Week 8 Thoughts, Observations

Ouch!  Let’s see, we got physically beat, lost the turnover battle, missed some opportunities to score, and got smoked in special teams.  Not a good formula anytime, let alone against the best team in college football.  A 7-38 loss to UAT, let’s analyze….

Offense

If you looked at things overall, we actually had some positive things that we did in the game.  However, we were not consistent and we did not take advantage of a few opportunities.  I thought Tyler hung in there and had some good moments, while he missed a few throws throughout the night.  They were able to get some pressure on the outside but we hung in there and got the ball off on most plays.  The short passes were pretty effective and we got some first downs with the quick game.  Easier said than done but I thought overall we panicked some and got away from the run game a little too early.  Granted, were didn’t have gaping holes but we were getting some decent push and went forward on most plays.  We got two holding calls on Clausell, both appeared pretty questionable to me but that happens on the road.  On the first possession, not getting any points was a big deal.  And on the possession that ended with a pick in the end zone, that was a great long drive, but no points.  I really wanted to keep running the ball on the goal line, whether we had Prescott in or not.  If nothing else, to send a message to both our team and theirs.  At the end of the day, we only turned the ball over once and we got some decent yardage against their starting group.  And the second team had a nice drive to put points on the board.  The good news is that we will not see a better defense than this, including in two weeks.  Grade: D-

Defense

Three drives to start the game, 21 points, wow.  They essentially did whatever they wanted to do and we could not punch back.  They beat us on the deep throw and then they confused us on the goal line.  Our LB play was pretty poor throughout.  I thought the DL played OK but when they double-teamed us, we could not get off of blocks real well.  The secondary failed us a few times and we could not afford it.  Overall, a very disappointing effort.  Grade: F

Special Teams

Is it possible to give a grade lower than a F-?  Its my blog, sure I can.  We begin with a 40+ yard return allowed, a 6th year senior whiffs on the FG team, and it only got worse.  I have wanted Lewis to return kicks, be careful what you ask for:)  And then we get a blocker into a punt.  At least we punted pretty well.  Awful.  Grade: F——–

Team

We tried to get a measuring stick and it got broke off in us, so to speak.  Hey, we had to play the big boys at some point, and yet we had some opportunities to stay in the game but we are simply not there yet.  Perhaps we can in November.  The big test is this week when we have to focus on a different kind of challenge.  A 7 point dog to TAM?  If that can’t get our attention…..Grade: F

Notes

The late great Jim Croce once said, “you don’t tug on Superman’s cape…..”, perhaps putting the We Believe shirt on the statue of Bear Bryant could have been thought thru a little better:)……I think Auburn thought they were playing a video game Sat. night, incredibly bad performance….I can’t decide if Mississippi has really gotten better or if UPig is just a colossal mess, probably some of both…..11:00 game, wow.  At least I can make it back for the UAT/LSU game with time to spare……We will be either the 2:30 or 7:00 game the following week, I’m betting night game…..Loved the We Believe campaign, despite getting a little ridicule about it.  There’s no more passionate and defensive fan base anywhere, and it certainly showed.  We’ve showed that we can market and use social media as good as anyone, now we just have to back it up!…..Got several texts from my 14-year-old as he sat with the Bams Sat night at Bryant Denny.  Needless to say, he was ready to get back home.  The good news is the kid bleeds maroon and white to the core while living in enemy territory, I can smile:)…..Have a great week, see you in Vegas bright and early Saturday.

Brian (Follow me on Twitter @blfdawg)

Week 7 Thoughts, Observations

I admit it, I walked in the stadium with that pit in my stomach that I’m sure others did, you know the one that said, “Please don’t blow this”:)  But hey, these aren’t your daddy’s or granddaddy’s Dawgs anymore.  It ended up being a convincing 45-3 win over MTSU, but closer than the final may have indicated, let’s analyze….

