Just got back from the game

[VinnDogg]

Well late last night anyway. Had seats right behind the UM bench. A few observations.

Tracy Howard was getting his butt chewed out after the first couple of series. I liked the fact that he isn't being pampered. However I didn't like him going back at the coaches the way he did. Sometimes when high profile recruits get to the college level, they will be yelled at and made accountable for the first times in their playing careers. I'll give him a pass on first game nerves, but if wants to be the man, he should start acting like one.

The defensive staff as a whole, seemed to be off schedule. Too many guys not sure if they were going in or coming out. The sidelines were a chinese fire drill and that is disturbing. This is year 2 of these coaches. Game day should be a little more organized.

I kept looking for sideline leaders to get in the faces of the other guys. Morris did on one occasion. I saw Boitts trying to encourage kids. Perryman, while being a leader on the field wasn't doing too much in the way of motivating while on the sidelines.

Fisch is a bit aloof IMO. NOt Shannonesque hermit introvert aloof, but not a firebrand either. I was looking for more emotion from him. Maybe that's his style and I'mnot knocking it,only commenting on it.

Other observations. Sorry if already mentioned:

For once I'd like to see our defense set the tone instead of looking lost for a half. Coach D is beginning to worry me in that there are too many games where he is playing catch up to the other team. It's as if he never even watched game film and he's winging it until he sees what they are trying to do. One or two games is forgivable. But it's become the norm for him.

Also, we might as well play man and send a few blitzers. Since we can't cover and have no pass rush, I'd rather go down with some effort. The zone on almost every play is allowing the opposing team to run free. It's almost comical how basic and predictable this D was and is. Once again we made an average QB look like a Heisman candidate.

Erek Flowers made Seantrel expendable. We didn't miss the big funeral director at all.

Malcolm Lewis looks the real deal.

Our run blocking as a whole wasn't too good. What Duke did was mostly him. I know the numbers may look good, but the truth is we didn't dominate. Once again that will be a concern down the road against better D's.

I didn't like the passing attack from a schematic standpoint. I know BC was playing to take away our deep pass,but there has to be something else besides the slip screen. Where was the TE? What about isolating the RB on wheel route? I'm, surprised BC didn't jump that outlet pass more often.

I stand by my preseason statement that we will have score 40+ in most games to stand a chance of winning.

Special teams has arrived as a strength once again. Glad to see that. It's been since Hester that we had a true threat like Duke.

I love Golden,but I gotta be honest, I felt a little unsure about him this weekend.

 

[ABLECANE]

Thanks for sharing

 

[jevoasis]

Interdastong. Thnx.

 

[FreePawn]

For once I'd like to see our defense set the tone instead of looking lost for a half. Coach D is beginning to worry me in that there are too many games where he is playing catch up to the other team. It's as if he never even watched game film and he's winging it until he sees what they are trying to do. One or two games is forgivable. But it's become the norm for him.

There was NO game film on the BC offense. They switched coordinators and went from power running to a spread offense.

 

[CK ETOH]

I suspect the disorganization is due to the inexperience on defense. We will get better as the season moves along.

And FreePawn is correct, we did not have any film on BC so a little ciaos was to be expected.

 

[jevoasis]

I hope all of the secondary (other than Finnie) was getting their asses chewed off during the first 1.5 quarters. They were awful.

 

[Biscuits]

For once I'd like to see our defense set the tone instead of looking lost for a half. Coach D is beginning to worry me in that there are too many games where he is playing catch up to the other team. It's as if he never even watched game film and he's winging it until he sees what they are trying to do. One or two games is forgivable. But it's become the norm for him.

There was NO game film on the BC offense. They switched coordinators and went from power running to a spread offense.

Bull****. There was film of the OC at his prior stopover.

All I did was google "new BC offensive coordinator" and I found this article:

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleg...ith-the-new/r1tJyu9V1X5xocxdqhu5xI/story.html

With this paragraph in it:

This season, the Eagles are transitioning to a multiple one-back offense, the passing game featuring West Coast route progressions with heavy play-action and plenty of timing routes. It’s what Martin has always done, from his seven seasons as the offensive coordinator at East Carolina to his time running the Golden Flashes.

That took all of three minutes. I'm pretty sure if it were my job, I could glean a basic idea of what they were going to run.

And Vinn, I disagree about the run blocking. There are lots of highlights posted. Go check them out. Duke's long runs we're all him in the sense that he broke some arm tackles and found cutback lanes, but the line did a great job establishing those lanes. I'm not too sure how they fared elsewhere, but BC almost always has a stout DL.

 

[VinnDogg]

For once I'd like to see our defense set the tone instead of looking lost for a half. Coach D is beginning to worry me in that there are too many games where he is playing catch up to the other team. It's as if he never even watched game film and he's winging it until he sees what they are trying to do. One or two games is forgivable. But it's become the norm for him.

There was NO game film on the BC offense. They switched coordinators and went from power running to a spread offense.

Bull****. There was film of the OC at his prior stopover.

All I did was google "new BC offensive coordinator" and I found this article:

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleg...ith-the-new/r1tJyu9V1X5xocxdqhu5xI/story.html

With this paragraph in it:

This season, the Eagles are transitioning to a multiple one-back offense, the passing game featuring West Coast route progressions with heavy play-action and plenty of timing routes. It’s what Martin has always done, from his seven seasons as the offensive coordinator at East Carolina to his time running the Golden Flashes.

