This fall, we’re taking a little different of an approach to post-game thoughts. Since AD is posting his immediately after the contest, I will post mine after a second watch through of the game on Sunday afternoons, giving me time to see things again and digest what I saw with some thought.
So, without further ado, here’s what I thought about the Arizona State game…
-I’ll quickly get to the offense, because there’s really not that much to talk about here. They scored 55 points and could’ve scored 70 with a handful fewer mistakes, and if you’re criticizing that kind of performance on the road, you’re essentially nitpicking. 55 on the road is A+ grade worthy.
-I think the O-line did a better job of pass protection than initially thought, especially the two freshman tackles. Sure, they had a few missteps and bad plays, but the group did do better this week as a whole. They’ll continue to grow and gel, and I think that group is going to be really good by the end of the year.
-Again, Tech didn’t really run the ball, but they honestly didn’t really try to. The run game still gets a grade of incomplete from me.
-Offensive skill players were mostly fantastic on the night. I loved how they fought and scratched, especially Justin Stockton. Dude was awesome.
-Here’s the thing with the offense, and the one big observation I’ve noticed through two games. When they’re relaxed, they’re nearly unstoppable. When they press, they start getting erratic. That starts with Mahomes. Don’t press and this could be a better offense as a whole than last year.
-So, as for special teams: First, the good. The good is that they did a mostly great job of containing superstar return man Tim White. He didn’t get much room and never had a chance to break one. Coverage gets another good grade, just like the first week.
-So, on to punt returns. It’s definitely a work in progress still as Batson learns his new role as a guy that’s gonna get the green light a lot more to return under Joe Robinson. He made some bad calls as to whether catch or let a few go, and that cost Tech. However, Arizona State’s punter also got off some dandies. Big difference there.
-So, on to the defense. Lots of thoughts on this, and obviously it’s what will get talked about all week long, as it should. After watching it a second time, it’s really a weird, weird deal. At times, especially early, this defense would play fundamentally sound, solid football. At times you’ll see them take great pursuit angles, pick up their assignments, stay in their gaps, win their one-on-ones, and make solid, even great plays. It’s a lot of what I saw against SFA. And then, you’ll see the bottom totally fall out on two or three plays. Guys are out of position, look lost, miss tackles, can’t get off blocks, etc.. It’s wildly Jeckyll & Hyde, which is the most frustrating deal in my books.
-I’ll say this about the run defense: The defensive line is not the problem as far as at defensive end, nose tackle, and defensive tackle. Through the first two weeks, I’ve seen Tech maintain or win at the LOS quite a bit, much more so than I ever did last year.
-But, here’s the big problem: rush end and linebacker. Above all, the biggest problem is at linebacker. The primary problem isn't the inside run game or wide outside run game. It's the off-tackle, B and C gap run game. When these guys maintain their run fits and avoid getting totally locked up by a pulling guard, fullback, or tight end, they’ were mostly fine. However, that didn’t happen very much against the Sun Devils. Instead, I saw guys overpursuing right after the snap, guessing wrong on where the ball carrier was going, and then getting locked up by a blocker or getting caught up in the trash in a wrong gap because they flow right where the O-line wants them to be. When that happened in this game, Arizona State made their hay on the ground. The biggest perpetrators were Luke Stice and Jordyn Brooks. With Brooks, he’s a true freshman, and he’s going to get his head bashed in at times early on in the season as he learns. That’s gonna happen, and I get it. With Stice, however, that’s not gonna fly. He’s a senior, and he made way, way too many mistakes in run defense that cost this unit big time.
-And while we’re on the subject of linebacker, I think D’Vonta Hinton was sorely missed against ASU. I think things go better, maybe even noticeably better, if he’s healthy and can play. He was mostly decisive and aggressive – in a good way - in the run game against SFA, which really would’ve helped this defense against ASU.
-I do want to see more of Brayden Stringer, though. While he made mistakes like Brooks, he also made some plays and just naturally has a knack for understanding run defense.
