The aftermath on the board is as predictable as the game yesterday.
Folks that were thinking we were ready to strap up for the playoffs right now, the best team in the NCAA, 600 yards per game , able to beat the Browns....... got a dose of reality. The Young Bucks are still a wonderful work in progress.
Don't panic.....THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT... and so are the coaches.
We played a team that was better and more balanced than any team we've played this season. They were playing FAR better on defense than anyone we played (top 3rd versus bottom half to bottom 10%). They weren't playing nearly as well on offense as the best team we've played but better than everyone else by a mile. This was our toughest opponent. The stats didn't lie and neither did Urban.
IU also came in with a mental edge (they believed they could man up with us based on the game last season) and a game plan specifically designed to beat us. Kevin Wilson is to be applauded, both for a great plan and showcasing EXACTLY how Whisky is going to come at us.
We came in with a professional mid-season game mentality, and a game plan designed to work on our shortcomings. Both of those will be far different in the "big" games this season.
Let's debunk the notion that the passing game is broken.... board up the windows, hunker down and pray. Let's also debunk the idea that putting Ed Warriner in the box to call plays, can fix a bad game plan when the team is less inspired than the opponent.
What happened Saturday was mostly by design.
The perimeter passing game is is going through growing pains. @rossfulton has highlighted the issue for a couple of weeks. When we throw when we want to, we are GREAT. When we throw when we have to, we STRUGGLE. The stats don't lie on this issue one bit.
The only way to fix it is for the perimeter WR's to get more playing time. They had a total of ONE FRIGGING RECEPTION coming into the season. That inexperience shows. JT needs to work on his decision making, timing and velocity (he is throwing the short intermediate routes with too much heat and not enough mustard on the longer routes).
But don't lose sight of the fact that the running game failed repeatedly to get successful yardage on first down, putting us behind the chains on most series. I don't think the staff expected the success rate to fall that much. The IU DL was playing inspired ball, and our OL was inconsistent and missed a lot of easy blocks.
The staff knows exactly how to work around this, and the OL can pick their game up. The recipe is easy... throw high percentage passes on standard downs to loosen up the edge in the air, use the running game to move the chains and keep the LB's and safeties engaged and then hit the intermediate balls. Honestly, I'm not sure why we ever go away from this plan, but Urban knows what he's doing.
The good news is that the D is everything I thought they were and more. They made some rookie mistakes in the first tight game we played. But they are fast and furious.
The BIGGEST POSITIVE is that that I think the IU running game is heavier than Whisky and HAD NO SUCCESS... I need to watch it again but if I were doing a forecast today... I see us winning in the Camp by a WIDE margin.
Folks that were thinking we were ready to strap up for the playoffs right now, the best team in the NCAA, 600 yards per game , able to beat the Browns....... got a dose of reality. The Young Bucks are still a wonderful work in progress.
Don't panic.....THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT... and so are the coaches.
We played a team that was better and more balanced than any team we've played this season. They were playing FAR better on defense than anyone we played (top 3rd versus bottom half to bottom 10%). They weren't playing nearly as well on offense as the best team we've played but better than everyone else by a mile. This was our toughest opponent. The stats didn't lie and neither did Urban.
IU also came in with a mental edge (they believed they could man up with us based on the game last season) and a game plan specifically designed to beat us. Kevin Wilson is to be applauded, both for a great plan and showcasing EXACTLY how Whisky is going to come at us.
We came in with a professional mid-season game mentality, and a game plan designed to work on our shortcomings. Both of those will be far different in the "big" games this season.
Let's debunk the notion that the passing game is broken.... board up the windows, hunker down and pray. Let's also debunk the idea that putting Ed Warriner in the box to call plays, can fix a bad game plan when the team is less inspired than the opponent.
What happened Saturday was mostly by design.
The perimeter passing game is is going through growing pains. @rossfulton has highlighted the issue for a couple of weeks. When we throw when we want to, we are GREAT. When we throw when we have to, we STRUGGLE. The stats don't lie on this issue one bit.
The only way to fix it is for the perimeter WR's to get more playing time. They had a total of ONE FRIGGING RECEPTION coming into the season. That inexperience shows. JT needs to work on his decision making, timing and velocity (he is throwing the short intermediate routes with too much heat and not enough mustard on the longer routes).
But don't lose sight of the fact that the running game failed repeatedly to get successful yardage on first down, putting us behind the chains on most series. I don't think the staff expected the success rate to fall that much. The IU DL was playing inspired ball, and our OL was inconsistent and missed a lot of easy blocks.
The staff knows exactly how to work around this, and the OL can pick their game up. The recipe is easy... throw high percentage passes on standard downs to loosen up the edge in the air, use the running game to move the chains and keep the LB's and safeties engaged and then hit the intermediate balls. Honestly, I'm not sure why we ever go away from this plan, but Urban knows what he's doing.
The good news is that the D is everything I thought they were and more. They made some rookie mistakes in the first tight game we played. But they are fast and furious.
The BIGGEST POSITIVE is that that I think the IU running game is heavier than Whisky and HAD NO SUCCESS... I need to watch it again but if I were doing a forecast today... I see us winning in the Camp by a WIDE margin.
