Each week I will break down the game hoping that watching it a second time, SU somehow wins.
Overall
HC
GRob coached this game just like the previous 35. That to me is a sign of an idiot. To expect different results playing the same way shows that he just doesnt get it. There was no sign of urgency. The first FG I go for it. You expect NW to score in the 30s and kicking FGs wont help you outscore them. You need a statement and only a TD can provide that. If my job were on the line I wouldnt go the conservative route. However I understand taking the 3 points. It isnt a big deal just not my style. But the 51 yard FG try was a no brainer to go for it on 4th down. He is still playing the game like it is the NFL. Still doesnt get it. Then before half he calls a TO on 3rd and 4 for NW. Now if that is 3rd and long I like the call. But 3rd and 4 is too easy to convert and allows a good possibility of NW getting points before half. NW was happy letting the clock roll. Let it. Even if you stop them SU would have 1 min left to score. Our O isnt doing that. The only way we score is with a punt block or big return. But GRob doesnt play for those, so whats the point?
OC
I thought the play calling was fine for the most part. I only had a big problem with 2 plays, but those may be on GRob too. Before the 51 yard FG with it 3rd and 3 we ran a 1 WR set and went up the middle. If you are gonna run why not spread it out with 3 WRs? Also we cant run for 3 yards consistently so why not throw? A run isnt bad if you plan on going for it on 4th down. Did GRob change his mind and make this call worse? The other call was the play before half. Take a knee and get out of there. At worst call a RB draw. Dont put the ball in ARobs hands as we did. I would like to see more deep shots but ARob wasnt even close with the few we did try. With it 3-0 and SU facing a 3rd and 7, Davis was wide open and ARob missed him badly. He hits Davis there and this game unfolds a lot differently. After that we never saw another deep pass. I have to wonder if he is hurt. Also we have very little to work with at WR. MBs job is not easy. I was a little disappointed we didnt run it up the middle better, being that DT Gill was out. Also I think playing 3 RBs is too much. We need to knock that down to 2. IMO I would move Brinkley to the slot and use him like we did Bailey. Throw bubble screens and run end arounds. Every now and then have him run out of a 2 back set.
QB
ARob will not win you any games but you can win with ARob. He had a bad game decision wise. On the safety it looked like he was trying to throw it away. I think the refs got it right. He threw a Pick 6 and almost did earlier (3-2 at the time) as well. He was lucky to only have 1 INT on the day. Then of course he is limited by his arm. He struggles with deep passes and sideline throws. It doesnt help that he takes too long to get the ball to his WR. Too often the WR is waiting for the pass. ARob needs to deliver it before the WR makes his break. Also ARob shows little mobility which hurts when you have a weak OL. Looking ahead we have plenty of depth at QB and with ARob we can win games.
RB
We have plenty of depth here. But trying to play 3 guys doesnt work. It doesnt allow for anyone to get a feel for the game. I would like to see Brinkley moved to the slot. Hogue is a beast and ran over a guy. However with the depth at RB and the future looking bright, he may need to move to LB next season.
WR/TE
We are very limited here. Lobdel dropped a few passes, as did Davis. I thought Sales looked the best. With no deep threat this group wont produce much. Maybe Merk needs to be moved back to WR? It hurts our depth at CB but he may be our only hope. This is a need position going forward.
OL
I thought the OL played much better. Remember they are young. However Chavers is a mess. He cannot see the field again this year. Gotta think Meldrum is hurt. How can he be any worse? Not much depth here but we should improve going forward.
