Week 8 (EMU) Thoughts

[catdaddyp]

QB:

The utilization of Finley and Bullock was effective again. Finley was excellent outside of maybe 3 throws. The interception could have been a touchdown had Finley gotten enough on it. Instead, the ball hung up in the air and the EMU safety was able to run underneath it. I recall two other times Finley had a wide open receiver and just missed him. Outside of that, it was a great day for Finley. Bullock threw a strike across the middle on one of his passes and was a difference maker in the run game. He also lined up at multiple positions.

 

RB:

Simmons collected 109 yards rushing on just 16 attempts. Kellom had 65 yards on 5 carries. The backs pressed their blocks well, ran hard, and protected the football. They were also solid in pass protection. 

 

WR:

Outside of Golden dropping an easy pass, the wide receivers played well. EMU blanketed Norton for much of the contest, which gave the other wideouts an opportunity against man coverage for much of the game. Norton came up big when he finally had a chance and scored the go-ahead touchdown.

 

TE:

I think we used more two tight end sets than any other game this season. Newell was mostly utilized as a blocker, while Cravaack displayed his pass catching ability. Cravaack looks like he’s finally healthy and has that same smooth stride he displayed in high school. He’s one to watch as the season wears on.

 

OL:

The offensive line deserves all kinds of praise. They gave the quarterbacks plenty of time, while also opening up holes in the run game. I noticed RG Davis and RT James manhandle some EMU defenders a few times. The OL also did a nice job of consistently climbing up to the linebackers.

 

DL:

Despite not collecting a sack (and the foolish “branding a weapon” penalty) I thought Nunnally had one of his best games. There was one play in-particular where Nunnally played both the QB and RB on the mesh and managed to quickly adjust and tackle the QB for no gain. Cheatom also flashed similar ability on a play later in the game.

Our interior depth was really tested and it showed in the 2nd half. Neither Lavea or Murphy played. EMU’s offensive pace kept our DTs from subbing as much as usual and that led to diminished effectiveness. Moore and Kapongo played over 55 snaps, which is way too much for 300 pounders.

 

LB:

The linebackers were excellent in the run game. However, two of EMU’s passing touchdowns were busts by the LBs. Benenge and Spriggs played their most snaps of the season and are coming along well, but with youth comes mistakes. We are missing Cooper’s ability to rush the passer and cover in space.

 

DB:

Golden-Nelson and Reed started again at CB. Reed’s play carried over from last game and he is looking more and more like a player that could be special. EMU went after him a lot and found little success. DeWalt had a few good moments when he came in the game. Hunter’s missed one on one tackle led to an explosive play.

We are still thin at safety. P. Lewis and Anderson played nearly every snap with D. Lewis sliding from NB back to safety for depth. Anderson deserves a game ball for all of his hustle plays. He’s the defender that knocked the ball loose around the 2 minute mark and made several other touchdown saving plays.

 

ST:

This group was excellent in all phases. Book is proving game after game why he is the best punter in the MAC.

 

Coaching:

As usual, the staff had great gameplan coming into the contest. Unfortunately, untimely penalties are still showing up and could have cost us the game. 

 

 

This is the type of win a program can build on. As difficult as it was to see another lead evaporate, it may prove beneficial that the team now knows they have the ability to overcome such a situation. Let’s see if multiple wins can be strung together next week against an inconsistent Buffalo squad.

 

 

QB:

Finley

Bullock

 

RB:

Simmons

Kellom

 

WR:

Golden

Rush

 

WR:

Polk

Granger

 

WR:

Norton

 

TE:

Newell

Cravaack

 

LT:

Blanchard

Shor

 

LG:

Morris

 

C

T. Williams

 

RG:

K. Davis

Burrell

 

RT:

James

D. Thomas

 

 

DE:

Nunnally

Cheatom 

Richards

 

DT:

Kapongo

Madden

 

DT:

Moore

Brockington 

 

DE:

Adler

Dall

 

LB:

Fish

Benenge

Summers

 

LB:

McCoy

Spriggs

 

NB:

D. Lewis

Greenwood

 

CB:

Reed

DeWalt

 

CB:

Golden-Nelson

Hunter

 

S:

P. Lewis

D. Lewis

 

S:

Anderson

D. Lewis

 

 

Top 5 Players Offense:

RG - K. Davis

RB - Simmons

WR - Norton

RT - James

LG - Morris

 

Top 5 Players Defense:

S - P. Lewis

CB - Reed

NB - D. Lewis

DE - Adler

S - J. Anderson

Edited October 27 by catdaddyp

[Ham]

A couple penalties perplexed me. I thought you needed to point the weapon  at an opponent to be penalized.  The unsportsmanlike call for pulling an opponent off the pile was real weak.  At least on those 2 calls, l felt the officials were looking for a chance to throw the flag.  Bullock was on the field quite a bit, but l would like to see more of that.  I think a DB would have a hard time with Bullock.  On the D, l think l would rush a LB more( even though that contributed to an 81yrd gain).  Line play on both sides has improved.  I hope we can keep these guys in the trenches and out of the portal (as well as our skill players).

[MangoZip]

Finley can make some throws and they have some athletes that can catch but I still think they play the best when they commit to the running game and it sets up the passing game. Maybe the 2 tight ends sets were a factor of why they ran the ball so well, or maybe the O line is just playing better? 

[72 Roo]

The win over EMU is like water in the desert for us. It is something to be celebrated, but reality reminds us that the fundamental weaknesses of this team were also on display: player control fouls, a stupid hand gesture penalty, interceptions, fumbles, tackling, rushing three men on D allowing the QB all the time in the world to pick us apart, discipline related issues, etc. We still have the same problems that are not being cleaned up as the season progresses. Until that happens we only have a shot at 4 wins. Forget about a bowl. 

