Mid-season recap of the Falcons...
http://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football/ ... s-football
After the Half Way Point
After the Half Way Point
"Windows are for cheaters, chimneys for the poor.
Closets are for hangers, winners use the door."
-B. Springsteen
Closets are for hangers, winners use the door."
-B. Springsteen
Re: After the Half Way Point
This page seems like a good place to put a mid-season summary. And as I write this, I have not read the article. I'd rather write out my thoughts before letting another author's thoughts influence my own. This post will be long and detailed.
Offense
-The offense is legit. Even with losing Matt Johnson, the offense is legit. We have had one bad offensive showing (at Wisconsin) and I'm willing to toss those results out the window as the game was Knapke's first road start. Knapke has not been outstanding but he has been reliable and sometimes excellent. Without great QB play, we lose to Indiana. Heck without great QB play, we might be sitting at 1-5. Instead, Knapke is 4-1 as a starter.
-I'm impressed with the balance we see from Greene and Coppet. Coppet was limited last year so we really didn't know much about him. I do wish he would see much, much more Givens, and I have an instinct at some point this year we are going to need him.
-Our wide receivers are great. Lewis has been an unexpected surprise, and when he is taken out of the game as we saw Saturday, Moore is as dangerous as ever. There is no defense we will face which can handle all of our receivers. The only weakness in the receiving corps is tight end. Alex Bayer was so awesome for us last year and we just don't have anybody like him right now in terms of a receiving tight end. We do have an excellent blocking TE in Pohlman. He hasn't been a factor in the passing game and has dropped a few key passes, but he's made some excellent blocks especially in the running game.
-The offensive line has mostly been good. They are especially good at run blocking. The pass blocking has been mostly effective but there are occasions each game when they don't get the job done. Saturday against UB, the flea flicker play only worked because the offensive line dominated the defensive line. That play showed just how dominant our line can be.
-And of course, the pace. When the pace is there, our O is very difficult to stop. On Saturday there were several drives where the plays got in slow from the sideline and the offense just didn't get the job done. When the pace was fast, the offense rolled. Look at all of our TD drives - every one came on a drive where the plays were lightning fast. And I'm so glad to see that the offensive line is keeping up with the pace. Every time after a play, you see the entire offensive line run up to the spot of the ball and get into stance.
Defense
-Defense has of course been a disappointment, but I do have some positive things to say here. Against WKU, they looked lost. Like the Wisconsin offensive effort, I toss the WKU defensive effort out the window. The D has improved since week 1, undeniably. The stats are ugly and injuries certainly impact the stats, but the play has improved a lot. Where above I detailed each unit of the offense, I'll detail each game for the defense.
-Against Indiana, the defense was outstanding ... until they wore out. We completely stuffed Coleman and the IU offense in the first half and the team only started allowing drives when the linebackers were no longer able to to keep pace with Coleman and the IU offense.
-Wisconsin was ugly and I write the results up to injuries and competition. Our D was definitely badly injured in that game as we were missing our best DL, our two best LB, and our best DB. And of course, look at the offensive line we were going up against.
-Against UMass, the D gave up two massive one play drives. They gave up big play after big play ... until a point mid third when the D changed their pressure. They brought way more pressure from the front seven which took pressure off the secondary. Then for whatever reason, we spent the final five minutes in a pressure-less soft zone and nearly coughed the game up. I hope to only see the pressure-less soft zone on third and longs in the future because I just don't see good results when we do that scheme for entire drives.
-Against Buffalo, the D finally came together ... some. There were a few drives that induced headaches, like the first drive or the second half drive when UB took the lead. But when we really needed a stop, we got it. There were moments when our D looked like the 2012 - 2013 D. Gabe Martin was excellent and it was great seeing him again.
-I'm waiting for a consistent team effort from the D where the defense is dominant all day long. I do believe we will see such an effort yet this year. Last year I looked forward to our D being on the field because I knew they could do damage. Saturday against UB was the first time when I didn't mind seeing our D out there. At some point ... and it might be against Ohio Saturday ... I expect our D will come together and allow our team to win a game by a lot of points instead of just a single possession.
Special Teams
-Not much to say here and it's all positive.
-Tate is outstanding. I've been a BG fan long enough to remember the 2005 and 2006 seasons when kicking was a liability. We all remember the big missed kicks against Florida. It is an incredible commodity to now have a reliable, outstanding kicker. I hope to never see a time again where we line up our kicker and all the fans cringe. Has he missed a kick yet this year? I mean he's had two that were blocked but pin that on the line, not the kicker.
