Defensive stars of UAB game

UNTLifer · September 24, 2017

Is Brooks hurt? He seemed to be limping in the Lamar game and I wonder if he isn't 100%.

BTG_Fan1 · September 24, 2017

2 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

Is Brooks hurt? He seemed to be limping in the Lamar game and I wonder if he isn't 100%.

He did get a cramp or like a pulled calf muscle... Honestly, I think he is just trying to do the "big" play for him to show why he was an All C-USA pick..

Hopefully him sitting for the 4th quarter will clear his head... we need him big time vs UTSA

wardly · September 25, 2017

I'm glad some one can find stars in a defense that gave up 43 points. I mean, UAB is not a good team by any measure and except for a T.D. that they had called back would have won. Their receivers were bigger than our secondary and just as fast. Lets see how we fare against the best of CUSA that we play, So. Miss.La.Tech,UTSA and ODU. If we don't perform better defensively then these guys are going to give us a real beat down.

BTG_Fan1 · September 25, 2017

6 minutes ago, wardly said:

I'm glad some one can find stars in a defense that gave up 43 points. I mean, UAB is not a good team by any measure and except for a T.D. that they had called back would have won. Their receivers were bigger than our secondary and just as fast. Lets see how we fare against the best of CUSA that we play, So. Miss.La.Tech,UTSA and ODU. If we don't perform better defensively then these guys are going to give us a real beat down.

UAB is a talented squad and has better recruiting classes.. If anyone thought they would just rollover and let us win because they are in their first year back is mistaken.. That QB is a tough kid, yes the defense has to be better...

Brooks has give up multiple long TDs and in some games multiple TDs.. If Jenkins can come in an just be average (which Jenkins should be better than average), it will improve this DB group greatly, along with Dee coming back.. Hall and Muhammad have been the 2 best guys so far, so if we can get Brooks/Jenkins playing at their level and McClain it will be great

GMG24 · September 25, 2017

20 hours ago, SouthBendGreen said:

Lol. You said in 5 words what took me sentences! But again we need to stop blitzing on 3rd down. Our inability to get off the field on 3rd will ultimately sink us.

Did you see what happened the 3rd down we didnt blitz? Our secondary was in coverage for 9-10 seconds. My Grandma could get open on a route if she had that long.

TreeFiddy · September 25, 2017

The secondary got beat on THREE separate double moves for touchdowns in the second half. Thankfully, one of them was called back.

The secondary can expect a steady diet of double moves in the next few games until they can show they are more disciplined.

MeanGreenTexan · September 25, 2017

20 hours ago, Censored by Laurie said:

I'm wondering if Nate Brooks isn't more suited to zone/team coverage than aggressive man-to-man...he excelled in a more complex, conservative system as he seems to have a strong understanding of space, but may simply lack some of the physical and mental (read: arrogant) talents of Jenkins and Hall when put on an island. It was a small sample size, but damn...Eric Jenkins played so well when given his shot late last night.

I also don't think it can be understated how much Kishawn McCalin has regressed this season and the effect that maybe having on the secondary as a whole, especially Brooks.

also...not being able to actually see the sideline or hear what chatter is going on the field...does this defense have an actual leader? I think it's right to be critical of scheme and adjustments, but at a point responsibility has to fall on the players as well, especially the third downs which at this point is just as much mental as anything else...something a vocal leader would be taking by the reigns.

positive notes...Joshua Wheeler needs so much of our love...dude is obviously playing with multiple injuries...he is basically our pass rush right now, though, so he's playing with complete disregard for his body. Ejiya and Muhammad have been fantastic...Young and Moore have over-performed considering they've been asked as under-sized tackles to anchor a three-man line (is Tualo-bear hurt? he didn't play last night, right?). They're gonna benefit so much from English's return.

cleaned up a lot of the silly penalties, too.

I saw a thread dedicated to roasting Jordan Murray... I was expecting to see the same for McClain. This is the first post I've seen (I didn't read the game thread and immediate post-game, knee-jerk threads, so forgive me if he was grilled in those) about his poor play. He had the INT on the heads up play on the sideline after the tip, but otherwise, his night was completely forgettable, if not poor... especially in coverage. He seemed to be out of position all night long. Super-disappointed in his play so far this year. Especially since many of us were hoping the Thorpe Award Watch-list player might make enough noise to get NFL looks.

