then, we were also so burned by long passes, we were probably not concentrating much on the run.
I thought Sean Wilson had a particularly good game in the middle, and though the announcers commented on how well Braylon Edwards was playing, I don’t think he had a very good game. He still looks to be at least 20-30 pound overweight and it appears to be affecting his play. But, I will say this for the kid; he hustles. His one tackle was made 26 yards downfield in the last minute of the game as he chased down a ball carrier from behind. When the runner got “hemmed in” by others, Edwards was there to make a solo tackle. Good for him.
Our pass defense, however, was not good, as anyone could see. I thought both Donnie Lewis and Parry Nickerson played their positions well, though Lewis dropped a sure interception that the announcers said was the easiest one he’ll (Lewis) will ever see. Nickerson looked bad on the play where a miscommunication left him covering an “out” receiver while an uncovered “up” receiver ran right past everyone. He did chase the guy down but missed the tackle. On another play, he came from ten yards behind to tackle a receiver on the one yard line after our safeties were beaten for the “umpteenth” time. Nickerson is probably as fast as anyone on the team.
Our safeties were another issue. Our deep five of Nickerson, Lewis, Teamer, Kuerschen, and Franklin really consists of two cover corners and three strong safety types. Teamer, Kuerschen and Franklin are very good against the run but bite too hard, too often, and lose track of receivers. None of them have elite speed either to really “man up” against swift tight ends, running backs, or wide receivers. We allowed three long passes of 52, 59, and 74 yards and would have allowed another 70+ yarder had the Tulsa receiver not dropped a perfect pass some 10 yards behind our defenders. Future teams can’t fail to notice the problem and for the rest of the year we’ll see receivers drawing Lewis and Nickerson to the sidelines to take advantage of our safeties in the middle of the field.
Not to say there were not some good plays. Kuerschen was beaten fairly early in the game but he reacted perfectly to the receiver turning his head to intercept a pass thrown some five yards short. That was good coaching and good instinct. But he can’t get beaten like that against a good passer.
Our special teams were not very special. Our average starting field position on kickoffs was the 27 yard line, the same as theirs—a draw. Block had a couple of solid punts but a short punt that then retreated toward our scrimmage line for a net of 6 yards left him with a pitiable 31 yard average. Neither team had any return yards on punts. The only positive thing I can say about Glover’s missed extra point is that he did make 8 of them. It’s still a weak point on the team that needs to be addressed in recruiting.
I was pleased to see so many scout team guys and “walk-ons” get a chance to see some action. Kids work every day and deserve a shot when it’s possible. Good for morale. But, what’s up with the personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties? Teamer, Mooney, and Graham each received one. That’s got to be corrected for a tighter game.
But our discipline on offense was excellent. Robinson had a false start but that’s the only one I can recall. And, very important, we didn’t turn the ball over. Winning at the line of scrimmage and limiting turnovers is a combination that generally leads to winning football.
Roll Wave!!
After a game against Army in which we were defeated at the point of attack more often than not (both lines), we saw a major turnaround. Two weeks ago, we had a couple of very long TD runs that inflated our rushing statistics. But, we only gained four or more yards on 47% of our plays(14 of 30). Against Tulsa, it was over 61% of the time (43 for 70), including two short TD’s that dropped the percentage. Despite those, it was over 70% in the first half. That’s how you move the chains.
Our starting five on the offensive line had their best game at Tulane and rivaled OLine performance I have witnessed in the past 50+ years. The tight ends blocked well for a change and the wide outs sprung five yard gains into long runs.
At running back, most everyone had good games and Hilliard was spectacular. Four TD’s and 175 yards rushing is beyond good. 93 yards for Banks, 71 for Bradwell, and 68 for Badie isn’t too shabby either. All of them moved the pile and broke tackles for yards after contact, something we’ve become used to. Brantley, with obvious instructions to keep the ball on the ground, added another long TD to his resume as a dangerous runner from the QB position. It was also good to see Strickland get his first playing time behind a makeshift line. He looked good.
