Now that nearly 24 hours have passed, what are your thoughts on the game? What grades would you give our team?
Offense: A-
Defense: C+
Special Teams: A
Overall, I was pleased with the game. We took SDSU seriously, and it is a good thing we did, because they were a good team. If we played this game last year, I think we take the loss and likely even get blown out. A few random thoughts:
- Bowman was great. Only a couple errant passes and one interceptable ball.
- Gordon was good and made a lot out of the few lanes that were made. I really would have liked to see more Seshi or Howland and save some tread.
- The o line was elite in pass blocking, but we're really sub par run blocking. Credit SDSU's line, who was undersized, but active.
- Our WRs looked really, really good. Excited to see what they do the rest of the year, especially of the drops can be cleaned up.
- I didn't notice our TEs a whole lot. Didn't seem to be responsible for major breakdowns, but also didn't stand out a ton in a positive way.
- Our DTs played pretty well, but didn't collapse the pocket or dominate the LOS. Credit SDSU's o line, which would be a top half line in the Big12 IMO. They were fundamentally sound.
- I really would have liked to see more pressure from our DE's. They came on a bit late, but we are gonna struggle if QBs have that much time consistently. This position is my biggest concern on the team right now.
- Other than a couple overpursuits by Daniels, all 3 played really well. Bailed out our line play often. They also generated the most pressure on Gronowski.
- CBs played pretty well, no real glaring concerns.
- Safeties were a mixed bag. Rucker had a hell of a game and was in the right place consistently and made the tackle. Cam Smith had a pretty rough game in coverage. He got beat often and SDSU noticed and kept picking on him. He is going to need to be a bit more disciplined moving forward. Dylan Smith came in the game late in relief and played well.
- Return game was good, but not great. Had a couple opportunities, but weren't able to break one.
- Outside of one return, the coverage unit played well.
- Kaak was excellent. I don't think we are going to punt a ton this year, but when we do, we will be in good hands.
- I did not expect our kicking game to look like it did. Reports early in fall camp were that we were having problems there, and it looks like that got cleaned up. As others have mentioned, Snyder might have something to do with that.
SDSU's QB is really good, and if their receivers played a touch better, this would have been a close one. They looked better than NDSU did against Colorado, IMO.
Also, thank you SDSU fans for stopping by the site, and if you made it to Stillwater I hope you had a great time. We wish you the best the rest of the season! Get that threepeat!
Offense: A-
Defense: C+
Special Teams: A
Overall, I was pleased with the game. We took SDSU seriously, and it is a good thing we did, because they were a good team. If we played this game last year, I think we take the loss and likely even get blown out. A few random thoughts:
- Bowman was great. Only a couple errant passes and one interceptable ball.
- Gordon was good and made a lot out of the few lanes that were made. I really would have liked to see more Seshi or Howland and save some tread.
- The o line was elite in pass blocking, but we're really sub par run blocking. Credit SDSU's line, who was undersized, but active.
- Our WRs looked really, really good. Excited to see what they do the rest of the year, especially of the drops can be cleaned up.
- I didn't notice our TEs a whole lot. Didn't seem to be responsible for major breakdowns, but also didn't stand out a ton in a positive way.
- Our DTs played pretty well, but didn't collapse the pocket or dominate the LOS. Credit SDSU's o line, which would be a top half line in the Big12 IMO. They were fundamentally sound.
- I really would have liked to see more pressure from our DE's. They came on a bit late, but we are gonna struggle if QBs have that much time consistently. This position is my biggest concern on the team right now.
- Other than a couple overpursuits by Daniels, all 3 played really well. Bailed out our line play often. They also generated the most pressure on Gronowski.
- CBs played pretty well, no real glaring concerns.
- Safeties were a mixed bag. Rucker had a hell of a game and was in the right place consistently and made the tackle. Cam Smith had a pretty rough game in coverage. He got beat often and SDSU noticed and kept picking on him. He is going to need to be a bit more disciplined moving forward. Dylan Smith came in the game late in relief and played well.
- Return game was good, but not great. Had a couple opportunities, but weren't able to break one.
- Outside of one return, the coverage unit played well.
- Kaak was excellent. I don't think we are going to punt a ton this year, but when we do, we will be in good hands.
- I did not expect our kicking game to look like it did. Reports early in fall camp were that we were having problems there, and it looks like that got cleaned up. As others have mentioned, Snyder might have something to do with that.
SDSU's QB is really good, and if their receivers played a touch better, this would have been a close one. They looked better than NDSU did against Colorado, IMO.
Also, thank you SDSU fans for stopping by the site, and if you made it to Stillwater I hope you had a great time. We wish you the best the rest of the season! Get that threepeat!
