Good morning everyone. Unfortunately, something happened yesterday when I went to post my pre-game write up, and it was lost. (Probably should have written it in Word, saved it, and copied it to the board, but alas, I did not.) I don't have time to rehash everything, but here are some highlights.
1) Run game.
Having Spencer Sanders back is going to go a long way to opening up the run game. The zone read options, RPOs, and overall threat of the QB run game was not there last week, and we were outnumbered when we tried to run the ball. The OL play was average, not as bad as it may have appeared live. There were mistakes that can be cleaned up, and this week of practice addressed a good chunk of it.
The bigger struggle was playing without Logan Carter. He was missed. On this board, people generally way underappreciate the importance of the Cowboy backs in the run game. They are given a lot of responsibility in blocking the point of attack, securing the edge, and are key when the defense loads up vs the run. Most people look primarily at their production in the passing game to determine whether or not they are used well. The general lack of experience we had at the position definitely showed up on film. Jarrard has potential,, but he has had limited practice reps and no game film to watch of himself. He will improve, but it won't come all at once. The threat of the QB running will help.
The backs did not play well last week. They will be better. Obviously, ball security has been a major point of emphasis, but so has hitting the hole quickly and getting up the field.
No doubt, TU is going to sell out against the run to try and make us 1 dinensional. They have a talented defensive front that is active and gets good penetration and a secondary that did not allow a lot of separation on the outside. They will take their chances with our young receivers, so look for RPOs to open up the passing game. The threat of Sanders running will freeze backers and hold safeties just enough to create opportunities to throw.
When Tulsa has the ball, they will look to pound the ball in the run game. Their top two backs are both very good 1 cut runners who have patience. Brooks has a bit more make you miss ability, but both he and Prince are solid backs. The zone counters were blocked really well last week. There were a handful of plays that were one to house calls for them on the ground. OSU's defense has to remain aggressive, yet disciplined on the backside against the run. Although they lost the opener, Tulsa showed some very strong run game potential.
2) Passing game.
Last week Shane lost some confidence after the interception, and the coaches got away from the game plan going in. Hindsight provided some good learning moments for our offense. Spencer has looked good throwing the ball, and he has done a good job of spreading the ball around in practice. He will be ready to play. Considering how little experience we had on the field at the receiver positions, things look bright for the future. Bray had very few practice reps during the week, yet stepped up and made some plays. We have guys that are still learning the position, but have tremendous upside. They will standout later in the season as they gain experience. Tulsa's corners were not really tested last week, but they will be today.
Stokes has been a big playmaker for Tulsa for what seems like forever. He is a good receiver and thrives against zone coverages. He is a very good catch and run player. Their quarterback plays well when throwing with set feet or on designed moving pockets, but his footwork is not solid when facing pressure, and he has to relocate. His accuracy diminished significantly under pressure, which does not bode well on 3rd downs vs our pressure package. Their best chance is throw on early downs after pounding the run game.
We will play better today.
1) Run game.
Having Spencer Sanders back is going to go a long way to opening up the run game. The zone read options, RPOs, and overall threat of the QB run game was not there last week, and we were outnumbered when we tried to run the ball. The OL play was average, not as bad as it may have appeared live. There were mistakes that can be cleaned up, and this week of practice addressed a good chunk of it.
The bigger struggle was playing without Logan Carter. He was missed. On this board, people generally way underappreciate the importance of the Cowboy backs in the run game. They are given a lot of responsibility in blocking the point of attack, securing the edge, and are key when the defense loads up vs the run. Most people look primarily at their production in the passing game to determine whether or not they are used well. The general lack of experience we had at the position definitely showed up on film. Jarrard has potential,, but he has had limited practice reps and no game film to watch of himself. He will improve, but it won't come all at once. The threat of the QB running will help.
The backs did not play well last week. They will be better. Obviously, ball security has been a major point of emphasis, but so has hitting the hole quickly and getting up the field.
No doubt, TU is going to sell out against the run to try and make us 1 dinensional. They have a talented defensive front that is active and gets good penetration and a secondary that did not allow a lot of separation on the outside. They will take their chances with our young receivers, so look for RPOs to open up the passing game. The threat of Sanders running will freeze backers and hold safeties just enough to create opportunities to throw.
When Tulsa has the ball, they will look to pound the ball in the run game. Their top two backs are both very good 1 cut runners who have patience. Brooks has a bit more make you miss ability, but both he and Prince are solid backs. The zone counters were blocked really well last week. There were a handful of plays that were one to house calls for them on the ground. OSU's defense has to remain aggressive, yet disciplined on the backside against the run. Although they lost the opener, Tulsa showed some very strong run game potential.
2) Passing game.
Last week Shane lost some confidence after the interception, and the coaches got away from the game plan going in. Hindsight provided some good learning moments for our offense. Spencer has looked good throwing the ball, and he has done a good job of spreading the ball around in practice. He will be ready to play. Considering how little experience we had on the field at the receiver positions, things look bright for the future. Bray had very few practice reps during the week, yet stepped up and made some plays. We have guys that are still learning the position, but have tremendous upside. They will standout later in the season as they gain experience. Tulsa's corners were not really tested last week, but they will be today.
Stokes has been a big playmaker for Tulsa for what seems like forever. He is a good receiver and thrives against zone coverages. He is a very good catch and run player. Their quarterback plays well when throwing with set feet or on designed moving pockets, but his footwork is not solid when facing pressure, and he has to relocate. His accuracy diminished significantly under pressure, which does not bode well on 3rd downs vs our pressure package. Their best chance is throw on early downs after pounding the run game.
We will play better today.
