Kent State game
- Thread starter wesley_w
- Start date
I expect that the continued lack of a pass rush from the front 4 will allow Kent State to stay in the game. The good news is that the improved secondary play could cover up some of the problem. I can't wait (hopefully next year) for a Bolt /Chizik defense to have two pass rushing threats at DE.
SDSU QB was getting rid of the ball quick to WR running short routes. Their QB was taking a lot of hits eventhough he didnt get sacked many times, we were just a step late getting there. After we figured some things out and went with 3 CBs their passing game slowed down, except to the RB. The rush will come with time and they send the LBs a time or two.
Maybe it's just me, but I assumed we would look better against SDS, a team that was Div. II last year.
Kent State did have 126 yards rushing yesterday against a very physical BC defense. They won't put it in the air against us until we prove we can stuff their run (i.e. Eugene Jarvis).
Kent State did have 126 yards rushing yesterday against a very physical BC defense. They won't put it in the air against us until we prove we can stuff their run (i.e. Eugene Jarvis).
Personally, I'd expect an emphatic demonstration that there isn't a continued lack of a pass rush.
With all of those little interior screens, oftimes the linemen weren't rushing, but dropping back and filling the lanes. You noticed one or two interceptions, right? Picks by a defensive tackle really aren't all that common.
Frankly, when we play an opponent who actually avails this line an opportunity to rush the passer, I think that Chris Lyle is going to be a nasty surprise outside. And never mind the blitzers pending, I think that the likes of Jerrod Black, Austen Alburtis and Mike Tate have something waiting up their sleeves besides pickoffs.
Of course, it wouldn't terribly dismay me if the torrent of anticipated sacks began in two weeks, rather than one.
I think it's just you, because some here were actually half expecting us to lose. :wink: And SDSU wasn't actually D-II last year, they've been ramping up for several years, and this is just the first year they've been fully qualified for the FCS Playoffs.
And I suspect that Jesse Smith will be quite happy to demonstrate that he's entirely capable of stuffing Kent State's running game.
I just finished watching the DVR of the BC/KSU game, and I'm feeling much better about our chances than I was before.
Edelman is an elusive runner at QB, and he will surely give us his share of fits. Jarvis very elusive, and hardly ever goes down without making at least one guy miss.
That said, their O-Line got man-handled all night by a strong BC defensive front, and KSU had absolutely zero downfield passing game. A lot of that was attributed to the strong pass rush, but even when Edelman got the ball off his accuracy and decision making was poor. They stuck mostly to swing passes to the flat all night, and outside of Jarvis they have few athletes that can make defenders miss.
BC ran an awfully boring offensive scheme, comprised mostly of power runs up the middle and few options/pitch-outs to the edge, which were fairly successful. The few times that BC QB Crane ran the ball on read-options he was able to find room and good yardage (he scored 2 rushing TDs).
If we focus on filling the box against against run, keep a spy on Edelman, and take our chances with our D-Line and their weak passing game, I don't see them scoring more than 14-17 points.
We should be able to pound the ball on the ground, and I really like Bates' chances with the read-option in this one, building on the runs he was making in the 4th Quarter against SDSU.
Coach Mac should also be opening up the playbook a bit this week, and we should be efficient in the short-medium range passing game.
Their Special Teams did not impress either, and they did not attempt a FG/PAT.
If we take care of the ball, there is no reason why we shouldn't win.
Prediction: ISU, 27-17
Edelman is an elusive runner at QB, and he will surely give us his share of fits. Jarvis very elusive, and hardly ever goes down without making at least one guy miss.
That said, their O-Line got man-handled all night by a strong BC defensive front, and KSU had absolutely zero downfield passing game. A lot of that was attributed to the strong pass rush, but even when Edelman got the ball off his accuracy and decision making was poor. They stuck mostly to swing passes to the flat all night, and outside of Jarvis they have few athletes that can make defenders miss.
BC ran an awfully boring offensive scheme, comprised mostly of power runs up the middle and few options/pitch-outs to the edge, which were fairly successful. The few times that BC QB Crane ran the ball on read-options he was able to find room and good yardage (he scored 2 rushing TDs).
If we focus on filling the box against against run, keep a spy on Edelman, and take our chances with our D-Line and their weak passing game, I don't see them scoring more than 14-17 points.
We should be able to pound the ball on the ground, and I really like Bates' chances with the read-option in this one, building on the runs he was making in the 4th Quarter against SDSU.
Coach Mac should also be opening up the playbook a bit this week, and we should be efficient in the short-medium range passing game.
Their Special Teams did not impress either, and they did not attempt a FG/PAT.
If we take care of the ball, there is no reason why we shouldn't win.
Prediction: ISU, 27-17
I'll be interested to see how SDSU does against Youngstown State this weekend - I believe they only lost to them by 6 or 7 last year.
One thing's for sure - don't count on a lot of Kent State fans coming; I see that their game with BC at Browns Stadium in Cleveland drew less than 11,000 fans. Wow.
This post actually confirms my concerns. Coaches go to stunts and zone blitz calls when the front 4 can't rush on their own. Maybe Chris Lyle is the answer, but with 10 total tackles in 13 career games I'd say that it's time to make his move. I'm just comparing to recent players like Hayward, Berryman, DeRonde, C Johnson, Moorehead, T Smith etc and don't see how the lack of outside pass rush threats isn't obvious.
I like Taylor's game, but he is more of a complimentary threat than someone who QB's fear. Parker gives all he has, but simply gets swallowed up by any decent LT.
I could do the same comparison with inside guys. I like the current depth and possible potential. Right now, however, I don't see any pass rushers who can provide the impact of a James Reed, Nick Leaders, or James Curvey.
With the overall talent and current coaches, this defense is exciting to watch. My point is that the pass rush is currently the weak link.
Are you thinking guys who aren't on the roster yet? I can't help but think Parker and Lyle will be the starters, but maybe not.
Maybe we have a great opportunity to recruit a couple or three outstanding DEs this recruiting cycle. Hope so. But, it seems like it takes new guys a year or two to make waves. I worry we won't have a top-notch pass rush for a couple of years yet. Hope that's not the case.
I am concerned that ISU gave up nearly 200 yards on the ground to SDSU. It'll be interesting to see how the Clones do against Kent State against the run.
Considering that a third of those yards came on a sheer fluke of a fumble/TD run, I'm not terribly concerned at all. By all rights, the ballcarrier should have been down right near the line of scrimmage. Who'd have thought that the ball would slither through essentially the whole team, and bounce right up into his hands?
Yeah, the stat sheet for this game is very deceiving. The only reason yardage was close was because our offense was consistently working w/a very short field, and they had a freak 70 yard play.
as long as we keep making strides on offense and defense i think we should win this one fairly easy.. i will say around 35-17. offense should put up some points and i dont expect the defense to give up much against these guys
Minett had 111 yards on 22 carries, 5.0 yds/ carry, and he's not the one who had the big 76 yd touchdown run. Take away his long run of 21 yds, and he was still picking up over 4 yds/carry. Minett was pounding it at ISU and having good success at it. ISU should not be giving up 5 yds/carry to any running back, let alone one from an FCS school. The running defense needs significant improvement.
Wasn't saying that it didn't, just that it wasn't as bad as 200 yards in a game made it appear. I remember McCarney's first teams, when he was practically digging up corpses to find two defensive tackles to put on the field. Thank God those days are gone. Now, the skill and talent just needs to be refined.
This game will be an opportunity for some of the young interior DL to make their presence felt. They will be going against a true FR at C and a JC transfer and RS FR at OG. Time to coach em up and get after it.
