Postgame Discussion - Temple

[Irish Insanity]

But there were no expectations. My point was that those teams are beatin the hell outta the teams they're supposed to be beating the hell out of.


And for those giving props to Temples QB....come on. He played a good game but he's not Gardner.

Agree, but Gardner didn't look great either and against a poor D

 

[CanadalovesND]

D looked rusty. LB's had issues with the play action and zone read. And our DL was off today. Gave Reilly too much time when it wasn't a short pass. Gotta step it up next week.

O looked solid. Started off good, but Tommy missed a few throws and killed a drive or two, but that's normal, every QB does.

The only thing that really somewhat irked me is that we only put up 28 points against a D we could have easily put up 40 or more.

But hey, a win is a win, and practice hard in preparation for Michigan.


Oh, and one more thing:

HOW WAS THAT A PI AGAINST BJAX? UNBELIEVABLE!

Go Irish!

 

[magogian]

OFFENSE
QB - Tommy did great. NO TURNOVERS! Granted, it was against Temple, but the no turnovers was a great sign. He showed some decent arm strength. If we made a statement tonight on offense, it was that Tommy and our WRs do pose a legitimate deep threat.

WRs - ballers. DD looked like he was playing against high school players. He would have easily had a 3rd TD if he didn't have to pull up because of that groin injury. TJ did great also. Showed good speed and agility. And Chris Brown! He played like a legit BCS WR, and that one catch over the DB was fantastic.

OL -- Great job in pass protection and on outside runs. But, wtf, where were the holes for the inside runs. Stanley is legit.

TE -- only really noticed Niklas, but mannnn. He showed legit speed and good hands on that TD run.

RBs - Amir, wow! Once he gets more settled down, watch out! I just don't think he can be our between the tackles runner. GAIII did ok. Cam did ok. I think Bryant and Folston had our best inside runs of the day. Folston is already 205+. Both looked great. Barring injury, etc., we are set at RB for years.

DEFENSE:
DL -- ehh. Nix was double-teamed almost the whole night. So, I expected more from Day and Tuitt.

LBs -- Ugh. Not impressed. Carlo is a complete liability in space. Fox is OK. Both Carlo and Fox ended up with 9 tackles, but I don't see how. Shembo didn't do much. I didn't see JS on much (but to be expected from a true freshman and partly because of his position).

Secondary -- played ok. Collingsworth did not look athletic enough out there. He was getting beaten badly by their skill players. I was surprised also with Shumate. He has the athleticism, but it didn't seem to show. Frankly, that second safety spot seems like a weakness. Farley was fine. Same with Russel and Jackson. I like they were getting Cole Luke involved.

General thoughts:
Offense -- chunk plays! What I really liked about our big plays is that they seemed to be the kind of plays that are repeatable against better teams. Sure, maybe DD isn't beating his guy by 5 yards, but even against a good team, he is probably beating his guy by a yard or two.

Defense -- that damn play action pass! If we don't play significantly better on those plays (and better scheme!), Gardner is going to kill us with those types of plays.

Overall -- not the prettiest win. Temple got wayyyyy too many yards. But saw some good stuff. Michigan will be a tough game. Frankly, I feel its 50/50.

 

[Bluto]

What pissed me off, and the two Irish fans that sat with me, is that we didn't make a statement. Yes, we won, but we didn't look good against an opponent that we should've creamed. Especially with their terrible D and virgin QB.

Mich? Made a statement today. Oregon? Made a statement. Alabama, on the way to making at statement.


This is what we are missing. I want to see us destroy teams we should destroy.


But a win is a win and I liked the oline play and WR play.

Only statement Im seeing from Bama is that their offense kind of sucks.

 

[TexasNDFan]

Oregon played a team call Nich... I am not sure what that is. The Temple QB wasn't bad at all. He has the potential of being very good if you ask me.

They played Nicholls State which an FCS school in Lousiana. Oregon State torched them for 77 points last year, which capped off a 1-10 season.

 

[ScooterIrish]

OFFENSE
QB - Tommy did great. NO TURNOVERS! Granted, it was against Temple, but the no turnovers was a great sign. He showed some decent arm strength. If we made a statement tonight on offense, it was that Tommy and our WRs do pose a legitimate deep threat.

WRs - ballers. DD looked like he was playing against high school players. He would have easily had a 3rd TD if he didn't have to pull up because of that groin injury. TJ did great also. Showed good speed and agility. And Chris Brown! He played like a legit BCS WR, and that one catch over the DB was fantastic.

OL -- Great job in pass protection and on outside runs. But, wtf, where were the holes for the inside runs. Stanley is legit.

TE -- only really noticed Niklas, but mannnn. He showed legit speed and good hands on that TD run.

RBs - Amir, wow! Once he gets more settled down, watch out! I just don't think he can be our between the tackles runner. GAIII did ok. Cam did ok. I think Bryant and Folston had our best inside runs of the day. Folston is already 205+. Both looked great. Barring injury, etc., we are set at RB for years.

