Initial Reaction to game

Well, that was unexpected. I don't think anyone saw this game playing out like that. A combination of the best half we have played all year, followed by probably the worst half of the year. I am disappointed in the loss, but I a little happy to at least see a little bit of progress. Here are my grades:

Quarterbacks: B-  -  Miller played much better than expected. It is too bad he got hurt on the terrible field. If he doesn't get hurt, I don't see us losing that game. Bauserman played exactly how you would expect him to play. I don't blame him, though, because he was put in a horrendous situation. They continued to run the same plays as they were for Miller. Bauserman cannot be expected to roll out and they can't run long developing plays that require him to throw deeper passes. Going forward, I don't see how they can keep Bauserman as the backup to Miller. He has proved repeatedly that he cannot play quarterback at this level.

Running Backs: B+  -  Hall and Hyde played very well, especially Hyde. I was glad to see Hyde finally running hard and finishing his runs. He is going to be a very good one.

Wide Receivers: C+  -  It was nice having Brown back from injury. He was finally able to give us someone who can get separation. He would have had 2 touchdowns if the QB's would have made good throws. The other receivers were below average, as usual.

Offensive Line:  B+  -  This was the most pleasant surprise of the game. The pass blocking was great. The run blocking was pretty good, but could have been much better later in the game. There was also the obligatory false start by Shugarts

Defensive Line:  B  -  Hankins is a stud. He led the defensive line in dominating the entire first half. They just got completely worn out in the second half. I don't understand why there was not more of a rotation throughout the game, especially in the 2nd half. When the offense continually goes 3 and out and turns the ball over, the defense is going to get worn out. The coaching staff needs to recognize this and make adjustments to the rotation.

Linebackers:  F  -  This is the position that deserves most of the blame for this loss. I have no idea what Sabino was doing. He was lost out there. He was out of position almost every play. Martinez was Sabino's assignment on most of the option plays, yet Sabino continuously ran right by the hole that was his responsibility to try to chase the running back, and Martinez would run right by. Sabino also appeared to be just jogging and running through the motions half the time. As soon as a blocker engaged him, he basically gave up on the play. Sweat and Klein weren't a whole lot better. They made very few plays.

Defensive Backs: D-  -  Missed tackles, bad coverage, and penalties cover it for the defensive backs.

Special Teams:  C  -  Punting was good, but not great. Punt coverage was good, but kick coverage was average. Would have been nice to have a reliable field goal kicker to allow us to kick that long field goal, but since we don't, I think it was the right call to punt.

Coaching:  D  -  The playcalling with Miller in the game was much better...they actually ran a screen and rolled Miller out!!! However, once Miller was out of the game, the play calling should have been adjusted for Bauserman. Instead, they ran the same type of plays and allowed Bauserman to throw the ball way too much. Defensively, I already mentioned that they should have been rotating the line to keep them fresh for the 4th quarter. I would also like to see some kind of emotion out of Fickell and maybe some coaching on the sideline.

Officiating:  B  -  There were some missed holding calls and the late hit on Moeller on the final drive was a joke, but overall the officiating was pretty good.

Announcers:  C  -  They were very annoying, but I am chalking most of that up to my bad mood from being on the losing end. Millen provides nothing. You don't learn anything from him. He provides very little insight beyond the obvious.