DC
Here is where I have my biggest problem. Where do I start? First GRob has always played against the pass and been willing to give up the run. This game was no different. NW has a good passing attack and GRob wanted to slow that down. GRob forces the other team to be patient and it takes awhile to adjust, but once they did they moved the ball with ease in the second half. Which of course is another problem. Halftime adjustments. Other teams adjust to the D we show in the 1st half and we just go out and play exactly the same in the 2nd half. That is a huge reason why we are always outscored in the 3rd Q. I dont mind playing conservative in the first half to slow things down. But unleash hell in the second half. We Blitzed TWO times on Saturday. If you dont force the issue every now and then, you are relying on talent alone to make plays time and again. Well since we dont have a talent advanatge this is just assinine. Also by siting back you allow the O to get comfortable. That is the last thing you want. We just arent aggressive enough. You want to attack the LOS not sit back on your heels. Our LBs are too far off the LOS and are always waiting for the RB and never filling holes. There are even times when they run away from the ball because of their reads. That is ridiculous. LBs should seek and destroy not read and react. That is a bigger issue than our talent. He is slowing down the LBs and asking too much of them. He should be speading them up.
I hate the way GRob plays against the Spread. Instead of using an extra DB he moves out a LB. He also leaves the Ss well off the LOS. Then he plays the DL like a 3-4 D. He has a NT and two DEs between the G and T. Then he has two LBs over the DEs. This leaves the middle of the field open for a minium 5 yard gain time and again. And that is exactly what NW did. We were asking them to take it. Cant balme the kids there. And on another play I saw SU with 1 LB behind the DL. So we had 1 player on the second level. That isnt too easy to block. We played right into their hands. GRob had Santiago basically playing DE and he was too slow to make the plays. If he does make those plays several runs go nowhere. But is that his fault or the HCs for playing a slow DT at DE? You want speed against the Spread not power. Also the DEs seem to always close down hard and lose contain. This happens every year with every DE. So I have to think they are being taught this. Someone needs to be out there to protect against the QB run. This isnt the NFL, the QB actually runs from time to time. And why not have the DL slant or stunt or something? Can we try and help them out? Get some penetration and not jsut relay on idividual skill?
Same scheme, same results. The bend but dont break D is self defeating and wont win you any games. The killer was the drive after going up 10-9. We had momentum and instead of trying to keep it, we just sat back and let them go right down the field for a TD. That wasnt nearly as bad as their first TD. With it 3rd and 12 from about the 20, NW went with 5 WRs. SU countered with a base 4-3. One of the slots was left wide open for an easy TD. Why the F did we not play a Nickel or Dime package there? Did he expect an LB to cover a WR? That wouldnt work with NFL talent at LB and we dont have that. It is 3rd and 12 they aint running it. On top of that we didnt Blitz. So why have freaking 7 guys up front and only 4 DBs? That TD was all GRob. Pathetic.
Also why was Chiara getting so much PT? I like the kid and am rooting for him. But how does he beat out Suter? So a GRob recruit with good speed and some experience isnt good enough to beat out a P recruit who was converted from RB and has no experience? And that last drive when NW had their backups, GRob played Chiara and Giruzzi in garbage time instead of getting reps for Suter and Marionvich. Why?
DL
Santiago was basically playing the DE in a 3-4 and he couldnt handle it. He missed a bunch of plays. Not sure why he was even put in that position. Jones had his moments. Kimmel had a nice play. But for the most part the DL was quiet. There isnt much depth here going forward but we should be able to field able body starters.
LB
This position doesnt have much talent or depth. Looking ahead who the hell starts next year? We need a MLB badly. Maybe Hogue? If not we are screwed. The LBs sit back on their heels but I think that is more scheme than talent. That is our only saving grace with this group. Flaherty was quiet and Mele struggled big time. They never attack and are far off the LOS. Wouldnt you want to speed them up? Too much reading and not enough attacking. A few times I saw Smith line up and thought he was a DB. Who is that #25 over the slot? But it was our SLB. Great.
DB
We have some talent here but not much depth. McKinnon made some nice plays but also missed a few tackles. That till happen with a young player. Chiara got some PT. WTF happened to Suter? Brown made a nice INT. He gets quite a few of those. However I am still not a big fan. He is a poor tackler (he drops his head often), lacks speed, and takes bad angles on run and pass plays. He was beat bad on one play but the QB over threw the WR.
