catdaddyp

I have a lot of thoughts this week. Number one, that was a frustrating game to lose and one I felt we should have won. I’ll give credit to BG in that they have some playmakers and If the ball bounces their way they have enough firepower to beat some above average teams - as demonstrated in their win over Marshall. On the flip side, they tend to give up big plays and if their QB is not playing, or even having an off game, I can see how they could lose to just about anyone. With that being said, we lost this game due to a number of our own mistakes. OFFENSE QB - As we suspected in the preseason, the offense (this year at least) hums at the rate Irons can take it. He hit some big passes and also had some well thrown balls dropped. Conversely, Irons missed on some open receivers and held the ball too long at times. Irons looked gassed on the last drive and that probably played a part in his accuracy and decision making. RB - It was refreshing to see Price get downhill and do some things we expected to see when he was recruited. Still not sure why Norrils has not seen much PT, but one thing is clear, we are missing an explosive running back and this offense will need to continue to rely on Irons’ running ability. WR - It seems Adams is due for one big drop a game, but outside of that he was impressive creating separation. SJL continues to have an excellent season. I was disappointed in George. For whatever reason, he did not seem to be fully immersed in the game and did not attack the ball like he has in previous games. TE - Banks is obviously a big target and creates mismatches in the passing game, but we need more out of him. I believe it was Brank who dropped a perfectly placed ball down the seam by Irons. JoeMo has been excellent in the past exploiting the TE mismatches, but so far we are not getting the consistency we need from that position. OL - Looked like Landers started at LT along with Robarge at LG. Daniels and Banes came back in after a series or two. Pretty sure Lyons and Kilbane saw time throughout the game as well. The OL coach is clearly trying to find a combination that works, but inconsistency has been the theme here. Whigan and Williams have been solid on the right side, except Williams continues to collect holding penalties. DEFENSE DL - I thought Thomas and Harper were excellent. I noticed Thomas hustling down the field in an attempt to clean up missed tackles by others. I’m pretty sure I saw Holt get a few snaps. The other DTs that played did not seem to have much effect on the game. Jones, Morton, and Johnson each had their moments at DE, but I expected to see a higher level of play from them. LB - Not sure what was going on with Bubba, but he did not start (although he did play). Behm started and there was a clear drop off in production. McCoy was the other starter. Regular rotation of Fish and Boateng, who had their moments against the run. Terry finally saw action in the back half of the game and looked good. Again, not sure where he’s been. Richardson was back this game. I noticed him play, but I don’t recall seeing him do much noteworthy. CB - Hooks and Durant started at CB again. Durant was the target of choice by BG. What has happened to Golden-Nelson? I thought he had that spot locked down after the first two games. He’s gone MIA and in turn that CB spot has become a position of weakness. Threatt played and did not look good. Amankwaa played his first game on defense and looked solid. I expect Amankwaa will receive more PT as the year goes on. Lewis and Hence played the Nickel, but Hence struggled in pass defense again. S - I believe Thompson and JKP started while Martin rotated in. Again, hit or miss in this area. Thompson came down to make a number of tackles but his run fits weren’t always the best, which has been the case throughout the season. It was good to see an opportunistic interception by Martin. Too many missed tackles by this group and the entire defense. SPECIAL TEAMS I’m not going to rehash the obvious goofs on ST yesterday. I will say not having a kicker with a strong enough leg to put the ball through the end zone is tough. Our tackling was not up to par when we needed to consistently cover kickoffs, therefore giving BG excellent starting position on most of their drives. The team definitely showed resolve and fight to the end, but had far too many mistakes. The missed tackles were infuriating. I can understand a handful of missed tackles against P5 teams, but I’m fairly certain we missed more tackles yesterday than any other game this year. What made the missed tackles even more disappointing is the majority of time our DC called the right play/alignment to put our players in a position to be successful. There is probably going to be some doom and gloom in our fan base after this loss, especially after we beat BG last year, but last year has little bearing on this year. This team is close to getting over the hump. As much as we’d all like it to be, progression is not on a linear upward trend. It’s choppy and sometimes requires taking a step back before two steps forward. I’m disappointed that we lost, but more so in the sense that we are so close to moving up the MAC ladder and did not take advantage of the opportunity yesterday.