-As for pass defense, I’m still not sure exactly what to think. However, I’ll give Manny Wilkins a ton of credit: He didn’t make a single truly bad decision all night. Some of that is because of OC Chip Lindsey designing the passing game for him to mostly dink and dunk, but he still didn’t make a single bad throw. I also thought it was very interesting and telling as for the respect ASU showed for Jah’Shawn Johnson that they didn’t attempt any medium or long passes down the middle of the field. Not one.
-Polite-Bray and Nguema did not have good games, though. They got called for way too many PI penalties that extended drives, and they got out-leveraged and out-physically played by the ASU receivers. Now, some of that is because the guys lining up across from them include five-star N’Keal Harry. That dude is going to be an all-star receiver in college football. But, some of it was bad technique.
-Part of the problem is undoubtedly a lack of any kind of real pass rush at all. Sure, ASU called a ton of quick hit passes where the D-line didn’t have real time to get a pass rush going, but when they did, Wilkins didn’t hardly get breathed on. Does that mean Gibbs needs to call more blitzes? Call more stunts for the D-line? I don’t know, but this group can’t create much pass rush as a whole two games in. I would like to see more Lonzell Gilmore and Broderick Washington in pass rush situations, though, as I thought those two by far are the best at creating pressure.
-So, what do you do about the defense? It’s clearly a personnel issue to me after watching the game again, specifically at linebacker and corner. They’re extremely erratic, making some plays while totally looking lost at others. And when they looked lost, that’s when ASU made plays, so obviously they were lost a lot. Brooks and Stringer’s talent flashes through when they put the puzzle together mentally, though.
-If it were me, I’d roll with the true freshmen at linebacker plus Hinton if he can play. That group, while they’ll get their brains beat in at times, is at least talented and has some feel for how to truly play linebacker. If they can play a lot early on in the season, I think they could at the very least be serviceable in the second half of the season. If they’re that, this defense will be much better on a consistent basis.
-At corner, I’d like to see a different look. I want more Douglas Coleman, and I’d like to at least try a different mix. What would Nelson and Coleman at the corners with Polite-Bray at the nickel look like? I think that mix would make more sense, as you’d at least be long and athletic on the outside, would have a physical, athletic guy on the inside at nickel who could potentially be a better run support option you could roll down in the box if needed.
-The one thing, no matter what, that will make this defense better right now is consistent, fundamental play. When you see them do that, they slowed down ASU and even stopped them. When they weren’t, they got run over. There is still just little to no room for error for this group, as they just aren’t either talented or experienced enough at different positions for technique and fundamental errors to not cost them. That’s totally embodied in the fact that Tech got ASU to third down 16 times, but ASU converted on nine of them. Consistency from the LBs and DBs would help that conversion number go way down.
-I wonder if things would’ve gone differently had Fehoko not been called for roughing when Polite-Bray returned the turnover inside the 20. Tech scores there, and they get up 21-9, getting Arizona State off-schedule on offense and giving the Tech defense some much-needed confidence. That was the moment when the game swung, and I do wonder if the older guys on defense caved in mentally at that point.
-Also, this unit is designed to get turnovers. When you don’t do that, it’s likely gonna look bad. ASU did a great job of making sure Wilkins threw mostly high percentage passes, didn’t get off-schedule on the ground and had great ball security. That’s a credit to ASU and OC Chip Lindsey, who is one of the best up and coming play callers in college football.
-I saw fundamental, sound defensive play against SFA. I rarely saw that against Arizona State. What will we see against Louisiana Tech?
WHO I WANT TO SEE PLAY MORE:
WR Derrick Willies
LB Brayden Stringer
DE Lonzell Gilmore
DT/NT Broderick Washington
CB Desmon Smith
CB Douglas Coleman
OFFENSE
Positives – Skill position players had a great night, Mahomes threw for a bazillion yards
Negatives- Mahomes/offense pressed too much, blitz pickup needs to improve, too many long third downs
DEFENSE
Positives – Held the line of scrimmage, mostly limited inside runs
Negatives – Bad penalties, erratic linebacker/rush end play in off-tackle run coverage, lack of pass rush, bad cornerback play in the deep flats
So, without further ado, here’s what I thought about the Arizona State game…
-I’ll quickly get to the offense, because there’s really not that much to talk about here. They scored 55 points and could’ve scored 70 with a handful fewer mistakes, and if you’re criticizing that kind of performance on the road, you’re essentially nitpicking. 55 on the road is A+ grade worthy.
