The online reaction is too strong in every direction. Multiple things can be true at once. We played below our ability. Wake is still a solid, winning team with a veteran QB. Neither view cancels out the other. Our offensive line is not playoff-caliber right now. It's also early, and many takes about last year's OL and running game aged like milk.
I think the best approach is to focus on where we are and what we need to improve. It's a long season, and hopefully a very long one. Here are some thoughts after watching live in Winston-Salem and on replay:
- There were two drives that stood out to me as turning points. Five minutes left in the third. We're up 31-7. Wake hits a screen, Mo Toure forces a fumble and the turnover gets wiped out by Damon Wilson roughing the passer. Later in the drive, it's 3rd and 10 in the red zone. Omar Thornton and Bryce Fitzgerald get mixed up in zone coverage, Gio Lopez hits Jack Foley wide open, Thornton misses the tackle, Wake scores and starts regaining confidence.
We get the ball next. Second and 8 on our own 14. Both guards got beat, Mensah throws it away (his first incompletion), gets hit low and starts limping. After that, Mensah played uncharacteristically tentative. He bailed early out of some decent pockets and, when he stayed in the pocket, he threw early instead of standing strong and finding the open receiver (see 50/50 heave to Elija Lofton).
That's not to blame Mensah- he was awesome and the protection problems were very real. But I noticed a change in him on that play. Dawson got conservative after that, and my sense is that he was worried about his QB and our ability to protect him without our top playmakers.
- Those two drives hit on all our biggest issues. The interior struggled all night. SJ Alofaituli is getting some deserved heat, but Max Buchanan and Ryan Rodriguez had rough moments as well. Some of that is poor communication that can improve. But my real concern is how all three look on the field at the same time. None of them are Anez Cooper or Matt McCoy in terms of size and power. We just aren't firm enough there. Jackson Cantwell and Ben Congdon got a ton of first-team reps in camp, and Mirabal needs to keep pushing buttons to get them ready.
Missed tackles were an issue all night. Aside from the first two drives against Louisville, that was never a problem last season. Lopez and Carlos Hernandez are physically strong players, so they deserve some credit. But if our guys complete half the tackles they missed, it's a different game.
Another thing that came up in that sequence was lack of discipline. We had 75 penalty yards overall on the night. That would've put us 135th in the country last year as an average. Several of those penalties were critical in shifting momentum. We can't let that become a trend.
The last thing is injuries. Mensah's injury seemed minor, but those minor injuries added up. It makes a difference when you lose 2/3 of the best trio in America. Marty Brown's injury is a heartbreaker and puts a damper on everything.
- With that said, we won by 13 on the road against a conference opponent that was 11-4 under this coach. Winning is hard. Some say that a second-half performance like that can get us beat in the ACC. That's true. But this is also the type of ACC road game we lose in the past. And based on what I'm seeing in the UNC/Clemson game, Wake might be the best ACC road opponent on our schedule. They certainly have the best QB.
- Mark Fletcher is telling people his injury is just a stinger. Hopefully that's correct, because the game changed when he stopped getting carries. Javian Mallory, Jordan Lyle and Girard Pringle will get a chance to step up with Marty out. We ran a stretch play to to Pringle, but Rodriguez and Alofaituli got knocked back and the play lost 2. That drive reminded me of Lyle's carried against Syracuse- talented player, but wrong time in the game and it hurt our momentum.
- Quiet day for the receivers aside from Mali. It's alarming how much the offense stalled when he went out. We need multiple guys who can punish man coverage.
- Lofton made some nice blocks (see pancake on first quarter Fletcher run) and a couple big plays in the passing game. The key with him is getting him the ball in space. He's not a 50/50 ball winner like some longer TEs. We don't have that kind of presence on the roster, and it's a concern. Gavin Mueller competed as a blocker and helped spring Fletcher for a long run off the left side.
- The pass rush showed up when Wake Forest got down big and had to pass. Wilson made some mental mistakes, but was hugely impactful in getting a sack, forcing a safety and causing a turnover on downs. Marquise Lightfoot also had a good day. Ahmad Moten (dealing with injury) and Justin Scott haven't broken through yet, but they helped limit Wake to 22 yards rushing. I want to see more from Keona Davis and Jarquez Carter after the flashes they showed in camp. But we should also remember how Moten and Scott progressed throughout last season. Still early.
