No Dodging for NT Defense

[Just1More]

I love the last couple of posts... Zephyr analyzing the facts and Jo Cajun Momma celebrating the moment. I think Zephyr's heart is in the same place, as are many others. Many Cajun fans get on here and argue over the paint, trim, pictures on the wall... but when it comes to the home... we're all family.

I had no problem with Josh's evaluation of a much improved NT defense. UL cannot overlook anyone... especially not a conference foe that used to own the SBC. NT has a tremendous recruiting engine in their own backyard. I would never ever overlook an NT. They may have had one of the worst slumps in the league, but they can reload and fire back.

As to who should win this game... the Cajuns of course... it's a home game for one... we are strong upfront on both sides of the ball... I think our LBs and secondary can match up against anyone in the SBC this year, and if we steadily work our offense with well timed and executed plays, we can march up and down the field.

Geaux Cajuns!!!

[CrappDaddy]

_ Understood. And you are right, every team does scare me. Why? Because, quite frankly, we are not good enough to overlook ANYBODY and disregard what can happen. I happen to think, with quite a bit of certainty, that many here simply look at statistics to quickly arrive at an assumption and name it fact. I think JP is absolutely correct, as I like to take a look fairly clearly at what other conference teams are doing throughout the year and get a vibe for how good they are. You are absolutely correct about SU also. They did scare me and for good reason. If you were around for the first quarter and a half, you probably saw why. The expectations that I have placed on this team are not as lofty as many fans have put on them. I see what this team lost from last year, namely the offensive production that we are obviously missing. While the defense is much improved, the offense puts us in an more vulnerable position with its lack of consistency and firepower.

The scary thing is that UNT is a mirror image of our team. They do the same things well that we do and there are many parallels between the teams. They start a first time QB. They start everything with the running game although they have superior RB's to us with Montgomery and Dunbar. Montgomery may be the best back in our league. That scares me. I saw how efficient Riley Dodge can be in the Ball State game. Their WR's don't hit the homerun but they are solid, small and catch most of the passes that come their way. Their D is much improved and the secondary will surprise you. They've been better at getting pressure on the QB this year and we can't assume that we will just move the ball at will on these guys.

The main reason that all teams scare me is that this conference is much improved which many people continuously overlook. Even if we are possibly a better overall team from last year, don't you think that most of the teams in this conference are in the same boat. There is a reason that we were picked 6th in the preseason. Yeah, I know it was the preseason but odds are, if we had been picked 1, many would be riding that wave and beating their chests. Much like next year. We are likely to be up with Troy in the preseason rankings. I wonder how many will discount those polls then.

IMO, this team is not as good as last years team. If last year's team had not been hit with injuries, you would have seen a different outcome. The play that I saw from weeks 2 through 9 was the best that I've seen from a cajun squad. I think this year's team will make some noise but I don't see the progression in certain areas that I think many hoped for. I don't blame anybody as we have to rely on a lot of young guys who are either new or got little playing time last year and replace guys who had tons of experience.

I'm predicting a cajun win but I think it will be a smaller margin than many think. I also think this team CAN get to 7 wins but they have to grow up quickly and play focused for the rest of the year.

OK, off the soapbox. Geaux Cajuns! _

I've seen every play of every game this year and most of the games from last year. Our defens is world's better than last year which by itself can give us a shot to be better than last year. On offense all of the parts are in place to be effective. The recievers and quarterback will perform much better from here on out. Like I said before we won't face another D that is even as good as KSU, maybe Troy. I like this teams chances at the end of the year to be measurably better than last years.

[HOUCajun]

_ UL did run it but didn't exercise the QB run option because the DE did not allow for the keeper. I arrive at this conclusion after the coaches and players tried to explain the lack of versatility in the running game. _

From the nosebleed section, it appeared Neb had no one keying on the QB and he could have run for lots of yards. They didn't need to because we didn't try

[zephyr]

_ From the nosebleed section, it appeared Neb had no one keying on the QB and he could have run for lots of yards. They didn't need to because we didn't try _

We did try. Did you see where the opposite DE was camped out in containment. He took away the option all night which is why you didn't see Chris take the ball. With only one option, its easier for the defense to direct the offense where to go.

[zephyr]

_ I've seen every play of every game this year and most of the games from last year. Our defens is world's better than last year which by itself can give us a shot to be better than last year. On offense all of the parts are in place to be effective. The recievers and quarterback will perform much better from here on out. Like I said before we won't face another D that is even as good as KSU, maybe Troy. I like this teams chances at the end of the year to be measurably better than last years. _

Would you care to reconsider your statement? I think we can all see that the defense can play effectively and force the issue but they are being put in way too tough of a position to be successful for the entire game by our offense which is sputtering. They are still a bit soft up the middle and since we chose to go with a slightly smaller but faster defense, we are going to have to seriously adjust some things for the rest of conference.

