Sorry but when you lose to San Jose State it’s not a Jimmy and Joe issue, it’s an execution and scheme issue…even if there are a lot of young players on the field…period. And that rests on the coaches.
Defense - 1. Scheme: It seems Chavis waffles between no pressure on early downs and gives QBs time to throw deep…and then he pressures late utilizing deep safeties and gives up the short and short middle throws that are wide open. 2. Execution: Over pursuit by linebackers and blitzers…too often they pick the wrong running lane with a lot of speed and get taken advantage of with directional changes. It was notable that linebackers were trying to be more disciplined last night but tackling should be better.
Offense: -
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Scheme: The running and passing games are toooooo simple especially for this Oline, which is not going to dominate anyone. There should be at least 10 more running plays that we know how to execute…not just 3-4 that are run out of different looks. I note that we actually run decently at times…but jeez don’t ask us to make a 4th and 1 with a push…WE ARE TOO SMALL and YOUNG to just push it. We have got to use speed if that is what we are good at…IF.
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Scheme: There is too much…“Let’s take a shot” 50/50 ball mentality, especially against inferior opponents. I’m sick of seeing us get 5+ on an early down and then its “Hey lets take a shot”. This encourages gunslingers like Starkel to take shots that aren’t there. Don’t get me wrong we take shots and we make some of them and most of the time we have time to throw them, but smart teams are putting safeties back and now just waiting for the off throw. I think this is what Morris was referring too when he said Nick wasn’t playing within the system or taking what the D is giving us vs. what I heard Nick say last week…I told those guys you get downfield and I’ll get you the ball.
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Scheme: If you can’t put a run game and an opportunistic short throwing game on SJS and dominate a weak opponent your not beating anybody except through chance. That is on the coaches…period. Ironically, beating an SEC team will probably come down to 50:50 balls, but they will be covered like a blanket until we can prove we have enough going on in the run game to respect it just a little and the current version is too limited and too obvious.
An Oline and a DLine will someday make everything look better, but losing to SJS cannot solely be about that, it’s about scheme, execution and coaching to improve both…and if it is about the lines solely, we have another coaching and execution problem…we should’ve recruited and signed more olineman than receivers.