Duke 31, Illinois 27 Postgame
100% , took the foot off the gas.
how about some screens, swing passes? there are other ways to get your fast but smallish RBs the ball, especially when your interior O line is injured
The successful fake punt changed the game. We went from up 17-7 and getting the ball back to letting up points and only having a three point lead at half.
I'm not sure if it was taking the foot off of the gas versus an enormous momentum shift and just not getting it back.
Really good offense, bad defense. Really good defense, bad offense.
Both are equal to me (though I understand your argument).
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I think Iowa wins games because of their game management.
We had zero timeouts at the end of the first half, wiping off 3 points.
We allowed a fake punt resulting in a TD.
Iowa kicked a FG on the exact 4th & 2 we went for (and didn't get). I watched the game.
That's where we lost the game, where Iowa wins the game. Not good defense being more preferable than good offense, or bad offense being more preferable than bad defense.
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I trust BB.
I’m not in the practices so I have no legitimate ground to stand on for my opinion.
I know nothing about football.
I was concerned about the 3-3-5 because back in the day when Michigan hired Rich Rod and he brought the 3-3-5 with him it was BAD. I always remembered that for some reason. Like it couldn’t work with Big Ten teams for whatever reason. My thought was always the difference between the other power conferences and the Big Ten, particularly the SEC and really good ACC teams, was speed at the LB position. And it seems like our LBs are getting exposed.
I also have this weird feeling that BB’s real DC target is gonna be available in the offseason and this is just a bridge until then. Might as well try something different and keep what you like, and trash what you don’t. Wasn’t Hauck retired when we hired him?
I’m not in the practices so I have no legitimate ground to stand on for my opinion.
I know nothing about football.
I was concerned about the 3-3-5 because back in the day when Michigan hired Rich Rod and he brought the 3-3-5 with him it was BAD. I always remembered that for some reason. Like it couldn’t work with Big Ten teams for whatever reason. My thought was always the difference between the other power conferences and the Big Ten, particularly the SEC and really good ACC teams, was speed at the LB position. And it seems like our LBs are getting exposed.
I also have this weird feeling that BB’s real DC target is gonna be available in the offseason and this is just a bridge until then. Might as well try something different and keep what you like, and trash what you don’t. Wasn’t Hauck retired when we hired him?
I agree with that and it's a great point. I think the difference is the level of sustainability. In basketball, we could score with anyone with how we played, but we were also subject to scoring droughts and many times(not all the time) just didn't perform well down the stretch in games. We just couldn't get stops(or rebounds) and we'd prefer down a legs a bit. That's just the roster we built and it works. From a macro level, the offense was superior and the defense was......good. Additionally, our talent level is national championship type good. From a talent perspective, there isn't any team in the country that we can't beat.
In football, the offense is good, not great, and the defense is putrid. We don't have anywhere near the talent to play with elite teams on either side of the ball. If I had to choose a side, I'd spend the money on defense because, if nothing else, we're in every game. When you can't stop anybody....it's just impossible to beat good teams much less elite teams.
Most importantly, let's just call it what it is. In basketball, our money makes us one of the haves. In football, we're one of the have nots.
This post is too long, but as a summary in sports..... defense always wins championships, regardless of sport. Pitching, goaltending (hockey), defense(football) and defense in basketball(late in games).
The Brewers/Dodgers, Seahawks, Knicks and Michigan are all examples.
Nate Sheppard being in the game on a PUNT should've immediately sent off alarm bells.
That's a great point, but then we go down another rabbit hole. Forget the OC and DC..... questions have to be thrown at BB. All of those plays you mentioned were critical and did come from a lack of urgency, understanding and preparation. I'm pretty sure the leash for BB is......forever and we'll deserved.
The punt fake could be from tape that Duke watched. Outside guy wasn't outside far enough to guarantee outside leverage in case of the fake?
Also still wondering how their best player could run a swing route without any defender within 20 ft of him twice.
Still miffed that we are trying to run it to eat clock when it's been proven repeatedly that we aren't physical enough up front to do that.
Also still wondering how their best player could run a swing route without any defender within 20 ft of him twice.
Still miffed that we are trying to run it to eat clock when it's been proven repeatedly that we aren't physical enough up front to do that.
Dixon had 11 catches on 13 targets.
His last 3 targets were incomplete, interception, incomplete.
Finished with 11 catches on 16 targets.
It just became too predictable at the end.
His last 3 targets were incomplete, interception, incomplete.
Finished with 11 catches on 16 targets.
It just became too predictable at the end.
10000000000% on point and a bingo.
Houser was staring him down and there was no progression off of WR1. It resulted in a pick and passes short of the first down market. Duke adjusted at halftime. They were going to back anyone else best them.
some of the student exodus was because concessions ran out of water after the halftime rush. I coach college softball and we run a concession stand in the student section at every home game. We sold out of bottled water of all types right after halftime There were a lot of students just blazing hot and the lines to the water fountains were endless.
I also had to attend to a student who passed out during halftime. All morning pregaming + sitting in the sun without cold water = a bad outcome.
No excuse for the product on the field but I can sympathize with the student section. Early on they were energetic and enthusiastic. I was impressed.
Yeah at that point several starters on the defense had already left. Not many guys are waiting until feb to transfer. Their program had already been raided. One of their db’s played for duke yesterday
Will never trust a defense that rushes only 3, it’s a joke.
3-3-5 does not mean "rushes only 3." It means 3 down lineman.
How many guys blitz on 3rd down, is entirely up to the coordinator's hope for the given play.
The fake punt was also Sheppard. Don't know if he's always back there
Sheppard played exactly 0 special teams snaps against Tulane.
Feagin: 0 catches on 3 targets
....
Trimble: 3 catches on 3 targets
Clement: 4 catches on 5 targets
Dixon: at one point had 11 catches on 13 targets (finished 11 of 16 after three straight incompletions)
You wanna go to the options that are working.
He’s right you know.
Even Ray Charles can “see” that.
And regardless we should know where he is on the field at all times