1. RB- the "pistol" offense didn't really show us anything. We averaged 2.4 yards per carry which against a D1-AA school is extremely disappointing. The first showing of Darius Willis left me disappointed as well. I know it's still 1 game and there is a ton more football to play but I was very unimpressed. Willis unfortunately fumbled on his first touch and didn't get much of an opportunity after that. Lynch later said that Willis had a bruised shin the day before and it kind of flared up during the game. Hopefully he can get back 100% healthy next week. I think the running back by committee is preventing our backs from getting into a groove. Mccray didn't run particularly well but had a few back to back runs in late in the game that were impressive. I think that by giving someone a few carries then switching backs constantly it won't allow a particular runner to emerge. The running game was overall a pretty big disappointment.
2. QB- Chappell did a few things that were OK and a few that weren't. When he had time in the pocket and could step into his throws he played fine. He threw for 326 yards which was good. When he had to throw off of his back foot or was pressured, his throws were not accurate at all. He threw 2 INT's which hurt us, especially when we were marching down the field. That will have to be something that Ben has to improve on. I was hoping Ben would have had a bit more zip of some of his balls.
3. O-line- in the passing game the o-line seemed to give Ben plenty of time in the pocket to make decisions. This was many players first career starts which is always a learning experience. A few false start penalties need to be corrected. A few more holes in the running game would've helped out a lot but in the passing game they were pretty solid.
4. WR- probably one of the few spots that made me happy. Doss had a heck of a first half showing off his good route running, catching ability and he was able to get a bunch of yards after the catch. Everybody contributed pretty well. Belcher had a big second half and him and Tandon really blocked very well down the field. Evans had a few nice catches and Turner looked good as well. Overall I think the receivers played very well. Tandon had one dropped pass on third down but other than that I liked what I see from the receiving core. (Doss 8 catches 125 yds, Belcher 6 catches 97 yds TD, Turner 5 catches 57 yds, Evans 3 catches 25 yds)
5. TE- Dedmond didn't get a ton of balls thrown his way but it looked much better than last year. In 3rd and short he was wide open in the flat and got the first down. He ended up with 2 catches for 14 yards but he only had 6 catches all last year. I think the TE's did their job and played fine.
(Photo from IDS)Defense
1. D-line- for the most part the D-line provided pressure but sometimes couldn't finish the job. I thought one of the bigger surprises was how well Darius Johnson played. He is a converted linebacker and seems on the smaller side but he did a good job giving Kirlew and Middleton a break. There were times where it looked like our DT's had EKU's RB in the backfield and he slipped through to get a few yards. The redshirt freshman and true-freshman played solid I thought. Larry Black had a sack and another TFL. I would've liked a little more from Kirlew and Middleton but they didn't play bad by any means. Adam Replogle did some good things as well.
2. LB- Overall I thought the LB's did alright. Mayberry had a big 15 yard sack and Patterson had a 10 yard sack. They looked a little better than last year getting to the ball carrier quick and being able to shed a block here and there. It was a good start for the linebackers.
3. Secondary- Ray Fisher didn't play the first half because of a suspension. It was believed he was involved in a shouting match of some kind but Lynch assured everyone that everything is fine now. When Ray was in I thought he played really well. He made 5 tackles and forced a huge fumble when our backs were against the wall. He didn't get tested in coverage a whole bunch but I thought he played well. The safeties played alright as well. Austin Thomas made some pretty big hits in the game. Polk was kind of quiet but also registered 3 tackles with 2 assists. With Donnell Jones not playing this made the staff move Adkins back to corner. I didn't think he played too well. His coverage was spotty and gave up some big plays. Council played a little better but I couldn't believe he didn't intercept that ball down the sideline. It looks like the EKU receiver just made a fantastic play on the ball. Hopefully next week Donnell can come back from injury and him and Ray start out at the corners. I think the secondary need to make the largest improvement from this past week to next week's game.
Closing notes- Like Coach Lynch said "it is easier to make adjustments after a win than it is to make them after a loss". I did like the fireworks during the pre-game and the red light special towards the end of the game. I was very pleased with the student's attendance to the game. We still only had a little over 36k at the game but that was the largest first game crowd we have had in something like 12 years. I think the students did a good job filling the seats now it was more so the non-students who need to make there presence felt. I realize it was a school night and it is difficult to make the trip down so late, but hopefully more adults show up to next Saturday's game. Now we get a few more days to prepare for Western Michigan. Overall I was happy with the WR's and thought the D-line and LB's played alright and the O-line passed block just fine. I was very unhappy with the running game and our coverage in the secondary. I expect to see much more improvement next week because we cannot play like we did yesterday and expect to have very many wins this year. But in the end at least we still got the win.
Any thoughts on the game?
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I enjoy reading your opinions and updates, it's nice to hear insight from a fellow student.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I pretty much agree with you on your analysis of the game, but will repeat a couple things below that stood out to me.
I really liked the changes that IU is making to create a more exciting gameday environment and I hope that fans keep coming to the games. Hopefully the crowd will be even larger next week for our first Saturday game.
Where the stadium had a feel of new and improved, the team had the feeling of same old IU. A couple things stood out, most of which you have already mentioned. I am a fan of running backs by committee in general, but cycling through 4 the way Lynch does is not going to work. There is no time for our backs to get in a rhythm, and I felt like the last thing that freshman rb Willis needed after fumbling was to sit on the bench and think about it while the other 3 backs got their carries. Chappell had some bright spots, but a few of his throws were flat out bad, including one int that was around 7 yards underthrown.
As far as the defense goes, I thought play was overall good but still needs to improve over the year in order to stay competitive. I thought the linebackers did a nice job, and the d line played ok too. The other noticeable area was the secondary, where it seemed like eku receivers had a very easy time finding open spaces for easy completions.
As you said, a win is a win. Hopefully there is some improvement this week and we can have a good showing against W Mich next week, who did not look too good against UM but is still a good team.
Do you think Lynch will continue to use 4 backs all year, or is he trying to see which 1 or 2 emerge as go-to guys?
Thanks for the support GWHoosier. I thought the game day atmosphere last year to this year has been night and day. Fred Glass has done wonders to improve the program in that aspect. As far as the secondary goes it will be interesting to see if their is improvement once Donnell Jones comes back from injury and starts along side Ray Fisher. I thought Ray played very well for the time he was in the 2nd half. He caused a big fumble at the end and was tied for the lead with 5 tackles. With Donnell hurt, Chris Adkins got moved back from safety to start and corner and I didn't feel like he played all to well. I happen to like Jones a lot he is just a bit undersized.
ReplyDeleteI think Lynch will unfortunately use 4 backs until 1-2 emerge so hopefully 1-2 can emerge soon. But it is also hard like we both said to get into a rhythm when you only get a few carries then have to sit out and let somebody else get a few carries. Ideally I would like to see Demetrius Mccray get a bulk of the carries and Willis to get a handful as well. Then in short yard situations or goal line situation I don't mind seeing Burgess or Payton in to pound the ball. If nobody emerges then I don't see him focusing on 1-2 backs so hopefully the running game can improve for next week. Hopefully Pagan will be back by that time because I feel like he will be our best run blocker for years to come.