On the rewatch, I was much more impressed with the overall play of the offense. Couple notes...in 12 bullets:
1) Rocco is a clear number one. Everything seems to flow better with him at QB and his quick release is/will be a big advantage against strong pass rush teams. He places the ball well, though he overthrew 2 open passes deep...chalk that up to first game adrenalin rush. I think Kohl is going to be great, but he needs a year to learn and grow.
2) Abu Sama is a going to be VERY good. He learned a lesson or two about dancing around and not taking the yards available...but he's got natural vision and a just plain wicked burst. Not going to compare anyone to Breece but this kid has similar speed with bit more shake. Doesn't have the power and patience yet but that may come with time. I would add that Norton looked damn good as well and Norton/Sama is gong to be a nice combo for a while. Nothing against Sanders, he's solid but in my mind he's a definite 3rd option.
3) Caleb Bacon....where'd that guy come from?!?!?! Fast and takes nice angles...have to see if he can grow into a starter down the road but he's going to be fun to watch on a few plays every game.
4) Sadowsky took a couple of bad angles but that's just a matter of adjustment...still figuring out where to be in coverage as well...he's fast and has great size. Will be fun to watch him grow into that middle slot.
5) Orange is a beast...endurance is going to be the only issue. Paired up with Onyedim we have a surprisingly strong pass rushing duo in the middle. That's important because nothing hoses up a QB's pocket like pressure up the middle.
6) TE's as good as advertised. Brahmer showed really nice speed on that TD play...he's going to hurt some people this season and you ain't covering him with a Linebacker.
7) Verdon looked great...some nice hits and was in the right place a LOT.
8) Secondary overall is the best I've ever seen at Iowa State, and that goes back to the great secondaries of the 70's.
9) I actually forgot how quickly we jumped out to 30-0 lead...by early 3rd quarter. That's actually more impressive than anyone seems to be saying at this point. In seasons we run up the score like that on UNI, we are generally a solid team.
10) WR's were not especially impressive but we didn't really go to them all that much...which is fine. Would like to see Higgins targeted more, as he looks like he knows what to do after the catch.
11) We do have a couple keys guys that we simply cannot afford to have injuries. That's worrisome.
12) I'm a cock-eyed optimist and a complete amateur at analysis, so be kind.
1) Rocco is a clear number one. Everything seems to flow better with him at QB and his quick release is/will be a big advantage against strong pass rush teams. He places the ball well, though he overthrew 2 open passes deep...chalk that up to first game adrenalin rush. I think Kohl is going to be great, but he needs a year to learn and grow.
2) Abu Sama is a going to be VERY good. He learned a lesson or two about dancing around and not taking the yards available...but he's got natural vision and a just plain wicked burst. Not going to compare anyone to Breece but this kid has similar speed with bit more shake. Doesn't have the power and patience yet but that may come with time. I would add that Norton looked damn good as well and Norton/Sama is gong to be a nice combo for a while. Nothing against Sanders, he's solid but in my mind he's a definite 3rd option.
3) Caleb Bacon....where'd that guy come from?!?!?! Fast and takes nice angles...have to see if he can grow into a starter down the road but he's going to be fun to watch on a few plays every game.
4) Sadowsky took a couple of bad angles but that's just a matter of adjustment...still figuring out where to be in coverage as well...he's fast and has great size. Will be fun to watch him grow into that middle slot.
5) Orange is a beast...endurance is going to be the only issue. Paired up with Onyedim we have a surprisingly strong pass rushing duo in the middle. That's important because nothing hoses up a QB's pocket like pressure up the middle.
6) TE's as good as advertised. Brahmer showed really nice speed on that TD play...he's going to hurt some people this season and you ain't covering him with a Linebacker.
7) Verdon looked great...some nice hits and was in the right place a LOT.
8) Secondary overall is the best I've ever seen at Iowa State, and that goes back to the great secondaries of the 70's.
9) I actually forgot how quickly we jumped out to 30-0 lead...by early 3rd quarter. That's actually more impressive than anyone seems to be saying at this point. In seasons we run up the score like that on UNI, we are generally a solid team.
10) WR's were not especially impressive but we didn't really go to them all that much...which is fine. Would like to see Higgins targeted more, as he looks like he knows what to do after the catch.
11) We do have a couple keys guys that we simply cannot afford to have injuries. That's worrisome.
12) I'm a cock-eyed optimist and a complete amateur at analysis, so be kind.