-I think the O-line did a better job of pass protection than initially thought, especially the two freshman tackles. Sure, they had a few missteps and bad plays, but the group did do better this week as a whole. They’ll continue to grow and gel, and I think that group is going to be really good by the end of the year.
-Again, Tech didn’t really run the ball, but they honestly didn’t really try to. The run game still gets a grade of incomplete from me.
-Offensive skill players were mostly fantastic on the night. I loved how they fought and scratched, especially Justin Stockton. Dude was awesome.
-Here’s the thing with the offense, and the one big observation I’ve noticed through two games. When they’re relaxed, they’re nearly unstoppable. When they press, they start getting erratic. That starts with Mahomes. Don’t press and this could be a better offense as a whole than last year.
-So, as for special teams: First, the good. The good is that they did a mostly great job of containing superstar return man Tim White. He didn’t get much room and never had a chance to break one. Coverage gets another good grade, just like the first week.
-So, on to punt returns. It’s definitely a work in progress still as Batson learns his new role as a guy that’s gonna get the green light a lot more to return under Joe Robinson. He made some bad calls as to whether catch or let a few go, and that cost Tech. However, Arizona State’s punter also got off some dandies. Big difference there.
-So, on to the defense. Lots of thoughts on this, and obviously it’s what will get talked about all week long, as it should. After watching it a second time, it’s really a weird, weird deal. At times, especially early, this defense would play fundamentally sound, solid football. At times you’ll see them take great pursuit angles, pick up their assignments, stay in their gaps, win their one-on-ones, and make solid, even great plays. It’s a lot of what I saw against SFA. And then, you’ll see the bottom totally fall out on two or three plays. Guys are out of position, look lost, miss tackles, can’t get off blocks, etc.. It’s wildly Jeckyll & Hyde, which is the most frustrating deal in my books.
-I’ll say this about the run defense: The defensive line is not the problem as far as at defensive end, nose tackle, and defensive tackle. Through the first two weeks, I’ve seen Tech maintain or win at the LOS quite a bit, much more so than I ever did last year.
-But, here’s the big problem: rush end and linebacker. Above all, the biggest problem is at linebacker. The primary problem isn't the inside run game or wide outside run game. It's the off-tackle, B and C gap run game. When these guys maintain their run fits and avoid getting totally locked up by a pulling guard, fullback, or tight end, they’ were mostly fine. However, that didn’t happen very much against the Sun Devils. Instead, I saw guys overpursuing right after the snap, guessing wrong on where the ball carrier was going, and then getting locked up by a blocker or getting caught up in the trash in a wrong gap because they flow right where the O-line wants them to be. When that happened in this game, Arizona State made their hay on the ground. The biggest perpetrators were Luke Stice and Jordyn Brooks. With Brooks, he’s a true freshman, and he’s going to get his head bashed in at times early on in the season as he learns. That’s gonna happen, and I get it. With Stice, however, that’s not gonna fly. He’s a senior, and he made way, way too many mistakes in run defense that cost this unit big time.
-And while we’re on the subject of linebacker, I think D’Vonta Hinton was sorely missed against ASU. I think things go better, maybe even noticeably better, if he’s healthy and can play. He was mostly decisive and aggressive – in a good way - in the run game against SFA, which really would’ve helped this defense against ASU.
-I do want to see more of Brayden Stringer, though. While he made mistakes like Brooks, he also made some plays and just naturally has a knack for understanding run defense.
