Where Do We Go from Here

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ncgo4

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We learned lots of things today but 2 of them are unmistakable. First, it is no longer possible for the coaching staff to believe that Mitch is capable of playing at the level needed by a B1G team hoping to win their division. Second, our game plan is inadequate to produce an adequate offense.

We have our 2 weakest opponents coming up which means we have the opportunity to install a new QB with new wrinkles in the O game plan without worry of dropping a game. Our defense can carry us through the next 2 weeks. Coach K needs to decide between Perra and Croft and get real darned busy.
 


I think the o-line and limey were just as at fault. But Mitch, you could've run for 150+ yards if you would've kept the ball more.
 

nasa35 said:
I think the o-line and limey were just as at fault. But Mitch, you could've run for 150+ yards if you would've kept the ball more.
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He doesn't seem to want to run as much this year compared to last year.
 

we knew mitcheroo wasn't a big time qb 2 yrs ago. what of it?
 


nasa35 said:
I think the o-line and limey were just as at fault. But Mitch, you could've run for 150+ yards if you would've kept the ball more.
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The oline is dealing with 8/9 man fronts and blitzes because teams know Mitch can't pass and can't hurt them.
 

sonnygarcia said:
The oline is dealing with 8/9 man fronts and blitzes because teams know Mitch can't pass and can't hurt them.
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Plus its good to keep numerous defenders around for the 3 or 4 times Mitch drops the ball on the ground every game.
 

Our starting QB won't change. I could see some other tweaks made on offense though.
 

We get one freebie in Kent State. Ohio looks like a top MAC team. Gotta work the kinks out and get healthy.


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I Agree

jaymil said:
Our starting QB won't change. I could see some other tweaks made on offense though.
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If we didn't see the passing quarterback today...it doesn't make any sense to create a greater quarterback controversy versus lesser opponents. If Perra or Croft play in the next two games
they should have played today. If Mitch is healthy he is the guy.

Jones and Brooks are still non factors. Comments suggest Jones won't play despite the need for a playmaker and Kill has said Brooks is going to play but he still has not.
 

FEED Rodney Smith. He's averaging over 5 yds/carry in his first two games. They went way too long in the first half not giving him the ball. It's not a difficult concept.
 

60's Guy said:
If we didn't see the passing quarterback today...it doesn't make any sense to create a greater quarterback controversy versus lesser opponents. If Perra or Croft play in the next two games
they should have played today. If Mitch is healthy he is the guy.

Jones and Brooks are still non factors. Comments suggest Jones won't play despite the need for a playmaker and Kill has said Brooks is going to play but he still has not.
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Jones hurt his ankle in practice and was unavailable today. Brooks played one offensive snap and fumbled. I think he'll see some time next week after we hopefully get a big lead against Kent State.
 

Our Coaches are stubborn... Nothing will change. We won't even practice our hurry up offense vs the easy teams we will face, we will do just enough to win. That's how it's always been, and always will be with this Coaching staff.
 



They do it after a first down. They don't want a quicker than quick 3 and out.


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The best scenario today would have been winning 51-3 because we're a top 5 team in the country, but I really think we got the 2nd best scenario.

We fought through adversity and beat a CSU team that was 10-3 last year and had won 9 (if I recall correctly) home games in a row. We were put in a do or die situation at the end, and we came through with a clutch drive. Don't think that won't help our confidence and pay dividends later in the season.
 


John Galt said:
The best scenario today would have been winning 51-3 because we're a top 5 team in the country, but I really think we got the 2nd best scenario.

We fought through adversity and beat a CSU team that was 10-3 last year and had won 9 (if I recall correctly) home games in a row. We were put in a do or die situation at the end, and we came through with a clutch drive. Don't think that won't help our confidence and pay dividends later in the season.
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I agree and I'm not trying to be a prick..(comes natural) scary part is that teams make the most improvement between their first and second games. We won a difficult game but imo we didn't play as well as game one. And maybe it's all out the window because you don't usually play two such difficult opponents to start the season, in your first two games? But I'll say the same thing I said after game one...the quarterback has to play better if we are going to contend for anything.
 