Offense

When you score 45, you usually say it was almost all positive.  On this night, we only scored 10 in the first half, and that was disappointing.  We allowed a sack/fumble when we subbed Robinson in at RT, and I can assure you he heard about it!  We also sputtered a few times but when we cranked things up in the 3rd quarter, it snowballed in a good way.  Perkins really got us jump started with the big run and then Tyler made some very nice throws, particularly in the 3rd quarter.  We ran the ball well by committee and we have shown we have great depth.  Good tune-up for next week.  Grade: B

Defense

We only allowed 3 points, so it was a good night.  We did allow a few too many yards and they hit a couple of big passes.  However, we turned them over a couple of times and made some nice plays when we had to.  We also played a ton of guys.  It was good to see Calhoun come in and get meaningful minutes when Banks got hurt, he will have to step up as we progress this season.  I noticed that Nick James and Quay Evans got a ton of snaps and they were productive.  Good work all around.  Grade: A-

Special Teams

I think we only punted once and we kicked off pretty well.  I really want Lewis to be the kickoff return guy, Perkins is just not elusive.  Bell missed an easy FG, not good.  We had a couple of nice punt returns that were helpful.  We have to have an A+ effort for next Week.  Grade: B-

Team

When you win by 42 on Homecoming and cover, all is good with the Bulldog Nation.  Everyone also had to hold their breath when #13 went down, I think he is going to be OK.  Good job to get the guys ready.  As for this week, nothing really needs to be said.  Grade: A-

Notes

Great weather day, it sure seemed like we had fewer people on campus this weekend than the UT weekend.  Nice day all around…..Game 5 of my cell service being held hostage in DWS:)…….We opened as a 24 point dog today, wow.  Respect must be earned, no shortcuts…..AU, I think Chiznik just needs some more time:)…Gotta give a shout out to the Oak Mountain Eagles, now 6-2 and playoff bound after knocking off the defending 6A state champs Prattville.  Lewis is a ballboy, must be a good luck charm:)….Not planning to go into Bryant-Denny but plan to tailgate with some of our Bama friends, then drive back home to watch.  Good luck to those who are attending, do something historic….Have a great week!

Brian (Follow me on twitter @blfdawg)

Week 6 Thoughts, Observations

Well, our game ended late Sat night and I’m late too, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it:)  In a game where we needed to make a statement and gain a little more respect, we accomplished that on most accounts.  It was a fun atmosphere and more importantly, a good product on the field, a 41-31 victory over Tennessee, let’s analyze….

Offense

Let’s see, we put up 450 yards and 41 points against a quality SEC opponent, I’d submit that is pretty good, despite being effectively shut out in the 3rd quarter.  It did think we might run the ball a little more effectively but we ran enough, their front was pretty good.  The passing game was splendid all evening long.  In prior instances, our passing game was more of hold your breath and hope something good would happen.  Now, it is pretty reliable and we can generally count on it for big and crucial plays.  The RB committee did well once again, all contributed in a big way.  The best and gutsiest call all night was the 3rd and 7 draw play to Perkins, with about 4 minutes left, well done.  I thought the OL played probably its best game overall.  We did not have near as many hits to Tyler as we have had previously.  Our WR crew clearly made a difference.  We don’t have the top-end talent like UT does but we made some big plays in the passing game on this night.  Malcolm Johnson, welcome back, what a stud and big target with incredible hands.  As for our passing game, Tyler made one really bad play all night and they simply dropped the INT.  Otherwise, what a QB performance.  The throws, the reads, the runs and the audibles.  When UT lined up with 9 guys on the line late, we simply had to throw and he and Bumphis made two huge plays, at least one was an audible.  Having a 4th year junior with poise and confidence cannot be understated.  Collectively, and knock on wood, we are seeing one of the best QB seasons ever in maroon and white.  Well done, offense, well done.  Grade: A-

Defense

This was certainly a stout challenge versus an offense that had some explosive playmakers.  We gave up some drives, surprisingly a lot of rushing yards, but we also forced some 3 and outs that kept them from really getting into a rhythm.  And we played a ton of guys too that had to help us be fresh in the end.  I thought our corners did well, despite giving up a few plays but those guys were good.  I thought the LB play was better, although we seem to miss a few tackles that lead to bigger gains than necessary.  The play that really got me was the first play of the second half, a reverse that we sniff out and we let him escape for about 40 yards, not good.  We got some pressure up front but we really need Autry to get a little more speed rush on the end to disrupt things more.  I figured we would give up 3 TDs, and that’s what our defense did.  The play of the game was clearly the Banks strip/recovery.  He also made some other nice plays, that should help his status, other than the blown tackle at the line early in the game.  Overall, a good effort that certainly kept us in the game.  Grade: B-

