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Thread: USU Game thoughts

  1. #1

    USU Game thoughts

    After re-watching the game and paying particular attention to the defense, here is what I saw.

    USU did a lot of good things to create mismatches with speed against our LB's in the pass game. Keeton ran the ball when he had the advantage in the box. Spread us out, have 4 or 5 in box and run. Our DB's improved as the game went on.

    Interior DL was okay. They did not do anything great but generally held their own. The need to get more push.
    DE's - Orchard was a stud and Palamo and Dimick did some good things
    LB - Reilly was a stud. Fehoko missed some tackles and took some bad angles. He needs to be better. Norris got better as the game went on and actually was in great coverage on the 3rd down play that resulted in a scramble and then a FG instead of a TD. Hale was good when he went in for Reilly. Chappuis played some LB and was decent.
    S - Neither Rowe or Walker had great games against the pass, but were pretty solid against the run.
    CB's - They got better as the game progressed. McGill looked like he got burned on the first play, but he played it exactly how he is taught and they beat him with a bit of a back shoulder pass. Thomas was beaten badly and Orphey was beaten badly on TD, but Orphey came back and made some good plays.

    The D improved as the game went on. USU has an above average OL, a really good QB and some good skill players. While there is certainly a lot of things to improve on, I think the improvement they showed in the game is something to build on.

    Offense.

    The OL did not control the LOS and in fact was dominated at crucial times. While they look better than a year ago, they still have a lot of work to do.

    The RB's look serviceable. I thought Williams was the best except for the fumble. He runs hard and can pass block. Not sure what happened to York. I have to believe it was some type of injury as he was running hard and does a good job pass blocking. Poole is the biggest threat, but is a liability in pass coverage. I don't think the coaches trust Lucky to not put the ball on the ground.

    WR's were good. With Scott down we need Lewis to step up and will likely need some production from Hatfield, McClellon and Brian Allen.

    TE's. I don't think we used them as much as we should have.

    This was a very good win and an important win. The game was close and tough and the players should leave with some confidence that they can come back and beat a good team.

    I don't know how much the Weber game will help, but I don't think it will hurt. Hopefully we can get some of the young back ups some decent work and experience and come out healthy and with a confidence building win.

  2. #2
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    I believe Jarid stated in a different thread that the best perspective of this game will be viewed from down the road.

    In a few weeks, we will see what kind of team USU really is and what the victory means for our team.

    Right now, I think USU is a good football team with a solid, experienced, Offensive and Defensive line. I think Keeton is a playmaker and one hell of a slippery fast QB. I believe USU should be a team capable of fighting for a Mountain West Championship.

    I think the victory was hard fought and a good early preparation for this Utah team and its incredibly tough schedule. It set the right tone.

    We now have a couple weeks to further tune-up our offensive attack and game plan. We can use the Weber week to dial in the timing and execution and look ahead a little for Oregon State (which is going to be a battle because they look to be good).

    If we can beat Oregon State at our house, I think we will be in great shape for BYU on the road.

    Right now I am optimistic about our early season. We know the upcoming schedule is going to be a meat grinder. We have to find the victories to earn a bowl game during this difficult endeavor. Beyond this upcoming week, we won't be able to take a single game for granted. If the Utes do earn a bowl game this year it will go a long way towards establishing respect in the PAC and moving the entire program forward.

    One game isn't going to tell us much about our team yet... We should have a much clearer view at the end of September.

    Damn I hope we come into the UCLA game at home undefeated.

  3. #3
    I think 5-0 is possible. Watching our next 2 opponents, (not counting Weber state). They are flawed teams, not saying they can't beat us, just that they have some issues.

    We had too many question marks coming into the season to be overly exuberant. We now have some answers to those questions, some good answers, some bad, and a few "we will see". But I think we saw good news at the position that matters most. And Travis Wilson gives me optimism for the rest of the schedule. IMO, we were solid qb play away from being 8-4 the last two seasons. And a good qb can covert a multitude of other sins. I think that 7-5 is a realistic outcome, especially if all groups progress through the year
    “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
    André Gide

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