Went to the game at VHS this weekend. It was my first trip this year. I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Getting up at the crack of dawn to drive over from Tupelo for the 1100 kick wasn't ideal, but we made it. Here are some takeaways from the game after I verified by watching the tape what I thought I saw live. Warning, I will be as brief as possible, but I have a lot to say so it may be a little long this week.
1. Let's start with the QB position. Jaxon Dart had a pretty good game Saturday. The kid has tremendous upside, but he still has a lot of room for growth. This is my 2nd time seeing him live. I see 2 areas of concern:
A. His field of vision. He made a couple of throws that looked like he didn't see the deep defender (our WR saved an INT) or the LB dropping (1 pick, another should have been). Hopefully, this is just a lack of maturity and he will "grow" as his depth of knowledge and comfort with the speed of the game increases.
B. His mechanics are rough. He throws off his back foot consistently when pressured. I don't care if you have an Elway arm, you can't get the necessary velocity on the ball to prevent unnecessary interceptions and possible unnecessary hits on our receivers. He has to improve in that area.
2. We do not have a "go-to" receiver, yet. It SHOULD be Michael Trigg, but he is not there yet. I looked really smart to those around me on 3rd and 15 in the 4th, calling on him by name to "step up and make a play" before the snap. Dart hit him in the seam for 19 and a 1st down, eliciting high fives from those around me. I am no genius; if I were, I would be preparing to coach against Vandy instead of writing this, but he is who I would throw it to in that situation. Trigg takes plays off, lines up incorrectly (4th down 1st drive), doesn't block well, doesn't run routes particularly well (specifically, no sharp crisp moves, no body movement, lack of separation), and doesn't "sell" when he is not the primary focus of a play. These are all correctable little things that separate average from greatness. Hopefully, like Dart, he will grow and mature into the player that he can be. IF we had a "go-to" receiver, ala AJ or Elijah, or even Drummond (or Barion Brown), we would be a National Championship contender. You read that right.
3. Malik Heath had a good game. He is progressing well. I wasn't sure how much he would be able to help our team this year when it was announced he was transferring. He was about MSU's 4th option. He had several nice catches on the crossing route and did a good job of running with the ball after the catch. He was guilty of the offensive pass interference, but at least he was being aggressive to the ball. Mingo was largely absent Saturday. He has to get 5-8 targets a game for us in the games we are about to play. He has to stretch the field for us.
4. Some "stopped reading" when I stated last week that I was never a fan of the shotgun snap when coaching. I gave reasons for it (see Tulsa game post). I know this isn't high school ball, but the same issues can rear their ugly head at this level. Well, this week, we all saw what can happen when your regular center is not 100%. Snapping the ball in the gun is not easy. We had our starting guard filling in for our injured center, and he snaps differently. It is not going to be the same velocity, height, even rotation will be different. Throw in the fact that you have a dude like #52 for Kentucky lined up on your nose... All of those things affect the snap, which in turn affects the QB in particular and the play in general. Timing is everything on offense. I am not being critical of the players at all when I say this, but it is my hope that we develop more of an under-center package if we can't get Warren healthy and/or Acker or someone else can't be more consistent if Warren can't go. Pettus played well. Mason Brooks has got to step up more to provide much-needed depth. Can he snap?
5. Judkins,...wow. I said to those around me that Evans is a 1st round talent, and he may not be the best RB on his own team. That is a big development in my life as an Ole Miss fan. I didn't believe it when it was said in the offseason that we could be better at RB than 2021, but here we are, living the dream. Judkins has great vision, burst, pad level, runs behind his pads, etc. Judkins is special, as is Evans. Hope both and Bentley are ready for the stretch of games we are about to enter.
6. JJ Pegues makes us so much better on DL. He is still learning the position, but it is obvious that he is a force that must be accounted for when he is on the field. KD played better this week, possibly due to having JJ back to take some pressure off. Cedric Johnson is drawing a lot of attention from opposing teams, opening up opportunities for others like Ivey and our LBs. Our front was able to get enough pressure on Levis to make him hurry throws and make the big play at the end. What a difference a couple of years makes.
