- Joined
- Jan 15, 2012
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First of all it feels awesome to beat a very talented, tough and battle tested team like Notre Dame in the opener! My overall impressions were that we can go toe to toe with the best in college football. We didn't just look like we belonged. We looked like the better team for most of the game save for a few lapses but more on that later. We also looked like a team with a very high ceiling and a team who only scratched the surface of their potential last night.
The Offensive Line was extraordinary. They put on a great performance against what I feel will be the best overall defense we will face all year and definitely the best secondary. Markel Bell put on a show as did Cici, Cooper and the rest of the hogs upfront. We held that team to 4 QB pressures and ran the ball enough to make a difference. This is the best OL of Mario's tenure and they are only going to get better as the season goes on. It was great to see Samson Okunlola out there as well.
The Tight ends as a unit were very quiet in the passing game and Lofton only had one catch. Dawson will need to get this group more involved in the passing game. Another poster mentioned this but I didn't like the way we ran the ball in 12 personnel. To be fair this was game 1 and we went against one of the best defenses in the nation.
The WRs showed potential as a unit and I got the distinct impression that this group has a chance to be very good once they have a chance to gel. Malachi Toney is our best WR right now and the kid is going to be a freshman phenom and All American barring injury. CJ Daniels had a few receptions including the most spectacular catch I've seen in a very long time! Don't get down on Jojo. The staff was very judicious with his snaps and he will get untracked here shortly. Josh Moore is going to be a problem for opposing defenses as he gets more reps and gains confidence. Keelan Marion had a game changing play with his KO return prior to our last possession. The decision to return the kick allowed us to ultimately get in Davis's FG range.
The RBs were very solid if unspectacular. Mark Fletcher was Mark Fletcher and Marty Brown was impressive in his Miami debut. Jordan Lyle started the game but got a little banged up. Hopefully it's nothing serious. I agree with another poster who said that ideally Jordan Lyle would work best as the 3rd RB in the game after Fletcher and Brown have worn out the defense.
All together a very solid workmanlike performance by the offense today against one of the best defenses in the nation. We managed to score 27 points with a fairly conservative ball control attack. However I must keep repeating that this offense has barely scratched the surface of its potential. With an elite OL and an elite QB this offense has a very high ceiling and will only get better every game as the WRs and TEs are integrated into the gameplans and gain confidence.
Defensively I have to start with the Defensive Line and they impressed the heck out of me! They were stingy against the run for the most part and when they got their opportunities to pin their ears back, they did the job. Mesidor and Bain look like different players from last year and Marquis Lightfoot is going to be a problem for OLs on our schedule. Still, I think I was even more impressed by our DTs. The trio of Blay, Scott and Moten were stout vs the run and were excellent all around.
The LBs as a unit were solid if unspectacular. They weren't dominant but it was a vast improvement over the past few years. I thought Mo Toure would be more dominant but he was solid as was Popo. Wes was ok. This group should continue to improve with Hetherman coaching them. I would like to see Wiley get worked into the rotation eventually.
The secondary specifically the CBs looked night and day better compared to the abortion that was last season. You can easily see the difference in depth and talent. Outside of 2 huge mental lapses they were excellent in man coverage. I didn't care for what we were doing in zone late in the game but like the rest of the team you get the impression that they still need to gel a bit more. The coverage lapse on 3rd and goal when we had Carr retreating only to see him hit a wide open receiver standing in the end zone was inexcusable as was the bust in the 4th quarter when the TE #9 got behind the entire defense for a huge play that put ND in scoring position. I still got the impression that those breakdowns were things that can be chalked up to 1st game kinks that will be worked out.
This defense tackles much better and is much more fundamentally sound. I also thought that ND put Hetherman in conflict by establishing that horizontal passing game together with the threat of Love and Price at RB. When Carr began running the ball effectively, it became tough for Hetherman focus on any one element of the offense. Give credit to ND and their coaching staff. They made some great adjustments in the second half on both offense and defense. Despite that I felt that if Marty Brown doesn't slip on 3rd and 1 that we would have taken over the game. I can't complain too much but I thought Cristobal/Dawson got a bit too conservative in the 4th quarter. I get that ND is an excellent defense and I get that we have a relatively inexperienced WR group. However we have a 5th year Senior in Carson Beck and you don't even trust him once on the final drive? Again we won the game and that's all that matters plus give credit to the opponent. They were in the title game 8 months ago.
Carter Davis???? Really??? Talk about 2 super clutch kicks!!!!!! Could we have ourselves another stellar place kicker? Long way to go but that was one heck of a start for Mr. Davis.
In summary, this is the most talented and the deepest roster we have had in over 20 years. We may have faced the best team we will see the entire regular season. The ceiling for this squad is very high both on offense and on defense. I truly believe that this is one of those years where there is no overwhelming favorite and if we qualify for the playoffs, we have as good of a shot as anyone. Why? We have an elite OL. We likely have an elite DL barring injury. We have elite CBs. We have an elite QB and at least a very solid group of RBs plus a true freshman phenom at WR. Add an X factor in Elija Lofton and we have a squad that can line up with anyone. We need to continue to gel at WR and TE on offense and defensively it's crucial that the LB and safety positions continue to get better.
