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Watching last year's SMU game tapes won't help (new offense).
Watching last year's SMU QB tapes won't help (new QB).
Watching last year's Hawaii tapes probably won't help (it's not like they are preparing to play against a BCS bowl team).

First game of the season may be nerve racking for us, but Rice is not going to rest easy, either.

New defense with a new coordinator as well. A new approach to special teams. A new attitude one hopes. Rice may not be prepared (like Bennett's SMU against Navy) but don't count on it. THey may not have specifics down but the will know general schemes and have a philosophy to counter SMU's schemes.

The first two ball positions will tell a lot about both teams.

If I was Rice, I would blitz on every down until and rattle BLM until he shows he can handle it.

On offense, all they have to do, like they did the past 2 years, is get the ball to Jarrett Dillard until we show we can stop him.

chillinfool wrote:If I was Rice, I would blitz on every down until and rattle BLM until he shows he can handle it.

On offense, all they have to do, like they did the past 2 years, is get the ball to Jarrett Dillard until we show we can stop him.

That'll be Rice game plan.

chillinfool wrote:If I was Rice, I would blitz on every down until and rattle BLM until he shows he can handle it.

On offense, all they have to do, like they did the past 2 years, is get the ball to Jarrett Dillard until we show we can stop him.

Turning that around, we know that Rice will be blitzing, and so we can do what we can to prepare for it, mentally and otherwise. If BLM can just stay calm and execute, he will make them pay early and often for bringing pressure. I hope he has the maturity that JJ seems to think he has.

PonyPride has pointed out many times that in this scheme, the running backs work basically as extra blockers. If you've got a five-man line with DeMyron Martin and Andrew McKinney both back there to pick up guys who slip through, Mitchell might survive no matter how much the Owls blitz. This scheme might be perfect against a blitz-heavy team, and Coach Jones has even said he hopes teams blitz, because it leaves open more chances for big plays.

BLM staying calm and executing is what I am worried about. A true freshmen, in his first college game, on national TV no less, against an equal opponent is really getting thrown into the fire.

JJ said BLM has played in big games, even said he played in front of 62,000 before, I'd like to know where? Attendance for a state championship game is around 30,000.

I forgot about the national TV aspect. Can you imagine what play benching Willis is going to get in that game? Especially if we lose?

Can anyone talk about the repercussions if we win? I'm just asking...

jtstang wrote:I forgot about the national TV aspect. Can you imagine what play benching Willis is going to get in that game? Especially if we lose?

But can you imagine what play we will get if a True Freshman is the QB and June and the Mustangs actually win.

ponydawg wrote:

jtstang wrote:I forgot about the national TV aspect. Can you imagine what play benching Willis is going to get in that game? Especially if we lose?

But can you imagine what play we will get if a True Freshman is the QB and June and the Mustangs actually win.

First question post-game:

"Coach, does this win vindicate your decision to go with the true freshman over Justin Willis at quarterback?"

[quote="jtstang"][quote="chillinfool"]If I was Rice, I would blitz on every down until and rattle BLM until he shows he can handle it.

On offense, all they have to do, like they did the past 2 years, is get the ball to Jarrett Dillard until we show we can stop him.[/quote]
That'll be Rice game plan.[/quote]................JJ knows starting a freshman QB means Rice will propbably blitz to start the game and often. As JJ has pointed out, he prefers that a team does blitz. So expect BLM to be well prepared to handle it with reading where their blitz is coming from and throwing their or throwing screen and shovel passes. Also look for short quick passes/pitches to get our backs outside the blitz. I would imagine BLM potentially will see just about everrything Rice will through at him in practice now that he is working with the 1st team.......Remember, its not like some freshman that has to come off the bench because the starter got hurt. He has time to prepare. The speed of the game could be the real negative issue for BLM to get used to.

George S. Patton wrote:Can anyone talk about the repercussions if we win? I'm just asking...

How do you feel about Rice and their band?

EmeraldCityPony wrote:

chillinfool wrote:If I was Rice, I would blitz on every down until and rattle BLM until he shows he can handle it.

On offense, all they have to do, like they did the past 2 years, is get the ball to Jarrett Dillard until we show we can stop him.

Turning that around, we know that Rice will be blitzing, and so we can do what we can to prepare for it, mentally and otherwise. If BLM can just stay calm and execute, he will make them pay early and often for bringing pressure. I hope he has the maturity that JJ seems to think he has.

Being rattled would be a new feeling for Bo. He was only sacked two times during the season last year, until the championship game. Pflugerville had a great DE (Alex Okafour sp.) that sacked him twice and pressured him into two grounding calls. He then proceeded to pick them apart starting with the hail mary to end the first half.
My point is that Bo had never been pressured like that all year, but didn't fall apart. He found a way to win and that's what we can expect at SMU this year. I've never seen him truely rattled. We joke around here that when Bo Levi is on the field "he has ice in his veins".

that 62,000 figure is a bunch of BS. No Texas High School Game in History has had more than about 50,000(the famous HP v. Plano game in McIllhenny's Senior year was one of the highest). This year they had all the official (not Big School) State Championships played at a single site in San Antonio so that would be a combined number for all the games. I'd be surprised if more than 30,000 at one game.