Game thoughts

[Uncle]

21 hours ago, Danish43 said:

Nobody mentioned about the RS Freshman Johnson from Lubbock, he had some great runs.

TRUE freshman!!

[greenminer]

Quick Question, Norm: if Siggers returns to early-2019 form, would Tre+Adaway be the best 1-2 punch since Patrick-Jamario?

[southsideguy]

Stiggers did not look like him old self against HBU.  Hopefully he gets back on track.

[MeanGreenTexan]

7 hours ago, greenminer said:

Quick Question, Norm: if Siggers returns to early-2019 form, would Tre+Adaway be the best 1-2 punch since Patrick-Jamario?

You’re leaving Torrey out too.  And a healthy Smith is nothing to sneeze at.  This is the deepest RB Corps I can recall since Galbreath/Cobbs/Hickmon... probably moreso.

[greenminer]

41 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

You’re leaving Torrey out too.  And a healthy Smith is nothing to sneeze at.  This is the deepest RB Corps I can recall since Galbreath/Cobbs/Hickmon... probably moreso.

It’s not rocket science. Just say yes and we'll move on.

[97and03]

6 hours ago, southsideguy said:

Stiggers did not look like him old self against HBU.  Hopefully he gets back on track.

Should also consider his carries were mostly early and the run game in general wasn’t on track. Hopefully two weeks of OL practice and test for Siggers equals early yardage. 

[MeanGreen_MBA]

4 hours ago, 97and03 said:

Should also consider his carries were mostly early and the run game in general wasn’t on track. Hopefully two weeks of OL practice and test for Siggers equals early yardage. 

We ran for 360 yards

[97and03]

33 minutes ago, MeanGreen_MBA said:

We ran for 360 yards

Reading comprehension. Re-read what I said. The comments were about early carries. The big yardage for RBs was second half. 

Edited September 8, 2020 by 97and03

[UNTLifer]

1 hour ago, 97and03 said:

Reading comprehension. Re-read what I said. The comments were about early carries. The big yardage for RBs was second half. 

[SteaminWillieBeamin]

I'm in the minority here - but I think this board way overvalues our 'stable' of RBs. The common refrain I see is how any of the top four could start anywhere in CUSA.

Early Siggers last was a monster - but he seemed to wear out as the season went on. Then he had that serious injury. He looks like he isn't as explosive. Torrey doesn't seem to have that top gear and isn't large enough to create his own holes.  Last year with these two guys as the top, we lacked the ability to move the pile and just couldn't convert the 3rd downs.

Why anyone would say Nic Smith could start at another school it beyond me. 

Attaway is the future. I would start Attaway and use Siggers as the relief runner and on throwing downs.  I don't see how that room is full. 

 

[edcollopy]

7 minutes ago, SteaminWillieBeamin said:

I'm in the minority here - but I think this board way overvalues our 'stable' of RBs. The common refrain I see is how any of the top four could start anywhere in CUSA.

Early Siggers last was a monster - but he seemed to wear out as the season went on. Then he had that serious injury. He looks like he isn't as explosive. Torrey doesn't seem to have that top gear and isn't large enough to create his own holes.  Last year with these two guys as the top, we lacked the ability to move the pile and just couldn't convert the 3rd downs.

Why anyone would say Nic Smith could start at another school it beyond me. 

Attaway is the future. I would start Attaway and use Siggers as the relief runner and on throwing downs.  I don't see how that room is full. 

 

excellent break down...tough to argue with this.  Attaway looks like the stud of the group by far. Siggers looks like he needs more rehab before he's ready to be what he was.

[97and03]

I would say Siggers was able to get the tough yards last year when healthy. Torrey was pretty dynamic two years ago. I think both have been slowed by injuries. 
As we know, sometimes it is the back who picks up the blitz the best that plays the most. Could be the case here this year. 

[MGNation92]

So I rewatched the game and I'm a lot more worried than I initially thought. They missed 3 field goals. If they make those it's a 23-19 game midway through the 3rd.

They moved the ball consistently, our corners were beat deep multiple times, our safeties/LBs got beat up the seam multiple times. Bean made some questionable throws that are probably picked against an FBS team.