You do have to commend these guys though however. They lifted up their skirts, grabbed their minerals and refused to die. That was impressive in itself. Coach Bustle has got to get this offense going in some manner if we want to continue because we are going to have to be much better with the upcoming schedule.

[HOUCajun]

_ We did try. Did you see where the opposite DE was camped out in containment. He took away the option all night which is why you didn't see Chris take the ball. With only one option, its easier for the defense to direct the offense where to go. _

Were we watching the same game?

[CrappDaddy]

_ Would you care to reconsider your statement? I think we can all see that the defense can play effectively and force the issue but they are being put in way too tough of a position to be successful for the entire game by our offense which is sputtering. They are still a bit soft up the middle and since we chose to go with a slightly smaller but faster defense, we are going to have to seriously adjust some things for the rest of conference.

You do have to commend these guys though however. They lifted up their skirts, grabbed their minerals and refused to die. That was impressive in itself. Coach Bustle has got to get this offense going in some manner if we want to continue because we are going to have to be much better with the upcoming schedule. _

No, not really. Last years D would have gotten blown out in this game. The offense put them in a real bad position.

[zephyr]

_ No, not really. Last years D would have gotten blown out in this game. The offense put them in a real bad position. _

Again, the defense gave up a ton of yards by half. They did their part in this affair. The offense was out of sync but they weren't the one's getting run on the entire first half while they were still fairly fresh.

[zephyr]

_ Were we watching the same game? _

I don't know.....Were we?

[zephyr]

_ Mr. Zephyr,
I bet people like me drive you crazy! Your brain is just packed full of all this serious and important information about Ragin Cajun football. You are "scared" about this and "scared" about that. (I actually prefer the word "concerned" instead of scared.) You seem to analyze and think about all of these scenarios - various plays and different players. You are really big time into this stuff. I had no idea that fans were actually thinking about these things. I guess I thought only the coaches were going over all the details. I never really thought about all the brain power that some people are using on a Saturday evening. I wouldn't be too surprised if all of those great thinkers of the game assume that people like me are "missing" the whole point of the game.
Well, my game day experience is totally different than yours. At the ballgame I am rarely serious...unless someone gets hurt. I have no clue about all of the dynamics of the game. I sort of just soak in whatever info comes my way. I really really want us to win...but I have no idea how to get from point A to point B. When we don't win, I don't know who really messed up. I never have been able to tell if the coach wasn't good, or the player forgot what to do, or the other team was just stronger, faster, or more skilled. Actually, I did wonder about the coaches at the end of the LSU game because I thought there were 3 or 4 more minutes on the clock when time ran out. I just assumed the coaches forgot to look at the clock, too...but that is another thread...
My family and friends all know that when my son goes on the field, they need to remind me to watch that part of the play. My focus tends to just follow the guy with the football. I have discovered that the other 21 players out there play important roles, too. I guess one could assume that I miss most of what is going on between the two end zones.
The 60 minutes that the game is actually being played is only a fraction of what I enjoy about my time in the Swamp:
I get a big kick out of watching the Ragin Cajuns football players interact with each other during the game. Celebrating those big plays that they worked so hard to learn... or how they encouraging one another to keep going when things don't look so great. I see a team that is growing up quickly and focusing on some very important dynamics of the game. I hope that it will translate into the 7+ wins that define success to so many fans.

Even after each game I love to see our team gather in the center of the field and pray...I assume that is what they are doing. Also, I would feel like I had missed something important if I did not watch the players greet the fans (especially the kids) as they reach down to congratulate the team. But best of all I wait for that moment after the game when the stands are nearly empty, that I see my son looking up into the stands trying to find us...only to realize that he wasn't looking for his wonderful mother...he was trying to find his girlfriend. We usually crack up laughing at how fun it is to see our kids transition from our precious little babies to someone that is living his life full speed ahead!
That makes for one happy Jo Cajun Momma _

I promise to use the word "concerned" when analyzing next weeks game against WKU because guess what.......? They CONCERN me...LOL. Actually, they really do but we'll get into that later. I'm sure I'll take it on the chin from Crapdaddy or HOUcajun but that's OK.

BTW, those brain cells that I seem to overload during the week are usually not in as good of shape once the game rolls around and I try to sit back and enjoy the game rather than take notes...