Wow that was FUN.
I had 41-24.
I underestimated the impact of rain on the O and the impact Chase Young would have on the game.
Going in, the ONE area I thought we had clear supremacy in was ST and our punting almost made this game interesting. The shank/block was the ONLY reason Whisky scored and some poor punts in H1 helped keep things tight.
I felt going in this would be a heavy weight match and that we would go FULL Mike Tyson at some point in the contest.
Unforced errors, the rain, a very good D and poor punting kept us from landing a clear shot on the Challenger until the end of H1... but land one we did.
Unfortunately, it didn't fully carry over into the early part of the half as we squandered the opening KO with the muffed punt which led to a Whisky score
Note that with the bumbling and bobbling in H1 and Chrisman's bad day this puppy was 10-7 with 10 mins to go in Q3.
But then like an Iron Mike fight the barrage happened.. Boom Boom Boom... and the challenger was done. Just like the 7 fights before. This time it just took a little longer.
Starting a 12 Mins mark in the quarter we reeled off 3 TDs a 23 yard punt return and forced two fumbles. Added a TD for good measure in Q4 and mercifully ran out the clock.
The barrage was another 2 point per minute series of blows which has become the trademark of this team.
This game added a defensive element into the mix where we just suffocated an opponent.
When the Bucks Were on D
I had the Bucks giving up 24. Hell they effectively pitched a shut out.
This might have been the best defensive effort since the Natty run. Totally dominated a VERY GOOD offense.
Coming in I really had no idea how good the Bucks D was as we hadn't played a team with much of a pulse on offense.
The highest ranked O was Indiana which by the SP+ is 14th and by the FEI metric at 28th. Nebraska which on paper looks good is 39th by SP+ and 97th by FEI. Cincy who we shutout is 66th or 48th.
Now we gave up a total of 17 points to these yahoo's, but we had moments where the other team was moving the ball as recently as the game versus NW. So while the D was ultimately stoning the opponent they were getting some traction and then our offense went OFF and forced the other team out of their game plan.
If figured correctly that Whisky D would keep things close for longer than our first 7 challengers, but the D more than held steady.
If I learned anything in this game it's that "next man up" sounds good but is really a bunch of rubbish in some/many cases.
When Nick Bosa went down he took the defense with him. There are some players who simply change the game. Change how you play it and change how the opponent plays it.
Saturday Chase Young took the game over. His ability combined with Okudah, Wade and Arnette shut down the Whisky passing game and the front 6-7 shut down the running game.
Whisky is damn good. In the rain Coan completed some incredible throws on the few attempts he didn't get sacked. But I didn't see an uncontested catch all day.
Jonathan Taylor's Heisman Hopes died a silent death, and were resurrected in the name of Chase Young.
Once the offense kicked it into gear and started landing jabs, Whisky had one hopeful drive that ended in a strip sack fumble.... Game Over.
The SP+ has our D at #1, and if these dudes stay healthy this will be where they end up.
One other unsung player really caught my eye.... Justin Hilliard. He was FLYING to the ball and getting the guy on the ground when he got there. Not sure how he gets more reps, but I'd be stoked if he did.
When the Bucks were on O
I knew Whisky D was good. I had no idea how well coached they were. I doubt we see a better coached D until the CFP if all goes well.
BTW I was never a fan of Don Brown. His scheme is too highly leveraged and their attempts to mix in zone this season have been a relative failure.
Whisky mixed and matched coverage schemes with blitz combos ALL DAY. They did a pretty good job of disguising them as well. Add in fumbled snaps, bumbled snap counts, two drops by KJ some route combo miscues and that pretty well summed up most of the first half.
The first 3 drives netted 46 yards and 3 punts.... then we took off the gloves literally and the staff sorted out the mix of zone/man and the next two drives were FG and then the first sign of the corner being turned with a beautiful 85 yard TD drive.
At that point it was pretty clear the Bucks had the Whisky D sorted out, and the challenger was on the ropes.
Whisky had a nice D series to start the half, but their TD was simply a glancing blow that didn't land. We answered with a 75 yard TD drive and every Badger knew the gig was up.
Final Thinking
LSU's resume is better than anyone right now. They are SP+ #3. OSU is #1 and Bama is #2.
Auburn and Florida are 10th and 13th as ranked in the SP+. Whisky is 8th. Bama hasn't played anyone.
I believe that whether Tua is healthy or not LSU wins in Tuscaloosa.
If Bama wins, LSU is probably out. That'd be a helluva a win for Bama and frankly, if LSU can't beat Bama with their QB wounded. I don't see how they possibly beat OSU or Clemson.
Their bigger problem is that the 7 point win over Texas doesn't look so hot right now, and if they lose to Bama their resume is two solid wins. That won't be enough.
If LSU wins Bama will be out. They simply won't have a resume. Their only Top 10 ish win would be Auburn and that's if Auburn keeps winning.
If the Bucks keep winning SP+ says Whisky 8, PSU 7, TTUN 11 and Minny 12 (I'm guessing they pull off the West) or a rematch v Whisky I want NO part of.
Lots of FB to play, but right now and the Oklahoma loss makes the TV viewing options like an all you can eat trip to Jeff Ruby's.