-Joe Davidson has been a welcome surprise. I also have to wonder if there is a fake punt conversion we're going to see at some point. Most teams don't have a 6'7 punter.
-Everybody is afraid of Burbrink as a punt returner. He returned one vs VMI and was tackled by the 45 yard line against WKU or else he'd have another return. Buffalo never punted his way. It was a mix of fear of returns and the stiff wind. Kick returns have had a few minor errors but for the most part Moore has been effective.
Notes
-Under Clawson, we couldn't win close games or win in comebacks. We won some close ones early in Clawson's tenure including the Kent and Buffalo games, and we won a few in comebacks, including Troy, Kent, and Buffalo. But over the last few years with Clawson, we couldn't come back from a second half deficit and we couldn't win the tight ones. We are currently 3-0 in close games. We needed a second half comeback to beat Buffalo. Early indications say this team has the maturity and the coaching staff has the know-how to pull out tight wins and rallies.
-Under Clawson, we never once beat a big team. We came close a few times (Mizzou, Florida, Miss State, Pitt) but never actually won a single one. Under Babers, we are now 1-1 against big teams. The one win was a thriller that proved we can hang with and even beat a big team that runs a fast paced high flying offense. The naysayer may point out that we beat Indiana which doesn't say much, but I'll remind the naysayer than Indiana beat Missouri and Indiana beat us by 32 points last year.
-There is a lack of discipline that bothers me. I'm not too bothered by most penalties, but when you see recurring mistakes (multiple offsides in a single drive) you have to worry. But far more troublesome are the personal fouls. So far this season we've seen two experienced starters throw post-play punches and at least two taunting penalties. Personal fouls are unacceptable, they hurt the team in terms of yards but also in terms of momentum, and they are nothing but selfish.
-The injuries are concerning. Every program has the occasional year when the injury bug strikes. This might be one of those years. Or maybe the faster pace and the conditioning required to play that fast has led to injuries. Or maybe just the raw number of plays run gives more opportunity for injuries. Whatever the cause, injuries have clearly impacted games this season.
-We are 2-0 in conference play. These two games were frustrating and I could imagine the 2011 team losing both, but the 2014 team knows how to win the close ones. When our D plays a dominant game and our O keeps the pace up, we will be an exciting, unbeatable team.
So there's my complete set of thoughts on the team so far. Sorry for the long post but I think there's a lot good to read here. Now I'll read what the guys at Hustle Belt have to say.
Offense
-The offense is legit. Even with losing Matt Johnson, the offense is legit. We have had one bad offensive showing (at Wisconsin) and I'm willing to toss those results out the window as the game was Knapke's first road start. Knapke has not been outstanding but he has been reliable and sometimes excellent. Without great QB play, we lose to Indiana. Heck without great QB play, we might be sitting at 1-5. Instead, Knapke is 4-1 as a starter.
-I'm impressed with the balance we see from Greene and Coppet. Coppet was limited last year so we really didn't know much about him. I do wish he would see much, much more Givens, and I have an instinct at some point this year we are going to need him.
-Our wide receivers are great. Lewis has been an unexpected surprise, and when he is taken out of the game as we saw Saturday, Moore is as dangerous as ever. There is no defense we will face which can handle all of our receivers. The only weakness in the receiving corps is tight end. Alex Bayer was so awesome for us last year and we just don't have anybody like him right now in terms of a receiving tight end. We do have an excellent blocking TE in Pohlman. He hasn't been a factor in the passing game and has dropped a few key passes, but he's made some excellent blocks especially in the running game.
-The offensive line has mostly been good. They are especially good at run blocking. The pass blocking has been mostly effective but there are occasions each game when they don't get the job done. Saturday against UB, the flea flicker play only worked because the offensive line dominated the defensive line. That play showed just how dominant our line can be.
-And of course, the pace. When the pace is there, our O is very difficult to stop. On Saturday there were several drives where the plays got in slow from the sideline and the offense just didn't get the job done. When the pace was fast, the offense rolled. Look at all of our TD drives - every one came on a drive where the plays were lightning fast. And I'm so glad to see that the offensive line is keeping up with the pace. Every time after a play, you see the entire offensive line run up to the spot of the ball and get into stance.
Defense
-Defense has of course been a disappointment, but I do have some positive things to say here. Against WKU, they looked lost. Like the Wisconsin offensive effort, I toss the WKU defensive effort out the window. The D has improved since week 1, undeniably. The stats are ugly and injuries certainly impact the stats, but the play has improved a lot. Where above I detailed each unit of the offense, I'll detail each game for the defense.
