I though I'd post some of my observations from this past Saturday's game and see what some of you guys thought about it:
1) I thought the offense showed up for this game, especially JPW. he looked confident and in control the whole game, and it was against zone defense for much of the game. Big improvement on his part this week.
2) DJ Hall, when 100%, is a beast. He looked determined to make plays in this game, and I don't think there is a DB in the SEC that can cover him one on one when he's healthy. It was also good to see a number of other guys get involved, even if it was just one or two catches.
3) The O-line looked good for most of the day, but I'm concerned by the fact that one player (Hardy) could single-handedly disrupt our offense like he did. I can understand a guy having a good day, but our O-lineman need to step up and shut the guy down.
4) The running game was effective, and that really helps our passing attack. Glen Coffee had one of those days, like we all have, where you just can't get it together. Terry Grant had some good plays, but he missed some opportunities by trying to break the run outside. He's still hesitating too much, but that's my opinion only. This leads me to this question: Why didn't Roy Upchurch play more? He was obviously the most effective runner we had during the game, especially since Coffee had trouble hanging on to the ball. This has been the only instance where I was questioning the decisions by the coaches, although I have complete confidence in the coaches and I realize they know what they're doing. It is just my observation and opinion, and if I was making the decisions, I would've played Upchurch more.
5) The D is playing fast. We get to the ball quickly, and we seem to tackle well most of the time. The D is still learning, and that is obvious. But they seem to be improving as far as knowing the scheme. However, I was concerned with the lack of physicality and lack of QB pressure from our D. I think that the play at the end of the game where the Ole Miss receiver (Hodge, who stepped out of bounds) took the ball away from Lionel Mitchell. It was clear that Mitchell caught the ball, but Hodge just wanted it more. It was the same thing when Simeon Castille gave up the touchdown in the 2nd half. Castille was in perfect position to pick off the pass, but the OM receiver made a play and snatched the ball out of the air, right in front of Castille. Its a matter of aggression. Castille should've made a play for the ball instead of waiting on the ball to come to him. He did just that earlier in the game when he picked off Adams, but he missed getting another one by waiting instead of being aggressive. Maybe the lack of aggressiveness and physicality is due to these guys not fully knowing the scheme and their responsibilities, and therefore are thinking more about where they are supposed to be instead of concentrating on being aggressive and physical. I don't know.
6) Javier Arenas won this game for us. I bet we don't see teams kick to him anymore if they can help it. He's an unbelievable weapon that we've not had since Prothro went down.
7) This team is improving, but there are still some big hurdles for CNS and his staff to overcome with this team, and its not a lack of talent. The attitude is getter better, and each close game we win helps.
1) I thought the offense showed up for this game, especially JPW. he looked confident and in control the whole game, and it was against zone defense for much of the game. Big improvement on his part this week.
2) DJ Hall, when 100%, is a beast. He looked determined to make plays in this game, and I don't think there is a DB in the SEC that can cover him one on one when he's healthy. It was also good to see a number of other guys get involved, even if it was just one or two catches.
3) The O-line looked good for most of the day, but I'm concerned by the fact that one player (Hardy) could single-handedly disrupt our offense like he did. I can understand a guy having a good day, but our O-lineman need to step up and shut the guy down.
4) The running game was effective, and that really helps our passing attack. Glen Coffee had one of those days, like we all have, where you just can't get it together. Terry Grant had some good plays, but he missed some opportunities by trying to break the run outside. He's still hesitating too much, but that's my opinion only. This leads me to this question: Why didn't Roy Upchurch play more? He was obviously the most effective runner we had during the game, especially since Coffee had trouble hanging on to the ball. This has been the only instance where I was questioning the decisions by the coaches, although I have complete confidence in the coaches and I realize they know what they're doing. It is just my observation and opinion, and if I was making the decisions, I would've played Upchurch more.
5) The D is playing fast. We get to the ball quickly, and we seem to tackle well most of the time. The D is still learning, and that is obvious. But they seem to be improving as far as knowing the scheme. However, I was concerned with the lack of physicality and lack of QB pressure from our D. I think that the play at the end of the game where the Ole Miss receiver (Hodge, who stepped out of bounds) took the ball away from Lionel Mitchell. It was clear that Mitchell caught the ball, but Hodge just wanted it more. It was the same thing when Simeon Castille gave up the touchdown in the 2nd half. Castille was in perfect position to pick off the pass, but the OM receiver made a play and snatched the ball out of the air, right in front of Castille. Its a matter of aggression. Castille should've made a play for the ball instead of waiting on the ball to come to him. He did just that earlier in the game when he picked off Adams, but he missed getting another one by waiting instead of being aggressive. Maybe the lack of aggressiveness and physicality is due to these guys not fully knowing the scheme and their responsibilities, and therefore are thinking more about where they are supposed to be instead of concentrating on being aggressive and physical. I don't know.
6) Javier Arenas won this game for us. I bet we don't see teams kick to him anymore if they can help it. He's an unbelievable weapon that we've not had since Prothro went down.
7) This team is improving, but there are still some big hurdles for CNS and his staff to overcome with this team, and its not a lack of talent. The attitude is getter better, and each close game we win helps.
