Turk's Game Analysis and Individual Player & Unit Grades

[chicagocatfan24]

I was asked by CJ to go on his podcast as well this week. That doesn't mean I know a thing about football

 

[Turk_rivals223269]

This O line does deserve a ton of credit. Guys are stepping up big time !! Gotta give credit to Frazier, for him to come back after what he has been through and play as well as he has is remarkable. He seems to be the vocal leader on the line and is playing at a high level. For coaches to give him Offensive Player of the week for Purdue should tell you something.

Hoping Mertz and Park can come back, but confident this group can beat Illinois.

Go Cats !!

Frazier's leadership was tested when the jackass Wisconsin player intentionally stepped his cleats on Jackson's face. That was absolute bull crap and it was a shame that the refs were so slanted towards Wisconsin that they refused to flag the guy. In the midst of it, Frazier had a choice, he could either not be calm and push the Wisconsin kid and get flagged [this is the most common path by players] or check the Wisconsin player but refrain from any contact. I was impressed. Never mind his solid play.

 

[Kawacko71]

Mr All Turk: Gibson
All Turk Awards: Niswander, Jackson, Gibson, Lowry, Lancaster, Walker, Harris, Godwin, Brown, Ifeadi, Hall

Refs: Grade F
Thank God for instant replay because these asshat refs wanted to give isconsin 3 TD's. Also, with 5 seconds left, they gave isconsin another shot when they refused to call illegal motion on a dizzy Stave. Clement had a heads up play noticing that Gibson's pounding of Stave had him woozy. Also, a no call on a blatant kick to Jackson's face.

isconsin fans: Grade F
A completely bull **** thing for them to throw snowballs, one of which hammered Jackson. Damn thing must have hurt like hell.

Head Coach: Fitz Grade A+ and Turk's coveted Gold Star for the first time this year.
Dominating to the point where we intimidated the isconsin team. Relentless is an understatement. Never have I witnessed a complete and thorough ***** slap to an offense. And it was awesome that we did it to a wisconsin team. Letting the defensive players make the last play call, [one that knocked Stave out] by not blitzing because Lowry felt the front 4 could get to Stave was also interesting. I thought that Fitz made the right decisions 100% of the time, including not killing the clock at the end of the first half. Perfect coaching all around.

DC: Hankwitz : Grade A+ and the Gold Star.
Wow. We barely had to blitz all game. One corner blitz, some really nice stunting, and basically the front 4 dominated on passing downs.

OC: McCall: Grade: B-
Unlike many, I felt his game plan was exactly what was needed. Look, I'm a critic and I'll criticize if I feel it is warrented, but I'll also give credit where it is needed. And this week, for the second week in a row, I feel that the attacks on McCall and our offensive game plan is unwarranted. Two things folks should consider:
1. The Wisconsin defense is for real and NO OTHER team scored as many points as our offense did at Camp Randall all year. They only average giving up 5 points a game at home. A much better Iowa offense only scored 10 points as well, even though Iowa received many TO's as well. Wisconsin's defense is the best in the nation statistically, and watching them yesterday solidified that. Combine that with a QB that still doesn't 'get it' and I believe McCall managed the situation the best he could. People ask what about the high % passes that McCall could have asked Thorson to pass. Well, he did, we even called basic RB screens that are usually VERY safe, but Thorson choked and passed the ball right in the chest of a Wiscy defender. We ran very safe TE crossing routes, and THorson could barely throw the ball. When we tried to pass the ball downfield....it was open....yet Thorson completely whiffed and was DAMN Lucky he didn't have INT"s. I mean, the only way we could have lost this game was if McCall pushed the needle to the right and relied more on Thorson. Thankfully, McCall didn't. The only tweak I would have done is put in Long. Jackson looked gassed and seemed to lose his legs. What is wrong with running Long? Sure he didn't make the 4th and 1 but how about allowing Long to relieve Jackson. Jackson will be spent by his Junior year running like this. At any rate, that is the ONLY thing I would have done differently. Credit given to Wisconsin's defense.

