Got back a bit ago from God's country. Have had time to digest it and hash it out with several co-experts on college foosballz. I've been calm this season. Calm for a while. Realized I'm 55 and I'm sitting in the same seats I sat in when I was 7 years old. I get passionate at the games but I've stopped letting it get to me one way or the other once the final bell sounds. I don't play. I don't coach. I watch and enjoy/face-palm over my alma mater playing.
Observations. Gus/Lashlee absolutely went full tard on countless occasions. First half was pure comedy. Can't even count the moments. Punt it. Red zone = House of horrors.
Defense: F- again. I'm the first to say they gave the O plenty of chances to take control of this game. KUDOS. I'm also the first to say they let OM run............................NINETY-ONE plays. 550+ yards. You can't spin it. Regardless of the points...27...they got crushed. 91 fricking plays. You will NEVER win when the other team runs over 90 plays. Ever!
This. All of it.
Was there as well. I just shook my head at times. Didn't even get mad. It was just sad watching the 4th down and redzone O. It was sad watching the middle of the field on D and the countless catches in the flat.
Like I said last week, this year is just a bitter pill we will have to swallow. This stings more because of the expectation that was laid out. We were never that good. Weren't gonna be. The season is a lot easier to stomach when you realize that. This is a team with a lot of gaps on the field. And a lot of young guys in very important positions. They are growing upon front of our eyes but doing so comes in the form of mistakes. Many position players were vastly overrated. Jeremy, Duke, Roc, etc. Then losing your one good player on a bad D just added to it all. Even with him in there yesterday we surrender almost 600 yards. Imagine how many that it would have been without a few Chad Kelly mistakes. Add in that some very questionable play calling yesterday....and yep that's what we saw. The root of our issues is NOT play calling. That is one of our many issues. Seems the root cause differs from game to game. That is frustrating.
I'll continue to take my kids there. And watch our guys. I'm not going to live and breath based off losses or play calling. I used to be like that. No longer. I thoroughly enjoy it up there with friends and family either way. Yea I want the wins. We've had some magical moments the last 5 years and will again. We really JUST are what we should be this year. We just didn't see it. This is who we are.