2019 FB G1: Louisiana 28, Miss. State 38

[MetryCajun]

I wake up this morning thinking we have a hard nosed group of players who play to the final whistle. We still do not have difference makers on the defensive side of the ball or at QB, but all of those position groups look like they are better than last year.
First the positives...the OL is much improved and looks to be a strength. They opened some nice lanes to run through against talented players. As expected the RB and WR group have playmakers. They will be fun to watch. Lewis is better than last year. He does not have a strong arm, but he made several great plays with his feet to extend drives. I like that he continued to look downfield as plays broke down. The secondary was not awful so that is a huge improvement.

The negatives...because of our lack of speed and athleticism on the edge, it will be difficult to generate a consistent pass rush. I think this weakness will also make us susceptible to quick RB’s bouncing plays outside. The punter is bad.
All in all I came away pleased. We are not a very talented team on the defensive side of the ball, but our guys continued to play together and put on some hard licks when they got the chance. MSU is probably pretty sore this morning. If we play like this and limit turnovers we will be vying for a SBC title.

[Kjun08]

forgive if the debate of whether lewis is a good qb or not is over, however, since i cant find an stories on secSPN this morning that dont involve bo nix being greater than Jesus i thought a comparison was in order

Nix: 13 of 31 passing (42%) Lewis 24 of 39 (62pct). edge lewis
nix 177 yards, Lewis 267"......................................edge lewis
TDs 2 each (but nix had two passing)".....................edge nix
int 2 each (one of nix's looked exact same play as lewis
first one but nix was heading towards end zone.................edge lewis
rushing: nix more yards but lewis has the td "..................tie
more points leading the offense......................................edge lewis
intangible : one piled up these stats against the best SEC defense last year the other against a horrible defense of the pac 12
so overall edge .....LEWIS

p.s. no sec team scored more than 28 points against miss st or had more than 360 yards last yr we had over 400

Are you comparing an 18 year old true freshman to a three year player? I would have also mentioned in the intangible section the very clutch comeback and poise by nix on that last drive. Not to mention Nix actually got a W. Do you believe that auburn wins with Lewis? What are they going to do jet sweep Oregon to death?Seems like a shoddy comparison, give me bo nix all day.

[CajunNation]

I wake up this morning thinking we have a hard nosed group of players who play to the final whistle. We still do not have difference makers on the defensive side of the ball or at QB, but all of those position groups look like they are better than last year.
First the positives...the OL is much improved and looks to be a strength. They opened some nice lanes to run through against talented players. As expected the RB and WR group have playmakers. They will be fun to watch. Lewis is better than last year. He does not have a strong arm, but he made several great plays with his feet to extend drives. I like that he continued to look downfield as plays broke down. The secondary was not awful so that is a huge improvement.

The negatives...because of our lack of speed and athleticism on the edge, it will be difficult to generate a consistent pass rush. I think this weakness will also make us susceptible to quick RB’s bouncing plays outside. The punter is bad.
All in all I came away pleased. We are not a very talented team on the defensive side of the ball, but our guys continued to play together and put on some hard licks when they got the chance. MSU is probably pretty sore this morning. If we play like this and limit turnovers we will be vying for a SBC title.

Good analysis.

One thing we've got to remember is how late Napier was hired. That first signing class was a last minute salvage job. I think that is the reason we are seeing The current QB situation and the deficiencies still in place at certain positions.

Not making excuses. Just saying we should see the big picture, but keep expecting better decision making from players and staff.

[31Ragin97]

Are you comparing an 18 year old true freshman to a three year player? I would have also mentioned in the intangible section the very clutch comeback and poise by nix on that last drive. Not to mention Nix actually got a W. Do you believe that auburn wins with Lewis? What are they going to do jet sweep Oregon to death?Seems like a shoddy comparison, give me bo nix all day.

interesting, good take.
on a separate note:
prior to this week though i was wondering, since so many are enrolling in jan and have the extra spring practices when does the definition of "true" freshman start to change. how do you differentiate a jan enrollee from an august and call both true freshman? granted has nothing to do with levi convo.

[31Ragin97]

would also be interesting to see responses just based on the data and ignoring the name of poster, lol.
i rarely remember who posts what even though my name is more memorable, i judge the post on its own....have a great labor day all!

[Ragin4U]

Maybe give LL a chance next week before we shotcan him.

[MetryCajun]

Good analysis.

One thing we've got to remember is how late Napier was hired. That first signing class was a last minute salvage job. I think that is the reason we are seeing The current QB situation and the deficiencies still in place at certain positions.

Not making excuses. Just saying we should see the big picture, but keep expecting better decision making from players and staff.

Agreed. I saw improved play at most positions with not a big infusion of talent. Almost all of our difference makers are HUD recruits. Next year I expect to see Napier’s players play major roles. As I have said repeatedly, good players do not sit the bench at UL. If a certain player we like is not playing it most likely means he is not as advertised or is not physically ready for big time college football.

[Ragin4U]

I have seen some posters take issue with Napier and his decisions. Other than the 4th down fumble, which to me, wasn't a bad call, just poor execution. We had success on the edge. Now I would have rather run that between the tackles because there is less to go wrong, but...
What other specific plays or general patterns do you think NApier got wrong?

[MountainDew]

I’m happy with the overall play of the team yesterday. The defense gave up some big plays but played well enough to win. Very Bend but don’t break. I’m not sure Levi is the guy, but he’s one hell of an athlete. Hell, clean up the mistakes and turnovers and i think we win this game. I think this team can compete for the sun belt title.

[cajun4life]

I have seen some posters take issue with Napier and his decisions. Other than the 4th down fumble, which to me, wasn't a bad call, just poor execution. We had success on the edge. Now I would have rather run that between the tackles because there is less to go wrong, but...
What other specific plays or general patterns do you think NApier got wrong?

4th down call and onside kick.

[Ragin4U]

4th down call and onside kick.

Can't disagree

[campo118]

Man after reading this thread I would have thought we lost by 40. I made a 7-5 prediction on the preseason prediction thread and was bashed for having “CDS” but after watching yesterday’s game, I don’t think there’s a game left on our schedule we shouldn’t be favored in. Not to say we will win every game, but I’m ready to change my prediction to 9-3. This team will be good y’all, enjoy the ride.