Didn’t even know Castle had an offer. He was apparently offered on 7/14/2022. I’ll create a Rivals profile later today.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what our DL can do against a less stout OL. I wouldn’t think the transfers from JSU and Coastal are that good. I hope they don’t prove me wrong.

I’m also a fan of the defensive line. As I was thinking about the roster itself, I realized how poorly Arth recruited the prep scene. He certainly hit on a handful, but overall not so good. On defense all 4 starters on the DL were transfers in some fashion. Both Johnson (JUCO) and Morton (Syracuse) were Arth recruits. Harper (Syracuse) and Thomas (JUCO). Our 3 man rotation at Safety is the same way. Martin (W. Virginia), Thompson (Duke), and JKP (Michigan State). Of course JKP was an Arth recruit, but not out of HS. On offense it’s even more evident. Irons (JUCO) is the only Arth transfer holdover starting. SJL (Pittsburgh), George (PSU), and Adams (LSU) at WR. Banks (W. Virginia) at TE. Whigan (PSU) and Banes (Houston) on the OL. So the only non-transfer starters on both sides are Bubba, Durant, Hooks, Lewis, Williams, Daniels, Georges. And McCoy who is not an Arth recruit. Could add either Boateng or Terry in at the other LB spot as starters to further illustrate the point. And Golden-Nelson has also started some at CB.

Is there anywhere online to listen?

It seems they are similar to us in a number of ways. Their backup QB, who may start against us, is also from an FCS school - Long Island. But it sounds like JoeMo is expecting McDonald to play. BG has rotated a lot of players on offense and defense, so some of their original backups have actually played more snaps than their original starters. I was looking at the snaps versus who actually started the games and wasn’t 100% sure who to list. I haven’t watched BG play this year so I unfortunately have nothing more to add than stats.

OFFENSE QB - Sr. - Matt McDonald = (78.9) Wuerffel Watchlist. 690 yards passing with 10 TDs and 0 INTs. Also has 77 yards rushing with a TD. HB - So. - Ta’Ron Keith = (70.1) 81 yards rushing. 125 yards receiving with 2 TDs. WR - Sr. - CJ Lewis = (60.7) Transfer from Boston College. 149 yards receiving with 2 TDs. WR - Sr. - Odieu Hiliare = (69.8) Transfer from Alabama A&M. 164 yards receiving with 3 TDs. TE - Sr. - Christian Sims = (63.5) Phil Steele and Athlon Preseason First Team All-MAC. 104 yards receiving with 1 TD. TE - So. - Levi Gazarek = (46.8) Blocking TE that has 1 catch on the year. OL - So. - Alex Wollschlaeger = (52.5) Phil Steele Preseason 4th team All-MAC OL - Jr. - Jalen Grant = (61.3) Full time starter in 2021. OL - So. - Bronson Warner = (52.8) Transfer from Abilene Christian. OL - Jr. - Cedric Dunbar = (55.1) Transfer from Jackson State. OL - Jr. - Kameren Stewart = (48.9) Transfer from Coastal Carolina. DEFENSE DL - Sr. - Karl Brooks = (71.2) Phil Steele preseason Second Team and Athlon preseason First Team All-MAC. 10 total tackles. 2 sacks. 1 pass defended. DL - Sr. - Walter Haire = (59.6) Phil Steele preseason Third Team and Athlon preseason Second Team All-MAC. 8 total tackles. 1.5 sacks and 1 pass defended. DL - Jr. - Anthony Hawkins = (62.8) 10 total tackles and 1 pass defended. OLB - Jr. - Blaine Spires = (57.8) 5 total tackles and 1 sack. ILB - Sr. - DJ Taylor = (53.2) Transfer from Wake Forest. 24 total tackles and 1 INT. ILB - Sr. - Darren Anders = (66.2) Phil Steele and Athlon Preseason First Team All-MAC. 21 total tackles. OLB - Sr. - Bryce Brand = (66.4) 4 total tackles and 1 pass defended. CB - So. - Jalen Burton = (56.0) 9 total tackles and 2 pass defended. CB - Sr. - Davon Ferguson (62.8) Phil Steele preseason Third team and Athlon preseason First Team All-MAC. Missed two games with injury. 8 total tackles. 1 sack. S - Sr. - Chris Bacon = (59.0) Transfer from Georgia State. 27 total tackles. S - Sr. - Jordan Anderson = (76.9) Phil Steele and Athlon Preseason Firsr Team All-MAC. 20 total tackles. 3 passes defended. 1 INT.