DEFENSE:
DL -- ehh. Nix was double-teamed almost the whole night. So, I expected more from Day and Tuitt.

LBs -- Ugh. Not impressed. Carlo is a complete liability in space. Fox is OK. Both Carlo and Fox ended up with 9 tackles, but I don't see how. Shembo didn't do much. I didn't see JS on much (but to be expected from a true freshman and partly because of his position).

Secondary -- played ok. Collingsworth did not look athletic enough out there. He was getting beaten badly by their skill players. I was surprised also with Shumate. He has the athleticism, but it didn't seem to show. Frankly, that second safety spot seems like a weakness. Farley was fine. Same with Russel and Jackson. I like they were getting Cole Luke involved.

General thoughts:
Offense -- chunk plays! What I really liked about our big plays is that they seemed to be the kind of plays that are repeatable against better teams. Sure, maybe DD isn't beating his guy by 5 yards, but even against a good team, he is probably beating his guy by a yard or two.

Defense -- that damn play action pass! If we don't play significantly better on those plays (and better scheme!), Gardner is going to kill us with those types of plays.

Overall -- not the prettiest win. Temple got wayyyyy too many yards. But saw some good stuff. Michigan will be a tough game. Frankly, I feel its 50/50.

Well said!

 

[Irish#1]

Tommy was very good today. I think the quick start hurt the team a little and they seemed to relax a little. BK got their attention at halftime. Defense locked down and O controlled the line in the second half.

We'll be ready next week.

 

[notredomer23]

Honestly I am not worried. We easily could have scored in the 40s if we needed to. The only part where I am a little concerned was ILB. Was not impressed at all with Carlo, Fox, and Grace.

 

[TDHeysus]

on those runs that go around the corner (off tackle, or further outside) I got used to Danny Spond stepping up and making a few of those stops. Those runs were gashing the defense for 5-10 yards today pretty easily; last year Danny Spond stopped a lot of those at the line scrimmage.

The offense was ok, it should get better, I'm not concerned with the offense. However, along with most other posters, its the defense that was a real source of concern.

 

[NDinFL]

You're right you shouldn't watch next week.

Geeze I've never seen a group so morose about a steady win.

I agree.

I swear it's like half of these whiners don't remember having to worry about losing to Syracuse or UConn....

For ****s sake, it's a win. And a good one

 

[Freeman Ara]

We play like we did today, this is an 8-4 football team. I think Alabama showed that on defense our weakness is our safety play and you'll see teams try to exploit them all year. I was never sold on our defense being as good as it was last year before this game and this just kind of confirmed my thinking. You don't lose the heart and soul of your defense, who happened to be its best player and get better.

 

[BMT]

In a strange way, after how the supposed superstars looked on defense today this may make them super hungry on national tv at night to prove a point?

 

[User Namejohnsie]

Cam Mcdaniel... White Chocolate!!

 

[CanadianIrishFan306]

I actually thought punt return was better than last year, tj gained a few yards like twice. But im not happy about the game, sometimes i feel like its good to have this type of game before michigan. It can make them hungrier and feel like they have something to prove. They know theyre better and its a rivalry game, lets hope they really show up next week.

It's also good because they can make those adjustments from watching the game tape that they can't make when they are just out practicing in August. I think they will be ready for Michigan.

 

[ShawneeIrish]

Tommy looked great! Offense as a whole played well, really like having multiple receiving threats to spread the ball around to.

Defense did not look terrible, but certainly not dominant, or even good really. The LBs are the biggest concern I think. Calabrese is a liability and Fox is just ok. Shembo did not impress much either.

 

[woolybug25]

Cam Mcdaniel... White Chocolate!!

Best first post ever.

 

[chubler]

I'm gonna be honest, we cant really draw any conclusions from this game so everyone relax please about the D?

No film, no idea what to prepare for (acknowledged by BK multiple times) , Big Lou struggling with heat exhaustion, an unexpectedly mobile qb, etc...

We've listed all the things to worry about in this thread already. But consider this: besides the things I said above, our offense scored in 3 plays its first two drives. The D got basically no rest at the hottest point of the game. I had to take my shirt off up in the stands only 5 minutes into the 1st. The d gets tired, and the mobile qb gets away more quickly and stupid dink and dunk passes turn into bigger gains. They go up tempo. Then, their d gets rested, our playcalling gets more conservative, and they start stringing together long drives, compounding the problem. It might have been as simple as that perfect storm of unlucky coincidences.

We won't know anything about our D, IMO, until after scUM.

 

[Fire Charlie]

I agree.

I swear it's like half of these whiners don't remember having to worry about losing to Syracuse or UConn....

For ****s sake, it's a win. And a good one

Ahhhhh, that Syracuse game. Don't think I've ever been more mad after a loss than that.

Seriously, you guys are the most pessimistic people ever, whining that we didn't beat Temple by enough to satisfy you. We beat them soundly, do we have to win by 50 points or something?

