The first hour of this game looked familiar. We'd been playing bad football since the fourth quarter of the FSU game, and this felt like a Greatest Hits of our struggles: pre-snap penalties, no explosives, dead runs between the tackles. Everyone left on our schedule is better than Stanford, and those teams will beat us if we play like that.
But the rest of the game was productive. We covered a 30-point spread and got young players reps. Zero giveaways. Best of all, we stayed healthy. So how do we build on the good stuff going forward? Here are some position-by-position thoughts:
- I'd love to see more tempo for
Carson Beck. He's a naturally quick operator- quick release, quick hands, quick decisions. When he's at his best, he's spreading the ball short and intermediate. The explosive plays will come without forcing them. Cam Ward was a totally different player- he's a basketball guard who could always hold the ball and make spectacular plays. Beck isn't going to elude rushers or throw off schedule. Get him in rhythm and let him heat up. He's 30-4 as a starter for a reason and we need to trust him.
- This offense is at his best when
Mark Fletcher is at running back. His power-running energizes the team. He's good in the passing game, too. Treat him like 1A and it will pay off over four quarters.
It was nice for
Jordan Lyle to get some confidence. The coaches are force-feeding him because they know he has juice. There may be some fit issues with our running game, as Lyle is patient and and likes slow-developing runs more than brute force. But both sides need to make it work for our offense to be at its best.
One player I'd love to see more often:
Girard Pringle. He's a tough, one-cut runner and his acceleration gives us an element we need.
- After missing Jeremiah Smith, we signed another South Florida receiver who happens to be the best freshman in America.
Malachi Toney is a superstar right now and we have him for two more years. He's really improved his contact balance. One thing that separates guys like Toney, Xavier Restrepo and KJ Osborn is how hard they work in the weight room. That lower-body and core strength shows up on the field.
My co-host
@Peter Ariz has been calling for more
Tony Johnson and the veteran delivered on Saturday. I think you can play him and Toney together.
There's a reason why
Josh Moore and
JoJo Trader got so many snaps last night. The coaches know we need more athleticism on the field. Moore had more success than Trader, but I expect them both to continue to get opportunities.
- The tight end position is struggling. When
Elija Lofton is right, he's making the first guy miss every time. That's not happening now. He had some chances in space and looked lumbering. We need to improve there.
-
James Brockermeyer struggled run blocking, including a poor rep on 4th and 1 that cost us a drive. He had some run-blocking issues at TCU, too. We hide some of that with our emphasis on double-teams, but he needs to get back to the way he was playing earlier in the year.
-
Markel Bell is quietly having a strong season. I don't know what his NFL future holds, but he's giving us a steady presence on the left side. He was dominant last night.
- Overall, everyone knows we need to get more explosive on offense. 5.5 yards per play is a poor number against a terrible Stanford defense. There was progress with the turnovers, but we need more to beat the good teams.
- For all the uncertainty on offense, it's safe to say our defense is legit. We're 10th in scoring defense, 10th in yards per play, 10th in yards per rush, and 12th in yards per pass. We're 33rd in takeaways now but I think that number will keep going up with our pass rush.
- Stanford was particularly overmatched inside.
David Blay ate them alive. I loved what I saw from
Armondo Blount. What he might lack in pass-rush finesse, he makes up for with power, speed and effort. I expect him to keep expanding his role because he has the right approach.
-
Rueben Bain is getting held on every single play. It's a shame he only has two sacks, but anybody watching our games knows how dominant he is on a snap-to-snap basis.
- One of the good things about last night was that we got real experience for a ton of young players. I saw
Donta Simpson,
Herbert Scroggins,
Booker Pickett,
Jaboree Antoine,
Dylan Day,
Luka Gilbert,
Girard Pringle,
SJ Alofaituli, and more getting meaningful work.
As we know in college football, the momentum from this finish doesn't necessarily carry over to the next game. We've seen teams look different week-to-week across the country. It's a good week to get on the road and go 1-0. Go Canes.
