OK, I'm posting this without having read anything since Saturday, so sorry in advance if I duplicate others' thoughts. I just wanted to get this down quickly and coherently.
Well, it was a long and VERY cold afternoon. Our defense started strong, playing tough in the red zone, limiting WMU to a FG, and intercepting Chad Munson twice. Our offense capitalized on one pick, tying the game at 3-3. That was the score at the end of the first quarter. After that, the following happened:
1) WMU did as expected and stacked against the run most of the game.
2) New starting QB Smith generally had time but could not hit open receivers, and there usually were guys open. So, the game plan was not an issue. Accuracy was. Therefore, our offense kept stalling, only putting together two real drives all game.
3) Receivers didn't help enough. Although the ball was off-target far too often, a couple receivers seemed to be lazy and did not really go after the rock. I saw at least three plays in critical situations where a catch would have been possible, although not easy, but the receivers seemed to give up on the play.
4) Shaky special teams combined with ineffective offense to allow excellent field position for Western all darned day.
5) Our defense got tired and started giving up yards on the ground in chunks by about midway through the third quarter.
6) Yet again, leadership from within the team failed to emerge when things started to go sour. Coaches implored players to get it going, but the players themselves were far too quiet on the sidelines. I'll say more about this later, but it seemed like the offense, at least, didn't believe in itself enough. DeBord's decision to start Smith may have been related to this issue or may not. This is the same problem we had for much of the season, IMHO.
7) Vickers came in for Smith, and we scored our only TD of the game on a 1-yard Jackson plunge. Would it have been better to start him? It's tough to say, as he was the one who played poorly in the previous two games.
8) Late in the game, it became apparent that some guys had packed it in. Our coverage on WMU's punt return TD looked half-hearted at best, and the two-point conversion on a botched XP attempt was the cream in Western's sugar.
I'll finish with some general comments and observations about the season.
Was WMU really 25 points better than us? Not from what I saw. In fact, neither team looked particularly good. If we'd completed a few more passes early -- and we did usually have time to throw and guys open -- it may have changed the complexion of the game. WMU didn't start fast and blow us out; instead the Broncos enjoyed good field position and methodically build its lead. Our defense played pretty well despite the score, forcing four turnovers and allowing less than 400 yards of total offense. Our offense simply failed to execute time-and-again in the passing dept. WMU has a solid defense, but we made them look Top 25.WMU's punt return TD came after the outcome was pretty much in the books, and CMU just looked deflated at that point.
What happened to CMU after a strong start to the season? Well, several things:
1) Starting with the 4th quarter in the IU game, our passing game went from reliable and consistent to a problem. I don't know if our starter was hiding an injury after that vicious hit in Bloomington, or if it made him gun-shy and he didn't recover, or if there was an off-the-field issue. Whatever the cause, we started failing to hit open receivers and the receivers started dropping more passes. :(
2) Our inexperienced secondary became more of a liability as CMU faced pass-oriented offenses most of the season, many of them quite good. Although the secondary improved a bit by season's end, it still gave up too many big plays early and got dinked-and-dunked to death late. :eek:
3) Leaders just failed to emerge on offense. Defensively, I saw some players step up and rally their teammates. I hear that DE Reynolds challenged the whole team at halftime of the Akron game, and there was day-and-night difference in our team's play from the first half to the second. On offense? I just didn't see this until the EMU game and saw little enough after. Terrance Jackson tried to fire up the offense against WMU, but he was the only one who really looked energized. If he's healthy at the beginning of next fall, hopefully he'll be one of the guys we can count on for a spark.
Is coaching the problem? Maybe, but I don't think it's the main culprit and I'm not ready to point the finger at DeBord. Remember, the team was bad before he got here, and it has at least shown slight improvement each season since his arrival. If I had to name potential coaching issues, I'd look at some of the position guys: QB, WR, and DB, in that order. I'm inclined to give the DB coach a break, since he lost a starter in fall drills and had a green bunch to work with. The QBs and WRs actually regressed a little by season's end, though, and that bears scrutiny.
Am I satisfied with this season? No! I expected 5-7 wins, we had enough talent and ability to get that many, and we failed. Ball State and WMU aren't that far ahead of us, but our play made the gap look wider.
Did we improve? Yes -- a little. We won two on the road, played BGSU and Marshall tough (were still in the games in the 4th quarter, despite being down early) and were on the correct end of two blowouts, one on the road. Our running game and O-line are both reliable and should continue to be. Our run defense was much better, as we gave up less just 140 yards/game after allowing 207 last season. However, we started strong at QB and WR but finished weak. Those two positions must be firmly addressed if our offense is to take a step forward next season. The secondary realized my fears, but given its youth, I'm not really shocked. Next season, with more experience, I expect this unit to make strides and play more aggressively. Special teams: Brandt was OK but again had to punt far too often. Kick coverage was better and gave up only one score, although we still allowed a few too many long returns. Kickoffs: we need a stronger leg. Kicking: better than last season, although more consistency is desirable, especially on XPs.
That's about all from me. I'll be busy the next two-three days due to a project at work (groan!), but I'll try to spend a few minutes here, especially after the BB game tomorrow night. WMU people, hope you enjoyed yourselves. Your team didn't play great, but it got the job done, and my hat's off to you. It'll be interesting to see how -- and if -- both our teams rebound next fall. CMich out.
