RE: WMU/OSU immediate reaction
A few random, belated thoughts following the OSU game:
- I was most impressed with our ability to run the ball throughout the game. Franklin, at times, looked like the Franklin of old, and Bogan had a breakout game. Most importantly, outside of a handful of untimely penalties, the O-line demonstrated that we have the ability to run the ball effectively, which was a big concern to me following the Georgia Southern game (if I'm an opposing MAC defensive coordinator, I'm focusing heavily on what GSU, a team with comparable talent and athleticism, did to effectively slow us down).
- Terrell had a pretty good game with the exception of the intercepted screen pass. The play was there; the pass was just a poor one. Unfortunately, that play probably sealed our fate.
- Braverman had a very good receiving game, but the decision to not fair catch the punt really hurt us (see: description of the play above).
- I thought that Davis dropped a couple of balls that, as an (alleged) NFL prospect, he needs to catch. The announcers got on Terrell for poor throws in a couple of instances, but in at least two cases I can think of, while the ball may have been a little behind him, it was still on Davis' hands. Those are catches he needs to make if he is as good as many (including most of us) think he is.
- I'll try not to beat the kicking issue to death once again here, but I called for kicker regime change after the Georgia Southern game and some responded it was not our main problem. It still probably isn't, but it's an awfully big one. There has to be someone else who can kick. Give Mitchell a shot. He literally can't do any worse.
- If kicking still isn't the biggest concern, the issue that still concerns me the most is our run defense. I don't think we were terrible defending the run yesterday, but I also think OSU probably could have run the ball at will at times had they chosen to go that route. This is one area where the past two games probably don't give us much indication of whether or not we've shown real improvement in our ability to defend the run. We should have a better idea after the CMU and Ohio games.
- Other than a couple of questionable decisions to bring the ball out of the end zone on kick returns at GSU (nitpicking), Phillips has been outstanding through the first four games. He has a kickoff return for TD against MSU (and nearly a second one), an INT returned for a TD against Murray State, and two INTs against OSU. That's one heck of a stat line.
- Arguably the most important thing at this point is that we've made it through the nonconference schedule relatively injury-free (at least regarding injuries of the major, season-ending types) and with a bye week to heal up before MAC play begins.
(This post was last modified: 09-27-2015 12:08 PM by The Colonel.)
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WMU/OSU immediate reaction
