Thoughts About the Bama Game

[SUMG]

I listened to George and Hank while watching the broadcast. It was in sync with DirecTV. That's the best when you can hear our radio announcers while watching a TV game.

1) I'm guessing this was the biggest crowd we've ever played before? I don't think we'd ever broken the 100,000 barrier.

2) I think our young O line is jelling. Their pass blocking is pretty good. Thrilled about the future of the O line.

3) Mike Stockjavic (sp?) had a great game.

4) Glad to see Kyle White in the game. I'm pretty sure he started...in place of Cantly.

He recovered two fumbles.

5) Walk-on DB Mike Marshall (freshman from South Grand Prairie) has the makings of being a special teams stud. #15....

6) Two guys who I never saw in the game---Stradford and Richard Abbe. I might have missed it....did either of them play?

7) We need to develop some more WRs.

8) Hank and George mentioned that IU alum Babe Laufenberg will be at the game next Saturday. They wondered if Mark Cuban, another IU alum....might also be there.

Go Mean Green!

[UNTLifer]

Good summary. I also like the future of the O-Line. I thought I saw Abbe in but could be mistaken. Stojokovic played well, as did Akunne late, and Orr was all over the place. We need to recruit speed, speed and more speed. Alabama had a gear we didn't, and that large running back ran away from us. Atterberry also had a strong game as did our coverage units.

Outside of Johnson and Phillips, we are relatively healthy going forward. I agree we need more and faster WR's. Stradford is the only one with the speed to extend the defense, but he's got hands of stone. Hate to say this, but his transfer as been a bust.

[TheColonyEagle]

Agree.

It seems Tyler Stratford has been absent all season?

We had no turnovers and gave up no sacks, and had 4 sacks. I thought that was really positive.

The team seemed to make adjustments in the second half. We have sorely missed that the last few years.

No major injuries.

Despite the big loss, the team CAN get a little confidence out of this game. That is something they desperately need after the past 3 years. Ok, I know that's not ideal but this team DOES need some moral victories at this point. I think we're going to see a focused, confident team next week at home.

Taking the opponents and scores out of it, I feel the team has improved every week which means they're buying in and starting to come together. Mac said last night he didn't want to hear about their youth anymore. They're 3 weeks in and not young anymore. I love the attitude and I think the team will start to take that attitude on as well. When young teams start to gain confidence....you really start to see their potential. I'm excited about the Indiana game.

What a gauntlet this team has had to go through the first 3 weeks. Combined 9-0 record and may be a combined 36-0 when the season's over. I'm glad it's behind us.

[DeepGreen]

Question I have is, did Saban call off the dogs or did UNT play a pretty good game considering the competition?

[DallasGreen]

FIU played a great game yesterday against UCF and are definitely the class of the SBC. I hope T.Y. Hilton was not hurt too badly (looked like a hamstring to me), but FIU played very credibly even w/o TY. We have definitely played the strongest part of our schedule. Tulsa lost their starting QB to a knee injury against OSU in the wee hours of this AM. IU I think only has the win against So. Carolina State an FCS bottom feeder, and FAU has been creamed by some heavy weights, and is taking on another on Sat. Considering the competition in the first 3 games I feel the next 3 all are much more winnable especially if we'll use Dunbar and Hamilton in a 2 back set. Only the first half against AL and FIU and the second half against U of H have been disappointing. We lack speed and size but Cach Mac can get enough out of what he has to be competitive the rest of the schedule. Only Troy and ASU stick out as being very formidable the rest of the way. We are greatly improving, and it should show against IU this Sat.

[chrisfisher]

Question I have is, did Saban call off the dogs or did UNT play a pretty good game considering the competition?

I recall one of the announcers saying that Saban keep most of his starters in that game going into the 4th Q. The score was about 27-0 but UNT had threatened to score several times... and they seemed dedicated to shutting us out... so yes, i believe that the starters were in for a good part of the game.

