Darius Walker and the Running Game

[scooper]

My numbers come from Notre Dame's athletic site

(a ten yard run was negated by holding)

The markoff was from the spot of the foul and brought the ball back to the original line of scrimmage, the yards he gained still counted. The back gets credit in that situation. It's an odd rule, but it's there. If the play is negated in that case, it would be 2nd and 20. It was a repeat of second and 10. Anyway, if you look up the final stats in the box score, against adding up the play by play, those yards are there.

9th
1 for 2 (you had 10)

Not according to the play by play on UND's page. A pass to Samardzija took it to the 10. Walker scored on the next play from the 10. I double checked ESPN's play by play. I am correct. Maybe the fact that it was a third and 2 play from the 10 threw you off.

What I see is that after the 1st drive, OSU made changes. Having Darius run the ball was not going to work more than once.

Sure they made changes, but we still had success on the ground. More than you have credited them for once adding back in those yards you incorrectly deducted.

[Increasing his touches would not have helped...OSU was willing to risk having him run because they knew he could not really hurt them nearly as much as BQ's arm. Weis gave him a limited amount of touches for a reason.../QUOTE] He averaged over six yards per rush in the second half. Unless an Ohio St. coach told you as much, I'm not sure how you can say what they were willing to give.

The only time throughout the entire game (including the second half) that he was shut down was when he wasn't given touches.

And I still don't know how you can say Brady's arm was the only way to hurt them, since all three scores game on productive drives by DW.

Once again, the numbers don't support your reasoning. Your assertion seems based on your own perception of each side's strategy and observations, which you can't possibly know. The only thing we know for sure is the numbers themselves. And the numbers were in DW's favor.

 

[irishfan]

What more can you possibly want out of a running back than nealy 1200 yards rushing, and over 350 receiving. (not to mention the fact that he was only a sophmore) I'm predicting his numbers to go up even more given how underrated of a back he is, and i think he will get over 2000 yards of total offense this year. (rushing and receiving) Not to mention the fact that i believe he will stay for his senior year and rush for over 1750 and 500 receving yards on his way to the Heisman.

 

[tmacirish]

Travis thomas should be used alittle more. his aggresive, smashmouth running style wears down the Dline and LB's and it takes its toll on the d during the middle of the 3rd quarter. If hes used to beat up the D, then DW will get those big holes to attack and explode through. Let teams drop there secondary back, theyll get slaughterd and ahve to bring them back towards the ball, giving Quinn a field day picking apart the secondary.

you should also note that a RB is only as good as his line. Reggie Bush was a dynamic athlete and probably the best football player ive seen, what made him special was how hed slice up the secondary with a few cuts leaving everyone near him with there ankles broken. But what got him intot he position where he could do his thing was 8 ft wide holes his line got him. You could seriously drive a car through there.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

My numbers come from Notre Dame's athletic site

The markoff was from the spot of the foul and brought the ball back to the original line of scrimmage, the yards he gained still counted. The back gets credit in that situation. It's an odd rule, but it's there. If the play is negated in that case, it would be 2nd and 20. It was a repeat of second and 10. Anyway, if you look up the final stats in the box score, against adding up the play by play, those yards are there.

Noted...yes, that makes sense.

Not according to the play by play on UND's page. A pass to Samardzija took it to the 10. Walker scored on the next play from the 10. I double checked ESPN's play by play. I am correct. Maybe the fact that it was a third and 2 play from the 10 threw you off.

No...the 8th drive had 10 yards for the score.

The 9th drive ended the quarter...
Notre Dame at 2:11 ND OSU
1st and 10 at ND 20 Darius Walker rush for 2 yards to the NDame 22.
2nd and 8 at ND 22 Brady Quinn pass complete to Maurice Stovall for 10 yards to the NDame 32 for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at ND 32 Brady Quinn pass complete to Anthony Fasano for 8 yards, fumbled at the NDame 39, forced by Donte Whitner, recovered by Matt Shelton at the NDame 39, tackled by Donte Whitner.
2nd and 3 at ND 39 Brady Quinn pass complete to Jeff Samardzija for 7 yards to the NDame 46 for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at ND 46 Brady Quinn pass complete to Darius Walker for 5 yards to the OSU 49.

Sure they made changes, but we still had success on the ground. More than you have credited them for once adding back in those yards you incorrectly deducted.