ST
Overall not to bad. I thought the KOs were good. Punts were as well, except for that 2nd one. The free kicked killed but that is a dumb rule. Would be nice to be more aggressive on STs. How about trying for a punt block? On all those 4th and shorts why not send a guy or two? Normally you fear a running into the kicker but with the gate protection that is nearly impossible to do. On one punt the ball was dropped and he still easily got it off. SU had no chance at returns in those cases since we were backed up. So you are wasting a good chance buy not trying for a punt block.
Game
1st Q
SU got the ball to start off the game. Suter hesitated to bring the ball out and only got to the 18. We started off with a toss and followed it with a play action pass resulting in a 1st down. So far so good. Then Brinkley had a cut back run (sealed off nicely by Fiametta) for 28 yards. Is this SU? We followed that up with a bubble screen to Bailey that went incomplete but coulda been caught. IMO I rather have Brinley out there if we are going to do that. So we had a 3rd and 7 and went Shotgun. ARob hit Davis, who made a good effort to get the first down. After a run, SU tried a stretch run that was killed by an awful block by Chavers. This would be the first of many mistakes for him. So SU was stuck in a 3rd and 7 and chose to run a bubble screen to Hogue. He gained just over 5 yards leaving a 4th and 2. Normally in this situation I say take the points and kick a FG. However you figure that this will be a high scoring game and you want to make a statement. You are not going to outscore them by kicking FGs and your team doesnt get the boost it needs with a FG. I would think a guy whose job is on the line would take the risk. It wasnt a big deal taking the 3 points but IMO I wouldnt. SU 3 NW 0
NW took the KO back to the 40. It was a combo of good blocking and poor coverage. This drive ended with a great INT by Brown. For all of his faults he does get a bunch of INTs. As for the rest of the drive not much happened. There was a play that NW ran and the D wasnt set up. At the time I was worried this would be a theme but it only happened one other time. The only other thing I could say is that I do not like SUs allignment against the Spread. We pretty much play a 3-2 front with the 2 LBs over the DEs. Which of course leaves the middle wide open for runs. SU 3 NW 0
Our next drive's second play had an end around to Bailey. They say he has a lot of speed but IMO I rather see DC3 and Hogue at RB and play Brinkley all the time at slot. Throw bubble screens to Brinkley and run end arounds. Every now and then go two back and let him carry. To me he is a bigger threat than anyone else lining up in the slot. SU was now faced with a 3rd and 7 and SU went Shotgun. Davis beat his man on the play and a good pass results in a looong gain. A bad pass results in the WR having to adjust to the ball and getting the 1st down. Well ARob threw a God awful pass that was no where near Davis. So the first drive stalled as a result of Chavers whiff and this one ARobs arm. Cant blame Browning so far. SU 3 NW 0
Long boomed a punt that just made the endzone, traveling over 70 yards. NW didnt take long to get back to mid field as Sutton busted a 24 yard run on the drives second play. I havent the clue why the LBs are so far off the LOS and never run Blitz. They are always waiting and never attacking. Wouldnt you want to speed them up by moving them around. Far too often against the Spread our LBs are trying to make tackles 5 yards past the LOS and not at the LOS. They dont look to fill holes but to read keys. Which of course makes them even slower then they are. A few plays later NW had a 3rd and 2 and Giruzzi had nice coverage on Sutton assisting in the dropped pass. Giruzzi played more of an OLB in a 3-4 than a DE this day. NW decided to punt with it 4th and 2 at the SU 40. Conservative call. Then again SU aint scoring points so why help them with field position? That is what killed SU in the first half. SU moved the ball some but was always backed up. At this point SUs D was just surviving. SU 3 NW 0
After the punt SU was at its 13 yard line. The drive started off well with a 10 yard run up the middle by Hogue. With Gill (NW DT) out I figured to see a lot of runs up the middle but we werent that successful at doing that. I would say most runs up the middle went 2-3 yards. A few plays later ARob threw a little behind Bruce Williams, who couldnt come up with the catch. Not a good pass but Bruce shoulda made it. I wonder if he had been a WR longer if he does pull it in. On 3rd and 8 Hogue busts up a 10 yard run for the first down. A few plays later we tried another swing to Bailey but the D was ready for it and made a tackle for a loss. On 3rd down and long ARob couldnt find a WR and dumped it to Hogue leaving SU to punt. SU 3 NW 0
