You'll have to forgive the guy for being excited about his favorite football team and thinking they're good just because they're the 5th-ranked FCS team in the country. He shouldn't prattle on with such hyperbole on your board. He's very sorry.
It's part just blind fandom, but we're also a bit eaten up with an inferiority complex and conditioned to go overboard to proclaim how good we are to get people to take notice – which stems both from being an FCS team and trying to make sure folks know how good we are (especially when it's an FBS foe, and an out-of-market one at that); and also from being shat upon by the almighty Razorbacks and their media monopoly within the state. We don't get a fair shake locally, so we feel like we really have to yell and scream from on high to get anybody to pay some damn attention.
But, part of it also comes from the fact we're an FCS team used to seeing other FCS teams and therefore we draw our comparisons and shape our opinions largely off of other FCS teams. And, in the last two years, we've lost just two total games to FCS teams in the regular season – one to the national runner-up in 2011 without our starting QB, and one last year in a freak of a game in a monsoon of biblical proportions. So, the excitement isn't exactly unfounded. Through the FCS looking glass, we do have very few weaknesses and superstars at several positions.
But, we ain't Alabama. We're not even Montana or Georgia Southern, yet. And Colorado isn't Nicholls State, or even 2012 Colorado. Then again, you're still not '89-'96 Colorado either. I don't expect us to march in and slap you around all over your home field, but we're not gonna bite the pillow either - which it seems most on here realize (refreshing, too, since everybody in the SEC assumes they'll beat everybody not in the SEC by 192 points).
Here's my assessment of the team (after 1 game against a terrible team – so, largely based off last season and what we've seen at scrimmages and read throughout the preseason):
Smothers is legit, though not infallible. He's not going to be the best QB you'll see all year, and he wasn't a heavily recruited guy who could've gone to Texas, but he's not going to be the worst. And he's in an offense that makes good use of his skill set. He can fling it deep, is good at checking down, knows when to throw it away, and can run when need be. Weaknesses? Been known to sail a throw here and there, sometimes gets locked in on a guy and tries to force one.
The backstory on him... he only started one year in high school because he was behind 4-star super-hyped Marine-kicker Jordan Jefferson, who started at LSU. Wynrick only got to start his senior season, and all he did was go 15-0 and win the state title in Louisiana's largest classification. He was 25-32 with 247 yards against Ole Miss last year in what was a one-score game entering the 4th quarter, so he wasn't ringing up stats against their slaps. He's definitely a pass-first guy and you won't see a lot of called runs for him, but he's good at extending plays and is like a RB in the open field if he has to tuck it and go.
The much-hyped Jatavious Wilson looked all-world against Incarnate Word, but we haven't seen him against a team of our caliber or better. I certainly don't expect him to get 3 TDs against you guys, but he certainly appears to have speed enough to still be effective if he gets the ball in his hands.
Our WR corps has promise, but they're unproven mostly outside of JR Dezmin Lewis, who went for 56-616-6 as a soph. last year splitting catches with two solid seniors - one of whom made it to the Browns' last day of cuts and another who was a national Top 100 WR out of high school and went to Ole Miss for a couple years before some family issues (and playing for Houston Nutt) pushed him closer to home. Good size and athleticism, mostly good hands. The best overall group we've had here, probably, but that's based all off physical attributes and some scrimmages. They haven't been hit in the mouth when it counts yet, so they've got to prove themselves under the lights.
RBs are also unproven. Danzel Williams was a highly ranked kid by the scouting services and went to Oklahoma, but got shifted to the defensive side of the ball. Had a fumble in his first game here, which may be an indicator of why he wasn't an RB at OU. Blake Veasley is a Memphis transfer who had never had a meaningful carry until last week... which was Incarnate Word, so he's still very green. Willie Matthews, coming off suspension, has never been more than a depth guy with us having three senior RBs entering last year, but was supposed to be our starter. So, we've got three guys you'll probably see, and they're adequate but I don't expect them to be game-changers.
