I was looking forward to digging into this pile o' tape ... which I'm sure is exactly why I'm being thwarted by the gridiron gods. Hulu, in its infinite wisdom, apparently decided I didn't deserve to see the first five minutes of the game. Not only did I lose contact with earth while trying to watch the game live, but the virtual DVR didn't record that segment either.
So until I find a workaround, this report will be adorned with a great big asterisk, 'cuz I missed all but the last two plays of our opening drive.
I'm going to get right to the Rockford Efficiency Ratings (as they've been dubbed by Oregon Gopher), because there really wasn't a lot of nuance to the first half. No knock on Fresno, but the Gophs were simply the better team ... which would have been more evident if they hadn't had such a difficult time staying out of their own way.
As you might expect, there was a world of difference in RER between SDSU and this game -- but the difference was primarily in the passing game.
First half vs SDSU: 91.6% rush, 85.7% pass
First half vs Fresno: 90.7% rush, 97.5% pass
Run blocking was somewhat effective in both games, but our pass protection went from barely ... er, passable ... to nearly perfect.
For the half (without the first five minutes):
Schlueter: 95.6% rush, 100% pass
Andries: 88.9% rush, 95.8% pass
Olson: 88.9% rush, 100% pass
Dunlap: 82.2% rush, 100% pass
Faalele: 97.8% rush, 91.7% pass
A few notes:
• There are times, primarily on run plays, where it's easy to see why Schlueter cracked the starting lineup again this year. If the assignment is simply to fire off the ball and hit somebody close, Schlueter is your guy. He can be quick, and he's not afraid to hit.
• Andries looked merely human this game. I'm used to seeing him play much better than that.
• What the hell happened to our shotgun snaps? Olson needs to get that ironed out ASAP. And like Andries, he slightly under-performed in the first half (especially in the first quarter), at least on runs.
• Dunlap continues to look inconsistent on runs. But he is a freshman. His pass blocking (and the OL's ability to deal with stunts, which Fresno used sparingly) was considerably better than against SDSU.
• I'm starting to wonder if Faalele will ever take full advantage of his size. Despite his imposing mass, the kid has been more of a technician than a head-banger. Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially since he's a pretty damn good technician. But I wish he would just unload on somebody once or twice a game. I know, I'm old school, from back in the day when offensive linemen had to be kept on leashes so they wouldn't eat all the defensive backs. And I acknowledge there's a heck of a lot more nuance to today's game, even for linemen. But is it asking too much for Daniel to clean somebody's clock now and then?
If anyone knows if/when the game is going to be televised again, please let me know so I can scrutinize the first few minutes.
I'm interested in hearing everyone's impression on line play vs FSU. Don't be afraid to pipe up.
JTG
So until I find a workaround, this report will be adorned with a great big asterisk, 'cuz I missed all but the last two plays of our opening drive.
I'm going to get right to the Rockford Efficiency Ratings (as they've been dubbed by Oregon Gopher), because there really wasn't a lot of nuance to the first half. No knock on Fresno, but the Gophs were simply the better team ... which would have been more evident if they hadn't had such a difficult time staying out of their own way.
As you might expect, there was a world of difference in RER between SDSU and this game -- but the difference was primarily in the passing game.
First half vs SDSU: 91.6% rush, 85.7% pass
First half vs Fresno: 90.7% rush, 97.5% pass
Run blocking was somewhat effective in both games, but our pass protection went from barely ... er, passable ... to nearly perfect.
For the half (without the first five minutes):
Schlueter: 95.6% rush, 100% pass
Andries: 88.9% rush, 95.8% pass
Olson: 88.9% rush, 100% pass
Dunlap: 82.2% rush, 100% pass
Faalele: 97.8% rush, 91.7% pass
A few notes:
• There are times, primarily on run plays, where it's easy to see why Schlueter cracked the starting lineup again this year. If the assignment is simply to fire off the ball and hit somebody close, Schlueter is your guy. He can be quick, and he's not afraid to hit.
• Andries looked merely human this game. I'm used to seeing him play much better than that.
• What the hell happened to our shotgun snaps? Olson needs to get that ironed out ASAP. And like Andries, he slightly under-performed in the first half (especially in the first quarter), at least on runs.
• Dunlap continues to look inconsistent on runs. But he is a freshman. His pass blocking (and the OL's ability to deal with stunts, which Fresno used sparingly) was considerably better than against SDSU.
• I'm starting to wonder if Faalele will ever take full advantage of his size. Despite his imposing mass, the kid has been more of a technician than a head-banger. Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially since he's a pretty damn good technician. But I wish he would just unload on somebody once or twice a game. I know, I'm old school, from back in the day when offensive linemen had to be kept on leashes so they wouldn't eat all the defensive backs. And I acknowledge there's a heck of a lot more nuance to today's game, even for linemen. But is it asking too much for Daniel to clean somebody's clock now and then?
If anyone knows if/when the game is going to be televised again, please let me know so I can scrutinize the first few minutes.
I'm interested in hearing everyone's impression on line play vs FSU. Don't be afraid to pipe up.
JTG