The punt was short and only backed NW to their 23. The first play was a run for 5 yards but I have to wonder what the responsibilties were on the play. Giruzzi was lined up like a LB and came on the play. He dipped inside and the ball went outside. Was that his responsibilty? A few plays later Perkins missed a tackle resulting in a 7 yard run. This seems to be a recurring theme of GRobs Ds. They are far from hard hitting. Lots of arm tackling (or more appropriately missed arm tackling). At this point it seemed like NW was feeling SU out. They wanted to get a feel for our D before deciding how to attack. After getting a first down they tried a big strike. NWs best WR Peterman went deep and was wide open but was over thrown. So how did this happen? Well he was in the slot and had Mele covering him with no S help. Not sure how this happens. The next play was a QB run for 7 yards. On the play Perkins closed down hard on the RB and no one had contain. Based on how Perkins came down and the way the other DEs did this game and in the past, I have to think that is what they are being taught. Which of course leaves SU open to the QB run. Not very smart having no contain. So now it is 3rd down. SU gets some pressure by Art Jones but a short pass gets the 3 yards need for the first down. The 1st Q ends with SU leading 3-0.
2nd Q
The first play of the Q started with a NW run and a missed tackle by McKinnon. However Giruzzi was held on the play allowing the RB to be sprung and the play was brought back. Now with a 1st and long NW tried a bubble screen that was read nicely by McKinnon and stuffed. The next play was an underneath pass to a WR and he went by Flaherty who was too slow to react. AJ Brown made a nice play stopping it from being a bigger gain. So with it 3rd down what does SU do? WE BROUGHT A BLITZ!!!!! The first one of the GRob era I believe. Under pressure the QB throw it to the middle of the field but no WR was close enough to make a play. How do you like that? SU was aggressive on D and it resulted in a positive outcome? Who knew that this was possible? Ok it is 4th and 9 at the SU 33 and you are NW. What do you do? Well they go the ultra conservative route and punt again. SU somehow surives again but you can just feel the crack in the dam is about to break. SU 3 NW 0
Well the punt put SU back to its own 3. At this point SU has been backed up all day. Part of that is the Ds fault as they have been bending big time, but havent broken yet. The problem is this O cant score by driving the length of the field. So we have a D that is keeping points off the board for NW but is also keeping it of the board for SU as the field position is awful. DC3 gets his first action and picks up 3. However they call a fumble on the play and SU loses 2 of those back in recovering the ball. Bad break as it wasnt a fumble. Next play was another Chavers gaffe as he was beaten badly. It looked like it was a 1 WR set and ARob was angled like he was gonna throw it away toward the sideline. The ball looked to slip out in that direction which resulted in a safety being called for intentional grounding in the end zone. IMO ARob was not hit during the throw and was trying to throw it away. Cant blame the refs here. SU 3 NW 2
The free kick goes out of bounds at the NW 28 which results in a 30 yard penalty from the spot of the kick. So NW gets the ball at the 50. IMO that is a dumb rule. You should get 15 yards from where it goes out of bounds and call it a day. That is fair. This wasnt. The first play was a 5 yard run because Santiago couldnt close down form DE quick enough. I dont get why we played him at DE in basically a 3-4. He doesnt have the speed to make the plays. Several times this was a problem but I dont blame him as you are asking a DT to play like a DE. Against the Spread you need speed not size. No need for Santiago to be acting as a DE. Two plays later with it 3rd and short the QB over threw a wide open guy. So with it 4th and 3 at the 43 what did NW do? You guessed it, SU survived again. SU 3 NW 2
The punt was FC at the 8. Can we get some luck and a touch back please? We start off with a playaction pass to Fiametta and ARob just got the ball off avoiding a 2nd straight safety. Then we get another completion, this time to Davis. With it 2nd and short Bailey comes in but this time we fake the end around and give the ball to DC3 instead and he busts a long run. Wow SU is moving the ball. After a short run and a short pass SU faced a 3rd and 3. SU runs a 1 WR set and hands it off to DC3 up the middle for no gain. Now it is 4th and 3 from the 34. Even though the score is low at this point you can tell NW is just about to finally push through. So what does GRob do? He goes for the unlikely 51 yard FG, which of course was missed (although a good kick by Shadle). Also this made the call on 3rd down a bad one. If you are willing to go for it on 4th then a run up the middle with a 1 WR set is acceptable. Personally I would go 3 wide to spread them out alittle, but a run in that case is acceptable. However if you are not willing to go for it on 4th down you need to pass it there. SU cant get 3 yards when it counts on the ground, so a run makes no sense. Bad job here by both GRob and Browning. Unless of course GRob chickened out after the 3rd down run and changed his mind. We will never know. SU 3 NW 2.