OL: Grade B-
Interesting play given only 3 or 4 plays in the playbook. Two guards pull right or two guards pull left. That said, I believe Olson and Hence struggled MIGHTEDLY and we had problems with the ends. However, Mahoney and North, imo, won their battles and created running room. North had a few pancakes believe it or not and imo was VERY impressive. I know folks are going to hammer me on this but I really think one should consider that _isconsin knew exactly who was getting the ball on every play. That said, there were still small holes and gritty blocking. VERY few lost yardages. Our offense is one dimensional: Jackson. We don't even allow Thorson or anyone else to run other than the few times THorson would predictively be called to run.

WR: Grade Incomplete. We simply do not have a dependable throwing QB so this group really is an incomplete.

QB: Grade D-
Still needs serious work. Think Kafka as a freshman. Talented but doesn't understand squat and can NOT be depended upon. Very stubborn QB who has yet to smash down his poor tendencies. Clayton, will you please STOP rolling out to your right every damn time??? The whole _isconsin defense shifts because of this when you pass. You give yourself and the wide outs NO chance. Even on a few occasions that I saw on TV, if you ever did try to scramble on the left side, it would be WIDE OPEN. Do you remember Nebraska when you scrambled twice to your left and broke your tendencies.....you ran for like 50 yards on both times. Watch the freakn tape, son! The entire isconsin defense just rotated to your right because they damn sure know that after 2 seconds that you will bail out, forget everything you were taught and boot right. Wake up Kid because Turk is putting this inept offense on YOU. You can do it but you have to LEARN and stop the stubborn and lazy tendencies. Stop the insanity. Your coaches can't trust you due to you NOT listening. Wake up!

RB: Grade B+
solid running, no fumbles, tough gritty running.

Special Teams: Grade B
FG needed and made by Mr Dependable. Sure, Mitchell looked Gosh Awful on his kicks but when the 4th quarter arrives and the bame is on the line, he is Mr Money. The punting was phenomenal. 3 or 4 Inside the 20. Punt coverage was awesome. Kickoff TB solid. KO return ol. Punt return fine.

DL: Grade A+
Odd how Millan kept praising Lowry, as well he should, but then not say much about the MAIN guy yesterday. Gibson was a beast for his second game in a row. Quick, and powerful. Lancaster also had a nice game and Ifeadi wrecked havoc.

LB: Grade A
Walker was solid and I was glad to see him getting off blocks as well yesterday. His pass defense was also phenomenal with the one INT and a great PBU. Hall was ok, missed a few tackles but overall decent. Smith played very good but missed a tackle or two.

DB: Grade B
I felt Van Hoose got spent most of the time to the point where Stave knew exactly where to go with the ball. Poor game by Nick. Harris played solid all around. Missed two glaring tackles [two TD's, one of which was called back], but also locked down one side of the field all day and had two monster impact plays of the game. one fumble recovery, and a pbu that ended the ball game on a well thrown ball.

 

[Kawacko71]

I try not to be critical , but please no deep reverses inside the ten. Give to Jackson thee time just like the first TD. have some faith in the OL.

 

[Turk_rivals223269]

I try not to be critical , but please no deep reverses inside the ten. Give to Jackson thee time just like the first TD. have some faith in the OL.

I'm not sure if that was a reverse or suppose to be AC passing off that reverse. I've seen it before with Brewer and Peterman or Ebert as well. I just think it blew up, but if that was the reverse/pass play then we have had some positive results off of it. I can't imagine AC coming around in a true reverse, we'd have Shuler or Roberts for that. Dunno.

 

[ricko6543211]

Totally disagree. More people need to call out Turk. Like Glidecat said, he speaks in a way that is completely manipulative of the truth if one can't sniff out that he's full of sh*t. He claims he's giving his opinion, but like Glidecat says, his rhetoric absolutely tries to make it seem like he has inside knowledge of the innerworkings of the program, and those who know better, like myself and GCG, cannot stand to see complete fallacies being construed as truth.

