First half offense...
Again, we go down the field early and look like a team that can't be stopped. Both running and throwing the ball.
And again, we have an early turnover that seems to shell-shock our offense and in this case, the entire team.
Meyer had no time to throw most of the first half. Running game looked good when we did run the ball. But being behind early forced us to run very little. Hicks and Scales still averages over 4 yards a carry.
First half defense...
More missed tackles...wide gaping holes in the running game. Still troubles covering the short crossing routes. Little pressure on Sanders. And again, missed tackles. And where was Parker tonight?
Second half offense...
Finally, we wake up. Meyer looked really good the entire game (when he wasn't slipping on the grass), especially in the 2nd half. Finishes the game with a ridiculous 82% completion percentage and 324 yards. Tack on 24 yards on the ground and that's the Big 12 QB we know we've got. Davis had a great day, slicing up the single coverage while the Panthers put a blanket on Blythe. Tight ends get some love, but still not enough. Flynn, gotta hold onto that ball buddy. A nice catch by the freshman Hamilton. Offensive line makes good adjustments at halftime and protects Meyer much, much better. Offense scores 2 TD's in the 2nd half...finally. Still not enough, but, it's better.
A thought...maybe we should run the 2 minute offense the entire game. Well...the one minute offense...being we scored with a minute to play. :)
Second half defense...
It looked like they were not much better. However, they only gave up 6 points and a total of 20 in the game. Wow...amazing what our young defense can do in the 2nd half when the offense helps them out by keeping the ball longer than a minute and scoring points. Gotta do better against the run, something I thought was a strength that UNI exposed. On the game, UNI only had 5.3 yards per completion - that's pretty good.
Special teams...
Would have gotten an A if not for that muffed punt. Not sure if Baum was thinking "gotta score again" or what...but muffing two in a row...eeek! Helluva run back though...sent the fans of JTS into mayhem. First punt return for a TD since '02 when Miller ran one back vs. Troy State. Hopefully it won't be Baum's last!
Who else thought that last second field goal for UNI went through? I have a side angle only...being on that end of the field. At first I thought it was too short...then....I thought..."crap...he made it!" Thank God it was wide right...couldn't have been by much though.
Coaching tonight...
I thought we had a sound gameplan. Went down the field and struck "quick" while eating a lot of clock. UNI was just able to do the same and then got the turnover.
ISU continued to run the ball until down 14 and quickly went to the air...in the past D-Mac may have remained stubborn with the ground game. Clearly good adjustments were made at the half on both sides of the ball. As noted, protection was better in the 2nd half and the defense did better as well. Can't blame the coaches for the muffed punt by Baum and then the fumble by Flynn in the end zone. Those don't happen and the game does not come down to the final kick. Overall, I was pleased with the play calling tonight. Probably the best of the season.
On the season...
We're 3-2...just where many expected. However, our wins over Toledo, UNLV and UNI have been far too close for comfort.
At times the offense has looked unstoppable and at other times...they seem all to eager to stop themselves. Running game is far better than last year and it's nice to have a solid back-up for Hicks. Passing game looks good too...we just have too many untimely turnovers, silly penalties, dropped passes and poor protection. Again, sometimes it looks great and others it looks like a very young offense.
Defensively I think we're getting what was expected. Aggressive play with mistakes as a result of inexperience. If the offense had helped the defense out in the 2nd half of the Toledo, UNLV and Iowa games, I think we'd be much happier with our defense. So...their less-than-good play at times isn't just their fault. However, they need to get back to the basics of run defense, tackling, tackling, tackling and improve on defending the short crossing routes. So far though (knock on wood), they have not been burnt by the big plays that some felt they would. Last year, we got torched on a pair of big plays in the first game with a defense that may be the best ever for
ISU. The coaches have done well putting the young defense in position to be successful. They just need to continue boosting their confidence and tackle!
Now...we should have blown out the teams we've defeated so far. However, we have 3 close-game wins. How many did we have last year? 0. How many close games did we lose last year? 5.
So...while we're still unsure of where this team will end up in '06 and not exactly happy with the scoreboard on our wins - none of us can question this team's heart and never-say-die attitude.
Linear Mode
