Gentlemen, this is awesome. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would be in this position, but here we are. 5-0, ranked in the top 5 for the first time EVER, and I'm on for the ride. Screw everything, I'm on the bandwagon.
But I'm going to take a few steps back and talk about some of the things from yesterday... good and bad. Mostly, good, because I don't have much to complain about. So here we go...
Coaching:
1. What can I say? Fantastic gameplan, fantastic coaching, fantastic substitutions. Couldn't be happier with where we are at. Nothing really to say here.
Special Teams:
1. First off, I hate it for Sobiesk that the 2 misses were blocked. One complaint here... We've got to shore up this area and give him a chance. Clean snaps and clean holds should never be blocked... and we had 2 (a FG and an extra point). The good thing is, it didn't matter.
2. Freshman mistake by Graham on the first punt return. He wasn't sure if he was going to call fair catch, ran out of time, then tried to make up his mind whether or not he was going to catch it. The good news is, he followed that up with an excellent return on the next punt. He will be a playmaker for us down the road and a redshirt worth "burning," to this point.
3. Props to Logan Cooke for covering kickoff duties and punting duties in place of Bell. He did a fantastic job. We continue to cover kicks very well, too. Zero complaints here.
4. Ball took a bad bounce on the onside kick. Cox was there to make the stop and tried to fall on it and the ball bounced away from him. Tough break, but it's hard to blame him for anything there.
Defense:
1. My, oh my, where to begin. Let's start with the basics here... guys, our defense is phenomenal. As deep, talented, and physical as we were propped up to be, and more. Following the first drive, we made excellent adjustments and played more and more physical throughout the game, and that was in A&M's heads. Their receivers were hearing footsteps by the second half because we were laying the wood. We also managed to play with only 5 in the box.. and still was able to keep Hill and their RBs in check all day. My only complaint here is this... I HATE HATE HATE the corner blitz. Against a team like A&M, it's pointless, and its even moreso in the red zone... their first touchdown was off a corner blitz.
2. Fantastic day by our D-Line. Again, no complaints here. We played toe to toe with probably the best O-Line in the conference, and even though we weren't getting a lot of sacks (I mean, who would expect us to?)... we were affecting plays. The fact we were in their backfield partially took away their ability to go deep. Chris Jones played a good game, Preston Smith was double teamed all day... but I kept seeing A.J. Jefferson and, get this, NICK JAMES in the backfield literally all day. Props to both these guys for stepping up and making a tremendous impact.
3. We have the best linebacker corps in the country. No one tell me otherwise. Richie Brown had a hat trick in interceptions, McKinney was all over the damn place (in coverage, powering through blocks to stop the run, and was excellent in pass rush, as well), and Matt Wells doing his thing. Benni Brown gashed A&M's O-line on 4th and 1 to make the tackle in the backfield. I challenge someone to find a better group of linebackers in the country, because you won't.
4. Can we shut up about our secondary being a weakness? Please? I fully expected us to give up some pass plays, but what an effort yesterday. Besides the first drive, we shored up the deep routes and covered them very well. We also became more and more physical as the game wore on (I see you, Will Redmond), and fought very very hard after the catch. Some things I noticed... on the second drive, their big number 11 made a catch on the sidelines and had the ball in his hand... turned away from Calhoun... but Calhoun fought and clawed and eventually knocked the ball from his hands. That drive stalled on that series of downs. Also, Will Redmond was flat out laying the wood. Best cover guy on the team, and has only gotten better. As a matter of fact, this whole unit has only gotten better. We are 5th in the FBS in pass breakups. That's awesome. Let's shut up about our secondary sucking.
5. I'm not worried about those garbage time scores. Really, it only further showed me how well our secondary played the rest of the game.
Offense:
1. We are going to keep doing our thing on offense. Mullen finally has all the pieces in place to run his show, and has the leadership and skill in Dak Prescott to make that happen. We are very, very difficult to stop.
2. O-Line. This group played phenomenal. Did not miss Day once. I hated he missed, but hats off to Beckwith and Desper for stepping up and playing exceptional. Texas A&M's D-Line is their best defensive Unit and besides a sack or two, we were able to physically play with them all day.
3. Prescott. I don't know what else you can say. Unreal. He is squarely in the race for Heisman, so Hugh Kellenburger can kiss my ***.
