Official Game Thread: UT-Martin vs. Oklahoma State
- Thread starter stonewallpoke
- Start date
Actually in the end it wasn’t neck and neck, Flores was better all the way through fall camp. However with the concern on the OL Hauss made more sense to start. If the OL comes together and gives Zane time you will see once they open up the playbook.
Groin strain, been dealing with it for awhile and should be back soon.
How much can an o-line improve thru the course of a season? How much does the grind of the season erode those gains? And let’s make the assumption the o-line doesn’t have injuries, which I think is unlikely.
My feelings today is that the defense is definitely better, and Grantham is doing a better job than Nardo. But it seems the o-line is still, yet again, unable to run block and this year is almost rinse and repeat from last year.
We won and we covered. If you were expecting anything more than that you shouldn’t have considering who we play game two. This was a scrimmage for the team and nothing more.
OL more than any other position needs to gel and work together. A lot of those guys have not been in the program that long (heck Bob didn’t even join the team till June). As long as they stay healthy they will get better. They also have really good coaches working with them.
Poke Skywalker
Ranger
At least last night it wasn’t really close, and difficult to see that it ever was. It wasn’t just the Oline either, Zane had several missed reads and should have been picked when the game was still tight. Hauss was on point those first 2 drives. Hopefully the Oline will improve and getting all the reps make a difference. What we saw the 2nd quarter on looked pretty much the same as last year, and we know how that turned out.
Was his girlfriend in the hands too?
Osucowboys344
Ranger
D
my groin hurts thinking about it
Thank god.
Cuz we lose to multiple teams I’ve seen thus far.
You do realize that softball just announced their fall schedule right? It's kind of a big thing actually.
Poke Skywalker
Ranger
Ha! Yeah, everybody’s been on pins and needles wondering when they were going to play Garden City CC and Seminole State!
You didn’t answer my question. How much improvement can a position group make during the season? You mentioned “gelling.” How long does that typically take?
Like_A_Bloss
New member
Probably need to hope that the ATL Falcons are bad and the offense is just average.
I know it is bad luck with the injury, but nothing about last season gives me any confidence in HCMG in adapting to be competitive to win.
It is devastating to the program to go not just 1 but potentially 2 seasons not even getting 6 wins.
I know it is bad luck with the injury, but nothing about last season gives me any confidence in HCMG in adapting to be competitive to win.
It is devastating to the program to go not just 1 but potentially 2 seasons not even getting 6 wins.
It’s not an exact science. My only point is they should improve and it usually only takes a game or two. Problem is injuries and we already have those. Keep in mind though the play calling made them look worse than they were really after Hauss went out.
PF5
Sheriff
you hit it on the head...QB room was Hejny, Flores, and then big drop off...on zone reads, it was ´don´t read, give always´...if Flores goes down this ship sinks!
EdmondPoke
Deputy
Finally had a chance to watch the game. Shout out to Big Dave who posts the games on YouTube. Here are my unsolicited thoughts. WARNING: many words ahead.
1) Might as well start with the QBs.
Hejny: A lot of praise is being given to Hejny, and he certainly showed his tool set. He showcased his ability to threaten the defense with his legs and throw on the run/off platform. He looked comfortable in the offense and, quite frankly, his mobility really helped cover up the weakness that was our offensive line. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see him operate outside of the early script. That's what I'm most curious about. Also, I've spoken about his throwing motion on here before and I gotta say, it's still a glaring point of concern. He has a hard time putting touch on the ball as a result of the lower release point. It also forces him to change throwing lanes instead of feeling comfortable enough to attempt to layer passes between defenders. Specifically, on his second drive, there was a pass to Abshire that would've been a pick against a better team because he had to throw around a defender rather than going over the top. That said, he clearly feel comfortable in Meach's system. He was making the right reads in the RPO game, he knew where to go with the ball, and he was fearless in both the run and pass game. He can be one of the all-time greats here, especially if he can clean up his throwing motion. He has the intangibles you want in a QB- attitude, mindset, the "it" factor.
