Offense - I'll be honest, I was pretty disappointed in the offense. I know Penn State is always known for their stout defense, but considering the talent we have on the offensive side of the ball, we should have at least had more sustained drives. As Miles said coming out of halftime, we couldn't establish any semblance of a running game and that, in turn, hurt our passing game. I think we finished with like 30 carries for 60 or so yards. The passing game wasn't much better, either. While Fouch did have several bad throws, his receivers didn't help him out, either. There were numerous drops and the play that still sticks out is the INT where Fouch was going to Jones along the seam and it looked like Alex was just waving at the ball. Once Penn State went to its backups in the 4th quarter, we were able to move the ball, so that is reassuring.
Cutting down on the turnovers will definitely be something I expect Miles and staff to hammer home through ball security and protection drills. 2 interceptions and a fumble will quickly derail any chance you have to win a ball game. I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by the offensive line play. I expected a much worse outing and I thought they did a pretty good job -- only gave up a couple sacks. As they start to mesh, they should get even better. Hopefully Patrick is alright, because I thought he looked very good at left tackle considering this was his first collegiate start.
Defense - I thought we did alright defensively. Against the Penn State rushing attack, we got mauled. They were able to hold blocks and open significant holes for Redd and the other Nittany Lion backs. However, against the Penn State pass, I thought we did very well overall. We were able to get some pressure and kept their receivers in front of the defense for the most part. When they did catch balls, we kept the YAC down. We did a pretty good job on their screen game as well, which they tried at least 5-6 times. We ended up with 3 sacks and a boatload of quarterback hurries.
Obviously, stopping the run is going to be a big concern when it comes to conference play. Six of the nine Valley teams all had 125+ yards rushing this week so I'd expect every team to run, run and run some more at us. Both Southern Illinois and UNI both had 200+ yards rushing. If we have hopes of finishing in the upper half of the Valley, this will be priority numero uno for the defense.
Special Teams - First, our kickoffs and kickoff returns looked much, much better. Giving up the 95 yard kickoff return obviously is disappointing, but we didn't make the same mistake twice. I think we'll be good on return coverage going forward. On the field goal attempt, there was a bad snap, but I've been told Keyt has a torn ligament in one of his fingers, so I'll give him a pass. Not going to spend much more time on special teams, but I did think they looked better. Minus the one shank, Santino also looked good punting the ball, too.
All-in-all, I think the Sycamores did a great job in Happy Valley. To be served up as a sacrificial lamb to a Top 25 team, we had a very good outing only giving up 41 points. That's a credit to our defense, one that was on the field for a considerable amount of time to boot. Provided that Young and Patrick's injuries aren't severe, I think this was nothing but a positive for the program. We were able to play a storied football power on national TV and we fought the entire game.
1) Marvin Lewis - As mentioned in the game thread, I think the Lewis sideline piece was great. He was nothing but complementary to Coach Miles and the program and that will resonate for prospective recruits and high school coaches that watched the telecast.
2) Trent Miles - I can't say this enough, but we really are lucky to have him. He could easily be making 3 times what he makes as an assistant elsewhere but he wants to be here and it shows. Every time he is interviewed, he comes off as genuine, passionate and knowledgable. This is another thing that resonates.
3) Money Game - Obviously, we wouldn't have went to Happy Valley if we weren't going to get paid. It seems there is always hub bub about the fact that we're playing these games, but there are benefits outside of the cash. I bet if you ask any of our players if the experience was worth it that you'd get a resounding yes from every last man. These not only provide financial continuity for your program, but there is invaluable experience gained playing in this sort of atmosphere.
4) Recruiting - While we won't be able to tell immediately, playing games outside of your region usually has a positive effect in recruiting. If we were even able to land one kid out of Pennsylvania as a result of him or his coach seeing this game and contacting our staff, it would be a success. Pennsylvania is a very fertile recruiting area, filled with tons of hard nosed football players.
