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Some thoughts after the Cal rewatch

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Not going to make excuses and just pretend like there are no warts. There are, clearly. But I think Cal is a much better football team than we probably gave them credit for.

And it’s likely because they lost to fsu, which is obviously inexcusable. But they had a 67% postgame win expectancy in that game. They should have won that game handedly and should have been 4-0 coming into last nights game. And this is without their clear best player being healthy all year. Add in the extra week, biggest home game they’ve had in 10+ years, Gameday in town. And we found a way to win.
 
First, would be surprised if we face a more aggressive, physical secondary the rest of season. Cal’s defense was legit until the 4th quarter.
Our defense at times is a mess. Out of position, ****** tackling and for a second week no containment. Thought Powell would be experienced, coach-on-the-field on the back end, but struggled last two games & can’t run.
Finally, don’t be fooled by the schedule ahead. We know by now there are no easy games. We’re the U again — highlighted in bold on everyone’s schedule, hyping every fan base & getting everyone’s best game.
 
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CubanLinkNJ said:
Nothing from what I watched in the Ville-SMU game tells me that Ville will be a problem.

The defense was horrendous and their QB is dog ****. Not seeing the playmakers on offense at all.

We will boat race them.
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lol you must not have watched our defense the past 2 weeks. Brohm made Guidry his ***** last year. Plus, us coming off the bye under Mario is 0-2 and I can’t even remember the last game we’ve won after a bye. The bye is obviously needed mainly due to getting guys like Rivers and Alston back. Also gets guys like Barrow, Barron, and others who are dealing with nagging injuries healthier. However, they don’t fare well after a bye mostly being underprepared.
 
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Strobe said:
our plan was obviously control the game running the ball and limit possessions with our glacial pace (taking the play clock under 5 almost every play), that sh*t got thrown out the window real quick lmao
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too quick in my opinion. we should have kept running the ball. we would have limited their possessions and we would have tired them earlier.
 
Louisville will be a tough matchup bc Brohm will scheme up our D like Cal and VT did. I’m glad the bye is this week to really get the d more disciplined and ready for all the misdirection and counters away from the flow. We’ve just been schooled on this type of OC and thankfully we have an O that won’t be knocked out.
 
Some thoughts I had going in to the bye

- Fletcher should be starting and guys like Allen should get snaps.
- Run game has to be more consistent. It’s like beating a dead horse but stop with running the **** ball constantly up the middle. Way too many 3rd and longs where Cam is stuck playing hero ball far too often.
- George and Browns snaps should be cut in to. George is an idiot. The freshman need to step up. Horton should be starting over George.
- Need to see more of Lofton especially as an HBack out of the backfield.
- Patterson needs to be cutting in to Harris PT
- Guidry needs to get his head out of his *** well before half time.
- I’ve always been a fan of an aggressive defense but our front 4 should be able to get pressure consistently against some of these OLs we face. Barron - Barrow - Mesidor - Bain should have no issue with pressure so stop with **** all out blitzes where you’re relying on a weak secondary to do their jobs.
 
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The defense being average is the biggest disappointment of the season.

This is what can and still should be an elite DL. Feels like we have not played/coached in a manner to maximize that and protect the secondary. This DL should be able to control running games and rush the passer on its own. We have seen glimpses, but we need to lean on that group and drop more in coverage.
 
Most of the issues we currently have can be fixed by optimizing the snap counts and tweaking scheme over the bye.
Zay starts over Brown and gets more snaps
Jojo and Lofton get more snaps, likely at expense of JG, depending on formation
Get healthier on oline
Defensively, just need to mix in more zone coverage now that Bain is back. Some cover 3

Also Cam was much more decisive in that 4th qtr and that paid off. We need to encourage him to take what the defense gives him.

And while I like Mendoza, he’s not a noticeable upgrade over Emory. And Mendoza won’t come as a backup to another portal transfer. So pass. Focus that money on another gamebreaker WR if we can’t get another Cam.
 
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CubanLinkNJ said:
Nothing from what I watched in the Ville-SMU game tells me that Ville will be a problem.

The defense was horrendous and their QB is dog ****. Not seeing the playmakers on offense at all.

We will boat race them.
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We’ve said this the last two weeks.
 
htownkidd said:
Agree w that. Emory probably wouldn’t make Kiko miss and escape from Bain and/or take off for 30+ but aside from that I think they both are smart game manager types with average arm talent at best.


*And yes, we all want someone closer to Cam’s level lol, but that type won’t be available unfortunately.
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Maybe not as elite as Cam, but there could be some nice options.

Kevin Jennings at SMU would be super nice here at UM.

I wouldnt mind Kyron Drones either.

Definitely some options. Cam is special, but as the team overall talent goes up, we don't need a heisman level QB to win (though obviously preferable).
 
DMoney said:
I don’t think they have the NFL talents to be in that category. But they maximize what they have.
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The thing that makes their defense “elite” is experience. I think they returned like 10 seniors on that side of the ball. You can’t help but be goid when you bringing that kind of experience. However they do have some talent on that defense. I saw about 3-4 guys that I think can play in the league.
 
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