I. Intro

Speeding down 316, knowing full well there is not enough time left in the fourth quarter to see anything. 1st down, a failed vert route to 16. It’s so odd to hear the game on the radio. To imagine people using this as their primary way to “watch the game”. 9 miles till empty. Is there no open gas station between Athens and Atlanta at 11pm on a Saturday night? My mind paces in order to avoid the disappointment of defeat.

2nd down, another failed vert to Mckenzie. 3rd down, batted away. So that’s it. We start this SEC campaign with a frustrating loss to Mizzou and make our tough slate even tougher in year one of Kirby Ball. How does this team always so easily avoid perseverance?

4th down. I’ve already prepared myself for defeat with a variety of expletives and overwhelming disgust. Scott Howard screams, I scream. My Fiance screams and swerves.

I quickly shed my disappointment and shame and bang on the dashboard. We stole one. We absolutely stole one. It is incredibly stressful to be undefeated. Every unattainable goal still lies ahead and with them, every unrealistic expectation. I’d like to say I would gladly take a loss to reset my expectations. But winning feels too damn good.

We kiss, as we do after every TD since our Sophomore year (No kisses after FGs, not that we have to worry about that this season). As we pull away, she says “It’s too much sometimes, Brooks. You can’t get so stressed out. I worry about your health when we play like that.”

I totally agree, sweetheart and I am sorry. But I doubt anything is likely to change.

Another blood pressure friendly Dawg win. All in a normal Saturday night.

II. Scheme/Recap

Mizzou deserved to lose that game. 5 turnovers is one thing. But man to man with no safety over the top against Isaiah Mckenzie on 4th and 10? Asking to get burnt after 3 steps. And that’s exactly what happened. How can you blame the DB? Mckenzie burnt every man in that Mizzou secondary, sometimes two at a time. I understand you want to heat up a freshman QB in his first SEC road game with the game on the line. But give your poor DB some help against the quickest man in college football. Mizzou showed Pressure from one ILB opposite Mckenzie’s side. This Linebacker dropped into coverage to help cover the inside with the DB covering Sony outside. Meanwhile, the LB to McKenzie’s side shows coverage and then pressures, leaving Mizzou’s best DB alone with Mckenzie. BAD BALL on a dude that torched you all night.

5 turnovers and no conversions into points? I’m not sure I have ever seen that. This team has got to develop a killer instinct. When you see blood, when a team is deflated, you have got to punch something in and step on their neck. As we get into the tougher part of the schedule, teams will only be more resilient. This is an issue that needs to be fixed now. Prepare yourself mentally to score when the defense can force a turnover. Turnovers and conversion off turnovers is the one thing that can allow an young team to compete with the elite of the SEC and the country.

III. Ole Miss Preview

UGA vs Ole Miss Red Cup Rebellion Podcast

I did a podcast last night with the guys at SB Nation’s Ole Miss site Red Cup Rebellion. I discussed at length everything I expect to see this weekend. Give it a listen and let me know what you think. I start around 8:30 in. Not as much Ball in this Volume but the podcast will have you covered with everything you need to know and a few personal notes as well. One thing I didn’t discuss that I want to quickly cover. We all know the biggest test of this game is likely to be the Ole Miss passing game vs the Georgia Secondary. I keep waiting for Aaron Davis to shift over to corner, provide an option with length and possibly bump Juwuan Briscoe. It will be interesting to see if Davis gets any reps at corner throughout the game.

IV. SEC Predictions

You’ll notice I left out a “rooting for” in the Tennessee vs Florida game. Obviously not an accident. I actually have my keyboard setup to block me from every typing Florida or Tennessee in that column. But we need a Tennessee win. We have no idea how good either of these teams are. We do know that Tennessee has an unbelievable stretch of Florida, @ Georgia, @ Texas A&M and Alabama. You have to think they drop 2 of those without a bye week even if they get a win against Florida. Florida on the other hand plays a more manageable LSU and Arkansas. This is certainly a cross divisional battle of the best throughout this entire SEC slate. The top 3 in the east play the top 6 in the West. Better start getting wins early and hoping for losses from others. Or else you will watch Mizzou limp into Atlanta once again.

V. Bucky’s Easy Money of the Week

Starting to be more reliable than government bonds. 3-1 last week. 8-4 overall. Get in while the getting’s good and double down Dawgs.

