Sunday, October 29, 2017

Second viewing thoughts and grades: Florida State

The team looked even more dominant the second time around. If not for a few plays here and there, BC could have scored 50 on them. In fact, this is one of those games where I feel like the stats don't tell the whole story. BC outplayed, outhustled and yes, out coached Florida State. It was fun to watch.

Offense: A-

Brown's stats should have been better. He had teammates drop a few passes. He also missed out on a potential TD when he had to come out. But he is looking comfortable in the pocket and is getting more accurate. His ability and willingness to run will also open up other things. Wade was fine as a fill in when Brown got dinged.

The game was low on Dillon highlights but high on productivity. Simple power runs off tackle or even on the interior work because his timing on hitting the hole is very good and he's tough to bring down. Levy caught just one pass.

Sweeney had some nice catches. Fortunately his drops didn't come back to haunt us. White's TD catch was nice. Jeff Smith made a nice throw. Smith also had a decent run. Thadd's run was just okay. He should have cut upfield earlier. It was nice to see Garrison catch a ball.

I know I've been nitpicky with Monteiro this year, but he played well. Lindstrom was also good at the other tackle. The guards moved well and everyone gave Brown time in the pocket.

Loeffler called a very good game. The TD was one of those plays that was perfectly set up by the previous reverse. We didn't pass much or pass well, but that wasn't really because of bad calls. Just a few drops and a good mix of run.

Defense: A

No Landry, no problem. Smith and Ray both had big days. Allen was fine. Merritt played well. If I have any concern about the DL right now, it is that the backups did not make much of an impact when they did see the field.

This was the Linebackers' best game as a unit. Schwab was everywhere and made an incredible INT. Beyond the INT, he seemed to show good anticipation. That hasn't always been so obvious this year. Lamont was very disruptive. Bletzer was fine.

The DBs were solid. The one large pass they allowed was sort of an outlier. Denis and Harris were good helping to stop the run. Moore played well. So did Yiadom.

I don't want to say the transformation is complete, but the shift in approach looks more and more effective each week. We are not running something derivative of Don Brown. If anything it looks more like the Spaz days...just with a little more blitzing and a bit more man. But we are not doing lots and lots of different looks up front. Nor are we blitzing at the same rate as last year or the year before. But the adjustment has allowed us to stop the big run plays. Now we clog lanes and the LBs are more likely to make the tackle. Reid deserves credit. When it looked like the defense was dead, he put together two solid game plans in ACC play.

Special Teams: B+

This FG attempt wasn't even close.

The punt coverage team was great and really helped BC build the lead.

Four out of six of the kickoffs were touch backs.

Knoll's punting was good.

Overall: A

I have my theories on what happened to this team, but I would love to hear Addazio's explanation. He believed this blossoming was coming when no one else did. I was one of the many mocking him for his "beautiful" comments. In fairness, the past two games have been beautiful. Much of this can be attributed to maturation, but I still think it all starts up front with the Offensive Line. That was Addazio's background and that has been his calling card. So, he deserves much of the credit.

As for managing this particular game, it was good to stay aggressive on Florida State in the second half. He also deserves credit for keeping the team focused and not letting the win streak or the leads get to them.

Now he has a break. That's not always good for a hot team. Hopefully he can keep everyone focused and keep this rolling.

11 comments:

CT said...

The offensive line is playing better, but Dillon has changed how DCs scheme against us. The man-child requires three humans to tackle him.

FSU has no excuses. They have 21 other positions outside of QB who were highly recruited. That’s on Fisher.

Keep it up. I don’t know if Daz is right, but they won’t play anyone more talented than Clemson, so let’s go win the rest. Why not us?

JBQ said...

You really have to compliment Smith and Merritt for clogging up the middle. Ray was fantastic filling in for Landry. Lamont came out of nowhere to anchor middle linebacker. The d-backs are really developing. Complements to Pasqualoni and Reid especially on their ability to work together. There could have been a rivalry.

