Thoughts on the game

[JasonB]

Having sets with no MLB or no support in the middle of the field so that busts turn into 60 yard touchdown runs is on the coaches. Fake punt is on the coaches. Running a delay on 3rd and short is on the coaches.

PonyTE, I know what you are saying about kickoff and injuries. But the non-physical blocking and coverage we see in the game mimics what we see in practice. Somehow, we have to be able to practice players actually blocking on a return.

Sorry to complain, and the coaches did indeed make a good adjustment with the quick decision offense.

That said, the performance of Castille this year is a little alarming. After last year, I thought he would be a big breakout star. We also thought Thomas and Proche would be huge playmakers. Their inability to make huge plays and make people miss is a little concerning. I thought we would transition from a "minus" receiving corp to a "plus" receiving corp with their injection, and it just hasn't happened yet.

[Rebel10]

Castille has had one bad game and that is Tulsa. Most of the other games the receivers have been running wide open and Hick has either not seen them or has been inaccurate on his throws. Ponyte knows what he is talking about regarding special teams.

[Stallion]

Castille has dropped passes in almost every game this year

[Pony Boss]

I want to see more Honey and KT needs to get it together.

[Digetydog]

The thing about the kick returns is that in practice, we always run kick return without contact. It is never practiced "live". And that is the one area we completely fail to block or cover correctly. We don't practice it and we don't execute.

Agree.

After 6 games, one if our starting middle LBs is 15th on the team in tackles averaging under 2 tackles per game.
- On the first big run, they ran right at him. Blocked him to the point that he didn't even slow down the runner.
- on 3rd and short in OT, they ran right at him.
- on the final TD, he overran the play and watched as the QB scored. The other LB got himself blocked.

[Digetydog]

That was the best game our Defensive Line has played in years-without question. It was the LBs and DBs that turned simple runs into huge gains

Exactly, Big running plays are almost never the DL's fault.

[ponyte]

Having sets with no MLB or no support in the middle of the field so that busts turn into 60 yard touchdown runs is on the coaches. Fake punt is on the coaches. Running a delay on 3rd and short is on the coaches.

PonyTE, I know what you are saying about kickoff and injuries. But the non-physical blocking and coverage we see in the game mimics what we see in practice. Somehow, we have to be able to practice players actually blocking on a return.

Sorry to complain, and the coaches did indeed make a good adjustment with the quick decision offense.

That said, the performance of Castille this year is a little alarming. After last year, I thought he would be a big breakout star. We also thought Thomas and Proche would be huge playmakers. Their inability to make huge plays and make people miss is a little concerning. I thought we would transition from a "minus" receiving corp to a "plus" receiving corp with their injection, and it just hasn't happened yet.

Somehow, I played and practiced on punt, punt coverage and kickoff return (multiple positions even as a wedge blocker) and managed to do my job without full down field contact in practice. It is possible. And it is smart. We did run full contact special team for half of my Freshman year (I was on punt coverage). That ended when I, on punt coverage, blew up Arthur Whittington (Our only decent back that year) when he field a punt. I [deleted] up right in front of Ron Meyer (it was at Texas Stadium on a Tuesday). Meyer ended full contact on special teams then and there. Now blocking on punt at the line of scrimmage and at the line of scrimmage on punt return continued. That really in no different from an inside drill. But down field injuries happen. Kickoff and kick off return was never full speed.

The quickest way to pile up injuries is to run full contact for special teams practice. It can be done without full contact.

[JasonB]

I hear what you are saying. But the way we practice kick returns are literally no contact. No engagement. What you see on the field mimics what we do in practice. Somehow it has to get better than that without injuries...

[mrydel]

How come you were insistent that full contact is not needed in spring or fall practice but now say we need full contact on special team practice? The kids just need to stay in their lanes.

[JasonB]

How come you were insistent that full contact is not needed in spring or fall practice but now say we need full contact on special team practice? The kids just need to stay in their lanes.

I was never insistent on that. I reported that there was not contact. And I shared Jones' reasoning behind it. Honestly, though, the lack of strength training, incredibly low energy and pace of practice, and the lack of competition at practice had way more to do with on field performance than a lack of contact. All of which lie heavily on the coaching staff.

I am not saying we need full contact coverage. What I am saying is that in practice, players stand in one place on return and don't block anyone. And the coverage people just run straight down the field and don't engage anybody or have to dodge anyone. And nobody gets tackled or anything, they just run straight up the field without being breathed on. There is absolutely nothing evaluatable or coachable based on how they run KO drills at practice.

[mrydel]

Well they have the standing in place and not blocking anyone down pat.

[Pony Up]

The O line did much better. They protected and got some good blocks in running. WE are miles away form lining up and pushing opponents' front 7 off the ball. Hicks wasn't sacked once. Not even once.

Not one single turnover. Talk about a vast improvement.

Those are the two things that I kept coming back to. No sacks, after the way Hicks was mauled last week, was amazing. I kept thinking I had missed a few.

And no turnovers. What a refreshing improvement. It's not like Hicks was just handing off all night, either. He threw it 52 times and completed passes to 10 receivers. He has a long way to go, but that was legitimate improvement.

[jpe747]

I would suggest SMU doesn't run a ball out of the endzone and Kicks all balls DEEP into the endzone.