Game Three (UAB) Thoughts

[catdaddyp]

QB:

Finley had his best game of the season, though that might not be saying a whole lot after the first two. He avoided turnovers and made a handful of really nice throws. There were a few sacks I thought he could’ve steered clear of, but beyond that, if he can consistently play at this level, the offense has a chance to keep moving forward. I’m still scratching my head over why Johnson didn’t get any looks in short-yardage situations.

 

RB:

I kept waiting for Patrick to bust a big one, but it just never came. Still, he and Gant ran hard, combining for 148 yards on 20 carries. I’ll take that any day of the week.

 

WR:

Similar to Finley, this was the wide receiver corps’ best outing too. Even with three drops, they got open, put in effort blocking, and for the most part, hauled in the catches.

 

TE:

Newell didn’t do much with his two catches, but he was solid as a blocker, especially in pass protection. Cravaack saw less than 10 snaps.

 

OL:

I thought Lyons and K. Davis played well. There were a few times we were close to breaking a big run, but things like letting a combo block go too early and both guys releasing to the second level ended up giving the defender a free shot at the back. I can’t help but wonder if all the subbing we’re doing is causing some of those mistakes. The OL definitely could’ve been better at times, but overall they opened some holes and gave Finley a pocket to work with.

 

DL:

The defense as a whole did a really nice job against the run. That said, our four-man pass rush was anemic…again. We had a hard time getting pressure in the first half, though things looked a little better after the break. Both of our sacks came on five-man pressures if I’m not mistaken. I’m not sure what’s going on with Cheatom, he hasn’t played lately, and we’re getting next to nothing from the backup DEs.

 

LB: 

I thought Cooper, Spriggs, and Boswell all played well. The more I watch Boswell, the more I like him—kid’s going to be a player and just has a knack for making things happen.

 

DB:

All things considered, I thought Reed and DeWalt held their own. Our safeties, on the other hand, got absolutely roasted when they were stuck in man during the first half. The good news is we probably won’t see a better passing attack the rest of the way. UAB may not be a great team overall, but they’ve got some legitimate threats at receiver.

 

ST:

The kickoff return for a touchdown and the penalty that set up another score were absolute back breakers and, in my opinion, the difference in the game. Punting and placekicking were solid otherwise, with the only miss coming on a long field goal attempt.

 

Coaching:

That was the most animated I’ve seen Moorhead since he’s been at Akron. I think he knew this was a game we had every chance to win, and maybe he’s feeling a little pressure too. I did like the commitment to the run game, and the offense putting up 441 yards without a turnover is nothing to scoff at. Sure, it came against a bad defense, but the offense still played well.

I’m not sure what adjustments were made defensively at halftime since I couldn’t see much of what was happening in the backend, but it was night and day when it came to points allowed. We still gave up yards, but that’s fine because at the end of the day the defense threw a second-half shutout.

 

In the end, it’s another disappointing close loss in the Moorhead era. The game was there for the taking, and we couldn’t do it. We’re likely going to be 1-3 heading into conference play, which is the exact same as last year’s payday schedule. Of course, that’s assuming we take care of Duquesne this weekend, who will surely be pining for an upset.

 

 

QB:

Finley

Johnson 

 

RB:

Patrick

Gant

 

WR:

Walker

Mason

 

WR:

M. Williams

Monteiro 

 

WR:

Polk

Grear

 

TE:

Newell

Cravaack

 

LT:

Motley-Simmons

D. Johnson

 

LG:

Archer

McManus

 

C

Lyons

Morris 

 

RG:

K. Davis

 

RT:

A. Jones

King

 

 

DE:

Durham

D. Frazier

 

DE:

Dall

J. Frazier

 

DT:

Laventure

Mixon

 

DT:

Hull

Murphy

Musika

 

LB:

Cooper

Spriggs 

 

LB:

Summers

Boswell

 

NB:

AL. Branch

AI. Branch

 

CB:

Reed

 

CB:

DeWalt

T. Thomas

 

S:

J. Anderson

Hunter

 

S:

D. Johnson 

Flowers

 

 

KO:

Wiley

B. Johnson

 

K:

Wiley

 

P:

Castle

 

 

Top Rated Offense (20 snap minimum)

QB - Finley

WR - Grear

RG - K. Davis

WR - Polk

RT - King

 

Top Rated Defense (20 snap minimum)

DT - Murphy

NB - AL. Branch

LB - Spriggs

DE -Dall

DT - Laventure

 

Edited 1 hour ago by catdaddyp