The game started ordinarily enough, the Lions started on defense and bent but didn't break. When PSU got the ball I thought that Morelli and the offense were going to be able to get the job done and a "W" was within reach! Then the slow, steady slide to mistake-ville began: a third blown field-goal in two games. I don't want to stick these debacles on any one player but something needs to be done. All the other mistakes were basically a different version of the same cocktail of bad luck and poor decision making.
The Good:
The offensive and defensive lines, for the most part, played very well. Tony Hunt rushed for over 100 yds. and the defensive line did play the run very well. Really, the offense played well but completely shat the bed with mistakes.
The Bad:
Special teams. (Pretty much everybody on special teams will be running laps)
The offense needs to limit mistakes, score points, and keep the other teams offense off the field. (That is what almost made me stroke-out in my living room) Between turnovers and missed opportunities there were few bright-spots. Did the plays where D-Will lined up as QB fool anyone? D-Will needs to get his touches but I don’t think this is the way to do it.
The defense needs something. I don't know if
Next week the Lions host the mighty Penguins of Youngstown State and this could not come at a better time. Now is the time to take care of business, regroup and get ready for Tosu.
I tip my cap to ND and congratulate them on the victory because they were clearly the better team on Saturday. (I can’t wait until ND travels to Beaver Stadium in '07!)
yeah, me too.
GO STATE! BEAT THE PENGUINS!
6 comments:
Good assessment JB. Our D was incredibly stumped by their 0-8 yard passing game. Our zone couldn't be in the right place at the right time and when we manned up we just weren't fast enough.
You might also mention the 3 times our D had almost turnovers. It was heartbreaking! A fumble, and two picks that could've easily gone our way. The D needs to get better at open ball-snagging (that sounds gross).
What really drove me bat-shit nuts was that Wendy's offcianado Charlie "Yes I'd Like Fries with that" Weis kept running up the score. So not classy.
LOL about CW running up the score. Didn't saint JoePa rack up close to 70 versus Illinois after the Michigan loss? I seem to recall a comparable blowout of tOSU in the Cooper years at Happy Valley too. If CW really wanted to run it up he could've left BQ in longer and not resorted to a clock-killing running game, in which case we may well have hit 50+.
I don't think the Irish ran up the score. The final score was 41-17 and the starters didn't play the entire game. Continuing to pass for a TD late in the game wasn't the classiest move ever but it also wasn't running up the score.
I have to disagree. They went for it on 4th and 5, went for the TD on 4th and goal instead of the FG - I think he definitely did not need to do either of those things to win the game. He could've also pulled the starters earlier. It was fairly obvious we had lost that game early in the 3rd.
As for the 70 pts PSU got versus Illinois, I believe a lot of those late points was actually the defense scoring if I remember correctly (which I may not). That and most of them were scored in the first half - not the end of the third quarter.
Oh and didn't they go for 2 as well? I can't remember if they actually did, or if I was just expecting it.
Am I saying it was classy? Certainly it was not. But I'm not sure they can be accused of running up the score.
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