Part 1: Boom
BLUF: There is every reason for some tempered enthusiasm. Here’s my less numbers driven analysis of this football season.
This is a very long post….4 pages on my word document and 2175 words. Read at your own leisure.
Strength of schedule always plays a role, but it does Cyclone teams no good to wait for the schedule to lighten up in order to win games. The difference has to be made on the field, in recruiting, in the classroom and everywhere else to win. If the competition stays tough, that just means the bar is higher. So reach the higher bar.
No live snap of football has been played in a college game yet in 2017. Every game is winnable no matter what the analysts and pessimists say. Reasons for optimism abound even with some questions as there are intriguing stories at every position with a question mark. So let’s make a case for 12-0.
Offense is the story of the Big 12, and teams that can score will be in games, but teams that can manage to defend decently will be in the running for a championship. TCU’s most successful seasons in the Big 12 have aligned with their defenses being stout. The Cyclone defense looks like it could be a work in progress, but it might be the best in the Big 12. We have a veteran secondary that has produced for the last couple seasons. Last season the defense was ranked 4th in passing yards per game, despite being ranked 7th in total points and 8th in rushing yards. So our defensive backfield was working hard and successfully battling with little help from the defensive front 7. That sounds like a bad omen, but the defensive backfield will be solid and where have all the big changes happened on defense? They have all happened in the front 7.
Replacing Demond Tucker or Jhaustin Thomas won’t be easy, but with the developed talent that has been in the program, and the additions of 3 Top 50 JUCO DL, 2 of whom showed up for Winter and Spring workouts, this team will be better up front….and now the greatest question is at LB. The move of Lanning to defense has been talked about nationally and most Cyclone fans are wary of this. That kid is a leader, though, and a hard-nosed football player. As a QB, he is smart enough and his character and attitude in that LB room will elevate the whole group. With guys like Harvey, Northrup, Spears, Vance and Hummel in the room, the talent just needs the right perspective…which Lanning provides. So the front 7 will be improved, and that makes the defensive backfield even better with better rushing defense in front of them and more pressure on the QB, this defense will be the best Cyclone fans have seen since 2012, maybe even 2005. This defense will have more depth than the team in 2012.
The oft under-reported aspect of defense that plays a huge role, is the offense. They play off one another and the ability of the offense to stay on the field rests the defense. Their ability to score allows the defense to play more loose. That loose play will result in shorter fields and turnovers for the offense that allow them to score more often and let the defense play even more loose. This offense may be the most talented group we’ve had since 2002. We have the best OL coach, potentially in the country, and with more Big 12 size and strength at the position than we’ve had, potentially since 2002. Everything starts up front, but we also have the most proven talent at RB, both 1 and 2, plus reports that 2 others have placed them in a position to take snaps and that is with still a 5th, recovering from injury that would get snaps if healthy. That ability to run the ball will keep defenses honest, and nothing could hurt them more than the size and talent and additional speed the Cyclones have at the WR position…well, accept for the size, speed and talent they also have at TE.
This Cyclone offense will start well and end better. The reports that Dawson backed out of playing when he realized he wasn’t going to start are just alleged, but they indicate a promising trend. To the point that our only question is at QB. A kid in Park that just got ranked the #1 arm in the Big 12 after having a single fall camp in the program and learning the offense as the season progressed. That learning curve won’t be there this season and with the uber talented group of talent he has at RB, WR, TE and the big boys standing in front of him, this offense will be limited only by their discipline and execution….hallmarks of last season’s team as they progressed under the guidance and tutelage of Campbell and Manning last season.
Special teams will be the icing. We will have great punting and kicking with the competition and returning talent and with all the depth at other positions, we can afford to get a lot of talent live snaps at game speed with an opportunity to make plays and keep others fresh.
Couple that with the questions at Baylor in the transition, a TCU that underperformed, an OU with a coaching change, a Texas coaching change, a Tech coach likely in his last season, an inconsistent WVU and Okie State who always find ways to lose games and an Iowa and UNI ripe for revenge and both in Ames.
There is not a single game the Cyclones can’t win and no reason to believe they can’t go 12-0.
