Chilly
Well-Known Member
I know last night was a mistake filled game but I took some very good positives away from it.
This Defense can dominate when the coaching staff allows them to play upfield and get pressure. We had people in Carpenters face all night long when we sent a rush. That said. The 3 man rush has to stop. I don't care how "thin" we are on D. Everytime we slow up the rush the opposing QB just picks us apart. Our LB are not great in zone coverage. They are really good at filling the gaps though.
Cody is going to be a good QB (not great), but very good. He threw some really nice down field balls that should have been caught. The WR were really bad this week. Watching them drop all those balls reminded me of MSU last year. The coaching staff does need to get the TE involved a little more. They were keyed in on the sideline routes all night last night. I understand their reasoning, in an attempt to spread them out. If they start completing those, the D will soften up in the middle and the running game might start clicking. Problem is at some point you have to adjust, because by the 4th quarter they could have easily had another 3 pick 6's. They were keyed on the out **** by that time.
Sumler looked slow and confused in the 1st half last night. He made some really bad decisions on a few of his runs. One that comes to mind was when he tried to cut back and spin away from LB who just gobbled him up in the backfield. If he just kicked it in and kept running he may have gotten something positive. He looked much better at finding the hole in the 2nd half, on the few runs we attempted. I will be watching him closely this year to see if he improves. RB has been a sore spot with me for years now. Since Brown left we have had no one who is willing to run with purpose. Calhoun could have been the man, but he appears to have been in the wrong system, because he tore it up after he transfered. Charles reminds me a lot of Calhoun when he was here. I really want to see him get back on the field. I am hoping the coaches have him squared away and that we can see him have the same type of turn around as Calhoun did his senior year.
One thing is for sure Hawking is going to kill me with a heart attack someday. I know his gambling style is what he brings, but I just don't like the risks he takes. It just not for me. I am not calling him out for it, because he has to stay true to himself, but I would like to see us be a little more conventional at time. Last year he was attempting 55+ yard kicks, it seemed every week. This year he doesn't want to punt or kick a long field goal at all. I sure would like to see him find some middle ground their. For the sake of my sanity and health.
Even though we lost last night, and I don't think anyone who is being honest with themselves thought, we would win. I was very impressed with the attitude the team brought in all 4 quarters. The D-line is MUCH MUCH STRONGER, this year, and these kids never folded under the pressure. This team is leaps and bounds better than what we were last year at this time. It's the youth that is hurting us right now. But playing these types of games is going to really help us. Once we hit the big 12. Outside of OU, ASU is as good as any team we are going to see in the Big 12 this year, and last night showed me have a good chance to make the Big 12 North a very interesting race this year.
This Defense can dominate when the coaching staff allows them to play upfield and get pressure. We had people in Carpenters face all night long when we sent a rush. That said. The 3 man rush has to stop. I don't care how "thin" we are on D. Everytime we slow up the rush the opposing QB just picks us apart. Our LB are not great in zone coverage. They are really good at filling the gaps though.
Cody is going to be a good QB (not great), but very good. He threw some really nice down field balls that should have been caught. The WR were really bad this week. Watching them drop all those balls reminded me of MSU last year. The coaching staff does need to get the TE involved a little more. They were keyed in on the sideline routes all night last night. I understand their reasoning, in an attempt to spread them out. If they start completing those, the D will soften up in the middle and the running game might start clicking. Problem is at some point you have to adjust, because by the 4th quarter they could have easily had another 3 pick 6's. They were keyed on the out **** by that time.
Sumler looked slow and confused in the 1st half last night. He made some really bad decisions on a few of his runs. One that comes to mind was when he tried to cut back and spin away from LB who just gobbled him up in the backfield. If he just kicked it in and kept running he may have gotten something positive. He looked much better at finding the hole in the 2nd half, on the few runs we attempted. I will be watching him closely this year to see if he improves. RB has been a sore spot with me for years now. Since Brown left we have had no one who is willing to run with purpose. Calhoun could have been the man, but he appears to have been in the wrong system, because he tore it up after he transfered. Charles reminds me a lot of Calhoun when he was here. I really want to see him get back on the field. I am hoping the coaches have him squared away and that we can see him have the same type of turn around as Calhoun did his senior year.
One thing is for sure Hawking is going to kill me with a heart attack someday. I know his gambling style is what he brings, but I just don't like the risks he takes. It just not for me. I am not calling him out for it, because he has to stay true to himself, but I would like to see us be a little more conventional at time. Last year he was attempting 55+ yard kicks, it seemed every week. This year he doesn't want to punt or kick a long field goal at all. I sure would like to see him find some middle ground their. For the sake of my sanity and health.
Even though we lost last night, and I don't think anyone who is being honest with themselves thought, we would win. I was very impressed with the attitude the team brought in all 4 quarters. The D-line is MUCH MUCH STRONGER, this year, and these kids never folded under the pressure. This team is leaps and bounds better than what we were last year at this time. It's the youth that is hurting us right now. But playing these types of games is going to really help us. Once we hit the big 12. Outside of OU, ASU is as good as any team we are going to see in the Big 12 this year, and last night showed me have a good chance to make the Big 12 North a very interesting race this year.