(03-29-2016 10:13 AM)EagleSam Wrote: I forgot about the Ball State game (funny, seeing as that was the only game I went to). That one was squarely on the coaches. Darius busted off a long TD run, and then only had one carry the rest of the game. Inexcusable. Creighton had Roback throwing on all three downs when we were up by 10 points in the 2nd half. That was a game we totally should've won.
Running back is the least of my worries. Someone will step up. I think Vann is a potential All-MAC player, but we need a solid compliment. One of the other young guys will fill the hole nicely.
My concerns are almost squarely on the defense. We had a hard time executing any ground game plan last season because we always seemed to be chasing a big lead early. If the D can get off the field, it means more chances for us to run it down their throats and to have Roback mix in some play action. It's a big "if", but I'm encouraged by some of the posts from EagleTough saying that Neathery's defense is night and day from last year.
Again, the proof will be in the execution, but we obviously have nowhere to go but up. Positive signs include:
4 man front with more beef inside.
Healthy returning O'Connor (hopefully) & Harris
More depth with Crosby, Keels, Smith Jr, & Dawson
More speed and athleticism (especially when all the new DB's show up)
Players like & respect the new guys...Neathery & Bullough & Reed
D coaches are demanding better execution, effort, and accountability
Neathery has a history of success at the D1 level even without 3 & 4 star guys
His run defense has been especially good
If I had to guess, the horrid run D from last year has been discussed ad nauseam by Creighton and Neathery, and there will be a huge emphasis to try to take that element away from our opponents, and force them to do other things.
......or maybe I'm just hopelessly optimistic