 

[returnofthemack]

Ahhhhh, that Syracuse game. Don't think I've ever been more mad after a loss than that.

Seriously, you guys are the most pessimistic people ever, whining that we didn't beat Temple by enough to satisfy you. We beat them soundly, do we have to win by 50 points or something?

I don't think it's the offense not putting up enough points that worries me - it's that the Temple QB made our defense look stupid when he scrambled, and the Temple WRs dropped a $hitload of passes. Devin Gardner is absolutely a better runner than he is, probably a better passer. So yeah, a win is a win, and all that jazz, but we're going to have to play a hell of a lot better to reach the 10-win estimation most of you Pollyannas have put up.

 

[Patulski]

I'm gonna be honest, we cant really draw any conclusions from this game so everyone relax please about the D?

I'm not so sure about that. Carlo is Carlo and Fox is Fox. Neither are great athletes. Last year we had Manti and this year we do not. Manti would take angles underneath blockers and make plays with his speed. Fox, and particularly Carlo, struggle with this. Manti and Fox in pass defense and pursuit is a much better combination than Fox and Carlo. Fox and Carlo are both seniors. There is not a lot of upside for them. They are who they are and neither can do the things I discussed above as well as Manti.

Then there's Shumate and Collingsworth replacing Motta. I had hopes for Shumate because he was a nickel back last year. But in putting on weight to play safety, he looks a step slower and nowhere near as sure instinctive as Motta. Collingsworth looked better than Shumate, but he is nowhere near the physical hitter Motta was and is small. I think teams are going to go after them with tight ends and I think we'll be vulnerable early in the season. I hope I'm wrong.

I also think we will miss Spond. He was an extremely versatile guy with a lot of power and speed. I think Smith has more speed, but less power. I don't think Councell has either the speed or the power of Spond.

This is not to say we will not be good defensively. I do not think we'll be as good as last year for the reasons mentioned.

 

[Patulski]

I don't think it's the offense not putting up enough points that worries me - it's that the Temple QB made our defense look stupid when he scrambled, and the Temple WRs dropped a $hitload of passes. Devin Gardner is absolutely a better runner than he is, probably a better passer. So yeah, a win is a win, and all that jazz, but we're going to have to play a hell of a lot better to reach the 10-win estimation most of you Pollyannas have put up.

I think you have to give credit to Temple's QB. He made a lot of good reads and was pretty accurate under pressure, particularly in the 10-15 yard pass range. I agree that Gardner will be a problem scrambling, but I wonder how well he can read and react in the passing game under pressure. We'll see.

 

[Irish Insanity]

Cam Mcdaniel... White Chocolate!!

Best first post ever.

And still his only post. Could this be CMD coming on the board to nickname himself?

 

[Ndaccountant]

Lets not forget there was zero tape for nd to view for what they would be seeing. The second half defense was much better once they adjusted. There are potential issues, but i think we are focused too much on the first half.

 

[Jebediah Springfield]

Cam Mcdaniel... White Chocolate!!

taken already

 

[LaJollaIrish]

Just taking a glance at the tape. If the QB recognizes the corner blitz (twice) maybe Diaco might want to change to a check down defensive play instead of still sending the corner and giving up 10+. A surprise attack needs, well, surprise...

 

[LaJollaIrish]

...and Ishaq will drive you nuts. So physically gifted but it's like he forgets where he is half way through the play...

 

[Rhode Irish]

To steal from the great former Boston Celtic coach Rick Pitino, there is a lot of negativity in this thread and it sucks. The game was over after 6 Irish offensive plays and less than five minutes. Believe it or not, the coaches' objective isn't to impress you guys by scoring the most decisive victory possible in week 1 of the season. They are trying to get through the game without suffering any devastating injuries, ease guys into new roles and, if possible, limiting what they put on film for the first true test of the season next week. I know for some of the posters on this board, complaining and criticizing is like breathing, but I really wish you'd save it for after something actually goes wrong. If Michigan beats us 56-0 on Saturday as you seem so sure will happen, you will have plenty of time to bitch and moan about it then.

 

[mriguy]

Well said Rhode Irish!

 

[LaJollaIrish]

To steal from the great former Boston Celtic coach Rick Pitino, there is a lot of negativity in this thread and it sucks. The game was over after 6 Irish offensive plays and less than five minutes. Believe it or not, the coaches' objective isn't to impress you guys by scoring the most decisive victory possible in week 1 of the season. They are trying to get through the game without suffering any devastating injuries, ease guys into new roles and, if possible, limiting what they put on film for the first true test of the season next week. I know for some of the posters on this board, complaining and criticizing is like breathing, but I really wish you'd save it for after something actually goes wrong. If Michigan beats us 56-0 on Saturday as you seem so sure will happen, you will have plenty of time to bitch and moan about it then.

+ 1 Lighten Up, Francis

 

[Irish YJ]

First game.... Bland play calling by design. TR did some good things. Some fresh looked nice. Can we hope for anything more..... Next game tells the tale.

Go Cole Luke.