4. Josh Robinson is a 17ing sledgehammer. He is continuing to get 2-3 yards after contact. In the running game, that is absolutely HUGE. We played ahead of the chains most of the day, and were able to put up huge rushing numbers.
5. On a quick sidenote, we are 100% as balanced as I've seen an offense be. We are as balanced as some of the better Bama teams a few years ago. It was nearly straight 50/50 rush to pass yards, and nearly that same ratio in pass plays to rush plays (I think this was closer to 60/40 in favor of rushing plays... that's still awesome). This has been the key to our offense, and Mullen has consistently used our ability to rush the ball to set up the pass. This is the biggest thing our teams were missing the past several years, and it's what makes us so lethal and consistent now.
6. WR. Talent across the board. Fred Brown made a huge catch early in the game where he went up and physically fought a defender for the ball. I hate he dropped a sure touchdown pass, but I guess those things happen (Prescott picked him back up after that drop on the sidelines, too... Awesome leadership). Bear wilson is our version of LaQuon Treadwell. To have the ability to go back shoulder to him whenever we need it is huge. Not only that, he's a tremendous and physical blocker downfield. Other mentions go to Gabe Myles (who quietly made some huge plays for us), Graham (who stepped in for an injured Tubby and had a great day for us), and others I'm sure I'm missing.
7. TE. MoJo was quiet in the pass department, but was laying the wood blocking downfield. Gus Walley also had a good day. No complaints here.
Overall, a tremendous day for us and a great time to be an MSU football fan. I coudn't be more excited for us heading into this week. We can legitimately play with anyone in the country, and two dominating performances over LSU and A&M have proved that.
Now, how does the West shape up so far? My rankings and some comments are below:
1. Auburn is still the defacto best team in the west, by virtue of last year (and giving us no reason to believe otherwise, thusfar). This week is going to be a tremendous matchup, as we have a good rushing team coming into our house for a top 5 showdown, the first in DWS history. An electric Atmosphere to say the least. I think we are better defensively, but they have the edge offensively... and they probably still have remnants of that horseshoe shoved up their ***. I think we come out and make a statement this week.
2. Mississippi State - We have dominated LSU and TAMU. Not just squeaked by with wins, dominated. We play tough, physical defense, and we have all the offensive pieces in place to make it happen. Top to bottom, we are a complete team... complete with admirable leadership.
3. Ole Miss - Great win for them yesterday, even though Bama looked a little lack-luster... especially in the second half. OM still made the plays they had to. I put MSU ahead of OM (not just because I'm a homer), but because there are still some missing pieces to this Rebel team. Their o-line played OK, but far from great. They still cannot run the ball... like... at all. Bo is also inconsistent. That team revolves around him, and although he's done a good job, he still hasn't sold me that he's a changed Bo.. and that he can be consistent. My bet is between him, a shaky o-line, and the inability to run the ball, these things cost OM a win at least once this year. One thing they do have going for them is speed on defense. They are fast. However, they still struggled to stop the run yesterday. Bama's O-Line pushed them around some up front, and this will be something I watch for as the year goes on. They do have speed and talent in the backfield to help neutralize that, though... probably the most complete secondary in the SEC.
4. TAMU - Still an offense that deserves some recognition. They will be an interesting team to watch going forward. My bet is Kenny Hill continues to improve as the year goes on, and gets more comfortable running this offense. The defense is better from last year... solid D-Line, but they still are not physical on the back end. They definitely are not done this year, so keep your eye out for TAMU.
5. Bama - Who would have thought anyone would be ranking Bama 5th in the West? Well, I am. Defensively they are solid, but not as dominant as in years past. Offensively, they don't know who they are. They are totally without a leader, and Sims has not stepped up the way Saban would like him to. The run game and o-line are still solid, but they have played very uninspired football all year.
6. Arkansas - Up and coming. They roughed up A&M, and should have beat them. Defensively, they are solid. They have a good power run game, but are still missing a pass game. My bet is they get a couple of wins this year.
7. LSU - Huh? What? Say again? Yep. LSU lost way too much last year on both sides of the ball. The biggest question is if the LSU faithful give ol' Lester a chance to rebuild, or run him out of town. If they are patient, Les will have them back up and going in a year or two. But for whatever reason, they hate him. They want Saban back, but Saban is going to be at Alabama for a long, long time.
