This will be short guys. Not a lot of things to say about this game mostly because there was a lot of good to see. This game, to me, was really two different games. The first half we were fairly inconsistent, off and on. The first and last drive we played well on offense but the rest was sort of a wash. On defense they really helped us out with missed opportunities. The game may have been different if they had capitalized on their opportunities and kept it close, a reoccurring theme for us this year. In the second half we pretty much shut them down. I'm in favor of getting it going early but when we did get it going we took command of the game.
Around the nation things really got shaken up. First, don't get into a hurry and think that Washington is good. The game against USC proved more about USC's lack of experience than Washington's improvement. USC will continue to be an on again, off again team for the rest of the season. I think this is the first year they (meaning USC) will really, really miss Norm Chow. It's not all that difficult to call plays when you have Bush, White, Mike Williams, Jarret, Leinart, etc. Additionally, John David Booty is the first QB to never get his tutelage as a starter. That will show, I believe, as time goes on. Second, Florida is beginning to make a believer out of me. So far they are disciplined, tough, physical, and apparently you can win with two QB's. I thought that offense would be too gimmicky in the SEC but perhaps I was wrong. Finally, I'm glad we played Tennessee the last two years. Cutcliffe has made a world of difference for Erik Ainge. I wish we hadn't lost him but I'm happy for him because he is a fine coach and an upstanding person.
For the first time all year, in the second half of this game, our offensive line played like they are capable of playing. I saw hat on hat a heck of a lot in the second half on pulling plays, zone blocking, and base blocking. Granted, Stanford isn't a great defensive football team. However, the 3-4 is one of the tougher defensive alignments to block those types of running plays against and they did it well. They also gave Brady a lot of protection on many plays. Stanford's star linebacker even gave them credit saying they were the best offensive line they've played this season.
Quinn had another disappointing performance. He is missing reads, lots of them. The TD pass to Carlson was poorly thrown and went to him even though Samardzija was trailing across the back of the endzone wide open. The pass he forced to Samardzija down the field where he almost made a fantastic catch was a poor throw and the wrong read. If Brady puts it more outside and deeper it's a piece of cake catch. However, on that play Carlson was wide open running down the other seam against man cover one and could have walked into the endzone. Brady deserved to have two or three interceptions as well. Finally, we need to stop using three step drops on third down. He frequently makes the wrong pre-snap read, stares down the receiver, and throws it regardless of whether or not he is covered. In addition to that, he has rarely thrown the ball well down field. Against inferior competition this dink and dunk stuff will work but eventually we will need to get the vertical passing game going. To his credit, it is difficult to throw deep without a running game, a speedy wide receiver to be a downfield threat, and while playing from behind. I'm also not sure that there is a QB in the college game who throws the deep out better. That is the throw the NFL scouts love.
Carlson played a phenomenal game. I'm not referring to his catch or even his production in the passing game. He had an excellent game blocking against small, quick linebackers who are typically difficult to get to the second level and block.
We have a future at running back folks. Prince can fly. He needs to put on some weight and get used to the speed of the game a little bit but the talent is there. And what's not to like about Aldridge. At this point, he looks fast, strong, and capable of really taking over a game when we need to work the clock. If Prince can improve the physical style of his running and Aldridge can become a good receiver out of the backfield they will both really contribute to the offense. I know this is a limited look at them but they did things on Saturday that really shows potential.
Darius had another great day. Running, passing, blocking, you name it, he did it. For the first time in a long time (perhaps against Stanford last season) he ran North and South and in a determined fashion. He played much better than he has all season. His availability for dumping off the ball and gaining yards is invaluable to this offense and Brady.
Ashley McConnell had a terrific game. He stood people up all day and contributed, along with the offensive line, to getting a hat on hat in the different blocking schemes. While Asaph typically tries to go for a knockout punch, Ashley seems to position himself a little better for his blocks.
Samardzija still doesn't look like the same receiver from last year. He got the ball a lot more this game but he just continues to be relatively unimpressive. I think that eventually he will break out to some extent or else Carlson and Rhema will continue to put up really good numbers.
Toryan Smith looked good in his backup duty. He was a step slow at times but that's just because he is adjusting to the speed of the game. He looks like he has the tools to be a good one.
Ray Herring played very well. Like Zibi he can run well, hits well, and has good range. I think he will become a very dependable player with more experience. Unfortunately for us, we need game changers, not dependable players.
We seem to really play well after settling in on defense. Giving up about 220 total yards of offense is a pretty good day, no matter who you play.
Laws was unblockable for a large part of this game. He seems to be a beast inside when he wants to be. It is quite impressive to see him get after the QB when he wants to. However, he also has the ability to really play the run well. He definitely can become the total package if he continues to improve.
Abiramiri played very well, obviously. He got after the QB and was running all over the place for most of the game.
It's difficult to tell if we played that much better or Stanford is that bad. When you rank at 100+ out of 119 teams in most critical categories you aren't very good. I am concerned about UCLA as they can throw the ball. Defensively, they aren't very good although both of their defensive ends can really apply pressure. But if a team can throw the ball it always gives me concern playing against our secondary.
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