This will likely be an abbreviated recap, as time is short (and there's Gopher hoops to watch tonight!).
With Donnell Greene back in the lineup at LT, I confined my observations to the three underclassmen starting on the line. It's not that I'm not interested in Greene and fellow senior C Jared Weyler; I simply started this series to see how freshman RT Daniel Faalele was performing, then (with an eye to the future) expanded to include Gs Blaise Andries and Conner Olson.
The OL (and the offense in general) got off to a solid start against Purdue, holding the ball for 12 plays and nearly eight minutes before having to settle for a field goal. Faalele, Andries and Olson were a combined 87% run blocking and 86% pass blocking on the opening drive. That's solid, not great.
Olson had a couple exceptional plays, including a bubble screen where he managed to execute two strong blocks that enabled the receiver to pick up a first down and keep the drive alive. (It wasn't quite enough to rate a "2" on my scale, but it was impressive.)
BTW, RB Mohamed Ibrahim really should be considered an honorary lineman. Dude can block. (At least in the running game; he's struggled a few times in pass protection.) He must enjoy opportunities to hit, rather than be hit, because he ain't shy. He's a 205-lb. missile.
For the first quarter:
Faalele: 83% run, 92% pass
Andries: 83% run, 92% pass
Olson: 83% run, 92% pass
I guess that's nothing if not consistent.
One thing that's become clear watching Faalele for five games -- at this point, he's good, not great. I'm not taking anything away from the kid, because he's doing a notably solid job for a true freshman, and his physical attributes give him a tremendous upside. But at this point in time, all three starting underclassmen on the OL look to be equally effective. If I were drafting a team for the future, I'd take Faalele. If I needed a solid lineman for a single game, Faalele, Andries and Olson are all at about the same level. That's more a compliment to Andries and Olson than it is a knock on Faalele.
If they stay healthy and continue to muscle up, that's an excellent foundation to build on.
More later.
JTG
With Donnell Greene back in the lineup at LT, I confined my observations to the three underclassmen starting on the line. It's not that I'm not interested in Greene and fellow senior C Jared Weyler; I simply started this series to see how freshman RT Daniel Faalele was performing, then (with an eye to the future) expanded to include Gs Blaise Andries and Conner Olson.
The OL (and the offense in general) got off to a solid start against Purdue, holding the ball for 12 plays and nearly eight minutes before having to settle for a field goal. Faalele, Andries and Olson were a combined 87% run blocking and 86% pass blocking on the opening drive. That's solid, not great.
Olson had a couple exceptional plays, including a bubble screen where he managed to execute two strong blocks that enabled the receiver to pick up a first down and keep the drive alive. (It wasn't quite enough to rate a "2" on my scale, but it was impressive.)
BTW, RB Mohamed Ibrahim really should be considered an honorary lineman. Dude can block. (At least in the running game; he's struggled a few times in pass protection.) He must enjoy opportunities to hit, rather than be hit, because he ain't shy. He's a 205-lb. missile.
For the first quarter:
Faalele: 83% run, 92% pass
Andries: 83% run, 92% pass
Olson: 83% run, 92% pass
I guess that's nothing if not consistent.
One thing that's become clear watching Faalele for five games -- at this point, he's good, not great. I'm not taking anything away from the kid, because he's doing a notably solid job for a true freshman, and his physical attributes give him a tremendous upside. But at this point in time, all three starting underclassmen on the OL look to be equally effective. If I were drafting a team for the future, I'd take Faalele. If I needed a solid lineman for a single game, Faalele, Andries and Olson are all at about the same level. That's more a compliment to Andries and Olson than it is a knock on Faalele.
If they stay healthy and continue to muscle up, that's an excellent foundation to build on.
More later.
JTG