NW opens up with a short pass that Chiara misses a tackle on. Wait a minute why the F is Chiara in? He is inexperienced on D and is a SR. Why play him over an inexperienced youngin who will help you long term? And where the F is Suter? He played plenty last year but is now 3rd string? This makes no sense. Next play the other Safety Brown was beat badly deep but luckily for SU the pass was overthrown. This is why I am not a fan of Brown starting. He lacks speed and doesnt take good angles in pass coverage or run support. He does make plays every now and then, but he messes up more often. Next play Sutton gets an 8 yard run up the gut. On the play both Mele and Flaherty were blocked but were engaged 5-6 yards away from the LOS. Why are they so far away and why are they not moving foward? They both play flat footed and it seems to me are thinking too much. GRob needs to be more aggressive. Now with it 3rd and 2 a short pass is dropped and NW has to punt from the SU 46. At this point NW is just not executing and is being very conservative by not going for it on 4th downs. SU 3 NW 2
The punt snap is dropped but SU isnt trying to get pressure on the punt and it goes out at the 4. Maybe that is how this guy is punting so well. He knows SU wont try and block it. Someone show GRob the end of the VT-ECU game please. During the break ESPN shows a ToT and uses as NWs athlete Joe Girardi. Are you serious? How about Otto Graham who likely was a better baseball player? SUs first play is a 3 yard pass (not long enough MB) that is dropped by Davis. Next play SU runs a play fake and ARob luckily throws a bad pass. Had it not been a low pass it woulda been a pick 6. The throw was very late and the CB was sitting on the play. But the low pass saved SU. On 3rd down ARob throws a 3 yard pass that Davis cant make in bounds. If you are gonna throw it that short why not run a draw? You get the same result. SU punts (a wobbly one at that) and NW takes over at their 45. SU 3 NW 2
NW ran up the middle and no LB was in sight. Flaherty was off to the side and Mele was slightly to the same side at the snap. So even before the play we are inviting them to run up the middle. On the snap both Flaherty and Mele go further away from the middle making things worse. Are they both just dumb? Or are they doing what they are taught? Or could it be both? Since your LBs have struggled to make reads for 3 years now against the Spread, how about trying something different? Like following the ball? Seak and destroy? Because read and react isnt working. Next play was a 12 yard run up the middle. Giruzzi lined up as a LB and came in on the play. He was picked up and no one filled in behind him leaving an easy gain. Spread OCs must drool seeing GRob Ds line up. Next play the QB faked to the RB and ran outside. Kimmel came down hard on the RB and lost contain. He was now the 4th guy to do this today (and 274th under GRob). Gotta think they are being taught this. However we did have a LB in the area (Smith) but he drifted inside and allowed a bigger run then should have been. BTW I cant believe he is our SLB. He looks more like a S out there. Several times he was lined up over a slot and I thought who is this #25 at DB? Another run up the middle another bad result. Santiago failed to make another play, then Smith missed a tackle, and Flaherty and Chiara converged to miss a tackle (is that 1/2 a miss each?) before the runner was finally brought down. The D has been soft from day 1 and that is a reflection of the DC (GRob). A hard nosed coach has a hard hitting D. With