SWC75
Bored Historian
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
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- We are giving up 42 points a game. It’s not all the defense’s fault but it’s got to change if we are to accomplish anything this years.
- I think USC has been over estimated. They didn’t look like a national title contender today and it wasn’t all us. I wouldn’t be surprised if they lose 2-3 games this year and our playing them close will lose some of it’s significance, (but not all of it), as the season progresses.
- Ryan Nassib is a different quarterback when we are in our hurry-up offense. He’s just more efficient and his passes are sharper. The problem is, we don’t go to it until we are way down. It’s almost to our advantage when we get down 13-35 or 3-21. Then we got to what we do best. I recall when the St. Louis Rams suddenly emerged as one of the great offensive teams ever. Dick Vermiel and Mike Martz, the story goes, were discussing when to use their best plays. Martz suddenly had an idea. Why not use them all the time? Indeed.
- Against Northwestern, we passed the ball 66 times and ran it 29 times. In this game we passed it 46 times and ran it 40 times. Why? “To slow the game down and keep Matt Barkley on the bench”. Why do we want to slow the game down when we function best by speeding it up? You keep the other team’s offense on the bench by moving the chains and you move the chains by doing what you do best. Even late in the game we were starting out with Smith running up the middle. If we’d come out in the two minute offense and stayed in it, we would have won this game.
- We had 37 yards returning punts last year to the opposition‘s 189. This year the score is -6 vs. 177. Why do we lose games we had a chance to win? This might have something to do with it.
- We have had 173 yards on 9 kick-off returns in two games. That’s only 19 yards a pop. Basically, Kobena isn’t getting any blocking at all. He runs about 10 yards and has to fight his way past tacklers and runs out of room. It’s tougher to win when you are getting basically nothing from kick returns and are praying when we kick the ball to the other team that we can just tackle them before they get to the goal line. We may not have a Quinton Spotswood or a Kevin Johnson but we’ve got to get more out of our kick return units than this. If we have depth now, why can’t we put our best blockers and tackles on these units?
- Everybody’s upset that Marrone punted on 4th and 2, down 12 with 12 minutes to go. Somebody said that every coach in the country would have gone for it in that situation. I think the opposite is closer to the truth. The decision that upset me was sending Broyld in to run the “stallion” twice in a row after we got possession deep in our territory in the first half in a scoreless tie and then sending in Nassib on third and ten. That made no sense to me at all. When have we ever gotten anything from the “Stallion” anyway? I’d rather have Broyld line up at running back and maybe a halfback option pass.
- They got rid of the play where Nassib fakes a handoff and runs up the middle. That’s good. We were going to get him killed doing that. But I’d love to see more roll-outs with a pass-run option. He can run the ball and pass on the run. Some quarterback draws might be interesting, too.
- Justin Pugh can’t come back too soon. That will enable Marrone to move Hickey, who is doing a good job at the other tackle, in place of Lou Alexander. On any play where Nassib gets pressured, Alexander is the one getting blown up. That big tipped pass interception at the beginning of the half was such a play.
- But maybe the biggest missed block was by David Stevens. A beautifully executed
end-around to Marcus Sales after we’d made them punt at 16-21 didn’t gain a yard because Stevens totally whiffed on the only Trojan in the picture.
- Why would Brandon Reddish be playing 15 yards off a tight end on 3rd and 10?
- We are 0-2 and have lost 7 games in a row. All the optimism in the world can’t change that. And don’t underestimate Stony Brook. We’ve got to stop the slide at some point. It had better be now.
- I think USC has been over estimated. They didn’t look like a national title contender today and it wasn’t all us. I wouldn’t be surprised if they lose 2-3 games this year and our playing them close will lose some of it’s significance, (but not all of it), as the season progresses.
- Ryan Nassib is a different quarterback when we are in our hurry-up offense. He’s just more efficient and his passes are sharper. The problem is, we don’t go to it until we are way down. It’s almost to our advantage when we get down 13-35 or 3-21. Then we got to what we do best. I recall when the St. Louis Rams suddenly emerged as one of the great offensive teams ever. Dick Vermiel and Mike Martz, the story goes, were discussing when to use their best plays. Martz suddenly had an idea. Why not use them all the time? Indeed.
- Against Northwestern, we passed the ball 66 times and ran it 29 times. In this game we passed it 46 times and ran it 40 times. Why? “To slow the game down and keep Matt Barkley on the bench”. Why do we want to slow the game down when we function best by speeding it up? You keep the other team’s offense on the bench by moving the chains and you move the chains by doing what you do best. Even late in the game we were starting out with Smith running up the middle. If we’d come out in the two minute offense and stayed in it, we would have won this game.
- We had 37 yards returning punts last year to the opposition‘s 189. This year the score is -6 vs. 177. Why do we lose games we had a chance to win? This might have something to do with it.
- We have had 173 yards on 9 kick-off returns in two games. That’s only 19 yards a pop. Basically, Kobena isn’t getting any blocking at all. He runs about 10 yards and has to fight his way past tacklers and runs out of room. It’s tougher to win when you are getting basically nothing from kick returns and are praying when we kick the ball to the other team that we can just tackle them before they get to the goal line. We may not have a Quinton Spotswood or a Kevin Johnson but we’ve got to get more out of our kick return units than this. If we have depth now, why can’t we put our best blockers and tackles on these units?
- Everybody’s upset that Marrone punted on 4th and 2, down 12 with 12 minutes to go. Somebody said that every coach in the country would have gone for it in that situation. I think the opposite is closer to the truth. The decision that upset me was sending Broyld in to run the “stallion” twice in a row after we got possession deep in our territory in the first half in a scoreless tie and then sending in Nassib on third and ten. That made no sense to me at all. When have we ever gotten anything from the “Stallion” anyway? I’d rather have Broyld line up at running back and maybe a halfback option pass.
- They got rid of the play where Nassib fakes a handoff and runs up the middle. That’s good. We were going to get him killed doing that. But I’d love to see more roll-outs with a pass-run option. He can run the ball and pass on the run. Some quarterback draws might be interesting, too.
- Justin Pugh can’t come back too soon. That will enable Marrone to move Hickey, who is doing a good job at the other tackle, in place of Lou Alexander. On any play where Nassib gets pressured, Alexander is the one getting blown up. That big tipped pass interception at the beginning of the half was such a play.
- But maybe the biggest missed block was by David Stevens. A beautifully executed
end-around to Marcus Sales after we’d made them punt at 16-21 didn’t gain a yard because Stevens totally whiffed on the only Trojan in the picture.
- Why would Brandon Reddish be playing 15 yards off a tight end on 3rd and 10?
- We are 0-2 and have lost 7 games in a row. All the optimism in the world can’t change that. And don’t underestimate Stony Brook. We’ve got to stop the slide at some point. It had better be now.
