Post Game: Improvements and concerns

[grzz]

One thing I think is safe to say for sure, if we somehow find ourselves with a two score lead next week, at any point, I hope Delaney and Co. aren't under any illusions that we can switch to the vanilla offense and do absolutely nothing assuming everything will just hold...

 

[zirge]

excellent coverage on the long throws to henderson.....cannot blame it on jj's throws....and yes, the defender did turnaround at the last second to knock the ball away and he was covered just as well on the other 2 accounts, yes, one was slightly under thrown but catchable if not covered like he was.

agree with the board
1.the short passing game is the only way we are going to create a thinner middle secondary to establish any kind of a running game next week.
2.tackling is still an issue...........we saw several times multiple griz players trying to take down the runner by piling on......we are all the same from the knees to the ankles....hit anybody in that area especially wrapping up and they all go down. maybe when colt is done playing in the nfl he could come here and put on a clinic.

if we come out next week less predictable on offense we could have a good chance to play up with NDSU. They are going to study the game films and know exactly how to prevent us from executing. so why not catch them off guard a bit and give them our 2 minute offense and give jj the chance to do what he is does best......open it up. does it have to be the entire game plan...no..however, a 14-0 lead in the first quarter could lend a hand to it.

 

[bigforkgriz]

More than one of the sacks were coverage sacks. Also the QB scrambles were because of the coverage. I was pleasantly surprised with the db's until their last scoring drive.

On the stretch plays that Canada was gaining consistent yardage, I watched the O-line. They were pulling with speed and absolutely dominating. Canada just had to find the hole. At the end when we were trying to run the clock they put in Van. I suppose because he had just had a sweet TD run. Shifty, but not the guy you want in the backfield when you are trying to run the clock. Canada or Logwood would be my choice.

I can see a 20 point loss coming though. As others have said, play calling and execution.

 

[AZGrizFan]

excellent coverage on the long throws to henderson.....cannot blame it on jj's throws....and yes, the defender did turnaround at the last second to knock the ball away and he was covered just as well on the other 2 accounts, yes, one was slightly under thrown but catchable if not covered like he was.

agree with the board
1.the short passing game is the only way we are going to create a thinner middle secondary to establish any kind of a running game next week.
2.tackling is still an issue...........we saw several times multiple griz players trying to take down the runner by piling on......we are all the same from the knees to the ankles....hit anybody in that area especially wrapping up and they all go down. maybe when colt is done playing in the nfl he could come here and put on a clinic.

if we come out next week less predictable on offense we could have a good chance to play up with NDSU. They are going to study the game films and know exactly how to prevent us from executing. so why not catch them off guard a bit and give them our 2 minute offense and give jj the chance to do what he is does best......open it up. does it have to be the entire game plan...no..however, a 14-0 lead in the first quarter could lend a hand to it.

Interesting. I thought the tackling (for the most part) was LIGHT YEARS better than in games past. Dennard, Harris, D-line, LB's all swarming to the ball and hitting hard and often. There were a few (notably a whiffed arm tackle by Hermy) that were WTF moments, but he made up for that by absolutely LEVELING a guy later in the game.

 

[polsongrizz]

I forgot to mention this. Why are so many fearing EWU? Are they a contender? Hell yes they are. I saw the SHSU game in person. Their defense was absolutely horrible. The GRIZ defense is quite a bit better than their defense so far this season. Also we are lucky to have plenty of game film on their offense before our match up with them.

They have a great offense, but their defense will help our offense look much better. Also I don't see JJ continuing to struggle much longer. Our OL will be much better by then as well. This offensive line is gelling with repetitions and experience. I am much more confident in our OL progress since the SD game. I like the quick progress and attitude.

