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It's been a week now, but I finally watched all of the UTEP game. Besides being 1-6 in overtime games, here are some some thoughts after 5 games. It's been well documented how poor the defense is in making tackles, but watching the tapes, it seems as if we will do anything to keep from going down to the ground. It sounds crazy, but just look at the tapes.
This defense plays with little or zero, fire, enthusiasm, intensity, passion, urgency, desperation, will, whatever you want to call it. I have never heard tv commentators, rip a team as much as last Saturday. Justin Smart should have been redshirted this year, he is not ready to play. David Haynes has been a liability, from the Tech game to the UTEP game. He can't cover in space, and he dang sure can't tackle anybody. Will Bonilla should not be lined up on the inside receivers, our oppenents have seen this, and know it's a matchup problem. Bennett has said we can't go to nickle or dime coverages because of the lack of personnel. If we can't put De 'von Bailey or Darrius Bell in at this point, they are wasting a redshirt season. We stay in our base defense ALL of the time.....and we are getting eaten alive.

Brian Jones on CSTV called this the worst tackling defense he's seen in at least the last 7-8 years.

Alex Lifeson said:

David Haynes has been a liability, from the Tech game to the UTEP game. He can't cover in space, and he dang sure can't tackle anybody.

Does anyone think that David Haynes issues have caused McCann to look bad? Seems to me, McCann may give such a big cushion because he doesn't have as god support from Haynes and doesn't want anyone to get behind him, but I may be missing something. McCann hasn't looked as good this year.

Treadway21 wrote:Alex Lifeson said:

David Haynes has been a liability, from the Tech game to the UTEP game. He can't cover in space, and he dang sure can't tackle anybody.

Does anyone think that David Haynes issues have caused McCann to look bad? Seems to me, McCann may give such a big cushion because he doesn't have as god support from Haynes and doesn't want anyone to get behind him, but I may be missing something. McCann hasn't looked as good this year.

Uhhh....... Yes

I just couldn't get it figured out. I am a slow learner.

ALEX LIFESON wrote:It's been a week now, but I finally watched all of the UTEP game. Besides being 1-6 in overtime games, here are some some thoughts after 5 games. It's been well documented how poor the defense is in making tackles, but watching the tapes, it seems as if we will do anything to keep from going down to the ground. It sounds crazy, but just look at the tapes.
This defense plays with little or zero, fire, enthusiasm, intensity, passion, urgency, desperation, will, whatever you want to call it. I have never heard tv commentators, rip a team as much as last Saturday. Justin Smart should have been redshirted this year, he is not ready to play. David Haynes has been a liability, from the Tech game to the UTEP game. He can't cover in space, and he dang sure can't tackle anybody. Will Bonilla should not be lined up on the inside receivers, our oppenents have seen this, and know it's a matchup problem. Bennett has said we can't go to nickle or dime coverages because of the lack of personnel. If we can't put De 'von Bailey or Darrius Bell in at this point, they are wasting a redshirt season. We stay in our base defense ALL of the time.....and we are getting eating alive.

Alex, you are right on target. Lack of personnel should have been lack of talent.

You are right-Justin Smart is not ready.

i saw the whole season in the game against tech. we couldnt tackle then and we cant tackle now. funny how 4 weeks isnt enough to improve the basics

The secondary particularly the corners has been abysmal for the entire tenure of Bennett. It's amazing how little confidence the secondary plays with year in and year out. I guess berating doesn't breed confidence-does it coach. And yes ,there is some talent on the corners but you wouldn't know it.

I personally have no problem with berating. I do however have a problem with people who can't tackle. And seriously folks, I really think these guys have been taught how to tackle several times before they got to college. Do some of you really think this is new information for them? How to tackle? I come down on the stallion side. This is more of an athletes/recruiting problem than it is an X's and O's problem. Unfortunately

good post...it's like Bennett throws fuel into the fire by putting his linebackers on receivers and refusing to run a nicke/dime when he has to. I thought Bell and Bailey had their redshirts burned for depth purposes, but if they're not going to play, why?????

how does running a nickel or dime keep utep from running it down our throat?.......how about if our defense just gets a little more separation off the guy blocking them and then actually tackle the ball carrier...........

angryfan04 wrote:how does running a nickel or dime keep utep from running it down our throat?.......how about if our defense just gets a little more separation off the guy blocking them and then actually tackle the ball carrier...........

UTEP was a primarily running team, but Tech wasn't, and the other teams we played (remember UNT passing for almost 1,000 yards on us) passed at least as much as they ran

I've been wanting to see Bell and Bailey play since the UNT game, neither can be worse than what we have seen playing so far. I especially like Bell, he's always around the returner on special teams, and he's one of the few on this team that still shows some enthusiasm.

As for Smart, he seems too small to play DE, but I would love to see them try him at inside linebacker, he plays 100% every play and doesn't stop. There was one play against UTEP where he almost got to the QB, and then he outran our corners to force the receiver out of bounds, that was impressive!

on utep's final drive in regulation, they mainly threw the ball. all the defense had to do was get a stop, and we win the game. on that drive, utep completed a pass on 3rd and 15, to move the chains. then in overtime, they shoved it down our throats to win.