Flores: Well, that was an up and down performance. People seemed pretty low on the kid, but it seems like people are starting to come around on him. I'm going to start by saying this; remember, this was the first meaningful snaps either QB has ever had at this level. Our gameplan was always going to be easier for Hejny to execute than it was going to be for Flores. We kept it very basic- RPOs and quick reads. Flores' skillset is going to be showcased as the pass game gets more and more intricate and as the game starts to slow down for him. He also didn't get the benefit of a scripted set of series to start the game. All that to say, it's tough to compare what he did to what Hejny did. Let's just look at what he offers. He has the most polished throwing motion we've seen since Rudolph. It allows him to make throws that not every QB can make. He looked the best when we let him read the defense pre-snap and took the RPO out of it. He will get better as the game goes on and he settles into the rhythm of the game and can see the patterns in the defense. He can be a great QB here, as well. The way I see it, Flores has a higher ceiling than Hejny, but Hejny, when healthy, will have the higher floor due to his physical abilities.
2) Runningbacks. I've been a Sesi truther since he got here and I'm still fully onboard. I don't understand why he doesn't get more carries. Of all the backs we saw on Thursday, he offers the most explosion. He's got good vision, can find and hit the hole/cut back lane, and has good hands. Hicks was.. an enigma. He had glimpses of promise- good balance and ability to break tackles. He doesn't appear to be just exceptionally fast, but he's a big-bodied back who looked like he had good balance through the hole. He also looked like he could get tackled by a strong breeze at times. His vision also seemed hit and miss. Sometimes he could find the crease and hit it, other times he just ran into a mass of bodies. As a Packers fan, I thought of A.J. Dillon while watching him. Dillon looks like he should be an absolute monster to get to the ground, but he often gets tackled by hits that leave you scratching your head. I had similar thoughts watching Hicks. However, I saw potential there and I'm not going to get too down on his performance based on what I saw from the offensive line. It's hard to do much when the defensive line is 3 yards past the LOS by the time you take the hand-off. I was not impressed by Brock. I'm sure his skill set would be much more on display if our offensive line was playing better, but there was nothing that I saw from him on Thursday that made me think he should be on the field right now.
3) Wide Receivers/TEs. Gavin Freeman is a dude. I love watching him play. He's going to be a vital part of our offense this year. If he was 3" taller, he'd be a legit WR1. Rigby was impressive, as well. He displayed a good ability to track the ball in the air and make adjustments. Terrill Davis is fast and could absolutely become a reliable deep threat. However, I was surprised at how.. inconsistent.. he was at tracking the ball. Flores had a deep pass to him that fell incomplete but I couldn't tell if he slowed down, took the wrong angle, or really what happened. He then followed it up with a 41 yard completion. I think he'll improve as the season progresses, but his ability to track the ball in the air has to be among that improvement. Lofton and Abshire played well, but with Abshire, his biggest impact was actually in his blocking. He had some great perimeter blocks that set up some big plays. On the TE front, Ford looked decent in blocking (had a great seal block that popped a good run from Sesi). Monney had the only catch for TEs, but it was also the only target they got. I think we'll see them get more involved as the season progresses.
4) Offensive line. They didn't play well. I think we all saw that. However, I'm not panicking. Yet. I didn't expect them to play well with 3 new players starting, two of which have only been here for 3 months. I think the talent is there, and if that's the case, then they will improve as they continue to get reps with each other. There's just too much newness. New players, new coach, new system. We also kept the blocking scheme pretty simple. It will be interesting to see how they are playing by the time we suit up to play Baylor. If they haven't improved through the OOC schedule, we will be in trouble. Getting Hejny back and keeping him healthy will be an absolute necessity if we want to be competitive in conference.
5) Defensive line. What can I say beyond "wow". They played really, really well. Of course, I'm including Wendell Gregory here even though he's technically listed as a LB. In Grantham's scheme, Gregory will largely play on the line, just without a hand in the dirt most of the time. Gregory was a monster, and mark my words, he will play in the NFL. Beyond Gregory though, the line was able to hold their own with a 3 man front. They were able to generate pressure, set the edge, and plug running lanes. Did they play mistake free? No. That said, their main job is to disrupt the play and allow the 2nd and 3rd level guys to make plays. They did that.
6) Linebackers. Again, pretty impressive. Bryan McCoy and Rawls were always around the ball, even if they weren't the ones making the play. They were flying around the field. They did get lost on some plays, particularly in coverage, but honestly, that's to be expected with a new defensive system. Taje McCoy even showed up on a few plays with big stops/TFLs. I do worry about the depth behind them, though.