It’s possible we run some type of spy, but that’s usually used when teams are in spread. I haven’t watched BG play this year, so I’m not familiar with what they are running. The downside to running a spy is it essentially takes someone out of coverage. We already run a lot of man, Cover 1, and Cover 3 and have struggled at times even with everyone in coverage. We’ve been running a 4-2-5 defense but I’m still not sure if that’s our base or if it’s just what we are mostly using dictated on what our opponent’s offenses are running. We’ve stopped the run at times, but have been susceptible to big gainers when teams run counters and traps on us. Basically when the OL is able to get up to the LBs, the DL that are single blocked (or left free) need to make the play. On the flip side, if the DL are getting doubled, the LBs need to make the play. I’m adding S and Nickel into that LB group against runs because in the 4-2-5 they are essentially the 3rd LB depending on the alignment. We’ve seen so much progress from Week 1 to now, despite the scoreboard saying so. I hope we see another step in the right direction and I’m really looking forward to this game.

Maybe, we’ll have to see. He can play in 4 games and still keep his redshirt status. Although after watching him play against Liberty I’m all for burning his redshirt. He did allow a sack on one play but it was on a stunt, which all of our guys struggled with at times. The way he shifted off of the DE and switched over to the DT was impressive. But he was just overpowered due to being slightly late. Landers is going to be a force down the road. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him take ahold of that LT spot by end of year. I can’t wait to see him develop as he spends more time with the S&C program. Id like to see Gray step up too, but his feet are so slow. He can improve his foot speed to an extent, but he has what he has.

I’m going Akron by 2 scores, but I have nothing to base on outside of my desire to see this team take the next step forward. I don’t know what to think of Bowling Green’s non-conference slate except their defense had a hard time stopping anybody. - It seems we found a solid combo on the interior of the DL with Harper and Thomas, but they have been the only ones to get any type of pass rush from the interior, outside of Wilson. Will Holt play this game? If so, what will he give us? - Jones and Morton are the only edge players with any type of pass rush, but it hasn’t been consistent. Johnson has stepped up against the run. Will Richardson be slotted here whenever he returns? - I’d like to see more of McCoy and Bubba together. Those two guys were flying around and laying some hits last game. I hope Terry comes back soon too. - Hooks seemed to play well against Liberty, but wasn’t tested much. Safety play has been much better and needs to continue to improve. Hence and Lewis had some coverage busts from the Nickel spot against Liberty. Where has Golden-Nelson gone? Durant has been hit or miss in coverage. - If we can’t get some type of run game going, I’ll be concerned. Whigan looked good as a puller and I wonder if Landers will steal some snaps at LT. - As long as we get pass pro cleaned up against the stunts/twists we should be fine. We had receivers running free the majority of the game against Liberty. Irons either did not see them or chose to make the more difficult throw. Not practicing much during the week probably played a part in that.

- On Liberty’s last scoring drive they caught us in a bad defensive alignment two plays in a row out of trips. However, when they got down near the goal line the defensive stand we had was impressive. Liberty did end up scoring but watching our players communicate and adjust on all the motions and shifts Liberty was doing while still holding ground…talk about improvement! - Liberty went after Durant a good chunk of the night. While Durant was hit or miss in pass coverage, he was excellent as a blitzer. - If Richardson and Thomas played on defense, I did not see them. That may be another one PFF got wrong. - Whigan was really good. I’m not sure what PFF saw in regards to his rating. - Landers has great feet. Probably only a matter of time before he sees the field more. - This may be splitting hairs but it still did not feel like a game we should have won. Could have won yes, but it seemed like we were always playing catch up. Just my take on that.

