HOLY SMOKES!
- Thread starter lou v
- Start date
They can come back for another year if they want. The whole team can be back next year. Remember, this year does not count towards eligibility per the NCAA.
Yeah, but would you still say that knowing we would miss an XP in the second half, being up only 40?
I had no solid expectations coming into this game, especially after the scarring mess that was last season. But I was *certainly* not expecting...that. Basically a perfect game and one of the most dominating wins in memory. I guess a solid QB and competent OC really do make a world of difference. Oh, and the D looked shaky on the first drive, then surrendered zero points for the rest of the game. A complete, amazing performance for Fitz’s 100th. Let’s keep it going!
It was very complementary. Tons of rushing yards, first downs and time of possession keeps the defense rested and defending a long field. That’s complementary football.
Hank dialed up lots of different pressure on Taulia and got him out of his comfort zone. That made for a very fun, relaxing (for a change) evening.
Should have canned McCall years ago, but at least it was done. Bajakian is the real deal.
How about that corner blitz? Haven’t seen that in quite a while. Perfect execution by Ruiz.
I’ll say despite the likely poor level of competition the team looked much better than expected. We’ve lost our first round pick LT, starting a true frosh in his place, starting CB out, 2019 top WR transferred, starting DL and S just opted out, new OC, new QB.
So, we have a season and new stars will emerge. Any chance slater stock drops to where he comes back?
I mean it would require a couple round change - but could it happen? Will there be a combine? Might nfl execs worry about the condition of non players?
Sure, Fitz would have known he was out. But every prediction I saw included him. So....
Well, then it must have been a misunderstanding. I believe it is possible to have 500+ yards of offense, 200+ yards passing, and 40+ points and still have a shut down defense.
If that’s what you meant all along, then it must have been just a complete misunderstanding.
And, McCall never gave it to us in 13 years while Bajakian delivered it in game one.
He really did tighten up as soon as he realized the kid wasn’t A threat passing the ball. Contrast what Doc did to what Lovie did to Mertz. It was like Illinois wanted Mertz to get comfortable. Lovie might want to hire a DC.
Hope we have Hank’s replacement being groomed.
As usual you completely miss the point. It's not about how much you score but how you score that determines whether you are playing complementary football. The offensive factors that are relevant to optimize your defensive unit's performance are time of possession and field position. When one of your goals offensively is to chew up the clock and minimize the amount of time the other team's offense has the ball and your team has to defend, then yes it is less likely that your offensive unit is going to put up 40 points a game. That of course isn't always the case, particularly when you are playing one of the worst teams in Division 1 football like NU did last night.
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Maryland by a country mile. Worst Division team I have seen all year. Certainly the worst team in the Big Ten so far.
What offensive system doesn’t have the goal of chewing up the clock and minimizing the amount of time the other team's offense has the ball, though? Outside of Air Raid, isn’t that just about every offense?
It's a question of degree. How a team balances those priorities is partially a function of a team's relative strengths. If your offense is explosive but your defense sucks, then you may want to play less complementary football by design because it gives you the best chance to win. That has never been NU and is certainly not how Fitz believes in playing football. There are a lot of systems out their that don't focus on complementary football at all. All of the high tempo, pass dominant offenses out there that look to run 70-80 plays a game are focusing on scoring points to the detriment of time of possession, field position and ultimately their defensive unit's effectiveness. Any Run and Shoot or Air Raid based offense along the lines of what Mike Leach runs falls into this category.
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Yes, that’s why I said “outside of Air Raid.”
My point is there are any number of teams that put up 35, 45, 55 points on any given week and still would fall under what you call “complementary.” I feel like that phrase had been an excuse for McCall’s offense.
Take NU’s second TD drive of the game. Took just 1:58, thanks to big passing plays of 23 and 19 yards. Is that “complementary”? Should we have instead tried a few 3 or 4 yard passes or more runs into the middle of the line to keep the clock moving?
You talk about all the rushing yards, which is much easier to do once up by 3 TDs.
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