Special Teams

When you give up a KO return for TD, that’s usually an automatic F.  And we missed a 38 yd FG barely into the stiff breeze.  However, we somewhat made up for it with the sky kick that landed perfectly.  We punted and kicked well, and we got a little bit in the punt return game.  I think we need another kick returner other than Perkins, he is not the elusive kind but at least he holds onto the ball well, he is just not going to get you the big play.  Somehow we escaped giving up 2 KO TDs this season, we can’t play with that fire again.  Grade: D

Team

When you go 6-0 and 3-0 in the league, not much to say other than job well done.  We’ve still not played a “complete” game but we play well as a TEAM.  And we’ve got just enough playmakers to give us a shot in every game that we play.  Enjoy the ride, folks, enjoy the ride…..Grade: B+

Notes

Would someone please explain to me that in the middle of the 3rd quarter why there were several hundred students who apparently had to go “study”?  Are you freakin kidding me??????  Big-time game, vs. a big-time opponent, great atmosphere, and folks leave while we are winning.  Sometimes, I just have to shake my head…..Hate that the AU win doesn’t look so hot but not really:)…..What a great crowd and atmosphere, and great weather.  That is what football Saturdays in the South is all about…..And I’m sure our Memphis and Nashville crew were much appreciative of the Dawgs performance……Once again, trying to throw a Nerf ball 40+ yards into a truck,wow……..We’ve got to help the team this week, our opponent can make us sweat if we are not on our “A” game…..Looks like 7:30 vs. UAT, should be interesting……Even though it doesn’t currently mean anything, being #12 in the BCS does have a pretty cool ring to it.  One game at a time…..Sounds like we had a bunch of recruits this week at the game, had to be a good show….My continued complaint, why the Alumni Center is not open on game days defies logic to me……Have a great week, and just get ready for the ad mauseum “we haven’t played anybody, blah blah blah” stuff, just keep your head down and play each game and all that stuff will sort itself out…..

Brian  (Follow me on Twitter @blfdawg)

Week 5 Thoughts, Observations

Hope all is well after a week off.  In this week, we took care of business in a fairly non-eventful win.  A 27-14 victory over UK, let’s analyze….

Offense

The one thing about this game that was a little disappointing was the lack of a dominant running game.  It was good enough but I guess UK wanted to take that away from us.  We more than made up for it in the passing game.  I thought Russell had a good game but there were some mistakes in both protection and decisions.  What continues to impress me is his accuracy on the deeper throws especially on the deep posts and in routes.  I think most were expecting a few more points but I think we could have gotten a few more had we not fumbled twice and had a little more urgency.  Another interesting thing on Saturday was we were essentially playing the whole day on the OL without a senior in the group.  That is encouraging.  I tell ya, it really didn’t seem like Bumphis had 9 catches but it just sort of fit in on this day, nice production.  Overall, a solid day.  Grade: C+

Defense

The defense basically controlled the game, except when we blew the coverage in the first half on the deep ball.  Once we got up 20 points, we had our normal letdown to some degree.  I thought we swarmed to the ball pretty well and made some good plays, although with no turnovers.  Josh Boyd had a good game and I know we got folks a ton of snaps and experience.  14 points was a few too many but we were never in doubt of losing.  Grade: B-

Special Teams

Devin Bell has gotten very solid, really like that leg.  We were pretty good in this arena except for the blown on sides kick.  I was sitting in Full Moon BBQ watching when Christian Holmes jacked up that kickoff returner and there were several “Oohs” in the joint, that was pretty darn solid!  Good day overall.  Grade: B-

Team

Bottom line, we took care of business on the road, granted against arguably the worst team in the league (or maybe we played them in Week 2?).  Anyway, we came off a bye week and got the win to go 5-0.  This week, a little better offense to contend with but I think we will be prepared and up to the challenge.  Grade: B+

Notes

Talk radio this week will be gold in my state:)  Wow…..How LSU can score 12 against AU and 6 against UF is stunning.  And USC may have the best D among the three…..Webs, just shake my head…..Can’t wait for this weekend in Vegas, hope to see everyone there!

Brian  (Follow me on Twitter @blfdawg)