Obviously losing stinks and we lost, but I think that I can finally see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.
In my honest opinion, we didn't lose because we were outgunned or out coached. We lost because has had a year to workout their system, whereas we just started implementing our system. If you break the game down into offense, defense, and special teams and analyze each of them individually, I think that there are a lot of positives.
* I think that most people would say that our offense looked the worst on Saturday and that's probably true. However, it is important to remember two things: PSU is a very good defensive team and we have a new HC, OC, QB, and WR's. Most teams aren't going to look good on offense when they play a school that is literally known a "Linebacker U." None the less, SU has some excellent chances that we were not about to cash in on because of miscommunication and lack of touch. Given how much is new with our system, I can live with that, as both of those problems will fix themselves as the year goes on. I've also heard that SU looked to vanilla on offense and tried in vain to run up the middle too many times. I agree with HCSS that we should open up the play book, but I don't fault anyone. It's early in the season, and EVERYONE is still learning the system. Under those conditions, opening game is far from the best place to show everyone the tricks up our sleeve. Furthermore, given that we have two backs that are capable of hitting 1,000 yard, a new QB, and WR's with new leadership roles, I can't fault any SU coach from wanting to establish a running presence.
Overall, I would give the unit a C+, but with some polish, that could easily turn into a B, or possibly a B+.
* Special teams was a little bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, we had trouble with some long snaps, we over-kicked coverage once, and we missed a FG. However, on the other hand, some of our coverage was excellent, and I thought that our return game was very good. I think that over-kicking coverage was a result of excitement from the game/location, the missed FG wasn't a give-me, and the long snap is something fixable. I think that there are some serious problems that need to be addressed, but all of the issues that I see are very fixable.
Overall, I would give the unit a B- with the possibility of improving to a B+.
* I thought that our defense was excellent. Sure we gave up some runs early in the game and some big throws early in the second half, but we eventually shut down the run and our secondary held their own and even made some magnificent plays to keep us in the game. It's also worth noting that we were going up against a big offensive line, the #1 freshman QB in the nation, and the #1 WR in the B1G. PSU is a surprisingly dangerous team when they are on offense, and we made them look mediocre, which is a HUGE win.
Overall, I would give the unit a B+ (but close to an A-) with the possibility of improving to a solid A once we figure out how to get more pressure on the QB.
Combined, I would give SU a B/B- ranking, but note that we didn't look particularly polished. In my mind, that isn't bad. It means that we have a lot of work to do, but the work is very doable, which is a good thing.
Given that out of the 3 areas of the game, our defense changed the least and performed the best, I think that our team has a high ceiling. Once the kinks get worked out of our special teams play and once our offense has a chance to settle into a system and gel like our defense has, we could very well field a solid ball team. If our recruiting picks back up (it seems to be in a lull), we could very well be ranked by the end of next year. In fact, although I doubt we will be ranked this season, I actually wouldn't be surprised if we were performing at a top 20-25 level by the end of this year.
GO ORANGE AND BEAT NORTHWESTERN!
In my honest opinion, we didn't lose because we were outgunned or out coached. We lost because has had a year to workout their system, whereas we just started implementing our system. If you break the game down into offense, defense, and special teams and analyze each of them individually, I think that there are a lot of positives.
* I think that most people would say that our offense looked the worst on Saturday and that's probably true. However, it is important to remember two things: PSU is a very good defensive team and we have a new HC, OC, QB, and WR's. Most teams aren't going to look good on offense when they play a school that is literally known a "Linebacker U." None the less, SU has some excellent chances that we were not about to cash in on because of miscommunication and lack of touch. Given how much is new with our system, I can live with that, as both of those problems will fix themselves as the year goes on. I've also heard that SU looked to vanilla on offense and tried in vain to run up the middle too many times. I agree with HCSS that we should open up the play book, but I don't fault anyone. It's early in the season, and EVERYONE is still learning the system. Under those conditions, opening game is far from the best place to show everyone the tricks up our sleeve. Furthermore, given that we have two backs that are capable of hitting 1,000 yard, a new QB, and WR's with new leadership roles, I can't fault any SU coach from wanting to establish a running presence.
Overall, I would give the unit a C+, but with some polish, that could easily turn into a B, or possibly a B+.
* Special teams was a little bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, we had trouble with some long snaps, we over-kicked coverage once, and we missed a FG. However, on the other hand, some of our coverage was excellent, and I thought that our return game was very good. I think that over-kicking coverage was a result of excitement from the game/location, the missed FG wasn't a give-me, and the long snap is something fixable. I think that there are some serious problems that need to be addressed, but all of the issues that I see are very fixable.
Overall, I would give the unit a B- with the possibility of improving to a B+.
* I thought that our defense was excellent. Sure we gave up some runs early in the game and some big throws early in the second half, but we eventually shut down the run and our secondary held their own and even made some magnificent plays to keep us in the game. It's also worth noting that we were going up against a big offensive line, the #1 freshman QB in the nation, and the #1 WR in the B1G. PSU is a surprisingly dangerous team when they are on offense, and we made them look mediocre, which is a HUGE win.
Overall, I would give the unit a B+ (but close to an A-) with the possibility of improving to a solid A once we figure out how to get more pressure on the QB.
Combined, I would give SU a B/B- ranking, but note that we didn't look particularly polished. In my mind, that isn't bad. It means that we have a lot of work to do, but the work is very doable, which is a good thing.
Given that out of the 3 areas of the game, our defense changed the least and performed the best, I think that our team has a high ceiling. Once the kinks get worked out of our special teams play and once our offense has a chance to settle into a system and gel like our defense has, we could very well field a solid ball team. If our recruiting picks back up (it seems to be in a lull), we could very well be ranked by the end of next year. In fact, although I doubt we will be ranked this season, I actually wouldn't be surprised if we were performing at a top 20-25 level by the end of this year.
GO ORANGE AND BEAT NORTHWESTERN!