VI. Recruiting

Gotta Have Em:

1. Aubrey Solomon Lee County (Leesburg, GA) DT 6-3 305

Harbaugh probably choked someone in Michigan’s mailing office after a thank you letter went out to Solomon for an event he did not attend. This is huge for the Dawgs as there is not a plethora of elite talent in the southeast at the DL position in 2017. Solomon is the best of the best at DL and Georgia has to continue to build in the trenches to create the type of team Kirby wants to play with.

2. Tyler Taylor Lanier (Buford, GA) ILB 6-2 230

Tyler Taylor is a great player but the question remains on whether or not he is a take. The Dawgs are in the running for several high profile ILB/OLB Commits including Nate McBride, Markeviest Bryant, Walter Grant, Monty Rice, Leonard Warner and KJ Britt. Taylor has a solid frame and plays very physical. It’s not a question of Taylor’s talent but rather space in the Dawgs’ class.

Need to See More

1. Trey Sermon Sprayberry (Marietta, GA) RB 6-0.5 215

I actually really like Sermon’s game. A year ago at this time I was really hoping that Georgia would land Sermon. His junior tape really reminded me of TJ Yeldon. Tall slender back. Maybe it’s because he committed to Oklahoma or maybe it’s because he has had a quite Senior year, but it seems Georgia has backed totally off Sermon and is very happy with Toneil Carter and D’Andre Swift. I will be interested to see how Sermon develops in college and is used within the Oklahoma offense. Not as talented as Joe Mixon but a similar running style.

VII. Previous Volumes

Season 1 Volume 1 | UNC

Season 1 Volume 2 | Nicholls State

Season 1 Volume 3 | Missouri

Go Damn Dawgs

This past Saturday we learned a couple things about the Georgia BullDawgs. One, the team has shown great resilience in all three games up to this point. Two, it now seems they have a starting QB in Jacob Eason. We all knew it was a matter of time for Eason to take over but after Saturday’s “March in Mizzou” there is no question. It never was a question of talent. I don’t even think it was a question of experience. I believe Saturday he earned his teammates trust and respect. As of us who have played sports, we’ve been through similar things. Your on a new team and you know you can pull your weight, however your new teammate doesn’t know that. Until you prove yourself, your worth might not be justified. Eason proved himself Saturday night. Yes, he still under threw his receivers a few times but his “experienced” receivers also dropped a couple passes that should’ve never been dropped. He held his head high and delivered a strike when everyone was counting on him the most. He taught his coaches, teammates, Dawg Nation, & the rest of America what he can do when the game is on the line. It takes special people to be able to come through in the clutch like he did and those people are remembered. I’m not saying that he’s not going to struggle this year, of course he will. He still has a lot of learning to do but he did grow up a lot in Mizzou. I’m glad that Kirby decided to put the game in his hands unlike the last two weeks. Great job Mr. Eason, I’m looking forward to a very bright future from you and the rest of the Dawgs. There’s a big test ahead with a very angry Ole’ Miss team and the Dawgs will have to be better than they were in Mizzou.  Stay humble and just do what you do. Nobody needs a hero, JUST DO YOUR JOB.

Written By: CBG Founder

Kentucky football – Wildcat Blue NationKentucky Football: Stephen Johnson Hasn’t Been Named StarterKentucky Football: Players Who Broke Out Against NMSUKentucky Football: Benny Snell Jr. Proves Future Is BrightKentucky Football: Benny Snell Believes Stephen Johnson Should StartKentucky Football: This Is The Stephen Johnson Show NowKentucky Football: Tyler Rogers Could Hurt The WildcatsKentucky Football: New Mexico State Coach Doug Martin Praises UKKentucky Football: Wildcats To Host Eastern Kentucky In 2017Kentucky Football: How To Defeat New Mexico State AggiesKentucky Football: There’s No Time Left To Waste

http://wildcatbluenation.com A University of Kentucky Wildcats Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and more. Mon, 19 Sep 2016 20:45:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1 http://wildcatbluenation.com/2016/09/19/kentucky-football-stephen-johnson-hasnt-been-named-starter/ http://wildcatbluenation.com/2016/09/19/kentucky-football-stephen-johnson-hasnt-been-named-starter/#respond Mon, 19 Sep 2016 20:38:59 +0000

http://wildcatbluenation.com/?p=81581
The Kentucky football team appears to have a quarterback dilemma. Mark Stoops hasn’t decided if Drew Barker or Stephen Johnson will be the starter. During Week 1, Drew Barker looked the part of the future of the Kentucky football program. During Week 3, the same could be said for the player who replaced Barker once […]