People are fixated on Leidner right now but the problems on offense are far deeper then just him. The company line is they had to build the defense first and now they are going to build the offense but I don't buy it. Essentially we have had back to back 8 win seasons in spite of the offense, imagine the kind of success the team could have if the offense was keeping pace with the defense at all.

2 games into this season and I really see nothing that says the offense is going to be better this year then it was last year and if anything it may have even taken a step backwards. Again still early in the year but the young receivers are no shows and what should be a very experience o-line is already dinged and not playing all that well. Smith looks like he might be a player but outside of him to this point I have seen little to get excited about on the offensive side of the ball.

The defense will keep us in nearly every game this year and give us a chance to win and the hope like the past few years will be that the offense manages to do enough to get the W. But for us to take the next step and become a true contender, not just in the balanced West but also against the top dogs in the conference, the offense has to get a lot better.

The coaches know this of course and are no doubt working as hard as they can to fix it, but the bottom line is they are not finding the players on that side of the ball to get it done to this point. That or the scheme has to change but we can pretty much assume that with Kill and Limegrover's relationship and level of loyalty, a coaching change isn't going to happen. So that means they have to find the players that can make their offensive system work in the BIG and so far they have failed in that respect at most positions, not just QB.
 

players wont change and scheme wont change---thats jk football. deals.
 

MNVCGUY said:
People are fixated on Leidner right now but the problems on offense are far deeper then just him. The company line is they had to build the defense first and now they are going to build the offense but I don't buy it. Essentially we have had back to back 8 win seasons in spite of the offense, imagine the kind of success the team could have if the offense was keeping pace with the defense at all.

2 games into this season and I really see nothing that says the offense is going to be better this year then it was last year and if anything it may have even taken a step backwards. Again still early in the year but the young receivers are no shows and what should be a very experience o-line is already dinged and not playing all that well. Smith looks like he might be a player but outside of him to this point I have seen little to get excited about on the offensive side of the ball.
QB.
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You expected the offense to be better after losing Cobb and Maxx and two starters on the OL.? We're different, but not better.


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60's Guy said:
I agree and I'm not trying to be a prick..(comes natural) scary part is that teams make the most improvement between their first and second games. We won a difficult game but imo we didn't play as well as game one. And maybe it's all out the window because you don't usually play two such difficult opponents to start the season, in your first two games? But I'll say the same thing I said after game one...the quarterback has to play better if we are going to contend for anything.
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The improvement Game 1 to Game 2 is pure rhetoric. They will improve consistently as seaso goes on. 1-1 is exactly where most people expected at this point in the season.
 

MNVCGUY said:
People are fixated on Leidner right now but the problems on offense are far deeper then just him. The company line is they had to build the defense first and now they are going to build the offense but I don't buy it. Essentially we have had back to back 8 win seasons in spite of the offense, imagine the kind of success the team could have if the offense was keeping pace with the defense at all.

2 games into this season and I really see nothing that says the offense is going to be better this year then it was last year and if anything it may have even taken a step backwards. Again still early in the year but the young receivers are no shows and what should be a very experience o-line is already dinged and not playing all that well. Smith looks like he might be a player but outside of him to this point I have seen little to get excited about on the offensive side of the ball.

The defense will keep us in nearly every game this year and give us a chance to win and the hope like the past few years will be that the offense manages to do enough to get the W. But for us to take the next step and become a true contender, not just in the balanced West but also against the top dogs in the conference, the offense has to get a lot better.

The coaches know this of course and are no doubt working as hard as they can to fix it, but the bottom line is they are not finding the players on that side of the ball to get it done to this point. That or the scheme has to change but we can pretty much assume that with Kill and Limegrover's relationship and level of loyalty, a coaching change isn't going to happen. So that means they have to find the players that can make their offensive system work in the BIG and so far they have failed in that respect at most positions, not just QB.
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As for seeing nothing from the young receivers yet, what you normally see from receivers in their first collegiate games is drops and inconsistent play. It's no surprise that the productivity is coming from Maye and Wolitarsky. I just wouldn't write the kids off yet. There's no substitute for experience.
 