BLUF: There is every reason for some tempered enthusiasm. Here’s my less numbers driven analysis of this football season.
This is a very long post….4 pages on my word document and 2175 words. Read at your own leisure.
Strength of schedule always plays a role, but it does Cyclone teams no good to wait for the schedule to lighten up in order to win games. The difference has to be made on the field, in recruiting, in the classroom and everywhere else to win. If the competition stays tough, that just means the bar is higher. So reach the higher bar.
No live snap of football has been played in a college game yet in 2017. Every game is winnable no matter what the analysts and pessimists say. Reasons for optimism abound even with some questions as there are intriguing stories at every position with a question mark. So let’s make a case for 12-0.
Offense is the story of the Big 12, and teams that can score will be in games, but teams that can manage to defend decently will be in the running for a championship. TCU’s most successful seasons in the Big 12 have aligned with their defenses being stout. The Cyclone defense looks like it could be a work in progress, but it might be the best in the Big 12. We have a veteran secondary that has produced for the last couple seasons. Last season the defense was ranked 4th in passing yards per game, despite being ranked 7th in total points and 8th in rushing yards. So our defensive backfield was working hard and successfully battling with little help from the defensive front 7. That sounds like a bad omen, but the defensive backfield will be solid and where have all the big changes happened on defense? They have all happened in the front 7.
Replacing Demond Tucker or Jhaustin Thomas won’t be easy, but with the developed talent that has been in the program, and the additions of 3 Top 50 JUCO DL, 2 of whom showed up for Winter and Spring workouts, this team will be better up front….and now the greatest question is at LB. The move of Lanning to defense has been talked about nationally and most Cyclone fans are wary of this. That kid is a leader, though, and a hard-nosed football player. As a QB, he is smart enough and his character and attitude in that LB room will elevate the whole group. With guys like Harvey, Northrup, Spears, Vance and Hummel in the room, the talent just needs the right perspective…which Lanning provides. So the front 7 will be improved, and that makes the defensive backfield even better with better rushing defense in front of them and more pressure on the QB, this defense will be the best Cyclone fans have seen since 2012, maybe even 2005. This defense will have more depth than the team in 2012.
The oft under-reported aspect of defense that plays a huge role, is the offense. They play off one another and the ability of the offense to stay on the field rests the defense. Their ability to score allows the defense to play more loose. That loose play will result in shorter fields and turnovers for the offense that allow them to score more often and let the defense play even more loose. This offense may be the most talented group we’ve had since 2002. We have the best OL coach, potentially in the country, and with more Big 12 size and strength at the position than we’ve had, potentially since 2002. Everything starts up front, but we also have the most proven talent at RB, both 1 and 2, plus reports that 2 others have placed them in a position to take snaps and that is with still a 5th, recovering from injury that would get snaps if healthy. That ability to run the ball will keep defenses honest, and nothing could hurt them more than the size and talent and additional speed the Cyclones have at the WR position…well, accept for the size, speed and talent they also have at TE.
This Cyclone offense will start well and end better. The reports that Dawson backed out of playing when he realized he wasn’t going to start are just alleged, but they indicate a promising trend. To the point that our only question is at QB. A kid in Park that just got ranked the #1 arm in the Big 12 after having a single fall camp in the program and learning the offense as the season progressed. That learning curve won’t be there this season and with the uber talented group of talent he has at RB, WR, TE and the big boys standing in front of him, this offense will be limited only by their discipline and execution….hallmarks of last season’s team as they progressed under the guidance and tutelage of Campbell and Manning last season.
Special teams will be the icing. We will have great punting and kicking with the competition and returning talent and with all the depth at other positions, we can afford to get a lot of talent live snaps at game speed with an opportunity to make plays and keep others fresh.
Couple that with the questions at Baylor in the transition, a TCU that underperformed, an OU with a coaching change, a Texas coaching change, a Tech coach likely in his last season, an inconsistent WVU and Okie State who always find ways to lose games and an Iowa and UNI ripe for revenge and both in Ames.
There is not a single game the Cyclones can’t win and no reason to believe they can’t go 12-0.