NW driving things start to turn around for SU. A false start, a nice stuff by Art Jones (who was quiet but likely double teamed all day), and a sh0rt run resulted in a 3rd and 12 inside the SU 20. NW lines up with 5 WRs and trips to the left. SU counters with 4 DBs. Yes 4 DBs. And not only that they have only Brown lined up with the 2 slots to the left. No LB shifted over there. Maybe SU is gonna Blitz? Nope, cant expect 2 in one game can we? Well both slots go into the endzone and Brown sticks with the closest one leaving the inside guy wide open. So who the F was suppossed to cover him, GRob? And why was there not atleast 5 DBs to counter 5 WRs on a 3rd and long? Were you expecting a run? Did you expect the LB to cover the WR some how? I dont care if you have Keith Bulluck out there that play woulda been a TD. That was all on Mr Robinsons brain fart 4-3 base D on a 3rd and long against 5 WRs. NW 9 SU 3
Suter gets a nice return to the 33. After a no gainer by Hogue, Lobdel drops a pass. Lobdel was sitting there about 2 yards off the LOS waiting for a pass. Ten minutes later the ball arrives and the DB is right there. Lobdel likely dropped it as a result of the DB closing down. But even if he did catch it, we only get 2 yards. WTF did ARob take so long to deliver the ball? It killed any chance at YAC. With it 3rd and 10 ARob throws underneath to Davis for 3 yards. I rather see a draw here if you arent gonna pass it past 5 yards. NW takes a TO with 2:15 left. NW 9 SU 3
A nice directional punt puts the ball out at the12. The first play Santiago miss plays the run and they gain 10. The next play is a run for 5 followed by another for no gain. That put Sutton over 100 yards for the half. Not good. So with it 3rd and 4 and NW happy to let time roll off, GRob takes a TO!!!!!!!!!!! Are you Fing kidding me? It is 3rd and 4, not 3rd and long. If they get the first down they are in good shape to score. There is a minute left in the half. If SU makes a stop on 3rd down, then what? We know we arent gonna go for a blocked punt or a punt return (as GRob doesnt care about STs), so he thinks the O will be able to get points with very little time left on the clock? Thats realistic. Well on the 3rd down play SU gets some pressure but the pass is complete to the 47. Uh oh. Next play Giruzzi gets some pressure and Holmes makes a nice stop tackling the WR after a 5 yard gain. Then Art Jones gets some pressure causing the QB to scramble out of bounds. And on 3rd down a pass gets overthrown. NW 9 SU 3
NW is forced to punt and instead of a FC we try to return it, time and place (way too dangerous). So with 20 secs left and deep in its own territory SU takes a knee right? Or atleast runs a draw to our best RB? Nope. We have ARob drop back and run what looks to be a draw. What? Not only was that a waste, it was dangerous. At the half NW leads 9-3.
Halftime Impressions
SU was surviving on D and lucky to only give up 9 points so far. They gave up over 100 yards on the ground to Sutton in the half. The NW QB was taken off his game but will likely adjust and have a good 2nd half. Santiago and Mele played poorly but were also asked to do things they arent capable of. GRob didnt coach any different on D and that inst a good thing. Can we attack atleast once a Q? Chavers struggled on O and killed a few drives. Playing 3 RBs is too much as it prevents any rythm. ARob has no arm and was far from accurate. Even so we have no WRs at all. I dont think the talent is that different, as NW is a mediocre team at best. But I still expect to lose by a lot.