I am not saying we will beat EWU, but I do feel our fan base is fearing them and NDSU a little too much. :thumb:

CSU-Pueblo 47
15 Sam Houston St 21

 

[zirge]

excellent coverage on the long throws to henderson.....cannot blame it on jj's throws....and yes, the defender did turnaround at the last second to knock the ball away and he was covered just as well on the other 2 accounts, yes, one was slightly under thrown but catchable if not covered like he was.

agree with the board
1.the short passing game is the only way we are going to create a thinner middle secondary to establish any kind of a running game next week.
2.tackling is still an issue...........we saw several times multiple griz players trying to take down the runner by piling on......we are all the same from the knees to the ankles....hit anybody in that area especially wrapping up and they all go down. maybe when colt is done playing in the nfl he could come here and put on a clinic.

if we come out next week less predictable on offense we could have a good chance to play up with NDSU. They are going to study the game films and know exactly how to prevent us from executing. so why not catch them off guard a bit and give them our 2 minute offense and give jj the chance to do what he is does best......open it up. does it have to be the entire game plan...no..however, a 14-0 lead in the first quarter could lend a hand to it.

Interesting. I thought the tackling (for the most part) was LIGHT YEARS better than in games past. Dennard, Harris, D-line, LB's all swarming to the ball and hitting hard and often. There were a few (notably a whiffed arm tackle by Hermy) that were WTF moments, but he made up for that by absolutely LEVELING a guy later in the game.

definitely improved over last year, yes, there were some great and effective hits yesterday.........still, you must have seen the times we had 4-6 guys trying to bring down 1 guy, yes one was near the endzone, there were a few times at mid-field. i am just looking for better fundamentals....whitted is one of those guys, either he was coached well in high school or just has the savvy.
dennard can hit hard as well (keith thompson, like), got a sack yesterday, kudos for him, however, single plays sometimes only point out exceptions not necessarily the norm.
i still agree with mtgrizrule, tackling still needs work.........so does the o-line, as much improved as they are, so does play calling to be effective against the teams playing to go to the nc. it putting together all the pieces.

 

[AZGrizFan]

Agreed. There's probably not a single facet of our team that doesn't need additional improvement. Except maybe Zachsacks. He's pretty good.

 

[mtgrizrule]

Another concern of mine, How long will it take JJ to find his comfort zone and consistency we witnessed last season? He just has not been that consistent yet. Despite his inconsistent play, the good part is, he is still taking care of the ball. Even when he has time to see the field, his passes are not as accurate as he has been. He also is not seeing the field very well. He is missing open WR's in favor of more risky long balls. Is that his doing, or has he been instructed to look long as often as he does?

If the GRIZ are to beat NDSU our offense will need to mix things up more with play calling and execute more consistently. Their benchmark should be 28 points against NDSU. I don't see NDSU putting up more than that against our defense. Come on coaches, please come up with a great game plan, with a good mix of short, quick, and medium passes mixed in all 4 quarters!

 

[PlayerRep]

I thought the Griz played fairly well. The defense was especially good. Wags continues to be beast.

Besides the generally good defensive play, I liked the improvement of the o-line--not necessarily because they were so good but because it was a preseason concern and they seem to be improving. Reese seemed to play fairly well for a frosh in his first start, as others have mentioned.

The team missed Canada in the first quarter--and half. He hit the holes harder and faster, and was finding the seems, in the second half when he hit his stride. Maybe he had some extra incentive. Wonder if he would have helped the offense finish drives early in the game.

The d-line is truly superb. The backers are improving and can really run to the ball. Tackling is improving.

The D gave up too many 3d and longs later in the game, all or mainly on pass plays. One in front of the Griz sideline was nice catch and throw, and Gamboa was in pretty good position. This is going to happen from time to time, but it happened too many times. Don't know the problem or problems. Our coverage on longer passes seemed good, and the SD qb couldn't throw long accurately.

I generally liked the play-calling and mix, but like some of you, wondered why they threw long on the last 2 (non) drives of the first half, both on first down I think. Why not just chip away and get the drives going. JJ is good in these situations.

JJ got flushed out of the pocket a few times, but I didn't think this was a huge problem. He made some nice throws and missed some. The catch by Jones on the TD was a tremendous catch and big play.