7) Secondary. Not bad, not great. The trio of Smiths played well. Robertson got burned in coverage a few times, but did well in run support. This was the weak spot in our defense, but I'm hopeful that they will improve as they get more and more comfortable with the new system. I'm going to rewatch the game again and specifically watch the secondary, but after an initial watch, they played better than I thought they would.
Overall thoughts. The offense was about what I expected, though of course, Hejny's impressive performance was beyond expectations. Hopefully he can get healthy and stay that way. He'll be vital if our offensive line doesn't improve. However, I was impressed by Flores in a lot of ways, too. If the o-line can improve, I think Flores could be a great QB. The game plan didn't do him any favors. Taking the air out of the ball and reducing the number of possessions meant that Flores was robbed of more opportunities to get into the flow of the game. Also, the numbers of series where it was run-run-pass was concerning. The defense performed beyond my expectations for week 1. It's hard to determine much from a game played against an FCS opponent, but it's obvious that the defense will be much better than last year. Next week might be ugly, but no matter the outcome, this team will improve as the season goes along. As it often seems, this team's potential will be governed by the play of the offensive line. We really need them to gel and improve. If they can't, it's going to cripple what this team can otherwise do.
1) Might as well start with the QBs.
Hejny: A lot of praise is being given to Hejny, and he certainly showed his tool set. He showcased his ability to threaten the defense with his legs and throw on the run/off platform. He looked comfortable in the offense and, quite frankly, his mobility really helped cover up the weakness that was our offensive line. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see him operate outside of the early script. That's what I'm most curious about. Also, I've spoken about his throwing motion on here before and I gotta say, it's still a glaring point of concern. He has a hard time putting touch on the ball as a result of the lower release point. It also forces him to change throwing lanes instead of feeling comfortable enough to attempt to layer passes between defenders. Specifically, on his second drive, there was a pass to Abshire that would've been a pick against a better team because he had to throw around a defender rather than going over the top. That said, he clearly feel comfortable in Meach's system. He was making the right reads in the RPO game, he knew where to go with the ball, and he was fearless in both the run and pass game. He can be one of the all-time greats here, especially if he can clean up his throwing motion. He has the intangibles you want in a QB- attitude, mindset, the "it" factor.
Flores: Well, that was an up and down performance. People seemed pretty low on the kid, but it seems like people are starting to come around on him. I'm going to start by saying this; remember, this was the first meaningful snaps either QB has ever had at this level. Our gameplan was always going to be easier for Hejny to execute than it was going to be for Flores. We kept it very basic- RPOs and quick reads. Flores' skillset is going to be showcased as the pass game gets more and more intricate and as the game starts to slow down for him. He also didn't get the benefit of a scripted set of series to start the game. All that to say, it's tough to compare what he did to what Hejny did. Let's just look at what he offers. He has the most polished throwing motion we've seen since Rudolph. It allows him to make throws that not every QB can make. He looked the best when we let him read the defense pre-snap and took the RPO out of it. He will get better as the game goes on and he settles into the rhythm of the game and can see the patterns in the defense. He can be a great QB here, as well. The way I see it, Flores has a higher ceiling than Hejny, but Hejny, when healthy, will have the higher floor due to his physical abilities.
2) Runningbacks. I've been a Sesi truther since he got here and I'm still fully onboard. I don't understand why he doesn't get more carries. Of all the backs we saw on Thursday, he offers the most explosion. He's got good vision, can find and hit the hole/cut back lane, and has good hands. Hicks was.. an enigma. He had glimpses of promise- good balance and ability to break tackles. He doesn't appear to be just exceptionally fast, but he's a big-bodied back who looked like he had good balance through the hole. He also looked like he could get tackled by a strong breeze at times. His vision also seemed hit and miss. Sometimes he could find the crease and hit it, other times he just ran into a mass of bodies. As a Packers fan, I thought of A.J. Dillon while watching him. Dillon looks like he should be an absolute monster to get to the ground, but he often gets tackled by hits that leave you scratching your head. I had similar thoughts watching Hicks. However, I saw potential there and I'm not going to get too down on his performance based on what I saw from the offensive line. It's hard to do much when the defensive line is 3 yards past the LOS by the time you take the hand-off. I was not impressed by Brock. I'm sure his skill set would be much more on display if our offensive line was playing better, but there was nothing that I saw from him on Thursday that made me think he should be on the field right now.
