1) Was bummed to see NC State canceled heir 2014 game vs. CMU. Last time this happened in 2010, CMU replaced Indiana at home with Northwestern on the road. Very unlikely that CMU gets a home opponent of the same caliber of NC State. The good news? Basically a free $350,000 as part of the buyout.
2) Something that has stuck with me the past few weeks is how complex the Enos offense is. I remember hearing the QB's talk about the transition when Jones left. Has a complex tree of reads for the QB, and it's no secret it's harder the throw from under center vs. shotgun because of the shorter time in the pocket. For Radcliff, it was even tougher of a transition because he basically went his whole HS and early college career in the spread.
Can the offense work? Absolutely. We have seen it work at MSU...but you look at their last two quarterbacks and they are both playing in the NFL (Brian Hoyer, Kirk Cousins). Not a system that is going to set any passing records, but if you have a high-caliber QB it is very comparable to the progressions and systems you see in the NFL. Both Hoyer and Cousins took big jumps in their second year, and I think that is probably the natural progression of this offensive system. Very hard to master in your first year.
3) Will be interesting to see how the previous recruiting classes translate to the NFL here in the coming years. We knew Butch Jones and staff could recruit, but look at Jahleel Addae, Eric Fisher, Nick Bellore, Antonio Brown, Josh Gordy, Frank Zombo, Colin Miller, Vince Agnew, Cody Wilson, Zurlon Tipton...not to mention JJ Watt. These were all or figure to be NFL caliber talent.
4) What happens if PJ Fleck goes 0-12? Do the Broncos have to can him, or are they in this for another year no matter what? Despite their train wreck of a season, they are still recruiting well and hanging on to their guys. Going to be interesting to watch their season unfold.
5) Titus Davis is on pace for 62 catches for 1,164 yards and 11 TD's. Does he go pro after a season like tha
6) Defensively, I said CMU needed to see more playmaking out of Benton and Cheroicci. So far they have delivered:
2013
Cheroicci: 55 tackles, 7 TFL, 3 sacks, 2 FF
Benton: 50 tackles, 5 TFL, 1 sack and 1 INT
Combined they had 4 TFL, 0 sacks and 1 INT last year.
7) While the defense is last in the MAC in PPG allowed (39.4), I still think the biggest problem is the offense. Too many short drives and turnovers have left the defense on the field too long. You could just see their wind break at NC State. Teams running the clock down in second halves has really skewed the time of possession numbers. And Turnovers are huge. CMU is tied with Western Michigan for dead last in TO margin at -4. Defense is making more plays than last year, but right now you have three units (QB, RB, OL) on the offensive side of the ball that have taken a step back in the first 5 games.
2) Something that has stuck with me the past few weeks is how complex the Enos offense is. I remember hearing the QB's talk about the transition when Jones left. Has a complex tree of reads for the QB, and it's no secret it's harder the throw from under center vs. shotgun because of the shorter time in the pocket. For Radcliff, it was even tougher of a transition because he basically went his whole HS and early college career in the spread.
Can the offense work? Absolutely. We have seen it work at MSU...but you look at their last two quarterbacks and they are both playing in the NFL (Brian Hoyer, Kirk Cousins). Not a system that is going to set any passing records, but if you have a high-caliber QB it is very comparable to the progressions and systems you see in the NFL. Both Hoyer and Cousins took big jumps in their second year, and I think that is probably the natural progression of this offensive system. Very hard to master in your first year.
3) Will be interesting to see how the previous recruiting classes translate to the NFL here in the coming years. We knew Butch Jones and staff could recruit, but look at Jahleel Addae, Eric Fisher, Nick Bellore, Antonio Brown, Josh Gordy, Frank Zombo, Colin Miller, Vince Agnew, Cody Wilson, Zurlon Tipton...not to mention JJ Watt. These were all or figure to be NFL caliber talent.
4) What happens if PJ Fleck goes 0-12? Do the Broncos have to can him, or are they in this for another year no matter what? Despite their train wreck of a season, they are still recruiting well and hanging on to their guys. Going to be interesting to watch their season unfold.
5) Titus Davis is on pace for 62 catches for 1,164 yards and 11 TD's. Does he go pro after a season like tha
6) Defensively, I said CMU needed to see more playmaking out of Benton and Cheroicci. So far they have delivered:
2013
Cheroicci: 55 tackles, 7 TFL, 3 sacks, 2 FF
Benton: 50 tackles, 5 TFL, 1 sack and 1 INT
Combined they had 4 TFL, 0 sacks and 1 INT last year.
7) While the defense is last in the MAC in PPG allowed (39.4), I still think the biggest problem is the offense. Too many short drives and turnovers have left the defense on the field too long. You could just see their wind break at NC State. Teams running the clock down in second halves has really skewed the time of possession numbers. And Turnovers are huge. CMU is tied with Western Michigan for dead last in TO margin at -4. Defense is making more plays than last year, but right now you have three units (QB, RB, OL) on the offensive side of the ball that have taken a step back in the first 5 games.