[bamachine]

I recall one of the announcers saying that Saban keep most of his starters in that game going into the 4th Q. The score was about 27-0 but UNT had threatened to score several times... and they seemed dedicated to shutting us out... so yes, i believe that the starters were in for a good part of the game.

Defensive starters, yep. Didn't put in the second/third string until the 4th quarter. Same went for the offense but Saban wasn't trying to RUTS, he was just trying to get some wrinkles worked out before we start the SEC schedule.

You guys have a few great players and if Dan can add a few more, you should be up there competing for SBC titles. FIU was where you are today, just last year.

If any of you made the trip, I hope you enjoyed it.

[wardly]

Question I have is, did Saban call off the dogs or did UNT play a pretty good game considering the competition?

i watched game on fox. my observations, for what they are worth:1] bama did not try to run up the score. they put in #2 quarterback middle of 2nd quarter, replaced him with about 2 minutes to go in half so they could run their 2 minute offense.they did want a shutout, and substuited accordingly.i don't think we had 50 yards total offense the 1st half.2] our players did not quit, and played hard the entire game 3]speed. they got it, we dont'. on their kickoffs we were lucky to return to 15 yard line. their secondary is much faster than our receivers.4]their D line just overwhelmed our young O line.5] i was susprised at our conservative play calling the 1st half. appeared our main concern was eliminating turnovers. 6]in summary, we were in over our head, but barring injury will be much better mid to late season. we are a 3 to 5 year work in process.just an old man's opinion.

[KingDL1]

I am pretty happy with what I am seeing so far with this team. The team looks much better coached from the last several years. We don't have the depth and athleticism to go up against teams of this caliber, but that will be fixed in time. Dan used this as an opportunity to get several players some experience in a big house. What a great place to get time, after that ever place else is a cakewalk.

I am not sure why but I am actually feeling better about the rest of the season.

Maybe I am up worked up on the Green Koolaide but I think we are looking better as team each week, it makes going back to Conference play pretty interesting. If we beat either Indiana or Tulsa where do we finish? Maybe it is just me today but I can see 6-6 or better as high as maybe 8-4? I would love to kick Troy's ass this year!

[MeanGreenHoops]

I am pretty happy with what I am seeing so far with this team. The team looks much better coached from the last several years. We don't have the depth and athleticism to go up against teams of this caliber, but that will be fixed in time. Dan used this as an opportunity to get several players some experience in a big house. What a great place to get time, after that ever place else is a cakewalk.

I am not sure why but I am actually feeling better about the rest of the season.

Maybe I am up worked up on the Green Koolaide but I think we are looking better as team each week, it makes going back to Conference play pretty interesting. If we beat either Indiana or Tulsa where do we finish? Maybe it is just me today but I can see 6-6 or better as high as maybe 8-4? I would love to kick Troy's ass this year!

Agree KingDL1, just posted as much on a new thread, before I saw your post. I'm not even concerned with records this year though because of that, except for the fact I know it would help with recruiting.

[GrayEagle]

Until we actually win a game I'll just be cautiously optimistic. I do see some areas of improvement but there are some positions and players that have been disappointing so far.

Alabama is so big and talented that it's hard to take anything from this game. I thought that our offense was as predictable as the Dickey days (without the draws). Dunbar was wasted trying to run him through the middle of that line. The offensive line didn't allow a sack which was amazing but pass-blocking effectively needs to result in completions. The defense did well except for giving up big plays and continue to show improvement.

Few had hopes of winning any of the first three but from here on, with the exception of Troy, it's becoming a more even matchup. Tulsa, without Kinne, may even be possible.

This team needs the home field advantage. We need crowds above 25,000 and loud. It's good for team morale, recruiting and it can't hurt realignment chances. The more students involved the better. We will improve; hopefully this year.

[rcade]

Does anyone know what McCarney was yelling as the team ran off at halftime? I couldn't tell if he was upset at a ref, upset at his team, or just yelling encouragement to the team.

