Everyone is talking about qb, wide receivers, running backs….who noticed the offensive line? If you were at the game you could see that State’s new line were seriously large men with bad intentions. I was very impressed at how clean the pocket was for Shapen and how the line opened the running game for our backs. After last year’s disaster, it was fun to watch our team again, if I can borrow from Matt Wyatt. Praise to the big guys, too.
The forgotten group
- Thread starter dog99walker
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They'll get better as they gel. Usually you notice a difference in the 3rd game.
Yeah i'm not sure about the line opening running lanes. I think they will certainly improve, but they were playing EKU. Run blocking C- Pass protection B
I saw things to like. There's no way a line with 5 guys who have never played together is going to look cohesive in their first game. There's potential. It needs to happen fast.
Didn’t look that way to me. They weren’t opening running lanes between the tackles. Our best runs came on the outside.
I only noticed one play where pass protection broke down earlier than should be expected. I didn't notice any particularly good run blocking.
No long runs by RBs. The only long runs were Shapen on the scramble and Creed on the reverse.
These guys needed to open holes for RBs against an FCS team, and they struggled to do so.
These guys needed to open holes for RBs against an FCS team, and they struggled to do so.
Heard coaches say this, when you hear nothing about your o line perfect. When you hear a lot about them, it is time to get a new one.
And when your two guards both pull on the same play and run into each other, get a new coaching staff.
Huh? Opening running lanes? No offense, man, but what game were you watching?
You are correct, it certainly wasn’t as bad as last year but not great. I looked at my daughters & commented about how I wondered how we’d look if we were forced to run - well, along came the rain, had to switch to running & began having to punt against freaking EKU. I agree, pass blocking was better & we weren’t getting stuffed for no gain & minimal gains time & time again like last year, but still a major concern that our oline didn't dominate those guys regardless of run or pass. Just my opinion.
I'm worried about them. We did not run the ball that well against that opponent. That is NOT good. The defensive line worries me even more.
The Booth td run had me fooled at first about us opening a hole. Then I saw on the replay the hole formed when our blocker got pushed so far into the backfield it took their d linemen out of the play and opened the hole where he should’ve been.
I believe our 2nd oline was in the game on the drive where we had to try the field goal that ended with a bad snap. They moved the ball for the most part. So there are some guys who can step in if the starters struggle to hold their blocks.
Re-watched the game today with emphasize on the LOS. Definitely a mixed bag. Their offensive left tackle was manhandling our edge and DL most of the game with help from a little bit of holding.. Other positions on our line would play good one play and crap the next. This early, I hope it's technique more than talent. They need to gel reeaaaaally quick, like starting this week against ASU.
Fwiw, those two tackles may not have been SEC athletes, but they were definitely SEC size. Both 6'5"+ ish and 300+.
The left tackle is an FCS All American. 6'7" 305
Matt had that play on his Film Study.
Center definitely got pushed way back, but he did hold the block. That wasn't really the hole. The right side made their blocks and he walked in (after hopping around the backwards bound center).
That explains a lot. Didn't think that guy was your run-of-the mill directional school LT. He played pretty good.
They're certainly big, but I'll withhold judgement for a bit (say 4-5 games) until they go against some seriously superior athletes. No disrespect to EKU, but this is a team we should have beaten the way we did. AZST and Toledo will bring better quality competition. Toledo brings back almost their whole team minus their hotshot QB who transferred to Baylor, I think. Their new QB ain't bad either, but doesn't scare me as much as last year's guy. Toledo also has a lot of B10 transfers.
The 3 primary running backs (Lee, Booth & Daniels) combined for 100 yards on 22 carries (4.5 ypc) against a mid-level FCS school (5-7 last year). Our inability to open running lanes vs an overmatched opponent was easily the most concerning thing I saw on Saturday
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