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Watching UM v. Va Tech from last year

I rewatched the KSU game last year with the same conclusion.

The Canes fought hard, played pretty well and caused 3 fumbles, but KSU recovered all 3.

If UM could have gotten some stops on Klein and the run option, they could have won.
 
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Most encouraging game from last season.

If that was a Shannon team they would have folded up shop after getting down early and gotten blown out.
 
I also believe the run D will be improved.

One of the (few) things that excited me about the Spring Game was the improvement in tackling which will go a long way in improving the run defense and getting the D off the field.
 
Curtis Porter is going to make or break our defense this year.

I pray for his pinkie to be healthy.
 
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man i nearly cried when their QB just walked into the endzone on that last score. thought we had the game in the bag. in order for us to be dirty this year we need the defense to step up in times like that and plug the middle. that was a huge play and really showed our gaping weakness during the season. the toughness al is creating within the players should fix that up, not to mention boss man perryman. also expecting some good things outta kirby this year, that kids the real deal kinda under the radar.
 
Yes, our defense will be improved.

But you're forgetting what really kept us in that game. Explosive plays on offense. The long TD from Travis, and Lamar was just stupid in that game. Won't be able to count on that type of quick hits this year...
 
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that was one of the highlights of the year, even though we lost, because we played with heart and determination, something not too common the last few years.

we were 1 play away from winning.

if you remember, during the post game interview, Golden was crying, literally crying at the podium from the pain of the loss. he said he recognized that the team had changed and had wanted to win more than life itself.

i'm not into hero worship or being fanatical, but i bought into the guy that day.

compare that game and the effort vs kansas state or boston college. it was a season with a lot of ups and downs.
 
Bad teams find ways to lose games. While we had some bright spots, we were a bad team.
 
All those games where we got carved up thru the air by the opposing QB could have been avoided if Mike Williams and Brandon McGee were capable of playing man coverage one-on-one, just for a few snaps a game, so we weren't so one-dimensional in our pass D. We're not going to be a team on pass D that can stick man-to-man on an island and just beat teams b/c our guy is better--that's the reality of our talent (or lack thereof) at CB right now. Zone is more complicated, but if you can get lesser talent players to just work together and make the zone bait the QB into a bad decision--then that's the way to go. Where you get in trouble with that is where we got in trouble w/that last year--we played exclusively zone, and when you give just about any D1 Offensive Coordinator a bead on what your defensive gameplan is, and he doesn't have to guess about one aspect of the game--that's when the playcalls come to carve it up, and then it's up to guys like Thomas and Rettig to execute it...which they pretty much did. If a team averages 55-60 offensive plays a game...all we need to play man EFFECTIVELY for is 20-25 plays...and that would have made zone coverage more effective--especially if you mixed in a few zone blitzes.

We started off pretty bad against the run, but got better as the season went on (aside from the UVA game). I'm not worried about our run defense b/c of guys like Smith and Porter who are reportedly stronger this season up the middle, and I like the LB's we have coming back--as they all looked really good in the Spring Game making sure tackles. That simply has to continue to improve, and develop consistency at a high level.

When we couldn't get off the field on 3rd down, it wasn't because of the run game. It was because the QB had to simply drop back on 3rd and 8 and find one of his WR's sitting in the soft part of a zone with an easy read. QB throws, WR catches just past the sticks, and falls down--and the drive continues. I'd be interested to see stats on how we ranked as a defense in 1st downs given up to the offense on 3rd down--we're bound to lead the nation in that category, or at least close.

Three things will tell the story for us defensively this upcoming year: how well we get off the field on 3rd down, how well we can mix in man coverage with the zone, and turnovers. Keep an eye on those three things and they'll tell the story, most likely.
 
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