Game Review Rhode Island

Once again I saw the game live and then again on DVR. Here are my thoughts...

HC
For the most part I liked what Marrone did. I liked both 4th down calls. The one we didn't convert was the right call. It was a long FG, we should go for it there. However I did not understand the end of the half. From our own 12 yard line with no TOs and 40 secs left and we try and move the ball? Too risky IMO. Then when we do get the first down and play stopped we do not spike the ball. This resulted in 13 lost seconds. If we are going to try and move the ball (wrong decision IMO) that is awful time management.

OC
I thought Hacket did a good job overall. I like that we came out agressive and get up early. Unfortunately we didn't execute. I thought the O was good the first half and decent the 4th Q. However the 3rd Q we were awful.

DC
I am beginning to get a little worried here. IMO the last 15 games the D has had 4 really good games, 1 game where we were bad for a half and good for a half, and 10 games where we were bad. At what point do we question if something is wrong and not chalk this years troubles to the youth? We have had 7 straight games where the D cannot get off the field. Sure the D isn't allowing points. But when the other team is dictating the way the game is playing out and the O never has the ball, there is an issue. It also causes the O to NEED to go on long drives to score, which is near impossible with our OL. Can we dictate a game for once? We can't keep squeaking out wins like this. And for God's sake get off the field on 3rd and long. I have counted 11 of them this year. That is INSANE. Think about that in 2 games we have allowed a team to convert on 3rd and 7 or longer ELEVEN times!!!!! That is half a season's worth for a mediocre D. These problems were there last year as well.

The 2nd Q of this game was a joke. A mediocre 1AA team had the ball for 11:45 (plus last 33 secs of the 1st as well)!!! We did a great job in the 1st Q but after that it was all downhill. Remember this was RI's first game. Once they shook off the 1st game jitters they played well vs our D. And right after we scored and gained momentum back in the 2nd, the D went out and let up a long drive to give momentum right back. Luckily it ended up in a missed FG. Then to start the 2nd half, RI goes for a TD to tie game. Unacceptable.

STs
Nothing really happened good or bad here.

QB
Nassib had a good game overall. The over thrown INT was bad. And his deep sideline passes he continues to struggle on. Those usually end up out of bounds. Usually in the middle of the field he is ok. However the Chew pass was poorly thrown. IMO Chew misjudged the ball and that prevented a potential PI call, but a good throw and that isn't a factor. In the Stevens pass he stopped his route then when he realized the ball was going to him he continued to run. That prevented him from catching up to the pass (you couldn't see this on TV). Also I think a WR makes a play and possibly catches that ball. Can't blame Nassib here.

On to the good, he continues to throw the mid range passes like ropes. Right now I would only trade Nassib for Collaros in the BE (I knwo that isn't saying much). Yes I think he is better than the other QBs who are in much better situations. As to some of his dopey critics, do you not realize why we are calling the O we are? It is because of our OL. That is why you see a ton of passes to the flat and a ton of bootlegs. You need to either get rid of the ball or get out of there quickly. Yes eventually teams will catch up to us and take this away, and at that point we will be in trouble. But that is all we can do right now as a team. It certainly isn't the QB who is the 4th best QB ever at SU (also not saying much). I love how people think McPherson, Graves, and McNabb grow on trees. We were lucky to have one QB in our lifetime like those guys let alone three. And one more thing he is NOT a game manager. Those players only need to hand it off and not make mistakes. That isn't his role. He has made plenty of plays for us. Enjoy him.

RB
We really never tried to establish a running game. I think the strategy was to get up early and when that didn't happen it hurt our ability to run the ball. I do think we need more carries from our backups as you cannot really solely on Bailey. Also it would be nice to get Bailey pass receptions. I really though this year with Mackey's lack of size, his ability to shotgun snap, and Bailey's versatility we would see some Spread this year. It really fits our team better. A bit disappointed we are still stuck trying to beat people with a pro style O where you need talent to score points.

WRs
Good games by both Lemon and Chew. I would still like to see a 3rd WR emerge. We tried to get by last year with just two guys and both were walking wounded by the end of the regular season. Maybe the lack of WR depth is why we do not go Spread? For the TEs Stevens continues to be a decent target and Provo continues to be invisible. We have been waiting for him to breakout a few years now. The first game he looked good. Lets hope this game was not the norm.

OL
Boy what a mess. Mackey is really struggling out there. If people cannot see this they need to take a closer look. And it isn't only a strength thing. I saw a few plays where he had poor technique and got beat. On one play he had a free release to the LB. All he really needed to do was get in the way and Bailey would have gotten a decent gain. Instead the LB, who was at normal depth and not blitzing) read the play and went right by Mackey. That was 110% Mackey's man. He had release to get to the 2nd level and had no one else in sight. But he let the guy right by him. Maybe one day Mackey will be a good one but right now he is a liability. As to the rest of the line they continue to not do much. Chibane struggled quit a bit making blocks. The 4th down conversion where Nassib did a great job to get it out for the 1st down, Chibane let a DL through and nearly had Nassib killed (we had to call TO to let him recover). Although one play was a difficult block that he really needed help on. It was a run to the right with the DT lined in the gap to Chibane's right. It was impossible for him to get in front of the guy. And he couldn't block down into the run. His only other option was to cut the guy. Then again we do not know if this was a miscommunication. It is possible he thought he would get help from Mackey, who ended up combo blocking the other DT with Tiller. A wiser C may have fixed the blocking.

DL
I think the DTs have been a nice surprise. I think they have played pretty well. And in limited play Sharpe and Ball have made some plays. Losing Chandler has been big. And the other guy has been invisible. He has had a quiet career on the field. I had hopes that he would finally break through his SR season but it looks like that isn't going to happen. More hype than production.

LBs
Spruill has a nice game. The sacks at the end were hugh. But even bigger was the tipped ball that was picked by Thomas. If RI had scored there right before half who knows what happens. Vaughan and Lynch continue to look nice. Davis though is frustrating as hell, as he should be being an undersized Frosh. He has made some great plays out there and then some awful ones. Enough with the missed tackles. Heck one play RI's small slot WR blocked Davis off the LOS with ease.

DBs
I think Scott is having a solid year. I love Lyn. I hope with Anderson back he continues to start as he is a lot better player. Shamwow has been great this year. Then you have his evil twin. The bizarro Thomas has been awful this year, despite being BE D player of week. The tackling and coverage have been lacking. Last year he had teh same issues. Not to mention some questionable decision making. Last year he was given a pass due to being a young starter. This year I suppose we can give him a pass until BE play because of the time missed during camp. But he better start playing to his All BE talent that he has. If not then it is time for Wilkes, who is good enough to start but has no room.



Finally I want to mention that was the smallest crowd I have ever seen in the Dome. It is sad and pathetic the support that this team gets. I know there is always a lag when a team hits bottom but this game it seemed like even some die hards didn't show.