Season in review (so far)
Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2005 11:12 am
Hmmm, where to start?
QB: Travis has not played his best ball yet this season (duh). He played pretty well against OSU, played decent against SFA, and played the worst game of his career against Cal Poly. I think he is relying a little too much on his strength to try and muscle the ball into his receiver, which is leading to knock-downs and interceptions. He doesn't look to be in control as much as he has in the past. This is frightening, because this team will go nowhere without Travis. He needs to play better, plain and simple. Getting some time from the O-line wouldn't hurt either, part of the reason he doesn't look comfortable is because he only gets about 2 seconds to throw before he is smothered by 4 defenders. Even so, he needs to do a much better job hanging onto the ball (how many fumbles does he have this season?) and throwing the ball away when nothing is there.
O-line: These guys have just flat-out stunk the entire season so far. Best line ever? Are you kidding me?! These guys aren't giving Travis any time at all in the pocket, and can't open holes for the run game. What else is there? On top of that, Birkeland can't seem to figure out how to snap the ball. These are just fundamentals, guys. I am very concerned about this group, more so than any other area of our team. Teams will continue to blitz on every play until we figure out how to stop it, and we still haven't been able to do so for at least 5 games now going back to last season. I haven't watched enough film to know what exactly the problem is, but the coaches had better get it figured out, and in a big hurry. If our O-line doesn't improve drastically by next week, we can kiss this season goodbye.
RB: It is hard to be too judgmental about this group yet, considering they aren't getting much help from the line. Bass has looked pretty good in spots, but I am still concerned about his ability to pick up the blitz. I would like to see Domineck get a little more playing time, I think he has earned it. I would also like to see Groves get a chance to play some real minutes, maybe one series a game. He will be our starter next year, we need to get him ready. Overall, though, this position has been a positive for us so far this year.
WR: I would say this group has been somewhat of a disappointment so far, with the notable exception of Tramaine Murray. Getting Ricky back will be a huge boost, no doubt. Chaz played great against OSU and SFA, but did absolutely nothing last night against Cal Poly. Mike Brown looked terrible last night. I still can't understand why Tyler Lulay and Toby Rundle aren't seeing any playing time, they both looked great in spring ball. Last night was a disaster for this group. Not only did Travis not have any time to throw, none of these guys bothered to get open. I think we will need a lot of improvement from this position; thankfully, I think Ricky will give us just that.
TE: Not much to say here, except I would like to see our coaches utilize this position as an offensive threat like they did last year. They don't seem to be helping much with their blocking. I wasn't expecting too much out of this position considering how young they all are, but if they aren't cutting it, then just put another lineman in there to block.
DL: I thought our D-line played great against OSU and SFA, but they played terrible last night. Their collective lack of discipline cost our defense many first downs. They are very young, and they will improve. What I like about them is that, despite their youth, you can see how much talent these guys have. They will be a dominant unit in the future. For this season, though, they will have to learn to work within the system, or our defense will suffer through another long year.
LB: I have actually been somewhat disappointed with this group so far, with the exception of Mac Mollohan. Nic Marudas played terrible last night, I saw him miss tackles all over the place, and he was frequently out of position. When they blitz, they certainly aren't getting to the QB. These guys are supposed to be our studs, and I don't think they have been living up to it. Coach Cristoff needs to instill some attitude in these guys. They look awesome at times, but they are just inconsistent with their effort.
Secondary: Overall, I would say that I have been pleased with these guys. Toph Grenfell has played great so far, as has Ryan Force. Our safeties have been the shining point of our defense so far. Our DBs had a rough game last night, but I was impressed by how they played in the first two games. I was surprised to see Hunter being picked on last night, he played a terrible game. That PI he got called for deep in their own territory was a crap call, BTW - he made a great play on it. I was very disappointed that he didn't give a better effort on that first pass of the game, he had position and would have intercepted it had he tried a little harder. Fuller played so-so last night. On that last drive of the first half, he got screwed by a terrible PI call that would have ended the drive. The second time he got called for PI on that drive, he probably deserved. Those passes were ugly and totally inaccurate, but we need to learn not only how to defend them without interferring, but how to make plays on them and pick that weak-ass crap when teams throw it up.
