Game Seven (Miami) Thoughts

[catdaddyp]

Before getting into positional takeaways, I wanted to start with a few general thoughts on the game itself. I try to take my kids to one game each year, and this was the one for us. It was a beautiful day, and the event staff couldn’t have been friendlier. The lower home side had a solid turnout, and it felt like the crowd was ready to get into it if given something to cheer for. The announcer did a nice job trying to generate some energy during stretches when things weren’t going Akron’s way, and I noticed the defensive line coach doing the same — actively trying to get the crowd involved several times. I caught bits and pieces of his conversations with the defense, and he struck me as someone who relates well to the players and has a bright future. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re looking for a new DL coach next year — not because of performance, but because once word gets out about him, I doubt we’ll be able to keep him.

 

Most of the players seemed engaged and locked in, although I have to admit I was a little disheartened by how many guys weren’t dressed out and were only in jerseys on the sideline. One major difference from Moorhead’s first year, though, is that there weren’t any players — excluding walk-ons — who looked out of place at this level. I was talking with someone during the game about how many players from that 2022 squad not only shouldn’t have been playing at the FBS level, but were also being counted on to log significant snaps for us. While this program still has work to do in the win column, it’s come a long way from where it was just a few years ago in terms of talent.

 

 

QB:

Honestly, I thought Finley outplayed Finn in this game. Before anyone scoffs and stops reading, let me explain. Outside of the ill-advised interception on the opening drive, Finley made a number of excellent throws throughout the game. My biggest issue with his performance was that he missed some opportunities — there were multiple plays where receivers came open and he just didn’t see them. Still, the majority of his passes that weren’t intentionally thrown away were catchable. Unfortunately, the receivers caught another case of the drops. PFF credited three, but I can count at least five off the top of my head — and that simply can’t keep happening. In a contest where the run game never got going, we had to rely on throwing the ball, and it’s a tough task when the offense becomes one-dimensional.

 

Finn, on the other hand, if I’m not mistaken, only connected on three throws downfield. Most of his production came on shorter passes where his receivers did the heavy lifting, and with his legs on designed runs.

 

RB:

There wasn’t much room for our running backs to operate all game long. Honestly, Gant and Patrick did a nice job just to grind out 55 yards with the limited space they had to work with.

 

WR:

It was a performance that could have been better by this group. The drops are killing opportunities and stagnating drives. I do want to give credit to Mason on the scoring drive in the 4th quarter. He dropped a pass early in the drive coming across the middle knowing a hit was coming. He then caught two more passes on the same drive coming across the middle and took the hit. The receivers are working hard to get open and block downfield, but it’s a group that needs to continue to improve.

 

TE:

This was another instance where I disagree with PFF’s grading — I thought Cravaack had the best game of his young career, yet he was rated below average. I don’t believe Newell played.

 

OL:

Not the best day of work for this unit. The offensive line struggled to get much push against Miami’s defensive front and had a hard time reaching the second level in the run game. They also gave up far too many pressures — in fact, it was the most since the season opener against Wyoming. I know some fans are frustrated with Finley after this one, but I actually thought he made plenty of good decisions and did his best to keep plays alive despite often being under duress.

 

DL:

I don’t know how many times a defensive lineman beat his man off the snap and had the ball carrier dead to rights, only for the ball carrier to slip out of the tackle. There were too many plays that should’ve gone for negative yardage but instead turned into positive gains. Granted, Miami’s ground game is tough to keep bottled up, but it’s hard not to think about how different things might’ve looked if just a few more of those tackles had been finished.

 

LB:

I thought Cooper and Summers played really well, and Boswell impressed in his limited snaps, as they were all extremely active. One issue that did stand out, though, was when Miami got Summers matched up against wide receivers a few times in the passing game — he doesn’t possess the speed to cover sideline to sideline against a wideout.

 

DB:

DeWalt and Reed are playing as well as any cornerbacks in the conference. Both were physical against the run and gave up just 14 yards on a single catch through the air. Reed also added an interception.

 

Anderson returned at safety after missing the last several games. It was good to see him back, although his play was a bit inconsistent. He gave up a long pass and was called for a blatant pass interference penalty that really wasn’t necessary. Flowers and Di. Johnson filled out the rest of the safety rotation. I thought Johnson easily had the best game of his career. Flowers, similar to Anderson, showed some positive flashes but also gave up a deep throw that ended up leading to a score.

 

The two Braches filled in at nickelback. To be honest, it’s tough to keep track of which one made which plays, but I do know there were a few plays given up from that position.

 

ST:

I couldn’t tell if the field goal was flat-out missed or if someone got a hand on it. That was about the only negative from special teams, which is solid considering Miami came in with some red-hot units. I thought Hills was close to breaking a long kickoff, but just couldn’t get there. I still think he’s going to take one to the house at some point this season.

 

Coaching:

The frustration from Moorhead was visible. Miami is a team that doesn’t beat itself, while Akron tends to find ways to self-inflict damage. The missed field goal, false starts, interception, and drops certainly didn’t help on a day where we needed to play near-perfect football to win. That said, I thought the players gave it their all, and I didn’t see any sense of quit on the team. I’m sure it’s frustrating to not have that extra day of practice like every other team in the nation, but at the same time, we’ve seen these types of mishaps for the past several years. It’s unfortunate, because this team has the talent to win games like this when at full strength, but sometimes we just can’t seem to get out of our own way. On the bright side, next week is another opportunity for a win, and it’s certainly an achievable task.

 

 

QB:

Finley

M. Johnson

 

RB:

Gant

Patrick

 

WR:

Ma. Williams

Grear

 

WR:

Polk

Monteiro

 

WR:

Walker

Mason

 

TE:

Cravaack

Whisner

 

LT:

Da. Johnson

Motley-Simmons

 

LG:

McManus

Archer

 

C

Lyons

Morris

 

RG:

K. Davis

 

RT:

A. Jones

King

 

 

DE:

Durham

Cheatom

D. Frazier 

 

DE:

Dall

J. Frazier 

 

DT:

Laventure

Mixon

Madden

 

DT:

Hull

Murphy

Musika

 

LB:

Cooper

Spriggs

 

LB:

Summers

Boswell

 

NB:

Ai. Branch

Al. Branch

 

CB:

DeWalt

Kamara

 

CB:

Reed

Thomas

 

S:

Flowers

Di. Johnson

 

S:

Anderson

Di. Johnson

 

 

Top Rated Offense (20 snap minimum)

QB - Finley

WR - Ma. Williams

WR - Monteiro

WR - Mason

LG - McManus

 

Top Rated Defense (20 snap minimum)

CB - Reed

S - Di. Johnson

LB - Cooper

CB - DeWalt

LB - Summers

[GP1]

I didn't see the game, but it looks like a Chuck Martin special. The guy is good at getting a lead and milking that lead in an ugly , low scoring game.