It'd be 1000% different if his rankings and other posts were meant to be a starting point of discussion like he claims. We're all fans and we all love NU football, and it's fun to discuss the team with other people who share our diehardedness. But Turk's rankings and other posts calling out McCall, Thorson (who he basically considered the messiah last year), etc. aren't meant to be discussion points, they're meant for a way to goad people into believing that he is closer to the program and knows the game of football way more than he actually does. Like I said, if you do have any football knowledge or ties to the innards of the program, you know he's making up BS just for making up BS's sake, and it's really infuriating.

Meh. Calm down. I don't think he takes himself too seriously and I don't think you should take him too seriously either. He just writes what he sees and feels. Yes the way he writes has a certain element of certitude to it that is completely unjustified and some of it is inaccurate. But whatever, again just don't take it too seriously and you'll be fine. You can call out things you disagree with without getting terribly offended by it. Though that's apparently not true of college kids these days.....

 

[Gladeskat]

Turk is an icon. He has appeared on the huddlecast with CJ, and judging by his courtside seats I'm guessing he is a substantial supporter of the program. I don't personally know Turk but I assume he is invited to practices and other events due to presumed giving levels. I'm sure he talks to those within the athletic department often.

But don't change the subject. My post was regarding Gocatsgo's Mitchell remarks. He was wrong. Mitchell is the most dependable 4th quarter kicker, in the nation. Maybe gocatsgo should start acknowledging the things Turk points out instead of making himself look like a 5 year old.

I just about spit my coffee when I read this.

I fully understand what you're saying and have pointed out Mitchell's dependability in the 4th quarter. Perhaps he would better named as Mr. Clutch. If he was Mr. Dependability in the first three quarters, we wouldn't have had to sweat out first and goal from the one-yard line. He has missed four kicks in the PSU and UW games, and we need all the points we can get. We were a blink of an eye away from losing the UW game and some of the blame would have fallen on Mitchell's two misses kicks. Make just one of them and we wouldn't have had anything to worry about. You don't want to put the outcome of the game in the hands of the refs.

 

[chicagocatfan24]

Meh. Calm down. I don't think he takes himself too seriously and I don't think you should take him too seriously either. He just writes what he sees and feels. Yes the way he writes has a certain element of certitude to it that is completely unjustified and some of it is inaccurate. But whatever, again just don't take it too seriously and you'll be fine. You can call out things you disagree with without getting terribly offended by it. Though that's apparently not true of college kids these days.....

See, it's actually the complete opposite. I believe he takes himself COMPLETELY seriously while I don't take him seriously whatsoever. If his rhetoric were similar to Wrassler's, I wouldn't say a word to him.

 

[Turk_rivals223269]

See, it's actually the complete opposite. I believe he takes himself COMPLETELY seriously while I don't take him seriously whatsoever. If his rhetoric were similar to Wrassler's, I wouldn't say a word to him.

The Great and All Powerful Turk has spoken. So go bring me the broomstick of the Wicked Witch, Mr "Barbie Tantrum" man!

Either that or get a life and stop stressing out on a half *** bull **** page that we all enjoy!

 

[Just Gary]

Big issue with our FG kicking. I don't know if it is the kicking, the spotting, or the timing but a more reliable kicking game would have put this game away earlier. Missing two early FG is just not good enough and it is time that we treat all kicks as important. We would not be in a frantic state if his FG percentage was a bit better than 8th best in the B1G. Definitely not "dependable".

 

[mikewebb68]

I'm not sure if that was a reverse or suppose to be AC passing off that reverse. I've seen it before with Brewer and Peterman or Ebert as well. I just think it blew up, but if that was the reverse/pass play then we have had some positive results off of it. I can't imagine AC coming around in a true reverse, we'd have Shuler or Roberts for that. Dunno.

