I didn't want to write up a formal article piece so I decided to just post this on the board. I've rewatched the game against Murray State and here are some thoughts:
- Donovan Smith was the clear No. 2 in my eyes. Behren isn't far behind though and showed flashes of good football. As always, I think he throws the hardest pass and has the quickest release of the three QBs. I think the collective third-string group mixed in with some backup second-stringers didn't play well around him. Last six drives of the game were punt, punt, touchdown, punt and interception. There were times where Behren tried to make some plays on his feet but the o-line didn't hold up too well or he just held on to the ball too long. One of his biggest strengths and coach Kittley has said it before too is his ability to throw on the run. I wonder if he was more of a pocket passer if those drives would've ended differently.
- The starting offensive line and defensive backs flipped in my mind because all offseason the worries were around the o-line. The strongest, most experienced group is the DB room. That didn't look the same come Saturday night. The starting five upfront surprised me with how gelled they looked for most snaps. The transition from playing with Tyler to Donovan was so smooth. I really enjoyed seeing that starting group on Saturday. The one group, DBs and especially the starters, shocked me with how many times they were ran by. The Murray State QB, DJ Williams, was damn good. He sustained a right knee injury that they'll learn more about when they get an MRI done. But, nonetheless, his receivers were getting by the DBs but luckily enough the front seven were getting pressure on Williams. Photo proof below...
EDIT: Forgot to add this quote from Dennis Wilburn - “I honestly didn’t even know he was back there,” Wilburn said. “He came up to me and was like ‘It was a great pocket back there,’ and I was like ‘Bro, I didn’t even know you was in the game.’”
- The Texas Tech run defense stood out to me. Murray State combined for 95 gained yards but lost 45 per the stat sheet. 50 gained yards on the ground is pretty, pretty good. Now, -21 of those were on sacks but still a solid performance from the defensive line. The grades for Jaylon Hutchings, Tyree Wilson, Phil Blidi, etc. were jumping off the page in the PFF grades. I'm a huge believer in Blidi. He is great people along with his family. It's hard not to root for him and Saturday was fun for me to watch. (@DThompson)
- Okay, so on to the Texas A&M thing. I arrived in Lubbock from Big Spring in the fall of 2014. I was accepted into TCU and Tech. Once I arrived for my visit on campus I was sold. It wasn't far from home (an hour and a half) but also I could still do my own thing with my parents not visiting every weekend. Fort Worth was just busy to me. But mainly it was the classic West Texas feel aka home. Oh, and Dr. Jorge Iber. He allowed me as a freshman to enroll in his upper-level Baseball in America class. My parents loved him from the day we met him. But, anyways, during my time (and now) I always knew about the Aggie rivalry. But I never got to experience it in person. Fast-forward to today and one of my roommates is an Aggie. He's one of my best friends. But, damnit if I don't hear about A&M football, Manziel or that damn dog daily. It's all in good fun but I now know how easy it is to dislike the Maroon and White. I'll keep y'all posted on my first trip to College Station as he is insisting on me visiting for a game one of these days. Shoutout to Keith, but there's not going to be a national title in Aggieland this year.
- Donovan Smith was the clear No. 2 in my eyes. Behren isn't far behind though and showed flashes of good football. As always, I think he throws the hardest pass and has the quickest release of the three QBs. I think the collective third-string group mixed in with some backup second-stringers didn't play well around him. Last six drives of the game were punt, punt, touchdown, punt and interception. There were times where Behren tried to make some plays on his feet but the o-line didn't hold up too well or he just held on to the ball too long. One of his biggest strengths and coach Kittley has said it before too is his ability to throw on the run. I wonder if he was more of a pocket passer if those drives would've ended differently.
- The starting offensive line and defensive backs flipped in my mind because all offseason the worries were around the o-line. The strongest, most experienced group is the DB room. That didn't look the same come Saturday night. The starting five upfront surprised me with how gelled they looked for most snaps. The transition from playing with Tyler to Donovan was so smooth. I really enjoyed seeing that starting group on Saturday. The one group, DBs and especially the starters, shocked me with how many times they were ran by. The Murray State QB, DJ Williams, was damn good. He sustained a right knee injury that they'll learn more about when they get an MRI done. But, nonetheless, his receivers were getting by the DBs but luckily enough the front seven were getting pressure on Williams. Photo proof below...
EDIT: Forgot to add this quote from Dennis Wilburn - “I honestly didn’t even know he was back there,” Wilburn said. “He came up to me and was like ‘It was a great pocket back there,’ and I was like ‘Bro, I didn’t even know you was in the game.’”
- The Texas Tech run defense stood out to me. Murray State combined for 95 gained yards but lost 45 per the stat sheet. 50 gained yards on the ground is pretty, pretty good. Now, -21 of those were on sacks but still a solid performance from the defensive line. The grades for Jaylon Hutchings, Tyree Wilson, Phil Blidi, etc. were jumping off the page in the PFF grades. I'm a huge believer in Blidi. He is great people along with his family. It's hard not to root for him and Saturday was fun for me to watch. (@DThompson)
- Okay, so on to the Texas A&M thing. I arrived in Lubbock from Big Spring in the fall of 2014. I was accepted into TCU and Tech. Once I arrived for my visit on campus I was sold. It wasn't far from home (an hour and a half) but also I could still do my own thing with my parents not visiting every weekend. Fort Worth was just busy to me. But mainly it was the classic West Texas feel aka home. Oh, and Dr. Jorge Iber. He allowed me as a freshman to enroll in his upper-level Baseball in America class. My parents loved him from the day we met him. But, anyways, during my time (and now) I always knew about the Aggie rivalry. But I never got to experience it in person. Fast-forward to today and one of my roommates is an Aggie. He's one of my best friends. But, damnit if I don't hear about A&M football, Manziel or that damn dog daily. It's all in good fun but I now know how easy it is to dislike the Maroon and White. I'll keep y'all posted on my first trip to College Station as he is insisting on me visiting for a game one of these days. Shoutout to Keith, but there's not going to be a national title in Aggieland this year.