Nate Brooks cannot get out of his own head.
From what I've seen out of him the past few seasons, when he's playing well, he can cover anyone. If he gets beat even once, he's toast the rest of the game because he can't recover mentally.

Kemon Hall has been steady, but if the WR he's covering makes a catch, he's so small, they just shrug him off.

SO GLAD Jenkins came in and made the most of his opportunity. I honestly would not be surprised to see Brooks starting next week on the bench on the road.

MeanGreen13 · September 25, 2017

23 hours ago, MeanGreenWarDaddy said:

I saw Nate Brooks do the same thing after the 1st touchdown he got burned on. Is it me or does Nate seem to be struggling a little bit with the defense style this year. He seem to shine the pervious year(s).

I feel like the coaches and players will get it corrected, but how soon is the question. Pass coverage worries me a lot!! especially with the team we play next.

If Dee Baulkman wasnt injured, he'd be our starting Nickel not Ashton... Just as I suspect that Nate wont be starting next week in favor og Eric Jenkins, who is redeeming himself after a poor first two games.

MeanGreenTexan · September 25, 2017

1 minute ago, MeanGreen13 said:

If Dee Baulkman wasnt injured, he'd be our starting Nickel not Ashton... Just as I suspect that Nate wont be starting next week in favor og Eric Jenkins, who is redeeming himself after a poor first two games.

Huh?

Nate has been 2nd string since game 1. Kemon Hall beat him out in during Fall practice.

Cerebus · September 25, 2017

This team misses Bryce English. When he get's healthy the D will improve quite a bit.

MGNation92 · September 25, 2017

Just now, Cerebus said:

This team misses Bryce English. When he get's healthy the D will improve quite a bit.

Bryce definitely has the discipline to cover those double moves.

The secondary, for all is was lauded for in the preseason, has been trash to hot garbage. If they're getting burned all game, the pass rush won't matter.

Cerebus · September 25, 2017

Just now, MGNation92 said:

Bryce definitely has the discipline to cover those double moves.

The secondary, for all is was lauded for in the preseason, has been trash to hot garbage. If they're getting burned all game, the pass rush won't matter.

Double moves take time, time they won't have if the QB is running away from a DT. All those years of watching Booger be a 1 man pass rush taught me that.

MeanGreen13 · September 25, 2017

10 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Huh?

Nate has been 2nd string since game 1. Kemon Hall beat him out in during Fall practice.

Kemon Hall beat out Jenkins for his spot... Brooks has been starting.

TIgreen01 · September 25, 2017

Jenkins needs to be on the field. He's a gamer. Hoping this post-game skirmish didn't impact his eligibility for the remainder of the season.

wardly · September 25, 2017

10 hours ago, BTG_Fan1 said:

UAB is a talented squad and has better recruiting classes.. If anyone thought they would just rollover and let us win because they are in their first year back is mistaken.. That QB is a tough kid, yes the defense has to be better...

Brooks has give up multiple long TDs and in some games multiple TDs.. If Jenkins can come in an just be average (which Jenkins should be better than average), it will improve this DB group greatly, along with Dee coming back.. Hall and Muhammad have been the 2 best guys so far, so if we can get Brooks/Jenkins playing at their level and McClain it will be great

Lets face reality.La. Tech,So. Miss,W.K.,Middle Tennessee,UTSA,ODU,and Marshall are the best of CUSA. UAB,Charlotte,FAU,FIU,Rice,UTEP, and UNT are the worst.To win 6 games we must beat FAU,UTEP,Rice, who we are on a par with, and Army.who will probably be 5&5 when we meet. Normally in the course of a season you beat a team you were not expected to, and by the same token lose to a school you expected to beat. We do have a real chance to go 6&6, but there is not any wiggle room that I see.

UNTLifer · September 25, 2017

36 minutes ago, wardly said:

Lets face reality.La. Tech,So. Miss,W.K.,Middle Tennessee,UTSA,ODU,and Marshall are the best of CUSA. UAB,Charlotte,FAU,FIU,Rice,UTEP, and UNT are the worst.To win 6 games we must beat FAU,UTEP,Rice, who we are on a par with, and Army.who will probably be 5&5 when we meet. Normally in the course of a season you beat a team you were not expected to, and by the same token lose to a school you expected to beat. We do have a real chance to go 6&6, but there is not any wiggle room that I see.

What have So. Miss, W.K., MTSU, ODU and Marshall shown that put them head and shoulders above us?

