1. Patience is often a virtue. There was a significant chorus last fall, here and elsewhere, from those who thought Josh Gattis was "in over his head" because the first several games of his career as an Offensive Coordinator had not gone according to plan. What I saw last night was a modern college football offense, with a brilliantly called game plan and personnel much more suited to run it than we had last season. Gattis grew, as did Joe Milton from when he first got here, Chuck Filega from what he was early on, etc. Instant gratification is great if it happens. If it doesn't though, it's not something which will never happen.
2. Ibraim is good. Very good. Personally, I was less concerned about the defensive line, which I thought held up pretty well at the point of attack against the run, and did a great job pressuring Morgan, than I was about some overrun plays by the linebackers, but in the rush to blame every imperfect play on someone, there's often a reluctance to give credit to opponents that there should not be. Ibraim is going to be a load for a lot of people this year.
3. Special teams matter. A lot. Scholarships and depth preferred walk-on pickups for kickers, punters, returners, and yes, even long snappers (we very much missed Cheeseman last night) are not wasted. Ask P.J. Fleck about that.
4. Speaking of which, it felt very good to me to watch Fleck grow increasingly agitated and then somber as the game wore on. Nobody, and I mean nobody, truly gets over-the-top exited on every single play unless his goal is to make sure he's the center of attention at all times when things are going well. The guy he reminds me the most of is Tom Crean, and he's even more over-the-top than Crean. Fleck is a very good football coach. In my opinion, he's also an insufferable phony.
5. If someone had told me that Joe Milton was going to have a great game last night, I would have thought it would be filled with spectacular plays. I was wrong; instead, he was completely mistake-free, and in total control. He has a world of physical talent, and the great plays will come. The touch, the presence, the command of the offense--it's been a while since a first game starter for us showed those things in the way Milton did.
6. Every game I watch, I grow increasingly less sure of what constitutes pass interference, and why it is so seldom called on the offensive player.
Bonus thoughts unrelated to our game--Mel Tucker claps when things are going badly on a level that makes Brady Hoke envious. James Franklin getting pantsed for calling a play near the Indiana goal line late with a lead and the ability to run the clock to less than 10 seconds left, losing the game bcause Indiana decided to let the ball carrier score, and then blaming the kid afterwards, is the very essence of James Franklin. Kudos to the writer for The Athletic for his shout-out to Kirk Ferentz in writing "n an homage to the return of Big Ten football, Baylor punted from the Texas 30 yard line." And finally, any weekend when Fleck, Ferentz, Franklin, Michigan State under any coach, and of course, Scott Frost all lose is a weekend with sunshine. When the Michigan State loss is to Rutgers...
5. Had someone told me that Joe Milton was going to have a great game
2. Ibraim is good. Very good. Personally, I was less concerned about the defensive line, which I thought held up pretty well at the point of attack against the run, and did a great job pressuring Morgan, than I was about some overrun plays by the linebackers, but in the rush to blame every imperfect play on someone, there's often a reluctance to give credit to opponents that there should not be. Ibraim is going to be a load for a lot of people this year.
3. Special teams matter. A lot. Scholarships and depth preferred walk-on pickups for kickers, punters, returners, and yes, even long snappers (we very much missed Cheeseman last night) are not wasted. Ask P.J. Fleck about that.
4. Speaking of which, it felt very good to me to watch Fleck grow increasingly agitated and then somber as the game wore on. Nobody, and I mean nobody, truly gets over-the-top exited on every single play unless his goal is to make sure he's the center of attention at all times when things are going well. The guy he reminds me the most of is Tom Crean, and he's even more over-the-top than Crean. Fleck is a very good football coach. In my opinion, he's also an insufferable phony.
5. If someone had told me that Joe Milton was going to have a great game last night, I would have thought it would be filled with spectacular plays. I was wrong; instead, he was completely mistake-free, and in total control. He has a world of physical talent, and the great plays will come. The touch, the presence, the command of the offense--it's been a while since a first game starter for us showed those things in the way Milton did.
6. Every game I watch, I grow increasingly less sure of what constitutes pass interference, and why it is so seldom called on the offensive player.
Bonus thoughts unrelated to our game--Mel Tucker claps when things are going badly on a level that makes Brady Hoke envious. James Franklin getting pantsed for calling a play near the Indiana goal line late with a lead and the ability to run the clock to less than 10 seconds left, losing the game bcause Indiana decided to let the ball carrier score, and then blaming the kid afterwards, is the very essence of James Franklin. Kudos to the writer for The Athletic for his shout-out to Kirk Ferentz in writing "n an homage to the return of Big Ten football, Baylor punted from the Texas 30 yard line." And finally, any weekend when Fleck, Ferentz, Franklin, Michigan State under any coach, and of course, Scott Frost all lose is a weekend with sunshine. When the Michigan State loss is to Rutgers...
5. Had someone told me that Joe Milton was going to have a great game
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