I don't think we've played four full quarters of football yet on both sides of the ball. That's going to bite is later down the stretch. Obviously, we're dominant on both sides when we're firing on all cylinders, but those cylinders need to be firing from the opening kickoff til the clock hits zeros in the fourth.

I thought we did against Arky.

We came out swinging, but their offense has talent which kept the game close.

This has been a theme of Elko's for a while. Even as a DC at A&M, the defense would often look vanilla and gettable all first half then make a transformation in the second half. Elko seems to be an excellent observer and adjuster, but I do agree that this isn't good enough in a potential SEC championship game and certainly not a playoff game (unless A&M ends up a 5/6 seed playing an 11/12 UNT or GT).

This. In the cold sober light of morning, we have wins over a Top Ten team, and two more teams over .500 overall, and a ton of scrubs and cupcakes. Yes, we are performing better than most other teams would under the same circumstances. No, this is no guarantee of success moving forward, particularly once you get to the playoffs.

Slow starts kill when you run into teams that also adjust in the second half.
Mistakes kill when you run into teams that don't return the favor.
Lost focus kills when the other team is hungry.

Pizza said:

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I thought we did against Arky.

We came out swinging, but their offense has talent which kept the game close.

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Nope. We had them down 21-6 and then went into our 2nd quarter coma. I can't remember the exact details but we screwed around and gave up two TDs in the last couple minutes of the half. Had we closed them out before half, they roll over and die and we cruise.

The inability to run the ball really puts us at a disadvantage down the stretch. We are able to lean on teams late in games, but if we could get more push early, it would really compliment the offense and allow us to not stall.

SteveA said:

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The inability to run the ball really puts us at a disadvantage down the stretch. We are able to lean on teams late in games, but if we could get more push early, it would really compliment the offense and allow us to not stall.

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Really hope we get Moss back soon.

Our issues in order of problematic:

1. Bond
2. Reed's stretches of inaccuracy.
3. 1st quarter defense

I think it's a good thing we haven't seen a complete game. It means we haven't peaked yet. Ohio State last year is a good example of team that peaked in late October and were able to ride the momentum through the playoffs. We also haven't had to put a ton of gadget plays on film for the playoffs either because our offense has been able to control the game or be explosive without opening the playbook. We've seen a lot of accountability from the players this year where they've made horrible plays then come back and be a hammer late in the game. Haven't seen that since first part of Slocum era. We know SC changed the offensive scheme coming into this game so we had bad fits and pressures in the first half. What I'm curious to see is what the breakdown of Reed making so many bad reads in the first half and what changed. It seemed like on a lot of throws he saw a look he thought he liked and forced the ball not expecting a second defender to be in the area. He has done so well with pre snap reads the last few games, I wonder if they were baiting him into throws.

saw em off said:

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SteveA said:

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The inability to run the ball really puts us at a disadvantage down the stretch. We are able to lean on teams late in games, but if we could get more push early, it would really compliment the offense and allow us to not stall.

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Really hope we get Moss back soon.

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Come on….
Moss (or lack of) ain't the problem….look no further than our over-hyped OLine……

Come Out Roll said:

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saw em off said:

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SteveA said:

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The inability to run the ball really puts us at a disadvantage down the stretch. We are able to lean on teams late in games, but if we could get more push early, it would really compliment the offense and allow us to not stall.

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Really hope we get Moss back soon.

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Come on….
Moss (or lack of) ain't the problem….look no further than our over-hyped OLine……

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Our Oline is very good. Had a couple of holding calls that hurt but they did their job when they had to like everyone else. Try to remember, SC has probably a top 5 NFL player on their defensive front.

It's a game of momentum swings and ups and downs, and few teams ever play a focused game for all four quarters. It's something to aspire to, but it rarely happens. To you're point though, there's teams out there that we can't beat when we beat ourselves like we do from time to time. The discipline of championship caliber teams can't be overlooked and we certainly need to improve.

The Ags haven't had the hardest schedule ever this season. It's true. (Not unlike Texas last year).

Guess we will find out how good they are here in a few weeks.

Come Out Roll said:

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saw em off said:

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SteveA said:

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The inability to run the ball really puts us at a disadvantage down the stretch. We are able to lean on teams late in games, but if we could get more push early, it would really compliment the offense and allow us to not stall.

---

Really hope we get Moss back soon.

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Come on….
Moss (or lack of) ain't the problem….look no further than our over-hyped OLine……

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Where do we rank nationally in sacks or TFL surrendered?

Quote:

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Come on….
Moss (or lack of) ain't the problem….look no further than our over-hyped OLine……

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I think the O line has been solid in pass protection. I also think that there is a lack of creativity in those runs in the middle. Last week, when the tight end came from the left side and sealed that block for Owens, I thought that was a thing of beauty. This week it seemed like we tried the same play to the strength of their defense.