Rewatching the game and I noticed Landers played the 2nd to last drive in the first half. So he at least played 5 snaps for the game. PFF got that one wrong. Have yet to see Richardson.

I’m going to send in these questions to George and see if we can get any information. What is the status of Terry and Golden-Nelson? Why didn’t McCoy play more than 17 snaps when he started and seemed to be playing fairly well? Why didn’t Robarge see any snaps at center when all the snaps were split the past 3 games? Richardson played a handful of snaps - what is the plan with working him back in?

A little odd that George would say “The Zips (1-3) should have won this game – even with it being on the road” about a game that we never led. Yardage was close to even (we had 12 more total) and we had one more takeaway. None of that screams dropping a dominant game to me. With all that being said, the trend is definitely up. I’m really excited for this week’s game against Bowling Green.

The play you’re talking about in point one is the same one I mentioned. Cover 3 and it looked like Hence thought he had flats/zone while others were in man underneath. Safety helped on the middle receiver instead of the one Hence released. While the QB was a backup, that was Liberty’s leading rusher (Hunter) from the running back position. Liberty hit us with a nice concept on the counter a few times where they gave themselves numbers and got some chunk plays out of it. Credit to them as I haven’t seen it run like that before and we weren’t prepared for it. Even so, a few times our DT and DE stuffed it on their own. Run game is definitely a concern. Without it, we won’t see this offense be quite as explosive as JoeMo’s offenses usually are. Im not sure if Irons is still hurt. He had a few runs he almost broke, but Liberty made great solo tackles in the open field. I’m not too worried about what other MAC teams have done to this point. As long as this team keeps making progress, wins will come. The offense couldn’t quite get it going but the defense took a major leap forward. For one game at least. Now we need to see consistency.

Overall, I thought it was the best game we’ve played and took another step in the right direction. Offense: - Some self-inflicted injuries with the drops again. - Irons seemed to press too much at times and was responsible for some of the sacks that could have been avoided by getting rid of the ball sooner. - The OL majorly struggled against the stunts from Liberty’s DL. In particular Daniels, Banes, and Williams. No doubt opponents will test us with those in the future. - I thought Wiley had his best game and ran hard, but I’m disappointed in the lack of opportunities for Norrils. - We still struggle to create opportunities in the run game in the traditional sense and are having to make up for that with sweeps and screens. - Ka’Marii Landers saw his first action filling in when Daniels went out. His potential and athleticism was exciting to see. - JoeMo called some great plays that didn’t get executed for whatever reasons. Defense: - Johnson may not have many stats, but he seemed to be everywhere Saturday. Johnson was dropped into coverage from the edge position, rushed the passer, and was moved inside to DT on obvious passing downs (along with Morton). He also took on some crucial blocks in the run game so others could make the play. - Bubba had another monster game. - Outside of the two coverage busts, this was by far the best game our secondary has played as a whole. I don’t think Hence was fully responsible for that first bust as it looked like we were in cover 3 and the S should have rotated over. - Speaking of safeties, the trio of Thompson, Martin, and JKP were excellent tackling in the open field and helping in the run game this week. Sure there were a handful of mistakes, but overall well done. - Thomas started at defensive tackle beside Harper and did a really nice job. - McCoy got the start at LB, but it was Boateng who saw the most action at LB with Bubba. - A lot of players saw PT on defense Saturday and every one of them did something good at some point. - Both Terry and Golden-Nelson were MIA this week. Not sure what’s going on there. Special teams played well in all areas. Missed the long FG, but Perez doesn’t seem to have the leg strength for that….yet. I feel great about going into MAC play after this game. Liberty exposed some of our weaknesses, but player development is clearly happening.

You might get lucky and find a YouTube link, but usually those try to link you to other sites.

That would definitely make things interesting. Tackling in space could still be an issue which would allow short gains to turn into explosive plays. Maybe this will be the game our defense collectively puts it together. Freeze is as good as they come offensively, so I hope in our case he does not have the players to execute his system on Saturday.

