Week 9 - UMass ... almost UMess!



Week 9 - UMass ... almost UMess!

 Okay, let's start with full disclosure:  I took a cut and was not at the game Saturday.  (This despite a personal phone call from Dan the Man himself!  And I never knew he knew my number!)  My high school on the Miss. Coast had planned a reunion, and I'm at the age that I am afraid to pass up a chance to see old friends.  Besides, I reasoned that if State couldn't beat UMass, I damn sure didn't want to be there to see it.  Of course, the flip side of that is that it's wonderful to not worry about missing what should be a sure win because wins are so rare.  With the win Saturday the 'Dogs have now won more games this season than they did in my entire 4 years as an undergraduate at State.  Anyway, I'm tardy getting this week's blog entry out because I recorded the game and had to sit down and watch it so I would have some informed thoughts to share.  So here goes ...

Honestly, I expected State to stink it up for awhile in this game.  Under Dan we've almost never lost games like this, but we have had some calls that were closer than felt comfortable.  Every time I saw that 30 point line, I thought that somebody was going to make some easy money.  The Minutemen and 30 points was about as close to a sure thing as I've seen this year.  Too bad I'm not a gambler!  The 'Dogs looked flat, and we fans (yes, we, since I wasn't there either) gave them little inspiration with lots of fans disguised as empty seats.  And, hey, UMass was a better team than I had expected, and they were certainly better than their record indicated.  I had heard that no one had beaten them badly ... but even though I expected us to stumble around for awhile, I thought we'd win by about 3 touchdowns when all was said and done.  The closeness of a game with a 2-7 record does not bode well for the upcoming contest with the Crimson Cess Pool from UAT. 😟  Still I was encouraged that the 'Dogs were able to run the ball in the 2nd half and that the team played with some fire in the 4th quarter.

My observations on our too close of a call are as follows:

  • Aeris Williams is one tough SOB.  He doesn't break enough long runs to suit some fans, but he gets every centimeter that can be made on plays up the middle, even with little or no hole to run through. That sets the pins up for Nicky Fitz to knock down.  Big Train also catches well and blocks like a demon.
  • As well as the offensive line played against UK and aTm, they played that poorly -- the term lackluster comes to mind -- against UMass.  There were just very darn few holes opened in the first half.  The second half was a different story.  Apparently Hevesy 'splained a few things to them because they pushed the Minutemen around some.
  • Ditto for the receivers.  In the first half, they reverted to having the dropsies ... maybe not as bad as some of the early games, but didn't win many -- maybe any -- balls.  Then they came out in the 2nd half and made plays.  Jesse Jackson reminded us of why he was highly recruited.  There was even an Osirus sighting!  
  • I was pleased that we rediscovered that we have tight ends who can catch.  Farrod, Justin, and the hybrid Goliath, Jordan Thomas, all made big catches.  
  • Deddrick Thomas may have found himself a job!  That was the best punt return that I can remember since ... hmmm ... maybe Tony James in the early Jackie era.  [Wait!  I forgot about Kevin Prentiss.]  Deddrick showed good moves, good balance, and very good speed.
  • The secondary was disappointing for much of 3 quarters.  It was as if they got too overconfident after the interception that started the game.  They tackled poorly, and the old get beaten deep bugaboo hit them again. Then in the 4th quarter, it was if they decided they wanted to knock every UMass player who touched the ball cold.  
  • Dan the Man reminded me of the criticism that he endured at Florida as their offensive coordinator. (UF is where I got my last degree, and I still have friends down there who are big Gator alumni.)  They always said that he would often outsmart himself by bucking successful trends or trying some trickeration.  That's the sort of thing that makes a coach look brilliant when it works and like a knucklehead when it doesn't.  I think Dan likes to look brilliant.  Sometimes I miss ole Jackie Wayne's "ram it up the middle until the interior linemen's hemorrhoids bleed" mentality ... but I'm not much of a gambler.
  • I was impressed with the D line and linebackers most of the game.  Simmons and Hoyett just tortured the Minutemen, and Adams did his share too.  Dez and Gerri were terrors, and Leo made plays.  
  • Despite the frustration of the UMass game, there were some bright spots.

So here we are at Bama time.  They've looked almost mortal lately, but Dan has never come close to beating Little Nicky Satan except the year we were #1 and better than they were.  I was feeling a little tingly about this game after the UK and A&M games ... thanks, Minutemen for bringing me to my senses.  I kinda think we can play with them for awhile, but they always seem to kill us with big plays.  We'll see if Grantham can come up with some magic.  And, if one is looking for signs of encouragement, my son reminded me that we beat UAT in '97 and '07.  Soooo ...???  I do remember this from those years:  There's nothing sweeter than having a lead on those SOB's and seeing their unwashed throngs of toothless frontrunners pack it in and head for the exits.  Those memories sustain me in my times of trouble ... and a memory booster would be really, really sweet.



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