Sunday, October 01, 2006

With My Own Eyes

Was in Waco on Saturday to see the Bears win one. I've been thinking about it all weekend and all I can really say is that we were out "Baylored" on Saturday. Look, we did some things well and made plays when we absolutely had to but overall if you looked at my initial post, I was right on. My main points from the game are as follows:
  • I said we needed a 14 point lead to win. K-State was forced to throw the ball with it's AWFUL pass offense and they couldn't make it work.
  • We were thisclose to having to really get tested. The Wildcats fumbled twice inside the 10 which kept almost sure points off the board. These fumbles combined with the 3 interceptions are the self destrictive traits we need in opponets until we can prove we can stand toe to toe with teams and exchange blows.
  • I agree with JudgeChamber in that Joe Pawelek is really coming along. He was everywhere.
  • The defense did step up and stuff the run. That made Kansas State have to throw more which they showed they could not do with either quarterback.

I want to talk a little bit about Shawn Bell's performance. He was better but cannot play like he did if we are going to win 4 more this season. He did throw the deep ball more which led to a score. However, there are times when he decides he's going to throw it to someone no matter how many people are guarding him. On his interception, I saw that someone had seen the coaches getting on Gettis for not running the right route or something. Even if Gettis had run to the spot it came down, there were still two defensive backs there and the pass was so bad it would have made Quincy Carter cringe.

We will get tested in Colorado. We have yet to play a clean game (no turnovers, less penalties, close a game). As much as we see 0-5 by Colorado, you know that they look at us as very beatable and we are. We have yet to show any consistency on offense. We did not get one first down in the 4th quarter on Saturday. I don't think that will fly no matter who we play from here on out. The Buffs are no doubt seeing us as the cure to their problems. If we don't play better we will be their cure.

I don't mean to trash the team, they played tons better than last week (I think that loss is going to really bite us at the end of the season) but K State really beat themselves and had possibly the worst quarterback situation in the conference, by far. All I'm saying is that we've yet to play a complete game and that's what it's going to take to make this season semi-salvagable.

Let's get it together and beat CU. They are going to be up for the game since they see it as very winnable.

What a Game!

It wasn't a perfect game, which makes the result all the more pleasing in a way.

The defense played great. They played their best game of the year. And they didn't let up the whole game. They made some spectacular plays to keep KSU from scoring, they didn't bog down when the offense stalled or turned the ball over, they played with great intensity. I am so proud of their effort and the results.

The offense did a better job of moving the ball. Shawn Bell threw some deep passes, and even though he only really got a couple "deep" balls to connect, I think his biggest improvement was doing a better job of leading his receivers to allow them yards after catch. He still has a lot of improvement in that area, as far as consistently getting the ball in stride, but he was better than previous games.

And man, that deep ball to Shelton was beautiful.


Some concerns, though:

  • We only had 13 first downs in the game.
  • We averaged less than a yard rushing (18 yards on 19 carries)
  • We averaged less than 6.2 yards per attempt (6.13/attempt)
  • We allowed 13.5 yards per completion, including 17 yards per completion to Freeman
  • Special Teams (missed FG, two lost punt returns)

Some good things:

  • Averaged over 11 yards per completion
  • Only allowed 12 first downs to KSU, including only 5 in the second half
  • Allowed only 2.1 yards per attempt rushing, and 45 yards total
  • Special Teams Punt Coverage (1.7 yards per return! GREAT!)
  • Sepulveda - 9 punts, 52.1 yards per punt; 51.0 net punt average = Ray Guy Award
  • Forced 5 turnovers

I like that Zeigler, Parks and Shelton were the main targets in the offense. I said a few weeks back that while it's nice to spread the ball around (8 players caught passes), we need to get the ball in the hands of our playmakers. Zeigler led the team with 8 catches and Parks had 7 catches. I like that Shelton got the long pass, but I would have liked to see him get a few more catches in the mid-range areas (12-18 yards).

On defense, I liked the fact that we have 6 players with 5 or more tackles. Joe Pawelek is really coming into his own at the linebacker spot and Maurice Linquist has been super-productive from his outside safety spot, especially in the last three games (27 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 FF, 1 INT), and has been the leading tackler in each of those games.

CJ Wilson was thrown on a few times, and while he didn't record an interception, he broke up two passes, and had two tackles. It seems that teams are going to be very selective about throwing on him, which I think is smart. He'll have to work harder to get his interceptions, but he's shutting down part of the field and opening up opportunities for other players like Arline and Crawford.

Teasley has to hold onto the ball. I say give Shelton a chance to return some punts, he's got the speed and the moves to be successful there. We need to do something to stop killing ourselves on the punt return team.

All in all, it was a good game, a good win and a good step into conference play. We need to go up to Colorado and get our third consecutive conference win, and get to .500 on the year and we'll be much closer to a bowl game than we were on Friday. This team can do it, and Colorado is as good a team as Kansas State for getting a healthier record. The defense will need to come up big again, and the offense will have to continue to take steps forward, but the optimism is seeping back in, and if we can go 1-1 or 2-0 in the next two road games, we will have a rocking house for the Homecoming game against Kansas, another very winnable game.