[MeanMag]

Those of you who saw a conservative first half are right, and you did. I see some very good strategy in calling a conservative offense in the first half in that environment.

We ran down the clock. This speeds up the game and gets the offense use to being on the field in front of 101,000 people and the defense refreshed to force turnovers and keep up with that much faster team. It keeps their offense off the field and limits the amount of plays they can run and therefore keeps the score closer.

20-0 going into the half and you can tell your kids we are still in this. Defense made some stops several times and the offense can come out firing in the second and catch the defense off guard and you're right back in things. It didn't work against Alabama, but it will work against more comparable competition

A lot of growing up happened in that first half at Alabama, especially on the defensive side. So I'll buy that McCarney doesn't want to hear about youth anymore. They experienced one of the best/most hostile environments in college football. Not much more to experience beyond that.

The biggest problem now is finishing. Converting Red Zone attempts, 3rd downs etc., we're not very good. Until we can do that, our offense will not be mature.

Edited September 19, 2011 by MeanMag

[MeanGreenGlory]

Here are some things that I took away from the game...

The GOOD:

1) O-Line didn't give up any sacks against a really, really good defense.

2) No interceptions or fumbles on our part.

3) Defense looked more confident and poised at times in this game than I have seen them in the past 3-4 years.

4) Defense never gave up and managed to make plays late in the game. My favorite part about it was that you could tell they were still excited and fighting to get the job done. Haven't seen that in a long time.

5) Came out healthy as far as we all know

6) Lots of different players got playing time and experience. Facing the situations in that atmosphere is an experience that should certainly make you stronger.

The BAD:

1) The offense hasn't scored a single point in the 2 out of 3 games we've played...scary. I know that they were facing great defenses, but opportunities to score were presented and we couldn't seal the deal. I hope we can change that against Indiana this weekend.

The CONTROVERSIAL:

1) Rotating key players at crucial points of the game. I'm okay with it and think Mac was smart for doing that towards the end of the game. There's no shot at coming back. Put some of the younger players in a high stress situation and see what they can do with it. If they do something, awesome. If they don't, they gain great experience and know you aren't kidding when you say "Be ready to make plays when your number is called."

2) Lance Dunbar is supposed to be the Keystone of this offense and he hasn't done much yet (compared to what he did last year). I think he's still getting his groove back after this concussion. I think Indiana's run defense is weaker than the three we've faced so far and he'll have a break out game this upcoming weekend.

3) QB rotation. Hey, competition has heated up as all three have been put in game situations and rotated frequently. I'm betting that Mac and Chico will start to rotate less now that the games are more winnable and they have a better idea as to who can do what.

4) Offensive play calling. Some have called it boring and non sensical, but it seems that there is a sound theory behind the madness - keep the ball as long as possible to keep it out of the opponent's hands. Fair enough IMO.

Overview Thoughts Through Alabama:

We look to improve in one fashion or another every game that we play. My biggest observation is that there have been moments where we look like a team that is going in for the kill whereas other times we've looked like we're just dabbling and experimenting. I think these first 3 games have been a platform for Mac & Co. to test the waters and see what works, what doesn't, who's going to step up, and who isn't.

After these three games, there's no doubt in my mind that the coaches have a full understanding of what they're working with now and will be able to play to the strengths and mask the weaknesses.

I'm betting that we will see a much more structured and to-the-point game plan from here on out.

The BEST:

1) Toughest part of the season is behind us. We have a fighting and clawing chance at winning every game from here on out.

GO MEAN GREEN! BEAT INDIANA!!!!

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

---I would have taken the three points near the end to avoid the shutout.... 7 or 3 ... what difference did it make... ?? 3 looks as we actually did something.

---I was proud of the fact that despite being totally out classed (ability-wise) OUR GUYS DID NOT QUIT.. They showed some pride in themselves. Both sides of the line were beaten up pretty bad... mostly due to size. Dozens of teams would not have done any better.