As always before my posts, let me preface with the fact that I am not a football expert by any means. I simply rewatch every MSU game multiple times and rewatch each play multiple times as it is something I like to do. Here are my thoughts:
Positives:
1. Brantley is really solid. I think his play is getting somewhat lost in the midst of how bad the rest of our secondary and pass rush is. I was impressed on numerous plays with his ability to stick with Maryland receivers and be pretty sticky. Example: The 3rd down on Marylands first drive. If you watch Brantley at the top of the screen, he has really good coverage for a good 4-5 seconds. When the play breaks-down and Taulia scrambles to his left, the WR breaks off his route to give him an option and they convert. That is solely on the pass rush not getting home in my opinion. Can't ask CBs to cover forever. If you focus on him throughout the game you will notice he is usually right with whoever he is covering which is far from the case with our CBs. Additionally, props to him for hawking down the RB prior to goal-line stand. I think Brantley can be a really solid to good piece on this defense in the future.
2. O-Line: I thought the O-line showed improvements in this game. No they are not going to be road pavers any time soon, but I though they did a nice job opening up some creases and holes for our RBs. Additionally, pass protection was pretty solid throughout the day. I didn't note any major mishaps in pass pro. Additionally, I thought there were a few plays where our RBs (mostly Berger) didn't hit the right hole or hit it with too much hesitancy. I think Broussard and Colins are better at locating these creases and hitting them decisively. I think Horst, Duplain, Samac, and Brown are all improving game by game. Duplain is step above everyone else, I think he has NFL talent. I am really high on Brown but he is still somewhat inconsistent. RG is definitely the worst position of the group but is definitely far from our biggest concern on this team.
3. Haladay showed a lot of improvement. One of my biggest worries after the Minn and Washington wasn't as much the results (even though they sucked ass lol) but more so players playing at a level below what they showed last year. Haladay was at the forefront of this worry. In this game, I thought he looked super decisive, diagnosing plays and being a menace/thumper in the run game. He did have a couple missed tackles, but with a RB the size of Marylands, thats gonna happen. I thought this game was exactly the Haladay we got last year and that is much needed for this defense. If the DTs can keep him clean, he will make plays. Even if they don't he will still have impact on a lot plays.
4. Run Defense: This goes hand in hand with point 3, but the run defense was pretty solid. If you take out the big run from Littleton, Maryland did not have a lot of success running the ball. In addition to Haladay, the DTs were mainly responsible for this for success. They were battling all game long getting off blocks and keeping the LBs clean and I think the stats ultimately reflect this. I thought Avery Dunn/Windmon did a decent job with this as well.
Negatives:
1. CB opposite of Brantley is a major issue. Speed and Williams are just flat out bad. People like to point towards their speed (or lack of it), but I more so see it as a lack of technique and game sense. They are always getting beat on one cut or move by the WR and it just seems like they have no instincts.. They also don't use their size at all which should be a strength for both of them. This might sound crazy but I almost would rather see Kilimbrough get reps again. I think Speed and Williams are worse.
2. BVS - This one should be apparent for everyone, but he is terrible. I think everyone is aware of his lack of high football IQ, but he plays soft. Rewatch the game and focus on him and you'll notice he is constantly playing timid and not bringing any force with his hits. For someone who doesn't diagnose the game super well he needs to make up for it with his physical tools but he just doesn't use them.
3. Maliq Carr shouldn't play. This is solely based off 1 play. One where they sort of pulled him on a run as the lead blocker and he showed zero interest in blocking the only open run defender. Instead he sort of just locks on to someone Samac was already blocking and didn't need help with. If he makes the correct block the play goes for 10+yards. His threat as a receiver isn't good enough to make up for that type of shit.
Overall: I think the team showed improvements in this game. The defense battled and played at a level they haven't shown this season. Not that it was anything special, but them getting off the field multiple times is a massive improvement over the past 2 weeks. Offensively, a couple of terrible drops (Hunt and Barker) killed 2 drives and we can't afford that with our slim margins. Thorne is just so meh. I am not sure it is worth benching him at this point but it really sucks that he regressed so much vs last year. Jay Johnson isn't taking close to the heat that Hazleton is even though Thorne has completely regressed and he has more talent to work with on his side of the ball than Hazleton does. This might sound crazy but I would want him gone before Hazleton.