-As for pass defense, I’m still not sure exactly what to think. However, I’ll give Manny Wilkins a ton of credit: He didn’t make a single truly bad decision all night. Some of that is because of OC Chip Lindsey designing the passing game for him to mostly dink and dunk, but he still didn’t make a single bad throw. I also thought it was very interesting and telling as for the respect ASU showed for Jah’Shawn Johnson that they didn’t attempt any medium or long passes down the middle of the field. Not one.
-Polite-Bray and Nguema did not have good games, though. They got called for way too many PI penalties that extended drives, and they got out-leveraged and out-physically played by the ASU receivers. Now, some of that is because the guys lining up across from them include five-star N’Keal Harry. That dude is going to be an all-star receiver in college football. But, some of it was bad technique.
-Part of the problem is undoubtedly a lack of any kind of real pass rush at all. Sure, ASU called a ton of quick hit passes where the D-line didn’t have real time to get a pass rush going, but when they did, Wilkins didn’t hardly get breathed on. Does that mean Gibbs needs to call more blitzes? Call more stunts for the D-line? I don’t know, but this group can’t create much pass rush as a whole two games in. I would like to see more Lonzell Gilmore and Broderick Washington in pass rush situations, though, as I thought those two by far are the best at creating pressure.
-So, what do you do about the defense? It’s clearly a personnel issue to me after watching the game again, specifically at linebacker and corner. They’re extremely erratic, making some plays while totally looking lost at others. And when they looked lost, that’s when ASU made plays, so obviously they were lost a lot. Brooks and Stringer’s talent flashes through when they put the puzzle together mentally, though.
-If it were me, I’d roll with the true freshmen at linebacker plus Hinton if he can play. That group, while they’ll get their brains beat in at times, is at least talented and has some feel for how to truly play linebacker. If they can play a lot early on in the season, I think they could at the very least be serviceable in the second half of the season. If they’re that, this defense will be much better on a consistent basis.
-At corner, I’d like to see a different look. I want more Douglas Coleman, and I’d like to at least try a different mix. What would Nelson and Coleman at the corners with Polite-Bray at the nickel look like? I think that mix would make more sense, as you’d at least be long and athletic on the outside, would have a physical, athletic guy on the inside at nickel who could potentially be a better run support option you could roll down in the box if needed.
-The one thing, no matter what, that will make this defense better right now is consistent, fundamental play. When you see them do that, they slowed down ASU and even stopped them. When they weren’t, they got run over. There is still just little to no room for error for this group, as they just aren’t either talented or experienced enough at different positions for technique and fundamental errors to not cost them. That’s totally embodied in the fact that Tech got ASU to third down 16 times, but ASU converted on nine of them. Consistency from the LBs and DBs would help that conversion number go way down.
-I wonder if things would’ve gone differently had Fehoko not been called for roughing when Polite-Bray returned the turnover inside the 20. Tech scores there, and they get up 21-9, getting Arizona State off-schedule on offense and giving the Tech defense some much-needed confidence. That was the moment when the game swung, and I do wonder if the older guys on defense caved in mentally at that point.
-Also, this unit is designed to get turnovers. When you don’t do that, it’s likely gonna look bad. ASU did a great job of making sure Wilkins threw mostly high percentage passes, didn’t get off-schedule on the ground and had great ball security. That’s a credit to ASU and OC Chip Lindsey, who is one of the best up and coming play callers in college football.
-I saw fundamental, sound defensive play against SFA. I rarely saw that against Arizona State. What will we see against Louisiana Tech?
WHO I WANT TO SEE PLAY MORE:
WR Derrick Willies
LB Brayden Stringer
DE Lonzell Gilmore
DT/NT Broderick Washington
CB Desmon Smith
CB Douglas Coleman
OFFENSE
Positives – Skill position players had a great night, Mahomes threw for a bazillion yards
Negatives- Mahomes/offense pressed too much, blitz pickup needs to improve, too many long third downs
DEFENSE
Positives – Held the line of scrimmage, mostly limited inside runs
Negatives – Bad penalties, erratic linebacker/rush end play in off-tackle run coverage, lack of pass rush, bad cornerback play in the deep flats