UNTFan23 · September 25, 2017

2 hours ago, wardly said:

Let's face reality.La. Tech,So. Miss,W.K.,Middle Tennessee,UTSA,ODU,and Marshall are the best of CUSA. UAB,Charlotte,FAU,FIU,Rice,UTEP, and UNT are the worst.To win 6 games we must beat FAU,UTEP,Rice, who we are on a par with, and Army.who will probably be 5&5 when we meet. Normally in the course of a season you beat a team you were not expected to, and by the same token lose to a school you expected to beat. We do have a real chance to go 6&6, but there is not any wiggle room that I see.

2017 CUSA Standings

EAST	CONF	OVR
Florida Intl	1-0	2-1
Marshall	0-0	2-1
Middle Tennessee	0-0	2-2
Old Dominion	0-0	2-2
Florida Atlantic	0-0	1-3
Charlotte	0-0	0-4
Western Kentucky	0-1	2-2
WEST	CONF	OVR
Louisiana Tech	1-0	2-2
North Texas	1-0	2-2
Rice	1-1	1-3
UT San Antonio	0-0	3-0
Southern Mississippi	0-0	2-1
UAB	0-1	2-2
UTEP	0-1	0-4

ODU (2-2 0-0) isn't the same team they were last year. Their only wins are against Albany (FCS? 0-1) and UMass (Ind 0-5). They're scoring 17.75 PPG right now and are giving up 28.75 PPG (with their losses being blowouts -- 53-23 & 38-0). At best ODU is a middle of the pack school in the conference like we are.

Mean Green 93-98 · September 25, 2017

13 hours ago, wardly said:

ODU. . . . these guys are going to give us a real beat down.

Edited September 25, 2017 by Mean Green 93-98

KingDL1 · September 25, 2017

6 hours ago, GMG24 said:

Did you see what happened the 3rd down we didnt blitz? Our secondary was in coverage for 9-10 seconds. My Grandma could get open on a route if she had that long.

At SMU we were eaten alive when we rushed only three on third and long. The SMU QB had all day to pick us a part and I think they converted every time we did not bring a blitz package on third and long.

KingDL1 · September 25, 2017

22 hours ago, Harry said:

If he is hurt and I think you're right he is -- I can't wait to see what he can do when he is healthy. There were a couple of edge rushes he had, one was a sack, where he just flat bull rushed and dominated the left tackle for UAB. Dude is a beast and really elevates the play when he is out there.

Joshua Wheeler 18 seemed like he was all over the field and always part of the play. He was reminded me of Zach Orr.

GOMG2013 · September 25, 2017

I like Nate a lot, but I do not understand why he does not get replaced. Even last year, it was Jenkins and Davis splitting time and they both covered much better than Nate. I think Nate was the better overall corner as far as 1st and 2nd downs last year, but in obvious passing situations and versus teams that ran the spread, we should have had our best COVER corners out there. I thought it was a Eckler issue, but we are doing something similar this year with the corners too. Maybe even worse.

Jenkins showed he can make plays in the game last year. Who cares about some stupid preseason camp. OK, he doesn't start, but not play at all? Really? I was skeptical of Hall because I have heard it before with the preseason camp, but it looks like he is the best corner on the team now. He's solid in coverage and physical. I still would trust Nate more on 1st and 2nd down, but Jenkins definitely should be in there if it is 2nd or 3rd and long, and obvious passing situations. Nate still has time to work it out before he leaves, but he's getting burnt. No way to sugar coat it.

Safety. This position has been getting a pass (and not an actual pass in the game) for too long now. OK, in some defenses the strong safety racks up lots of tackles. I get that, but we give way too much hype for the amount of tackles our safeties are getting and they do little to nothing in coverage. On 3rd and long, a safety should be looking at something to snag and take to the house. Our safeties are not coming close to getting their hands on the ball enough. Who cares about having a bunch of tackles when the ball shouldn't be completed that much in the first place. At least with Trice and Lee, they were close enough to create fumbles and hard hits after the catch. These guys aren't close.

wardly · September 25, 2017

4 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

What have So. Miss, W.K., MTSU, ODU and Marshall shown that put them head and shoulders above us?

Gee, a better team with better players. And I didn't say they were head and shoulders above us, although I think UTSA,La. Tech ,So. Miss,MTSU, and WK are.There are, in my opinion 7 very good to good CUSA programs, and 7 bad to very bad. At present we are in the bottom category, but will move up if recruiting can gain traction . We have a good coaching staff, and in 3 to 5 years could be very good.

