Sept. 4, 2007
That was a very good win against a team we should have beaten. But the fact that we beat them soundly is a positive sign. We truly wore them down because they were in the game at the half. They were just overwhelmed by our depth and talent in the second half. I refer to this game as a program win. Our program is now progressing to the point that teams we should defeat are handled easily.
Lucky had an excellent game, particularly in the second half. Castille is impressive and I liked him running from the fullback spot. Glenn just isn't himself yet and hopefully he continues to improve. All the backs had a good game because the line was tremendous. This is best our line has looked in long time. Obviously we need to see if this continues as the competition improves. O-line play was the most impressive facet of the game to me. As we said, the receivers are solid and this week we get our star back. The drops continue to be a problem, with Lawson, Nunn and the tombstone all contributing. Sam made a couple of ill-advised throws, but I think he is the real deal. When he is in the game, everything happens faster and crisper. I noticed that his feet are very steady in the pocket. If the running game can be maintained in the tougher games, we will have an extremely dangerous and balanced offense. The other problem Saturday that has persisted with both Frank and Bill is that we are slow to get the play calls in.
The defense displayed a diverse number of looks and much-improved depth. Octavien is a game-changer as long as he stays healthy. We had only one sack, but I am sure we didn't use all of our blitzes. We have four corners that we can now use in a variety of situations. It was good to see Bowman, and I am certain he will improve as the season wears on. In an issue that has been with us since Darlington, our corners don't look for the ball on sideline and fade routes. It didn't hurt this week, but will matter as we face big-time receivers.
The changes in the kick returners was effective, particularly on kickoffs. And Kunalic gives us a dimension that we haven't possessed in several seasons.
Overall it was a very strong performance against a team that has been in a bowl each the last two years. The Wake game is troublesome because they obviously have more talent than Nevada because of its position on the schedule. They have one of the best coaches in the game in Grobe. He does more with less every season. They run a very odd offense with a great many reverses and trick plays. Skinner being injured is a break for us, but the back-up was good last week. We should win this game, but I think it will be a high-scoring shootout.
Keep the faith. GBR.
-- The Colonel