I had 41-24.
I underestimated the impact of rain on the O and the impact Chase Young would have on the game.
Going in, the ONE area I thought we had clear supremacy in was ST and our punting almost made this game interesting. The shank/block was the ONLY reason Whisky scored and some poor punts in H1 helped keep things tight.
I felt going in this would be a heavy weight match and that we would go FULL Mike Tyson at some point in the contest.
Unforced errors, the rain, a very good D and poor punting kept us from landing a clear shot on the Challenger until the end of H1... but land one we did.
Unfortunately, it didn't fully carry over into the early part of the half as we squandered the opening KO with the muffed punt which led to a Whisky score
Note that with the bumbling and bobbling in H1 and Chrisman's bad day this puppy was 10-7 with 10 mins to go in Q3.
But then like an Iron Mike fight the barrage happened.. Boom Boom Boom... and the challenger was done. Just like the 7 fights before. This time it just took a little longer.
Starting a 12 Mins mark in the quarter we reeled off 3 TDs a 23 yard punt return and forced two fumbles. Added a TD for good measure in Q4 and mercifully ran out the clock.
The barrage was another 2 point per minute series of blows which has become the trademark of this team.
This game added a defensive element into the mix where we just suffocated an opponent.
When the Bucks Were on D
I had the Bucks giving up 24. Hell they effectively pitched a shut out.
This might have been the best defensive effort since the Natty run. Totally dominated a VERY GOOD offense.
Coming in I really had no idea how good the Bucks D was as we hadn't played a team with much of a pulse on offense.
The highest ranked O was Indiana which by the SP+ is 14th and by the FEI metric at 28th. Nebraska which on paper looks good is 39th by SP+ and 97th by FEI. Cincy who we shutout is 66th or 48th.
Now we gave up a total of 17 points to these yahoo's, but we had moments where the other team was moving the ball as recently as the game versus NW. So while the D was ultimately stoning the opponent they were getting some traction and then our offense went OFF and forced the other team out of their game plan.
If figured correctly that Whisky D would keep things close for longer than our first 7 challengers, but the D more than held steady.
If I learned anything in this game it's that "next man up" sounds good but is really a bunch of rubbish in some/many cases.
When Nick Bosa went down he took the defense with him. There are some players who simply change the game. Change how you play it and change how the opponent plays it.
Saturday Chase Young took the game over. His ability combined with Okudah, Wade and Arnette shut down the Whisky passing game and the front 6-7 shut down the running game.
Whisky is damn good. In the rain Coan completed some incredible throws on the few attempts he didn't get sacked. But I didn't see an uncontested catch all day.
Jonathan Taylor's Heisman Hopes died a silent death, and were resurrected in the name of Chase Young.
Once the offense kicked it into gear and started landing jabs, Whisky had one hopeful drive that ended in a strip sack fumble.... Game Over.
The SP+ has our D at #1, and if these dudes stay healthy this will be where they end up.
One other unsung player really caught my eye.... Justin Hilliard. He was FLYING to the ball and getting the guy on the ground when he got there. Not sure how he gets more reps, but I'd be stoked if he did.
When the Bucks were on O
I knew Whisky D was good. I had no idea how well coached they were. I doubt we see a better coached D until the CFP if all goes well.
BTW I was never a fan of Don Brown. His scheme is too highly leveraged and their attempts to mix in zone this season have been a relative failure.
Whisky mixed and matched coverage schemes with blitz combos ALL DAY. They did a pretty good job of disguising them as well. Add in fumbled snaps, bumbled snap counts, two drops by KJ some route combo miscues and that pretty well summed up most of the first half.
The first 3 drives netted 46 yards and 3 punts.... then we took off the gloves literally and the staff sorted out the mix of zone/man and the next two drives were FG and then the first sign of the corner being turned with a beautiful 85 yard TD drive.
At that point it was pretty clear the Bucks had the Whisky D sorted out, and the challenger was on the ropes.
Whisky had a nice D series to start the half, but their TD was simply a glancing blow that didn't land. We answered with a 75 yard TD drive and every Badger knew the gig was up.
Final Thinking
LSU's resume is better than anyone right now. They are SP+ #3. OSU is #1 and Bama is #2.
Auburn and Florida are 10th and 13th as ranked in the SP+. Whisky is 8th. Bama hasn't played anyone.
I believe that whether Tua is healthy or not LSU wins in Tuscaloosa.
If Bama wins, LSU is probably out. That'd be a helluva a win for Bama and frankly, if LSU can't beat Bama with their QB wounded. I don't see how they possibly beat OSU or Clemson.
Their bigger problem is that the 7 point win over Texas doesn't look so hot right now, and if they lose to Bama their resume is two solid wins. That won't be enough.
If LSU wins Bama will be out. They simply won't have a resume. Their only Top 10 ish win would be Auburn and that's if Auburn keeps winning.
If the Bucks keep winning SP+ says Whisky 8, PSU 7, TTUN 11 and Minny 12 (I'm guessing they pull off the West) or a rematch v Whisky I want NO part of.
Lots of FB to play, but right now and the Oklahoma loss makes the TV viewing options like an all you can eat trip to Jeff Ruby's.
