- Lets face it, expectations for this team were way too high. We are starting LB's that wouldn't start for Illinois. We have two DT's and are playing a OG at DT. Out secondary is OK but certainly won't carry a team. We get zero pressure on the QB and can't blitz because our corners can't be counted on to defend a screen. We have to commit our S to stop the run. That is the defense. On offense, the OL is under achieving. We've abandoned the deep ball. Stevens has been a non-factor. JJ and the rest have been iffy in pass catching (at best). We have no senior leadership from any kid whose first name doesn't rhyme with Brace. We are starting a true Fr at TE and WR.
- Why were expectations so high for this team? There were those of us that predicted a 3 or 4 loss season and were told we were being too negative. Fact is, we over performed against tOSU and under performed against Sparty. Don't forget Appy St took us to OT. This isn't a good team, fellas.
- With all of that, we suffered death by a thousand cuts. Penalties, officiating, TO's, lack of TOs, dropped balls, an uncharacteristic off day for #9....all led to a last second loss when we were winning the entire game. And this was to a team that many expected to win the B1G East. So life isn't so bad.
- Players?
- Trace seems to have lost confidence in JJ. And JJ is never going to be the kind of guy that gets open the way a Hamler or Thompson can. JJ isn't that fast, he's not going to separate. His skill is that he is HUGE for a WR. Gotta let him make plays when he is covered.
- Where has the deep ball been all season? We've got guys that can go deep in Thompkins, JJ, Hamler and Polk. This has been a hallmark of our offense the last two years and it is simply missing this year.
- OL has under achieved. I'll just leave that there. They haven't pass blocked very well at all. Trace has to leave the pocket a lot. As a result, Trace seems to not trust his stuff and think too much.
- Speaking of Trace, I feel he is trying to carry this team and is trying to do too much. He isn't trusting anyone to catch the ball anymore. Its like he is afraid to fail.
- DE's have not done much, perhaps because it is easy to DT them when 30 isn't in the game. Our LB'ers are just not good at blitzing and our CB's are not good at tacking. This makes us very susceptible to traditional and bubble screens. A problem with playing well coached teams early in the season is that they give blueprints to teams on how to beat you.
- The one bright spot has been Sanders, at RB. Kid has been awesome. It appears we simply do not have a second string RB. This is where I think 2 could have been utilized better, if only to take some pressure off of Sanders.
- The True Freshmen have pretty much disappeared.
- It appears the coaches decided to concentrate on the basics and didn't put anything in on the bye week. I always wonder about bye weeks. They do allow you to heal but the team always seems to play flat the following week.
- Back to the game, it was so frustrating as Sparty was ready to fold so many times. The fumble by Trace when we were driving to go up by 10 or 14 in Q1 might have killed Sparty. Then, we just kept shooting ourselves in the foot and letting them hang. Momentum is such a big issue in football, we just could sustain it. Way too many self inflicted wounds but it always seemed like Sparty was the beneficiary of a lucky bounce or call.
- With all of the problems of our defense, the offense was the real problem. Trace's worst game and no back up RB to spell Sanders really hurt us. And, we don't have that possession WR that we had last year to keep the ball. Then, Trace running OOB was simply inexcusable. We ran 11 seconds off the clock in our final possession. 11 seconds....and we allowed them to keep a TO. Why was that important? It allowed them to use the middle of the field in the final drive knowing they had a TO in their pocket if they didn't get a first down or go OOB.
- Why do we not get turnovers with this defense? INT's almost nonexistent but we don't seem to recover fumbles either.
In the end, we've seen the fourth quarter failures way too much. To me, it is part depth and part scheme. Our thin D is gasses at DT, DE and LB in the 4th quarter. It used to be sanctions, now it is injury and youth. The scheme doesn't have a way to maintain drives without throwing the ball. And when you throw and it is incomplete, it stops the clock. In addition, it is risky from a TO perspective.
This is a critical year for CJF. It is the first non-Barkley year. He is showing, with the Giants, how big of a loss he is. But we also lost a ton on D at S and LBer. I am fine with the defensive coaching, given what we have. But the O has been a mess. The OL isn't there, the WR's aren't improving and the coaches need to understand we need to have a large lead going into the 4th Qtr. Or, we need to add to the offensive scheme. I have to ask, would you rather be up by six or down by six going into the 4th quarter? I am honestly not sure. The task now is to win a game and feel good again. Indy is a critical game....and its on the road.
In the meantime, Michigan looked good but it is crazy that Wiscy didn't try to pass in the second half? Wiscy is a very beatable team. UM seems to be gaining momentum and their QB is improving game by game.
Bottomline? This team is what it is. We aren't really that good and the over expectations have hurt the team's attitude. Honestly, we lost a one-point game to one of the best teams in the nation. we then lost to a team many expected to contend. Had we lost both games by ten points, and played well, we'd probably feel differently. We need to reconsider that this is a 3 to 4 loss team. Next year, IMHO, will be a better year.
