1) Coach D has proven ten times over that he gets the best out of teams when their backs are against a wall. Much of it with this staff as well.
2) I have a memory longer than 3 days, so I remember most of the ND game that was awesome, as well the last 6 years.
3) Many of these players were keys to getting us to the playoffs last year. They didn't just become poor players. Add in another year of experience for them as well.
4) While we don't have Cook, I can't say with confidence that the 2013 early season version of Cook was better than TOC right now. TOC played very poorly, no question. During the ND game, however, i felt we could win the conference with him. We will see if he has the confidence Cook used to have after bad games. Cook's upside was obviously higher, but Cook circa 2013 had a good enough team around him to win big. Maybe we can improve at the same clip this year as we did for him that year. A LOT changed the 2nd half of that season for this squad. I went from frightened about the program to thinking we would crush anyone by the Rose Bowl.
5) Madaris, Corley, and Shelton have me feeling good about WRs.
6) We've barely seen our TE involvement yet. That should change for the better. I can hope at least. Seems crazy not to use them more.
7) Holmes is on the bench and I believe this game will force the change for good. He's a damn good player who leads through his style of play.
8) Bullough will be back soon enough. Even without Reschke (which blows big time), we still have a few weeks where we SHOULD beat lesser competition even without him. If we don't beat lesser competition without Bullough and Reschke, none of this matters anyways. If we do, then well have Bullough, Dowell, Frey and Davis with 4-5 more weeks of warm-up for UM. Throw in Jones and we still have a strong LB unit.
9) Our secondary can get better. All secondaries make mistakes. Some are from lack of pass rush, some are from a few blown coverages, but we can definitely improve. Also, Montae is slamming people right now.
10) Our OL is still solid. I was disappointed with Wisconsin, but bad games happen. It is NOT a trend of this team to have consistent OL deficiencies, so i don't expect it to continue. We have the beef and athleticism.
11) Our DL still has upside + Malik. Could be worse. Could definitely be better, no question about it. This is the unit that concerns me, however i'm pleased to see R Williams and MM making plays. Cooper is close. Very close. We just need health and young growth to help.
12) We still play our chief rivals at home. If we win a few straight, we go into UM a top 10 team REGARDLESS of how we look winning the game (like last year). Then its on to unleash some hatred.
13) We are Spartans. We can't bail on a team as that is an insult the program. We knew we'd have some challenges this year. The young talent is still there though, so don't bail prematurely.
2) I have a memory longer than 3 days, so I remember most of the ND game that was awesome, as well the last 6 years.
3) Many of these players were keys to getting us to the playoffs last year. They didn't just become poor players. Add in another year of experience for them as well.
4) While we don't have Cook, I can't say with confidence that the 2013 early season version of Cook was better than TOC right now. TOC played very poorly, no question. During the ND game, however, i felt we could win the conference with him. We will see if he has the confidence Cook used to have after bad games. Cook's upside was obviously higher, but Cook circa 2013 had a good enough team around him to win big. Maybe we can improve at the same clip this year as we did for him that year. A LOT changed the 2nd half of that season for this squad. I went from frightened about the program to thinking we would crush anyone by the Rose Bowl.
5) Madaris, Corley, and Shelton have me feeling good about WRs.
6) We've barely seen our TE involvement yet. That should change for the better. I can hope at least. Seems crazy not to use them more.
7) Holmes is on the bench and I believe this game will force the change for good. He's a damn good player who leads through his style of play.
8) Bullough will be back soon enough. Even without Reschke (which blows big time), we still have a few weeks where we SHOULD beat lesser competition even without him. If we don't beat lesser competition without Bullough and Reschke, none of this matters anyways. If we do, then well have Bullough, Dowell, Frey and Davis with 4-5 more weeks of warm-up for UM. Throw in Jones and we still have a strong LB unit.
9) Our secondary can get better. All secondaries make mistakes. Some are from lack of pass rush, some are from a few blown coverages, but we can definitely improve. Also, Montae is slamming people right now.
10) Our OL is still solid. I was disappointed with Wisconsin, but bad games happen. It is NOT a trend of this team to have consistent OL deficiencies, so i don't expect it to continue. We have the beef and athleticism.
11) Our DL still has upside + Malik. Could be worse. Could definitely be better, no question about it. This is the unit that concerns me, however i'm pleased to see R Williams and MM making plays. Cooper is close. Very close. We just need health and young growth to help.
12) We still play our chief rivals at home. If we win a few straight, we go into UM a top 10 team REGARDLESS of how we look winning the game (like last year). Then its on to unleash some hatred.
13) We are Spartans. We can't bail on a team as that is an insult the program. We knew we'd have some challenges this year. The young talent is still there though, so don't bail prematurely.
