Until we're mathematically eliminated from being bowl-eligilble, the season can be salvaged. It's not like we're tOSU or another powerhouse team where one loss has drastic implications for the national championship mix. Our goals for the season are not as lofty and because of that we can absorb one or two more more bad losses than other programs.
The big question to me is whether yesterday's performance represents growing pains for an inexperienced D or if it is a sign of more serious structural problems that tougher competition will exploit even more than USD did.
I appreciate the attempt at being rationale instead of the hysteria that's all over the board, but this game yesterday really sucked the life out of the program yesterday. Yes, it's possible we could beat USC next week and fans will at least come off the ledge. It's probably more likely we'll get trashed; the team will be in for even more ridicule; fans will start really staying away; and Iowa gold and Wisconsin red will start dominating the crowd just like at the dome. Any boost the new stadium will have pretty much disappeared, and we start all over again. With this loss yesterday, that game next week becomes very crucial IMO. We can't afford to get blown out in terms of the program.
I think your second point starts to get at why yesterday depressed me so much. The rationale for sticking with Brewster has been that he's improving the talent, and we've got to be patient until he gets his own players in there. Frankly, I didn't see that much difference in talent yesterday. On offense, our line was more dominant but hardly over-powering. How long has it been since one of our backs totally broke a long run? Other than Gray, I would take their number 17 over any of our other receivers. On defense, yes there were some real blunders. However, we had almost no pass rush. Also, their touchdowns came on medium and long yardage plays. We don't have the speed to pass rush, and we don't have the speed in the secondary to make plays. That's why I really question the upgrade in talent line that I had pretty much boughten into. Watching their QB on that bootleg touchdown was a flashback to watching the NDSU back pull away from our DB several years ago. Same thought, "Damn, we're slower than a team from South Dakota." Lots of comments about missed tackles. To me that's another indication of talent. You don't tackle when you're scared. (Don't think that's the case) When you have poor technique. (Undoubtedly some of the time) Or when you're not as fast, as quick, or as strong as the other guy. (Hope not, but I'm afraid that's some of it)
Hopefully, I'm wrong about the talent level, and the game yesterday was mostly a tribute to bad coaching. As weird as it sounds, my outlook for the rest of the season will then brighten. You'd think a bunch of guys devoting their careers to football could then fix some of what we saw yesterday. The team will be ready to play with intensity; we won't get procedural penalties; we will make defensive adjustments on plays that keep burning us; we won't see any more Jeddesque calls like the pitch play to Bennett on short yardage; our return men will head up field instead of running sideways; we won't give up long yardage on screen plays when we blitz; and we'll defend a bootleg. Then again, these things shouldn't have happened yesterday so why think they're going to be fixed?
