Everyone back away from the cliff. It’s the third game under a new staff, not game 13, 25, or 40. Do NOT draw conclusions on this staff or their ability to coach from this game. If you’d have done it after game 3 under Kliff, you’d have thought everything was going to go wonderfully.
So, that being said:
-This offense was as big a train wreck as I’ve seen since 2014. Bowman looked absolutely lost, which I was shocked to see. He was inaccurate, skittish, and made poor decisions. The O-line was subpar and only compounded Bowman’s poor play, losing a ton of 1-on-1s. And the WRs, well...
-I’m ready to throw up a major red flag on this receiving corps. TJ Vasher appears to be the only player who can win in one-on-one coverage right now, and that’s a MAJOR issue. I don’t know if it’s a talent issue, coaching change issue, or what, but this receiving corps appears to be the most toothless bunch I’ve seen in Lubbock in a long time. We will see if things change as these guys adjust to the new system, but I am very worried, particularly by the complete void at outside WR outside of Vasher.
-I thought the defense was stellar through the first half. The only points AZ scored were off two big plays, and outside of those plays, Tate and the Wildcats were completely snuffed out by Brooks and wonderful front seven play. But the offense’s ineptitude left the defense completely out to dry in the second half, as the unit just wore down as the snap count climbed. It also became apparent that there’s just not any depth on this defense. The front line is the best group we’ve seen in Lubbock since 2012-13, maybe since 2009, but there’s a major talent drop off after that. Thus the inability to stop the run at the end after being so stout against it in the first half.
-Overall, it’s becoming very apparent to me that this roster is in far worse shape than I had initially believed. While there are a handful of quality top end players, there is zero depth across the board, and the offensive cupboard is lacking any kind of true explosiveness. Vasher is super talented, Mannix shows speed in flashes, and I think Shyne is very capable, but outside of those three guys, I think the skill groups on offense are too green, not talented enough, or both.
-I also think you saw Kliff Tendencies bleed back in once adversity hit. Bad penalties, major lapses in execution, and some give up. Those are all things I saw when the tide would turn bad when Kingsbury was coaching, and we saw guys revert to that tonight at times.
-I don’t know where things go over the next nine games, but I will say this: I still think Coach Wells can coach, and he has guys on his staff that can coach. This thing is just in much worse shape than I wanted to believe it was. I’m not saying that Wells is going to go full Beard on this thing once he gets his program fully rolling, but I am confident that there are much better days ahead than what we saw tonight. At least give these guys a real, true chance. Give them two seasons.
So, that being said:
-This offense was as big a train wreck as I’ve seen since 2014. Bowman looked absolutely lost, which I was shocked to see. He was inaccurate, skittish, and made poor decisions. The O-line was subpar and only compounded Bowman’s poor play, losing a ton of 1-on-1s. And the WRs, well...
-I’m ready to throw up a major red flag on this receiving corps. TJ Vasher appears to be the only player who can win in one-on-one coverage right now, and that’s a MAJOR issue. I don’t know if it’s a talent issue, coaching change issue, or what, but this receiving corps appears to be the most toothless bunch I’ve seen in Lubbock in a long time. We will see if things change as these guys adjust to the new system, but I am very worried, particularly by the complete void at outside WR outside of Vasher.
-I thought the defense was stellar through the first half. The only points AZ scored were off two big plays, and outside of those plays, Tate and the Wildcats were completely snuffed out by Brooks and wonderful front seven play. But the offense’s ineptitude left the defense completely out to dry in the second half, as the unit just wore down as the snap count climbed. It also became apparent that there’s just not any depth on this defense. The front line is the best group we’ve seen in Lubbock since 2012-13, maybe since 2009, but there’s a major talent drop off after that. Thus the inability to stop the run at the end after being so stout against it in the first half.
-Overall, it’s becoming very apparent to me that this roster is in far worse shape than I had initially believed. While there are a handful of quality top end players, there is zero depth across the board, and the offensive cupboard is lacking any kind of true explosiveness. Vasher is super talented, Mannix shows speed in flashes, and I think Shyne is very capable, but outside of those three guys, I think the skill groups on offense are too green, not talented enough, or both.
-I also think you saw Kliff Tendencies bleed back in once adversity hit. Bad penalties, major lapses in execution, and some give up. Those are all things I saw when the tide would turn bad when Kingsbury was coaching, and we saw guys revert to that tonight at times.
-I don’t know where things go over the next nine games, but I will say this: I still think Coach Wells can coach, and he has guys on his staff that can coach. This thing is just in much worse shape than I wanted to believe it was. I’m not saying that Wells is going to go full Beard on this thing once he gets his program fully rolling, but I am confident that there are much better days ahead than what we saw tonight. At least give these guys a real, true chance. Give them two seasons.