I get they scored two TD's late to make it look more respectable but they were within 2 scores for the majority of the game. To me, that's reason to worry.

I have a bad feeling about SMU if we play like we did against HBU.

[greenminer]

1 hour ago, SteaminWillieBeamin said:

The common refrain I see is how any of the top four could start anywhere in CUSA.

I don't think of it that way.  I think 3 of these guys would be in the top 2 of any CUSA roster, with Nick on the outside looking in.  Tre (when healthy) and Adaway are near locks as starters anywhere in the league and arguments could be made for all-league.  Torrey is not a lock, but IMO is the perfect relief.  If he were running like I remember he did in spurts two seasons ago...THAT would be a starter.  Right now I see him as perfect for his role: change/relief for Tre/Oscar.

I haven't read anywhere about Nick being a starter.  I think he's a mystery right now: a signee a lot of us were excited about, with a ton of potential, but hasn't lived up to it (yet).  Nick made some speedy plays one or two offseasons ago.  Would lovelove to see it happen again in a game.  His game reminders me a bit of Lance.

Edited September 8, 2020 by greenminer

[Hunter Green]

On 9/6/2020 at 8:52 AM, H-towngreen said:

Bean under shot a number of targets, that won’t fly against better teams.

I agree, especially early on. He seemed to get better as the game moved along. Haven't seen enough on Aune to form a strong opinion one way or another.

[97and03]

56 minutes ago, MGNation92 said:

So I rewatched the game and I'm a lot more worried than I initially thought. They missed 3 field goals. If they make those it's a 23-19 game midway through the 3rd.

They moved the ball consistently, our corners were beat deep multiple times, our safeties/LBs got beat up the seam multiple times. Bean made some questionable throws that are probably picked against an FBS team.

I get they scored two TD's late to make it look more respectable but they were within 2 scores for the majority of the game. To me, that's reason to worry.

I have a bad feeling about SMU if we play like we did against HBU.

If they kick and make the FG instead of going for it near the goal line (when they failed to score) it would have been 23-22. They left a lot of points on the board. 

On the other hand, not many here picked us to beat SMUt or Houston so any wins there are gravy. Either way I think we have a fighting chance in conference. But yes, needs improvement. 

[MeanGreenTexan]

2 hours ago, SteaminWillieBeamin said:

I'm in the minority here - but I think this board way overvalues our 'stable' of RBs. The common refrain I see is how any of the top four could start anywhere in CUSA.

Early Siggers last was a monster - but he seemed to wear out as the season went on. Then he had that serious injury. He looks like he isn't as explosive. Torrey doesn't seem to have that top gear and isn't large enough to create his own holes.  Last year with these two guys as the top, we lacked the ability to move the pile and just couldn't convert the 3rd downs.

Why anyone would say Nic Smith could start at another school it beyond me. 

Attaway is the future. I would start Attaway and use Siggers as the relief runner and on throwing downs.  I don't see how that room is full. 

 

Actually, I think that's just me saying that.

Siggers ran for over 800 yds last year with nagging injuries in the 2nd half.   If he's healthy, he's still a lead back for sure.  A big bruiser RB, like Brandin Byrd... don't expect him to burn a secondary.
Torrey was a 2nd team all-conference guy in 2018 until Siggers ate into his carry count last year.   I thought he looked very explosive when he ran on Saturday (85yds!)  He is a burner/homerun guy.
I agree that Attaway's time is now though.
Quick Smith has started games for us before, and if healthy is certainly a contributor.

If we're going to hang the RBs for last year's second half production, it's only fair to put a lot of the blame on the failed recipe of a poor line in front of them & the lost playcalling from Reeder.

 

I'm not saying all 4 would be All-conference guys (although 2 of them actually are)... we don't have 4 Jeff Wilsons.
But outside of Knox at Marshall & McCormick at UTSA, any of these guys would either win the starting job, or be part of a RBBC for the other C-USA schools.   I bet MT & USM would have loved to have any of our 4 RBs last weekend over what they actually had.

The stable is deep.

[MeanGreenTexan]

1 hour ago, 97and03 said:

If they kick and make the FG instead of going for it near the goal line (when they failed to score) it would have been 23-22. They left a lot of points on the board. 

