5 Quick LU vs ULL thoughts

[Mike]

1. The team got off to a bad start and wasn't able to recover. It was similar to some of the blowout losses last season in the fact that everything that could've went wrong did which put the team way behind the 8-ball, the difference was I didn't see this team quit. They fought hard the entire game but were just outmatched and couldn't overcome the early mistakes. I'd expect a lot of fight and a much better game at home this week vs Prarie View A&M.

2. The offensive line is obviously a work in progress and getting thrown in there versus a decent FBS school on the road only exaggerated the problem. Ian Kelso had a rough day starting at center with numerous bad snaps. Not only did he have bad snaps he had a couple that were snapped when the QB wasn't ready which resulted in big losses. They'll keep working and I have confidence in the group but it'll be interesting to see how long a leash they'll have if it continues, especially with Kyle Gilliam playing right to his left.

3. The defense was put into some bad situations but overall I liked the fight that I saw. Besides a couple blow up plays they made the Cajuns earn their points early in the game. Eventually it looked like they wore down a little after getting no help from the offense but they continued to play hard against a talented & experienced QB and offensive group. They also shut down the Cajuns in the 2nd half which showed their fight.

4. The offense never got into any type of rhythm yesterday. It was discouraging to see the starters being shut out vs the Cajuns 2nd and 3rd teams late in the game. Barry Ford had a some nice grabs and looked like he came to play but where was Kevin Johnson? I felt Depauldrick Garrett and Herschel Sims weren't given the opportunity to establish the running game which may have helped, but with the OL's struggles it's really not fair to say anything negative about the play calling.

5. The QB shuffle started early. I said it last season and will again this year that I don't prefer it. I feel the staff had all Spring and now the Fall to evaluate the QB's and go with one. If that guy is Ryan Mossakowski or Caleb Berry then roll with it. Whoever is the starter probably needs the game reps and to establish themselves as the leader of the offense. I know this game wasn't a league game but IMO barring injury the "starter" should've played the majority of the snaps. Neither guy played terrible nor great last night so here we go headed into Prarie View A&M wondering who the starting QB is.......and I don't mean who just trots out there and takes the first snap. I still trust the staff but I've always felt that way about teams revolving multiple QB's. It rarely seems to work out.

[CardAmbassador]

I agree with this.

The entire time I felt like if our snaps were better and we didn't turn over the ball the game would have looked much better score wise.

[LU 17]

Also agree, when we fall so far behind so early, we have to go into panic mode and can't efficiently run our offense.

[nickels]

I pretty much agree on all points...

[Bruce]

I agree. I guess I'm entirely too easy-going; I felt we were going to lose this game by at least four touchdowns given our inexperience combined with the fact that ULL is coming off a strong year and has a good offensive team.

I am quite happy that despite us handing them the ball in great field position for the entire first half, we were able to hold them to field goal attempts on several occasions. The shutout in the second half may have been against backups, but ULL's backups are better than half the Southland. Unfortunately, we're probably in that half. That all said, it seems the defense has made major improvements.

It's certainly nothing 100 other people haven't said, but all of our problems seem to be O-Line derived. If the line doesn't improve, it's going to be a very long season. TSU went up and down the field against PV this weekend... if we struggle to move the ball next week, well... my lack of panic after this game will subside.

And I'll concur with everyone who is stating that Woodard needs to pick a damn QB and stick with him. This isn't a situation even like last year where one could make an argument that a Johnson could come in as a true change of pace. That's not true this year; neither QB is a significant running threat, IMHO. Jacking with these guys, especially when they aren't really responsible for the failures (Moss fumbled once--that is on him; but the second fumble was by Sims--and it shouldn't have been a TO, anyway--ULL was a yard offside at the snap) isn't going to build their confidence.

I also have to say that the turnout from LU fans was impressive, IMHO. It's a shame we didn't have a reason to make more noise, but I'm not going to lose faith based on this game. I'll make no such promises if we lay an egg against Prairie View, although I'll be in the stands all year, no matter what happens last week, this week, or any other week.

[lu cards]

nice observations.

[lu cards]

did okafor play saturday??

[CardAmbassador]

[quote author=lu cards link=topic=37455.msg42959#msg42959 date=1346648179]
did okafor play saturday??
[/quote]

yeah, I remember hearing his name called once.

[LU1991]

I agree with most of these statements. Just about everyone around us agreed that the defense looked a lot better than the score board showed. The major downside was the O-line and the misques at center.

The LU fans showing up in rainy conditions was an impressive site. The ULL stadium makes you appreciate PU.

[Mr.KnowItAll]

Was the stadium pretty bad?

[BigRed98]

It is quite a bit larger than ours, with the press box side have a second tier. It is really starting to show its age though. Our jumbotron is larger too!

[LU1991]

[quote author=Mr.KnowItAll link=topic=37455.msg43003#msg43003 date=1346719688]
Was the stadium pretty bad?
[/quote]
First I would like to say that the ULL fans were great hosts and they seemed to be having a good time. I believe the stadium holds 30,000 plus and has a huge 3-level press box but it is definitely due an upgrade. It's not until you visit other stadiums that until you can truly appreciate the top notch facilities that we have at Lamar.

[BigRedTrack]

I went to the game and thought the defense played "okay". The offensive line looked horrible which is not good news. USL controlled the line of scrimmage the entire game. Looked to me that maybe only one or two of the offensive lineman from Lamar could play on their 3rd team. Our punter looked great!

[AceHigh]

I believe Herschel Sims should have a really big year. He is not only fast, but seriously strong. He had a couple of carries that he absolutely willed an extra four or five yards with a Ragin' Cajun pile on top of him. And, if he gets an inch, he's gone. In my opinion, let him play and let Garrett come in only when Sims is gassed. We need big play players out there. To me, the QBs looked really similar and both did pretty decent considering they had no time. I don't care which (they are both good), just pick one and let him play. I'm really glad to get that first game out of the way. The team's play can only escalate from here on out.

[CardAmbassador]

[quote author=AceHigh link=topic=37455.msg43030#msg43030 date=1346780244]
I believe Herschel Sims should have a really big year. He is not only fast, but seriously strong. He had a couple of carries that he absolutely willed an extra four or five yards with a Ragin' Cajun pile on top of him. And, if he gets an inch, he's gone. In my opinion, let him play and let Garrett come in only when Sims is gassed. We need big play players out there. To me, the QBs looked really similar and both did pretty decent considering they had no time. I don't care which (they are both good), just pick one and let him play. I'm really glad to get that first game out of the way. The team's play can only escalate from here on out.
[/quote]

I actually thought garrett made some really good runs too. I understand Sims is the big name and bigger body but garrett is definitely a good RB and should be used, he had some nifty runs up the middle. His small size is an advantage because he pops out of holes in the line.