-Against Indiana, the defense was outstanding ... until they wore out. We completely stuffed Coleman and the IU offense in the first half and the team only started allowing drives when the linebackers were no longer able to to keep pace with Coleman and the IU offense.
-Wisconsin was ugly and I write the results up to injuries and competition. Our D was definitely badly injured in that game as we were missing our best DL, our two best LB, and our best DB. And of course, look at the offensive line we were going up against.
-Against UMass, the D gave up two massive one play drives. They gave up big play after big play ... until a point mid third when the D changed their pressure. They brought way more pressure from the front seven which took pressure off the secondary. Then for whatever reason, we spent the final five minutes in a pressure-less soft zone and nearly coughed the game up. I hope to only see the pressure-less soft zone on third and longs in the future because I just don't see good results when we do that scheme for entire drives.
-Against Buffalo, the D finally came together ... some. There were a few drives that induced headaches, like the first drive or the second half drive when UB took the lead. But when we really needed a stop, we got it. There were moments when our D looked like the 2012 - 2013 D. Gabe Martin was excellent and it was great seeing him again.
-I'm waiting for a consistent team effort from the D where the defense is dominant all day long. I do believe we will see such an effort yet this year. Last year I looked forward to our D being on the field because I knew they could do damage. Saturday against UB was the first time when I didn't mind seeing our D out there. At some point ... and it might be against Ohio Saturday ... I expect our D will come together and allow our team to win a game by a lot of points instead of just a single possession.
Special Teams
-Not much to say here and it's all positive.
-Tate is outstanding. I've been a BG fan long enough to remember the 2005 and 2006 seasons when kicking was a liability. We all remember the big missed kicks against Florida. It is an incredible commodity to now have a reliable, outstanding kicker. I hope to never see a time again where we line up our kicker and all the fans cringe. Has he missed a kick yet this year? I mean he's had two that were blocked but pin that on the line, not the kicker.
-Joe Davidson has been a welcome surprise. I also have to wonder if there is a fake punt conversion we're going to see at some point. Most teams don't have a 6'7 punter.
-Everybody is afraid of Burbrink as a punt returner. He returned one vs VMI and was tackled by the 45 yard line against WKU or else he'd have another return. Buffalo never punted his way. It was a mix of fear of returns and the stiff wind. Kick returns have had a few minor errors but for the most part Moore has been effective.
Notes
-Under Clawson, we couldn't win close games or win in comebacks. We won some close ones early in Clawson's tenure including the Kent and Buffalo games, and we won a few in comebacks, including Troy, Kent, and Buffalo. But over the last few years with Clawson, we couldn't come back from a second half deficit and we couldn't win the tight ones. We are currently 3-0 in close games. We needed a second half comeback to beat Buffalo. Early indications say this team has the maturity and the coaching staff has the know-how to pull out tight wins and rallies.
-Under Clawson, we never once beat a big team. We came close a few times (Mizzou, Florida, Miss State, Pitt) but never actually won a single one. Under Babers, we are now 1-1 against big teams. The one win was a thriller that proved we can hang with and even beat a big team that runs a fast paced high flying offense. The naysayer may point out that we beat Indiana which doesn't say much, but I'll remind the naysayer than Indiana beat Missouri and Indiana beat us by 32 points last year.
-There is a lack of discipline that bothers me. I'm not too bothered by most penalties, but when you see recurring mistakes (multiple offsides in a single drive) you have to worry. But far more troublesome are the personal fouls. So far this season we've seen two experienced starters throw post-play punches and at least two taunting penalties. Personal fouls are unacceptable, they hurt the team in terms of yards but also in terms of momentum, and they are nothing but selfish.
-The injuries are concerning. Every program has the occasional year when the injury bug strikes. This might be one of those years. Or maybe the faster pace and the conditioning required to play that fast has led to injuries. Or maybe just the raw number of plays run gives more opportunity for injuries. Whatever the cause, injuries have clearly impacted games this season.
-We are 2-0 in conference play. These two games were frustrating and I could imagine the 2011 team losing both, but the 2014 team knows how to win the close ones. When our D plays a dominant game and our O keeps the pace up, we will be an exciting, unbeatable team.
So there's my complete set of thoughts on the team so far. Sorry for the long post but I think there's a lot good to read here. Now I'll read what the guys at Hustle Belt have to say.
MarkL has spoken.
You may all now return to your daily lives.
You may all now return to your daily lives.