But, our offense in the 14 years Conque has been here has rarely relied upon game-changing RBs. We've had our best years when we've had that kind of back, but when we don't we find a way to move the ball regardless. Typically if we're lacking in a prototypical run game, be it because of backs or OL run-blocking deficiency, we use our screen passing attack in place of lining it up and running it right at you.
We'll move the ball, that's hardly ever an issue. 445 yds vs. Sonny Dykes' 8-win La. Tech team in 2011, at Ole Miss last year scored more points against them than Auburn, Miss. St, Pitt and UTEP, and the same number as Arkansas, and so on. Conque was the OC at La. Tech when they had Tim Rattay & Troy Edwards, beat Alabama a couple times and put up ridiculous numbers. Our OL coach has been here for a long time, and our QBs coach is our former QB from 2005-08 who threw for 10,000+ yards & 100+ TDs. So, there's a lot of familiarity with the system, lot of consistency, and so our guys have been consistently getting the same message and doing the same things and that helps. You guys have seen in one game what a good staff can do for a team, and we've got a pretty good staff.
OL might prove to be an issue, particularly as we rotate in the reserves and deal with the altitude. I don't worry much about our skill-position guys being done in by the altitude, but the big uglies who are getting leaned on and crashed into every play may not handle it quite as well. Then again, I don't know how much it really matters. You guys are something like 40-36 at home since 2000 (obviously most of those against higher-caliber competition), so people don't just come in there, lose their breath and get routed.
Our defense is, at least by FCS standards, damn good. CSU looked relatively slow watching them on TV, so I figure we'll be much faster. We aren't huge, particularly at LB, so if you're looking for a weakness there's another one. #49 MLB Justin Heard is our biggest, strongest LB at 6'1", 230. Another potential weakness is that our DBs can be very aggressive and will, on occasion, gamble and overplay the ball and leave themselves susceptible to a busted coverage, or occasionally will go the other way and line up for a hit rather than make a coverage play. That being said, outside of Ole Miss (330 yds) we allowed an average of 209 passing yards per game last season with the same group of guys.
Individually, #90 DE Jonathan Woodard is a real talent and one of those guys you wonder how we were lucky enough to get him. He's not going to get 5 sacks, but that's because he's going to get held - it might even get called once or twice.
[video=youtube;PRYgbY7Mm9c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRYgbY7Mm9c[/video]
#28 S Jestin Love is a ballhawk and a headhunter and could play for a lot of teams in the FBS. Those are the two "superstars" that you've seen trumped up on here already. We don't have a superstar CB, but we've got a lot of seniors who have played a lot of games, which helps some. If we're going to slow down Richardson, it'll probably not be with a CB by himself.
Not a lot of depth/experience at DT/NG. #91 Hornbuckle is solid, #57 Randall does good work and is a JR but just in his 2nd year here, but then we've got a pair of true freshmen in the 2-deep there. They may prove to be capable, but this will be their first college football game of any real consequence.
So, we're good on the edges and have a ton of speed. Not as great right up the middle. Look over the last couple years and it's mostly running teams that have been most problematic. In our 4 losses in 2011, Montana hit us for about 230 in the playoffs, Arkansas State ran for 375, 221 for La. Tech and 316 for Sam Houston State. Last year Georgia Southern had 404 on the ground in their win, Sam Houston had 271 (though we won that one 24-20), Ole Miss had 235.
Our kicker, an Arkansas transfer who lost the job to an All-SEC kicker, is an asset. Our punter we've only seen twice and he averaged 52 yds. Coverage units are sound, but we're still searching to find a go-to returner.
We lost 11 fumbles last year and had 10 INTs, so 21 turnovers - nearly two a game. We can't afford to turn it over against a team like Colorado. The more we can limit Connor Wood's touches, the better.
So ... was that even-keeled and objective enough for me to avoid the
?
And to save you guys the trouble...