- We know the deal at linebacker. We're big and old, and teams are going to target Toure and Chase Smith in coverage. I liked seeing Ezekiel Marcelin early, and Kamal Bonner got some high-leverage snaps at the end of the game.
- There were a few bright spots in the secondary. Bryce Fitzgerald showed his ability to diagnose and was very physical. He's still learning at corner, but I expect his ball skills to show up as he gets more comfortable. Ethan O'Connor made a huge play which should boost his confidence. JJ Dunnigan played every defensive snap and did so at 100 MPH. He's going to be amazing.
However, it's clear Hetherman is still trying to protect the DBs. If we're going to play with so much cushion, the defensive backs need to do a better job communicating. There were several costly breakdowns, including the touchdown described above. Damari Brown still looks a little injured to me, and he's not playing with a ton of confidence. He's already a bigger guy at 200+ pounds, so playing slower hurts him even more. He did make a nice TFL, though. Thornton is a menace going downhill, but teams are going to keep challenging him like Wake did with Hernandez. I've seen Thornton cover Mali in practice, and while he's never going to be lockdown, I think there's more there than he showed on that play.
- One cool lineup that we used late in the fourth- Lightfoot, Wilson and Booker Pickett on the defensive line, Bobby Pruitt and Dunnigan at linebacker, Brown, O'Connor, Zechariah Poyser, Thornton and Dylan Day in the defensive backfield. Tons of speed on the field.
- While I can at least understand the rationale for playing conservative on offense, the decision to kick a 54-yard field goal makes no sense to me. Jake Weinberg is still an unproven young player, Mensah is more than capable of converting 4th and 4. Best case scenario if he hits the kick, it's still a two-score game. Someone needs to explain that one.
- I'm also disappointed we couldn't do more on kickoff return. The ACC is the top touchback conference in America, and we couldn't do anything despite finally getting opportunities to return.
Overall, it's a great time to play Central Michigan. We need to get healthier and younger. See you at the Rock.
I think the best approach is to focus on where we are and what we need to improve. It's a long season, and hopefully a very long one. Here are some thoughts after watching live in Winston-Salem and on replay:
- There were two drives that stood out to me as turning points. Five minutes left in the third. We're up 31-7. Wake hits a screen, Mo Toure forces a fumble and the turnover gets wiped out by Damon Wilson roughing the passer. Later in the drive, it's 3rd and 10 in the red zone. Omar Thornton and Bryce Fitzgerald get mixed up in zone coverage, Gio Lopez hits Jack Foley wide open, Thornton misses the tackle, Wake scores and starts regaining confidence.
We get the ball next. Second and 8 on our own 14. Both guards got beat, Mensah throws it away (his first incompletion), gets hit low and starts limping. After that, Mensah played uncharacteristically tentative. He bailed early out of some decent pockets and, when he stayed in the pocket, he threw early instead of standing strong and finding the open receiver (see 50/50 heave to Elija Lofton).
That's not to blame Mensah- he was awesome and the protection problems were very real. But I noticed a change in him on that play. Dawson got conservative after that, and my sense is that he was worried about his QB and our ability to protect him without our top playmakers.
- Those two drives hit on all our biggest issues. The interior struggled all night. SJ Alofaituli is getting some deserved heat, but Max Buchanan and Ryan Rodriguez had rough moments as well. Some of that is poor communication that can improve. But my real concern is how all three look on the field at the same time. None of them are Anez Cooper or Matt McCoy in terms of size and power. We just aren't firm enough there. Jackson Cantwell and Ben Congdon got a ton of first-team reps in camp, and Mirabal needs to keep pushing buttons to get them ready.
Missed tackles were an issue all night. Aside from the first two drives against Louisville, that was never a problem last season. Lopez and Carlos Hernandez are physically strong players, so they deserve some credit. But if our guys complete half the tackles they missed, it's a different game.
