CSNbbs

No one else has commented on this board, so I will. Believe it or not, despite the score, we looked better than last season. Specifically:

1. No penalties 2 weeks in a row

2. OL and RBs looked solid, good performance against a good MSU front seven.

3. CMU receivers got open and made some impressive plays.

4. Defense played MSU's run game better than Boise State did last week (according to both CMU and MSU fans I spoke with today).

So why did we lose 41-7?

1. We need a change at QB. Period. He was the weak link in an offense that otherwise looked ready to give Sparty a headache. He started the game 1/10 passing. He missed open receivers, locked onto receivers that were double-covered (or worse), ignoring guys who were open, under- and over-throws, throws right at surprised MSU defenders, turned the ball over, and generally did his best to kill every CMU drive today. After the first quarter we were down just 7-0 despite earning only ONE FD.

2. We need a better KO returner. Made an error in judgment that set up MSU perfectly for one scoring drive.

3. Kickoff and punt coverage need improvement quickly.

If there isn't a new starter at QB in two weeks at Iowa, I may just someone. :muttering:

I agree that CMU looked better in defeat against MichSt than they did in winning last week.
- I noticed very little penetration from MSU's vaunted defensive line. The OL for CMU is very solid.
- We moved the ball better against MichSt than BoiseSt did. Remember, BoiseSt got most of their points (10 of 13) off of turnovers (an interception returned for a TD and a turnover deep in MichSt territory where they had to settle for a FG). They did not move it well against the MichSt defense.
- To be fair to our QB, MichSt's QB struggled a lot at the beginning of the game too - there were wicked cross-winds that messed with passes to the outside (and FG attempts to the North endzone). If the ball was in the air long (either by pass or by kick), it was going to be off. Once they shifted to short passes in the middle, both QBs improved.
- We shut down MichSt's running game pretty well (about 150 yards according to the game board - not sure if that was accurate) and held their big time back (can't remember his name) to less than 100 yards (I heard 70 yards). A big chunk of their total running game yards were from their backup running back on one play in garbage time.
- Our defense made MichSt settle for a FG try after we coughed up the ball on our own 18. They actually lost 4 yards in 3 plays before the FG try.

I have never felt so positive after a 41-7 loss. We'll be better than people think we are this year.