DVDA said:
kansasCowboy said:
After we beat Davis this board became extremely optimistic about how we have changed and how we could easily be a bowl team...
We're still very young. And that will play a factor in that you will typically have up and down weeks more so than you will winning streaks. I think these guys will be capable, but I think we're still growing. It also doesn't help when your senior star Wr is putting the ball on the ground and stopping good drives. TWICE!!!
You rely on your older leaders to take charge in games like these. Ours choked last night.
I didn't see who got the penalty when Allens TD was called back, so I can't say much there.
Freshman kicker got a Fg blocked... Not the end of the world. Maulhardt hasn't gotten off good on a snap pretty much all season... Not like he was toward the end of last year. He gets jammed early and his route is off most of the time.
The majority of the play calling on both sides was good enough to win. The lack of execution either by OLine or being out of position in coverage almost every play will kill ANY play called. There were some bad play calls, I won't say there weren't. But each side seemed called overly well. But I'm sure that the team that hit the field against NIU would've destroyed EMU last night with the same play calling. Difference between the two games... Lack of execution.
Plenty of coach talk right there. It's always the players lack of execution that cost the team the game. The repeated blitzes up the middle with the line pinching were useless and left the secondary in poor coverages that were easily exploited. The repeated runs up the middle when our linemen clearly couldn't handle the penetration were simply idiotic. They were blatantly bringing run blitzes in the first half and the coaches couldn't adjust to take advantage. You can blame the players for not executing, but a good coach adjusts his play calling to the situation instead of setting his players up for failure. I don't believe the coordinators did a terrible job, but I do think they stick to their guns a little too much.
That blocked kick looked like a terrible kick to me. He needed a pitching wedge and brought the driver instead. One of our linemen could have blocked that with his helmet if he had stood up. This kid needs to grow up quick because he's slightly above the trash we had last year.
Absolutely correct that our coaches stuck to their guns too much. I would choose three possessions where I would've faked the run up the middle and passin the open coverage. And then pass again. And again and hopefully my wideout doesn't fumble after a big catch and pass again until I saw the box scoot back. Then hit them with a run inside and then out. And go back to passing.
If I had the call Hill would at least have a hundred yards and possibly two tds, and instead of 18-25 passing, Allens numbers would look more like (just using the current percentage) 26-34. The ball gets spread a little more and I'm going to make EMU stop our passing game. When the get a head up on coverage, go right back to Hill and bulldoze the ground game.
And that is what we didn't do play call wise. But with the plays we did have did you see a good push up front ever last night? We were pushed back just like we were against Nebraska. The D loading the box is one thing, the OLine pushing the D back is another. Regardless of whether the box is loaded or not, the O lineman has one guy they are supposed to take advantage of, they rarely, if ever did that last night. They aren't responsible for everyone, but they are responsible for at least one. Lack of execution.
Hill ran decent, but he didn't run hard. In fact he's yet to run hard this year. Last year when he was stuck in the backfield he would make a play and go into overdrive and gain yards where there was none... Still waiting for that this year. Lack of execution.
Maulhardt jammed at the line... Execution.
I can go position by position on D as well. You can blame coaches only so much. Players have to "PLAY" they didn't last night. Which is why I said, if the team that played NIU was out there, even with the play calling, you would've seen a different game...