These are my (long) thoughts. Let's get those comments coming.
But I'm going to take a few steps back and talk about some of the things from yesterday... good and bad. Mostly, good, because I don't have much to complain about. So here we go...
Coaching:
1. What can I say? Fantastic gameplan, fantastic coaching, fantastic substitutions. Couldn't be happier with where we are at. Nothing really to say here.
Special Teams:
1. First off, I hate it for Sobiesk that the 2 misses were blocked. One complaint here... We've got to shore up this area and give him a chance. Clean snaps and clean holds should never be blocked... and we had 2 (a FG and an extra point). The good thing is, it didn't matter.
2. Freshman mistake by Graham on the first punt return. He wasn't sure if he was going to call fair catch, ran out of time, then tried to make up his mind whether or not he was going to catch it. The good news is, he followed that up with an excellent return on the next punt. He will be a playmaker for us down the road and a redshirt worth "burning," to this point.
3. Props to Logan Cooke for covering kickoff duties and punting duties in place of Bell. He did a fantastic job. We continue to cover kicks very well, too. Zero complaints here.
4. Ball took a bad bounce on the onside kick. Cox was there to make the stop and tried to fall on it and the ball bounced away from him. Tough break, but it's hard to blame him for anything there.
Defense:
1. My, oh my, where to begin. Let's start with the basics here... guys, our defense is phenomenal. As deep, talented, and physical as we were propped up to be, and more. Following the first drive, we made excellent adjustments and played more and more physical throughout the game, and that was in A&M's heads. Their receivers were hearing footsteps by the second half because we were laying the wood. We also managed to play with only 5 in the box.. and still was able to keep Hill and their RBs in check all day. My only complaint here is this... I HATE HATE HATE the corner blitz. Against a team like A&M, it's pointless, and its even moreso in the red zone... their first touchdown was off a corner blitz.
2. Fantastic day by our D-Line. Again, no complaints here. We played toe to toe with probably the best O-Line in the conference, and even though we weren't getting a lot of sacks (I mean, who would expect us to?)... we were affecting plays. The fact we were in their backfield partially took away their ability to go deep. Chris Jones played a good game, Preston Smith was double teamed all day... but I kept seeing A.J. Jefferson and, get this, NICK JAMES in the backfield literally all day. Props to both these guys for stepping up and making a tremendous impact.
3. We have the best linebacker corps in the country. No one tell me otherwise. Richie Brown had a hat trick in interceptions, McKinney was all over the damn place (in coverage, powering through blocks to stop the run, and was excellent in pass rush, as well), and Matt Wells doing his thing. Benni Brown gashed A&M's O-line on 4th and 1 to make the tackle in the backfield. I challenge someone to find a better group of linebackers in the country, because you won't.
4. Can we shut up about our secondary being a weakness? Please? I fully expected us to give up some pass plays, but what an effort yesterday. Besides the first drive, we shored up the deep routes and covered them very well. We also became more and more physical as the game wore on (I see you, Will Redmond), and fought very very hard after the catch. Some things I noticed... on the second drive, their big number 11 made a catch on the sidelines and had the ball in his hand... turned away from Calhoun... but Calhoun fought and clawed and eventually knocked the ball from his hands. That drive stalled on that series of downs. Also, Will Redmond was flat out laying the wood. Best cover guy on the team, and has only gotten better. As a matter of fact, this whole unit has only gotten better. We are 5th in the FBS in pass breakups. That's awesome. Let's shut up about our secondary sucking.
5. I'm not worried about those garbage time scores. Really, it only further showed me how well our secondary played the rest of the game.
Offense:
1. We are going to keep doing our thing on offense. Mullen finally has all the pieces in place to run his show, and has the leadership and skill in Dak Prescott to make that happen. We are very, very difficult to stop.
2. O-Line. This group played phenomenal. Did not miss Day once. I hated he missed, but hats off to Beckwith and Desper for stepping up and playing exceptional. Texas A&M's D-Line is their best defensive Unit and besides a sack or two, we were able to physically play with them all day.
3. Prescott. I don't know what else you can say. Unreal. He is squarely in the race for Heisman, so Hugh Kellenburger can kiss my ***.
