All I can say is wow. Well, I can say more than that, but the word that keeps popping into my mind is wow. How in the world is this defense this good? Can coaching and one year really make that much of a difference? Because it is night and day. I was certain that Mississippi was going to score lots on us, and even during the game, I kept expecting them to explode and our defense to make mistakes or get tired, as we’ve seen in the past. In the second half, they did neither. Wow.
Here are my thoughts on the positives and things that need to be worked on:
Positives
Things That Need Work
Conclusions
If you had told me two weeks ago that we would beat Mississippi without DRob, Hudson, Saffle, or Watson, I would have laughed at you. But not only did we beat them, it really shouldn’t have been close – three FGs missed or erased and kicking one when we were on the 1-yard line left 13 points on the field. This easily could have been a blowout. But we did not hang our head and just kept plugging. This is a resilient team, perhaps the most important trait in football. They keep coming at you. And now they have training and schemes that help, not hurt. And I still believe we will get better as the year goes on, not regress like every single Dykes team did. That bodes well that we will make some noise in the Pac-12. I’m not sure where this team will end up, but like I said last week, it will end up about as high as they possibly can, because they have people around them that will guide then there. I cannot wait to see what this staff does with even more talent, talent that they hand-picked. The future looks bright. But the present is pretty darn good, too. We are 3-0, folks, and playing smart, with confidence and fire, and making things happen instead of letting them happen. All I can say is: Wow.
Here are my thoughts on the positives and things that need to be worked on:
Positives
- I’ve already mentioned the defense, but they deserve mention after mention. They stymied their run game, kept a mobile QB contained (pinch me, I’m dreaming), applied a pass rush (!!!!! one exclamation point for each sack), and other than two long passes that were absolutely perfectly thrown (and admittedly were mistakes in coverage, as the safeties just did not get there in time – Rubenzer in particular just did not get there on one), played excellent pass coverage. Plus, they continued their ball hawking ways, getting three picks and almost a couple more. Who are these guys? What happened to the embarrassment that they were the last several seasons? What a turnaround. They flat out won the game. Period.
- The defensive coaching was miraculous. They did a really great job mixing up coverages, moving safeties and LBs about, and calling well-conceived blitzes. Patterson looked confused as sometimes a safety would hide as an LB and then dart back into a two deep drop with the other safety at the last minute. Sometimes LBs would contain the QB by spying on him, sometimes drop into coverage, and sometimes blitz. None of this is particularly revolutionary, but it was so well disguised, that you could just see the coaching dripping onto the field. Amazing.
- Devante Downs is the man. He was all over the field causing havoc – his pick, his knocking their best WR out of the game, and his game-ending sack were all huge plays. He is quickly turning from a major disappointment into perhaps the best LB season in Cal history. If the season ended today, he’s win Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. I know this is a bit over the top, but, pardon the pun, it is defensible. Just think about it. Incredible.
- Our secondary played particularly well, but I’d like to especially point out Cam Bynum, my favorite. He got burned for a TD in the first half, but his back-to-back plays late in the game on deep balls in one-on-one coverage both of which he broke up, were great plays, and so unexpected after watching our DBs after the last several years. Great positioning, turning to play the ball, and showing superior athletic skills. He’s a keeper.
- Allensworth is a really good tackler. I know he’s been pressed by other CBs, but he made two very tough tackles, one on Patterson. He’s no Deion Sanders in this regard.
- I don’t know if I’ve ever been so startled by a play than Cam Goode’s pick-6. It happened electrically fast and it was so shocking to me, as I fully expected Mississippi to roll down the field and score, I was just flummoxed. All I could do was say “Did that just happen?” over and over again. Goode showed equally electric athleticism on that play. He’s only going to get better, and he’s pretty darn good right now.
- Our punting was excellent all night from both kickers and really helped us change and win the field position battle. They were difference makers.
- Our run game was central to our winning. It burned clock, it wore down their defense, and it gained valuable yards throughout. Both backs had good games and Laird continues to play like a top-notch back and a tough one – the play where his knee was rolled up under him, everyone in the stands gasped, but he just bounced right back up like it was no biggie. He’s a gamer. While other than Enwere’s (who had a bounce back game) 4-and-1 run, there were no “explosion” plays, they were steady all night with above-average run blocking leading the way. I like that Baldwin does not give up on the rush and just stays patient and committed to it. Very reminiscent of Jeff Tedford.
- As others mentioned, McMorris’ block on Enwere’s run was highlight reel stuff. You could hear the pads crunch on that play. He just blew the guy up.
- Wilcox has put together a really excellent coaching staff. Mississippi looked horribly coached and made bonehead mistakes galore. We, in comparison, looked composed and well prepared. That’s all I can ask.
Things That Need Work
- Matt Anderson almost cost us the game – two times. He’s supposed to be a weapon, not someone who you hold your breath when he comes onto the field. He needs to get his act together, and buy Cameron Goode a couple of steaks for saving his ass.
- I was OK with taking the FG points off the board. But not OK with the risky play calling that led to an interception. I told my friend that we should just run the ball three times and if we bust it in, great. If not, we kick the FG after having burned more clock and wearing their defense down some more. Baldwin got too cute there. And Bowers has got to learn when to settle for moving onto another play. Lose the battle, not the war, son.
- Way too many penalties and especially too many 15-yard personal foul ones. We cannot afford to give up big chunks of yards. We need to clean this up – STAT.
- Our WRs did not play well. Veasy, Noa, and Wharton all had multiple drops on big pass plays that could have broken the game open. Bowers wasn’t perfect, but his stat line should have been a lot better. Even more worrisome is that I did not see a lot of separation throughout the game. We need Hudson and DRob back big time.
- Our return game continues to be just horrible. Why oh why can’t we do this better? We need to figure this out, especially on kick-offs. Personally, I do not think Davis is the answer. He may be fast (although he got caught from behind twice), but he does not have the instincts. Someone has to be better than this.
- The stadium was sadly empty again, although the crowd was at least engaged. It’s time people started coming out for this team. They deserve it and are playing a very entertaining – and thoroughly refreshing – brand of football. They are worthy.
Conclusions
If you had told me two weeks ago that we would beat Mississippi without DRob, Hudson, Saffle, or Watson, I would have laughed at you. But not only did we beat them, it really shouldn’t have been close – three FGs missed or erased and kicking one when we were on the 1-yard line left 13 points on the field. This easily could have been a blowout. But we did not hang our head and just kept plugging. This is a resilient team, perhaps the most important trait in football. They keep coming at you. And now they have training and schemes that help, not hurt. And I still believe we will get better as the year goes on, not regress like every single Dykes team did. That bodes well that we will make some noise in the Pac-12. I’m not sure where this team will end up, but like I said last week, it will end up about as high as they possibly can, because they have people around them that will guide then there. I cannot wait to see what this staff does with even more talent, talent that they hand-picked. The future looks bright. But the present is pretty darn good, too. We are 3-0, folks, and playing smart, with confidence and fire, and making things happen instead of letting them happen. All I can say is: Wow.
