(08-31-2013 06:52 PM)cr11owl Wrote:  Hate to lose just like every other game BUT all I've heard from people who watched with no relation to Rice is how impressed they were by our play. Most people watched the first half so we did get some of the publicity we wanted. One of those moral victories. Also, my friends from Bama loved what they saw. Aggies are going to get their tails handed to them in 2 weeks

I had a similar experience, 3 random groups of football fans stopped me at the grocery store (we are on vacation at the beach, fans had Arkansas, Georgia, and Texas shirts on) and said they thought Rice played very well. Was a very good feeling!

(08-31-2013 07:51 PM)jwn Wrote:  

(08-31-2013 07:46 PM)greyowl72 Wrote:  This is a bit OT, but today was the first time I had attended a game at Kyle Field in 15 years. It's enormous. And due for an expansion very soon to make it the largest stadium in the SEC. Announced attendance was 86,000 plus. The capacity right now is around 82,000.
At any rate, anybody have an idea of what we made for playing in College Station today?

About the same as what Johnny got paid.

We are on every ESPN Gamebreak showing JFF getting yanked. Media is priceless

(08-31-2013 07:51 PM)jwn Wrote:  

(08-31-2013 07:46 PM)greyowl72 Wrote:  This is a bit OT, but today was the first time I had attended a game at Kyle Field in 15 years. It's enormous. And due for an expansion very soon to make it the largest stadium in the SEC. Announced attendance was 86,000 plus. The capacity right now is around 82,000.
At any rate, anybody have an idea of what we made for playing in College Station today?

About the same as what Johnny got paid.

so we get a Mercedes PLUS cash???

I thought Ross, Taylor, and Covington looked like star players against good competition.

McHargue cannot have streaks like the one he had (almost threw 3 int's in a row, saved by Taylor's play to score). That is why Driphus will be valuable all season as a #2 who is really a 1B. He hasn't thrown an INT yet in his career. McH will need breaks with how much he runs.

While the downfield plays weren't there, our ball-possession offense looked as good as ever.

Really hope Petersen can come back vs Kansas but I fear a collarbone injury. Dillard looked promising, though you could tell he needs experience - took some hard hits where he ran straight into defenders.

Our O-line deserves a game ball, though they too made mistakes with a bad snap (huge play btw) and false starts.

Our weakest aspect was special teams - poor execution on punts, fair catches for a punt inside the 5 and for a kick off, missed FG as to end half. One 40+ FG and one good kickoff return, defended kick offs well.

Manziel is a punk. I wouldn't expect too much from him at the next level.

Our D will improve with Nwosu and Gaines, and against lesser O-lines, but we looked OK against the pass. We should have some blowout wins later in the season.

(08-31-2013 03:57 PM)NYC Owl Wrote:  Run the Damn Ball!

Ross was a beast today (obviously), and the option game was working nicely as well.

As long as our pitchman was there, but at least once there was a problem there.

(08-31-2013 04:28 PM)WMD Owl Wrote:  You know if we drove him this nuts then he won't survive Alabama. They are the Intimidation and Smack Talk Champions of the World.

This. And LSU. And, well, every other opponent they're going to face. I love our guys and think they're going to have a great season, but I don't see our team being anywhere but the bottom of the smack-talk ladder.

(08-31-2013 06:56 PM)elf owl Wrote:  I want to see Eddington catch a kickoff without calling off the shortstop.

I couldn't understand what he was doing there. The kick was right to him so there was no communication needed.

My take:

Dissapointed in the outcome of the game. It could have been won.
Not discouraged though.

I thought the reasons we lost are all mental errors. Fixable stuff. Will it be fixed is another question. Time will tell.

The prevalence of successfully executed plays seems to indicate that we are beginning to have the talent, size, strength, speed that is required to compete with BCS teams.

Thoughts on JFF:

He won't repeat as Heisman winner. ATTITUDE issues. He probably doesn't care. He's going to use this opportunity to gain as much exposure as he can get. He likely has political ambitions. And I am thinking there are a lot of Aggies, and other people who would vote for him right now, simply because he got away with it.

Kudos to our two D-backs who made it possible for him to step right into that cow patty.
However, we are probably aiding him along the way with all of the signature T-shirt talk.

Just returned from the game and was lucky enough to have sideline passes so got to watch the game from the field...

My $.02 w/out being repetitive from earlier posts..

