OFFENSE:
Yes (and maybe a little no). 24 of 45 for 327 yards and 4 TDs sounds good, his connections with DJ Hall early on were things of beauty, and it's hard to argue with the final drive. Needing a TD to win, Wilson settled down, hit eight of ten and drew two pass interference calls, and capped it with a four yard TD to Matt Caddell. He did what he had to do, calmly and quickly made the right decisions, and stole a win for his team after floundering for two quarters. But his two picks, especially the second one, were poor decisions on his part, and could have easily been what cost us the game. He played better, but he still isn't where he can be and needs to be.
Five different receivers caught balls yesterday, and four of them had more than one catch. DJ Hall and Matt Caddell were both the stars, grabbing 6 for 172 yards and 2 TDs and 9 for 91 yards and 1 TD, respectively. Will Oakley, the lone receiver with only one catch, made his count, living up to his "possession receiver extrordonaire" rep by hauling in a 16 yard grab to keep the final drive alive on 3rd down.
Beats me. Coffee had the only rushing TD of the day, while Johns rushed twice for a scant three yards. He did come in as a blocking back on passing downs a few times, and lined up at receiver (I think, I recall hearing his name as a receiver, but I'm not sure if he really did or if I'm making that up), but he still hasn't made any sort of impact on this offense.
20 carries for 105 yards (4.8 ypc) are solid numbers, but when you set the bar as high as he has, it's still kind of a letdown. I honestly don't recall thinking he did that well during the game, but I suppose it was the lack of big play after big play and no TDs that made me think he wasn't getting it done.
Nope. We gained 221 yards on the ground against the Commies and the O-Line mauled their defensive front during the second half. We gained only 123 against the Hogs, and they were able to get more pressure on the QB and a few more stops in the backfield than I expected. Still, this unit is strong and can only get better.
DEFENSE:
Early on it looked like we were comfortable letting the front seven contain the run, and they were pretty successful at doing so, but as the game wore on we were trying everything we could and none of it worked. We all knew that was going to be a thin and dangerous place for the defense, and the lack of depth really showed in the second half. Of course, we probably won't be facing backs like McFadden again this year, so overall I think we'll be decent at stopping the run if we can keep the offense on the field and sustain a few drives to keep the D fresh.
They didn't really run it that much, and I couldn't really tell from the broadcast and am not really remembering much. Seems like we stayed in zone coverage for it, though, but if y'all have any better recollection then let us know.
No. Both backs routinely got outside on us, and I don't remember Dick being pressured or hurried at all. Very disappointing.
Yes, yes we can! Mustin had the only pick of the game, while Tyrone King came up with a huge forced fumble on special teams that set up the second TD. Castille should have had a pick in the end zone, but was interfered with (though no flag was thrown).
Mustin was the starter, getting five tackles and a pick, but Prince Hall came in while Mustin remained on the sidelines injured. I don't know what happened to him, though, and how severe it was, but let's hope he's back by next weekend. Hall recorded two solo tackles and two assists.