Let's Not Put This All On the Offense
- Thread starter hawkod
- Start date
#1DieHardHawk
Well-Known Member
The offense definitely was and is the primary problem.
The one thing I will say about the defense relates more to personnel packages at the end of the PSU game.
Reiff has never been stout against the running game even when healthy, and obviously was rusty Saturday. The last couple of drives, where we knew PSU would be running the ball, the coaches decided to go with Brady and it hurt us. He was getting pushed around at will, allowing a lineman or FB to get to the second level and pick up Colbert. Combine that with Doyle replacing Welch and Koerner struggling with tackling, and we couldn't get the stops even though we knew what was coming.
To me, it would have made more sense to go with beef in the middle knowing that PSU was focused almost exclusively on the run. I even would have toyed with the idea of moving Jones to ILB for the last two drives, especially seeing Doyle bounce off the RB a couple of times.
The one thing I will say about the defense relates more to personnel packages at the end of the PSU game.
Reiff has never been stout against the running game even when healthy, and obviously was rusty Saturday. The last couple of drives, where we knew PSU would be running the ball, the coaches decided to go with Brady and it hurt us. He was getting pushed around at will, allowing a lineman or FB to get to the second level and pick up Colbert. Combine that with Doyle replacing Welch and Koerner struggling with tackling, and we couldn't get the stops even though we knew what was coming.
To me, it would have made more sense to go with beef in the middle knowing that PSU was focused almost exclusively on the run. I even would have toyed with the idea of moving Jones to ILB for the last two drives, especially seeing Doyle bounce off the RB a couple of times.
Guys on this week's pod cast mentioned offensive stats over KF's 21 years. One even mentioned it was amazing we won as many games as we have with the dismal numbers
Just imagine how many more wins with even avg and above avg stats. You would think Kirk would try to manufacture at least one more TD or FG per game.
hawkdrummer1
Well-Known Member
Have you watched any of the games?
We're 5th in the country in scoring defense. 81st in scoring offense.
Could it be more clear?
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
JG10Hawk
Well-Known Member
1. Wisconsin - 6th on O
2. Penn State - 28th on O
3. Ohio State - 3rd on O
4. Oregon - 22nd on O
5. Iowa - 81st on O
6. Georgia - 32nd on O
7. Clemson - 12th on O
8. W Kentucky - 108th on O
9. UAB - 54th on O
10. San Diego St - 88th on O
So I guess Western Kentucky and San Diego State are worse off, so there's that.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
I guess the bloom is off Mississippi State's rose.
They must have lost a lot of their key defensive players from last year.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
Bottom line is that we have. And that offensive yards don't always have a correlation with points.
Sometimes there are other factors, like forcing turnovers and special teams play. Look at the Pinstripe bowl (if you can open your eyes to do so) We pick them off second play of the game and set up shop first and goal. We may have gained zero yards, or even negative yards, but we got three points. And think of what Boston College's mindset would have been like on that last drive if they only needed a FG to win. But they needed a TD, thanks to that early interception.
Go back to the halcyon days of Kirkball, the 2002 Purdue game. Purdue marched up and down the field at will against us. But two huge special teams plays swung the game just enough to let Banks and Clark execute their late heroics. 2004 Minnesota. Same thing. I'll bet Georgia Tech in the 2010 Orange Bowl ended up outgaining us. But they didn't outscore us.
In todays college football if your holding good teams to under 20 pts your really doing something. 14 or less and your about as good as it gets. Offenses are so good. Teams 4th WRs are quick and fast as hell in space. Even we have capable 4th and 5th WRs. So no Parker has done a great job with what he's had to work with. Between Iowa's O and bad punting they put them in a tough spot quite a bit.
Hawks D is awesome, they are not at fault in anyway. I pity the fool that cannot see this one.
That said, if the O can't score, this is a team game so if you have a high performing group of athletes, maybe you train them, ask them to do even more? If O can't score, maybe the D can. The D hasn't scored at all this year and we are used to some scoring, or at least setup for field goals (O can't push a cotton ball!)
So D, can you help us out here.............?????????????
That said, if the O can't score, this is a team game so if you have a high performing group of athletes, maybe you train them, ask them to do even more? If O can't score, maybe the D can. The D hasn't scored at all this year and we are used to some scoring, or at least setup for field goals (O can't push a cotton ball!)
So D, can you help us out here.............?????????????
homes
Well-Known Member
Yes, the OL play has been lousy. But knowing that, why do they have Stanley drop back, sometimes out of the shotgun so he ends up 10-15 yards behind the line of scrimmage? He's not very good at recognizing when and from where the pressure is coming; he's slow to respond, and often, when he starts to respond, he turns into the pressure. Give him time, and he can be very good. Why not roll him out more? Give him another second or two, sometimes that's all that is needed. We saw very little of that in the last two games.
It's unrealistic to ask the defense to pitch a shutout in any game, let alone every game. It's a nice sentiment, and it sounds good to say that if the other team can't score, you can't lose, but it's not going to happen to the point where you can rely on that being the modus operandi for winning games.
It's unrealistic to ask the defense to pitch a shutout in any game, let alone every game. It's a nice sentiment, and it sounds good to say that if the other team can't score, you can't lose, but it's not going to happen to the point where you can rely on that being the modus operandi for winning games.
