I always think abut what Im going to write in this space immediately after the game as Im walking out of the stadium... I couldn't make it to Norfolk last night (decided to go to JMU next week on the long weekend instead) so I was watching on TV, and as I poured myself an Oktoberfest and thought back, the thing that struck me was "When was the last time a QB put our team on his back, and won us a game?"
Braxton did that last night... He was really good on a night when the defense was uncharacteristically bad, our WRs struggled to catch the ball, and we were down two starting offensive linemen.
Here's the good, the bad, and the ugly from Old Dominion.
The Good -
• Braylon Braxton - As mentioned above. He was great last night. His first three passes were drops by WRs and he didn't get frustrated. He kept slinging it, ran when it was open, and took care of the ball.
• Backup linemen - After Osburn got hurt and Meeks came in there were a couple of shaky snaps that Braxton saved, but Meeks settled down and held his own. We were able to run the ball consistently with all three backs and Braxton.
• The return game - For some reason, that nobody could understand (me or the tv guys anyway) ODU kept kicking to Foster and he kept killing them. We started on the positive side of the 50 twice and close to midfield another time. In the second half the TV guys suggested OODU kick it out of bounds and give it to us at the 35 because that would be an improvement. Lol
• Josh Moten - Made a nice play on the pick on the first play, he is always around the ball and he's been good in coverage.
The Bad -
• Defense as a whole - It was almost like we didn't watch any film and just rolled in there thinking we were good to go. ODU didn't reinvent the wheel, it was basic RPO offense, but they gashed us the entire second half. Guys out of position, missed tackles, overall a rare bad night.
• Catching the ball - Coming off their best game of the season as a group our WRs struggled, especially early. We had chances to take control of the game right out of the gate but drops stalled drives. We made more plays in the second half at least.
The Ugly -
• Crashing defensive ends - I won't harp on this too much since I already pointed out it was a bad defensive night. But how many times did our DEs crash an RPO play, read it totally wrong, bury a guy who didn't have the ball, and give up a long run on the back side? A dozen, maybe more. We never adjusted, just kept doing the wrong thing all night.
Overall, it was a fun game to watch with lots of offense which I think most of us love. We always seem to make it close against ODU and last night was no exception. They are probably going to fire their coach, and they probably should... As for us, its all in front of us at this point. A win next week and we make the conference championship game. With a little good fortune (a Louisiana loss) we could get to host said game. Im looking forward to having wine and fancy cheeses during the tailgate with the JMU faithful, just have to make sure my sweater vest and matching neck tie are clean (JMU fans remind me very much of little Miami fans). Let's go win the damn thing!
Braxton did that last night... He was really good on a night when the defense was uncharacteristically bad, our WRs struggled to catch the ball, and we were down two starting offensive linemen.
Here's the good, the bad, and the ugly from Old Dominion.
The Good -
• Braylon Braxton - As mentioned above. He was great last night. His first three passes were drops by WRs and he didn't get frustrated. He kept slinging it, ran when it was open, and took care of the ball.
• Backup linemen - After Osburn got hurt and Meeks came in there were a couple of shaky snaps that Braxton saved, but Meeks settled down and held his own. We were able to run the ball consistently with all three backs and Braxton.
• The return game - For some reason, that nobody could understand (me or the tv guys anyway) ODU kept kicking to Foster and he kept killing them. We started on the positive side of the 50 twice and close to midfield another time. In the second half the TV guys suggested OODU kick it out of bounds and give it to us at the 35 because that would be an improvement. Lol
• Josh Moten - Made a nice play on the pick on the first play, he is always around the ball and he's been good in coverage.
The Bad -
• Defense as a whole - It was almost like we didn't watch any film and just rolled in there thinking we were good to go. ODU didn't reinvent the wheel, it was basic RPO offense, but they gashed us the entire second half. Guys out of position, missed tackles, overall a rare bad night.
• Catching the ball - Coming off their best game of the season as a group our WRs struggled, especially early. We had chances to take control of the game right out of the gate but drops stalled drives. We made more plays in the second half at least.
The Ugly -
• Crashing defensive ends - I won't harp on this too much since I already pointed out it was a bad defensive night. But how many times did our DEs crash an RPO play, read it totally wrong, bury a guy who didn't have the ball, and give up a long run on the back side? A dozen, maybe more. We never adjusted, just kept doing the wrong thing all night.
Overall, it was a fun game to watch with lots of offense which I think most of us love. We always seem to make it close against ODU and last night was no exception. They are probably going to fire their coach, and they probably should... As for us, its all in front of us at this point. A win next week and we make the conference championship game. With a little good fortune (a Louisiana loss) we could get to host said game. Im looking forward to having wine and fancy cheeses during the tailgate with the JMU faithful, just have to make sure my sweater vest and matching neck tie are clean (JMU fans remind me very much of little Miami fans). Let's go win the damn thing!