7. Austin Keys and Troy Brown played well. Brown has been solid all year and Keys play was critical to our success Saturday without Coleman. I was also pleased to see Sistrunk answer the challenge and play some quality snaps Saturday. We need him to provide 20-25 reps every game with little to no fall-off from the starters to be successful.
8. Davison Igbinosun played another solid game. Prince did a fine job as well. He drew the assignment of Barion Brown (more on him in a moment) and acquitted himself fairly well. We saw life without Otis Reese, and I think we would all just as soon not have to live in that world the rest of the year. He is a big part of the back end. That was not targeting on AJ FInley. That rule HAS GOT TO BE REWRITTEN. The defender is already at a disadvantage. I guess it is going to take a defender getting hurt really bad trying not to commit the penalty and not protect himself to get anything changed. The defender is not the only one who can lead with the head, just the only one who can be penalized for it. The rule as it is written now is bunk. Period.
9. Cruz has been busting the ball into the endzone all year, but had trouble with that Saturday, leading to opportunities for Brown to hurt us with KO returns. The wind was changing all day, I get that. I say this half serious, half sarcastic... those flags on top of the stadium will tell you whether you need to kick the ball high or more on a line, just get the dang thing to the endzone. The 53-yarder ended up being the game-winner.
10. Jacquez Jones played his butt off Saturday. You could tell from his body language and effort that he really wanted to beat us. I hope he is ok and can return to their team soon. Keidron Smith played fairly well. Barion Brown would be the go-to guy I referenced us lacking in point #2. Maybe if Stoops takes another gig this year we will get another chance at him. He is a game breaker.
Overall, great atmosphere. We need to become a more educated fan base about being loud. When a team huddles, that is when we need to crank up the speakers and our lungs. The crowd and our public address waited until they broke the huddle to get loud. They already know the play, blocking scheme/protections, and snap count by that point. Maybe we are so used to teams not huddling now. Our speaker system volume is subpar with what I have seen at Alabama, Tennessee, and other places. That has to change. I didn't try to go to the concession stand. Not worth the hassle. I will be at Vandy this week to mark off stadium #11 of 14 (12 of 16, went to Texas in 2013). A special season is on the table. I am on the train. LFG. That is all.
1. Let's start with the QB position. Jaxon Dart had a pretty good game Saturday. The kid has tremendous upside, but he still has a lot of room for growth. This is my 2nd time seeing him live. I see 2 areas of concern:
A. His field of vision. He made a couple of throws that looked like he didn't see the deep defender (our WR saved an INT) or the LB dropping (1 pick, another should have been). Hopefully, this is just a lack of maturity and he will "grow" as his depth of knowledge and comfort with the speed of the game increases.
B. His mechanics are rough. He throws off his back foot consistently when pressured. I don't care if you have an Elway arm, you can't get the necessary velocity on the ball to prevent unnecessary interceptions and possible unnecessary hits on our receivers. He has to improve in that area.
2. We do not have a "go-to" receiver, yet. It SHOULD be Michael Trigg, but he is not there yet. I looked really smart to those around me on 3rd and 15 in the 4th, calling on him by name to "step up and make a play" before the snap. Dart hit him in the seam for 19 and a 1st down, eliciting high fives from those around me. I am no genius; if I were, I would be preparing to coach against Vandy instead of writing this, but he is who I would throw it to in that situation. Trigg takes plays off, lines up incorrectly (4th down 1st drive), doesn't block well, doesn't run routes particularly well (specifically, no sharp crisp moves, no body movement, lack of separation), and doesn't "sell" when he is not the primary focus of a play. These are all correctable little things that separate average from greatness. Hopefully, like Dart, he will grow and mature into the player that he can be. IF we had a "go-to" receiver, ala AJ or Elijah, or even Drummond (or Barion Brown), we would be a National Championship contender. You read that right.
3. Malik Heath had a good game. He is progressing well. I wasn't sure how much he would be able to help our team this year when it was announced he was transferring. He was about MSU's 4th option. He had several nice catches on the crossing route and did a good job of running with the ball after the catch. He was guilty of the offensive pass interference, but at least he was being aggressive to the ball. Mingo was largely absent Saturday. He has to get 5-8 targets a game for us in the games we are about to play. He has to stretch the field for us.
