My beautiful daughter Marilyn (Slotts, Jvan, GCND, Tim Kelly met her twenty years ago when she was almost 9) got married Saturday in the Catskills to a super guy so we ended up watching the opening game in a Bed & Breakfast tucked away on a private dirt road impossible to find but with a lovely stream running through the back yard.
The area (Mount Temper) has horrible internet service. It took an hour to get the game on my Hulu account. Watched the entire contest until we lost the signal just before the tuck rule play. Could not get back online again. I did see a headline about "...execution after FSU's win" so I went to bed assuming we lost.
My eyes were a bit clouded with Bowmore Scotch so perhaps there was no apostrophe.
The wedding in the mountains had been perfect so I tried not to show my disgust and pain to my lovely wife Diane.
Drove half-way back to my older brother's place in New Jersey before I found out we actually won the football game.
Celebrated with the huge Seafood platter at Klein's Fish Market in Belmar...Rick
on both sides of ball.
And I don't think Kelly's ever had a game plan for special teams.
I'm still very concerned about the efforts of the ACC crew to affect the outcome of the game.
The miss spot of the 4th down play in the 1st half. The failure to call roughing the punter in the 4th quarter. And the botched review where the fumble in OT was ruled an incomplete pass instead of either a fumble or intentional grounding were all game changing (or potentially game changing). We deserver far better.
Tommy changed things up to suit the personnel. We had a ton of explosive plays, and made a ton of throws over the middle of the field. Two things that were lacking in the passing game last year. In fact, according to ISD, they had more explosive passing plays on Sunday than all but one other team. That was the plan and it appears it was executed well enough.
There are concerns in the run game (obviously) and some of the QB power runs were puzzling, but overall I think the offensive game plan was fine.
It was when we went away from it after going up 18 that the problems hit.
of the other team when the Notre Dame offense (or any offense) repeatedly scores when handed opportunities like we were Saturday night. No matter the team, if they start believing they have lost, they give up. Florida teams seem to be this way more than others (Miami, Florida and especially Florida State). Look how Alabama put away Miami.
We gave them new life several times when we could have crushed their spirit totally.
I kept thinking we had the ball twice around mid field and come away with nothing. " This is going to bite us" , and then one freak breakout run the game is on.
The flea-flicker was not the reason they didn't have a dominant win.
with their awful execution of the fundamentals. I mean, at this point in time you should just assume that they have a mastery of these things, why should they have to work on them at practice? Practice time is for trying out new plays and formations and new blitz schemes.
No hard contact, the kind of contact that stops the runner in his tracks.
Yards after contact had to set some kind of an awful record.
Whatever happened to "Wrap up!"?
But momentum is a funny thing in college football.
If they’d gone out that second drive and stomped on FSUs necks to go up 14-0?
Hard to know how a team would react to that.
Huge emotional momentum swings on each of them. I think there were 3, all against ND if I recall, and all seemed to require a rather long review as well. I would hope coaches now prepare their players for the impact of a replay reversal and the need for both offense and defense to be ready for play once the replay decision is announced on a turnover.
They ripped off that run right after Mayer's drop stalled a drive that was likely destined for points.
after the 3rd quarter. What was most infuriating to me was the matador defense letting FSU back in the game. I was having flashbacks from Ann Arbor in 2011.
The shift to a prevent defense up 18 with the offense actually rolling was infuriating.
A disruption-based defense pairs well with an offense that is rolling and a lead. Sure, you might give up a long play here or there, but you're also going to break up some drives with disruption plays. Up until the first TD drive of the comeback, they had run 35 plays for 205 yards. 149 of those yards came on 2 plays. 11 drives, 3 touchdowns. Even with the mistakes, that's a formula for success.
Up 18, we ceded them the entire box, and they took it. They went on a 15 play drive with 11 runs, that took about 6 minutes. What's most infuriating is that we had already established they were going to have trouble beating us through the air against our normal defense. The three drives in the second half had one long TD pass, and two interceptions. Why change things up? But we do. Their next three drives included two touchdowns, one field goal, 37 plays, and 209 yards.
The plays and yardage are pretty similar. 37 plays for 209 late versus 35 for 205 early. But those early yards took 11 drives to get, with 8 killed drives. Keep up the havoc.
Really shines a light on the night-and-day difference between FSU's relatively anemic scoring offense for the first 2.5 quarters versus the juggernaut they unleashed in the last 20 minutes of regulation.
It was so frustrating to watch because almost all their points in the first half of the game came on just two broken plays, which suggests that FSU got lucky. But the last third of the game saw the Noles just kicking our ass on both sides of the ball.
Also - we clearly can’t execute the 3-3-5 another sign of WTF was the DC teaching all along? Our largest concern and frustration is that Freeman is now a total wildcard. His decision making is in question and his ability to diagnose issues real time and make proper adjustments is now a questionable. We have a single data point on the new guy and it is horrific- that’s what has us truly frustrated.
Defense was the one rock we could count on the past 4 years.
We were up 24-7 entering the 4th quarter with Michigan knocking on the door.
Freeman is going retro-BVG.
Killed that drive.
Then on the next drive or so Rees orders up another gadget play--the failed reverse to Tyree that stalled another drive.
FSU was begging to be blown out early and ND kept the in the game with awful play calls/offense.
The missed tackles and bad OL play are more relevant--but Rees did ND no favors with his 1st half play-calling.
In his first series as QB as a frosh.
He LOVES the flea flicker.
Like when you're anticipating a corner blitz and the FF gives your WRs separation because their CBS bite?
About the only time I remember it working worth a shit.