- Really missed Nwosu and Radcliffe after he got hurt. Elder, Lyons, Kutzler, etc. will be fine C-USA LB's but they got indoctrinated today. Lots of misses, arm tackles, tackles way after point-of-attack, etc. The miss on the Evans TD across the middle right between them was a back breaker. Experienced LB's either light-up Evans after a short gain or step in front of that play. JFF telegraphed it. If he does that against Alabama it is an INT.

- McH's two picks are the story that changed the game. I know ESPN will make the JFF four scores/five possessions the storyline for ratings but McH's first INT was thrown to a spot on field. I don't know if that was his fault or WR's but clearly it was wrong. The second ball was partially tipped by the A*M LB. So it was McH's fault b/c it was a pick..but the very slight tip put air on the ball to the Safety so seems here he is getting a bit more blame than deserved for that one.

- I thought from the field that we played JFF ok. He scored 24 points and Joeckel had 28. The energy in the building when he came in was crazy. Completely changed atmosphere but his tucking and running game will get sniffed out by Alabama's speed. Won't work again.

- The heat got to Ross. He was gassed and unfortunate b/c while Dillard did some good things, not having Ross for a few series made some difference in 2H. Also, him being gassed did cause some of the miscommunication w/ McH that was being worked on sidelines. He is a beast. Hope he stays healthy.

- Don't know why we did not stretch them vertically much. Lots of curls, hitches, flares in the flats, crossing routes underneath, etc. They did not respect deep ball and that hurt us..esp in 2H when they began crowding box tighter.

- Too bad Julius White jumped that route on the third and short for the 75-yd TD. Can't guess. OK to give up a 1st down but if you are in lock down man w/out any help, you can't gamble like that. That was a backbreaker

- Watching the Horns right now on LHN and they are making miscue after miscue. We are 3 TD's better than NMSU and they look like world beaters. Sans the fumble before half and the late 4Q penalties..A&M played an error free game. Give them credit. We needed a performance like Longhorns tonight to get a W and did not get it from A&M.

- DJ is exciting and a gamer but lots of work to progress through reads. He had many open guys today but did not get to them. As I said from Houston game last year...his release is too slow. Would like to see staff get him out on perimeter and out of pocket. Amazing w/ his feet and ok passer if you let him stay in pocket w/out pressure (like AFA game last year) but when he gets pressured, he can't get ball away fast enough or get to that next read so he tucks and runs...sometimes works sometimes not but for him to get to next level..staff either needs to get him to perimeter quicker for run/pass options, bootlegs, etc. or he needs to improve his pocket presence and release.

- The field position game on punt made a difference. Farrimond punting for net 30 and putting it out of end-zone and Aggie punters net 50+ was clear. No value to punting it out of end zone from mid-field. Do miss Martens and his ability to hit that 9-iron punt to the 10 and either cause fair catch or opportunity for guys to down it inside 10. We have a hole here. Watching Farrimond in pre-game and very inconsistent.

- We were ready to play today. Anyone critical from prior DB teams coming out not ready..should give some props for that today. That looks to be improved. Maybe a function of seniors too.

- Hull is a beast. Big time athlete. Hope to see him get more touches (esp on kickoff return) as season progresses.

- Taylor is a gamer. He just makes plays. Liked how Reagan lined him up in different spots.

- Celia looked good until he cramped-up but surprised not to see any Eddington at TE.

- All-in-all..my sense from the field was that they could not stop us and we could not stop them. Whoever made mistakes would be difference. We gave them the mistake on 75-yd TD, the mistakes on INT's, a couple dropped balls that would have moved chains, and the miss on fourth down. That was it... They did not make the mistakes. A&M is a better team than Rice but today Rice beat Rice more than A&M beat Rice.

I feel encouraged. We earned some respect today. Got many complements from Aggie faithful leaving today on the team. A bit of panic in Aggieland on their D. We went toe-to-toe w/ a Top 10 team. The program is on right trajectory finally. Agree w/ other posters... 11-1 should be the expectation. We won't see anyone the rest of the year in the zipcode of today's opponent.

(08-31-2013 08:53 PM)Buho00 Wrote:  I thought Ross, Taylor, and Covington looked like star players against good competition.

