Three Up, Three Down: Army

The Ups

Receiving Corps: Still Good. Tabari Hines, Alex Bachman, and Cam Serigne all showed out pretty wonderfully today, not to mention a TD That Wasn't for Scotty Washington.  We have so many playmakers at skill positions, it's rather remarkable that we don't score more often.

The Defense. Okay, so by the end they got worn down, but the fact that they held Army to less than 50 yards rushing in the first half is insane.  I just can't fathom how so many things going our way (on the face of it) got so utterly and completely wasted.

Offensive Line. The big boys up front continued to prove how much better they've gotten.  John Wolford typically had all day to make throws, and I honestly think it's been a long time since an offensive line of ours gave a quarterback that many consistently clean pockets.  Good job to the big fellas, and it is so refreshing to be able to give them some positive acknowledgment.  Not only that, rushers got an average of 5.3 YPC, so they did work on the run blocking, too.  Good job, fellas.

The Downs

Those Picks. All I can say is WOOF.  The first pick was tipped, I'll give that much.  The second pick, being charitable, may have been down to some miscommunication because it kind of looked like the receiver broke in the opposite direction that John was expecting.  That third pick, though.  That third pick.  I have almost no words with regards to that third pick.  Not only that, but even being charitable, I feel like the first two would have been better off with more complete cycling through reads.  Absolutely brutal turnovers.  Not much else I can say about that.

Third Downs. The offense converted 3-13 on third down.  3-13 is beyond bad, it's abysmal.  I can hardly fathom it.  How on earth does that happen?  I can't even begin to grasp it.  That has to change going forward.  It has to, or this season is going to implode, and I sure hope that isn't the case.

343 Yards, 13 Points. What really makes this whole thing baffling is it's not like the offense was completely impotent.  They had plenty of production, a solid 17 first downs, and even several explosive plays.  Somehow, though, the offense just couldn't finish.  There was nothing that was a singular explanation; there were drops, the turnovers, oddly tightening plays...for some reason, it just didn't happen.  Whatever the case, it was, for lack of a better, more eloquent term, gross.

The Bottom Line

I am beyond disappointed, but I'm also a little bit baffled by the degree to which some people are wanting to, say, but Kendall Hinton on ice, or who are suddenly saying that Dave Clawson is a horrible coach, or that our hopes to get to bowl eligibility are doomed.  The good news is that the season is not over, and before long, hopefully, Kendall Hinton will be back soon.  There are a lot of really good pieces to this football team, and it is not devoid of talent.  Even in our worst performances, there are bright spots, which is why I gravitate toward this format.  There's anther game next week, and I'm still hopeful we can get there sooner rather than later.  Keep your heads up, gentlemen.

On to the next.  Go Deacs.

--SF