Monday, September 8, 2008

Monday Afternoon Buffalo Thoughts

I thought I would try to close out the recap of the Buffalo game with a couple more thoughts:
  1. Bill Stull had a really solid game going 22 for 33. His decision making and control of the game is quite encouraging. He has limited arm strength and doesn't always through the best ball but he makes the right play. What the offensive staff needs to improve on is running more plays that take advantage of what Stull does well. I have no problem with Stull's play the first 2 games and with an improved running game and play calling he could be an above average quarterback.
  2. Shady seemed to turn the corner in the second half and I'm expecting a big game from him against Iowa. I think the main problem with his play has been the target his national hype has put on his back. The first two games it seems as though the opposing teams are tackling at a higher level when he has the ball in his hands. Three touchdowns and almost 5 yards a carry is an improvement and I think once he breaks his first 40+ yard run he will begin to dominate again.
  3. TJ Porter had a really great game and needs to feature in the offense more. He found the open spots in the middle of the field. Stull had some chemistry with him and he has extremely sure hands. Oderick Turner played much better this week as well but he needs to do this over a 4 or 5 game stretch.
  4. The special teams were much better this week and I like Briggs as the kickoff specialist. Our defensive line is extremely good at blocking field goals and I have a feeling this is going to win us a game or two. The return and coverage teams look pretty good as well. I will give Wannstedt this his special teams are becoming rather solid.
Two weeks to prepare for Iowa is a scary proposition. As we saw last year we played terrible when he had an extended week to prepare for Navy. Hopefully we don't lose the slight momentum we have from this win.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Who's Briggs? You mean Harper?

DPJ said...

Lucas Briggs is a special teams kickoff specialist. For some reason we weren't using him.

I didn't get to see the initial kickoff as I was returning the Oakland Zoo standard in the back area of the stadium so I heard some people say Harper kicked off while others said it was Briggs.

Brian Ising said...

Lucas Briggs handled all kickoffs on Saturday. He does appear to be better than Conor Lee as a kickoff specialist.

However, I still contend that they should use Harper on kickoffs, even though that would mean blowing his redshirt. I have heard that he was by far the best at kickoffs during camp.

We should be playing the best players available at all positions rather than saving them for the future. If our staff does not realize this soon, they might not be around for much of the future.