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The 62-42 victory over the New Mexico State Aggies was a statement game for five players. Find out who stepped up and broke out for the Kentucky football team. The clash between the Kentucky Wildcats and New Mexico State Aggies was supposed to be a lopsided SEC victory. Instead, Kentucky football was pushed beyond belief—and it couldn’t […]

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http://wildcatbluenation.com/?p=81549
Benny Snell Jr. saved the Kentucky football team from disaster against the New Mexico State Aggies. He also proved that the future is bright in Lexington. The running back tandem of Stanley Boom Williams and Jojo Kemp form a rare sense of stability for an otherwise unstable Kentucky football team. Yet, during the first win of the season, […]

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http://wildcatbluenation.com/?p=81552
When asked who he believes should be the starting quarterback for the Kentucky football team, Benny Snell had no problem singling out Stephen Johnson. Saturday, September 17 may forever be remembered as the dawning of a new era in Lexington. The Kentucky football program won its first game of the 2016 season behind breakout performances […]

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http://wildcatbluenation.com/?p=81535
If the Kentucky football program has any hope of turning this season around, then Stephen Johnson must take over as the starting quarterback. The window of opportunity hasn’t closed for Kentucky football quarterback Drew Barker. It’s entirely possible that Barker will turn things around and become the star gunslinger that Kentucky had pegged him to be. For the […]

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http://wildcatbluenation.com/?p=81508
The Kentucky football program may need to adjust its scouting report on New Mexico State Aggies quarterback Tyler Rogers. If the first two weeks have proven anything about the Kentucky football team, it’s that Mark Stoops’ crew can’t defend the run. Against both the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and Florida Gators, Kentucky looked lost on defense. The upcoming […]

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http://wildcatbluenation.com/?p=81509
New Mexico State Aggies head coach and former UK quarterback Doug Martin believes Mark Stoops has the Kentucky football program headed in the right direction. From 1981 to 1984, Doug Martin played quarterback for the Kentucky Wildcats. He threw for 423 yards and a touchdown during his stint with the Kentucky football program, but that wasn’t […]

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http://wildcatbluenation.com/?p=81510
The Kentucky football team has a surprising addition to its 2017 schedule. Find out which in-state rival Kentucky paid $500,000 to play again. The 2017 schedule has been released for the Kentucky football program. For the most part, the schedule is as one would expect it to be; there’s a rematch with Southern Miss, a […]

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http://wildcatbluenation.com/?p=81457
The Kentucky football program is deep in must-win territory in Week 3. What will the keys be to defeating the New Mexico State Aggies? Entering the 2016 college football season, the optimistic take on the Kentucky football program was that Week 3 would present it with an opportunity to get above .500. Instead, the Kentucky Wildcats will enter […]

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http://wildcatbluenation.com/?p=81449
Kentucky football has to make swooping changes before it’s too late. Approaching Week 3, it’s dangerously close to being too late. The Kentucky football program is in the midst of a season worth forgetting. Just two games in, Big Blue Nation is already sensing that 2016 will be like every other season since 2010: a complete […]

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Add the veteran offensive lineman to the Ducks’ injury fold, as the left tackle joins Devon Allen on the season-ending injury shelf

The Oregon Ducks injury woes were multiplied on Monday afternoon after learning that left tackle Tyrell Crosby is out for the season with a leg injury. The details of the injury are still unclear.

A few media sources have reported that Crosby has an apparent broken foot, but that has not been confirmed by anyone within the Oregon circles. Regardless, the junior offensive linemen will not be returning to the team in 2016.

Minutes after learning the news that star wide receiver and 2016 Olympian Devon Allen would be lost for the year after tearing his ACL on Saturday at Nebraska, the Oregon coaching staff received more bad news.

Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Rio ‘16 Olympian Devon Allen joins teammate Tyrell Crosby on the sideline for the rest of the Ducks’ football season.

