Just back from the game: a few observations

[shsdawg]

Offense: We have two major problems: 1) We have serious trouble on the offensive line. We, for the most part, couldn't block La Tech. Let that sink in, we couldn't block a bad WAC defense.I don't care how many they were stacking in the box a decent SEC team should be able to block them better than we did. They were just whipping us up front. I heard people in thre stands yelling at about our guys danceing while running. That's about all you can do when you are meeting defenders two yards deep in your own back field. 2) Our recievers either don't know how to or can't get open. They also dropped several balls that should have been caught. Relf also missed a few when he actually DID have time.
Defense: First the obvious one, we have no linebackers.The front SEVEN was getting pushed around a lot. We were giving the La Tech recievers a7-10 yard cushion in almost every situation. We quite obviously set out our stall not to get beat deep.That allowed them to nickle and dime at will. Part of that cushion may have been needed to keep them in at least something of a postion to back up the front seven though. That being said La Techhas at least a decent offense.I expected them to score onus some. Our offense worried me a lot more tonight.
Mullen: I like Mullen and think he is a good coach, probably the best we have had in my 47 years. That being said the fake punt, at that point on the field in that situation, was idiotic. That SHOULD have and nearly did cost us the game.

Right now we just have to face the FACT that this is not a very good football team, same thing I said after the Memphis game. The offense is inconsistent at best and the makeshift line is just terrible at the moment. We are soft up front on defense and the coaching staff obviously doesn't trust the secondary to play man to man. Based on what I have seen so far we are going 6-6 at BEST. I would say 5-7 or worse is entirely likely. We certainly have no room to talk about the Bears now. We have our own problems.

Fans: Great crowd given the two straight losses and the opponent. It was quiet, but why wouldn't it be?

 

[shsdawg]

BURN THE 17ING BLACK JERSEYS! Mix the ashes in cement and throw them in the Tombigbee River. NEVER WEAR THEDAMN THINGS AGAIN.

 

[thegreatbigone]

Amen brother!!!! We are not any good

 

[maroonmania]

when you have the lead against a team you should be able to beat playing things straight up, that is NOT the time to call a fake punt in your own territory. That asinine call nearly lost us the game.

 

[Repeat Offender]

or at least a family member. Out of all of your criticism, you don't mention the number one problem that is holding back our offense which is Relf's passing abilities. Receivers can't get open or catch very well? I can think of about 6 or 7 times this year(probably more if I reflect back) thst one of our receivers beat the coverage while running wide *** open down the middle of the field only to have Relf throw a duck or a misguided missle, he has never been a great passer, but he finished last season with some very good games. That being said, I believe that his confidence has been dropping ever since the game ending play at Auburn and it is going to be tough for him to get it back. A decent portion of his passing yardage this year is from dumpoffs to or short passes to Jameon Lewis and Vick Ballard(they ranked 1 and 2 on the team in receiving yards entering tonight's game) who turn it into a huge gains, but he even missed a wide open Vick Ballard tonight who was behind the secondary and only about twenty yards away. As far as catching the ball, I remember a few drops, but I also remember a one handed circus catch and nice scoops on porly thrown balls. I know that alot of folks think that his running game is stellar and crucial to this team. He is a durable runner, but he is not very quick and he runs straight up so he usually does not fall forward even though he weighs 240. The Auburn back that crushed him and kept him from scoring only weighed 185 lbs, no spin move was attempted and he did not even try to stretch the ball out. By the way, if he would have pitched it, Ballard would have walked into the endzone. I for one is sick of seing him get 10-15 carries up the gut and especially the ones in the redzone. Time to give Dylan a few series and see what happens, if he can't handle it, go back to Relf, but we will be fortunate to make a bowl this year with him under center if the current decline in his performance continues. Especially if we keep playing with our cushion coverage on D, Amen to that. O-line is not very good, but injuries have hit us hard, we just have to deal with it and hopefully see these guys step it up now that they have some playing time under their belt.

 

[shsdawg]

I don't think I'm kin to Chris. The difference on O this year is the line.Everyone else is the same. I think had everyone stayed healthy the linewould have been servicable, but not as good as last year. We started out replacing two starters. We are now replacing three, and one of those twice. The QB always gets too much credit and too much blame. It all starts, and pretty much ends, up front.

 

[lawdawg02]

On 4th and 1, we run perkins all the way back to the punter, to then loop back toward the line. He runs 15 yards backward to get the ball, so instead of getting 1 yard he needs 16. That play sucks and takes too long to develop.

I think we ran the same play with Robert Elliot last year, and he tripped himself before the defense would've stopped him anyway. It sucked then, and it sucked now. I would rather have just gone for it to get one yard. Of course, tonight, we wouldn't have gotten it.