Is the o-line overrated ?

[Wag Tag]

What was suppose to be the strength did not come thru in the Ohio game. 4 and 1 at their 27 and not go, is very concerning. Stack the box? Without a doubt our receiving corp has been upgraded. The most popular play in football is the slant, from the slot or the wideout. This should be one of basis for this team. 4yd,7yd,12yd

Talent has improved.

Offensive play calling needs to be addressed.

Defense held them to 6 points in the second half.

[NorthTexan95]

I don't think our line is overrated. You can count on one hand the number of times DT was pressured early. Most of the time our receivers just couldn't get open. Running game suffered because Ohio kept eight and nine in the box most of the night.

[H-towngreen]

I swear I saw holes in the running game the backs just weren't hitting them

[DallasGreen]

O-Line is way overrated poor run blocking and coaches must know that to try a FG on 4th and one with the inconsistency our FG kickers have already shown. Ball State though not great is better than Ohio. I am still not impressed by the MAC!

[FirefightnRick]

I swear I saw holes in the running game the backs just weren't hitting them

Exactly!

I wonder if the "Bigger Is Better" issue with our backs has bitten us again. Every year or two we seem to put on bulk on a back and it slows him down?

Still, even a slow back should have been making yardage consistently last night. Blankenship didnt do anything fancy trying to make someone miss. He took his first move and rammed it up into the gaps and kept the chains moving. Byrd and Jimmerson did not.

Rick

[UNTexas]

This is one of the better O lines we have had in a while.

[All About UNT]

I want to see more of Rex Rollins. Pegram doesn't do anything for me and Jimmy Show stops WAY TOO MUCH to try and think.

[NorthTexan95]

Byrd lost weight to get quicker.

[FirefightnRick]

I believe Jimmerson said that he lost weight to be quicker.

North Texan95

Byrd lost weight to get quicker.

Really? Then how much did they used to weigh? Because as of right now they are listed at 222 and 223 respectively?

Rick

Edited September 9, 2013 by FirefightnRick

[JesseMartin]

Yeah, all 3 of our main backs are over 220. I suspect that's the key in using a rotation - shove the ball down their throats, and when you're tired, sub in another guy to shove just as hard. I don't think it's the o-line...so many times I was sitting there wondering if DT would pass or run. I only saw him actually try to run once (not counting a couple of "oh, crap, let me at least get to the line of scrimmage" moments), did I miss any others? That's the one area where I agree with some of the DT haters. If you don't have a shot and the o-line is giving you a huge amount of protection, you can find somewhere to run at least a few times per game. Of course statistically, I'd prefer an incompletion over a sack, but the fact that Derek gets sacked so rarely is an o-line miracle. Maybe he's been coached that way (don't run, use your time to find a target, try not to get intercepted but for God's sake don't get sacked). But if that's the case, it's probably because he isn't a very good runner. Hey, that's fine, not every QB is...but with this unit, I agree that we need that added dimension. LITERALLY a couple of plays per game, as close as I expect most of this season to be, are likely to change the outcome. If somebody can scramble for the first down when we have a bit of momentum instead of having to punt it away, that could be the game-changer.

If it doesn't happen this year, and we get one more year of Mac, it sure as hell better happen next year with whoever is the new QB. One of Derek's upsides is stability in transitioning to Mac while we figure out who can finally come in and be that unexpected variable that gives us the W in close games. Whether you think that's good or bad, it's his role and he has played it fairly well. We're in a tough spot, but we've been in worse before. But we do need him to motivate these other guys to take it to the next level.

We're North Texas. We're all bizarrely different and disagree about almost everything. But we stick together anyway. That's what makes us the most amazingly weird but still awesome University in the nation.

Oh, and Peter Weller.

Edited September 9, 2013 by JesseMartin

[foutsrouts]

North Texan95

Really? Then how much did they used to weigh? Because as of right now they are listed at 222 and 223 respectively?

Rick

I believe I remember a Jimmerson quote two or three weeks ago where he said he was down to 210. I'm not seeing that increased quickness thus far.

[meangreener]

They stack the box.

Also at one point Jimmerson stopped and RAN AWAY from the hole.

He literally stopped.

[UNTLifer]

We seem to run better hitting the holes quick with a north and south type running game. The zone read that begins laterally, towards the sidelines, seem to hurt us. Did anyone else notice this?

[UNT Mean Green]

It doesn't appear that any of the 3 mentioned backs were quick enough on Saturday to get to the edge (minus one time Byrd did early when 64 had a blatant hold on the Ohio DE) and Ohio was flying to the football on defense. Maybe Rollins or Lewis would provide a good change of pace?

[Rudy]

We seem to run better hitting the holes quick with a north and south type running game. The zone read that begins laterally, towards the sidelines, seem to hurt us. Did anyone else notice this?

Yep. If we try to stretch the field and the defense has too much lateral speed, sometimes you just have to pound the ball forward.

[GrandGreen]

Overrated by who. They do not have one all Belt returnee, and the reasons anyone thinks they are special is McCarney. McCarney has praised this group more than any other and installed an offense that minimizes sacks.

Coaches are usually quick to praise the offensive line because it is about the only adulation they get.

NT is returning 3 two years starters and another who alternated as starter. They may very well be the best unit NT puts on the field, but so far are not the special group; many seem to think. Idaho stacked the line of scrimmage and dared NT to throw and paid the price. Ohio did not do the same, although many seem to think so. They usually played a pretty straight up defense, but with NT's tendencies: it doesn't take a lot of guess work to think run on first down for example.

I don't think the running backs have been very good either, but I haven't seem those holes that some are indicating.

I think the running game will improve, especially in CUSA: who doesn't have many if any; clubs as good as Ohio.