On the other hand, not many here picked us to beat SMUt or Houston so any wins there are gravy. Either way I think we have a fighting chance in conference. But yes, needs improvement. 

Not to mention our first TD shouldn't have even happened in the first place, but we got an EXTREMELY GENEROUS spot on that 4th down conversion.

[TechBulldog11]

On 9/7/2020 at 9:50 AM, Uncle said:

TRUE freshman!!

This year provides an awesome opportunity to play true freshmen since everyone gets an extra year of eligibility. Basically a playing redshirt year.

Tech has a freshman QB (JD Head) from Pearland that is looking fantastic in practice. We are either going to start Aaron Allen (who was the #2 last year) or the transfer from Abeliene Christian. Personally, I would rather play the true freshman and get him ready for next year. 

[UNT Mean Green]

OFFENSE

• Play calling was excellent
  • Littrell is (and has been) the best coordinator on staff
• Overall very impressed with the athleticism, skill, and depth of the WR's, RB's, and TE's
  • Darden and Shorter are special
  • It was good to see Simpson, Jackson, Ogunmakin, and Roberts get catches
  • Tremendous depth at RB - positives for all of them to get game action
• Bean & Aune did a nice job for the first game, and offered plenty for the coaches to clean up
  • Remember this was the first "live action" since November 2019
• O-Line had some struggles in the first half run game wise, but started imposing their will in the second half
  • It appears we can expect to see a lot of this in 2020
• This appears to be a very formidable C-USA offense, and will be fun to watch as the season tracks forward

 

DEFNSE

• Scheme & play calling was vanilla against a formidable offense
• D-Line is going to be fine
  • Novil is an absolute stud, and the youngsters behind him inside are effective players
  • We need to see more out of the DE position, but it was difficult given the quick nature of the HBU passing game; McCrae looks like a SEC DE from a physical frame standpoint
• LB's played well, made tackles in space
• DB's did a nice job of keeping things in front of them
  • Would like to see more out of Gaddie & Rucker as the year tracks forward
  • Cam Johnson in the nickel appears to be a good move
• This unit needs more gain experience to play together against some different styles of offense, but there is clearly some talent on this unit

 

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Overall fun to watch (especially watching Coach Ekeler on the sidelines after big plays)
• Coverage was outstanding
  • More athleticism on this roster, more kids who can run should lead to better cover units
• Starting Kicker was out with injury
• Return game looked okay; not a lot of chances due to kickoff depth

Edited September 8, 2020 by UNT Mean Green

[meaniegreenie]

57 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Not to mention our first TD shouldn't have even happened in the first place, but we got an EXTREMELY GENEROUS spot on that 4th down conversion.

Yeah, couldn't believe we made that one (spot looked wrong)...then I remembered it was a CUSA crew.

There was also a long play that looked to be down at the 11/12 and was spotted at the 9.  Didn't see a replay, but assume the ref got outrun and missed the spot.  I always think it's a big difference between 1st and10 at the 11/12 as opposed to the 9 (but it may not be that big of a deal).

Edited September 8, 2020 by meaniegreenie

[Side Show Joe]

On 9/6/2020 at 6:21 PM, TheColonyEagle said:

"Yes and yes. I thought I made that clear. In the first half, I felt the o-line didn't open holes for our talented RBs. In the second half, the undermanned HBU defense was just too worn down.  We won't have that advantage against FBS programs like SMU. Any Mean Green fan that doesn't have concerns is in for some disappointment this season. Just for reference... last year we opened the season by beating FCS program ACU 51-31. That is too similar to last night's 57-31 win, and we all know how 2019 played out.

Obviously, we have different perspectives of how we view the current state of our offense. But, maybe we can agree on one thing.... If our o-line rolls through SMU's defense next week, I will be happy to revisit this thread and eat some crow. But, if SMU's defense dominates our o-line, will you be willing to do the same?"

 

Yes

Well, are you happy with what you saw tonight?

[TheColonyEagle]

6 hours ago, Side Show Joe said:

Well, are you happy with what you saw tonight?

Obviously not 

[southsideguy]