BCAlum2000 said...

I agree. The OL has been the key. I think Dillon has been a revelation. However, teams have been stacking the box against BC for 3+ years. If it was just about Dillon, they would literally just keep 10 men in the box. Its the OL making holes and protecting Brown. It is Brown maturing quickly. It is Dillon running hard. Its the receivers showing actual explosiveness and hence keeping DB's honest. But most of all, its the OL simply kicking the teeth in of the defense, especially the defensive line. FSU wanted to quit by the fourth quarter. That is old school BC football.

As for defense, its a lot of things. Lamont has been tremendous at LB. He is all over the place. Complete surprise for a kid who was recruited as an "athlete". Clearly he is athletic, but he can also play the position well. His future is very bright. The DL has looked light years better. I dont know what was plaguing Smith along with Landry early in the year, but he has come on as did Landry prior to missing this game. The other guys have been solid as well. The DB's have looked very good. I agree, this looks like a hybrid between Spaz's bend but dont break and Brown's blitz at all times, play tight mad, defenses. Its working.

I have always felt NC St was overrated. Who have they beaten? They were living off a relatively close win against FSU. I expect Clemson to beat them up this weekend, just like ND did on Saturday. I like BC's chances in that one. UConn is a win. Syracuse on the road is a tough one. We always play poorly there. If we are coming off 5 straight wins heading into that game, I will be very nervous ...

Tim said...

I browsed the ESPN stats page today. Lukas Denis leads the league in interceptions. Dillon is second in the ACC in rushing yards after Heisman winner Lamar Jackson. Michael Walker leads the league in total punt return yards and is third in the league in average punt return yards.

MUD said...

Cue biting of tongues for Daz Doubters. Will he still keep his job? For how long? Will he perennially be on the hotseat? Jarmond still has to move him? Or bring in his replacement to work with him for a year?

2009alum said...

Daz is safe for next year. He'll beat UConn at a min and could win out the way the team is playing. I'm not thrilled by his recent resurgence as I still think he's the wrong coach but winning is winning. I'll take it even if I have to stomach Addazio. As long as BC wins, its fine.

Tim said...

Addazio is 1-12 against ranked teams and 13-25 in ACC games. It’s nice that he just beat three mediocre teams in a row, but the fact that he has as many ACC wins in the last 16 days as he had in he prior 35 months combined is really more of an indictment of his coaching over the past few years than an accomplishment.

downtown_resident said...

Thank you, Tim. In nearly seven seasons as a head coach Steve Addazio is 42-42 with a 29-31 record at BC (13-25 in the ACC). He has now won three straight games against teams with a combined ACC record of 6-10. We've all had a blast the last three weeks, but let's please not get carried away in light of the mountain of evidence that Addazio is a mediocre coach at best.

BCAlum2000 said...

Agreed with previous two posts. Lest we quickly not forget just how bad this program has been under Adazzio for five years ...

mod34b said...

Yes, Daz got his team to gel, and is winning. Yes, this has been fun.

I am sure Daz will get another year, but with what kind of expectation.... more 7-6 nonsense? We really cannot expect 9-3 or better from Daz.

We do have some real talent on the field now. What if another coach can really take us to a new level?

If the standard is will we be a better team next year with Daz or with someone else, then Daz has got to be gone.

This is not personal to Daz. BC owes him money and nothing else. I still think it time to "launch" Daz and bring in someone new...

BCEagles2014 said...

If BC wins out and finishes 8-4, then Daz deserves another year. If he finishes at 7-5 or 6-6, then BC should part with him as despite this nice resurgence, it's obvious our ceiling will only be average with him in charge. If he does win out and gets another year then it should be with the expectation that with a much easier schedule next year, BC should finish no lower than 9-3 to justify keeping him.

The recent winning streak has been a very pleasant surprise, but that in itself is an indictment of Daz's years as HC. We should demand a competitive program where winning is met with expectation, not shock.