Well, I always said he had 90 overall...that just adds weight to my comments. His yards were mostly 1st Half since OSU made the appropriate adjustments to stop him if he consistently tried to run. Take note of the 3rd and 5th drives.

He averaged over six yards per rush in the second half. Unless an Ohio St. coach told you as much, I'm not sure how you can say what they were willing to give.

6 yards per carry in second half? No. 4.9. He got 24 yards on carries. He got more in receipts.

Seems to me they were willing to give him 24 yards on 5 carries. (a 4.9 yds/carry) ;-)

If he's only a threat for 24 yards...I'd say they made a great choice. Two of those runs were 10 yards each...and were on separate drives.

The only time throughout the entire game (including the second half) that he was shut down was when he wasn't given touches.

Really?

3RD DRIVE
1st and 10 at OSU 15 Darius Walker rush for 8 yards to the OSU 7.
2nd and 2 at OSU 7 Darius Walker rush for no gain to the OSU 7.
3rd and 2 at OSU 7 Darius Walker rush for no gain to the OSU 7.

5TH DRIVE
1st and 10 at ND 9 Darius Walker rush for a loss of 2 yards to the NDame 7.
1st and 10 at ND 49 Darius Walker rush for 1 yard to the 50 yard line.

Seems to me, CW took note of this adjustment by OSU.

And I still don't know how you can say Brady's arm was the only way to hurt them, since all three scores game on productive drives by DW.

The other two scoring drives FINISHED with a Walker run...but Walker contributed nothing to getting them there using his feet.

SECOND TD
1st and 10 at ND 29 Brady Quinn pass incomplete to Darius Walker
2nd and 10 at ND 29 Brady Quinn pass complete to Matt Shelton for 21 yards to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at OSU 50 Brady Quinn rush for 5 yards to the OSU 45.
2nd and 5 at OSU 45 Brady Quinn pass complete to Maurice Stovall for 13 yards to the OSU 32 for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at OSU 32 Brady Quinn pass incomplete to Jeff Samardzija.
2nd and 10 at OSU 32 Brady Quinn pass incomplete to Anthony Fasano.
3rd and 10 at OSU 32 Brady Quinn pass complete to Matt Shelton for 14 yards to the OSU 18 for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at OSU 18 Brady Quinn pass complete to Matt Shelton for 6 yards to the OSU 12.
2nd and 4 at OSU 12 Brady Quinn pass complete to Jeff Samardzija for 2 yards to the OSU 10.
3rd and 2 at OSU 10 Darius Walker rush for 10 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.

SECOND TD
1st and 10 at ND 20 Brady Quinn pass complete to Maurice Stovall for 15 yards to the NDame 35 for a 1ST down
1st and 10 at ND 35 Brady Quinn pass complete to Matt Shelton for 6 yards to the NDame 41.
2nd and 4 at ND 41 Brady Quinn pass complete to Matt Shelton for 6 yards to the NDame 47 for a 1ST down out-of-bounds.
1st and 10 at ND 47 Brady Quinn sacked by Mike Kudla at the NDame 32 for a loss of 15 yards.
2nd and 25 at ND 32 Brady Quinn pass complete to Darius Walker for 13 yards to the NDame 45.
3rd and 12 at ND 45 Brady Quinn pass complete to Jeff Samardzija for 28 yards to the OSU 27 for a 1ST down.
1st and 10 at OSU 27 Brady Quinn pass complete to Darius Walker for 2 yards to the OSU 25.
2nd and 8 at OSU 25 Brady Quinn pass incomplete to Jeff Samardzija.
3rd and 8 at OSU 25 Brady Quinn pass incomplete to Jeff Samardzija.
4th and 8 at OSU 25 Brady Quinn pass complete to Maurice Stovall for 17 yards to the OSU 8 for a 1ST down.
1st and Goal at OSU 8 Ohio St penalty 6 yard pass interference accepted, no play.
1st and Goal at OSU 2 Darius Walker rush for a loss of 1 yard to the OSU 3.
2nd and Goal at OSU 3 Brady Quinn pass incomplete to Anthony Fasano.
3rd and Goal at OSU 3 Darius Walker rush for 3 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.

Once again, the numbers don't support your reasoning. Your assertion seems based on your own perception of each side's strategy and observations, which you can't possibly know. The only thing we know for sure is the numbers themselves. And the numbers were in DW's favor.

