I taped the BYU game the other day. Yesterday I watched it a second time. I slowed down the film and watched plays develop at several different points in the game. I have to say that I am much more optimistic after having done so.
To me we looked physical on both sides of the ball. Our team speed, especially on defense, seems much improved. We lost the game for three main reasons:
1. Critical mistakes on a few 3rd downs defensively ( penalties, failure to pick up tight end or receiver out of backfield)
2. Turnovers at critical times
3. BYU ran a sophisticated offense with many sets and plays while making adjustments to our defensive plan. We ran an overly simplified offense while making no adjustments.
The main reason for my optimism is that all of those problems are easily corrected. Reggie Ball has shown me the ability to make good decisions and gradually run a much more complicated offense very well. He will become another Godsey with much better athletic ability. I'm sure Coach Gailey will increase the complexity of our offense as time goes on and we will see a very exciting team by mid season.
Believe it or not I feel like our difficult schedule early in the season will benefit us a lot more than playing cup cakes. We have a lot of young players who made mistakes last Thursday. They will continue to learn and this level of competition will bring out the best in them.
Whether we finish the first three games 2-1 or 0-3, I will be looking for growth and improvement. I am anticipating a very strong second half of the season.
To me we looked physical on both sides of the ball. Our team speed, especially on defense, seems much improved. We lost the game for three main reasons:
1. Critical mistakes on a few 3rd downs defensively ( penalties, failure to pick up tight end or receiver out of backfield)
2. Turnovers at critical times
3. BYU ran a sophisticated offense with many sets and plays while making adjustments to our defensive plan. We ran an overly simplified offense while making no adjustments.
The main reason for my optimism is that all of those problems are easily corrected. Reggie Ball has shown me the ability to make good decisions and gradually run a much more complicated offense very well. He will become another Godsey with much better athletic ability. I'm sure Coach Gailey will increase the complexity of our offense as time goes on and we will see a very exciting team by mid season.
Believe it or not I feel like our difficult schedule early in the season will benefit us a lot more than playing cup cakes. We have a lot of young players who made mistakes last Thursday. They will continue to learn and this level of competition will bring out the best in them.
Whether we finish the first three games 2-1 or 0-3, I will be looking for growth and improvement. I am anticipating a very strong second half of the season.