Crosby initially hurt himself right before kick-off to the season and was forced to miss the Ducks’ first game of the season against UC Davis. However, the next week against Virginia the left tackle was able to return to the starting line-up. Yet, by the end of the game Crosby had been replaced, forcing some to believe the injury was still lingering.

Freshman Brady Aiello started in Crosby’s place against UC Davis, alongside replacing him both times he left games early. The lone scary fact that remains for Oregon moving forward is that their line will be manned by four freshman and an inexcusably undisciplined Cameron Hunt. If the offensive line can’t forge a quick bond, Oregon’s offense as a whole will stumble.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that Oregon’s o-line averages over 300-pounds per player. Four of the five starters are freshman who are gaining invaluable experience and will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. Can you imagine if this group sticks together and stays healthy? Those Oregon AP Top 5 days are not far behind.

As for right now, the mood is tense in Oregon camp. The Ducks can ill-afford to lose anyone else on their offense, especially their inexperienced offensive line. Fortunately, Oregon is blessed with a wealth of depth and talent so the last effects of these injuries may go overlooked if certain players step up and play their role. We will find out in the coming weeks as conference play begins this weekend.

Remember to follow ATQ on Twitter @AddictedToQuack for everything Ducks

It’s only the fourth game of the season, but this could be a game the Gamecocks need to have to get to six wins.

Let’s be honest. I realize that the Gamecocks are not even a year removed from a crushing defeat to The Citadel – which, to their credit, is a pretty good FCS team, but still an FCS team nonetheless. So perhaps I shouldn’t be giving the Kentucky Wildcats so much grief for giving up 42 to New Mexico State. Granted, the Wildcats won 62-42, but they still gave up 42 points to a program that isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire out in the WAC.

Simply put, Kentucky hasn’t looked like a good football team thus far. They have allowed 40+ to their first three opponents – Southern Miss (44), Florida (45), and New Mexico State (42). Problem is, if you’re a Wildcat fan, the likelihood of Mark Stoops being fired after 2016 is pretty slim, due to the sheer amount of money it would cost to buy him out: $12 million. It’s obvious that the university was banking on a little more success from Stoops than a 13-26 career record and just four wins in the SEC.

The fact is that this might be the most beatable opponent for the Gamecocks in the pre-open week slate. And the reason is despite the fact that, well, the Gamecocks aren’t much better than the Wildcats despite their 2-1 record. They have major issues on their offensive line, their rushing attack hasn’t shown a huge amount of traction, and they have a quarterback that has shown some very good tendencies but is still finding his way as a true freshman. Of course, they’re going up against a Wildcats team that’s given up gobs of points, which, in a Gamecocks universe, probably means that they’ll get blown out of the building by halftime or lose in frustrating fashion. (By the way, those four conference wins the Wildcats have picked up in the Stoops era? Two of them have come against South Carolina.)

This is a type of game that the Gamecocks have to win if they want to go to a bowl. I think that we’ll get a good barometer of where they are headed the rest of the way based on what happens this weekend. After Saturday, their final two games before the open week are against Texas A&M (in October, so maybe there’s a chance) and Georgia, who might be a top 10 team when they step onto the Williams-Brice Stadium field if they take out Ole Miss and Tennessee. As much as Philip Nelson made some big mistakes the other day, it’s hard to envision Trevor Knight or Jacob Eason making those same ones, or either team gaining over 500 yards and still losing. The Aggies have Myles Garrett, a potential top five pick, on their side, while UGA’s Nick Chubb, who was explosive against North Carolina but has been pedestrian in his last two games, will be the best running back the Gamecocks face all year. They can ill afford to come out of this weekend 2-2 if they are to have any momentum and confidence headed into a five-game home stretch divided up by October 15’s open week.

Who knows? Maybe there is an upset in the making against either A&M or Georgia? Probably not. But it will be very difficult to get to that magic number of six wins if South Carolina can’t beat Kentucky. They need to force the issue on Saturday and make the Wildcats conform to their brand of football (flaws and all), or this one will more than likely turn out to be their third straight loss to Stoops and company.

Decoud’s stout play, headlined by two interceptions helped win him the award.

Treston Decoud earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors today. Check out the full release here.