Special teams: Overall, I would have to say pretty good. Hastings has given us great consistent kicking for the first time in decades (I think he is 4-4 from the right hash!), and Bolton is doing a great job with kickoffs. Our kick coverage has been pretty good. I am still bothered that we can't find anyone who poses a threat to return kicks and/or punts. I don't know what has changed since Corey Smith left, but it seems like there aren't even any holes for guys to run through. On top of that, we don't have our speed guys returning kicks, we have Ryan Force and Jason Gathing. They aren't slow, and I give them credit for what they are doing, but they aren't going to blow anyone away and take one to the house.
Offense overall: I would say that I have been disappointed thus far. I thought we would do better against OSU, I thought we played very sloppy against SFA, and we played terrible against Cal Poly. We are turning the ball over at an alarming rate, especially for such a veteran offense. Our line might as well be sitting on the beach sipping mai-tais for as much help as they are giving us. Bottom line, this offense is capable of becoming one of the more prolific units in Bobcat history, but they need to come together and do an honest assessment of how they are playing, and ask themselves if they are hungry enough to take it to that next level.
Defense overall: The first two games, I was SO encouraged by how well our defense played. Last night, it seemed like they lost all their fight after Travis threw that interception. A good defense, and good teams, step it up after adversity like that. These guys folded like a bunch of snot-nosed freshman. I am concerned that our defense as a unit isn't putting much pressure on opposing QBs, and I am very concerned about all the missed tackles I saw last night. This defense has a huge task ahead next Saturday, I hope they are up to it.
Next week: This game is our make-or-break game of the season. If we win, we will be 2-2 and in good position going into conference. We will be able to lose one conference game and still get an at-large bid to the playoffs. If we lose, we will be 1-3, and we will need to run the table to make it in. At that point, that will be nothing but a pipe dream. The Cats played the worst game I have seen them play in quite some time last night, but good teams and strong people learn from adversity and become better because of it. NDSU will ride into Bozeman with a tremendous amount of confidence and a chip on their shoulder. This team has the ability to blow them back to that hole they call a state, but right now I don't have any confidence that we will do so. As fans, we must come to the game prepared to exert our influence on this game. I know we can do it, but will we?
QB: Travis has not played his best ball yet this season (duh). He played pretty well against OSU, played decent against SFA, and played the worst game of his career against Cal Poly. I think he is relying a little too much on his strength to try and muscle the ball into his receiver, which is leading to knock-downs and interceptions. He doesn't look to be in control as much as he has in the past. This is frightening, because this team will go nowhere without Travis. He needs to play better, plain and simple. Getting some time from the O-line wouldn't hurt either, part of the reason he doesn't look comfortable is because he only gets about 2 seconds to throw before he is smothered by 4 defenders. Even so, he needs to do a much better job hanging onto the ball (how many fumbles does he have this season?) and throwing the ball away when nothing is there.
O-line: These guys have just flat-out stunk the entire season so far. Best line ever? Are you kidding me?! These guys aren't giving Travis any time at all in the pocket, and can't open holes for the run game. What else is there? On top of that, Birkeland can't seem to figure out how to snap the ball. These are just fundamentals, guys. I am very concerned about this group, more so than any other area of our team. Teams will continue to blitz on every play until we figure out how to stop it, and we still haven't been able to do so for at least 5 games now going back to last season. I haven't watched enough film to know what exactly the problem is, but the coaches had better get it figured out, and in a big hurry. If our O-line doesn't improve drastically by next week, we can kiss this season goodbye.
RB: It is hard to be too judgmental about this group yet, considering they aren't getting much help from the line. Bass has looked pretty good in spots, but I am still concerned about his ability to pick up the blitz. I would like to see Domineck get a little more playing time, I think he has earned it. I would also like to see Groves get a chance to play some real minutes, maybe one series a game. He will be our starter next year, we need to get him ready. Overall, though, this position has been a positive for us so far this year.
WR: I would say this group has been somewhat of a disappointment so far, with the notable exception of Tramaine Murray. Getting Ricky back will be a huge boost, no doubt. Chaz played great against OSU and SFA, but did absolutely nothing last night against Cal Poly. Mike Brown looked terrible last night. I still can't understand why Tyler Lulay and Toby Rundle aren't seeing any playing time, they both looked great in spring ball. Last night was a disaster for this group. Not only did Travis not have any time to throw, none of these guys bothered to get open. I think we will need a lot of improvement from this position; thankfully, I think Ricky will give us just that.
