09-28-2014, 10:57 AM
Ugh, what a disaster.
We could not get out of our own way yesterday.
Just a couple of nuggets that prove the old adage that statistics are for losers:
Total offensive yards: UAB 380 FIU 297
3rd down conversions: UAB 7/18 FIU 4/17
First downs: UAB 21 FIU 9
Rushing yards: UAB 184 FIU 93
If you'd quoted me those in a vacuum, I'd have assumed we'd won.
The slap your forehead moment is when you kick in:
Turnovers: UAB 6 (Jesus wept) FIU 0
Interception return yards: FIU 102 (2 TDs) More than their run game managed.
So, anyway, on to the observations:
The Good
1. This will be a short list
2. The tailgate was great, especially if you're a carnivore (like me). It's fun to sit around and share good food and conversation with friends and like-minded sports fans. The work that blazerwkr and blazerjay do are appreciated beyond my ability to convey.
3. The Sound of the Magic City. Biggest and best band we've had that I've seen, (and I say that not because I have a kid in it, but then, maybe it IS because of that, as I'm paying more attention to it than I have in the past).
4. Defense (aside from 2 major lapses). Take away those two long pass/catches, and they pass for 44 yards. But for those two breakdowns, we hold their offense to 137 yards and 0 points. Also consider this, when the offense gave up the ball inside our 25 three times, FIU managed two field goals. This is no small thing to be encouraged about, particularly given the video game offense we'll be facing next week.
5. We completed passes to 10 different receivers yesterday (not including FIU defenders).
6. The two-headed monster at TE. 5 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD.
7. That fake punt was an awesome designed play. We just didn't execute.
8. Same for the onsides kick.
9. Parker Mullins. 46.3 yards punting. 46.0 net.
10. FIU's D. They made a believer out of me.
11. Wow, that was longer than I thought it'd be.
The Bad
1. You can't win games with 6 turnovers. That's damn near axiomatic.
2. FIU's QB. Dude couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat, but at least he wasn't the liability that was...
3. Our QBs. They completed 18 passes to us (not bad) and 4 to them (catastrophic). I don't believe they're as bad as FIU's D made them look, but clearly there is work to be done. I'm sure both Clements and Briscoe feel worse than any of us about it, so I won't belabor the point, but damn.
4. Penalties. Looking at the boxscore, we were only flagged 5 times for 40 yards, but damn, they seemed to come at terrible times. That holding call on Howard's long run was a turning point. It was effectively an ~80 yard penalty.
The Ugly
1. 6 TOs. It really begins and ends here. If we take better care of the ball, this is a very different ballgame. Are our QBs really all that careless? Did FUI's coverage confuse them into bad reads? Did the pressure force them into bad decisions? Are they in their 4th game of a new offensive systems against a surprisingly good and creative defense? All of the above.
2. 17 point favorites, a good vibe going around, and we cough up a hair ball. I'd be more dismayed but we've seen this movie before.
3. I cringe throwing players under the bus, but if Farmer's the best corner we've got opposite Jean, we'd better get him some help. He looked lost at times yesterday, and if McGoo were any better, it could have been worse.
4. The rapper at halftime. Dude, stick to the baritone and let the ladies from the first two games take turns.
Best Smack of the Day
When the clock operator let 10 seconds run off the clock after FIU's punt at the end of the half went out of bounds, I'd climbed up to right in front of the pressbox to take pics of the band. Clark was on the field, looking up at the pressbox with his hands out. I shouted over my shoulder, "WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?!?"
Damn, Legion Field is no home field advantage.
So, what does this mean, Barbara?
I'm disappointed, but not dismayed. In spite of everything, I found things to like about the game yesterday. We didn't quit. The coaches kept coaching and the players kept fighting. It was one of the more surreal games I've ever seen, and I've watched a lot of football. If Clark is the kind of coach I think he is, he will get the mistakes addressed, which is a good thing, because things don't get any easier.
I think we can table the bowl talk for the moment, and enjoy the progress the team makes this year, and I still believe we're much better than last year.
I don't know what will happen next week, but I think we'd better buckle up, because WKU is the opposite of FIU. They will score lots of points and give up a lot. Will we get off the deck and smack 'em in the mouth? I don't know.
What I do know is, Clark doesn't strike me as the kind of guy to take an embarrassment like yesterday kindly. New staff. New QBs. A rough outing might have been inevitable, I don't know. What I do know is, we suit up again in 6 days, and we'll see what we've learned.