3rd Q
SU kicks to NW and the ball goes through the end zone. We have had nice KOs which is good to see. First half stats are shown and SUs avg starting field position was the 15. That wont win you many games. We did rush for 96 yards which is a good sign. The first play Kimmel gets penetration and forces a fumble. SU recovers!!!! See what happens when you have and aggressive play, GRob? NW 9 SU 0
One 3rd and goal from the 3 Brinkley has a great run. I didnt like the play call of just running CB into the line, but he was able to avoid a tackle and bounce it outside for a TD. Also nice block by Bruce Williams to seal the corner. SU 10 NW 9
NWs second play of the drive goes for a nice pass gain. McKinnon made the "tackle" by just running into the WR, who stumbled and fell down. If he kept his balance he is still running. Our tackling is piss poor. Two plays later Giruzzi loses contain and NW gets 5 yards on the ground leaving a 3rd and 5. NW throws a screen and the only SU player to react accordingly was Art Jones who made a nice play to prevent a huge gain. However the play was made well downfield and NW had a new set of downs. NW ran two plays leaving a 3rd and short and then converts on a run. You cannot expect to get off the field with all these 3rd and shorts. SU has been lucky that NW didnt convert those in the 1st half. We need to do a better job on 1st down. The D started to do a little better at this point. On 1st down we got some pressure but the QB scrambled and passed for a nice gain. Then an incomplete pass through the end zone and a well played option left a 3rd down. What do we see here? SUs 2nd Blitz of the game!!!! SU forced a quick decision and bad pass. However McKinnon was called for PI. There was contact on the play but personally I think it shoulda been let go. Bad break for SU. NW now has the ball at the 2 and runs an option for the TD. However holding brings it back and gives SU another shot. After and incomplete pass NW isolated Sutton on Mele and scores a TD. On the play Mele had to come from LB toward Sutton who ran a swing pattern. Normally I would expect Mele to make the play but he had to fight through traffic (two NW WRs and 2 SU defenders) to get to Sutton. It was a nicely designed play that was executed perfectly. SU had momentum and the D gave it right back. I just wish SU would force the issue and try and win a game. NW 16 SU 10
More bad luck for SU as the KO came close to going out of bounds but didnt. Suter picked it up after the bounce and was only able to get to the 16. We open up in what looks to be the Spread and hand it off to CB. However Chavers is called for the false start, putting SU in a huge whole. The next play is a poor ARob pass that Lobdel cant catch, but should have. This is followed by another Chavers mistake as he is beaten badly for a sack. ARob did have time to elude the defender but should no escapability. So now we have 3rd and 25 thanks to Chavers. ARob dumps it off to CB, who runs into the ref before gaining 10. NW 16 SU 10
SU punts the ball away and it is well covered. NW runs the ball a few times getting nice gains on all of them. I am not a fan of SUs D allignment. The prupose of the Spread is to spread the D out but SU goes to the extreme. On one of these plays SU ran a 4-1 D. It isnt hard to run up the middle having only 5 guys in the box. Why not move a S up instead of spreading out your LBs? SU was making it easy on NWs O. The next play SU brings some pressure and stops a run for a loss. McKinnon was at the LOS and got penetration as did Perkins. Why cant we do this more often? Now with it 3rd and 12 the NW QB scrambles and picks up 6. So from the SU 36 and it 4th and 6 NW decides to.... punt. Ball is FC at the 15. NW 16 SU 10
At this point SU is hanging by a thread. NW is being conservative and playing the field position game knowing SU cant drive the length of the field. SUs first play is a fake end around, Hogue run up the middle for no gain. Then we go option and ARob gets about 5. Now with it 3rd down the game all but ends with 2:15 remaining in the 3rd Q. ARob stares down his WR and throws a Pick 6. The defender left his man wide open and broke on the other WRs route. Had ARob noticed this SU likely gets a big gain. Instead we have NW 23 SU 10.
