Got burned on passing numerous times 230 plus yards

Seem to be lacking speed and/or quickness at RB and in the secondary.

I'm a glass half empty guy and the o-line is making me sick to my stomach. I don't think they will magically gel. Against elite SEC line athletes, I think it'll be a horror show. O-line is very difficult position to play.

TxAg76 said:

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I'm surprised we're not generating more pressure with the front. Seems like we have to blitz to get pressure, and that's not good

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We generated decent pressure yesterday, especially considering they run a RPO scheme and usually get the ball out quickly. You can't just bring the house every okay against that.

But Elko is also conservative and simple in his scheme so we didn't force the issue. In the 2H our talent yo front wore em down.

TxAg76 said:

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I'm surprised we're not generating more pressure with the front. Seems like we have to blitz to get pressure, and that's not good

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Yeah, said that throughout the game. The DE talent, on paper, is at a minimum deep, but it appears we have two Shemar Stewart's in Searcy and Jones, and a few light weight speed guys who don't hold up in the run in Saka, Henderson, and M'Pemba.

I like what Elko does on third down. Searcy moves to DT and it's then largely Jones with a mix of M'Pemba and Saka. Saka appears to have the most overall potential to be a splash play rusher, as I think I poorly assessed Jones' lateral movement and bend skills. I really thought Jones would emerge as a borderline first round pick; still have my fingers crossed.

1. I almost guarantee Elko isn't running all his plays OOC so that SEC teams have film.
That is what I'm hoping is the situation with KJ. We use him and Baker a ton in conf. games.

2. With KJ/Baker getting snaps and showing their bursts, Ds will ha e to play honest which opens up Craver/Thornton/TEs.

3. We are rotating 7+ guys on D which is amazing. We will be able to put pressure all game having that many in rotation. No 4Q fatigue in trench battles.

Logos Stick said:

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I'm a glass half empty guy and the o-line is making me sick to my stomach. I don't think they will magically gel. Against elite SEC line athletes, I think it'll be a horror show. O-line is very difficult position to play.

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Genrally agree, but don't fall into Addazzio gloom just yet. Adams and Formby look fine. Nabou is average ish. Thomas has potential, he just misses assignments, otherwise he's a masher. I think Nanou gets moved to guard and the backup center comes in.

I haven't rewatched, but I feel like Reed has (among other issues) 2 that seem to really stand out:
- he locks in on his routes. Even when he hits plays, it seems like he's watching it the whole time
- he wants to see it open before he throws it

So he's seemingly planning his throw at the snap, which means even if some routes hit, if he's not locked in on those, it doesn't matter. And, he wants to see it open, vs anticipate it breaking open, so even when things to break, he's often very late with the ball.

Too many zone rushing schemes that require a patient back that can hit open windows quickly. We need some gap scheme run plays where our bigger OL can just maul people.

Was at the game yesterday and re-watched it again today too. When someone asks me if the glass is half empty or half full, I'm the kind of guy that will simply tell you how much liquid is in it.

Reed: Feel like I have been saying this two years now, but he's not a CFP caliber QB. I have the same thoughts as others. Issues: A) doesn't use timing well (as someone else noted, wants to know the receiver is open before the throw vs trust the timing and process), B) virtually no deep pass game (e.g., greater than 20-25 yards; I still can't explain the So Car aberration), and C) simply slow to react compared to many other QBs (e.g., when to run when the pass isn't available, when to stop looking and throw it trusting the timing, etc.). That said, I do not think he is a "bad" QB and the root of all of our ills. We will win games with him for sure, just not CFP type QB. If we do make it to the CFP, it will be because the personnel around him more than make up for the issues I see. And of course, I hope he makes me gladly eat crow one day. I honestly think he "could be" a CFP QB if he somehow unlocks his timing issues and more consistently hits a deep pass.

Offense in General: Painful to watch the first two games. The key to whether we are a CFP team and whether we should actually even be in the Top 10 is our offense making a drastic leap in the Kentucky game. If the same thing rolls out this week, around five losses coming this season, with the first being LSU the following week.

• Receivers: I believe they are good, but timing being off in QB makes them not live up to potential. Yes, I saw the couple times Reed put it directly in their hands and they dropped it. Fine, it will happen sometimes. But the overarching issue at QB is a rhythm problem.
• RBs: I am less dim on Owens as some comments have suggested. I am still wondering if it is O Line not creating holes well.
• O Line: Agree with most that note they need to gel.

Defense is good. I am not quite yet sure we should be thinking elite yet. Missouri State was... well... an FCS team recently promoted to FBS. Not sure that really tested them. Then in ASU, ASU moved the ball pretty well most of the game. I don't think we should overshadow the whole game with how they played in Q4. Yes, two pick 6s are great. But it was a 20-24 game, and ASU could have easily won had they not allowed turnovers early in the 4th. Again, I would say defense is good, even "solid". But I am just not yet sure they will do well against an LSU, Bama or Texas based on what we've seen.

LatinAggie1997 said:

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1. I almost guarantee Elko isn't running all his plays OOC so that SEC teams have film.
That is what I'm hoping is the situation with KJ. We use him and Baker a ton in conf. games.

2. With KJ/Baker getting snaps and showing their bursts, Ds will ha e to play honest which opens up Craver/Thornton/TEs.

3. We are rotating 7+ guys on D which is amazing. We will be able to put pressure all game having that many in rotation. No 4Q fatigue in trench battles.

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Especially on point #1, how do all these whining posters not have a clue that teams hold back the playbook early in the season? The reason you schedule cupcakes is to work out the kinks in an environment more challenging than a scrimmage. Its mind boggling how many people on this site show no clue how this works.

