USCe reax

Well, well, the team we all hoped would show up, in fact, did. I was very very pleased overall with how the team played Saturday considering it was AU's first SEC road game and against a top 10 team with three (possibly more) first round picks. The defense came to play and play they did. AU was able to get pressure on the QB most of the day and not allow Lattimore to run freely. And the offense did just enough to win the game. I really didn't think our D-line would be able to stop Lattimore, but once again, I am so glad my prognostication skills are terrible.

Likes:
D-line played really well. Getting constant pressure on Garcia forcing him to make ill-advised throws and rush into making decisions he obviously wasn't comfortable making. Also, getting some sacks was huge! Many of them set up long 2nd and 3rd downs where AU could rush the ends and play the pass. Getting turnovers really helped keep USCe's defense on the field and allowed the O to run as many plays as they did. Tackling was soooooo much better. AU wrapped up and made the plays when needed. There were only a couple of instances where I can remember not tackling well (a huge improvement).

Mike Dyer - what can I say. The man is a beast and one of the best backs in the SEC if not the nation. He is underrated and overlooked when compared to his counterpart in Tuscaloosa but he is a very important component to the offense. He rushed 41 times Saturday and most times, the play calls were exactly the same. He really stepped it up.

And on that same note, the O-line rush blocked awesome!

Special teams were awesome yet again. Clark had 5 of his 7 punts downed at the 11 yard line or back. That is incredible and making USCe start that deep was huge for the defense. Of course Parkey kicking the crap out of the ball for touchbacks and nailing the field goal was big.

The never say die attitude of this team is amazing. After an interception, Lutz chased the guy down and stripped him of the ball and recovered. Also, being down, late in the game, on the road and Trotter leading the team down the field for the game winning score was a sight to see. This after he threw an interception in the endzone on the previous possession.

Dislikes:
The O-line must pass block better. As good as they were rush blocking, it was almost that bad pass blocking. Trotter was running for his life many times.

On that note, Trotter must stay in the pocket and deliver the ball sooner/better. There were many times one guy would get semi-free and Trotter would bail and start running out of the pocket. And for some reason, he cannot throw well on the run. He took way too many sacks that put AU in a huge hole, especially when they were in position to score. It seems like he is hesitant to throw the ball either because he is scared he will throw an interception or the receivers aren't open. I believe it's the former. Hopefully, he will gain more confidence and be able to deliver the ball and take some pressure off Dyer and the running game.

Parkey missing an extra point is completely unacceptable (he knows it too) and almost came back to hurt them.

Turnovers, especially in the redzone killed them. Two interceptions in the endzone and one right after AU recovered a fumble cannot happen if AU wants to win consistently.

Like I said, I am so proud and pleased with the overall effort and result of Saturday. I think the young team is starting to understand what it takes to play in the SEC and how to be successful.

This week, AU travels to Fayetteville to play the Razorbacks in what promises to be a possibly high-scoring definitly crazy game. It always is. Preview to come soon.