catdaddyp

A lot more max protects and chips for sure, along with heavier emphasis on running the ball. Outside if that, it didn’t seem like we were running a ton different than what has been called, except from different positions and out of different formations. For example, we used TEs on crossers to hold the LBs as opposed to WRs. Loved the same side TE routes as well. Banks and Newell cause some matchup problems. That was the same type of confidence and decision making JU exhibited in the SG. I’m with you, I hope it continues. Miami will be a much stiffer challenge. If we can keep the run game going and continue to give JU time, who knows? Hopefully, Adams is back to 100% soon as well.

Thanks. Guess I should have phrased that differently. I don’t know if he can consistently duplicate that performance. I hope he proves me wrong. I was in his corner after the spring game, but until Wednesday, he didn’t do much to justify my preseason opinion.

Maybe I’m misreading the graphic, but if Miami and Buffalo play each other one of them has to win. If that’s the case, wouldn’t we be eliminated in the “Most Direct Scenario”?

I’m not holding my breath on it being a coming out party for JU, but I’d take a solid/No turnover performance like that any day of the week from him.

I think Adams has been hurt the past few games. Seems like JoeMo said he was playing at about 70%? I recall Adams being visibly frustrated after a play where JU couldn’t get him the ball last night. I’m not sure if Adams was reinserted in the game after that. So much frustration with the offense this year….

I don’t disagree with any of that. Although, a key issue I noticed on those short yardage runs was CJ West manhandling either the C or LG depending on who he was lined up against. I’d have to go back and rewatch, but at the time I recall us getting pushed back on the interior. The field side comeback throws are a staple of JoeMo’s offense. DJI made a living on those last year, but none of the QBs have been consistent on those throws this season. Kent was usually giving a cushion. Lingard needs the ball in his hands as often as possible. He’s been most underutilized weapon on offense this year, when we should have been riding him every game.

That was the version of JU I thought we would see this season. Limited in some of the throws he can make, but serviceable enough to get the job done. It was nice to see what the offense could have been this year, especially during the 4th quarter. I’m not sure when the last time was that we had a 100 yard rusher, two 100 yard receivers, and no turnovers. The inability to gain a yard running the ball during the series in the 3rd quarter could have been devastating. The 4th down run checked into the blitz was mind boggling. Gotta give credit to the staff for continuing to go back to Lingard. The more chances he receives, the more likely he is to break one. He had his most touches all season with 22 rushing attempts and 2 receptions. Also have to give credit to the staff for adjusting this week and playing the majority of the game out of 12 personnel (2 TEs). That’s something we haven’t seen much of this year. Kent’s lack of talented depth eventually caught up to them. Our DL dominated the 4th quarter and the OL was finally able to lean in the run game and also give JU more time in pass pro. The receivers made plays, but Gathings still talks too much. We were fortunate on a few occasions flags weren’t thrown. Terray Jones probably had his best game of the season and the personal foul call (which of course ended up in a score) was weak. Freshman Marcus Moore was also really good. He did not start, but played a starter amount of snaps with 35 total. Lama Lavea did not play. Nice job by Wiley making the extra points and field goal. For the incessant amount of talk throughout the broadcast (I usually don’t listen) about lack of a kicker, he came up 100%. That’s the best way to stamp out that kind of talk. Tough final 3 games, but who knows, maybe this win turns out to be the spark that lights the fire. QB - Undercuffler (Bullock) RB - Lingard (D. Anderson) (Kellom) WR - George (Norton) WR - Gathings (Anderson) (WR) - Walker (Golden) (Adams) TE - Banks TE - Newell LT - Chambers LG - Frank C - T. Williams (Georges) RG - Lyons RT - N. Williams (Kindred) DE - Nunnally (A. Smith) DT - T. Jones (Carter) DT - Robinson (Moore) (Murphy) DE - Adler (L. Jackson) LB - Fish (McCoy) LB - Cooper (McCoy) (Griffin) NB - Lewis CB - Tallandier (Golden-Nelson) CB - Durant (Golden-Nelson) S - C. Thomas (KJ Martin) S - N. Thompson (KJ Martin)

Agree the offense has been a major disappointment. Part of the problem against most teams has been the offense’s inability to stay on the field and in turn cause the defense to play more snaps. They’ve also been put in poor situations numerous times. Even with the aberration against NIU, the defense is still on pace to be ahead of last year and especially vs Arth’s last season. I added the stats below. Total Defense: 2023 = 342.0 YPG 2022 = 406.2 YPG 2021 = 457.0 YPG Scoring Defense: 2023 = 29.4 2022 = 33.5 2021 = 38.6 Rush Defense: 2023 = 148.8 2022 = 162.4 2021 = 246.0 Pass Defense: 2023 = 193.3 YPG 2022 = 243.8 YPG 2021 = 211.0 YPG Sacks: 2023 = 15 2022 = 19 2021 = 14 QB Pressures: 2023 = 104 2022 = 167 2021 = 104 Interceptions: 2023 = 6 2022 = 6 2021 = 6 If the offense could even be average and protect the football, we’d be fielding a pretty good team this year. Instead, we’re dead last in the MAC in rushing for the second straight season and averaging almost 100 yards less through the air.