4. Some "stopped reading" when I stated last week that I was never a fan of the shotgun snap when coaching. I gave reasons for it (see Tulsa game post). I know this isn't high school ball, but the same issues can rear their ugly head at this level. Well, this week, we all saw what can happen when your regular center is not 100%. Snapping the ball in the gun is not easy. We had our starting guard filling in for our injured center, and he snaps differently. It is not going to be the same velocity, height, even rotation will be different. Throw in the fact that you have a dude like #52 for Kentucky lined up on your nose... All of those things affect the snap, which in turn affects the QB in particular and the play in general. Timing is everything on offense. I am not being critical of the players at all when I say this, but it is my hope that we develop more of an under-center package if we can't get Warren healthy and/or Acker or someone else can't be more consistent if Warren can't go. Pettus played well. Mason Brooks has got to step up more to provide much-needed depth. Can he snap?
5. Judkins,...wow. I said to those around me that Evans is a 1st round talent, and he may not be the best RB on his own team. That is a big development in my life as an Ole Miss fan. I didn't believe it when it was said in the offseason that we could be better at RB than 2021, but here we are, living the dream. Judkins has great vision, burst, pad level, runs behind his pads, etc. Judkins is special, as is Evans. Hope both and Bentley are ready for the stretch of games we are about to enter.
6. JJ Pegues makes us so much better on DL. He is still learning the position, but it is obvious that he is a force that must be accounted for when he is on the field. KD played better this week, possibly due to having JJ back to take some pressure off. Cedric Johnson is drawing a lot of attention from opposing teams, opening up opportunities for others like Ivey and our LBs. Our front was able to get enough pressure on Levis to make him hurry throws and make the big play at the end. What a difference a couple of years makes.
7. Austin Keys and Troy Brown played well. Brown has been solid all year and Keys play was critical to our success Saturday without Coleman. I was also pleased to see Sistrunk answer the challenge and play some quality snaps Saturday. We need him to provide 20-25 reps every game with little to no fall-off from the starters to be successful.
8. Davison Igbinosun played another solid game. Prince did a fine job as well. He drew the assignment of Barion Brown (more on him in a moment) and acquitted himself fairly well. We saw life without Otis Reese, and I think we would all just as soon not have to live in that world the rest of the year. He is a big part of the back end. That was not targeting on AJ FInley. That rule HAS GOT TO BE REWRITTEN. The defender is already at a disadvantage. I guess it is going to take a defender getting hurt really bad trying not to commit the penalty and not protect himself to get anything changed. The defender is not the only one who can lead with the head, just the only one who can be penalized for it. The rule as it is written now is bunk. Period.
9. Cruz has been busting the ball into the endzone all year, but had trouble with that Saturday, leading to opportunities for Brown to hurt us with KO returns. The wind was changing all day, I get that. I say this half serious, half sarcastic... those flags on top of the stadium will tell you whether you need to kick the ball high or more on a line, just get the dang thing to the endzone. The 53-yarder ended up being the game-winner.
10. Jacquez Jones played his butt off Saturday. You could tell from his body language and effort that he really wanted to beat us. I hope he is ok and can return to their team soon. Keidron Smith played fairly well. Barion Brown would be the go-to guy I referenced us lacking in point #2. Maybe if Stoops takes another gig this year we will get another chance at him. He is a game breaker.
Overall, great atmosphere. We need to become a more educated fan base about being loud. When a team huddles, that is when we need to crank up the speakers and our lungs. The crowd and our public address waited until they broke the huddle to get loud. They already know the play, blocking scheme/protections, and snap count by that point. Maybe we are so used to teams not huddling now. Our speaker system volume is subpar with what I have seen at Alabama, Tennessee, and other places. That has to change. I didn't try to go to the concession stand. Not worth the hassle. I will be at Vandy this week to mark off stadium #11 of 14 (12 of 16, went to Texas in 2013). A special season is on the table. I am on the train. LFG. That is all.