Looked a lot like a pass play on the rewatch. Anyone disagree?

 

[Gladeskat]

Looked a lot like a pass play on the rewatch. Anyone disagree?

It obviously was a pass play, otherwise a speedster would have received the pitch.

 

[EvanstonCat]

Turk is an icon. He has appeared on the huddlecast with CJ, and judging by his courtside seats I'm guessing he is a substantial supporter of the program. I don't personally know Turk but I assume he is invited to practices and other events due to presumed giving levels. I'm sure he talks to those within the athletic department often.

But don't change the subject. My post was regarding Gocatsgo's Mitchell remarks. He was wrong. Mitchell is the most dependable 4th quarter kicker, in the nation. Maybe gocatsgo should start acknowledging the things Turk points out instead of making himself look like a 5 year old.

Slurp, slurp, slurp...

What? I'm just enjoying my Slurpee here.

 

[Mr. Stupor]

my opinion based on observance and play calling. Perhaps it is not true, but based on what i observe, it is what i conclude.
My conclusion is based on a game plan that completely took Thorson ot of the game. They simply ddnt trust that he could make plays. If _isconsin had scored that last TD then i suspectthis and the infficiencies out of the qb position would be more glaring. And all learning is condition of being able to learn new tricks as opposed to default patterns we establish along the way. When _isconsins defense is already keyin and anticipating the Thorson right rollout, im almost certain McCall doesnt teach many of the things Thorson defaults to. Its called experience, and Thorson doesnthave it. He may at a later time but i see little evidence that he has learned from the Stanford game.

"They simply ddnt trust that he could make plays."

this is my biggest problem with Fitz. He blathers on and on and on about making plays and trusting his players to make plays ... when we lose a close one it's inevitably "we just didn't make enough plays" and yada yada yada.

Yet he coaches 180 degrees the opposite. Kickers aren't allowed to kick. Returners arent allowed to return. Blockers aren't allowed to block. It took Fitz 5 or so years of that nonsense before he finally woke up and trusted his players to go out there and make plays on special teams.

I've seen enough to know that if Fitz isn't reining in something, he's not happy. So the fact that our QB is not allowed to throw comes as no surprise because iwhen you really DON'T trust your players, it's always gonna be something. For a guy who professes 100% trust in his players, he sure makes an awful lot of coaching decisions 180 degrees to the contrary.

 

[Turk_rivals223269]

"They simply ddnt trust that he could make plays."

this is my biggest problem with Fitz. He blathers on and on and on about making plays and trusting his players to make plays ... when we lose a close one it's inevitably "we just didn't make enough plays" and yada yada yada.

Yet he coaches 180 degrees the opposite. Kickers aren't allowed to kick. Returners arent allowed to return. Blockers aren't allowed to block. It took Fitz 5 or so years of that nonsense before he finally woke up and trusted his players to go out there and make plays on special teams.

I've seen enough to know that if Fitz isn't reining in something, he's not happy. So the fact that our QB is not allowed to throw comes as no surprise because iwhen you really DON'T trust your players, it's always gonna be something. For a guy who professes 100% trust in his players, he sure makes an awful lot of coaching decisions 180 degrees to the contrary.

Admittedly, Fitz seems contradicting, but I think only partially so. Judgement calls are never perfect, even when trusting a RB to get 6 inches on 4th and 1. At what point is it "Not trusting?"

You probably trust your putter at about 5 feet away, but when you put more pressure on your putting by putting 20 feet away, does that mean you don't trust your putter?

Of course, Fitz trust Thorson, he's his starting QB for crying out loud. But he trust him or any player insomuch as their means and what Fitz has put on their plate. Thorson would have gotten eaten alive if Fitz had him pass 40 times against Wisconsin. Trusting has nothing at ALL to do with the statlines, and everything to do with what is expected and what Fitz ask of each player.

Fitz and McCall have handled this amazingly well by just putting enough on Thorson's plate that Thorson can bare.