I'm sure there is a ton more I'm missing from what I wanted to talk about after watching the game again, but this is the gist. I'm still very optimistic on the remainder of the season and it would be a tragedy if Sycamore fans gave up after this loss. I will see you folks at Butler next weekend, so be sure to drop by the Sycamore Pride tailgate and talk some foosball. Go Sycamores!
Cutting down on the turnovers will definitely be something I expect Miles and staff to hammer home through ball security and protection drills. 2 interceptions and a fumble will quickly derail any chance you have to win a ball game. I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by the offensive line play. I expected a much worse outing and I thought they did a pretty good job -- only gave up a couple sacks. As they start to mesh, they should get even better. Hopefully Patrick is alright, because I thought he looked very good at left tackle considering this was his first collegiate start.
Defense - I thought we did alright defensively. Against the Penn State rushing attack, we got mauled. They were able to hold blocks and open significant holes for Redd and the other Nittany Lion backs. However, against the Penn State pass, I thought we did very well overall. We were able to get some pressure and kept their receivers in front of the defense for the most part. When they did catch balls, we kept the YAC down. We did a pretty good job on their screen game as well, which they tried at least 5-6 times. We ended up with 3 sacks and a boatload of quarterback hurries.
Obviously, stopping the run is going to be a big concern when it comes to conference play. Six of the nine Valley teams all had 125+ yards rushing this week so I'd expect every team to run, run and run some more at us. Both Southern Illinois and UNI both had 200+ yards rushing. If we have hopes of finishing in the upper half of the Valley, this will be priority numero uno for the defense.
Special Teams - First, our kickoffs and kickoff returns looked much, much better. Giving up the 95 yard kickoff return obviously is disappointing, but we didn't make the same mistake twice. I think we'll be good on return coverage going forward. On the field goal attempt, there was a bad snap, but I've been told Keyt has a torn ligament in one of his fingers, so I'll give him a pass. Not going to spend much more time on special teams, but I did think they looked better. Minus the one shank, Santino also looked good punting the ball, too.
All-in-all, I think the Sycamores did a great job in Happy Valley. To be served up as a sacrificial lamb to a Top 25 team, we had a very good outing only giving up 41 points. That's a credit to our defense, one that was on the field for a considerable amount of time to boot. Provided that Young and Patrick's injuries aren't severe, I think this was nothing but a positive for the program. We were able to play a storied football power on national TV and we fought the entire game.
1) Marvin Lewis - As mentioned in the game thread, I think the Lewis sideline piece was great. He was nothing but complementary to Coach Miles and the program and that will resonate for prospective recruits and high school coaches that watched the telecast.
2) Trent Miles - I can't say this enough, but we really are lucky to have him. He could easily be making 3 times what he makes as an assistant elsewhere but he wants to be here and it shows. Every time he is interviewed, he comes off as genuine, passionate and knowledgable. This is another thing that resonates.
3) Money Game - Obviously, we wouldn't have went to Happy Valley if we weren't going to get paid. It seems there is always hub bub about the fact that we're playing these games, but there are benefits outside of the cash. I bet if you ask any of our players if the experience was worth it that you'd get a resounding yes from every last man. These not only provide financial continuity for your program, but there is invaluable experience gained playing in this sort of atmosphere.
4) Recruiting - While we won't be able to tell immediately, playing games outside of your region usually has a positive effect in recruiting. If we were even able to land one kid out of Pennsylvania as a result of him or his coach seeing this game and contacting our staff, it would be a success. Pennsylvania is a very fertile recruiting area, filled with tons of hard nosed football players.
I'm sure there is a ton more I'm missing from what I wanted to talk about after watching the game again, but this is the gist. I'm still very optimistic on the remainder of the season and it would be a tragedy if Sycamore fans gave up after this loss. I will see you folks at Butler next weekend, so be sure to drop by the Sycamore Pride tailgate and talk some foosball. Go Sycamores!