Not a huge number of penalties, but several were costly and unfortunate. Of course, SD had some very costly penalties. By the way, was that really a horse collar on the Griz on the SD sideline? My impression was that the defender grabbed the qb's jersey before the collar, but I couldn't tell for sure. That one hurt us.

Kicking. Shaw needs to be faster. I too thought he seemed about a step too close to the 3 blockers. FG's. Just can't miss 3 makeable FG's. It's disheartening, hurts momentum, and allows teams to stay in the game. The 46 yarder was a pretty good kick and close. The next 2 were very bad.

Don't want to jinx us, but no turnovers this year. Surely we are leading the nation in turnover margin/ratio.

Nice crowd and loud. Great NEZ performance, I thought. The players obviously love the crowd and NEZ.

I hope the Griz can step up and play with NDSU.

 

[mtgrizrule]

I thought the Griz played fairly well. The defense was especially good. Wags continues to be beast.

Besides the generally good defensive play, I liked the improvement of the o-line--not necessarily because they were so good but because it was a preseason concern and they seem to be improving. Reese seemed to play fairly well for a frosh in his first start, as others have mentioned.

The team missed Canada in the first quarter--and half. He hit the holes harder and faster, and was finding the seems, in the second half when he hit his stride. Maybe he had some extra incentive. Wonder if he would have helped the offense finish drives early in the game.

The d-line is truly superb. The backers are improving and can really run to the ball. Tackling is improving.

The D gave up too many 3d and longs later in the game, all or mainly on pass plays. One in front of the Griz sideline was nice catch and throw, and Gamboa was in pretty good position. This is going to happen from time to time, but it happened too many times. Don't know the problem or problems. Our coverage on longer passes seemed good, and the SD qb couldn't throw long accurately.

I generally liked the play-calling and mix, but like some of you, wondered why they threw long on the last 2 (non) drives of the first half, both on first down I think. Why not just chip away and get the drives going. JJ is good in these situations.

JJ got flushed out of the pocket a few times, but I didn't think this was a huge problem. He made some nice throws and missed some. The catch by Jones on the TD was a tremendous catch and big play.

Not a huge number of penalties, but several were costly and unfortunate. Of course, SD had some very costly penalties. By the way, was that really a horse collar on the Griz on the SD sideline? My impression was that the defender grabbed the qb's jersey before the collar, but I couldn't tell for sure. That one hurt us.

Kicking. Shaw needs to be faster. I too thought he seemed about a step too close to the 3 blockers. FG's. Just can't miss 3 makeable FG's. It's disheartening, hurts momentum, and allows teams to stay in the game. The 46 yarder was a pretty good kick and close. The next 2 were very bad.

Don't want to jinx us, but no turnovers this year. Surely we are leading the nation in turnover margin/ratio.

Nice crowd and loud. Great NEZ performance, I thought. The players obviously love the crowd and NEZ.

I hope the Griz can step up and play with NDSU.

I also thought the crowd was terrific. As for the horse collar call, when I could see how the referees called it. However was not 100% sure of it. I saw the replay and was a little upset at the call. I watched the game on dvr late last night. It was not a horse collar. The officials must of had bad vision angles. Had one official had a good angle, that should have been discussed and not flagged.

 

[zirge]

jamal did make that great catch, he also make good yardage running with the ball after most of his catches. thought he played his best game to date yesterday.
van is also stepping up to legend...........and wags is awakening to his full potential.
it is hard to single out a few players, when so many stepped up into the limelight by making plays.
if we are as exuberant next week as we were yesterday it will be a great game.
almost have to go into a mindset of playing down than up. maybe less jitters, more confidence and make it serious fun, that is probable an oxymoron........now don't blast me PR......this isn't about playing the game it is about observing the game......ok with some experience, no, i didn't play in the nfl......but thanks for asking

 

[griz71]

I thought the Griz played fairly well. The defense was especially good. Wags continues to be beast.

Besides the generally good defensive play, I liked the improvement of the o-line--not necessarily because they were so good but because it was a preseason concern and they seem to be improving. Reese seemed to play fairly well for a frosh in his first start, as others have mentioned.