Another thing that came up in that sequence was lack of discipline. We had 75 penalty yards overall on the night. That would've put us 135th in the country last year as an average. Several of those penalties were critical in shifting momentum. We can't let that become a trend.
The last thing is injuries. Mensah's injury seemed minor, but those minor injuries added up. It makes a difference when you lose 2/3 of the best trio in America. Marty Brown's injury is a heartbreaker and puts a damper on everything.
- With that said, we won by 13 on the road against a conference opponent that was 11-4 under this coach. Winning is hard. Some say that a second-half performance like that can get us beat in the ACC. That's true. But this is also the type of ACC road game we lose in the past. And based on what I'm seeing in the UNC/Clemson game, Wake might be the best ACC road opponent on our schedule. They certainly have the best QB.
- Mark Fletcher is telling people his injury is just a stinger. Hopefully that's correct, because the game changed when he stopped getting carries. Javian Mallory, Jordan Lyle and Girard Pringle will get a chance to step up with Marty out. We ran a stretch play to to Pringle, but Rodriguez and Alofaituli got knocked back and the play lost 2. That drive reminded me of Lyle's carried against Syracuse- talented player, but wrong time in the game and it hurt our momentum.
- Quiet day for the receivers aside from Mali. It's alarming how much the offense stalled when he went out. We need multiple guys who can punish man coverage.
- Lofton made some nice blocks (see pancake on first quarter Fletcher run) and a couple big plays in the passing game. The key with him is getting him the ball in space. He's not a 50/50 ball winner like some longer TEs. We don't have that kind of presence on the roster, and it's a concern. Gavin Mueller competed as a blocker and helped spring Fletcher for a long run off the left side.
- The pass rush showed up when Wake Forest got down big and had to pass. Wilson made some mental mistakes, but was hugely impactful in getting a sack, forcing a safety and causing a turnover on downs. Marquise Lightfoot also had a good day. Ahmad Moten (dealing with injury) and Justin Scott haven't broken through yet, but they helped limit Wake to 22 yards rushing. I want to see more from Keona Davis and Jarquez Carter after the flashes they showed in camp. But we should also remember how Moten and Scott progressed throughout last season. Still early.
- We know the deal at linebacker. We're big and old, and teams are going to target Toure and Chase Smith in coverage. I liked seeing Ezekiel Marcelin early, and Kamal Bonner got some high-leverage snaps at the end of the game.
- There were a few bright spots in the secondary. Bryce Fitzgerald showed his ability to diagnose and was very physical. He's still learning at corner, but I expect his ball skills to show up as he gets more comfortable. Ethan O'Connor made a huge play which should boost his confidence. JJ Dunnigan played every defensive snap and did so at 100 MPH. He's going to be amazing.
However, it's clear Hetherman is still trying to protect the DBs. If we're going to play with so much cushion, the defensive backs need to do a better job communicating. There were several costly breakdowns, including the touchdown described above. Damari Brown still looks a little injured to me, and he's not playing with a ton of confidence. He's already a bigger guy at 200+ pounds, so playing slower hurts him even more. He did make a nice TFL, though. Thornton is a menace going downhill, but teams are going to keep challenging him like Wake did with Hernandez. I've seen Thornton cover Mali in practice, and while he's never going to be lockdown, I think there's more there than he showed on that play.
- One cool lineup that we used late in the fourth- Lightfoot, Wilson and Booker Pickett on the defensive line, Bobby Pruitt and Dunnigan at linebacker, Brown, O'Connor, Zechariah Poyser, Thornton and Dylan Day in the defensive backfield. Tons of speed on the field.
- While I can at least understand the rationale for playing conservative on offense, the decision to kick a 54-yard field goal makes no sense to me. Jake Weinberg is still an unproven young player, Mensah is more than capable of converting 4th and 4. Best case scenario if he hits the kick, it's still a two-score game. Someone needs to explain that one.
- I'm also disappointed we couldn't do more on kickoff return. The ACC is the top touchback conference in America, and we couldn't do anything despite finally getting opportunities to return.
Overall, it's a great time to play Central Michigan. We need to get healthier and younger. See you at the Rock.
