It may not have been pretty to some and may not have been up to our expectations but a win is a win.
It was nice to read that even the players were not happy about their performance on Saturday night against Idaho. I have no problem calling it a convincing win, though as I noted earlier we have been spoiled by spectacular games with dominating performances in the past and when coupled with all of the hype it can get a little heady up there with unrealistic expectations. I was surprised that PC didn't have them MORE fired up then what we saw out there, but that is my interpretation though I'm sure others feel the same way.
Even the press had opposing views on Saturday's game. Some thought we performed as expected while others had mixed reviews. What's important is that our deficiencies were spotted and can be worked on being corrected. Most concerning to me is the defense not getting penetration and allowing too many yards on 3rd and long or allowing the opposing running back to get more than just a couple of yards after initial contact. It is easy to get caught up in all the hype about how great the defense is but in the end they only allowed 10 point and 7 of those were in garbage time. Yes, it is against Idaho who is ranked 113th in Division 1 but this defense has done a very good job in the past so I'm not going to get too crazy about it. I'm sure the film showed them where the mistakes were made and the coaching staff has probably chewed some butts out but I am more than willing to bet that they will be ready to take on Nebraska in two weeks. The one thing that bothers me the most is the over aggressiveness of the linebackers particularly Rey Rey. I love Rey and he is a phenomenal player but he is also a junior and a leader on this team with a lot of experience in this system but on that first drive he over shot the play more than once and that enabled the Idaho RB to get extra yardage. The line had problems getting pressure last season as well but the defense as a whole seemed to make up for it.
Zoulou made a great comment that really tells a lot as it reminds us how we sometimes believe too much into the hype.
Size, Linebackers and Depth at RB
As weakness he listed the corners and speed at wide receiver.
He then said the Defensive Line was adequate.
Of course, the WEARSC.COM crowd, as well as more than a few of Wolf's Blog commenters said he the scout was crazy, escpecially about the defensive line.
I think that after last night, the NFL scout is right on target.
I would agree, the D line is adequate they just need to finish the plays, they have some great guys behind them that have shown the capability to make some great plays so while the penetration issue may be a concern it is not the end of the world if the guys if the secondary can make the plays. To which Coach Carroll commented:
"It was like the guys were stretching to make things happen," he said.
Agreed, it doesn't have to be spectacular for it to be effective, they just need to settle down.
About the players thoughts on the game, from Sam Baker:
``Our tempo faded and we got lackadaisical,'' Baker said. ``We've always been a good finising team.''
Also, a quick note on the running game, I have read elsewhere where some have pointed out our lack of a dominant running back. I would simply say this, the running back by committee seemed to work just fine, it might be unconventional but I liked what I saw with Stafon and C.J. rotating back and forth. Havili being in there really opens up the running game because he can be used in a number of different ways. Same with Joe McKnight he is going to be special.
So enough said it is time to move on as we put this one to bed and focus on Nebraska while also getting our guys healthy this week. It may not have been pretty and they may have not played up to others' expectations but a win is a win.