Overall- This game sucked. The refereeing been beat to death but the team is just super injured and poor Matt Corral's ankles. Ankle injuries can take a while to get over/be 100%, even just sprains (I know this due to my profession). I hope we can sit him sometime next week during that game.
Offense-
Matt Corral is the best offensive player I have seen at Ole Miss in my 11 years of watching. that's it. There are guys that are really good/past legendary for us, Dr Bo, Swag, Tunsil, Treadwell, hell even Ta'amu for 2 years but Matt Corral is the man. that's it. He's all beat to hell but he came back in and tried anyway. That pick he threw was a terrible idea, you never go back across the field late. But still. We're in damn near every game because of 2. Retire the jersey, build the statue, hell call it Corral's Concessionary Stand in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Also Luke Altmeyer looked good. When he started a drive and got in rhythm he did well. he went 5/5 in a hostile environment with a duct-taped OL. I don't get the people that are like OMG WE NEED A TRANSFER NOW NOW NOW. I mean sure, if you can get someone like Spencer Rattler who'll be one-and-done take it, but otherwise why not let a highly rated recruit get development. Do you guys remember how Corral looked two years ago in the Rich Rod shitfest
Backs- everyone wants to know why Snoop don;t play more. It's because he's inconsistent in pass blocking. There was some play (I think it may have been when Altmeyer was in) where teh LB rushed him and he stuck his arms out there and flopped and the guy just rush past and sacked. If you're 225 you should be at least able to get in the backer's way and hold him up. He's great as a power back but semi-lackluster in pass blocking. and if you can't pass block you won't see the field all downs as much.
I saw Ealy out there a couple times. I wonder if he's more hurt from teh concussion than we know, or something else.
Our receivers are all injured mostly. Pearson is the most reliable uninjured one you got. All you macho folks going on about 'play through the pain!'- it;s a terrible damn idea for WRs to play through hamstring injuries (used to extend the hip in walking and running) and shoulder injuries (you need shoulders to use your arms to catch). It's not soft. It's not weak. It's not being a pxssy teammate. It's 18-24 year old bodies needing to heal after playing a really physical game for our enjoyment. Also I'm glad Casey came back from his ACL. He looks really, really good.
Our offensive line-
Broeker-Rhodes/Cunningham- Ramsey-Umana-James looks better at OL than Broeker-Warren(injured) Umana- (somebody)-James
But the OL is injured. Ben is gone for the year. Warren clearly ain't right either. These younger OL players need to develop. It's not simple to develop OL. Not everyone is going to come and be Laremy Tunsil immediately except...people the caliber of Laremy Tunsil. A lot of times they need to get their body weight right, lose fat, gain muscle, gain the muscular memory of their position, and get stronger and get reps. If you look at those OL factories like Iowa, Wisconsin, Stanford, usually OL development for thm is a long, stringent process. We don't have that luxury. I don't know if it's just recruiting, the OL coach (whoever he is) or what, but we need bodies there. Just collect people. Sure, some of them will be processed/wash out but at least we will have the bodies present. We need to invest in that because an offense is only as good as its line.
That being said, that's why some of the 4th down decisions like that were controversial. I think the one in the 3rd Q you take the points and make it an 8 pt game. But near the end I can see why you'd go because down 11 you need a TD anyway so you may as well go the whole hog. It was much easier to support in the early season when everyone wasn't hurt but as injuries pile up we fans start to nitpicking everything lol
Kicker- Costa is good. I was pleasantly surprised that he is good. He looks like the kicker stability we've been missing since Wunderlich. I mean he's a freshman drilling 50s with room to spare.
Defense- The defense is ok. I don't know what the rotation is among DL but it seems like very few other than Sam Williams can consistently whip a man on their own. Now I know it's a 3 lineman defense so maybe they are all told to just stack linemen to allow linebackers to go. But they are constantly getting pushed backwards. I don't know what it is about the development of defensive linemen but it seems like ever since maybe 2018 we've struggled to develop them well, outside of the few impact transfers, there's not that difference maker like a Benito Jones, Breeland Speaks, or Big Bobby.
These linebackers are nice. RObinson is really good. Campbell is also really good. But we need others to also be good to give them a rest.
I don't know what the defense did in the second half really to slow them down like that. I know Auburn missed an FG but they also had a few punts. But the defense was OK. the offense was just too hurt to take advantage of it.
