Exactly.
The secondary was a pretty big question mark, they got tested A LOT and should've had 6 ints, but came away with 3 (one more than all of last year). So, IMO they had a really good game, didn't allow the deep ball and stepped it up in the 2nd half.
I'm going to attempt to rank each position...
QB passing: F (This should get better with more familiarity)
QB running: C
RB: B
WR catching: F
WR blocking: D
OL run blocking: C
OL pass blocking: B+
Overall Offense: D+
DL pass rush: D- (would be higher if we weren't playing a quick pass O)
DL run D: F+
LB pass coverage: D-
LB run D: F (would probably be higher if we weren't in a Dime package, 1 LB, on normal running situations)
DB: C+
Tackling: C
Overall Defense: D
Special Teams: A
Don't know about all the grades, maybe that's about right. I saw it in person, not on TV, so it's hard to see everything, and you only get one look at full speed.
I know this about yesterday, and this is the negative first, then the positive...
On WSU's first drive, they drove it down, then on the goal line, the ran the ball right up the gut to score a TD. That time, and a couple of other times, I saw our interior DL get pushed back by a very undersized OL that spends much of it's time practicing pass blocking. I wasn't looking at M. Adams and don't even know if he was in on those time. I agree he looked like a beast at times, but will reserve judgment til I see him vs big strong SEC OL. We gave up almost a 100 yards to 2 backs on 13 carries. We got 3 picks, yes, but at least the first one was a badly thrown ball. Marshall is badly inaccurate. The WSU offense was very base, not to mention not overly talented, and we still gave up 400 +yards to them. Didn't see Holland on every snap, but never saw him look good when I was watching him. The WRs didn't step up and play to how they look "on the hoof". Our KOR squad is mostly starters, and IMO, that's not a good sign.
The good....we won a game we probably would have found a way to lose last season. While NM wasn't good, he settled down and improved as the game went on. We got three picks. Yes it was vs a team that threw the ball as much as any we'll see in 2 or 3 games from other teams, but we got 3. There's not a whole lot to put in the positive column otherwise, except to say I saw some improvement in areas that have a lot to do with coaching (ie DB play and techniques), and overall team "culture" and attitude. I don't think it will translate in to many wins this season, but it's promising for the long term IMO.
That's just what I can come up with after seeing the game once with no replays, and I may have missed some stuff.
Saw some Xers for a little bit and enjoyed that too!
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