Back into naysayer mode for a minute. Let's not get carried away pounding our chests here. The SB is the bottom of the FBS barrel. Remember that our one game against a top ten team (Clemson) did not go particularly well. A bowl bid is within sight, but when I hear folks talk about playing on New Year's Day, I just cringe.
Thoroughly enjoyed the game--after the first series. Once we started stacking the box (from what I could tell) and shutting down the run, it was clear that GS had NO passing game. Heck, on their one good pass play, the QB underthrew the WR or it would have been a touchdown. A real one-dimensional team which had played pretty poor competition to this point (not that we haven't). I liked that the team didn't do some sort of victory dance, too. Just a nice celebration with the students. Too many penalties is about the only downside after the first series. One final note, was the GS QB talking trash after he scored an absolutely meaningless TD? Contrast that with Lamb taking a knee inside the five. Funny old world, ain't it?
One too many unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Pretty hard to tell how good we are/will be. Howard dropped passes like Miley Cyrus changes clothes. That is to say, early and often. Lamb and Caruso looked pretty good. Saw some stuff I didn't like in the secondary. But, hey, what else is new? O line looked improved. There was a time not long ago when they couldn't handle a MEAC team. We'll know more if/when we get back from Death Valley.
What Fox has done is nothing short of amazing. 3 starters from last year gone due to a severe aversion to class attendance; a late start with recruiting; penalties for poor APRs that barred the team from postseason play; fan apathy--and yet he took this team which (no disrespect to the players at all) is not loaded with talent and convinced them that they could play basketball. Picked to finish dead last in the Sun Belt, ASU ended in the middle of the pack with big wins over ULM and UTA. Though they had some lapses, they played hard and they played team basketball. If we get another shooter and a rebounder, look out.
This game was simply stunning. No one present would have predicted an ASU blowout, given the records going in. ULM had a huge size advantage, too. But our guys played outstanding defense, especially in shutting off the baseline, Eaves got going early (he's streaky, but when he's on watch out) and the team got good contributions from Lawson and Obacha among others. Add that ULM couldn't throw it in the proverbial ocean. They never even made a run at us. We just kept building the lead. Also good to see the bball alumni at halftime. Noah Brown looks like he could still play. Some of the others....not so much. We are an interesting team to watch these days. Not a lot of talent, especially offensively, but they move the ball well and actually pass to open teammates. Huge improvement from last year.
I think his biggest advantage is that the shoes he is filling are pretty small. Seems like a nice guy. Came around to the season ticket holders sitting in the stands at yesterday's game and introduced himself all around. Didn't spent all his time with the Yosef Club (again the shoes are not XL). I like that he's from a big time program. Let's see if he can straighten out our mess.
Liked what I saw in the opening game. A team that passes the ball; plays defense, rebounds, and listens to the coach. Fox, btw, does not have a seat on the bench. Stands the whole game and actually coaches. Interesting that a guy Capel rarely played, Frank Eaves, is now the leading scorer. I thought for a minute that I'd walked into the wrong arena. Yes, Hampton was road weary, but they are are a good mid-major team. Good crowd too, considering the time and season.
I think this is a pipe dream floated by the Athletic Department in an effort to get fans pumped up about this season, as in: "we shoulda had a bowl bid," or to steal a cliche' "we coulda been a contendah." For a team that finished as strong we did, the mood around Boone seems to be, "So what?"
Should read O line seemed to get a little better late in the season....
It seems that we're a bit like the chess club on prom night: "all dressed up with no place to go," eh? Some talk about petitioning the NCAA for a bowl berth, ANY bowl berth. Not sure if that's hutzpah or desperation. Maybe the band-camp chick (aka The Bridgepoint Education San Diego Holiday Poinsetta Bowl) is still available. At any rate, as one who still decries the move to FBS (for this very reason, to wit: a good season with no reward), I will note that Satterfield has proved lots of us (including yours truly) wrong, at least for the moment. I think the biggest turnaround was in the O line which seemed to gel a little late in the season, allowing Lamb to come into his own and Cox to establish the running game. That's just my 2 cents. BTW, is there a Food Lion Bowl?
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