4. Josh Robinson is a 17ing sledgehammer. He is continuing to get 2-3 yards after contact. In the running game, that is absolutely HUGE. We played ahead of the chains most of the day, and were able to put up huge rushing numbers.
5. On a quick sidenote, we are 100% as balanced as I've seen an offense be. We are as balanced as some of the better Bama teams a few years ago. It was nearly straight 50/50 rush to pass yards, and nearly that same ratio in pass plays to rush plays (I think this was closer to 60/40 in favor of rushing plays... that's still awesome). This has been the key to our offense, and Mullen has consistently used our ability to rush the ball to set up the pass. This is the biggest thing our teams were missing the past several years, and it's what makes us so lethal and consistent now.
6. WR. Talent across the board. Fred Brown made a huge catch early in the game where he went up and physically fought a defender for the ball. I hate he dropped a sure touchdown pass, but I guess those things happen (Prescott picked him back up after that drop on the sidelines, too... Awesome leadership). Bear wilson is our version of LaQuon Treadwell. To have the ability to go back shoulder to him whenever we need it is huge. Not only that, he's a tremendous and physical blocker downfield. Other mentions go to Gabe Myles (who quietly made some huge plays for us), Graham (who stepped in for an injured Tubby and had a great day for us), and others I'm sure I'm missing.
7. TE. MoJo was quiet in the pass department, but was laying the wood blocking downfield. Gus Walley also had a good day. No complaints here.
Overall, a tremendous day for us and a great time to be an MSU football fan. I coudn't be more excited for us heading into this week. We can legitimately play with anyone in the country, and two dominating performances over LSU and A&M have proved that.
Now, how does the West shape up so far? My rankings and some comments are below:
1. Auburn is still the defacto best team in the west, by virtue of last year (and giving us no reason to believe otherwise, thusfar). This week is going to be a tremendous matchup, as we have a good rushing team coming into our house for a top 5 showdown, the first in DWS history. An electric Atmosphere to say the least. I think we are better defensively, but they have the edge offensively... and they probably still have remnants of that horseshoe shoved up their ***. I think we come out and make a statement this week.
2. Mississippi State - We have dominated LSU and TAMU. Not just squeaked by with wins, dominated. We play tough, physical defense, and we have all the offensive pieces in place to make it happen. Top to bottom, we are a complete team... complete with admirable leadership.
3. Ole Miss - Great win for them yesterday, even though Bama looked a little lack-luster... especially in the second half. OM still made the plays they had to. I put MSU ahead of OM (not just because I'm a homer), but because there are still some missing pieces to this Rebel team. Their o-line played OK, but far from great. They still cannot run the ball... like... at all. Bo is also inconsistent. That team revolves around him, and although he's done a good job, he still hasn't sold me that he's a changed Bo.. and that he can be consistent. My bet is between him, a shaky o-line, and the inability to run the ball, these things cost OM a win at least once this year. One thing they do have going for them is speed on defense. They are fast. However, they still struggled to stop the run yesterday. Bama's O-Line pushed them around some up front, and this will be something I watch for as the year goes on. They do have speed and talent in the backfield to help neutralize that, though... probably the most complete secondary in the SEC.
4. TAMU - Still an offense that deserves some recognition. They will be an interesting team to watch going forward. My bet is Kenny Hill continues to improve as the year goes on, and gets more comfortable running this offense. The defense is better from last year... solid D-Line, but they still are not physical on the back end. They definitely are not done this year, so keep your eye out for TAMU.
5. Bama - Who would have thought anyone would be ranking Bama 5th in the West? Well, I am. Defensively they are solid, but not as dominant as in years past. Offensively, they don't know who they are. They are totally without a leader, and Sims has not stepped up the way Saban would like him to. The run game and o-line are still solid, but they have played very uninspired football all year.
6. Arkansas - Up and coming. They roughed up A&M, and should have beat them. Defensively, they are solid. They have a good power run game, but are still missing a pass game. My bet is they get a couple of wins this year.
7. LSU - Huh? What? Say again? Yep. LSU lost way too much last year on both sides of the ball. The biggest question is if the LSU faithful give ol' Lester a chance to rebuild, or run him out of town. If they are patient, Les will have them back up and going in a year or two. But for whatever reason, they hate him. They want Saban back, but Saban is going to be at Alabama for a long, long time.
These are my (long) thoughts. Let's get those comments coming.
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