That's all I've got. For now. I think.
We could not get out of our own way yesterday.
Just a couple of nuggets that prove the old adage that statistics are for losers:
Total offensive yards: UAB 380 FIU 297
3rd down conversions: UAB 7/18 FIU 4/17
First downs: UAB 21 FIU 9
Rushing yards: UAB 184 FIU 93
If you'd quoted me those in a vacuum, I'd have assumed we'd won.
The slap your forehead moment is when you kick in:
Turnovers: UAB 6 (Jesus wept) FIU 0
Interception return yards: FIU 102 (2 TDs) More than their run game managed.
So, anyway, on to the observations:
The Good
1. This will be a short list
2. The tailgate was great, especially if you're a carnivore (like me). It's fun to sit around and share good food and conversation with friends and like-minded sports fans. The work that blazerwkr and blazerjay do are appreciated beyond my ability to convey.
3. The Sound of the Magic City. Biggest and best band we've had that I've seen, (and I say that not because I have a kid in it, but then, maybe it IS because of that, as I'm paying more attention to it than I have in the past).
4. Defense (aside from 2 major lapses). Take away those two long pass/catches, and they pass for 44 yards. But for those two breakdowns, we hold their offense to 137 yards and 0 points. Also consider this, when the offense gave up the ball inside our 25 three times, FIU managed two field goals. This is no small thing to be encouraged about, particularly given the video game offense we'll be facing next week.
5. We completed passes to 10 different receivers yesterday (not including FIU defenders).
6. The two-headed monster at TE. 5 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD.
7. That fake punt was an awesome designed play. We just didn't execute.
8. Same for the onsides kick.
9. Parker Mullins. 46.3 yards punting. 46.0 net.
10. FIU's D. They made a believer out of me.
11. Wow, that was longer than I thought it'd be.
The Bad
1. You can't win games with 6 turnovers. That's damn near axiomatic.
2. FIU's QB. Dude couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat, but at least he wasn't the liability that was...
3. Our QBs. They completed 18 passes to us (not bad) and 4 to them (catastrophic). I don't believe they're as bad as FIU's D made them look, but clearly there is work to be done. I'm sure both Clements and Briscoe feel worse than any of us about it, so I won't belabor the point, but damn.
4. Penalties. Looking at the boxscore, we were only flagged 5 times for 40 yards, but damn, they seemed to come at terrible times. That holding call on Howard's long run was a turning point. It was effectively an ~80 yard penalty.
The Ugly
1. 6 TOs. It really begins and ends here. If we take better care of the ball, this is a very different ballgame. Are our QBs really all that careless? Did FUI's coverage confuse them into bad reads? Did the pressure force them into bad decisions? Are they in their 4th game of a new offensive systems against a surprisingly good and creative defense? All of the above.
2. 17 point favorites, a good vibe going around, and we cough up a hair ball. I'd be more dismayed but we've seen this movie before.
3. I cringe throwing players under the bus, but if Farmer's the best corner we've got opposite Jean, we'd better get him some help. He looked lost at times yesterday, and if McGoo were any better, it could have been worse.
4. The rapper at halftime. Dude, stick to the baritone and let the ladies from the first two games take turns.
Best Smack of the Day
When the clock operator let 10 seconds run off the clock after FIU's punt at the end of the half went out of bounds, I'd climbed up to right in front of the pressbox to take pics of the band. Clark was on the field, looking up at the pressbox with his hands out. I shouted over my shoulder, "WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?!?"
Damn, Legion Field is no home field advantage.
So, what does this mean, Barbara?
I'm disappointed, but not dismayed. In spite of everything, I found things to like about the game yesterday. We didn't quit. The coaches kept coaching and the players kept fighting. It was one of the more surreal games I've ever seen, and I've watched a lot of football. If Clark is the kind of coach I think he is, he will get the mistakes addressed, which is a good thing, because things don't get any easier.
I think we can table the bowl talk for the moment, and enjoy the progress the team makes this year, and I still believe we're much better than last year.
I don't know what will happen next week, but I think we'd better buckle up, because WKU is the opposite of FIU. They will score lots of points and give up a lot. Will we get off the deck and smack 'em in the mouth? I don't know.
What I do know is, Clark doesn't strike me as the kind of guy to take an embarrassment like yesterday kindly. New staff. New QBs. A rough outing might have been inevitable, I don't know. What I do know is, we suit up again in 6 days, and we'll see what we've learned.
That's all I've got. For now. I think.
