I was far from perfect but that's what Sanchez showed me on the drive before his last INT. Unfortunately it wasn't enough.
My support for this team is unwavering. So I am going to just write as it comes to me so I may jump around a bit.
I am not one to question play calling but where was that play calling in first part of the game? What about the 4th and 1? So they learned their lesson about not using Washington but they needed a power back on that play not Joe McKnight. Now you know I love McKnight but that was not the play for him. Here's a question how about Allen Bradford? Think he would have made a difference? I do!
The conservative play calling is the death of us. Sarkisian got control of the offense this season so it's all on him. I have been pretty quiet and watched this progress and the results are in. It is clear that the coaches either do not know what they are doing or they don't have faith in the offense to get it done. How the hell do you call a lateral running play on 4th and 1 from the 12-yard line? Here is a novel idea how about a field so you don't come away empty handed. Did we not learn anything from the Stanford loss 3 weeks ago?
I keep reading over and over about the how much we miss Norm Chow. Sorry, I don't and it's because that I refuse to live in the past so no I don't miss him. I would agree that it is on Pete Carroll for not hiring adequate coaching to replace all that we have lost in Chow, Oregeron and Davis. I don't think he could fully replace that coaching talent but he hasn't even come close. The recruiting has been spectacular but it isn't worth the scouting reports that written up if the talent isn't adjusting or developing to this level of play. If Chow wanted to stay he could have but he let his ego get in the way. Yes, Pete Carroll has a big ego as well but he is the head coach so it's his way or the highway. Could they have managed to put their differences aside? Yes, but they chose not to. I just don't want to hear about Chow anymore, that chapter is closed.
We are in the here and now so we need to focus on where we are today not where we have been. Pete Carroll wanted and got all the credit when we were wing and now he has to take the heat when we are losing. This is uncharted territory for a lot of fans. We have been on a roll that very few other schools will ever witness but Troy is officially burning and the run has officially ended. I am no more happy about it than anyone one else but it's a hell of a lot better than what we see going on across town. As I write this they just went down 20-7 in the middle of the 4th to bad WSU team.
Sloppy play is because of coaching pure and simple. Rachal is a veteran so he should have known better than to have committed that personal foul penalty. Radovich's holding penalty cost McKnight a long touchdown run, we can debate whether or not McKnight would have actually made a TD on that run if there wasn't a hold there but it definitely shifted the momentum and there is your game. I trust Pete Carroll but this has got to stop. Havili's fumble was another miscue that hurt us as it led to another 7 points. Sanchez is a good enough QB that those INT's won't happen if he is not put in a position to pull it out because of others mistakes. Sanchez was FAR from perfect but his mobility kept us in the game so I am 100% behind Sanchez for the rest of this season. His mobility really put SC in a position to keep it close and without those mistakes other than the INT's SC wins this game. I don't care what type of talent you have if they don't develop their game you can't consistently win. Continuing to have turnovers, dropped passes and costly penalties this late into the season is not developing your game.
The defense played a decent but not great in this game. I was disappointed that they let Oregon convert on that 3rd and long at the end of the third quarter to keep that drive going. And while they didn't allow Dixon to run wild he still rushed for 150-plus yards. They made some pretty good defensive adjustments and they did hit Dixon when he ran but it wasn't enough.
I am not concerned about the post season at this point because if we continue to play this way it won't matter. The bigger question I have is about next season. We lose a lot of defense this season so how do we address that...I know its early but you have to admit it leaves you scratching your head because the defense is what has kept us in these games. We will lose some talent on the offensive line so that is a concern as well. We are now even with the pack, USC has been figured out and until we develop this talent and mix some things up it will tough to stay in contention for anything.
I'm stickin' with them through Thick and Thin....