BTG_Fan1 · September 25, 2017

16 minutes ago, GOMG2013 said:

I like Nate a lot, but I do not understand why he does not get replaced. Even last year, it was Jenkins and Davis splitting time and they both covered much better than Nate. I think Nate was the better overall corner as far as 1st and 2nd downs last year, but in obvious passing situations and versus teams that ran the spread, we should have had our best COVER corners out there. I thought it was a Eckler issue, but we are doing something similar this year with the corners too. Maybe even worse.

Jenkins showed he can make plays in the game last year. Who cares about some stupid preseason camp. OK, he doesn't start, but not play at all? Really? I was skeptical of Hall because I have heard it before with the preseason camp, but it looks like he is the best corner on the team now. He's solid in coverage and physical. I still would trust Nate more on 1st and 2nd down, but Jenkins definitely should be in there if it is 2nd or 3rd and long, and obvious passing situations. Nate still has time to work it out before he leaves, but he's getting burnt. No way to sugar coat it.

Safety. This position has been getting a pass (and not an actual pass in the game) for too long now. OK, in some defenses the strong safety racks up lots of tackles. I get that, but we give way too much hype for the amount of tackles our safeties are getting and they do little to nothing in coverage. On 3rd and long, a safety should be looking at something to snag and take to the house. Our safeties are not coming close to getting their hands on the ball enough. Who cares about having a bunch of tackles when the ball shouldn't be completed that much in the first place. At least with Trice and Lee, they were close enough to create fumbles and hard hits after the catch. These guys aren't close.

Jenkins did replace Brooks late in the game, believe Brooks didn't get back on field in the 4th Qtr... Jenkins had 2 PBU that were on scrabbles by the UAB QB, and could have been INTs for Jenkins.. Starting CBs vs USM should be Hall and Jenkins.

wardly · September 25, 2017

3 hours ago, UNTFan23 said:

2017 CUSA Standings

EAST CONF OVR
Florida Intl 1-0 2-1
Marshall 0-0 2-1
Middle Tennessee 0-0 2-2
Old Dominion 0-0 2-2
Florida Atlantic 0-0 1-3
Charlotte 0-0 0-4
Western Kentucky 0-1 2-2
WEST CONF OVR
Louisiana Tech 1-0 2-2
North Texas 1-0 2-2
Rice 1-1 1-3
UT San Antonio 0-0 3-0
Southern Mississippi 0-0 2-1
UAB 0-1 2-2
UTEP 0-1 0-4

ODU (2-2 0-0) isn't the same team they were last year. Their only wins are against Albany (FCS? 0-1) and UMass (Ind 0-5). They're scoring 17.75 PPG right now and are giving up 28.75 PPG (with their losses being blowouts -- 53-23 & 38-0). At best ODU is a middle of the pack school in the conference like we are.

Jeff Sagarin current ratings out today.Out of 254 programs, UTSA,WK,La. Tech., and So. Miss rank 78 thru 88.. Marshall,MTSU,FAU,ODU,and UNT rank 96th thru 121.The other 5 schools come in between 152 and 201. You are correct about ODU[114th], but UNT is still rated 9th[121] out of 14 programs, about the same as last year.

GOMG2013 · September 25, 2017

11 minutes ago, BTG_Fan1 said:

Jenkins did replace Brooks late in the game, believe Brooks didn't get back on field in the 4th Qtr... Jenkins had 2 PBU that were on scrabbles by the UAB QB, and could have been INTs for Jenkins.. Starting CBs vs USM should be Hall and Jenkins.

It depends though. Jenkins is good in pass coverage. He needs work in the run game and play recognition. If they switch Hall to the boundary corner, then Jenkins can move to the field corner. The Boundary corner has to be good at stopping the run. Nate was better than Davis and Jenkins and reading and stopping the run last year, so I understand why he was out there starting...at least on 1st and 2nd down...but on 3rd and long, Nate can come out. In some goaline situations Nate can come out.

I don't know much about Hall, but if he can play the Boundary Corner, then that could give us more options with the substitutions. Jenkins isn't an ideal boundary corner. Hall seems to play physical and I have heard a lot of good things. It's worth a try. At minimum, get Nate out on 3rd and longs.