Banks, of course, had a terrific game. He made good decisions, took care of the ball, kept plays alive with his feet, and ran the option to near perfection. He even slid when necessary to protect himself, probably the one guy we simply can’t afford to lose. The long TD pass to Encalade, in which Terren outfought the defender for the ball, served a dual purpose. Obviously the TD was important, but the ball traveled over 55 yards in the air. That tells future Defensive Coordinators they must defend the entire field.
Charles Jones only caught two passes but it seemed like the tight ends were much more involved in the passing attack than previous, even as decoys. Again, that threat makes us tougher to defend.
We only threw two passes in the second half but it was obvious, had we wished to, we’d have had continued success throwing the ball. The run threat simply took up their defense’s entire attention.
On defense, we dominated the line of scrimmage with our starters. Through the first 40 minutes, Tulsa had 13 carries with only 3 gaining at least 4 yards. Eleven of their final 15 rushes, frequently against reserves, gained at least 4. Of course, by then, we were also so burned by long passes, we were probably not concentrating much on the run.
I thought Sean Wilson had a particularly good game in the middle, and though the announcers commented on how well Braylon Edwards was playing, I don’t think he had a very good game. He still looks to be at least 20-30 pound overweight and it appears to be affecting his play. But, I will say this for the kid; he hustles. His one tackle was made 26 yards downfield in the last minute of the game as he chased down a ball carrier from behind. When the runner got “hemmed in” by others, Edwards was there to make a solo tackle. Good for him.
Our pass defense, however, was not good, as anyone could see. I thought both Donnie Lewis and Parry Nickerson played their positions well, though Lewis dropped a sure interception that the announcers said was the easiest one he’ll (Lewis) will ever see. Nickerson looked bad on the play where a miscommunication left him covering an “out” receiver while an uncovered “up” receiver ran right past everyone. He did chase the guy down but missed the tackle. On another play, he came from ten yards behind to tackle a receiver on the one yard line after our safeties were beaten for the “umpteenth” time. Nickerson is probably as fast as anyone on the team.
Our safeties were another issue. Our deep five of Nickerson, Lewis, Teamer, Kuerschen, and Franklin really consists of two cover corners and three strong safety types. Teamer, Kuerschen and Franklin are very good against the run but bite too hard, too often, and lose track of receivers. None of them have elite speed either to really “man up” against swift tight ends, running backs, or wide receivers. We allowed three long passes of 52, 59, and 74 yards and would have allowed another 70+ yarder had the Tulsa receiver not dropped a perfect pass some 10 yards behind our defenders. Future teams can’t fail to notice the problem and for the rest of the year we’ll see receivers drawing Lewis and Nickerson to the sidelines to take advantage of our safeties in the middle of the field.
Not to say there were not some good plays. Kuerschen was beaten fairly early in the game but he reacted perfectly to the receiver turning his head to intercept a pass thrown some five yards short. That was good coaching and good instinct. But he can’t get beaten like that against a good passer.
Our special teams were not very special. Our average starting field position on kickoffs was the 27 yard line, the same as theirs—a draw. Block had a couple of solid punts but a short punt that then retreated toward our scrimmage line for a net of 6 yards left him with a pitiable 31 yard average. Neither team had any return yards on punts. The only positive thing I can say about Glover’s missed extra point is that he did make 8 of them. It’s still a weak point on the team that needs to be addressed in recruiting.
I was pleased to see so many scout team guys and “walk-ons” get a chance to see some action. Kids work every day and deserve a shot when it’s possible. Good for morale. But, what’s up with the personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties? Teamer, Mooney, and Graham each received one. That’s got to be corrected for a tighter game.
But our discipline on offense was excellent. Robinson had a false start but that’s the only one I can recall. And, very important, we didn’t turn the ball over. Winning at the line of scrimmage and limiting turnovers is a combination that generally leads to winning football.
Roll Wave!!