McHargue cannot have streaks like the one he had (almost threw 3 int's in a row, saved by Taylor's play to score). That is why Driphus will be valuable all season as a #2 who is really a 1B. He hasn't thrown an INT yet in his career. McH will need breaks with how much he runs.

While the downfield plays weren't there, our ball-possession offense looked as good as ever.

Really hope Petersen can come back vs Kansas but I fear a collarbone injury. Dillard looked promising, though you could tell he needs experience - took some hard hits where he ran straight into defenders.

Our O-line deserves a game ball, though they too made mistakes with a bad snap (huge play btw) and false starts.

Our weakest aspect was special teams - poor execution on punts, fair catches for a punt inside the 5 and for a kick off, missed FG as to end half. One 40+ FG and one good kickoff return, defended kick offs well.

Manziel is a punk. I wouldn't expect too much from him at the next level.

Our D will improve with Nwosu and Gaines, and against lesser O-lines, but we looked OK against the pass. We should have some blowout wins later in the season.

I pretty much agree with this assessment. Ross, Taylor and Covington (as well as the offensive line) deserve game balls. Though I'm also disappointed by McHargue's streakiness, He still appeared to be the much more poised and experienced QB out there. Jackson made a couple nice running plays, but he simply waits too long to commit to a play (whether it be pass or run) and, consequently, finds himself constantly running into pressure. Also, by the time he does throw to his receivers, the defenders are all over them. McHargue does a far superior job of reading the defense, IMO (which, of course, is due to his 3+ years of experience). The other thing that bugs me with Jackson is that he prefers to scramble to his left, which (as a right-handed thrower) makes it much, MUCH more difficult to ever get a quality pass off.

My other pet peeve is with the tempo and pacing of our offense. It continues to be pathetic. Given the higher intellect of our players, why must we use the full 40 seconds almost every down on offense (usually just standing there wasting time and allowing the defense to catch their breath and get in position). IMO, it's embarrassing, and gives the appearance of lack of confidence and aggressiveness.

(08-31-2013 09:15 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  My other pet peeve is with the tempo and pacing of our offense. It continues to be pathetic. Given the higher intellect of our players, why must we use the full 40 seconds almost every down on offense (usually just standing there wasting time and allowing the defense to catch their breath and get in position). IMO, it's embarrassing, and gives the appearance of lack of confidence and aggressiveness.

Might have had something to do with the temp/humidity there today. And as you will recall, Rice had more mental errors today, even on their own timing, than Aggie.

Things that stand out to me:

In the 8 years I've been following us closely, this is BY FAR the best our offense has looked in week 1, including the Clement/Dillard/Casey era.

Losing Shahin hurts us BADLY up front.

The INTs are a big deal, but the real turning point in the game, in my opinion, was the drive in the 2nd quarter that started with 9:32 left with the two major mental breakdowns (or was it 3?) on running plays. We were moving the ball great and squandered pretty good field position and gave it to them on the 50. You just can't do that.

Re:Owl40's report...wondered about Eddington at TE as well. It seemed we had an advantage with Cella but when he went out we abandoned the TE plays.

(08-31-2013 09:13 PM)owl40 Wrote:  We were ready to play today. Anyone critical from prior DB teams coming out not ready..should give some props for that today. That looks to be improved. Maybe a function of seniors too.

All-in-all..my sense from the field was that they could not stop us and we could not stop them. Whoever made mistakes would be difference. We gave them the mistake on 75-yd TD, the mistakes on INT's, a couple dropped balls that would have moved chains, and the miss on fourth down. That was it... They did not make the mistakes. A&M is a better team than Rice but today Rice beat Rice more than A&M beat Rice.

Here's where we differ. To me, "ready to play" means not making the mental mistakes. To me, "ready to play" and "Rice beat Rice" can't both refer to the same game. If Rice beats Rice, then by definition we were not ready to play.

Quote:We won't see anyone the rest of the year in the zipcode of today's opponent.

Agreed. We may have had the best first weekend performance of anyone in CUSA. As I posted in the game thread, I think what we saw today is that Bailiff's recruiting has narrowed the talent gap with even the good programs. The only team left on our schedule that can clearly beat us is Rice.

