Keep in mind I'm not as good at evaluating as our mods are. This is just my perspective, feel free to criticize or give your own opinion.
Offense: One of biggest things holding the offenses back is execution errors. Personal fouls and running wrong routes (not going to name kids, I'll blame coaches for putting them out there) have really hurt this offense. I know that the offensive play-calling has gotten a lot of criticism, and I would absolutely agree. The two 4th and 1's at UM were complete failures on part of the offensive staff. Two low percentage plays really hurt us in those situations. We also ran a low percentage run play on the goal line against UW that got stuffed. Play-calling in critical situations has been really poor at times. I can give other examples as well where Thorne clearly checked out of two plays on the deep TD pass to Reed to win the game, as well as another deep shot TD to Coleman. The pass protection has been a strength so far, which is a credit to coach Kap and his lineman (more on that later), they play with good technique, move their feet, and square up pass rushers nicely, again good coaching. The issue with the pass game is holding onto the ball for too long. Whether Thorne is not seeing the field well, or we aren't scheming guys to get open is a problem (again I'll blame this on coaching). I believe it's more on not scheming guys open, we have probably the second best WR in the conference, where is the production?? You see other teams scheme guys open through picks, screens, good use of motion, etc. In my opinion we don't do enough to get our guys open.
Running game: The running game obviously has not looked the same without K9. I know a lot of the blame has been pointed on the offensive line. Like I said before I think Kap is getting a lot out of the guys he has. The line he inherited has kind of reached their potential, you see them playing with good technique and most of the guys are avoiding penalties. However, they're not the big, square framed bulldozers that are going to move people in the run game. That takes time, and we have the lineman that have that ability that are still up and coming: VandeMark, Phillips, Broscious, etc. I'm buying stock in the run game moving forward.
Defense: I think we are all pleasantly surprised at how much progress the defense has made. Credit to Hazelton and Tucker for making adjustments, that's coaching growth right there. This defense looked lost at times earlier this season, and now you're seeing them run multiple coverage correctly and confusing QB's (who would've thought). I am really a fan of the multiple defensive scheme if it can be ran well, it keeps the offense guessing. Whether Hazelton adjusted his "rules" or method of communication, it appears to be working and the kids are understanding the system. This defense will be very good moving forward as we bring in higher level athletes and improve the roster, and the if kids can continue to understand the system well.
Overall, I'm still very optimistic about the future of this program. Tuck has instilled a great culture that keeps our players motivated and focused. I still have yet to see any quit from the players all year through the ups and downs. If we recruit to the level Tuck expects to then this will turn into a championship program in the near future. We've already seen talent evaluation and recruiting dividends pay off as a lot of younger guys have contributed and look like they belong on the field (Coleman, Brantley, VandeMark, Bernard, Henry, Tatum, Mangham, Spencer, Young).
Don't bail now, Tuck is still comin.
Offense: One of biggest things holding the offenses back is execution errors. Personal fouls and running wrong routes (not going to name kids, I'll blame coaches for putting them out there) have really hurt this offense. I know that the offensive play-calling has gotten a lot of criticism, and I would absolutely agree. The two 4th and 1's at UM were complete failures on part of the offensive staff. Two low percentage plays really hurt us in those situations. We also ran a low percentage run play on the goal line against UW that got stuffed. Play-calling in critical situations has been really poor at times. I can give other examples as well where Thorne clearly checked out of two plays on the deep TD pass to Reed to win the game, as well as another deep shot TD to Coleman. The pass protection has been a strength so far, which is a credit to coach Kap and his lineman (more on that later), they play with good technique, move their feet, and square up pass rushers nicely, again good coaching. The issue with the pass game is holding onto the ball for too long. Whether Thorne is not seeing the field well, or we aren't scheming guys to get open is a problem (again I'll blame this on coaching). I believe it's more on not scheming guys open, we have probably the second best WR in the conference, where is the production?? You see other teams scheme guys open through picks, screens, good use of motion, etc. In my opinion we don't do enough to get our guys open.
Running game: The running game obviously has not looked the same without K9. I know a lot of the blame has been pointed on the offensive line. Like I said before I think Kap is getting a lot out of the guys he has. The line he inherited has kind of reached their potential, you see them playing with good technique and most of the guys are avoiding penalties. However, they're not the big, square framed bulldozers that are going to move people in the run game. That takes time, and we have the lineman that have that ability that are still up and coming: VandeMark, Phillips, Broscious, etc. I'm buying stock in the run game moving forward.
Defense: I think we are all pleasantly surprised at how much progress the defense has made. Credit to Hazelton and Tucker for making adjustments, that's coaching growth right there. This defense looked lost at times earlier this season, and now you're seeing them run multiple coverage correctly and confusing QB's (who would've thought). I am really a fan of the multiple defensive scheme if it can be ran well, it keeps the offense guessing. Whether Hazelton adjusted his "rules" or method of communication, it appears to be working and the kids are understanding the system. This defense will be very good moving forward as we bring in higher level athletes and improve the roster, and the if kids can continue to understand the system well.
Overall, I'm still very optimistic about the future of this program. Tuck has instilled a great culture that keeps our players motivated and focused. I still have yet to see any quit from the players all year through the ups and downs. If we recruit to the level Tuck expects to then this will turn into a championship program in the near future. We've already seen talent evaluation and recruiting dividends pay off as a lot of younger guys have contributed and look like they belong on the field (Coleman, Brantley, VandeMark, Bernard, Henry, Tatum, Mangham, Spencer, Young).
Don't bail now, Tuck is still comin.
