Disappointing outcome, but not unexpected given the circumstances. Still sucks that we missed a chance to finish in the Top 10. Anyway, a few observations on the game itself:
The Good:
1. When he had time to throw (more on that later) Beville wasn't bad. He was 14/18 for 149 yards, 1TD and 1 pick. His TD throw was pretty sweet. It clearly would have been better to have Kenny or Patti at QB, but QB play was not why we lost this game.
2. Addison was terrific again. 114 yards on 7 receptions. 1 rush for 28 yards. 142 yards total out of 274 for the team. The guy was 52% of our total offense.
3. Our D line and LB's played really well against the run. Pretty much completely shut down MSU with only 56 total yards rushing.
The Bad:
1. Lucas Krull continues to drop catchable balls. His drop in the first possession cost us a first down and the chance to get out of the hole we dug. Speaking of which;
2. Izzy on the opening kick. Run the damn ball. If you're not standing in the end zone, field the ball and go. At least he averted a complete disaster by jumping on the live ball. Still bad judgement to start the game.
3. Overuse of Davis. I realize that Izzy went out early, but Hammond is a way better option then Davis. I honestly don't know why this guy continues to get carries. He was 12 carries for 46 yards for a 3.6 yard per carry average. Pretty pedestrian. Hammond only had 4 carries, but gained 20 yards for a 5 yard/carry average.
4. Dumb play calls. The standout was the wide pitch to Davis. MSU was crashing the LOS and we run a pitch using a smurf? Stupid. So much for the play calling debut of Mr Salem.
5. Puzzling penalty decision. When we stopped MSU on third near our 10 yard line, we forced a FG. MSU got called for holding and we accepted the penalty, pushing them back 10 yards, but still well within FG range. Why give them another shot at a TD at that point? They didn't score the TD, but still made a very easy FG. That was a head scratcher.
The Ugly:
1. O Line play. I'm torn between this being the biggest reason we lost, but I'm leaning that way. Our O line play was bad....really bad. MSU had 5 sacks and tons of pressure. Yes, part of the sack problem was that Beville is about as mobile as me, but MSU still dominated our O Line. Add to this, the fact that we only ran for 104 yards total and you see one of the major reasons we lost.
2. Pass defense. Once again, our pass defense sucked. We gave up 354 yards passing and 3 TD's. Equally scary is that it wasn't one guy from MSU making a super human effort. They had 2 receivers with 6 catches each and two more receivers with 5 catches each. Basically, everyone on their team was running open. This to a team that is known for it's running. Once again, we made an average QB look like the second coming of Aaron Rodgers. It's maddening to watch us put our corners in single press coverage time and time again only to watch them give up big plays. No help over the top. With the game on the line we had Devonshire singled up. BTW, the next time that one of our corners actually turns to look for the ball will be the first. Coupled with the fact that we didn't generate enough pass rush, this strategy was a prescription for disaster. Someone needs to explain to Narduzzi that the objective for the defense is NOT to simply stop the run....it's to stop the other team from scoring more points then you. It's 2022 for gods sake. Wake up and realize that you need to stop teams from torching you with the pass.
Parting thought. The good news is that we now are pretty certain that Beville isn't the answer for this team. He simply can't move. It's a shame because behind a better offensive line, he might actually be pretty good. I haven't seen Slovis play, but if he's going to take over this offense he needs to be able to avoid the rush (at a minimum) in order to be effective. In the short time we've seen him, Patti at least has shown the ability to run. Hopefully, one of these two will be solid. And despite the jubilation over the entire offensive line coming back, I don't expect them to be substantially improved. Picketts mobility covered up a lot of problems.
Cruzer
The Good:
1. When he had time to throw (more on that later) Beville wasn't bad. He was 14/18 for 149 yards, 1TD and 1 pick. His TD throw was pretty sweet. It clearly would have been better to have Kenny or Patti at QB, but QB play was not why we lost this game.
2. Addison was terrific again. 114 yards on 7 receptions. 1 rush for 28 yards. 142 yards total out of 274 for the team. The guy was 52% of our total offense.
3. Our D line and LB's played really well against the run. Pretty much completely shut down MSU with only 56 total yards rushing.
The Bad:
1. Lucas Krull continues to drop catchable balls. His drop in the first possession cost us a first down and the chance to get out of the hole we dug. Speaking of which;
2. Izzy on the opening kick. Run the damn ball. If you're not standing in the end zone, field the ball and go. At least he averted a complete disaster by jumping on the live ball. Still bad judgement to start the game.
3. Overuse of Davis. I realize that Izzy went out early, but Hammond is a way better option then Davis. I honestly don't know why this guy continues to get carries. He was 12 carries for 46 yards for a 3.6 yard per carry average. Pretty pedestrian. Hammond only had 4 carries, but gained 20 yards for a 5 yard/carry average.
4. Dumb play calls. The standout was the wide pitch to Davis. MSU was crashing the LOS and we run a pitch using a smurf? Stupid. So much for the play calling debut of Mr Salem.
5. Puzzling penalty decision. When we stopped MSU on third near our 10 yard line, we forced a FG. MSU got called for holding and we accepted the penalty, pushing them back 10 yards, but still well within FG range. Why give them another shot at a TD at that point? They didn't score the TD, but still made a very easy FG. That was a head scratcher.
The Ugly:
1. O Line play. I'm torn between this being the biggest reason we lost, but I'm leaning that way. Our O line play was bad....really bad. MSU had 5 sacks and tons of pressure. Yes, part of the sack problem was that Beville is about as mobile as me, but MSU still dominated our O Line. Add to this, the fact that we only ran for 104 yards total and you see one of the major reasons we lost.
2. Pass defense. Once again, our pass defense sucked. We gave up 354 yards passing and 3 TD's. Equally scary is that it wasn't one guy from MSU making a super human effort. They had 2 receivers with 6 catches each and two more receivers with 5 catches each. Basically, everyone on their team was running open. This to a team that is known for it's running. Once again, we made an average QB look like the second coming of Aaron Rodgers. It's maddening to watch us put our corners in single press coverage time and time again only to watch them give up big plays. No help over the top. With the game on the line we had Devonshire singled up. BTW, the next time that one of our corners actually turns to look for the ball will be the first. Coupled with the fact that we didn't generate enough pass rush, this strategy was a prescription for disaster. Someone needs to explain to Narduzzi that the objective for the defense is NOT to simply stop the run....it's to stop the other team from scoring more points then you. It's 2022 for gods sake. Wake up and realize that you need to stop teams from torching you with the pass.
Parting thought. The good news is that we now are pretty certain that Beville isn't the answer for this team. He simply can't move. It's a shame because behind a better offensive line, he might actually be pretty good. I haven't seen Slovis play, but if he's going to take over this offense he needs to be able to avoid the rush (at a minimum) in order to be effective. In the short time we've seen him, Patti at least has shown the ability to run. Hopefully, one of these two will be solid. And despite the jubilation over the entire offensive line coming back, I don't expect them to be substantially improved. Picketts mobility covered up a lot of problems.
Cruzer