TE: Not much to say here, except I would like to see our coaches utilize this position as an offensive threat like they did last year. They don't seem to be helping much with their blocking. I wasn't expecting too much out of this position considering how young they all are, but if they aren't cutting it, then just put another lineman in there to block.
DL: I thought our D-line played great against OSU and SFA, but they played terrible last night. Their collective lack of discipline cost our defense many first downs. They are very young, and they will improve. What I like about them is that, despite their youth, you can see how much talent these guys have. They will be a dominant unit in the future. For this season, though, they will have to learn to work within the system, or our defense will suffer through another long year.
LB: I have actually been somewhat disappointed with this group so far, with the exception of Mac Mollohan. Nic Marudas played terrible last night, I saw him miss tackles all over the place, and he was frequently out of position. When they blitz, they certainly aren't getting to the QB. These guys are supposed to be our studs, and I don't think they have been living up to it. Coach Cristoff needs to instill some attitude in these guys. They look awesome at times, but they are just inconsistent with their effort.
Secondary: Overall, I would say that I have been pleased with these guys. Toph Grenfell has played great so far, as has Ryan Force. Our safeties have been the shining point of our defense so far. Our DBs had a rough game last night, but I was impressed by how they played in the first two games. I was surprised to see Hunter being picked on last night, he played a terrible game. That PI he got called for deep in their own territory was a crap call, BTW - he made a great play on it. I was very disappointed that he didn't give a better effort on that first pass of the game, he had position and would have intercepted it had he tried a little harder. Fuller played so-so last night. On that last drive of the first half, he got screwed by a terrible PI call that would have ended the drive. The second time he got called for PI on that drive, he probably deserved. Those passes were ugly and totally inaccurate, but we need to learn not only how to defend them without interferring, but how to make plays on them and pick that weak-ass crap when teams throw it up.
Special teams: Overall, I would have to say pretty good. Hastings has given us great consistent kicking for the first time in decades (I think he is 4-4 from the right hash!), and Bolton is doing a great job with kickoffs. Our kick coverage has been pretty good. I am still bothered that we can't find anyone who poses a threat to return kicks and/or punts. I don't know what has changed since Corey Smith left, but it seems like there aren't even any holes for guys to run through. On top of that, we don't have our speed guys returning kicks, we have Ryan Force and Jason Gathing. They aren't slow, and I give them credit for what they are doing, but they aren't going to blow anyone away and take one to the house.
Offense overall: I would say that I have been disappointed thus far. I thought we would do better against OSU, I thought we played very sloppy against SFA, and we played terrible against Cal Poly. We are turning the ball over at an alarming rate, especially for such a veteran offense. Our line might as well be sitting on the beach sipping mai-tais for as much help as they are giving us. Bottom line, this offense is capable of becoming one of the more prolific units in Bobcat history, but they need to come together and do an honest assessment of how they are playing, and ask themselves if they are hungry enough to take it to that next level.
Defense overall: The first two games, I was SO encouraged by how well our defense played. Last night, it seemed like they lost all their fight after Travis threw that interception. A good defense, and good teams, step it up after adversity like that. These guys folded like a bunch of snot-nosed freshman. I am concerned that our defense as a unit isn't putting much pressure on opposing QBs, and I am very concerned about all the missed tackles I saw last night. This defense has a huge task ahead next Saturday, I hope they are up to it.
Next week: This game is our make-or-break game of the season. If we win, we will be 2-2 and in good position going into conference. We will be able to lose one conference game and still get an at-large bid to the playoffs. If we lose, we will be 1-3, and we will need to run the table to make it in. At that point, that will be nothing but a pipe dream. The Cats played the worst game I have seen them play in quite some time last night, but good teams and strong people learn from adversity and become better because of it. NDSU will ride into Bozeman with a tremendous amount of confidence and a chip on their shoulder. This team has the ability to blow them back to that hole they call a state, but right now I don't have any confidence that we will do so. As fans, we must come to the game prepared to exert our influence on this game. I know we can do it, but will we?