Here we are again, some more thoughts, and after a loss like that it is hard to compile even just a few to really focus on when so much went wrong.
For the last two weeks it had really felt like this team made significant progress and was ready to get over the hump of whatever had bothered them in the beginning of the year and finally take that next step. Last night felt like all of that was wiped and this team took several steps backward.
I had mentioned this at the beginning of the game but I was fearful it was going to turn into another performance where the defense played well and the offense just failed to get anything going, and for about a half of football that was probably a fair assessment, minus the final offensive drive of the half.
I thought the defense played well in flashes but after a while they were just being asked to do too much. We hear the phrase that they are asked to “put out the fire” a lot, and that side has shown they are capable of doing so. But there is also a point where that fatigue starts to set in, especially with what Kansas State was doing offensively.
Offensively is where I felt like I saw the biggest regression from this team, and it honestly had nothing to do with the players. After a couple weeks of, I'd say, favorable performances from Zach Kittley, it felt like there was no rhyme or reason to a lot of the stuff being thrown on the field.
An example I will be using is the 4th-and-3 call in the second half, which I believe was a fade ball from Jake Strong to Jerand Bradley. More on Strong in a second. We’ve seen this staff take risks like this before so that wasn’t particularly shocking, I just did not feel the play call put the players in the best position to succeed, and it was that way through most of the game. This offense has plenty of talent, these guys are not bad football players by any means, what was the difference last night however, was just the inability to put them in the right places in the right calls to give them a better chance to make something happen.
It did not get better when Strong hit the field either, mind you. I cannot imagine a scenario with either quarterback where I would feel comfortable only giving your NFL running back the ball eight times in the second half. Compound that with this being the first time Strong has EVER hit the field collegiately, it’s just baffling. Desperation starts to set in, yes, but you would figure after throwing a true freshman about as far into the fire as he possibly could have, there would be more done to try and ease his mind and help keep the boat steady.
In the early going the argument could have been made that perhaps the run game was just not going to get steam, but as it wore on it looked like Brooks was finally able to find some creases. Even if he was hit at the line or just beyond it, he was making gains out of nothing which is not uncharacteristic of him.
This loss was just particularly frustrating given what we had seen the last couple weeks. Gotta find some sort of consistency moving forward.
Founded by a Red Raider, All Hands Craft Cocktails is proud to announce their partnership with RedRaiderSports.com. Try these bar strength, ready-to-drink vodka cocktails at Jones AT&T Stadium this football season or find them at a retailer near you. Cheers.
For the last two weeks it had really felt like this team made significant progress and was ready to get over the hump of whatever had bothered them in the beginning of the year and finally take that next step. Last night felt like all of that was wiped and this team took several steps backward.
I had mentioned this at the beginning of the game but I was fearful it was going to turn into another performance where the defense played well and the offense just failed to get anything going, and for about a half of football that was probably a fair assessment, minus the final offensive drive of the half.
I thought the defense played well in flashes but after a while they were just being asked to do too much. We hear the phrase that they are asked to “put out the fire” a lot, and that side has shown they are capable of doing so. But there is also a point where that fatigue starts to set in, especially with what Kansas State was doing offensively.
Offensively is where I felt like I saw the biggest regression from this team, and it honestly had nothing to do with the players. After a couple weeks of, I'd say, favorable performances from Zach Kittley, it felt like there was no rhyme or reason to a lot of the stuff being thrown on the field.
An example I will be using is the 4th-and-3 call in the second half, which I believe was a fade ball from Jake Strong to Jerand Bradley. More on Strong in a second. We’ve seen this staff take risks like this before so that wasn’t particularly shocking, I just did not feel the play call put the players in the best position to succeed, and it was that way through most of the game. This offense has plenty of talent, these guys are not bad football players by any means, what was the difference last night however, was just the inability to put them in the right places in the right calls to give them a better chance to make something happen.
It did not get better when Strong hit the field either, mind you. I cannot imagine a scenario with either quarterback where I would feel comfortable only giving your NFL running back the ball eight times in the second half. Compound that with this being the first time Strong has EVER hit the field collegiately, it’s just baffling. Desperation starts to set in, yes, but you would figure after throwing a true freshman about as far into the fire as he possibly could have, there would be more done to try and ease his mind and help keep the boat steady.
In the early going the argument could have been made that perhaps the run game was just not going to get steam, but as it wore on it looked like Brooks was finally able to find some creases. Even if he was hit at the line or just beyond it, he was making gains out of nothing which is not uncharacteristic of him.
This loss was just particularly frustrating given what we had seen the last couple weeks. Gotta find some sort of consistency moving forward.
Founded by a Red Raider, All Hands Craft Cocktails is proud to announce their partnership with RedRaiderSports.com. Try these bar strength, ready-to-drink vodka cocktails at Jones AT&T Stadium this football season or find them at a retailer near you. Cheers.