The team missed Canada in the first quarter--and half. He hit the holes harder and faster, and was finding the seems, in the second half when he hit his stride. Maybe he had some extra incentive. Wonder if he would have helped the offense finish drives early in the game.

The d-line is truly superb. The backers are improving and can really run to the ball. Tackling is improving.

The D gave up too many 3d and longs later in the game, all or mainly on pass plays. One in front of the Griz sideline was nice catch and throw, and Gamboa was in pretty good position. This is going to happen from time to time, but it happened too many times. Don't know the problem or problems. Our coverage on longer passes seemed good, and the SD qb couldn't throw long accurately.

I generally liked the play-calling and mix, but like some of you, wondered why they threw long on the last 2 (non) drives of the first half, both on first down I think. Why not just chip away and get the drives going. JJ is good in these situations.

JJ got flushed out of the pocket a few times, but I didn't think this was a huge problem. He made some nice throws and missed some. The catch by Jones on the TD was a tremendous catch and big play.

Not a huge number of penalties, but several were costly and unfortunate. Of course, SD had some very costly penalties. By the way, was that really a horse collar on the Griz on the SD sideline? My impression was that the defender grabbed the qb's jersey before the collar, but I couldn't tell for sure. That one hurt us.

Kicking. Shaw needs to be faster. I too thought he seemed about a step too close to the 3 blockers. FG's. Just can't miss 3 makeable FG's. It's disheartening, hurts momentum, and allows teams to stay in the game. The 46 yarder was a pretty good kick and close. The next 2 were very bad.

Don't want to jinx us, but no turnovers this year. Surely we are leading the nation in turnover margin/ratio.

Nice crowd and loud. Great NEZ performance, I thought. The players obviously love the crowd and NEZ.

I hope the Griz can step up and play with NDSU.

I also thought the crowd was terrific. As for the horse collar call, when I could see how the referees called it. However was not 100% sure of it. I saw the replay and was a little upset at the call. I watched the game on dvr late last night. It was not a horse collar. The officials must of had bad vision angles. Had one official had a good angle, that should have been discussed and not flagged.

That was NOT a horse collar---on of the most egregious official's calls I have ever seen.

 

[mtgrizrule]

I thought the Griz played fairly well. The defense was especially good. Wags continues to be beast.

Besides the generally good defensive play, I liked the improvement of the o-line--not necessarily because they were so good but because it was a preseason concern and they seem to be improving. Reese seemed to play fairly well for a frosh in his first start, as others have mentioned.

The team missed Canada in the first quarter--and half. He hit the holes harder and faster, and was finding the seems, in the second half when he hit his stride. Maybe he had some extra incentive. Wonder if he would have helped the offense finish drives early in the game.

The d-line is truly superb. The backers are improving and can really run to the ball. Tackling is improving.

The D gave up too many 3d and longs later in the game, all or mainly on pass plays. One in front of the Griz sideline was nice catch and throw, and Gamboa was in pretty good position. This is going to happen from time to time, but it happened too many times. Don't know the problem or problems. Our coverage on longer passes seemed good, and the SD qb couldn't throw long accurately.

I generally liked the play-calling and mix, but like some of you, wondered why they threw long on the last 2 (non) drives of the first half, both on first down I think. Why not just chip away and get the drives going. JJ is good in these situations.

JJ got flushed out of the pocket a few times, but I didn't think this was a huge problem. He made some nice throws and missed some. The catch by Jones on the TD was a tremendous catch and big play.

Not a huge number of penalties, but several were costly and unfortunate. Of course, SD had some very costly penalties. By the way, was that really a horse collar on the Griz on the SD sideline? My impression was that the defender grabbed the qb's jersey before the collar, but I couldn't tell for sure. That one hurt us.

Kicking. Shaw needs to be faster. I too thought he seemed about a step too close to the 3 blockers. FG's. Just can't miss 3 makeable FG's. It's disheartening, hurts momentum, and allows teams to stay in the game. The 46 yarder was a pretty good kick and close. The next 2 were very bad.