In the season opener at Minnesota, Treston Decoud recorded 7 tackles (3 solo) and then on Saturday at Reser, Decoud had a stellar performance. He had 4 tackles (2 solo) and also had 2 huge interceptions one that he returned 75 yards to the house. On top of scoring his first touchdown for the Beavers he also had 2 pass deflections.

Watch the Beavers 5 forced turnovers against Idaho State below:

Decoud earned the vacant left cornerback spot after he transferred in from Northwest Mississippi Community College. He played in ten games in 2015, starting nine. He finished his 2015 campaign as the fifth leading tackler, despite missing the better part of 3 games. He also led the Beavers in passes deflected last year with 5. Treston is also cousins with Thomas Decoud who is a safety for the Carolina Panthers.

Treston Decoud is off to a strong start in his senior season and will get plenty more opportunities to showcase his talents against the pass-heavy Pac-12. Oregon State will need a few more stellar performances from Decoud if they hope to improve on their record from last season.

We learned quite a bit about USC but are left with plenty of questions.

Saturday night did not go the way USC expected. The Trojans wanted to walk out of Palo Alto with a statement win against 7^th ranked Stanford; instead they walked out with 27-10 beating, as well as more questions than answers.

Discipline is still an issue- Discipline continues to hit USC on the field. During last Saturday’s game, USC committed eight penalties for 56 yards. Six of those penalties were false starts on the offensive line which ended up hurting the Trojans offense by putting them in third and forever situations.

If USC is going to improve then their discipline has to be addressed. The Trojans can’t expect to compete with the better teams in the Pac-12 if they cannot play disciplined football. Expect Clay Helton to spend the team’s short week addressing the matter.

Trojans Lack Physicality On The Defensive Line- One of the keys to the game against Stanford was the ability to get physical with the Cardinal. The Trojans defensive line were unable to do that. The Cardinal offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage which allowed Stanford to gain 6.5 yards per carry. There were a lot of 3^rd and 3, 3^rd and 2 situations but the defensive line was unable to stop Stanford from easily converting them. USC has failed to match up physically on each side against Alabama and Stanford and that’s very concerning. Noah Jefferson being out for the game didn’t help but that’s no excuse for the defensive line to get beat up front.

Trojans offense showing signs of improvement but still inconsistent- USC has showed signs of offensive improvement against Stanford. They were able to run the ball and move the chains against Stanford, however the offense only managed to score 10 points. USC failed to put together a consistent scoring drive to keep them in the game. A lot of that came from key dropped passes, inability to get JuJu Smith-Schuster going, and false start penalties. You can blame coaching but something has to change in order for the offense to consistently get into the end zone. There’s too much talent on the offense for USC to only score 10. Clay Helton and Tee Martin have a lot of work to do this week to figure out the issue. The positive from all of this is that the running game is Alive and Tight Ends were used more for this game.

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The ‘Horns have a major coverage problem.

The offense wasn’t perfect but this loss falls on the defense. The California Golden Bears do one thing really well and the Texas Longhorns let them do that one thing all night long until they literally weren’t in the stadium anymore.

Texas had no answers for Cal’s passing attack, specifically the Davis Webb-to-Chad Hansen connection. Those two connected 12 times (TWELVE) for 196 yards and two touchdowns.

Let’s work through his goop of a game.

— The blame should fall on nearly everyone involved on defense. It falls on the players for poor play, it falls on Bedford for poor preparation, and it falls on Strong for letting this team get away with this for too long.

— I can sum up the issues from this game like this: Texas lost the turnover battle, they were on the wrong end of penalties too often (whether each was deserved or not), the defense missed way too many tackles, coverage was blown by nearly every defensive back, Texas couldn’t get consistent pressure on Webb, and it had no plan for Chad Hansen.

The defense was a pile of mush full of bad decisions. And finding bright spots on that side of the ball in this game, especially in the second and third levels, is hard to come by.

— Basically, Texas either got caught in no-man’s land, had its players’ bad decisions exposed for big plays, or both.

The Longhorns couldn’t get consistent pressure on Webb, a quarterback who hasn’t played well under pressure. Too many times, it looked like Texas used delayed blitzes or pressure that came from too far off the line of scrimmage and took too long to be effective.