I just don't see his impact with his feet. He contributed to helping move the team down field his first drive. He got 38 of 90 yards then. He got 20 the next drive. So 2/3 of his yardage came in the first half. Resulting in one score.

I see little impact from his running. Once OSU made adjustments to him after the first quarter he was done. Maybe that's why CW had him catch 7? He's too slow to get out of the backfield against a guy like Hawk...but once he's in the flat he's got a shot at making guys miss???

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

What more can you possibly want out of a running back than nealy 1200 yards rushing, and over 350 receiving. (not to mention the fact that he was only a sophmore) I'm predicting his numbers to go up even more given how underrated of a back he is, and i think he will get over 2000 yards of total offense this year. (rushing and receiving) Not to mention the fact that i believe he will stay for his senior year and rush for over 1750 and 500 receving yards on his way to the Heisman.

What do I want?

I want a RB that other teams fear and adjust for. A RB that teams worry can turn the corner, hit the afterburners, and get some big yards.

I was DW with TT speed, I guess.

NOW...you make a good point that he has two years left. Should he get faster he will do EXACTLY what you said.

Give DW some speed and he's scary...

 

[scooper]

Even an average of 4.9 in the second half is a great average, especially against that defense.

As for those couple drives when he was shut down-no back gets big yardage every time they step on the field. What you want is consistant production spread over an entire game. DW gave that. Had he been given the normal reps of a starting tailback in a running offense, projecting his average out, he would have put up well over 100 on Ohio St.

As for fear, Autry Denson had less front line speed than DW. He is the all time leading rusher at ND. DW is on pace to break that. Denson used to kill teams rushing.

Ohio St's defense feared noone, by the way. But DW fared better against them than a lot of good backs.

Also, I've spoken with Michigan fans that fear DW. Because just like he did against OSU, he has burned them for solid yardage and multiple TD's. I don't know. Maybe you should just catch a track meet sometime. DW, the football player, is one hell of a running back.

 

[nayers]

Wow!!! I never would have thought that some, (not neccesarily here) would be criticizing DW's performance...He is the type of guy I want on my team:
1: DEPENDABLE
2: TEAM GUY
3: GOOD (the numbers dont lie)
4: SMART (very articulate and good with the media)

Let's also not forget, that he was hampered somewhat with injuries, AND saw very limited carries in some games, and still had over 1000 yards rushing with TT to compete with playing time...He fits our offense very well

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

As for fear, Autry Denson had less front line speed than DW. He is the all time leading rusher at ND. DW is on pace to break that. Denson used to kill teams rushing.

Ohio St's defense feared noone, by the way. But DW fared better against them than a lot of good backs.

Both statements are very true...the second for its own reason.

1) Autry was NOT faster than DW. He had MAGIC moves. I have rarely seen a RB whose upper body seemed completely disconnected from his lower body like Autry. Man, he was something special...however slow he may have been.

2) OSU spent their time trying to shut down the pass. They did not waste their time stacking 7 or 8 in the box to stop DW.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

Wow!!! I never would have thought that some, (not neccesarily here) would be criticizing DW's performance...

There is a fine line between saying I want a fast back with moves who can break away and saying that he's "bad". I am also NOT saying he needs to be replaced. NOR am I saying he has awful technique. (although the High School Hip Wiggle can go)

I am saying I want a guy who scares secondaries and can break away for a long run if he sees daylight. A guy who can turn a corner faster than a LB.

That's what I want to see.

I would like DW to get fast and be that man...but I want that on the team

 

[guff]

DW's Big Plays

DW's Big Plays

Caveats:
1. If we are going to judge big plays we should use the coach’s measuring stick - that being a run of ten or more yards and a pass of 20 or more yds

2. This list is not guaranteed to be all inclusive. There is a good chance a shorted DW out of a big play or two. With the exception of the Pitt game this list was created by looking at the play-by-play on ND’s official website (for Pitt I used ESPN - PBP was not available at UND.com) I may have overlooked a big play or two. Also I didn’t count any TD run less than 10yds as a big play even though TDs are big play no matter how far from the goal line they originate.

3. This list by no means is an indication of DW’s completeness. There have been backs at ND that could run better, catch better or block better but no one in memory can do all three as well as DW. DW's ability to read, properly react to and block the blitz is as good as it gets in college. He's steady, dependable, and reliable. He just isn't flashy. He gets the job done quietly, but the job gets done.