Don't want to jinx us, but no turnovers this year. Surely we are leading the nation in turnover margin/ratio.

Nice crowd and loud. Great NEZ performance, I thought. The players obviously love the crowd and NEZ.

I hope the Griz can step up and play with NDSU.

I also thought the crowd was terrific. As for the horse collar call, when I could see how the referees called it. However was not 100% sure of it. I saw the replay and was a little upset at the call. I watched the game on dvr late last night. It was not a horse collar. The officials must of had bad vision angles. Had one official had a good angle, that should have been discussed and not flagged.

That was NOT a horse collar---on of the most egregious official's calls I have ever seen.

Uh, we are talking about Big Sky Conference officiating. I think you only remember short term. :lol: :thumb:

 

[Sam A. Blitz]

Just a couple quick hits:

1. The OL's improvement is very impressive. I see some on here are pointing to the quality of the opponent. However, the OL made noticeable progress from last week against a D2 opponent to this week against USD. Anybody that know anything about OL play could see that those guys have shown improvement week to week. They will only get better, which is the absolute biggest positive I took out of this game. NDSU will be the OL's 2nd biggest test of the season.

2. Front 7 played dominant ball most of the game. Felt the D took their foot off the petal and got too comfortable and cautious in the 4Q. Guys need to finish the game. We have plenty of depth on the front 7 where fatigue should not be an issue. They match well with NDSU's style of offense. It will be their biggest test of the year, IMO. It will be there chance to prove that they are the best D in the BSC.

3. Lot's of extra time focused on ST this week and that goes beyond kicking. We took a step back here this weekend. Can't afford to have the same issues we had this week if we want to have any chance beating NDSU.

4. Find it disturbing that many of the fans on here are already giving our team no chance against NDSU. I get that they are the legitimate #1 ranked team, but this is football. Upsets happen every week and good teams become great teams with statement games. You guys need to stop trying so hard to be objective. We already know you don't know snot about football, whining about things you don't understand is just empty whining. There are probably a lot of "objective" East Carolina and Boston College fans that feel pretty stupid today. Hope than many of you are feeling much stupider next Sunday.

5. Good write ups by those that have contributed to this thread instead of just jotting out pessimistic jibberish with no substance. If you want to be critical at least put some substance into your argument...

 

[kemajic]

One thing I think is safe to say for sure, if we somehow find ourselves with a two score lead next week, at any point, I hope Delaney and Co. aren't under any illusions that we can switch to the vanilla offense and do absolutely nothing assuming everything will just hold...

Our second to last drive from excellent field position was just awful. A 28-13 lead with a chance to really put a dagger into USD and we might as well have been taking knees; 3rd and 6 and another run up the middle when you are incapable of executing a field goal. They gave USD a chance to pull the game out. Refusing to use the short passing game, it was as if we really didn't want a convincing win over Cowboy Joe. How can anyone have confidence in that kind of play management....

 

[Grizzly Oredigger]

I thought the Griz played fairly well. The defense was especially good. Wags continues to be beast.

Besides the generally good defensive play, I liked the improvement of the o-line--not necessarily because they were so good but because it was a preseason concern and they seem to be improving. Reese seemed to play fairly well for a frosh in his first start, as others have mentioned.

The team missed Canada in the first quarter--and half. He hit the holes harder and faster, and was finding the seems, in the second half when he hit his stride. Maybe he had some extra incentive. Wonder if he would have helped the offense finish drives early in the game.

The d-line is truly superb. The backers are improving and can really run to the ball. Tackling is improving.

The D gave up too many 3d and longs later in the game, all or mainly on pass plays. One in front of the Griz sideline was nice catch and throw, and Gamboa was in pretty good position. This is going to happen from time to time, but it happened too many times. Don't know the problem or problems. Our coverage on longer passes seemed good, and the SD qb couldn't throw long accurately.

I generally liked the play-calling and mix, but like some of you, wondered why they threw long on the last 2 (non) drives of the first half, both on first down I think. Why not just chip away and get the drives going. JJ is good in these situations.

