Sunday, October 15, 2017

Second viewing thoughts and grades: Louisville

Watching the game back was weird. Watching live I got caught up in the excitement of it all. Watching it with hindsight, you realize that Dillon did most of that damage in the second half! If he had been the focal point from the start her might have rushed for 400 yards. It was a very unique performance. We don't know if this game was a turning point or will just be a footnote. We do know that it was fun to watch.

Offense: A

I don't think this game will cause a QB controversy since neither were perfect. Brown started running more. His passes were off throughout. Wade hit his passes early, but anything that wasn't a quick easy throw was a problem. I am not on the Wade bandwagon yet, but he does deserve credit for coming in and helping the team.

Dillon was really good. The numbers and the highlights tell most of the story, but even on more basic plays, he was pushing for an extra yard or two and he made good cuts. Out running DBs is a great sign. Hilliman's carries weren't that effective. He was good catching the ball. Levy got a few more touches but didn't break anything big.

The Tight Ends -- Sweeney, Martin, Garrison, -- all looked good on those short passes and cutting up field after the catch. Unfortunately the other guys didn't get nearly as many clean passes thrown their way. Brown missed Walker, Smith and White. Wade missed White too. Thadd Smith looked good on the sweeps.

Dillon doesn't have that sort of day without the OLine. Phillips looked good and opened up some holes. Montiero was also good. As a group, all five really got a good push on the Louisville DL.

I thought BC was going to have to pass to win. It turns out I was wrong. Even before Dillon's big runs, it was clear BC was going to try to overpower the Cards. Loeffler also deserves credit for going with the hot hand and for giving Wade some easy throws to get acclimated.

Defense: D

Of the different BC position groups, the DLine was the best. Wyatt Ray had a big INT as he dropped into coverage. Ray Smith helped clog the middle. Merritt was solid. Allen got beat a few times by Jackson and still struggles when he is the read point of the zone option. Landry was tentative and didn't look completely healthy.

The LBs missed a good bit of tackles and were really slow when trying to chase down Louisville's skill guys. Schwab was productive but didn't have his best game. Lamot was just ok.

The DBs got lost, fell or burned too many times. They also saved the game with the strip, fumble and fumble recovery. Moore was the best on Saturday, despite some issues. Denis was fine. Harris didn't look 100%. Yiadom was oky. Cheevers deserves credit for the fumble.

I like Jim Reid. I think he is a good guy and can be a good coordinator. But I am worried that we don't have a solution for the zone read. Jackson is a special player, but every team beats us with it. Allen might be too slow for it. I also am getting frustrated with the big plays. If you are going to blitz less, you better be sound behind it.

Special Teams: B

Walker was very aggressive again and it helped set the tone.

The kickoffs were fine. Knoll punted well.

The coverage was good.

Lichtenberg made the game winner. Congrats. He also missed a FG that could have given BC cushion late. I really hope the misses are temporary or Addazio might need to make a change.

Overall: B+

When you score 45 but only win by three, there are some problems. Our special teams issues and defensive issues mentioned above have been consistent and Addazio has not fixed them. We are more than halfway through the season and not finding real solutions. That is why I am far from confident that this will turn into a win streak.

But for one week, a special day from a special player carried BC to victory. Addazio deserves credit for finding a guy like Dillon and getting him to campus. Now he needs to turn Dillon into a reliable weapon who can perform like that every week.

15 comments:

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Geezer eagle said...

ATL, will you please block this troll. Come on !

modest34b said...

I did not see a mention to the OL. These guys really improved. I think that is a big part of story of the game. Dillon being the bigger story

BC has per sagarin the #2 toughest schedule in all of FBS per Sagarin. BC played Clemson #4 (Sagarin rank), ND#10, VT #18. Wake #32 and now LV #36.

I think this baptism by fire really improved the OL. Of course Dillon is amazing. And possibly made the OL look better then they are.

On D. Honestly. How to corral Lamar. Really hard. Still we gave up over 600 yards. Something is amiss


Ad for BC's output of 555 yards. It is the most by a Daz team at BC. Prolly most points in an ACC game too.

Anonymous said...

Section D,
You are a moron. Learn how to read.

Your writing tone is silly.

Robert Welain said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
NEDofSavinHill said...

Great game on Saturday. Atl's assessment is correct. If BC had a QB who could accurately pass down field they would have had 60 points. But no one should complain about success. The players and coaches deserve great credit. The UVA game looms large. The Cavs have not faced a difficult schedule so far. If the Eagles can replicate the power run game this week a victory may be had. The last third of the season will be very entertaining if they are 4-4 and hosting FSU. 2. Two years ago under Brown our D was #1, now they have fallen to 95.

modest34b said...

Knuckle. So needy. So pathetic.

Tim said...

sorry to rain on the parade, but Louisville is terrible. They are a last place team that allows 30 points per game. Lamar Jackson is the only thing that keeps them from being a complete laughingstock.

Congrats to our players for picking up an ACC road win, but t we shouldn’t read too much into this one.

TGS said...

By the end of the week Khead will be calling for a 5 year extension for Jarmond and a 10 year extension for the Daz. Will be similar to how he overreacted after the USC game in 14.

John said...

I read the Louisville football blog and they are very unhappy with Petrino 2.0 the team fell apart last year and their Defensive Coordinator never should have been hired, etc. 4 and 6 in their last 10.

Nevertheless, it was a great victory on the road for our team that has been down so long.

downtown_resident said...

That was a great win and a fun game, and I'm very happy for the players. However, let's please keep everything in perspective regarding Addazio. Since his hire, he has compiled the nation's fourth-worst record against fellow Power 5 schools at 11-25 (trailing only Bielema, Stoops, and MacIntyre, and the first two are only a half-game worse than Daz at 10-25). The picture is of course even worse if you look at the last 2.5 seasons, where Daz has gone 3-17 in the ACC and 3-19 if you add the two losses to Notre Dame. (And this is even adding in the Louisville win - remember how these numbers looked on Friday!) Daz pointed all along to his fifth season as the milepost for progress, and here we are more than halfway through with a losing record and the embarrassment of having to hope to become one of the 82 teams that will play in a bowl game this season.

There is simply no rational case based on Addazio's record that can be made to keep the guy for another season.

Specifically regarding the Louisville game, while I was thrilled to see Dillon blow up, to me that was another indictment of Daz. Yes, Daz recruited him, so he gets some credit for that as ATL noted, but Daz then relegated him to a backup role behind a lesser player. Against Virginia Tech-- just nine days ago-- Dillon got a mere 10 carries! This is not the sole instance of Daz misjudging talent or playing favorites-- Hilliman over Myles Willis last year and Jeff Smith over Thadd Smith in 2017 and 2016 also come to mind. Anyway, it was great to see Dillon have a huge game and I'm glad that there is something in the cupboard for the next coach to work with.

Unknown said...

Before we lose Scott Loeffler and Ricky Brown OUR IDIOT MUST GO. Elevate Loeffler
to interim HEAD COACH with the understanding if he shows promise he would be new head
and with his approval Ricky Brown would also be retained.

Left to his own devices DAZZLE -NOT has proved he is CLUELESS. REMEMBER what Ryan Day's
departure meant.

knucklehead said...

Section D,
You are a hypocrite moron. Read your posts. You sound like a twit.

(S)T(D)GS,
Keep trying, stupid.

TGS said...

Downtown, excellent fact based post. You are preaching to the choir here regarding the fact that the Daz must go, with the not very notable exception of Khead.

knucklehead said...

Another erroneous comment from Mr.Irrelevant TGS.