That took all of three minutes. I'm pretty sure if it were my job, I could glean a basic idea of what they were going to run.

And Vinn, I disagree about the run blocking. There are lots of highlights posted. Go check them out. Duke's long runs we're all him in the sense that he broke some arm tackles and found cutback lanes, but the line did a great job establishing those lanes. I'm not too sure how they fared elsewhere, but BC almost always has a stout DL.

I haven't gone back and watched the game as yet. I am going off my memory more than anything,but BC was stuffing the running lanes pretty good. I am just waiting for a total domination game from this OL unit. Been waiting a long time.

 

[VinnDogg]

For once I'd like to see our defense set the tone instead of looking lost for a half. Coach D is beginning to worry me in that there are too many games where he is playing catch up to the other team. It's as if he never even watched game film and he's winging it until he sees what they are trying to do. One or two games is forgivable. But it's become the norm for him.

There was NO game film on the BC offense. They switched coordinators and went from power running to a spread offense.

Not true. The BC offensive coordinator has a past. Plus,it's not the first time our D has come out looking totally lost. Maryland, K State, UVA and others last year. WR's running free. QB's with all day to throw.

 

[SniperCane]

Same old story. Same results. Same group of posters putting forth excuses.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

 

[LA'Cane818]

Both long runs were a thing of beauty from a blocking schematic. What made them all Duke was his ability to change directions and find the creases without slowing too much. The first run Walford was pushed back into him, IIRC and he got knocked off balance a bit.

 

[bozcane]

Nice to see the sizable crowd we had out there. As good as Flowers played I'd say we're one nick or injury away from needing another solid player on OL, and Seantrel's funeral/personal loss issues are real enough to him to stay outside respectful commentary.

 

[DeadPoets]

For once I'd like to see our defense set the tone instead of looking lost for a half. Coach D is beginning to worry me in that there are too many games where he is playing catch up to the other team. It's as if he never even watched game film and he's winging it until he sees what they are trying to do. One or two games is forgivable. But it's become the norm for him.

There was NO game film on the BC offense. They switched coordinators and went from power running to a spread offense.

Hogwash - Doug Martin was @ New Mexico St in 2011 - watch those tapes to get an idea.

 

[PowerIslam aka Sumdumgoy]

Lol @ The Big Funeral Director. And as some of the guys mentioned,there's no excuse for our defense to continually need a quarter/half to figure out what an opponent is doing.

 

[arizonacane]

Today, September 3, 2012; the BC running back is still open.

 

[theU75]

Per TOS "You should have a big improvement between week one and week two," D'Onofrio said. "The first series of the game, the coordinator we played against, he made a decision to go well away from what he's ever done. We played him five times when we were at Temple. He made a decision to go well away from that, put a whole new package in that he probably hadn't done before based on the familiarity that we had with him.......So that took a couple of series to sort through." Seems as if he did do his homework fellas.

 

[DeadPoets]

Per TOS "You should have a big improvement between week one and week two," D'Onofrio said. "The first series of the game, the coordinator we played against, he made a decision to go well away from what he's ever done. We played him five times when we were at Temple. He made a decision to go well away from that, put a whole new package in that he probably hadn't done before based on the familiarity that we had with him.......So that took a couple of series to sort through." Seems as if he did do his homework fellas.

I also knew they played Kent St while at Temple. That makes this even worse lol

Well anyway... a New Mexico St/Kent St OC destroyed us. Onward and upward.

 

[Pennmed Canefan]

Agree and disagree on the D. Man with blitzing may be the worst idea I've heard because when some guy loses his assignment he wont have a safety to bail him out. A 20 yard gain becomes 50. I agree wholeheartedly on our tendency to be befuddled for awhile before figuring out what we should do. We'll see about ksu but you'd think they could be proactive about anticipating where we will fail and dumping that stuff now. Based solely on game 1 we know where we'll struggle and how ksu might exploit that.

 

[Gables Cane]

"Erek Flowers made Seantrel expendable. We didn't miss the big funeral director at all."

I couldn't disagree more. Flowers played very well especially considering it was his first collegiate game. However, Bunche was not very good. If he's our best option at LT we are in for a l-o-n-g year. Seantrel is significantly better even with a bad back. He might not start this week given his excused absence from the team; but, he will before the season ends. Bank on it.

 

[DeadPoets]

Agree and disagree on the D. Man with blitzing may be the worst idea I've heard because when some guy loses his assignment he wont have a safety to bail him out. A 20 yard gain becomes 50. I agree wholeheartedly on our tendency to be befuddled for awhile before figuring out what we should do. We'll see about ksu but you'd think they could be proactive about anticipating where we will fail and dumping that stuff now. Based solely on game 1 we know where we'll struggle and how ksu might exploit that.

Misdirection, play-action, delays, etc etc. They all destroy D'Onofrio's defense because he drills it in his players to SWARM to the football at all costs.
Well usually that cost is 25+ yard gains because we bit on something. We're overly aggressive at the wrong times and passive at the wrong times (3rd and long)

TEs & RBs kill us. KState has both(not to mention a veteran QB)