Game 2 - Lolly Poly

Game 2 - Lolly Poly

All of us who have watched a lot of football games have seen some crazy plays, but the Battle of the Bulldogs was like the Twilight Zone Bowl -- chock full of wacky plays.  Going into the season I looked at this as a "trap game."  It was the week before a critical game with LSU and the start of a run of 3 straight SEC teams against ranked teams.  In addition, State was 0-1 at La. Tech and had lost to them a couple of times at home too.  Tech runs a wide open offense, so we had to figure they'd score.  I felt better when I learned that they had a young, inexperienced quarterback rather than some hot shot transfer, as they've had in recent years; and that they'd given up some points to the mighty Demons of NW LA the previous week.  But still I was wary.  Then the game started ... and I said, "Oh, hell!  Here we go again." [Cue Dave Clark Five.]  But the fog lifted on State's offense and defense, and the special teams made some big plays (although some of them were for the wrong Bulldogs).  I was confident at the half and downright relaxed after State scored quickly to begin the 2nd half.  A rocky start but a satisfying win.

Let's look back ...

Highlights
  • Jeffrey Simmons ... what a player!  When have you ever heard of a nose tackle scoring two touchdowns in a career, much less one game?!  On his punt block he looked like Jarvis Varnado going up for a rejection. (Love the tweet making the rounds of the block set to "Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing!)  He is strong as a bull, quick as a cat, and absolutely relentless.  A beast!
  • Nicky Fitz - after looking like "Ned in the Primer" for most of the 1st quarter, Nick flipped a switch, relaxed, and was accurate passing and effective running.  He looked poised and in charge out there.
  • The running backs -- Aeris, Nick Gibson, and Kylin -- all looked like quality SEC backs.  They ran hard and tough, almost always picking up YAC (yards after contact).
  • The offensive line must have improved.  Tech had 2 DE's (one in particular) who were supposed to be outstanding.  I don't recall LT getting much pressure all night, and the running attack was effective.  Somebody was blocking.
  • The snaps were much better than in the first game.
  • Although the DB's gave up a couple of big plays, they played tight coverage in general.  I liked the way we didn't walk off the receivers, giving them a 10 yd. cushion.
  • The DB's, McLaurin and Abrams in particular, will stroke a man.  As will Cam Dantzler, who received a bogus targeting call.  (Sure hope the SEC Office, which reviews controversial plays, reviews that one.)
  • Logan Cooke continues to boom punts and kickoffs.
  • I'm happy to see Gabe Myles make some big catches and get a TD on a great move and run after a catch.  He had such a disappointing year last year, and he's such a good kid from a good family.  
  • Blocking punts and PAT's is always helpful.
  • Keytaon Thompson continues to improve and look comfortable out there.  He seems to be gaining confidence, and I'm gaining it in him.
  • I think that we got out of the game without any serious injuries.  Willie Gay went down early but returned, which is big.  He provides quality depth and excellent speed and aggressiveness on special teams.


Lowlights
  • Falling behind 9-0, particularly on the road, is a recipe for disaster.  State was just completely discombobulated.
  • Nick still looked inconsistent and made some bad decisions, although he picked up his game significantly.
  • The receivers had some disappointing drops.
  • At times the tackling was so shoddy that it appeared that Peter Sirmon was back.
  • Missing 2 PAT's is completely unacceptable, even in an intramural flag football game. Don't know if the blocking sucked or Tucker Day kicked them too low, or both.  I don't think I've ever seen a State team do that.


Questions
  • Will Fitz continue to develop consistently as a passer, especially in making good decisions?
  • Can we develop a placekicking game we can count on?
  • Were the missed tackles an aberration or a return to last year's bad habit?
  • Can Bulldog DB's stay with SEC receivers, some of whom have elite speed?
  • Can the OL and backs remain effective against SEC defenses?


Now it begins.  The exhibition season is over ... hello, SEC; hello, reality.  So far the offense looks to be effective and balanced, and the defense looks much improved.  The punting looks great, and the placekicking looks awful.  Ahead are 3 daunting games, the first at home.  If State wins 2 of them, much less all, a magical season is possible.  Lose them all, and it will be tough to be better than 6-6.  It starts with a home game against a team with an ordinary QB, dangerous running back, and seemingly exceptional defense under a coach who lost his job the last time he coached a game at Scott Field.  I can't imagine a bigger game this season.

  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 10 - Paradise Lost

Week 10 - Paradise Lost There's no other way to say this:  I still feel like throwing up.  Normally I try to watch at least some of the replay before writing in the blog.  But I really don't want to see this one again.  Yes, it's respectable to play UAT tough and to be in it until the last play, but damn, it hurts to lose one you had won.  To sum it up, the a snippet of the lyrics to Jethro Tull's "Locomotive Breath" kept flashing through my mind last night ... "And the all time winner Has got him by the balls." The 'Dogs had Alabama by the balls ... and failed to do what one what a winner must do in a street fight with a badass, i.e ., when you've got ahold of them, squeeeeeeeze!!! One like this sticks in one's craw.  Despite the late night, I awakened a little before 6:00 a.m. and kept asking myself, "Did we really lose that game, or am I just having a nightmare?!?"  According to the highlights, it appears that we ...
Read more

Week 5 - Aubrin

Week 5 - Aubrin Well ... that was awful.  Delusions of being good enough to be nationally ranked and candidates for a New Year's 6 bowl have been quickly shattered.  Not only did the Bulldogs prove that they could not win big games on the road against quality SEC teams; LSU proved exactly what we feared, i.e., that they suck.  (Although thanks to our Coonass land grant cousins, we no longer have to bear alone the ignominy of being an SEC team that lost a homecoming game to a team whose mascot is a pack of condoms.)   For the second week in a row the Bulldogs were dominated up front on both sides of the ball.  Susceptibility to big plays, a traditional thorn in the side of Bulldog defenses in the Mullen era, was on full display early and often Saturday night.  Even without a healthy Kamryn Pettway, the Sherman tank who scattered Bulldog defenders in his wake last year at Scott Field, Auburn ran through and around State's once vaunted defense....
Read more