Offense:
1. Can't say enough about how well the OLine played. Gave Russell a lot of time to read and make throws. Got some very good push in the run game. Good depth here.
2. Liked what I saw from Justin Malone. He's going to be very good for us. And it's nice to have a guy we can rely on if/when Tobias goes down aGAIN. At least he's already splitting snaps to hopefully keep Tobias healthy.
3. I like our stable of running backs. Perk has really improved as an every down guy. He's slippery, but showed nice power to break tackles on his TD run.
4. I'm a big fan of Josh Robinson. The guy is an absolute bull. Runs hard and through guys. Always seems to fall forward. He should be our short yardage guy. Put him on the watch list for breakout offensive player.
5. Dak in the Tebow Package and in the redzone is going to be fun to watch. Would love to see he & Josh Robinson in there together in short yardage situations.
6. Marcus Green had a career day. I was dog cussing him after his drop to kill the opening drive. But he put it behind him and played his *** off the rest of the game. His first TD was awesome. Loved seeing Jermaine "Business Decision" Whitehead get torched then drug the final 5 yards into the endzone.
7. Our WRs will continue to progress as the season goes. Brewster is doing a good job with these guys. I'm a little disappointed in Morrow so far, though. Gotta find a way to get him more involved.
8. Hurry back Malcolm Johnson. Our TE depth is in trouble now that Hill is out for a while. Anyone know who the 4th string guys is? And how is it we always seem to get multiple injuries at 1 position?
9. Tyler Russell....WOW. The guy was as cool as a cucumber back there. He took a sack and a couple of bad hits by holding the ball a little too long, but that was really the only criticism I've got. His throw to Tubby in the middle of 3 defenders was NFL caliber. Loved his carry on the option on the opening drive. He made a nice little move with his shoulders to get the pitch man to commit to Perk, then stuck his foot in the ground and cut it up for a nice gain. He also showed very good mobility within the pocket and an ability to extend plays and give his WRs time to get open. If he plays like that the rest of the season, we're in for a VERY fun year.
Defense:
1. This unit will finish at least in the Top 10 nationally, maybe higher. We're very, very deep. We rotated almost 2 whole units the entire game with little, if any, dropoff. Deepest D since '99.
2. Matt Wells is the most improved player from last year to this year. He's been huge so far.
3. When it comes to football IQ, Cam is the smartest player we've had in a LONG time. He sniffs out plays as well as anyone I've seen. His call to get us shifted over on McCalebb's run on 2nd & goal was awesome. I don't think many realize just how much losing him next season is going to hurt. And he's clearly the leader of the LB corps.
4. Our DBs are filthy. Banks will break the career INT record. Slay on the opposite corner makes this the best tandem since you-know-who. Doesn't seem like I've seen much from Whitley, but then I look at the stats Bob had today and he's one of the team leaders in tackles. Broomfield to safety has been a good move for us. He's transitioned well and will make some big plays there before the season is over.
5. Slay's INT return was sick. For a second I thought he was going to take it to the house. Literally the last Aubie that could've stopped him did. He gets past him, turn out the lights, put 6 on the board.
6. Our DL is ridiculous, especially the DTs. We rotate 2 whole DLines the way we did in '99. And we can rotate 3 whole units at DT without any dropoff whatsoever. They got all sorts of pressure on Frazier. I know it didn't result in many sacks, but the guy was running for his life most of the day.
7. Auburn had 39 rushes for 91 yards. Domination at the point of attack to stuff the run.
8. Quay is my favorite new freshman. He's huge, but he looks like a LB. And it ain't right a guy that big can move that fast. I see why Mullen & Co. think he'll be a 3-year player. Wouldn't be surprised to see him start before the season's over. And that says a lot more about Quay than Virges or P.J. Jones.
9. Denico is already making an impact. He didn't get a sack this week, but he's getting pressure. The sacks are going to come, it's just a matter of time.
Special Teams:
1. Let's face it: This is a glaring weakness. I hate to say it, but I think Mullen needs to fire himself and hire a ST coach. At the very least, he should let The Kang evaluate all future kicking recruits.
2. Devon Bell sucks. He shouldn't be on the team and open tryouts should've been held for kicker today. There has to be someone on campus who's better than the guys we have. If we don't fix this quickly, it's going to be a disappointing season. We'll need the 9 points he's missed so far aGAINST Bama, LSU, etc.
3. Why did we keep kicking it to McCalebb? That's asking for trouble.
4. If Bump never returns another punt, it'll be too soon.
5. We still lack any explosiveness in the return game outside of Tubby. Why don't we give him a chance to return punts? I'd also like to see Slay get a chance in the return game. He seems to have a knack for it if his INT returns are any indication.
As always, feel free to comment.
