Had to wait until I calmed down to post my thoughts on the game. Like many of you, I'm sick as a dog about how it turned out, but I am proud of our team and their effort and I have never been more proud to be a Red Raider. That said, here are my thoughts:
1. If Pat doesn't have a bum knee in the second half, we win. Period. He is an absolute stud and our future is bright with him as our QB.
2. My wife, who doesn't like sports, strangely was watching the fourth quarter. She asked me why is Tech's QB limping? I told her because he injured his knee trying to score a touchdown and he wants to continue playing because he is the ultimate competitor. Her response was "wow he must have a huge set of balls." Love her.
3. I am not a coach nor have I ever coached football, but I am totally mystified at how we defensed Josh Doctson. This guy was killing us all game long and we continued to cover him man to man. I just don't get it. Why not double cover? Good Lord make someone else beat you! Have one guy jam his ass at the line and another provide backup coverage. Just do something - anything - to disrupt his route! Maybe some of the posters who have coaching experience can shed some light on this. Please chime in.
4. At the risk of being Captain Obvious, we lost primarily because of our defense. With the exception of a few plays in the 4th quarter, we had zero pass rush. Boykin had all day to throw. I believe this had more to do with TCU receivers running wide open all game long than placing all the blame on our cover guys. Four NFL corners could not cover those receivers that long. Pass rushers should be our #1 priority. Drops, penalties and no TO also reared their ugly heads again.
5. Offense played great - especially DWash and the OL. I know Kliff is in love with the pass, but damn we didn't run the ball enough and that really hurt us. Need to get Stockton the ball in open space, not run him between the tackles. Good God man, you score 52 points with a one-legged QB you should win the game.
5. Our ST were outstanding. Blocking a field goal at the time was huge. Punting was great and most of the kickoffs were out of the end zone. Jakeem had a nice KO return to mid-field.
6. There were numerous injuries on both sides. Can't help but think the worn out Jones turf may have contributed to that. We're a year or two late replacing it. I know it takes $ but player safety trumps that. Get it done soon.
Hopefully Pat's knee is not serious. Also wondering how Sadler is.
Wreck'em
1. If Pat doesn't have a bum knee in the second half, we win. Period. He is an absolute stud and our future is bright with him as our QB.
2. My wife, who doesn't like sports, strangely was watching the fourth quarter. She asked me why is Tech's QB limping? I told her because he injured his knee trying to score a touchdown and he wants to continue playing because he is the ultimate competitor. Her response was "wow he must have a huge set of balls." Love her.
3. I am not a coach nor have I ever coached football, but I am totally mystified at how we defensed Josh Doctson. This guy was killing us all game long and we continued to cover him man to man. I just don't get it. Why not double cover? Good Lord make someone else beat you! Have one guy jam his ass at the line and another provide backup coverage. Just do something - anything - to disrupt his route! Maybe some of the posters who have coaching experience can shed some light on this. Please chime in.
4. At the risk of being Captain Obvious, we lost primarily because of our defense. With the exception of a few plays in the 4th quarter, we had zero pass rush. Boykin had all day to throw. I believe this had more to do with TCU receivers running wide open all game long than placing all the blame on our cover guys. Four NFL corners could not cover those receivers that long. Pass rushers should be our #1 priority. Drops, penalties and no TO also reared their ugly heads again.
5. Offense played great - especially DWash and the OL. I know Kliff is in love with the pass, but damn we didn't run the ball enough and that really hurt us. Need to get Stockton the ball in open space, not run him between the tackles. Good God man, you score 52 points with a one-legged QB you should win the game.
5. Our ST were outstanding. Blocking a field goal at the time was huge. Punting was great and most of the kickoffs were out of the end zone. Jakeem had a nice KO return to mid-field.
6. There were numerous injuries on both sides. Can't help but think the worn out Jones turf may have contributed to that. We're a year or two late replacing it. I know it takes $ but player safety trumps that. Get it done soon.
Hopefully Pat's knee is not serious. Also wondering how Sadler is.
Wreck'em