Averaging starting field position at the 48 and 4 turnovers. That’s about as inefficient as it gets. Im not sure we’ll see much of a staff shakeup unless it’s coaches leaving on their own. The majority of the offensive woes fall at JoeMo and Fessler’s feet and it’s unlikely either of them are going anywhere. Can’t see JRod going anywhere either as he’s had to create such an overhaul along the OL.

I’m probably more responsible of this than anyone. But I also stand by it 100%. Hopefully the QB situation gets resolved and others will see. Unfortunately, we’re a 1 win team until that changes.

100%

I guess Keener was here before I joined? Of course he’s entitled to his own opinion and like the old saying goes “you are what your record says you are” but I’d disagree about there’s nothing positive when the defense is head and shoulders above last year’s in nearly every category. As we’ve discussed on the board adnauseam, QB play along with blend of OL/play-calling has masked what could have been. Like all fanbases, it’s easier to just say “we suck” due to all the frustration of loses. To each their own on that. Better results, no matter how it’s sliced, are needed. I didn’t listen to JoeMo. Not sure what else he can say at this point. None of the QBs that have played are going to get it done this year. Either need to make as many schematic adjustments as possible in the bye week (which I don’t see happening) or give one of the two freshman an opportunity to run the offense.

There seemed to be more of an emphasis on running the ball, although still not enough in my opinion. Once the game was out of hand, we had no choice but to go pass heavy. Akron actually out gained BG 157-81 in the first half. Final yardage was 279 to 297. JU was responsible for 4 turnovers. 2 interceptions and 2 fumbles. Not going to win many games with a 4-0 turnover deficit. The bye week is finally here, which will give the staff an opportunity to take a hard look at younger players who may see more snaps at the backend of the season. It will also be a time to attempt some offensive adjustments. Freshman receiver Adrian Norton stood out. Looked like he was open a few times and did catch two passes in the second half. He’s going to be really good and should already be receiving more snaps. Junior receiver Caleb Anderson made a difficult snag of a pass thrown behind him. Something the other receivers have failed to consistently do. That being said, Gathings did win a 50/50 ball in the first quarter. Left guard Ben Frank probably had his worst game, but has been the most consistent lineman this season. For the most part, the left side of the OL has been solid and the right side has struggled. Yesterday, that scenario was flipped. Defense was solid in the first half. The long TD drive followed up by JU’s fumble inside the 10 was a back breaker. BG scored on Nunnally in coverage and also drew a PI on him in the end zone. Why we are dropping our best pass rusher into coverage in those situations is beyond me. Kabbash Richards saw his first significant action on defense and did some good things. I think JoeMo said Kabbash was injured during the first half of season. He’ll likely see his snaps increase. Sophomore LB Jaharon Griffin was laying some hits. He may force himself into more playing time. For all the issues this team has had, the linebacker position has not been one of them and looks to be legitimately 4 deep. The starting OL played every snap on offense with the exception of Keylen Davis leaving the game due to injury. 2 of the sacks should be placed on them. The other 3 go to JU. QB - Undercuffler (Bullock) RB - Lingard (D. Anderson) WR - Gathings (Norton) WR - George (Anderson) WR - Adams (Walker) (Golden) TE - Banks (Newell) LT - Chambers LG - Frank C - T. Williams RG - K. Davis (Lyons) RT - N. Williams DE - Nunnally (Jackson) DT - Jones (Robinson) (Proffitt) DT - Lavea (Moore) (Murphy) DE - Adler (A. Smith) (Richards) LB - Fish (McCoy) (Griffin) LB - Cooper (McCoy) (Harris) NB - Lewis CB - Durant (Golden-Nelson) CB - Tallandier (Hunter) S - C. Thomas (Johnson) S - KJ Martin (Thompson)

Just my best guess on all of this, but the staff probably thought DJI would come back healthy and improve upon last year’s performance. We rolled the dice and lost there. JU seemed much improved in the spring, yet has proven to be incredibly inconsistent in 2023. He’s limited in some of the throws he can make and when that’s the case he has to be more selective and efficient than what he’s been. I suspect the staff thought Wasel and Jennings would not be needed this year and would be used as scout team/devo players. Bullock clearly has all the physical traits needed to be successful, so the staff got it right on that front. However, he’s struggling with accuracy/decision making and that usually means he’s not quite where he needs to be mentally. For all we know, he could take a huge leap over the offseason and look like a completely different player next year. Unfortunately, he’s not where we need him to be now. There’s probably too much on his plate at this point in time. It also seems the staff was unwilling to bend on offensive concepts, which also caused some struggles. To top it off, the OL play hasn’t been consistent either. That being said, the OL probably had its best game in pass pro against CMU and we still struggled to throw the ball.