When the pressure couldn’t get there on passing plays, then there basically was an extra defender hanging around the line of scrimmage. Instead, you’d like to see him working his way past an offensive lineman by that time or back in coverage instead.

On top of that, Texas trusted its defensive backs to win a lot of one-on-one match-ups on the outside. And the defensive backs consistently got beat, especially by Chad Hansen time and time again.

And on the back end, Texas often had just one safety deep. And it wasn’t until later in the game that you saw the defense finally start running looks with two safeties deep, having one over the top on Hansen.

But by then, it was too late or the safeties just didn’t make a play.

Funny enough, Cal scored it’s second to last touchdown on a play in the red zone that started with two safeties deep. Pre-snap, a defensive back moved off his receiver to blitz, moving one of the two deep safeties up into coverage on a receiver which left a one-on-one match-up on the outside with just one safety playing center field.

The defensive back on the outside got beat and the safety wasn’t close enough to making any sort of play. You could use that last sentence for a handful of Cal’s touchdowns.

— The defense also allowed too many chunks of yards to be given up by the different screens Cal continued to run all night. Expect opposing offenses to run more screens against this defense in conference play.

— The main issue is that the players, especially when in coverage, continue to make mistakes. So then you have to ask “Why?” Why are these players consistently making mistakes in coverage?

I don’t know what’s happening in practice or in the film room, but time and time again, a defensive back will make a bad decision, take a step in the wrong direction, and leave his receiver open going down the field.

And the lack of safety help in coverage has been glaring as well.

— The lack of range by the Texas’ starting safeties makes my head hurt. I can’t help but think Brandon Jones would bring speed and a better ability to close on a pass than what we’ve seen so far.

And if you don’t know what I mean by “range”, go watch the interception Cal’s safety had on Buechele. That type of range is something this Texas defense has been lacking for the past two or three seasons.

Also, Jones continuing to make plays on special teams tells me he absolutely needs to be on the field more on defense. Get him out there and let him do his thing.

— Not one corner played well enough for Texas to win this game. Davis, Hill, Boyd, and Evans all had poor moments where they were a step behind receivers, got caught blowing coverage, or missed a tackle.

And Davis getting banged up didn’t help one bit.

— Credit Cal offensive coordinator Jake Spavital and quarterback Davis Webb. Both of those guys prepared for Texas well and executed a game plan that continued to work all night.

Webb found his one-on-one match-ups and exploited the Texas secondary by continuing to attack the defensive backs.

— Chad Hansen is really good. Texas obviously didn’t respect him enough, and he torched the defense all night. I have no clue why Bedford didn’t try to double cover him most of the game. Just to remind everyone, he had TWELVE receptions.

— Texas actually played well against the run. If we take Enwere’s huge 54-yard run off the board from the end of the game, the ‘Horns allowed around just 3 yards per carry against the Cal running backs.

— Give me more Malcolm Roach and Breckyn Hager. Those two continue to make plays.

— Let’s mention missed tackles again, because it seemed like there were plenty for the Longhorns Saturday night, especially early in the game.

— Some way, some how, Sterlin Gilbert has to get more speed in the backfield. Even if it’s in the neighborhood of five carries a game. With Kirk Johnson hurt, go with Tristian Houston, Devin Duvernay, or even Jerrod Heard.

Foreman, Warren and Swoopes are effective rushers, but none of those guys are quick speedsters. Adding a speed option into the mix brings an added element currently not in the backfield.

— I said this after the Notre Dame game and I’m saying it again, someone needs to send the Foreman family a thank you card for those two Longhorns. Aside from a near-fumble by D’Onta and one drop (I believe) by Armanti, those two continued to make plays on offense.

— This was Shane Buechele’s worst game in his short career as a Longhorn. He completed just under 58 percent of his passes and tossed an interception to go along with his only touchdown.

You have to wonder how much the rib injury he sustained early in the game effected his play. Either way, the offense still put up over 40 points, and the one touchdown he threw was right on the money.

He’ll have better days moving forward.

— I haven’t looked closely at the offensive line this week yet, but I don’t remember the Cal’s defensive line winning much of those match-ups up front.

Then again, maybe the running backs deserve more credit for more tough running. Both Warren and Foreman rushed for over 100 yards and averaged over 6 yards per carry.