Per game big play breakdown:
Pitt
4 rushes
1 reception
Michigan
2 rushes
MSU
5 rushes
UW
7 rushes
Purdue
2 rushes
USC
2 rushes
1 reception
BYU
1 rush
UT
3 rushes
Navy
3 rushes
Syracuse
3 rushes
Stanford
6 rushes
OSU
3 rushes

42 Big plays by my count. Not too shabby.

It should also be noted that 1. Not all runs of equal yardage are of equal value - A 3 yard run on 2 and 15 is worthless, on 3rd and 2 it’s priceless. 2. Walker runs against nickel and other pass oriented defenses where the corners and safeties are back thus limited the chances for a running back to get behind them. The reason Bettis was able breakoff dive plays for huge chunks of yardage was because every defender was with 8 yds of the ball and moving forward at the snap.

Not to get the thread off track but for the sake of clarity I will revisit the OSU game - DW just punched it in from 3 yds out - score 27-20 OSU. I, along with every other ND fan out there, firmly believed that after ND stops OSU on the ensuing possession ND will tie the game (or win it if Weis decides to go for two). The DEFENSE allowed a 60 yd TD (one of three huge TDs allowed that evening) and that’s the ball game. The DEFENSE allowed the huge TD. DW was on the sidelines with the rest of the offense waiting for the opportunity to score again. The DEFENSE never gave them that opportunity. Did I mention the failure of the DEFENSE that fateful Arizona night. The same DEFENSE that allowed Leinart and Jarret to hook up for 61 yds on 4th and 9. Yup the DEFENSE is this team's cause for concern, not DW, the running game as a whole or any facet of the offense for the matter.

I realize this was all fruitless. We, the members of the unofficial DW fan club, have tried before to convince LOVE that DW is all that ND needs at running back to win it all. That thread ended with a me quoting Cool Hand Luke (http://www.irishenvy.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7096). This little treatise will not convince him either. But when ND is holding the crystal football in January, we all get the big “See I told you so”

 

[rontdtarchala]

While not trying to infuriate any of my brothers on this site I am currently watching ND vs Stanford on espnu and I don't care what anyone says heres the truth...
I like darius so please don't take this badly....he's slower than a seven year itch!! And our line cant open a good hole to save their frickin lives. I just don't see this "our oline is so good thing cause I watched the scum game yesterday and hey I simply don't see it...We need hoooooooollllzzzzzzzzzz in the d to get those big runs like those other dam schools...Fantastic pass blockers crappy run blockers sorry...think not come to my house in indy I'll replay 05 games and prove it...ok gotta go games startin....love my irish

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

Caveats:
1. If we are going to judge big plays we should use the coach’s measuring stick - that being a run of ten or more yards and a pass of 20 or more yds

Let's talk about breakout runs...runs that are more than a down, but open serious distance.

OR, better yet...could you compare Darius to someone the nation considers a top back?

How did he do with 20+ yard runs?

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

While not trying to infuriate any of my brothers on this site I am currently watching ND vs Stanford on espnu and I don't care what anyone says heres the truth...
I like darius so please don't take this badly....he's slower than a seven year itch!! And our line cant open a good hole to save their frickin lives. I just don't see this "our oline is so good thing cause I watched the scum game yesterday and hey I simply don't see it...We need hoooooooollllzzzzzzzzzz in the d to get those big runs like those other dam schools...Fantastic pass blockers crappy run blockers sorry...think not come to my house in indy I'll replay 05 games and prove it...ok gotta go games startin....love my irish

You bring up a good point about the O-Line...they are better at pass protection than opening holes to run.

I remember watching USC vs TX and seeing White run through holes the size of my car. I don't remember seeing that with our line.

 

[Batch]

We lost against OSU because of the run game. We had one good running series and that was it. After that OSU knew they did not have to use Safeties to cover DW. They dropped them into coverage and double teamed our receivers.

Wow!!, Just Wow...you pretty much lost all credibility with that statement. No need to read any further.

Jigga - Completely agree with you as almost always.

Guys the kid had over 1500 total yards last year as a sophomore and only had a total of 78 negative yards. Lets just compare that to someone like Julius Jones (Whom I am not criticizing at all). JJ had only 707 total yards and this was in an offens that had more a tendency to run the ball.