By now, QB1 is who he is. There's no magic upgrade or talent improvement there to be had. 60% passer, moderate run threat, dare him to pass as numbers favor. Legit RB threats don't exist in the backfield without starting the right talent…it's on the roster.

I expect this will change against either KY or swamp kittens, most likely the latter. So far, it hasn't kept us out of the win column, so perhaps credit to tickle-me for holding cards in the hand. We will need them all on the table soon enough.

Owens is not him. We need to figure out a way to get craver the ball as much as possible. This is basic stuff that should be obvious to multimillion dollar coaches. I get trying to do right by owens or whatever because he is the "senior guy" but we are going to need playmaker RB in sec play

• The power run game was scary bad!
• No defensive pressure
• When Marcel scrambled, the wide receivers turned up field instead of turning his way for an outlet.

We have a good team, but we need to get a lot better to make any noise in conference race…

The biggest concern I have is no QB pressure. That was a great WR, you can't give the QB all day to find him.

LatinAggie1997 said:

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1. I almost guarantee Elko isn't running all his plays OOC so that SEC teams have film.
That is what I'm hoping is the situation with KJ. We use him and Baker a ton in conf. games.

2. With KJ/Baker getting snaps and showing their bursts, Ds will ha e to play honest which opens up Craver/Thornton/TEs.

3. We are rotating 7+ guys on D which is amazing. We will be able to put pressure all game having that many in rotation. No 4Q fatigue in trench battles.

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I'm a big proponent of letting the young RB's play, but KJ did miss picking up a block on the corner blitz that resulted in a sack.

Offensively, what is our identity? Are we ground and pound? Nope. We aren't a spread team? What are we? Its hard to figure out what we do well. We hit some nice intermediate routes, missed some layups, and seem to get tackled by the turf quite often.

Defense, ASU moved the ball well, and were their own worst enemy. We gave up a lot of chunk.plays it seemed. The TOs were nice and turned a close game into a comfortable win.

A win is a win but unless there is major improvement, we all know what we are seeing isn't good enough, especially when you factor in the money spent. It just isn't.

We will lose a game we shouldn't and I just cant see us winning a game we shouldn't to balance it out. So 8-4, 7-5

Domingo Backsplash said:

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3. Craver is lightening with the ball in his hands. He needs way more touches.

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Scandalous allegation my friend

LatinAggie1997 said:

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1. I almost guarantee Elko isn't running all his plays OOC so that SEC teams have film.
That is what I'm hoping is the situation with KJ. We use him and Baker a ton in conf. games.

2. With KJ/Baker getting snaps and showing their bursts, Ds will ha e to play honest which opens up Craver/Thornton/TEs.

3. We are rotating 7+ guys on D which is amazing. We will be able to put pressure all game having that many in rotation. No 4Q fatigue in trench battles.

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On point #1, I feel like we've been saying this to ourselves since the 90s and it's never materialized. The one time we had a great O with JFF, we were using the whole tackle box from the first game...granted, a kids' tackle box.

Agreed on the other 2 points but I'm getting the feeling Elko is going to be RC/Jimbo stubborn and not make the necessary changes at RB and start the young guys.

I dont need to rewatch to understand that this team will go as far as teh RUNNING game will take them. Think about the last two years, when our running game is the primary focus we are dominant on offense, when its not and we have to rely on drop back Reed, we are in trouble.

Reed is deadly off playaction, we have to run the balll

We can't run the ball if we can't throw to open the running lanes. Teams are gonna sell out to stop the run and force him to throw. I'd like to see us take a deep shot the first play of the game.

I just watched the first half in sky cast. Where has this been all my life?

Set up right behind the quarterback. No announcers except for stadium.

Helps you see the game much better

1. I saw way more missed assignments (2 OL/TE blocking 1 guy and stupid stuff like that). When they put a hat on hat the shoved Az St. around pretty easily.

2. RBs are not patient and expectd immediate clearance. This has been a problem since Tommy Robinson departed (RB room was elite under him IMO).

3. LB missed fits early and are very slow to the edge. Without Sandford we are toast against better competition. We need him and Tamarion Watkins to start.

4. Marcel has not regressed, but he again is being forced to stay in pockets with a sketch OL. Get him the f out of the pocket so he can wreck havoc throwing and running.

5. WRs look slow and confused on how to run routes and create space. After all the scary film our D provided the O needs to practice WR rub routes non-stop to make the D better and to create open space for them selves.

6. DL and Secondary look elite.

Bacardi Rambo said:

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Wiggins and Reed need to be spending every waking moment with each other trying to figure this out before it's too late. There's hope though

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Wiggins is nearing 50. how much do you think reed is going to be able to teach him about being an oc?

This is an 8 win team with this schedule.

Look at this formula

Inexperienced OC + Lack of Experienced Cohesion on OL + Mediocre QB when hes at his best

Tbh it seems kinda unrealistic this offense will come together completely before its too late. At least if our QB was good we could manage around the other 2 factors for a few weeks. But right now, he's not.

I watched the sips run out of the I last night and it nearly killed me. I don't care for our scheme. I'm afraid Owens has the skill set for the I power game, not running out of shotgun.

We have to run more power, buck, and GT/GH. When we run these gap scheme plays we gain 5+. Zone runs are absolute garbage and we pass off our guy way too soon leaving guys unblocked.

Defensively, take away the inside breaking routes and make the QB throw the ball outside. Also 3 had a terrible game in both the run amd pass game.

Overall, we are going to be fine but we have to abandon the zone run game or Marcel has to start pulling the ball and making the unblocked end honor his threat.