P.S. One more thing..........PHUKK Notre Dame!!!!!!!!!
The Offensive Line was extraordinary. They put on a great performance against what I feel will be the best overall defense we will face all year and definitely the best secondary. Markel Bell put on a show as did Cici, Cooper and the rest of the hogs upfront. We held that team to 4 QB pressures and ran the ball enough to make a difference. This is the best OL of Mario's tenure and they are only going to get better as the season goes on. It was great to see Samson Okunlola out there as well.
The Tight ends as a unit were very quiet in the passing game and Lofton only had one catch. Dawson will need to get this group more involved in the passing game. Another poster mentioned this but I didn't like the way we ran the ball in 12 personnel. To be fair this was game 1 and we went against one of the best defenses in the nation.
The WRs showed potential as a unit and I got the distinct impression that this group has a chance to be very good once they have a chance to gel. Malachi Toney is our best WR right now and the kid is going to be a freshman phenom and All American barring injury. CJ Daniels had a few receptions including the most spectacular catch I've seen in a very long time! Don't get down on Jojo. The staff was very judicious with his snaps and he will get untracked here shortly. Josh Moore is going to be a problem for opposing defenses as he gets more reps and gains confidence. Keelan Marion had a game changing play with his KO return prior to our last possession. The decision to return the kick allowed us to ultimately get in Davis's FG range.
The RBs were very solid if unspectacular. Mark Fletcher was Mark Fletcher and Marty Brown was impressive in his Miami debut. Jordan Lyle started the game but got a little banged up. Hopefully it's nothing serious. I agree with another poster who said that ideally Jordan Lyle would work best as the 3rd RB in the game after Fletcher and Brown have worn out the defense.
All together a very solid workmanlike performance by the offense today against one of the best defenses in the nation. We managed to score 27 points with a fairly conservative ball control attack. However I must keep repeating that this offense has barely scratched the surface of its potential. With an elite OL and an elite QB this offense has a very high ceiling and will only get better every game as the WRs and TEs are integrated into the gameplans and gain confidence.
Defensively I have to start with the Defensive Line and they impressed the heck out of me! They were stingy against the run for the most part and when they got their opportunities to pin their ears back, they did the job. Mesidor and Bain look like different players from last year and Marquis Lightfoot is going to be a problem for OLs on our schedule. Still, I think I was even more impressed by our DTs. The trio of Blay, Scott and Moten were stout vs the run and were excellent all around.
The LBs as a unit were solid if unspectacular. They weren't dominant but it was a vast improvement over the past few years. I thought Mo Toure would be more dominant but he was solid as was Popo. Wes was ok. This group should continue to improve with Hetherman coaching them. I would like to see Wiley get worked into the rotation eventually.
The secondary specifically the CBs looked night and day better compared to the abortion that was last season. You can easily see the difference in depth and talent. Outside of 2 huge mental lapses they were excellent in man coverage. I didn't care for what we were doing in zone late in the game but like the rest of the team you get the impression that they still need to gel a bit more. The coverage lapse on 3rd and goal when we had Carr retreating only to see him hit a wide open receiver standing in the end zone was inexcusable as was the bust in the 4th quarter when the TE #9 got behind the entire defense for a huge play that put ND in scoring position. I still got the impression that those breakdowns were things that can be chalked up to 1st game kinks that will be worked out.
This defense tackles much better and is much more fundamentally sound. I also thought that ND put Hetherman in conflict by establishing that horizontal passing game together with the threat of Love and Price at RB. When Carr began running the ball effectively, it became tough for Hetherman focus on any one element of the offense. Give credit to ND and their coaching staff. They made some great adjustments in the second half on both offense and defense. Despite that I felt that if Marty Brown doesn't slip on 3rd and 1 that we would have taken over the game. I can't complain too much but I thought Cristobal/Dawson got a bit too conservative in the 4th quarter. I get that ND is an excellent defense and I get that we have a relatively inexperienced WR group. However we have a 5th year Senior in Carson Beck and you don't even trust him once on the final drive? Again we won the game and that's all that matters plus give credit to the opponent. They were in the title game 8 months ago.
Carter Davis???? Really??? Talk about 2 super clutch kicks!!!!!! Could we have ourselves another stellar place kicker? Long way to go but that was one heck of a start for Mr. Davis.
In summary, this is the most talented and the deepest roster we have had in over 20 years. We may have faced the best team we will see the entire regular season. The ceiling for this squad is very high both on offense and on defense. I truly believe that this is one of those years where there is no overwhelming favorite and if we qualify for the playoffs, we have as good of a shot as anyone. Why? We have an elite OL. We likely have an elite DL barring injury. We have elite CBs. We have an elite QB and at least a very solid group of RBs plus a true freshman phenom at WR. Add an X factor in Elija Lofton and we have a squad that can line up with anyone. We need to continue to gel at WR and TE on offense and defensively it's crucial that the LB and safety positions continue to get better.
P.S. One more thing..........PHUKK Notre Dame!!!!!!!!!