I want to give some of you criticizing DW a bit of absolute truth. In our offense if DW doesn't pick up the blitzes as well as he did Brady's chance of injury would have sky rocketed, Shark and Stovall would not have the kind of years they had, and we would not have won 9 games...Period!

-Batch

 

[KMac151993]

I think the main reason people are on Darius are two reasons, one I do still believe that he runs a lot more East/West when he could run North/South but he has been improving on that a lot; and the other MAIN reason is because we all know this kid is something special and what he has done so far has been GREAT and amazed us all but we all know that he could be insane, but the fact remains he plays in a passing offense hopefully he comes back next year and will be a legit front runner for the Heisman, hes that good.

 

[guff]

Yeah he was terrible in the Stanford game 35 rushes for a paltry 185 yds, one measley touchdown, only 55 yds receiving and no stinking fumbles either. He could have put the ball on the ground at least once! We should start a petition to have his scholarship revoked. And while we're at it that Quinn guy isn't a very good runner either and he had the nerve to throw 7 ints last year. Let's just scrap the whole miserable offense and bring back the option. That's what ND ran last time they won a national championship.

 

[KMac151993]

Yeah he was terrible in the Stanford game 35 rushes for a paltry 185 yds, one measley touchdown, only 55 yds receiving and no stinking fumbles either. He could have put the ball on the ground at least once! We should start a petition to have his scholarship revoked. And while we're at it that Quinn guy isn't a very good runner either and he had the nerve to throw 7 ints last year. Let's just scrap the whole miserable offense and bring back the option. That's what ND ran last time they won a national championship.

I would like to see the option again though.

 

[rontdtarchala]

I will also repeat again, I like DW. He is simply slow...and thats fact. He had a hell of a lot of yards against stanford. But I swear if he just had some speed he would get 250 a game! Just like in the scum game he would go over a hundred than lose 8 go over a hundred then loose 5. Because he goes east west lookin for holes instead of shooting thru. He is going to be one of the best backs we've ever had. I just wish he had more dang speed......

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

Wow!!, Just Wow...you pretty much lost all credibility with that statement. No need to read any further.

Care to offer proof otherwise? Or do you just dismiss things out of hand when you don't like them...

Your credibility is in question here...not mine.

Offer proof to the contrary...I would love to see it.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

Yeah he was terrible in the Stanford game 35 rushes for a paltry 185 yds, one measley touchdown, only 55 yds receiving and no stinking fumbles either. He could have put the ball on the ground at least once! We should start a petition to have his scholarship revoked. And while we're at it that Quinn guy isn't a very good runner either and he had the nerve to throw 7 ints last year. Let's just scrap the whole miserable offense and bring back the option. That's what ND ran last time they won a national championship.

No one said he stinks...easy there sport.

Stanford was a good effort...definitely...but let's put it in perspective... 5-6 Stanford. A team that gave up 32 PPG. They were truly an awful team. They BARELY beat Navy.

In fact, they only beat two winning teams... Navy (8-4) and ASU (7-5)

It's a great effort, but not as much of a statement as say a team like Michigan. I personally think his effort against a much tougher Michigan was more special.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

I think the main reason people are on Darius are two reasons, one I do still believe that he runs a lot more East/West when he could run North/South but he has been improving on that a lot; and the other MAIN reason is because we all know this kid is something special and what he has done so far has been GREAT and amazed us all but we all know that he could be insane, but the fact remains he plays in a passing offense hopefully he comes back next year and will be a legit front runner for the Heisman, hes that good.

The reason I am on him is that he can't turn a corner and when a hole opens up he does not have the speed to truly exploit it.

Change that and he will be a STELLAR runner.

The things about him that he does AMAZINGLY well:
1) Ball control. The guy simply does not fumble.
2) Pass protection. He's one of the best pass protector RB's in the game.

I am NOT saying that he needs to be replaced...however, I won't pretend for a minute that he has the job locked down for good.

People need to get a grip when other point out that a RB is not perfect... Cause let's face it...he will NOT contend for the Heisman unless he gets faster.

 

[guff]

Never said he was perfect. Just the most complete in my memory, there is a difference. This offense doesn't need perfect - good, actually better than most other college backs, is all that is needed. Walker can, has and will get the job done.

