Defense:
-When your defense has a lot of moving parts, it makes it difficult to play option responsibilities well. UMass exploited that early. Roberts adjusted, got the defense seated pre snap, and used pressures to dictate what phase of the read had to be run.
-DL play was average at best, LB play was bad early. I felt the combination of Nixon and Asante looked the best together on the field. Keys missed tackles bc of bad tackling posture and mechanics.
-Rogers got a lot of push at nose and looked to be more impactful in that role than Jones
-This defense will have to be opportunistic and create a lot of takeaways; as is they aren’t built up front to stop an SEC ground game.
-I love Kaufman in the “star” role in this defense, as he is aggressive and effective attacking in at the line of scrimmage.
Offense-
-Thorne ran more and more effectively than I anticipated, atleast making defenses have to honor all 11 offensive players.
-The RB room is good. Alston and Cobb are legit SEC backs
-The big WRs struggled to get any separation outside, that’s problematic considering the opponent, if that’s a recurring theme, AU will be better off playing with their contingent of smaller faster guys on the field together.
-I think Fairweather was MIA on purpose for scouting reasons; with Monty not wanting to show his hand.
-Good day for Ashford, BUT that level of redzone predictability won’t work against the upper tier SEC defenses. AU needs to be able to execute In the redzone with their base personnel. Ashford definitely needs a “slash” package, though as his ability still pops on tape.
Overall:
There were a lot of positives, but this felt like one of those uneven Malzahn era wins were you saw the team out athlete an inferior opponent with a lot of big plays but didn’t see the level of consistent and clean execution you’d hope for.
I would wager AU kept a lot on their back pocket, so we -nor future opponents- know what things will look like in a more highly contested game.
The Cal game worries me. They were very balanced in a destruction of North Texas on the road, rushing and passing for over 300 yards. The late kickoff, cross country travel, and defensive prowess of HC Wilcox gives me a lot of pause going into next week. I hope to see AU, with #27 leading the way, commit to a ground game that breaks the will of their opponent on the road next week.
-When your defense has a lot of moving parts, it makes it difficult to play option responsibilities well. UMass exploited that early. Roberts adjusted, got the defense seated pre snap, and used pressures to dictate what phase of the read had to be run.
-DL play was average at best, LB play was bad early. I felt the combination of Nixon and Asante looked the best together on the field. Keys missed tackles bc of bad tackling posture and mechanics.
-Rogers got a lot of push at nose and looked to be more impactful in that role than Jones
-This defense will have to be opportunistic and create a lot of takeaways; as is they aren’t built up front to stop an SEC ground game.
-I love Kaufman in the “star” role in this defense, as he is aggressive and effective attacking in at the line of scrimmage.
Offense-
-Thorne ran more and more effectively than I anticipated, atleast making defenses have to honor all 11 offensive players.
-The RB room is good. Alston and Cobb are legit SEC backs
-The big WRs struggled to get any separation outside, that’s problematic considering the opponent, if that’s a recurring theme, AU will be better off playing with their contingent of smaller faster guys on the field together.
-I think Fairweather was MIA on purpose for scouting reasons; with Monty not wanting to show his hand.
-Good day for Ashford, BUT that level of redzone predictability won’t work against the upper tier SEC defenses. AU needs to be able to execute In the redzone with their base personnel. Ashford definitely needs a “slash” package, though as his ability still pops on tape.
Overall:
There were a lot of positives, but this felt like one of those uneven Malzahn era wins were you saw the team out athlete an inferior opponent with a lot of big plays but didn’t see the level of consistent and clean execution you’d hope for.
I would wager AU kept a lot on their back pocket, so we -nor future opponents- know what things will look like in a more highly contested game.
The Cal game worries me. They were very balanced in a destruction of North Texas on the road, rushing and passing for over 300 yards. The late kickoff, cross country travel, and defensive prowess of HC Wilcox gives me a lot of pause going into next week. I hope to see AU, with #27 leading the way, commit to a ground game that breaks the will of their opponent on the road next week.
