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Noticed last year when he slowed the offense down a notch or two the defense improved and we won a few games there at the end of the season. Our defense never got a blow, because we were either three and out or, 4 and score. Never any time to rest defense let alone communicate and think of a strategy.

(06-16-2015 09:47 AM)odu83alumni Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 08:21 AM)AppinSC Wrote:  Just bumping the conversation. Have read lots of articles stating that both ODU and APP have a good chance at getting a bowl bid this year. I look forward to playing Clemson to really gauge how far we have come ( in building depth ) since this will be our first season with 85 schollies.
I also look forward to playing y'all to see where we stand in the Group of 5 world as I feel that ODU will soon be challenging for a CUSA championship and could definitely see us challenging for a SunBelt title in the next couple of years.
What is the strength of your team this year ? I really liked your qb who graduated last year (Heneike ? ). I live in Greenville SC area and have had the opportunity to see Shuler Bentley play at Byrnes HS as well. He will be a good one.
Our game should be good match up as we have Taylor Lamb at qb (son of former Furman coach Bobby Lamb) . Taylor started after our 4th game last year as a freshman and accounted well for himself.
Our strength will be our depth. We are returning 20 starters . We lost one corner and our left offensive tackle and both are in NFL camps as of now.
Look forward to heading up to Norfolk for the game !

It has been said that Bentley is ahead of where Taylor was at this stage of development. We have depth at running back and wide receiver. This year we will use a tight end too. Defense should be bigger stronger faster with all the redshirts we had last year. We might have trouble with punting and kicking but who knows we may get those things worked out.

Not necessarily disagreeing, but I'm thinking the one intangible we don't yet know is how good are Bentleys natural instincts? TH's internal clock was excellent. TH had these qualities from day one, which I think is what shocked us all. He knew where pressure was coming from and excelled in knowing when to pass, when to run and when to just throw it away. Bentley may have great mechanics, but until we see him in live game action, we won't really know the answer to this one. If Bentley has to learn how to react to FBS level speed, it could take a season. If he already has the internal clock, we'll be in good shape. I'll be looking for growth through out the season from Bentley. I expect him to throw some pics early but improve as the season progresses.

(06-17-2015 09:46 AM)Old Dominion Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 09:47 AM)odu83alumni Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 08:21 AM)AppinSC Wrote:  Just bumping the conversation. Have read lots of articles stating that both ODU and APP have a good chance at getting a bowl bid this year. I look forward to playing Clemson to really gauge how far we have come ( in building depth ) since this will be our first season with 85 schollies.
I also look forward to playing y'all to see where we stand in the Group of 5 world as I feel that ODU will soon be challenging for a CUSA championship and could definitely see us challenging for a SunBelt title in the next couple of years.
What is the strength of your team this year ? I really liked your qb who graduated last year (Heneike ? ). I live in Greenville SC area and have had the opportunity to see Shuler Bentley play at Byrnes HS as well. He will be a good one.
Our game should be good match up as we have Taylor Lamb at qb (son of former Furman coach Bobby Lamb) . Taylor started after our 4th game last year as a freshman and accounted well for himself.
Our strength will be our depth. We are returning 20 starters . We lost one corner and our left offensive tackle and both are in NFL camps as of now.
Look forward to heading up to Norfolk for the game !

It has been said that Bentley is ahead of where Taylor was at this stage of development. We have depth at running back and wide receiver. This year we will use a tight end too. Defense should be bigger stronger faster with all the redshirts we had last year. We might have trouble with punting and kicking but who knows we may get those things worked out.

Not necessarily disagreeing, but I'm thinking the one intangible we don't yet know is how good are Bentleys natural instincts? TH's internal clock was excellent. TH had these qualities from day one, which I think is what shocked us all. He knew where pressure was coming from and excelled in knowing when to pass, when to run and when to just throw it away. Bentley may have great mechanics, but until we see him in live game action, we won't really know the answer to this one. If Bentley has to learn how to react to FBS level speed, it could take a season. If he already has the internal clock, we'll be in good shape. I'll be looking for growth through out the season from Bentley. I expect him to throw some pics early but improve as the season progresses.

The Bentley is ahead of where TH was at this stage of their development is based on what Brian Scott said. Im a firm believer in Coach Scott. He seems to have faith in this quarterback.

(06-17-2015 11:41 AM)odu83alumni Wrote:  The Bentley is ahead of where TH was at this stage of their development is based on what Brian Scott said. Im a firm believer in Coach Scott. He seems to have faith in this quarterback.

Everytime I have read one of the coaches say Bentley is ahead of Heinicke at the same point in their development it is prefaced with "mentally." That would include ability to read defenses, and check down receivers, etc. That's saying a lot, because TH was very good with those aspects of his game when he took his first live snap against UMass. We will see how that translates to on field performance in less than three months. I thik BW said that starting qb is the position of least concern on the team, and backup qb is one of the positions of chief concern. I hope that LaRussa develops into a strong backup for this season, and I hope we don't need to find out except in instances of a blowout in our favor.

(06-16-2015 08:21 PM)TedHead Wrote:  Noticed last year when he slowed the offense down a notch or two the defense improved and we won a few games there at the end of the season. Our defense never got a blow, because we were either three and out or, 4 and score. Never anyc time to rest defense let alone communicate and think of a strategy.

D

(06-17-2015 12:03 PM)paintedblue2 Wrote:  

(06-17-2015 11:41 AM)odu83alumni Wrote:  The Bentley is ahead of where TH was at this stage of their development is based on what Brian Scott said. Im a firm believer in Coach Scott. He seems to have faith in this quarterback.

Everytime I have read one of the coaches say Bentley is ahead of Heinicke at the same point in their development it is prefaced with "mentally." That would include ability to read defenses, and check down receivers, etc. That's saying a lot, because TH was very good with those aspects of his game when he took his first live snap against UMass. We will see how that translates to on field performance in less than three months. I thik BW said that starting qb is the position of least concern on the team, and backup qb is one of the positions of chief concern. I hope that LaRussa develops into a strong backup for this season, and I hope we don't need to find out except in instances of a blowout in our favor.

I truly believe that David Washington will be our back up again this year.
This is a huge concern. This could hamper our playbook.

I think it is pretty clear that LaRusa is the number two quarterback on paper, but that if Bentley goes down with an injury that puts him out for multiple games, DW will be moving from starting WR to starting QB in a heartbeat. Under those circumstances, he will give us the best opportunity to win, and you can bet BW will not hesitate to pull the string.

That said, I fully expect to see DW as a starting WR when the season starts, with no impact on our playbood what so ever.