The first half is what happens when we try to give up on the pass! For all the geniuses that think we should be able to run the ball without throwing, look at Scott's stats when Troy stacks NINE men in the box. This is why we need a balanced offense with a passing game. Also, in reference to my previous post on a team taking the characteristics of their QB - this game is the perfect example. When Lee started playing well, the whole team started playing well. I saw a thread on what sparked the team, it was clearly Lee! It was great to see so many young guys get snaps. While this season won't be great - Miles is developing the future. This team showed great character in this game, but the defensive game plan was not good. You can't give an offense like this the kind of coushin our DB's were giving them. Troy picked us apart underneath the zone all night.
I agree. But I mean, it's sort of obvious. lol Naturally the offense will be better when the QB hits the open WR's and don't throw it to the other team. But I do get what you saying that when Lee got it going, the whole team, defense, special teams, etc... got it going. I also agree it was good to see a lot of the young pups play . . . and in a lot of cases play pretty well, too.
Good point. Where are all the guys who said to hand it off to Scott and forget about the pass? :insane:
Lee & the offense's improvement provided such a huge momentum boost... I also think it is obvious, but lots of people disagreed that Lee has anything to do with the rest of the team's performance.
Exactly! And how could you expect Lee to learn and improve if all he does is hand the ball off? I've heard people say GC needs to keep it simple and not try to run his style of offense with a young inexperienced QB. Well how else is he gonna learn the offense? You just have to accept Lee's mistakes in the process. Now will Lee learn from these mistakes is another question.
It's common sense to know that the passing game opens up the run game... and the better the passing game is, the more your running game will break open. I'd like to see Trinden and his speed used more in reverses, direct snapd or even some screen passes with big Scott blocking for him. Given Scott or Ford some screens might open things up as well and help keep Lafell and Tolliver and Byrd open a little more. One things for sure... this Co-DC thing ain't working... and if their running the D next season we're screwed.
And yet... LSU knew that Troy was going to throw the ball 3x more than they would run it. But the Tigers couldn't do to their passing game what they did to our running game. Because Troy's QB executed very, very well - at least for awhile. Two step drops and very quick and accurate passes, often in man-man coverage that was decent. Clearly, a balanced attack is best and spreads the field out for the defense. But execution has a lot to do with this as well. Back in the 3yards and a cloud of dust days, power I teams ran, ran, ran and still managed to get first downs and put points on the board. LSU didn't execute in the running game and that's part of the reason it didn't work. Troy was smallish but very quick and LSU's running plays often took too long to develop. When Scott hit the hole going downhill, he got 7. When he moved laterally, he got 1 (or less). Just a couple more observations.
My observation after watching the game for the second time...my game ball goes to Moffitt. Troy clearly got tired in the second half and we were running at the same speed or faster come the 3rd and 4th Quarters.
Actually i have noticed that in most of our games this year. We are almost always still running on all cylinders at the end of the game. Great fitness training.
I, more than anyone, would normally agree with this assessment. Open it up, let him learn. But at this stage, I have changed my tune. I still call for passing on first down. But let's put Lee in positions where he can excel. The cute screen pass is just not a play that Lee can run. He tips his hand on it and the defense easily sniffs it out. He's like a pitcher in baseball in which the other team has seen a tendancy and knows what pitch he's throwing. Have him throw more fade stops, hooks, outs to the sideline. The over the middle stuff needs to be quick curls by the tight ends, not timing routes. Lee does not see the field AT ALL, so the 15 slant over the middle should be out of the playbook at this point. Run the no huddle. It's his forte. He has less time to think of what he's going to do on the next play or think about how bad his last pass was. Some minor tinkering and we can have us a pretty solid QB. Playing it safe won't cut it. Running on first and 2nd only to set up a longish 3rd down is just inviting disaster. Will be interesting to see us make these adjustments against an all-or-nothing Ole Miss defense. They will go for broke this coming saturday.