Suter returns the kick to the 28. SU opens with a slant (likely trying to give ARob an easy pass for confidence). However the pass was awful and low going incomplete. ARob next pass is tipped but caught by Davis for a first down. Two plays later SU runs a slant for 7 yards but the refs call a chop block, killing the drive. On the play the C legally cut the DT but the DT made it look like he was engaged with the G as he grabbed the Gs jersey on the way down. It was a BS call that would hurt SUs momentum. The next play is a pass to Owen that was luckily not an INT. The pass was poor and low, thrown to a well covered player. A good pass may have been a pick. So with it 3rd and 22 ARob scrambles and runs out of bounds. However NW gets called for a questionable late hit. He did hit ARob out of bounds but it was right near the sideline. Personally I let that go. Maybe a make up call for the BS chop block? That ends the 3rd Q NW 23 SU 10
4th Q
The 4th Q opens with a hold by Chavers, as he is beaten badly. Not a good start. SU then runs a draw with DC3 gaining 7. Now comes an awful call from MB. SU runs an option for a loss. We dont have the players to run an option but even if we did you dont do it on 2nd and 13. Maybe MB thought it was 2nd and 3 and forgot the penalty? Also on the play Durand was bowled over by the DT. He is our best OL? That should never happen. On 3rd down SU is forced to call TO as the play clock was winding down. SU comes out of the TO and ARob hits Sales on a slant for 8 yards. It may have been more if ARob leads the WR there. With the ball on the NW 45 and it 4th and 7, SU punts. NW was playing for a fake on the play and Long boots it through the end zone. Awful punt. NW 23 SU 10
The next drive starts off well for the SU D as Jones gets penetration and tackles the RB fo no gain. However the next play is a 15 yard gain on a slant that Mele over played. Then Santiago wiffs on a 9 yard run. Quickly NW is at the 50. After a few plays NW busts a 20 yard run in which McKinnon wiffed on an ankle tackle 10 yards from the LOS and then Merk missed a tackle 5 yards later. Next play SU isnt lined up as NW runs a bubble screen for a short gain. Shockingly only the 2nd time for the D. NW then has a 15 yard TD run. The RB ran into the line and then bounced outside. Mele was just standing around doing nothing and didnt react when the RB bounced it. However the play was called back due to a hold. Next play is a 10 yard run up the middle. At this point NW has 200 yards rushing with 9 min left in the game. Two plays later NW gets a TD pass attacking Mele. NW ran a play fake and Mele played the run letting the TE release for the TD. Also NW had 215 yards passing at this point. The long drive puts the game out of reach. Too bad the D couldnt step up when needed. NW 30 SU 10
SU comes out with an 8 yard pass to Lobdel. ARob then scrambles for a first. After a 5 yard run Meldrum (now at RT over Chavers) is beat as CB is dropped for a short loss. Next play is a deep pass to Lobdel that isnt even close to him. However a questionable blow to the head call gives SU a first down. On the following play ARob gets pressure up the middle and has to scramble and throw the ball away. Although, it was right on the sideline and too close to an INT. Throw it well away ARob. That pass made me nervous. On the play Bartholomew looked outside in pass protetcion and let the DT go right by him. ARob follows that last play with another awful pass (this time a deep slant to Sales) that easily coulda been an INT. So with it 3rd and 10 ARob throws it for Lobdel but again the pass isnt even close. So from the 45 with 5:30 left and down 20, GRob decides to punt. IMO it isnt a big deal since the game is over. And we couldnt fake it as NW was playing fake. Just get outta the game, going for it is meaningless. NW 30 SU 10
NW takes over at their 15 and gets a 23 yard run. On the play Giruzi and McKinnon missed tackles. I am not sure why Giruzzi is in during garbage time. Why not put in a youngin? NW had their 2nd string QB in. Why do we have our starters? We see Suttons numbers and they are 21-144, 6.9 per carry. Not a sign of a good D. We slowed down their passing attack but it was obviously at the expense of the run. Next play is an 8 yard run that saw Flaherty dragged for 3 yards. Again why are the LBs making first contact 5 yards away from the LOS and not at the LOS? They are sitting back on their heels waiting for the RB. Attack! Next play we see more missed tackling (Nico Scott). Then a 7 yard run in which no one got off a block, followed by the same thing for an 8 yard gain. BTW Chiara is in at this point. Why? No clue. He is a SR what does he need practice for the Arena League next year? Get Suter in!!!! Next play is a QB run in which Giruzzi loses contain by closing hard on the RB. NW runs it one more time and the game ends NW 30 SU 10.