3) Wide Receivers/TEs. Gavin Freeman is a dude. I love watching him play. He's going to be a vital part of our offense this year. If he was 3" taller, he'd be a legit WR1. Rigby was impressive, as well. He displayed a good ability to track the ball in the air and make adjustments. Terrill Davis is fast and could absolutely become a reliable deep threat. However, I was surprised at how.. inconsistent.. he was at tracking the ball. Flores had a deep pass to him that fell incomplete but I couldn't tell if he slowed down, took the wrong angle, or really what happened. He then followed it up with a 41 yard completion. I think he'll improve as the season progresses, but his ability to track the ball in the air has to be among that improvement. Lofton and Abshire played well, but with Abshire, his biggest impact was actually in his blocking. He had some great perimeter blocks that set up some big plays. On the TE front, Ford looked decent in blocking (had a great seal block that popped a good run from Sesi). Monney had the only catch for TEs, but it was also the only target they got. I think we'll see them get more involved as the season progresses.
4) Offensive line. They didn't play well. I think we all saw that. However, I'm not panicking. Yet. I didn't expect them to play well with 3 new players starting, two of which have only been here for 3 months. I think the talent is there, and if that's the case, then they will improve as they continue to get reps with each other. There's just too much newness. New players, new coach, new system. We also kept the blocking scheme pretty simple. It will be interesting to see how they are playing by the time we suit up to play Baylor. If they haven't improved through the OOC schedule, we will be in trouble. Getting Hejny back and keeping him healthy will be an absolute necessity if we want to be competitive in conference.
5) Defensive line. What can I say beyond "wow". They played really, really well. Of course, I'm including Wendell Gregory here even though he's technically listed as a LB. In Grantham's scheme, Gregory will largely play on the line, just without a hand in the dirt most of the time. Gregory was a monster, and mark my words, he will play in the NFL. Beyond Gregory though, the line was able to hold their own with a 3 man front. They were able to generate pressure, set the edge, and plug running lanes. Did they play mistake free? No. That said, their main job is to disrupt the play and allow the 2nd and 3rd level guys to make plays. They did that.
6) Linebackers. Again, pretty impressive. Bryan McCoy and Rawls were always around the ball, even if they weren't the ones making the play. They were flying around the field. They did get lost on some plays, particularly in coverage, but honestly, that's to be expected with a new defensive system. Taje McCoy even showed up on a few plays with big stops/TFLs. I do worry about the depth behind them, though.
7) Secondary. Not bad, not great. The trio of Smiths played well. Robertson got burned in coverage a few times, but did well in run support. This was the weak spot in our defense, but I'm hopeful that they will improve as they get more and more comfortable with the new system. I'm going to rewatch the game again and specifically watch the secondary, but after an initial watch, they played better than I thought they would.
Overall thoughts. The offense was about what I expected, though of course, Hejny's impressive performance was beyond expectations. Hopefully he can get healthy and stay that way. He'll be vital if our offensive line doesn't improve. However, I was impressed by Flores in a lot of ways, too. If the o-line can improve, I think Flores could be a great QB. The game plan didn't do him any favors. Taking the air out of the ball and reducing the number of possessions meant that Flores was robbed of more opportunities to get into the flow of the game. Also, the numbers of series where it was run-run-pass was concerning. The defense performed beyond my expectations for week 1. It's hard to determine much from a game played against an FCS opponent, but it's obvious that the defense will be much better than last year. Next week might be ugly, but no matter the outcome, this team will improve as the season goes along. As it often seems, this team's potential will be governed by the play of the offensive line. We really need them to gel and improve. If they can't, it's going to cripple what this team can otherwise do.
Poke Skywalker
Ranger
Can we just skip next week? Oregon is really, really good. Kept hearing they have a bunch of new pieces too. Well they are apparently already in sync. Absolutely drilling a much better FCS team than we played. 38-3 at half.
Chairman of the Board
Marshall
It is going to be a bloodbath.