In Mullen We Trust,
WMD
1. Can't say enough about how well the OLine played. Gave Russell a lot of time to read and make throws. Got some very good push in the run game. Good depth here.
2. Liked what I saw from Justin Malone. He's going to be very good for us. And it's nice to have a guy we can rely on if/when Tobias goes down aGAIN. At least he's already splitting snaps to hopefully keep Tobias healthy.
3. I like our stable of running backs. Perk has really improved as an every down guy. He's slippery, but showed nice power to break tackles on his TD run.
4. I'm a big fan of Josh Robinson. The guy is an absolute bull. Runs hard and through guys. Always seems to fall forward. He should be our short yardage guy. Put him on the watch list for breakout offensive player.
5. Dak in the Tebow Package and in the redzone is going to be fun to watch. Would love to see he & Josh Robinson in there together in short yardage situations.
6. Marcus Green had a career day. I was dog cussing him after his drop to kill the opening drive. But he put it behind him and played his *** off the rest of the game. His first TD was awesome. Loved seeing Jermaine "Business Decision" Whitehead get torched then drug the final 5 yards into the endzone.
7. Our WRs will continue to progress as the season goes. Brewster is doing a good job with these guys. I'm a little disappointed in Morrow so far, though. Gotta find a way to get him more involved.
8. Hurry back Malcolm Johnson. Our TE depth is in trouble now that Hill is out for a while. Anyone know who the 4th string guys is? And how is it we always seem to get multiple injuries at 1 position?
9. Tyler Russell....WOW. The guy was as cool as a cucumber back there. He took a sack and a couple of bad hits by holding the ball a little too long, but that was really the only criticism I've got. His throw to Tubby in the middle of 3 defenders was NFL caliber. Loved his carry on the option on the opening drive. He made a nice little move with his shoulders to get the pitch man to commit to Perk, then stuck his foot in the ground and cut it up for a nice gain. He also showed very good mobility within the pocket and an ability to extend plays and give his WRs time to get open. If he plays like that the rest of the season, we're in for a VERY fun year.
Defense:
1. This unit will finish at least in the Top 10 nationally, maybe higher. We're very, very deep. We rotated almost 2 whole units the entire game with little, if any, dropoff. Deepest D since '99.
2. Matt Wells is the most improved player from last year to this year. He's been huge so far.
3. When it comes to football IQ, Cam is the smartest player we've had in a LONG time. He sniffs out plays as well as anyone I've seen. His call to get us shifted over on McCalebb's run on 2nd & goal was awesome. I don't think many realize just how much losing him next season is going to hurt. And he's clearly the leader of the LB corps.
4. Our DBs are filthy. Banks will break the career INT record. Slay on the opposite corner makes this the best tandem since you-know-who. Doesn't seem like I've seen much from Whitley, but then I look at the stats Bob had today and he's one of the team leaders in tackles. Broomfield to safety has been a good move for us. He's transitioned well and will make some big plays there before the season is over.
5. Slay's INT return was sick. For a second I thought he was going to take it to the house. Literally the last Aubie that could've stopped him did. He gets past him, turn out the lights, put 6 on the board.
6. Our DL is ridiculous, especially the DTs. We rotate 2 whole DLines the way we did in '99. And we can rotate 3 whole units at DT without any dropoff whatsoever. They got all sorts of pressure on Frazier. I know it didn't result in many sacks, but the guy was running for his life most of the day.
7. Auburn had 39 rushes for 91 yards. Domination at the point of attack to stuff the run.
8. Quay is my favorite new freshman. He's huge, but he looks like a LB. And it ain't right a guy that big can move that fast. I see why Mullen & Co. think he'll be a 3-year player. Wouldn't be surprised to see him start before the season's over. And that says a lot more about Quay than Virges or P.J. Jones.
9. Denico is already making an impact. He didn't get a sack this week, but he's getting pressure. The sacks are going to come, it's just a matter of time.
Special Teams:
1. Let's face it: This is a glaring weakness. I hate to say it, but I think Mullen needs to fire himself and hire a ST coach. At the very least, he should let The Kang evaluate all future kicking recruits.
2. Devon Bell sucks. He shouldn't be on the team and open tryouts should've been held for kicker today. There has to be someone on campus who's better than the guys we have. If we don't fix this quickly, it's going to be a disappointing season. We'll need the 9 points he's missed so far aGAINST Bama, LSU, etc.
3. Why did we keep kicking it to McCalebb? That's asking for trouble.
4. If Bump never returns another punt, it'll be too soon.
5. We still lack any explosiveness in the return game outside of Tubby. Why don't we give him a chance to return punts? I'd also like to see Slay get a chance in the return game. He seems to have a knack for it if his INT returns are any indication.
As always, feel free to comment.
In Mullen We Trust,
WMD