JJ got flushed out of the pocket a few times, but I didn't think this was a huge problem. He made some nice throws and missed some. The catch by Jones on the TD was a tremendous catch and big play.

Not a huge number of penalties, but several were costly and unfortunate. Of course, SD had some very costly penalties. By the way, was that really a horse collar on the Griz on the SD sideline? My impression was that the defender grabbed the qb's jersey before the collar, but I couldn't tell for sure. That one hurt us.

Kicking. Shaw needs to be faster. I too thought he seemed about a step too close to the 3 blockers. FG's. Just can't miss 3 makeable FG's. It's disheartening, hurts momentum, and allows teams to stay in the game. The 46 yarder was a pretty good kick and close. The next 2 were very bad.

Don't want to jinx us, but no turnovers this year. Surely we are leading the nation in turnover margin/ratio.

Nice crowd and loud. Great NEZ performance, I thought. The players obviously love the crowd and NEZ.

I hope the Griz can step up and play with NDSU.

I also thought the crowd was terrific. As for the horse collar call, when I could see how the referees called it. However was not 100% sure of it. I saw the replay and was a little upset at the call. I watched the game on dvr late last night. It was not a horse collar. The officials must of had bad vision angles. Had one official had a good angle, that should have been discussed and not flagged.

That was NOT a horse collar---on of the most egregious official's calls I have ever seen.

Uh, we are talking about Big Sky Conference officiating. I think you only remember short term. :lol: :thumb:

I think that was evened out by the late hit on SD early on in the game...Ol' Joe wasn't too happy

 

[TxGriz]

Leaving 9 points on the field is going to come back and haunt the Griz one day, that along with the propensity of the punter to kick the ball into the backs of the kicking team, that is when the ball stays within the side boundaries.

But I'll have to say all is not gloom and doom on the special teams front, that was a pretty heads up play to swat the ball out of bounds on the onside kick.

 

[grizophile]

More than one of the sacks were coverage sacks. Also the QB scrambles were because of the coverage. I was pleasantly surprised with the db's until their last scoring drive.

On the stretch plays that Canada was gaining consistent yardage, I watched the O-line. They were pulling with speed and absolutely dominating. Canada just had to find the hole. At the end when we were trying to run the clock they put in Van. I suppose because he had just had a sweet TD run. Shifty, but not the guy you want in the backfield when you are trying to run the clock. Canada or Logwood would be my choice.

I can see a 20 point loss coming though. As others have said, play calling and execution.

WTF Van is an open field guy but runs tall and disjointed in quick hitting, burrowing situations(CANADA). Granted he had that one great move but hole was wide open down that lane. Canada is our bread and butter guy but get the feeling he feels Van getting all the kudos.

 

[GrizFan2011]

We are ranked 4th because the FCS is a mediocre group of teams. The really good FCS teams have moved on and I wouldn't be surprised to see North Dakota State head that way. We should have moved up a few years ago but Royce said no. We are playing almost all the lower tier teams in the big sky this year with the exception of Eastern Washington. Fact is, our conference is getting worse and mediocre seems to be where we want to be these days.

 

[BWahlberg]

I also thought the crowd was terrific. As for the horse collar call, when I could see how the referees called it. However was not 100% sure of it. I saw the replay and was a little upset at the call. I watched the game on dvr late last night. It was not a horse collar. The officials must of had bad vision angles. Had one official had a good angle, that should have been discussed and not flagged.

That was NOT a horse collar---on of the most egregious official's calls I have ever seen.

Uh, we are talking about Big Sky Conference officiating. I think you only remember short term. :lol: :thumb:

I think that was evened out by the late hit on SD early on in the game...Ol' Joe wasn't too happy

One thing - that wasn't a late hit penalty it was an unsportsmanlike conduct for taunting after the play. Happened right in front of me. #33 clearly said something because Jones is laying on the ground and he turns toward him and shouts something - the ref has his back to #33 - turns to look at him as he's pulling the flag. Whatever he said - that's what got the flag, not the late hit.