Saw that. Pretty sad if true. That’s why it’s so important for the head coach to have full control over who’s on his staff.

I hope I’m dead wrong, but I said Liberty by 2-3 scores. If it was a home game I think it would be closer. I suspect we’ll see our best offensive showing to date, but my concern is with our defense. And that’s not taking a shot at our defense, but more out of respect for Liberty’s offense. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to slow them down enough to give ourselves a chance. I know someone said they will be using a backup QB, but their starting RB has 215 yards out of their total of 604 rushing yards. Even if Liberty’s passing game is subdued, will we be able to stop the run? As for the passing game, will we consistently tackle in space? If Liberty is using a backup QB, I bet we see an abundance of screens and other short throws. This is another game where I want to see a step in the right direction. We’ve yet to see either side of the ball put together a full game. I know that’s coming, but I doubt it’s Saturday. A game I’d be satisfied with is a competitive showing where we build more depth and can feel good about heading into conference play.

Take this for what it’s worth regarding the improvement and who is now playing on our OL. Here are the snaps and ratings from 2021. Chambers = 8 games - 347 snaps - 29.6 Gray = 7 games - 344 snaps - 42.1 Murphy = 11 games - 692 snaps - 50.1 Williams = 6 games - 326 snaps - 59.9 Daniels = 9 games - 327 snaps - 49.7 Beckman = 12 games - 780 snaps - 48.4 Robarge = 10 games - 613 snaps - 56.1 Georges = 10 games - 608 snaps - 44.3

I think there were a number of different issues going on against SFU. Despite some of the players having extensive PT last year, they were all new to each other in a game environment - meaning the person next to them was not someone they played beside previously in a game. Cohesion and understanding what the person next to you is doing, or is going to do, is invaluable on the OL. SFU threw a number of slants, twists, and blitzes at us that caused some confusion. In the long run that helps with our OL’s development, but it’s difficult to watch during the game itself. The scout team had no way of simulating the actual speed and efficiency that SFU’s defense was doing to play with. As the season goes on, that part of it is not as big of a deal because the players have adjusted, have experience, and it starts to shift more on the side of what we do best vs what the opponent is going to do. I’m not saying it’s not important what the opponent does, just in the way that our OL has already seen a variety of looks so it will not be their first time experiencing it. If I recall correctly, SFU also played with a nose the majority of the game which can wreak havoc on the interior of the OL. If that defender can fire off quickly at the snap, it causes the interior OL (especially the Center) to be on their heels. Daniels moves much better than Gray. Gray has what I call “heavy feet.” He’s massive, but just doesn’t move well enough at this stage. Hopefully, he’ll work hard and improve to give us a viable option down the line.

I’m assuming Terry was injured against MSU because he did not play at Tennessee. Boateng and JKP were injured against Tenn, but I don’t know their status. Of course the Irons situation. Seems like Bubba missed some game time at some point too. Overall, that’s nothing out of the ordinary.

The interior of our DL has progressed each game. Harper and Wilson are playing well, while Hawkins, Sy, and Thomas have had their moments. If Robinson can continue to develop along with the addition of Holt, we should have a really solid interior DL corps.

- Joe continues to hammer home the point we were outmatched or “out gunned” against MSU and Tenn. - Said we left 21 points out there with the missed scoring opportunities and turnovers. - Said Nate Thompson had his best game yet. He was decent in week 1, struggled in week 2, and had his best game in week 3. - Thompson is playing the boundary safety since he’s a larger guy at 6’3” 210 and is needed more for run fits. - Said Whigan has been the most consistent OL. Nate Williams has done a good job at RT. Daniels at LT has helped but he still needs to get stronger. - Blake Hester has done a nice job on special teams. - 3 Running Back rotation with Wiley, Price, Norrils. - Clearly happy with Noah Perez calling him “my guy.” - Mentioned obvious players from last game like Shockey-Louis, Adams, Grimes, Bubba. - Intentionally held off on designed run plays for Irons against Tenn.