First, it is time for the defensive coaching staff to start updating resumes. This is by far and away the most undisciplined and disorganized squad I have ever seen. The regurgitated post game comments of "We need to figure out what is wrong and play better" are falling on deaf ears. (that was paraphrased)
These players are far too talented to be unable to stop so much as a beer belch, let alone a potent offensive attack. The object is to "tackle" the opposition, not sprint past them issuing a glancing blow with the side of your arm in hopes they will surrender. And the technique of covering a deep receiver involves turning to see the incoming pass and perhaps raising your arms and/or jumping from time to time. Wrapping your arms and legs around the intended receiver and practically dry humping them while in mid-sprint will likely only draw penalty flags for interference, holding and illegal use of your mid-section.
Second, drop this silly notion that Miller is a "great QB". A talented athlete and a great ball carrier, absolutely without a doubt. But he still lacks the primary fundamentals of reading defenses and NOT freezing like a deer in the headlights after the D-line breaks through the O-line. And he is not alone out there. This is where I scratch my head and wonder "Why the torrid love affair with bootleg quarterbacks in college?" They have notoriously poor accuracy with game stats that look like the following…
"crappy pass, crappy pass, crappy pass, crappy pass, crappy pass, break away run for a TD, crappy pass, crappy pass, crappy pass, crappy pass, random bomb for a TD", then the cycle begins again.
I see it the same as signing a 6'6" beast to a long term contract who bats only about .150 but clobbers 40 to 50 home runs per year. Do the benefits really outweigh the costs? These players can get you into championship games but rarely past them.
I suppose growing up watching Joe Montana, John Elway, Roger Staubach, Doug Williams and Terry Bradshaw skews my opinion in favor of the traditional QB. But these and others like them could read defenses prior to AND after the snap and react accordingly based on instinct with little hesitation. There is a reason many sports critics agree that the QB position is the single most difficult position to play in all of team sports.
I don't even blame Braxton. He's worked hard and I have seen some improvement in his first three years. But those rare and special quarterbacking tools, if present, are usually realized by this point. I'd love nothing more than to eat these words next year so I am going to cheer for him to prove me wrong. I say these words because I wish for him to succeed, not to fail.
Lastly, this is for the entire program. Work with NCAA schedulers and begin playing REAL teams in the regular season. Even just one game with a strong SEC or ACC team will build both your skills AND credibility. Teams get good by playing (and occasionally losing to) other good teams. Not crappy ones. This is why the SEC is a meat grinder of a conference - because they all play one another every week. You will never be properly prepared for a BCS game by playing Akron, Florida A&M and the El Paso Polytech Fighting Banditos in the regular season, just in hopes to protect your precious undefeated record.
There, I feel better now. Although I actually felt fine about 3 minutes after the game ended. I've made this point before; the great thing about being a sports fan (if properly self-managed) is that you really can have it both ways. You can cheer for your team to win, pump your fists in the air and celebrate when they do. But when they lose, you simply go back to your life exactly the way you left it before the game began. Nothing has changed as a result of the game's outcome. There is always tomorrow, next week or next year.
I should disclose that I am a "Class B" Buckeyes fan. "Class A" are actual alum. I'm just a lifelong Ohioan that grew up a Buckeyes fan. That's how so many of us do it here. "Class C" fans are neither alum nor Ohioans. They just spontaneously latched onto the Scarlet and Gray but something tells me that is an endangered species.
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