From the play of Joe Southwick to the play calling of Coach Prince I saw much improvement across the board in Saturday’s game against Fresno State. I am beginning to see this year as great preparation for next year’s entree into the Big East.
Certainly this weekend’s game wasn’t a replay of the past couple years of domination over Fresno State. Let’s not lose site of the fact that Fresno State is back on its way back up while at the same time we are working through some growing pains. Nothing remains the same every in college football that to me is part of the allure of it. Yet in a 20 to 10 game I saw nothing to complain about, sure there was that outstanding play by a corner of Fresno State who unbelievably took on a block by Paul fought through it and made an incredible tackle on Ajayi keeping him from the end zone. Dimes to dollars run that same play 9 more times we score. It was the right call to the right back just as the call to kick the field goal was as well; sometimes players just make plays they shouldn’t and that is why we play the game.
Bacon, Ricky, Lawrence and Samuel are proving to be as versatile and as powerful as those who came before them. Gavin’s for the first time this year looked like the Gavin’s of old and Hightower I believe learned an important lesson on keeping his facemask forward. All the LB’s showed up and played and Simmons is proving to be the guy we count on.
Joe made some great throws seemed to be more in control of his emotions and doing much better on his reads. D.J Harper got the amount of touches any starting running back needs to make a difference in a game and it showed as he got stronger as the game went on. Seeing more of Jay Ajayi was very pleasurable and I think Prince needs to get a feel as the best way to use his two crushing backs against defenses. Make no doubt about it Ajayi is still very much a raw talent which just makes me all the more excited about his future because I just don’t know of another back out there that possess his power and skill set. Burk and Gerald showed flashes and the O line held against a very proven Fresno defensive line.
With only San Diego and Nevada left of any real threat, both may very well prove to be well behind Fresno State at this time. We may think we are on cruise control from here on out, but I prefer to see this season as a stepping stone to avoiding the mistakes we are seeing other schools that have changed conferences this year. Seeing West Virginia crash and burn so badly at Texas Tech aswell a BCS game is very much in play and there is nothing more than I would like to see Taylor, Gavins DJ and the rest of the seniors go out on top. Texas A&M struggle against San Jose State but won so there was help there add in the raise of Ohio and there are plenty of outside threats to keeping us out of a BCS game this year.
The good news about our BCS chance are the B1G sucks so there will be no double dipping this year as does the ACC . I know it’s hard to believe but really our biggest obstacle to getting to a BCS game this year is an Ohio team who will have played absolutely no one until they get to the MAC championship game in either Toledo or N. Illinois. With an average computer ranking at 19 an polls at 22.5 five giving us a 22 ranking in the first BCS poll I don’t seeing it being much of a stretch to get to that all impotent ranking of 16 and winning our conference to getting to the money bowl this year. The only question is will be will the committee do us another injustice like they did in 2010 teaming us up with TCU by pitting us against a future Big East team or will they toss us a bone and give us either the SEC runner up or the ACC champ? Only time will tell but I have a very good feeling after watching the Fresno game that this team is well on its way to be ready to shock the world again on the big stage this post season and no doubt this year we will be considered a huge underdog in whoever we play.
Inclosing I know writing is down and there is a good reason for it and it’s this simple I’m redoubling my efforts to get the hell out of Detroit and to Boise so the time I once devoted to video editing and photo shopping as well FB posting is going to be drastically reduced. By the time we get past thanks giving I assure you I will be flooding your boards and lunching plenty of video’s but for now I’m cashing in .
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
