Monday, September 8, 2008

The Aftermath - EMU

Out of San Fran and into the win column. Here are my thoughts:

  • Ringer looked more like Caulcrick on Saturday than he did himself - five TDs. It could have been seven if it weren't for two fumbles inside the 5. I think that's just an anomaly, and not a sign of things to come. I hope.
  • Joel Foreman looks to be solidifying his case to be the starting left guard. All of the evidence I've seen looks that way, including watching Bacon whiff on a block that led to a sack of Hoyer in the second quarter.
  • Kirk Cousins looks like a good backup QB. Most of the time he handed off, but he was 3-4 including a key 3rd and 3 pass to the TE Gantt for 13 yards.
  • You've probably seen the catch B.J. Cunningham made by now. If not, see it, and prepare for your jaw to drop.
  • I know this is a term that some would never think would apply, but I believe Hoyer is Juice Williams-esque in that if he throws about 20 times, the team is in good shape (see - this game, PSU last year). If he starts to double that...uh oh.
  • MSU has a punt returner! Wiley flashed some moves out there, let's see if he can do it against a tougher opponent in FAU this week.
  • The Cal penalty problems look to be a hiccup, three penalties for 25 yards this week.
  • Two of the three leading tacklers this week were in the front 7; Justin Kershaw and Eric Gordon combined to have 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, and a sack. It's always good when the secondary isn't making most of the tackles.
That's about all the recap this game deserves. Florida Atlantic will be a tougher game, but MSU's still a two touchdown favorite. Look for a Big Ten Roundtable and an FAU preview by Wednesday, Thursday at the latest.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What's your take on the secondary at this point? Looks to me like there's still a tendency to give up too many big plays (I couldn't understand why EMU didn't throw downfield more often). Which is part of the reason I wonder whether this team can really hope to win Big Ten games by playing it conservatively on offense.

Anonymous said...

The loss of Jenrette and Davis-Clark definitely had an impact on the secondary. That's why we need the D-Line to put more pressure on the QB.

Anonymous said...

I missed the Cunningham catch and couldn't find it on Youtube. Any guesses where I might be able to check it out?