I think next week we need to try to get up big, sit as many starters as we can and try to get the roster depth some experience going into the remainder of the year
Offense-
Matt Corral is the best offensive player I have seen at Ole Miss in my 11 years of watching. that's it. There are guys that are really good/past legendary for us, Dr Bo, Swag, Tunsil, Treadwell, hell even Ta'amu for 2 years but Matt Corral is the man. that's it. He's all beat to hell but he came back in and tried anyway. That pick he threw was a terrible idea, you never go back across the field late. But still. We're in damn near every game because of 2. Retire the jersey, build the statue, hell call it Corral's Concessionary Stand in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Also Luke Altmeyer looked good. When he started a drive and got in rhythm he did well. he went 5/5 in a hostile environment with a duct-taped OL. I don't get the people that are like OMG WE NEED A TRANSFER NOW NOW NOW. I mean sure, if you can get someone like Spencer Rattler who'll be one-and-done take it, but otherwise why not let a highly rated recruit get development. Do you guys remember how Corral looked two years ago in the Rich Rod shitfest
Backs- everyone wants to know why Snoop don;t play more. It's because he's inconsistent in pass blocking. There was some play (I think it may have been when Altmeyer was in) where teh LB rushed him and he stuck his arms out there and flopped and the guy just rush past and sacked. If you're 225 you should be at least able to get in the backer's way and hold him up. He's great as a power back but semi-lackluster in pass blocking. and if you can't pass block you won't see the field all downs as much.
I saw Ealy out there a couple times. I wonder if he's more hurt from teh concussion than we know, or something else.
Our receivers are all injured mostly. Pearson is the most reliable uninjured one you got. All you macho folks going on about 'play through the pain!'- it;s a terrible damn idea for WRs to play through hamstring injuries (used to extend the hip in walking and running) and shoulder injuries (you need shoulders to use your arms to catch). It's not soft. It's not weak. It's not being a pxssy teammate. It's 18-24 year old bodies needing to heal after playing a really physical game for our enjoyment. Also I'm glad Casey came back from his ACL. He looks really, really good.
Our offensive line-
Broeker-Rhodes/Cunningham- Ramsey-Umana-James looks better at OL than Broeker-Warren(injured) Umana- (somebody)-James
But the OL is injured. Ben is gone for the year. Warren clearly ain't right either. These younger OL players need to develop. It's not simple to develop OL. Not everyone is going to come and be Laremy Tunsil immediately except...people the caliber of Laremy Tunsil. A lot of times they need to get their body weight right, lose fat, gain muscle, gain the muscular memory of their position, and get stronger and get reps. If you look at those OL factories like Iowa, Wisconsin, Stanford, usually OL development for thm is a long, stringent process. We don't have that luxury. I don't know if it's just recruiting, the OL coach (whoever he is) or what, but we need bodies there. Just collect people. Sure, some of them will be processed/wash out but at least we will have the bodies present. We need to invest in that because an offense is only as good as its line.
That being said, that's why some of the 4th down decisions like that were controversial. I think the one in the 3rd Q you take the points and make it an 8 pt game. But near the end I can see why you'd go because down 11 you need a TD anyway so you may as well go the whole hog. It was much easier to support in the early season when everyone wasn't hurt but as injuries pile up we fans start to nitpicking everything lol
Kicker- Costa is good. I was pleasantly surprised that he is good. He looks like the kicker stability we've been missing since Wunderlich. I mean he's a freshman drilling 50s with room to spare.
Defense- The defense is ok. I don't know what the rotation is among DL but it seems like very few other than Sam Williams can consistently whip a man on their own. Now I know it's a 3 lineman defense so maybe they are all told to just stack linemen to allow linebackers to go. But they are constantly getting pushed backwards. I don't know what it is about the development of defensive linemen but it seems like ever since maybe 2018 we've struggled to develop them well, outside of the few impact transfers, there's not that difference maker like a Benito Jones, Breeland Speaks, or Big Bobby.
These linebackers are nice. RObinson is really good. Campbell is also really good. But we need others to also be good to give them a rest.
I don't know what the defense did in the second half really to slow them down like that. I know Auburn missed an FG but they also had a few punts. But the defense was OK. the offense was just too hurt to take advantage of it.
I think next week we need to try to get up big, sit as many starters as we can and try to get the roster depth some experience going into the remainder of the year
