You know what, boys? Your Legend was pacing and screaming like I can't remember doing much since 2017. I've been passionate, as always, but more reserved while watching the games. Maybe I've been that way because deep down I knew we weren't really going anywhere, so why get overly worked up. Yesterday felt different. The blood pressure was up. The decibel level was up. The profanity was soaring.
Let me start by saying, come see me about Brevin Jordan, you conspiracy theory spewing fck boys. Listen to the goddam Legend. How many times do I have to talk you chumps off the conspiracy ledge? Brevin doesn't want to play. He's opting out. Manny said he was "healthy" so that means he doesn't want to play. Quit picking good kids like Brevin and dumping on them like that. Criticize the play; stay the fck away from the conspiracy **** that's melted so many underdeveloped brains in this country.
The offense has been saving the defense most of this season. Yesterday, the D got stout against a really good Vag Tech offense. Of course, it helped that Herbert was hobbled and only played a handful of plays because on the few he played, he made a difference. He was moving the pile and making yards where the other RBs just weren't.
I still think we're a pretty average team in the grand scheme of college football, which, to me, means that we're right in there with about 50 teams below the top 4 or 5. All those teams are pretty much interchangeable. But I'm grateful as fck to be in that group and not the one below it. We beat Vag Tech, but that game was even and could have gone either way. So that's way I say we're part of that average group. We've got games with Wake and UNC that will be similar. Those two teams might be a little better than Vag Tech.
Pros:
Phillips. He finally is putting the relentless play together with a little something extra. Whatever it is that's changed a bit, it's working now. He's finishing on plays where he wasn't earlier in the season. It's nice to be credited with a "pressure." It's even nicer to make a play, and he was a force yesterday.
Frierson. People don't like him celebrating, but I love it. We need more energy on this team, and he brings that. He's also bringing a tool box with him. The dude is getting better every week, which is refreshing. I'm so used to seeing our players plateau or get worse after achieving some success. He's got a nose for the ball, and he's a smart player.
Couch. I absolutely love this kid. Dudes kept telling me he was too small. Fck that. He ain't trying to guard Mike Evans. He's tough and scrappy, and that overcomes size deficiency. Duane Starks wasn't a giant either, but he was tough and would decapitate you. Couch is starting to get better and more confident every week. Love him as a blitzed too. Dude's a sack machine. He's got an uncanny knack for avoiding blocks.
King. Winner. Steady hand. Leader. He's making all the right reads and isn't putting the ball in danger. That throw he made to Wiggins on the sidelines where he dropped it over the defender was high level NFL ****. That was a long throw with perfect touch. I love him in the RPO game. That's where he seems to really shine. He's still a little robotic in the read option and struggles a little in the drop back game. That RPO game he's deadly on those slants. He hit the game winner to Pope in stride and hit Wiggins on another earlier in the game that would have been a TD if Wiggins didn't drop it.
Our WRs as a group have improved pretty dramatically the last few weeks. Clemson was their rock bottom. They had nowhere to go but up or out. They've gone way up.
Cons:
Our lack of speed in the secondary. Hall looks like a sloth back there. And he's tentative as ****. I really thought we were getting an assassin with plus athleticism, but that's not him. There was a play early where they dumped a little give up pass on 3rd and long to the RB. All Hall had to do was fly up and make the tackle short of the 1st down. Instead, he was tentative and just mirrored the guy and wound up "catching" him after he picked up the 1st.
Carter is even slower. Watching that poor dude try to chase speed guys is sad. He looks like an old man with **** in his diaper.
Blades looks listless all of a sudden. No idea what's up with him, but he is playing soft and timid.
Fake FG. Dumb call. As great as Joe B is, asking him to outrun defenders is dumb. If you want to pick that up, put it in King's hands.
Offense, overall, sputtered. That was a terrible Vag Tech D, and we let that sorry *** DT 25 destroy us. They kept getting us in 3rd and longs, we'd drop back, and they'd get to King. Our running game is still ****. Cam looks slow as ****. I don't know if he's hurt, but he looks really slow. The other 2 are quicker, but they didn't do anything of note yesterday either.
Scaife is a bum. He's either disinterested or just sorry. Dude looks like a melanin rich Matt Pipho at this point. When Campbell comes back I'd put him at G and move Scaife out of the lineup. If he's too weak to play G, then motherfcker get stronger. There's something called a weight room. Traore isn't much better, and neither is Clark. Our G game is weaker than an old lady's coffee.
Our insistence on playing scared at the end of the game or at the end of the half or on 3rd and long. Our decision to take the air out of the ball and not even try to get a 1st down could have been a disaster. We were trying to run the clock out but gave them the ball back with 2 minutes left. Very weak to just run a QB sweep give up play on 3rd and short. Get the 1st and end the game taking knees.
We probably won't play in the ACCCG because ND will have to lose twice, and we'd have to win out. But it's a lot more fun being in the mix in mid November than looking forward to getting stomped by FIU and La Tech.