Future Opponents: Ole Miss Vs. Boise

[SlickRick]

Very true. My main concern this year is our staff's game by game preparation. I'm impressed with our recruiting, our physical fitness, our energy levels, and our overall discipline. But it appears as everyone points to our "peak" in talent/experience this year... I don't see us overcoming the 8 win regular season without some improved coaching preparation, opponent by opponent, adjusting and out thinking the tougher scheduled opponents... and the necessity to not just "execute our game"... but make absolutely sure we elevate the risk level against "better teams".

When there is true parity, you can just ram your way through a game and talk coach BS after the game. When you are up against a better opponent, and all you do is assume the position... it's the absolute dumbest coaching mistake in FBS football.

Hud has proven he has every skill in head coaching... short only... the cerebral awareness of how to take down a tougher opponent. We've even failed to recognize and adjust when one of our SBC opponents had a single player... or single dimension... superior to our own. We keep throwing "our game" at them. Football, whether coaches will ever agree, is a game that used to be blunt force versus blunt force. The spread is actually a trickeration offense. It is a "I'm going to jack with your head" offense. And the more you can jack with an opponent's defense, the more likely you win. We have the athletes this year to get ridiculously clever and effective offensively.

If we do not "mind screw" Ole Miss... we're not going to win. You mind screw an opponent by playing 80% standard plays... and instituting 20% high risk/high reward plays... that are disguised in with your standard sets. Let the world laugh if you fail. If you go "standard"... you fail anyway. Even on our defensive side, we have to do a similar stunting and disguising. If we do not, we lose. "That" needs to be self-evident to our staff.

As usual, I agree with your assessment. X's & O's create greater separation than talent alone, IMO. Coaching staffs that can do both well are at the top of the heap. But, if you can put together a great game plan and are tactically adept as well, you can often win with lesser talent. What did Bum Phillips say....something about "he can take his'n and beat your'n, then turn around and take your'n and beat his'n".

Last year we didn't see much risk taking on defense. I hope that was more to do with employing a new scheme and a lack of trust on the back end. I hope Coach Willis will be more aggressive this year, or maybe it would be more correct to say, I hope Hud lets Coach Willis be more aggressive. Offense will take their shots as usual and we will definitely see more of Elijah getting the ball in space than last year. I'm anxious to see him taking snaps as well, though I think he would be more effective throwing the ball on play action plays, where the D has to think about defending the run first. We should be able to attack defenses in multiple ways, so whatever they "give us" we have the talent to make them pay.

[Just1More]

I think we pressure BSU and the QB will make mistakes. The big question mark for me is how will the Cajuns come out to play in Boise with the altitude, the fans, and the time? I think we match up well.

I think we can beat OM if we establish the running game, but not sideways running. Up your gut running. Boise had some success there early. We would also have to play a physical press on the WRs and LBs. The D line would have to get pressure. The offense would have to find a way to neutralize OM's defensive speed.

There may be a little success up the middle on Ole Miss, but don't count on it for long. We have more athleticism than Boise in multiple people. We can stretch the running game more than Boise could against OM. TB's arm and legs are where we need to launch both Alonzo and Elijah. It will not be trying to pound our way up the middle. That will work enormously with 80% of our schedule... but definitely not Ole Miss. The announcers were only correct in that Boise doesn't have the personnel to try to best OM on the edges. We can and must be successful running (with our athletes blocking) to help spring our running attack on the edges. Short yardage, intelligent intertior plays should result in positive gains all year for a healthy Alonzo. If our tall targets are effective in our passing attack... we are going to be so seriously dangerous offensively... with just a little assistance from the coaches.

Our D has to alternate stunting and all out blitzes with standard sets on given downs and distances, and read and adjust out of standard sets. Last year, as a scheme, was a joke... regardless of the "inexperienced secondary". If you couldn't complete a pass over the short-to-middle on us... you just plain sucked ___. If we're going with 3 down as I've heard we are, we had better not just drop 8 back 3/4 of the time, with our corners giving 10-15 yard cushions again. I absolutely don't think I can take that again... knowing we'd add another win or two if we'd do what 90% of every other FBS program does defensively... regardless of how much experience their DBs have. Good Lord!

[Just1More]

We also have to remember that the game is in Boise where it is very hard to win. They will play much better at home as opposed to a dome in Atlanta where Ole Miss fans dominated.

That's true. And I guess that blue turf and altitude could make some difference. I think we have a much better chance of using our athletes and what we do well... against Boise... and be successful. Ole Miss has the athletes all over the field on both sides. If we think we're going to bring the SBC game plan to Oxford and "test them"... we'll get an SEC ___-whooping this year.

[cajunhawk]

That's true. And I guess that blue turf and altitude could make some difference. I think we have a much better chance of using our athletes and what we do well... against Boise... and be successful. Ole Miss has the athletes all over the field on both sides. If we think we're going to bring the SBC game plan to Oxford and "test them"... we'll get an SEC ___-whooping this year.

Did they wear orange last night...or was I hallucinating?

[Just1More]

As usual, I agree with your assessment. X's & O's create greater separation than talent alone, IMO. Coaching staffs that can do both well are at the top of the heap. But, if you can put together a great game plan and are tactically adept as well, you can often win with lesser talent. What did Bum Phillips say....something about "he can take his'n and beat your'n, then turn around and take your'n and beat his'n".

Last year we didn't see much risk taking on defense. I hope that was more to do with employing a new scheme and a lack of trust on the back end. I hope Coach Willis will be more aggressive this year, or maybe it would be more correct to say, I hope Hud lets Coach Willis be more aggressive. Offense will take their shots as usual and we will definitely see more of Elijah getting the ball in space than last year. I'm anxious to see him taking snaps as well, though I think he would be more effective throwing the ball on play action plays, where the D has to think about defending the run first. We should be able to attack defenses in multiple ways, so whatever they "give us" we have the talent to make them pay.

Agree completely. And I'm not overlooking anyone else (including Southern). But, we've proven ourselves under Hud in all games that don't require us to prepare much uniqueness, adjust very much, and take very many risks. I don't like witnessing staffs look so inward, swell up with their work and success in recruiting, teaching the basics, getting physically topped out... but fail to play the chess game in football. And to set aside their pride and admit when you need to get tricky when you're up against a generally superior player/players/coaching staff/opponent.

[Just1More]

Did they wear orange last night...or was I hallucinating?

They were decked out in orange.

[cajunhawk]

They were decked out in orange.

I didn't watch much of the game...how did they look?

[Million$Mullet]

They looked like Florida

[ManAboutTown]

I didn't watch much of the game...how did they look?

Not a fan of Orange, but they were pretty decent. If I was 18-22, id be stoked to sport those orange and chrome helmets.. They were pretty bad ___

[CajunJack55]

Not a fan of Orange, but they were pretty decent. If I was 18-22, id be stoked to sport those orange and chrome helmets.. They were pretty bad ___

I wasn't a fan of the facemasks but everything else looked great.

[Just1More]

I didn't watch much of the game...how did they look?

They looked like another school experimenting with colors and wingdings. It's the times we live in.

[Just1More]

I wasn't a fan of the facemasks but everything else looked great.

I didn't like their chrome grill.