Everybody seems to be all over the map with their reaction to the game. So, here's my take too (lol)
I'm 30 years old and didn't play big time college football. Maybe because I'm a fan or maybe because I'm older and more mature, but for the life of me I cannot understand our team. You've had a week off and should be chomping at the bit for some more football. It was like everyone failed their midterm exams the week before the game. I saw the same thing boomer did in terms of very negative body language from virtually everyone. WHEN WE STILL HAD THE LEAD?!? I think we desperately miss the emotional stability and leadership that Synjyn provided for us in 2014. I think he single-handidly kept us positive, engaged, in every game. Unfortunately that also indicates that neither the team chaplain nor the coaching staff have been able to do the same thing. I just don't understand it. Whether you were the best player on your high school team or not, every single player we have should be playing at 110% every play. You have to play every snap like it is the last one you're gonna get. It's too easy to get hurt or get passed on the depth chart not to. I just don't get how no one was excited to be there.
Special teams were a bit special ed. I don't really understand why but our kickoff return team just kinda runs around and provides very little in the way of actual blocking. JJ Green has been a great returner but I'm not sure what possessed him to try and dance on the play he was injured on. Pick a direction and GO son. Also, Austin, take a knee if you catch the ball in the endzone. Seriously.
Defense: I don't have the slightest idea what's going on in Roof's head. I would expect that coaching defense under Paul Johnson would be a defensive coordinators dream: do whatever you want and coach will leave you alone to run your side of the ball no questions asked. Unless, of course, you suck. Then he's going to be pissed. Roof sucks. Whatever his "philosophy" is, does not work. What DOES work is being aggressive. We should blitz virtually every single play. This sit back garbage might work if everyone on defense is an athletic Greek god, but it hasn't been working here, ever. BUT, we'd have to learn how to blitz first. When we blitz our guys just run straight into blockers. Poorly, POORLY coached on defense. We have a lot more ability in our personnel than our coaches are getting out of them. Do we have top 10 potential? No, but we could be anywhere from 25 to 35. But that would take a philosophy change and a completely different defensive coaching staff.
We look horribly coached on defense. I could put out a defensive product that looks like that. The secondary is LOST. They have no clue how to work together as a unit and there isn't a single one of them who has been taught actual pass coverage skills. Give me a week and YouTube videos and we'd look better. The only reason we looked ok in the first half was because Dook kept shooting itself in the foot or dropping the ball, because our guys were out of position and the plays were there to be made.
Our D line couldn't push through a wet cardboard box. I don't know why every play we seem to attack the lineman in front of us instead of actually attempting to get past them and into the gaps. It's very frustrating.
Offense: big hat off to JT. He played a whale of a game. Can't ask any more of your QB.
The offense is hard to critique. We put up insane yards and scored 35 points. But. We missed a LOT of blocks. A LOT. I don't know what the deuce we teach our offensive linemen but it's clear the only thing they kind of know is how to do is pass block (I suspect it might be the new line coach. The other one has needed replacement for a long while.) Granted, Dook was selling out to stop the run with some gimmick things. But it still seemed like PJ was reluctant to take what was there sometimes. Now, plenty of people will say "but they got 600 yards and we had a W just shut up and be happy" but you have to be honest and realistic - the majority of the offense came from a Herculean effort by 1 special player. Which is awesome. We need that. I'll take it. But we didn't look like a finely tuned and oiled machine. Which doesn't make sense. Why is it so hard to teach our offense to players? Why is it that we are in game 8 and still struggling desperately to do the right things or block the right guys? Opposing defenses have lived in our backfield since the start of 2015.
We have not matured or developed as a team since week 2. And that is on the head coach. I don't think he's forgotten everything he knows, but he, and we, are very much in need of him taking a step back and looking at what he does and why. We need the same thing from Roof. Ultimately I'd prefer a different DC, DB coach, DL coach, and OL coach, just because I don't think the current ones are getting it done.
However, at the bare minimum the ones we have need a massive gut check. Roof needs to grab some of whatever inspired him after Dook and UNCin 2014 and start playing aggressively again. We are getting drug up and down the field by anyone and everyone. Do something, anything different. It can't be worse than what it is now.
Our players need to get excited. You're playing freakin college football. Everyone on the field should be awake and engaged and excited to just BE there, much less get to play. Explode! Make a play! Just, have a pulse!
I hope PJ tears everyone a new one including himself tomorrow. There's no excuse to be so discombobulated after a week off. If we wake up and fight we could win out. Or we could lose the rest of them. It's never as good or as bad as it seems so the result will probably be somewhere in between.
