I don't see how the floor with Jagusah is any lower than Baker unless he has a bunch of false starts. Baker was horrific against PSU and Jag has been training to be a LT since he's been at ND. Upside is also significantly higher. Jagusah is going to drafted higher than anyone on OSU's front seven when all is said and done.
Completely agree. Jags is clearly the better option at LT over Baker, but the bigger question for the staff may be what matters more - locking down one edge or controlling the interior, both in protection and in generating movement in the run game.
ND isn’t winning this game by giving Leonard a clean pocket on 7-step drops. They have to run the ball and give him just enough time to make quick throws. Both of those become a hell of a lot harder if an injured Rocco is getting whipped inside. Think back to 2022 when 51 from OSU lived in the backfield and completely wrecked the offense. That same disaster feels possible with an injured Spindler lining up against their DTs.
Jags coming into the PSU game and bullying their front was a game-changer. His physicality sparked the run game and helped keep the pocket cleaner. RL’s legs and Denbrock’s scheme were enough to mask Baker’s deficiencies, and it worked well enough to beat PSU.
Completely different story when the pressure is coming from the inside. It’s much harder to escape pressure, and damn near impossible to run against it or scheme around it.
I really don’t know how effective Rocco will be inside with that injury. But if there’s any doubt, I’m sticking Jags at guard and telling RL to grow eyes in the back of his head b/c this offense depends far more on getting movement and security in the interior than it does on locking down the edge.
Can't fucking believe Knapp went down. I think we could have moved the ball on the ground all night with Knapp at LT and Jags at RG. Next man up, I guess.
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