Positives:
1. Brantley is really solid. I think his play is getting somewhat lost in the midst of how bad the rest of our secondary and pass rush is. I was impressed on numerous plays with his ability to stick with Maryland receivers and be pretty sticky. Example: The 3rd down on Marylands first drive. If you watch Brantley at the top of the screen, he has really good coverage for a good 4-5 seconds. When the play breaks-down and Taulia scrambles to his left, the WR breaks off his route to give him an option and they convert. That is solely on the pass rush not getting home in my opinion. Can't ask CBs to cover forever. If you focus on him throughout the game you will notice he is usually right with whoever he is covering which is far from the case with our CBs. Additionally, props to him for hawking down the RB prior to goal-line stand. I think Brantley can be a really solid to good piece on this defense in the future.
2. O-Line: I thought the O-line showed improvements in this game. No they are not going to be road pavers any time soon, but I though they did a nice job opening up some creases and holes for our RBs. Additionally, pass protection was pretty solid throughout the day. I didn't note any major mishaps in pass pro. Additionally, I thought there were a few plays where our RBs (mostly Berger) didn't hit the right hole or hit it with too much hesitancy. I think Broussard and Colins are better at locating these creases and hitting them decisively. I think Horst, Duplain, Samac, and Brown are all improving game by game. Duplain is step above everyone else, I think he has NFL talent. I am really high on Brown but he is still somewhat inconsistent. RG is definitely the worst position of the group but is definitely far from our biggest concern on this team.
3. Haladay showed a lot of improvement. One of my biggest worries after the Minn and Washington wasn't as much the results (even though they sucked ass lol) but more so players playing at a level below what they showed last year. Haladay was at the forefront of this worry. In this game, I thought he looked super decisive, diagnosing plays and being a menace/thumper in the run game. He did have a couple missed tackles, but with a RB the size of Marylands, thats gonna happen. I thought this game was exactly the Haladay we got last year and that is much needed for this defense. If the DTs can keep him clean, he will make plays. Even if they don't he will still have impact on a lot plays.
4. Run Defense: This goes hand in hand with point 3, but the run defense was pretty solid. If you take out the big run from Littleton, Maryland did not have a lot of success running the ball. In addition to Haladay, the DTs were mainly responsible for this for success. They were battling all game long getting off blocks and keeping the LBs clean and I think the stats ultimately reflect this. I thought Avery Dunn/Windmon did a decent job with this as well.
Negatives:
1. CB opposite of Brantley is a major issue. Speed and Williams are just flat out bad. People like to point towards their speed (or lack of it), but I more so see it as a lack of technique and game sense. They are always getting beat on one cut or move by the WR and it just seems like they have no instincts.. They also don't use their size at all which should be a strength for both of them. This might sound crazy but I almost would rather see Kilimbrough get reps again. I think Speed and Williams are worse.
2. BVS - This one should be apparent for everyone, but he is terrible. I think everyone is aware of his lack of high football IQ, but he plays soft. Rewatch the game and focus on him and you'll notice he is constantly playing timid and not bringing any force with his hits. For someone who doesn't diagnose the game super well he needs to make up for it with his physical tools but he just doesn't use them.
3. Maliq Carr shouldn't play. This is solely based off 1 play. One where they sort of pulled him on a run as the lead blocker and he showed zero interest in blocking the only open run defender. Instead he sort of just locks on to someone Samac was already blocking and didn't need help with. If he makes the correct block the play goes for 10+yards. His threat as a receiver isn't good enough to make up for that type of shit.
Overall: I think the team showed improvements in this game. The defense battled and played at a level they haven't shown this season. Not that it was anything special, but them getting off the field multiple times is a massive improvement over the past 2 weeks. Offensively, a couple of terrible drops (Hunt and Barker) killed 2 drives and we can't afford that with our slim margins. Thorne is just so meh. I am not sure it is worth benching him at this point but it really sucks that he regressed so much vs last year. Jay Johnson isn't taking close to the heat that Hazleton is even though Thorne has completely regressed and he has more talent to work with on his side of the ball than Hazleton does. This might sound crazy but I would want him gone before Hazleton.
