Tough to see the bright spots through the gloom, but looking back there actually were some.
- Missing Link. The run game finally emerged, with the OL opening holes and Antone zooming through them. And a big tomahawk to Seddrick Holloway, showing he can be the battering ram that moves the pile and breaks tackles for extra yards.
- The Caz Connection. Sure hands and a handful to bring down. This guy can make the TE position a weapon. Too bad he got lost in the play selection after the first half.
- So Much for Wide-Right Blight. With five dead-on 3-pointers by Cismesia, nobody can say field goals cost FSU this Miami game.
- TD by Toddrick. Maybe Verdell should get regular playing time at Safety.
- Fisher Out of the Box. Did you notice Jimbo moved to
the sidelines? Hands-on coaching and face-to-face communication can only help a struggling offense.
- As Ugly As It Gets. The final minutes became
the worst meltdown since Chernobyl. We've never seen FSU lose its poise like that, from having the game in hand to literally handing it to the opposition.
Drill gets less emphasis than Amato's orderly locker campaign. After UM's gift TD, there was a chance -- albeit a slim one -- to drive for a touch and 2-pointer to tie the score. Instead we saw a Chinese fire drill: out-of-sync passing game, no attempt to use the sidelines to stop the clock, and no clock management by coaches.
When the offense isn't shooting itself in the foot, you can see
the
potential. But there's a lot more work left in this "work in progress."
And Duke is no pushover (more on that in coming days). Nonetheless,
it's the Noles last chance to jell as a team, and get an ACC victory,
before the late season murderer's row.
"Apparently the Two-Minute
Drill gets less emphasis than Amato's orderly locker campaign."
That is the most salient point of them all. Well organized lockers means nothing when you are on the field.
Posted by: bill from tampa | October 22, 2007 at 09:05 AM