Late last night, I decided to read some other fan boards (mostly Nub) to see if their impressions matched with mine. Their view of our Buffs, compared to the Nubs, is that we are bigger, stronger, more physical, have more playmaker talent and are well-coached. I don't think there was any more than a slim margin on that stuff, but it added up.
My takeaways:
Offense
If Montez got his mojo back, this team can hang with anyone. OL is getting its job done and improves as the game goes on. RBs are running hard and finishing while showing talent. WRs are what we thought they were -- maybe better. TEs are definitely an integrated part of this scheme. Team looks like it will score a lot of points this year. Best thing about it, I think, is that it is showing so much balance. Not just run/pass, but also balance between ball control and quick strike ability.
With the coordination and play calling, I thought Johnson had a tough 1st half. Not just the obvious with the lack of yards and zero points, but that he got away from running the ball. A big key to that 2nd half was that they came out re-committed to establishing the run and having balance. They stuck with it even as we were running low on time left and it made all the difference.
Last, a quick shout out to Jaylon Jackson. This may have been his coming out party. Every time he gets an opportunity, he makes plays.
Defense
I love some things I'm seeing here. Starting with the DL, those guys are giving up very little between the tackles. The only way to attack this defense on the ground has been to get to its edges. CBs have got to get a little more physical and the OLBs have got to play in control to keep containment. That stuff is significantly improved from the 1st half of the CSU game, but there's still a ways to go. Yesterday, Taylor finally getting some run was huge. He changed the game in the 2nd half with his closing speed to the outside. Hopefully that means that he's figuring things out. I like where we are going as a run defense.
As a pass defense, we're still seeing major breakdowns that can't continue. Abrams had a very quiet day, which is great to see. Onu has been as big of a reason for the 2-0 start as anyone. Maddox looks shaky in the coverage schemes. Miller had a huge pick and Blackmon is playing well. It's close. But it needs a pass rush to help it out. Mustafa got it going yesterday in a big way and Lang started to flash, too. It's the edge rush that concerns me. Tchangam showed a bit and looked better than week 1, but Falo isn't a pass rusher. We need Wells to get healthy and come on. At ILB, I thought that Landman started looking like Landman yesterday. I'm not sure who is going to emerge at the other ILB spot. JVD works hard and he was a 4* recruit for a reason, but he's shaking off a lot of rust and injuries. I'm also not seeing a lot from him on change of direction & playing in space, which is concerning. Akil looked like he belonged in the mix when he got in. I suppose we're waiting for Jash Allen to have the lightbulb go on with the defensive scheme & rules to get unleashed one week like Taylor was yesterday.
Special Teams
2 mistakes nearly cost the game -- penalty for running into the punter on Arias and fumbled kickoff return on Viska. Can't have that. Otherwise, punting and kicking were outstanding. Burying the Nubs in bad field position all day was the big key to that win that we probably haven't talked about enough.
Revised Season Expectations?
I went into this year thinking our Buffs are a bowl team. That hasn't changed. I suppose that what has changed is that I feel that the odds of winning each week have improved. With that, I don't see the Buffs as a bottom tier Pac-12 team. Shouldn't that mean that going 5-4 in conference play is completely reasonable? That 6-3 or even 7-2 wouldn't be crazy?
My takeaways:
Offense
If Montez got his mojo back, this team can hang with anyone. OL is getting its job done and improves as the game goes on. RBs are running hard and finishing while showing talent. WRs are what we thought they were -- maybe better. TEs are definitely an integrated part of this scheme. Team looks like it will score a lot of points this year. Best thing about it, I think, is that it is showing so much balance. Not just run/pass, but also balance between ball control and quick strike ability.
With the coordination and play calling, I thought Johnson had a tough 1st half. Not just the obvious with the lack of yards and zero points, but that he got away from running the ball. A big key to that 2nd half was that they came out re-committed to establishing the run and having balance. They stuck with it even as we were running low on time left and it made all the difference.
Last, a quick shout out to Jaylon Jackson. This may have been his coming out party. Every time he gets an opportunity, he makes plays.
Defense
I love some things I'm seeing here. Starting with the DL, those guys are giving up very little between the tackles. The only way to attack this defense on the ground has been to get to its edges. CBs have got to get a little more physical and the OLBs have got to play in control to keep containment. That stuff is significantly improved from the 1st half of the CSU game, but there's still a ways to go. Yesterday, Taylor finally getting some run was huge. He changed the game in the 2nd half with his closing speed to the outside. Hopefully that means that he's figuring things out. I like where we are going as a run defense.
As a pass defense, we're still seeing major breakdowns that can't continue. Abrams had a very quiet day, which is great to see. Onu has been as big of a reason for the 2-0 start as anyone. Maddox looks shaky in the coverage schemes. Miller had a huge pick and Blackmon is playing well. It's close. But it needs a pass rush to help it out. Mustafa got it going yesterday in a big way and Lang started to flash, too. It's the edge rush that concerns me. Tchangam showed a bit and looked better than week 1, but Falo isn't a pass rusher. We need Wells to get healthy and come on. At ILB, I thought that Landman started looking like Landman yesterday. I'm not sure who is going to emerge at the other ILB spot. JVD works hard and he was a 4* recruit for a reason, but he's shaking off a lot of rust and injuries. I'm also not seeing a lot from him on change of direction & playing in space, which is concerning. Akil looked like he belonged in the mix when he got in. I suppose we're waiting for Jash Allen to have the lightbulb go on with the defensive scheme & rules to get unleashed one week like Taylor was yesterday.
Special Teams
2 mistakes nearly cost the game -- penalty for running into the punter on Arias and fumbled kickoff return on Viska. Can't have that. Otherwise, punting and kicking were outstanding. Burying the Nubs in bad field position all day was the big key to that win that we probably haven't talked about enough.
Revised Season Expectations?
I went into this year thinking our Buffs are a bowl team. That hasn't changed. I suppose that what has changed is that I feel that the odds of winning each week have improved. With that, I don't see the Buffs as a bottom tier Pac-12 team. Shouldn't that mean that going 5-4 in conference play is completely reasonable? That 6-3 or even 7-2 wouldn't be crazy?
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