If you were hips deep in Jessica Simpson would you be dreaming of Jessica Alba? Be happy with what you have when what you have is better than most.

 

[34Squire34]

We lost against OSU because of the run game. We had one good running series and that was it. After that OSU knew they did not have to use Safeties to cover DW. They dropped them into coverage and double teamed our receivers.

We also lost the OSU game because we gave up 600+ yds on defense, our all american recievers dropped balls, and we failed to covert a 4th and 2 in the redzone.

IMO, laying OSU and the Fiesta Bowl defeat at the feet of Darius and the running game is trying to unfairly scapegoat one guy.

 

[scooper]

We also lost the OSU game because we gave up 600+ yds on defense, our all american recievers dropped balls, and we failed to covert a 4th and 2 in the redzone.

IMO, laying OSU and the Fiesta Bowl defeat at the feet of Darius and the running game is trying to unfairly scapegoat one guy.

Reps for you.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

We also lost the OSU game because we gave up 600+ yds on defense, our all american recievers dropped balls, and we failed to covert a 4th and 2 in the redzone.

IMO, laying OSU and the Fiesta Bowl defeat at the feet of Darius and the running game is trying to unfairly scapegoat one guy.

Agreed...my statement was far too broad. A good secondary would have kept us in the game. However, my expectations of them was low to begin with (going into the Fiesta Bowl).

Also, I see the secondary having different issues. The secondary's problem was with learning the schemes and playing positions appropriately (although, I agree that Ndukewe could lose some weight). Tommy Z and Ambrose Wooden are more than fast enough for their positions...they just need to work on schemes.

Walker's "issue" is that he is not fast enough to force teams to cause the secondary to worry. It's a speed issue. (I think he is dancing less than when he started) So, when you play a team with a D like OSU's you know the passing game will have to be perfect.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

While not trying to infuriate any of my brothers on this site I am currently watching ND vs Stanford on espnu and I don't care what anyone says heres the truth...I like darius so please don't take this badly....he's slower than a seven year itch!!

That's basically my concern...

 

[scooper]

A good secondary would have kept us in the game.

Not to mention a pass rush. Our lack of a pass rush left an inexperienced defensive backfield out to dry all year long. Even the best DB's get burned if WR's are given time to get open.

But that's another topic.

 

[rontdtarchala]

Guff, I agree that we should all be able to express ourselves...but happy with what we have? Are you seriously saying we should be happy with what we have....hell no!!!! we want the best...period. We should expect the best in everything....The best players the best coaches-the best team-the most respectful fans-an administration that underestands the needs of the students....on an on an on. We want running backs that scare opponents to the point they crap themselves thinking about trying to stop them...

 

[irishfan]

Guff, I agree that we should all be able to express ourselves...but happy with what we have? Are you seriously saying we should be happy with what we have....hell no!!!! we want the best...period. We should expect the best in everything....The best players the best coaches-the best team-the most respectful fans-an administration that underestands the needs of the students....on an on an on. We want running backs that scare opponents to the point they crap themselves thinking about trying to stop them...

What we should expect is a running back who can protect BQ in the pocket, and run the screen play to perfection. Not to mention be on pace to break Autry Denson's rushing record, and one of the best team players on the team. That pretty much sums up Darius Walker.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

What we should expect is a running back who can protect BQ in the pocket, and run the screen play to perfection. Not to mention be on pace to break Autry Denson's rushing record, and one of the best team players on the team. That pretty much sums up Darius Walker.

Expect and want are two things.

I get what I expect with Walker...I want more.
I get what I expect with the secondary...I want more.
I get what I expect with the D-Line...I want more.

If we want to win a NC, the team has to step it up. They were destroyed in the Fiesta Bowl. We all saw they were not prepared to play for it all.

This year, I want them to be good enough to play for it all. The big prize.

It will mean that EVERYONE has to step up:
The pass rush MUST improve
Less dropped passes (there were few, we need less)
The running game must be more explosive
The secondary cannot have mental breakdowns...they must play smart and tough.
BQ can't miss easy passes to Schwap in big games (or little ones...lol)
McKnight must return to his former glory and take over for Stovall.

DW did fine last year. 9-3 fine. I want to see him do 12-0 awesome this year!!!

Seriously, if the above things happen, we will win it all. The complete package.

But we cannot be satisfied with 9-3 play.