[catdaddyp]

20 hours ago, Ham said:

A couple penalties perplexed me. I thought you needed to point the weapon  at an opponent to be penalized.  The unsportsmanlike call for pulling an opponent off the pile was real weak.  At least on those 2 calls, l felt the officials were looking for a chance to throw the flag.  Bullock was on the field quite a bit, but l would like to see more of that.  I think a DB would have a hard time with Bullock.  On the D, l think l would rush a LB more( even though that contributed to an 81yrd gain).  Line play on both sides has improved.  I hope we can keep these guys in the trenches and out of the portal (as well as our skill players).

I didn’t actually see what Nunnally did, only heard about it. I know Reed was about to do something similar back at Nunnally, but then realized it wasn’t the smart thing to do and stopped. I did see coach Wart giving Nunnally an ear full once he came off the field.

 

Bullock certainly seems comfortable and is playing with confidence. I think almost everyone was surprised when he didn't convert that 4th down. His positional flexibility has definitely given the offense a boost. I’d still prefer him to stay in this type of role and maybe used a little more like you mentioned, though I don’t want to see him as QB1.

 

We ran a number of 6 man blitzes against EMU, but the LBs just aren’t getting home. Cooper was so good in that role last year. 
 

We’re finally in a good spot with depth on the roster, but we are losing 4 keys players on the DL and 1 (maybe 2?) key on the OL. The portal and JUCO will be important again. Players who will exhaust their eligibility:

DL
DE - Nunnally 

DE - Adler

DE - Richards

DT - Lavea

DT - Kapongo

OL

LT - Blanchard

RT - Thomas

LT - Fields

 

 

 

 

[catdaddyp]

14 hours ago, 72 Roo said:

The win over EMU is like water in the desert for us. It is something to be celebrated, but reality reminds us that the fundamental weaknesses of this team were also on display: player control fouls, a stupid hand gesture penalty, interceptions, fumbles, tackling, rushing three men on D allowing the QB all the time in the world to pick us apart, discipline related issues, etc. We still have the same problems that are not being cleaned up as the season progresses. Until that happens we only have a shot at 4 wins. Forget about a bowl. 

Hopefully, it gets cleaned up. We’ll see. 
 

A number of recruits were at the game for the win. We have a chance to really create some momentum.

[KangarooJake]

Biggest takeaway: Akron has a better record than Florida State by week 9

[Akron1]

22 hours ago, Ham said:

A couple penalties perplexed me. I thought you needed to point the weapon  at an opponent to be penalized.  The unsportsmanlike call for pulling an opponent off the pile was real weak.  At least on those 2 calls, l felt the officials were looking for a chance to throw the flag.  Bullock was on the field quite a bit, but l would like to see more of that.  I think a DB would have a hard time with Bullock.  On the D, l think l would rush a LB more( even though that contributed to an 81yrd gain).  Line play on both sides has improved.  I hope we can keep these guys in the trenches and out of the portal (as well as our skill players).

 

The Zips were penalized after that 3rd and goal play in the 4th quarter with under 10:00 to play, when at least one player lifted up his shirt as if he were showing a handgun sticking out of his waistband.  College Officials are instructed to call an unsportsmanlike conduct when the official determines a player is “simulating brandishing a gun.”  I am almost certain the Zips received a warning in the first half for the same senseless act.

 

How this stuff continues to go on year after year is beyond me.  They represent the team, UA, the community and themselves.  Be better.

[Lee Adams]

Didn't get to the game, some family stuff. Listened to it and checked stats.What did Akron do Saturday that it hadn't NORMALLY been doing. A RB was used consistently and had 100+ yards. Another had over 60 yds. The O line was able to run block effectively. They had one nice long drive. Without the run game Saturday its another loss. If its a case of committing the entire offense more to the run to control the ball and keep the defense off the field do it. It might take some of the heat off the QB's because the O line still has trouble with protection. Bullock was used a little more effectively. Good thing, he may have to start. At least the offense pu up points when it had to.

The defense was pedestrian at best. Gave up 300+ through the air and a significant chunk on the ground. No excuse for letting EMU go all the way down the field at the end.

Happy to finally see a win against a DI opponent. Now lets see if the coaches and players learned something and apply it against Buffalo.

[Lee Adams]

2 hours ago, catdaddyp said:

I didn’t actually see what Nunnally did, only heard about it. I know Reed was about to do something similar back at Nunnally, but then realized it wasn’t the smart thing to do and stopped. I did see coach Wart giving Nunnally an ear full once he came off the field.

 

Bullock certainly seems comfortable and is playing with confidence. I think almost everyone was surprised when he didn't convert that 4th down. His positional flexibility has definitely given the offense a boost. I’d still prefer him to stay in this type of role and maybe used a little more like you mentioned, though I don’t want to see him as QB1.

 

We ran a number of 6 man blitzes against EMU, but the LBs just aren’t getting home. Cooper was so good in that role last year. 
 

We’re finally in a good spot with depth on the roster, but we are losing 4 keys players on the DL and 1 (maybe 2?) key on the OL. The portal and JUCO will be important again. Players who will exhaust their eligibility:

DL
DE - Nunnally 

DE - Adler

DE - Richards

DT - Lavea

DT - Kapongo

OL

LT - Blanchard

RT - Thomas

LT - Fields

 

 

 

 

Any chance Nunnally sees the NFL somehow?

[catdaddyp]

6 minutes ago, Lee Adams said:

Any chance Nunnally sees the NFL somehow?

I doubt he gets drafted, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him work his way onto an NFL roster similar to Zach Morton.