Buck_Buchanan said:
The improvement Game 1 to Game 2 is pure rhetoric. They will improve consistently as seaso goes on. 1-1 is exactly where most people expected at this point in the season.
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Well, the reason things become cliches is because they are repeatedly true. If you coached teams, you'd know first hand, this proves itself very consistently...and when it doesn't it's not a good omen.
If you don't think it's true and that teams improve consistently...you are saying you thought we played better today than Thursday vs TCU...or you are contradicting yourself.

Obviously, the goal is to get better every day. Lots of teams do not consistently improve...coaching, losses, injuries a lot of factors make this true. Welll coach teams improve throughout the season but it isn't typically consistent even then....yes, hopefully you are much better at the end but the route is not often just an upward graph.
 

jaymil said:
Jones hurt his ankle in practice and was unavailable today. Brooks played one offensive snap and fumbled. I think he'll see some time next week after we hopefully get a big lead against Kent State.
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Thanks! I was unaware of either. I had upgrade my sports cable tier to get CBSSN.
 

Old Goph said:
As for seeing nothing from the young receivers yet, what you normally see from receivers in their first collegiate games is drops and inconsistent play. It's no surprise that the productivity is coming from Maye and Wolitarsky. I just wouldn't write the kids off yet. There's no substitute for experience.
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Not writing them off but also not willing to buy the whole experience angle. You see freshmen and redshirt freshmen succeed at the skill positions all over college football. Experience comes into play far more for lineman and the guys that need to get physically bigger and stronger in order to compete against other more experienced guys.

Like I said in my post it is still early, but the performance of the offense so far doesn't give me a ton of hope things are going to get better anytime soon on that side of the ball. Thankfully we have a defense that looks very strong again.
 

Keep in mind that Gentry is supposed to be the best of the 3 redshirt freshman WRs and has been out with a hamstring injury. He's supposed to be back next week...
 

O-line has to be better. We know what we have with Mitch. He's adequate if he can trust his line. He's truly terrible if he can't. Receivers have to be better. Catch. The. Ball. I'm looking at you KJ Maye and all of our redshirt freshmen. Hands of steel so far this year. Defensive line has to be better outside of Richardson. QB has to be better. I hope we get some chances to see different quarterbacks these next two weeks. We should win comfortably and have plenty of time to get a look at some of the young guys.

Lastly. Never ever ever ever ever ever ever pass the ball 45 times in a game. Never again.

Win the next two, and then go back on the road and try to play like a real football team.
 

One think I did notice is that there were a few key moments where the CSU defense broke through our O-Line and Leidner was either sacked, had to run, or throw away the ball. I think our O-line needs to gel a bit more. While Leidner isn't a great passer, he has improved, but if he doesn't have the time to find an open receiver and throw it before a defensive player is on top of him then it doesn't help.
 

60's Guy said:
Well, the reason things become cliches is because they are repeatedly true. If you coached teams, you'd know first hand, this proves itself very consistently...and when it doesn't it's not a good omen.
If you don't think it's true and that teams improve consistently...you are saying you thought we played better today than Thursday vs TCU...or you are contradicting yourself.

Obviously, the goal is to get better every day. Lots of teams do not consistently improve...coaching, losses, injuries a lot of factors make this true. Welll coach teams improve throughout the season but it isn't typically consistent even then....yes, hopefully you are much better at the end but the route is not often just an upward graph.
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How about everyone taking a deep breath until after the next 3 games. They have a chance to clean up the mess. Just because they didn't show the improvement you expected, it's still possible for them to figure this out.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
You expected the offense to be better after losing Cobb and Maxx and two starters on the OL.? We're different, but not better.


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Interesting question. In regards to the OL, in year 5 if the recruiting is bringing in the right guys you should be able to replace a couple starters on the OL without missing much of a beat. And you are also right that there will be growing pains trying to replace guys like Maxx and Cobb.

But to see the offense look so inept in the first half and for big stretches of the second half is really disappointing at this point for the team. Maybe some of you are seeing signs that things are going to get better on offense (based on most of the threads it doesn't seem that way) but like I said I just don't see anything on the field so far that makes me think the offense is going to be at the level we need it to be to take the next step. But it is early, hopefully we can turn next week into a glorified practice against a really bad Kent State team and get some things figured out.
 

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