Please don’t call him Grundy, lest you be referred to as scum593.
Sunday Morning Coaches: Almost Heaven edition
- Thread starter RxCowboy
- Start date
We're all still upset with the two losses.* Seeing the potential of this team now the two losses, and especially the USA loss looks especially egregious. But you really didn't answer my question. At one point we were 2-2 and the season looked pretty much dead. It was hard to see where 6 wins were going to come from. Then we had a bye week. Now we're won three in a row, are tied for second in the Big 12 with a win over one of the teams we're tied with, and 8 or 9 wins is a realistic possibility. How do you feel if we reach the 8 or 9 win mark?
If we reach 9 wins Gundy is likely Big 12 COY.
*If we were just going to hand Bowman the ball after the three-headed QB carousel, then we just should have done it from the outset of the season.
If we get only 8 wins then I will be a little disapointed. I can accept 9 but I expect 10. We usually screw up in one game every year. This year we have already had 2. No more I say. I hope we have a few more offensive plays to unveil in the next few weeks to help us get to 10 wins. Defensive improvement should be expected going forward.
MustangPokeFan
New member
HacklemanPoke
Deputy
And TEs
And pressure the other quarterback so he can’t make comfortable throws.
HacklemanPoke
Deputy
I know on the next to last drive and think it happened on the last drive we were dropping Oliver into coverage. That I don’t get.
Goes without saying.
Isn't he a LB? Isn't that what LBs do when needed?
Yes, it's happened plenty this season so not sure why anyone's surprised.
Yes, it's happened plenty this season so not sure why anyone's surprised.
Oliver's nfl future is as a LB who can rush the passer when necessary, not as an every-down pass rusher. We kind of owe it to him to develop those LB skills, including pass coverage. It has been a little rocky early on, but he's learning quickly.
That said, we're much better when he's bringing pressure in critical situations.
HacklemanPoke
Deputy
I hadn’t thought of it before n those terms and you’re right in that we owe it to him but can we agree w game on the line and we need pressure he’s the pressure?
Absolutely!
Offense
QB - Bowman had a good game and it was arguably his best one so far this season. He only had 1 turnoverworthy throw (which was an INT), but was relatively efficient, decisive and made quick and accurate reads. Would like to see better touch and stronger throws downfield as a couple of his passes hung in the air and caused some big hits on the WR corps.
RB - Not much can be said about Ollie's great performance. He has added a bit of wiggle and a solid jump step to his repertoire and has really come into his own. Will be special watching him down the stretch. We will need to keep an eye on his carries to ensure he does not get worn down later in the season.
WR - Mixed play and impacted by injuries. Pressley had a good game, caught 9 of 10 targets and was shifty, Owens and Bray had a solid game, but Bray left with an undisclosed injury. Shettron had a dissapointing game, there are concerns with his effort on many snaps. He is now listed as out for the season with a wrist injury. LJ III was pressed into action and did not play well. Struggled blocking his man and seemed a bit confused a good part of the time. We are really thin in this position group right now.
TE - Josiah Johnson had another strong game, arguably his best of the season blocking. Only 1 target, but he caught it on a crucial 3rd down to convert. They think he will get a lot more passes against OU.
OL - Their best game since 2021. Did an excellent job blocking a decent DL and did not struggle even after injuries pressed Miterko and Birmingham into action. Both played much better than in earlier games this year. Brooks will be out several weeks, Springfield should be back and also played well before going out.
Defense
DL - They regressed this game against a good WVU offensive line. They struggled to get pressure on Greene and lost containment multiple times. They also gave up a good amount of running lanes. They need to bounce back this week.
LB - Great games by Nick Martin (17 tackles) and Xavier Benson. In particular, Benson stepped up this week and was in position a lot, did a good job tackling. Oliver was less of a factor this game and got caught a few times not being in the best spot. a promising game overall for this position group.
DB - Yikes. Our safeties got beat a lot, even when they were helping the CBs. CBs also had a rough game, arguably the roughest of the year. They will be tested again by a mobile quarterback this week and really need to start sorting things out. Dylan Smith also appears to be dinged up and may be questionable this week.
Cincinnati
- Offense is similar to Baylor's in the current Big 12. the 3-3-5 is built to stop that sort of spread, especially one that is vertically challenged.
- Like trick plays, we should expect them
- Above average offensive line, not as good as WVU's though.
- Rush the ball relatively well, but no rushing TD's. Not good in the red zone. 2nd string RB is hurt and won't play against us.
- Passing is more of an adventure, in particular with deep passes or anything over the middle.
- WR's don't consistently get separation outside of Xavier Henderson
- TE is their biggest passing threat.
- Emory Jones has been pretty pedestrian outside of his running ability. Doesn't process the game quickly, is a 1 read and scamble. We contained him well last year when he played for ASU.
- Expect to have a spy on Emory and try to contain him in the pocket. Should have had 5 picks in the Baylor game. Made some poor throws into coverage.
- Front 7 on defense is good, but gave up 35 pts to BYU and they are one of the worst offenses in the country. They have not played a similar style offense to us.
- They run a 3-4 hybrid defense. Call the 4th LB a dog LB, 3rd LB is a star LB. Operate out of a true 3 man front. They go for a big play, but give up big plays.
- Their corners cannot cover well on their own. They give up long passes on the sidelines routinely.
- CB's are good playing the run though.
- Best position group is DL. Holds their own on early downs well. They eat up blocks and double teams well. Donte Correleone is an all conference caliber NT. Has gotten banged up and had to leave the last couple games for a decent amount of time. IF he plays less or doesn't play, that changes a lot.
- The LB's have been solid, their dog LB has been good at pressuring the QB. Struggles in coverage, but gets TFL's.
- Defensive backfield is rough. #1 (Jordan Young) has been particularly bad. All play the run well, but will give up passing plays even when double teaming people.
- Want to see an outside WR to take advantage of this situation. Need to take pressure off of the running game.
- If they win, it will be because we have lapses in coverage and struggle defensively.
- OSU is the more talented team. Should be able to run the ball better than Cincy's recent opponents. WR is a concern due to health.
Cade prediction: 34-20 pokes
Dustin prediction: 34-24 pokes
OrangeFanatic2
New member
You tha real MVP!
IMHO, it was his best game of the season, even though efficiency rating-wise it wasn't his best game. It came on the road and it seemed like every time we needed a play he got it for us.