Not sure of the answer to your question, but here’s the video.

I appreciate the contribution to the board, but some of this is not correct. College coaches do not give a 💩 about stars. They recruit and evaluate based on what they see on tape and in person. Stars are for the fans and for the recruiting services to make money. The majority of time the stars will eventually align to 4 and 5 stars for the elite programs by the time signing day arrives, but many of those prospects start out as 3 stars if they have not competed in multiple camp settings. As offers are extended and the recruiting services get around to seeing the prospects in person, star bumps will occur. That being said, a large portion of 4 and 5 stars have competed in camp settings by the time they are seniors. As far as Rivals is concerned, the majority of G5 commitments will be 2 stars. On3 and 247 will rate most G5s as low 3 stars because it’s good for business and gets more eyes on their product. We can all say what we want about the performance on the field, but what is not up for debate is the amount of connections JoeMo and this staff have. They aren’t going to recruit anyone who they do not believe will help this program. Plus, the interest has to be reciprocal between the recruits and staff.

Well, that’s 100% inaccurate. Here, I’ll list two of the upcoming QBs below. 2024 - Ethan Grunkemeyer = One of the top performers at Elite 11. Penn State commit. 2025 - Ryan Montgomery = Top of the board for South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia. Along with numerous other offers.

While some states do produce higher quality than others, I wouldn’t agree on that ratio. Especially when recruiting can be cyclical in states not named Florida, Georgia, Texas, and California. As far as Wasel goes, he would have likely received an offer from Oregon and gone there had JoeMo stayed as OC. Regardless, he is a talent that will hopefully be developed sooner than later. I don’t disagree with an effort of recruiting the state of Ohio, but JoeMo and his staff have a long reach and would be foolish not to use it. Getting the best players no matter where they are located should be the goal. That being said, more Ohio quarterbacks will probably fill the pipeline due to Brad Maendler and his quarterback factory.

I’ll just touch on the recruitment of Wasel and Jennings. Wasel was ranked a 3 star by Rivals since late 2021. At one time he was listed as the 20th best player in Oklahoma. After committing to Akron, he later fell to 28th overall. After receiving his initial rating, he stayed as a (5.6) 3 star by Rivals, which is high for MAC status. Jennings was not given a rating by Rivals until signing day, despite being offered by Kentucky back in January of 2020. However, UK eventually backed off. To my knowledge, Jennings did not do many camps and therefore flew under the radar outside of the MAC footprint. I stand by what I’ve been saying in that this staff has majorly upgraded the talent level on this roster. The QB problem is masking much of that. Arth’s last class (before being let go) was off to a horrendous start and it was unlikely it would have picked up much, if at all.

He’s basically already done this. Except it was done over two offseasons as opposed to one. Only about 25 players remain from the Arth era. Of those 25, 7 are current starters. Could say 8 starters if including Irons. Gathings Chambers N. Williams Adler Lewis C. Thomas Durant

I hope you’re right!

4 regular season games plus a bowl game would make 5, so still on the right track. Unfortunately, no bowl game for us this year.

We might see that soon, as we are close to being out of bowl contention. Wasel can play up to 4 regular season games and keep a redshirt status. Of course, if he comes in and does well, the redshirt status won’t matter.

Agreed, part of the problem with the running game is a lack of a vertical passing game. Another part is the OL’s lack of consistent push and some blame also falls on the QBs keeping when they should give on the read options. When we do try to push the ball down field we struggle to not only complete the passes, but also not turn them over. 9 of the 10 interceptions have come on attempts beyond 10 yards. The other part is some stubborn play calling. I don’t know the averages, but the majority of drives seem to either go run, pass, pass or pass, pass, pass. Of course, some of those pass plays turn into runs due to the QB scrambling. We tend to call consecutive run plays only after a gain of 4 or 5 yards and go away from the run if we gain only one or two yards. The more opportunities a player like Lingard has with the ball in his hands, the greater chance of an explosive play happening. Same can be said for Alex Adams. The offensive staff hasn’t done a great job of putting our best players in a position to be successful this year. Granted our limitations at QB have played a role in that.

Hard to believe, but the OL statistically had it’s best game in pass protection. 15 total pressures allowed. Not great, but the best we’ve seen this season. Just goes to show how bad the QB play was. Can’t change the whole offensive scheme at this point and I’m not sure the staff would anyway. I expect teams will continue to stack the box when Bullock is in at QB. I thought a running game with Bullock would be the way to go. Yet when we needed to throw the ball, he struggled to put even the simplest of passes on point. A QB that can’t make the easy throws isn’t much of a QB. At least when Undercuffler was in some running lanes opened up for Lingard. I’m with you, I’m not sure if the QB problems will be solved this year. It looked like receivers were getting open, but we don’t have a QB that can consistently get them the ball while not turning it over. Add poor/late decisions in the equation and it’s a tough place to be when the whole offensive scheme is quarterback driven.