Just back in--felt we did a lot of good things. Disappointed in loss, their 3rd touchdown was on our offense who just lost it--but glad they had composure and score again before half. We looked very good athletically and size and almost speed wise. Encouraged

(08-31-2013 09:15 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  My other pet peeve is with the tempo and pacing of our offense. It continues to be pathetic. Given the higher intellect of our players, why must we use the full 40 seconds almost every down on offense (usually just standing there wasting time and allowing the defense to catch their breath and get in position). IMO, it's embarrassing, and gives the appearance of lack of confidence and aggressiveness.

Yes, that is seriously annoying and embarrassing. Was also embarrassing when DJ or whoever it was got down to inside the 10 with only a handful of seconds left before the half and, instead of running a quick play to Ross, we spiked it. (Luckily Taylor bailed us out on the next play.)

(08-31-2013 10:13 PM)ChicagoOwl (BS 07) Wrote:  

(08-31-2013 09:15 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  My other pet peeve is with the tempo and pacing of our offense. It continues to be pathetic. Given the higher intellect of our players, why must we use the full 40 seconds almost every down on offense (usually just standing there wasting time and allowing the defense to catch their breath and get in position). IMO, it's embarrassing, and gives the appearance of lack of confidence and aggressiveness.

Yes, that is seriously annoying and embarrassing. Was also embarrassing when DJ or whoever it was got down to inside the 10 with only a handful of seconds left before the half and, instead of running a quick play to Ross, we spiked it. (Luckily Taylor bailed us out on the next play.)

I guess Alabama, Florida, and Louisville lack that confidence and aggressiveness too.

http://www.cfbstats.com/2012/leader/nati...ort01.html

(08-31-2013 09:15 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  My other pet peeve is with the tempo and pacing of our offense. It continues to be pathetic. Given the higher intellect of our players, why must we use the full 40 seconds almost every down on offense (usually just standing there wasting time and allowing the defense to catch their breath and get in position). IMO, it's embarrassing, and gives the appearance of lack of confidence and aggressiveness.

Against aTm, there is a very good reason for burning the full 40 every time. Anytime your opponent is superior physically, the fewer the number of plays in the game, the better your chances are. aTm was better physically (though not by as much as some expected) and therefore slowing the game down made sense. May not be what fans want to see, but the odds say it's the best way to win the game.

(08-31-2013 10:21 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(08-31-2013 09:15 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  My other pet peeve is with the tempo and pacing of our offense. It continues to be pathetic. Given the higher intellect of our players, why must we use the full 40 seconds almost every down on offense (usually just standing there wasting time and allowing the defense to catch their breath and get in position). IMO, it's embarrassing, and gives the appearance of lack of confidence and aggressiveness.

Against aTm, there is a very good reason for burning the full 40 every time. Anytime your opponent is superior physically, the fewer the number of plays in the game, the better your chances are. aTm was better physically (though not by as much as some expected) and therefore slowing the game down made sense. May not be what fans want to see, but the odds say it's the best way to win the game.

Bingo.

I was impressed with the way the team came out to play. I have to admit something got really weird in the second quarter. I'd like to know more about what made them all of the sudden "unfocused". McH really didn't seem to play all that well from that point forward. If that doesn't happen, I don't think we would have seen much of Driphus.

(08-31-2013 10:31 PM)d1owls4life Wrote:  

(08-31-2013 10:21 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(08-31-2013 09:15 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  My other pet peeve is with the tempo and pacing of our offense. It continues to be pathetic. Given the higher intellect of our players, why must we use the full 40 seconds almost every down on offense (usually just standing there wasting time and allowing the defense to catch their breath and get in position). IMO, it's embarrassing, and gives the appearance of lack of confidence and aggressiveness.

Against aTm, there is a very good reason for burning the full 40 every time. Anytime your opponent is superior physically, the fewer the number of plays in the game, the better your chances are. aTm was better physically (though not by as much as some expected) and therefore slowing the game down made sense. May not be what fans want to see, but the odds say it's the best way to win the game.

Bingo.

Yes, but the last couple years under Reagan we would do the same thing against each and every team we played. When have we EVER gone uptempo?...and why did we do the same thing with 3 minutes left in the first half? That was pathetic time management.

I would agree that our pace wasn't bad at all. Sort of a a mini meerkat but we did need to try and shorten the clock if we could. I don't think we have the personnel that will allow us to play at the speed that aggy plays at but as long as we get the calls and still have time to make an adjustment at the LOS I am OK. Where I have the problem was in years past by the time we were through meerkatting there was only a few seconds left to snap the ball and we were locked into that formation and play.