The Goat Pen

I'm not so sure it has anything with us not being able to put 4 quarters together. I think it has everything to do with lack of depth, experience, and speed. For the first half, our defense was able to stay close to the line of scrimmage so we could rush the QB and make the run for 'bama difficult. During halftime, 'bama adjusted with the result being they attacked what maybe the weakest part of our team; the secondary. 'bama started to toss up, over and downfield which isn't exactly rocket science against our team. It's a bunch of inexperience with a touch of a lack of speed thrown in when it comes to our secondary; if you have the QB and receiving corps to pass downfield you will easily beat us. That's why teams recently have been so good against us and turned the game into a 2 quarter or so afair; they are exploiting our main weakness and right now there is not a damn thing we can do about it. Doing this loosens our defense up as we have to start taking into account the long pass and it's lights out for us.

That's one of the reasons why we beat Cincy and some other teams this season. They didn't have the passing game to go downfield against us.

I'm starting to like Justin Wilcox quite a bit as a game planner and executioner. If he can recruit, then we will have a good defense.

UC played like shit that day. No passing game? Heh.

Cincy played like shit, true.

Cincy has no passing game? Uh, no. Not true.

Look, I'm not getting into the reasons why we don't play for 4 quarters, some of which you mentioned, OF. The fact is: we don't play for 4 quarters. And it doesn't seem as if the coaches are able to fix it with the players we have now. So we'll just have to wait.

Hacksaw wrote: Cincy has no passing game? Uh, no. Not true.

That's not quite what I said.

Yeah, I was kind of responding to you and Rat at the same time. But Cincy is more than capable of exploiting our bad pass defense, if that was all it is. There's a lot going on. We look like two different teams in the first and second halves.

Hacksaw wrote: We look like two different teams in the first and second halves.

I think part of that is due to coaching. Good coaching, that is, by Tennessee. Heard McElwain (Bama OC) say last night that Tennessee changed their slants, gaps and sets on D for this game and Bama had to scrap their game plans. At one point, you guys dragged out a 'wide tackle six' (!) with shades of Jerry Claiborne at Kentuck.

I think that Tennessee, because of that, is playing better teams closer in the first half. You guys are very young (only Auburn has played more freshmen) and injured. You have the seedling of a very good team, though (which is unfortunate). If you guys stay the course, you will be decent in 2012 and monsters in 2013.

Jungle Rat wrote:UC played like shit that day. No passing game? Heh.

Cincy got beat by the better team. We had Bray and Hunter. That made a big difference and opened things up for the offense.

Losing them really hurt us, but that is part of the depth issue. We only have Rodgers that can stretch the field now and they can double him and put everyone else in the box.

Simms is just awful, but Whorley isn't ready either he doesn't have the arm strength.

If we had Bray back I would say we would win out. As it is we may lose another one or two even.

You do have to wonder what the game would've been like if we'd had Bray yesterday. I bet we would've converted a lot more 3rd downs and the game would've been different. We still would've ultimately lost but being in 27-20 game is a lot different and better than being in a 37-6 blowout.

I do not think Bray would have made a 24-point differnce. 2 TDs? Possible.

I was tossing out the score to make a point; the game would've been different and probably closer. I doubt the difference would've been more than 10.

A big congrats to Tim Tebow. He rallied his team from a big deficit in the 4th quarter to tie the game up and then won it in overtime. Looks like he got sacked quite a bit yet managed 2 TDs and no INTs. Not bad at all.

I wish Washington had him instead of that other dumbass Gator we ended up with...

Lot of talk going around about Justin Worley starting this week. I like the idea. Let the kid get some experience. We can't be much worse than when Simms is in there.

We've got a taste of what the colts are going through. Unless Worley steps up in a big way, I don't see us winning 3 more games. Simms is a shodow of his former merely serviceable self.

I wonder if we'll be a 3td dog is Saturday...

OH lol. Don't anyone be to eager to buy any tickets to a bottom of the barrel bowl expecting us to be there as we won't even go there!! hehehe

In all seriousness, I'm liking this idea a lot. It would've been nice if his first start didn't come against Carolina midway through the season but those are the breaks I guess.

Good news about Worley is he weighs 200 lbs. The weight issue is what scared the @#$^ out of me with Bray when he was a Freshman. I had visions of things happening as a result of a blitzing LB which would be a LOT worse than a broke thumb Bray has now. I'm quite confident it would've happened last season if Bray had to start at the beginning of the season and play the same games Simms did. Say what you want about Simms; he took a lot of hard licks and kept on ticking. He has heart and is tough.
Bray would be dead now if he had to take the same licks Simms did last season.

It would be sweet if Worley won against Carolina. He is from there ya know.

Did Worley redshirt this season? So he maintains his year of eligibility, right?

He took snaps late vs. Bama. His redshirt is gone. Dooley would rather win now than save Worley's redshirt. I think that shows that his priorities are in order.

Official. Worley to start.

I'm liking the decision. Let's face it, Simms is done and he knows Bring on the future I say!!

puterbac wrote:Official. Worley to start.

Did anybody catch any of Worley's act in the O &W game? I don't think I've ever seen him throw a ball..

I don't recall him passing in the 'bama game either. Then again, my buddy Jack Daniels helped me forget some things. Plus, ESPN went to another game there as I recall. Or may not recall as the case maybe...