— The ball was spread out a lot among the Texas wide receivers. I would have liked to have seen more Jerrod Heard, though, since he torched this Cal team last season out of the quarterback position. He ended the night with two receptions for 10 yards.

— Through three games, it seems like the offense does three main things: Run straight forward with the big running backs, throw short passes (generally to the outside), then take a handful of shots deep to the receivers on the outside.

I can’t help but wonder if any other wrinkles of this offense will reveal themselves moving forward or if this is basically the gist of the offense in a nutshell. I’m not expecting it to be much different than this. But it’s still something I’m curious about.

I also wonder if this is just part of the evolution of this offense given that this was just the third game. We’ll see moving forward.

— Leave Devin Duvernay in as the main kick returner. The more opportunities he gets, the sooner he will get adjusted to the game speed and have a chance to break off some big returns.

— I’m not going to harp on Trent Domingue’s two missed field goals too much. For a guy not known for leg strength, he showed he had the leg for a 53-yard attempt but pushed it just outside of the goal post.

And the 49-yard field goal was tough considering he had to pull the kick from the right hash back through the goal posts while getting a lot of power on it.

When I saw that camera angle from behind the kicking formation, I knew that kick would be tough for him.

I think of Domingue’s leg somewhat similar to my golf game. I don’t hit my irons far. So when I use lower irons in hopes getting more distance (my four or five iron) there’s a better chance I’ll hook or slice the golf ball when I strain my body to try to get more power.

If Domingue is straining himself more than normal to get more power for long kicks, his accuracy will suffer as he loses some control of the ball.

That may not be the best analogy, but it’s how I’m viewing his leg right now.

— At the end of the day, this game exposed the glaring issues this defense is still facing. Luckily, Texas has a bye week to try to correct these issues.

But if certain things don’t improve, specifically in coverage, it could be a long rest of the season for Texas as it gets ready to face more spread offenses in conference play.

This is the part of the year where “it starts counting.”

The Arizona State Sun Devils are off to a 3-0 start, though the three victories haven’t come with the greatest amount of comfort.

For head coach Todd Graham, that’s just fine. With the California Golden Bears set to visit Tempe this weekend, Graham discussed his team’s record, who’s stood out, what can be improved and what he sees in Cal during his weekly presser on Monday.

On starting 3-0

“We’re pleased to be 3-0. Growing and learning, and getting better each week.

“Now it all starts over. We kind of break the season up into non-conference, and then obviously you got nine conference games to see if you play a tenth one. And this is where it starts counting.

“So we’re really pleased to be where we’re at, and looking forward to having Cal in here and starting conference play.

“I think we’ll almost be back at full strength as far as not having everybody out. We’ve still got a couple of guys that need to hear up.”

Returning this week

Salamo Fiso

“I’m glad to have him back.”

• Graham confirmed Monday that the senior linebacker will return this week after missing the first three games because of suspension. Fiso led ASU in tackles last year with 101 total and 22.5 takedowns for loss. Graham said he expects for there to be a transition period, but added “he’s a veteran.”

Tim White, Zach Robertson, George Lea

“But we’ll definitely have Salamo (Fiso) and (receiver) Tim White. And I think (offensive lineman Zach Roberston) will be back and (defensive lineman George Lea) will be back on defense. So that’s gonna help.”

• White’s presence on offense was dearly missed. Meanwhile the return Robertson replenishes an offensive line that’s performed well, and Lea’s return adds depth along the defensive front.

On Facing Cal

Cal’s Bear Raid

“(Cal offensive coordinator) Jay Spavital worked with me at Tulsa, so he’s got his own little flare that he puts on it. It’s a little different.

Davis Webb

“Obvioulsy he’s a veteran. He’s tall, he’s really difficult to sack and get down. You get a hold of him and he’s still able to get the ball out. he’s a very good quarterback. you can tell he’s really gelled with his players.

“They’re very physical. I was very, very impressed with their physicality and the heart they showed against Texas. Very similar scheme. I think they’re one of the top two offenses in the country passing the ball.

“Their running backs are really, really good. What makesit so difficult is they make you defend sideline to sideline. They’ve got really good personnel. Obviously, the strength of their team is their offense and their ability to score points.”

• Quarterback Davis Webb was the starting quarterback for Texas Tech when the Sun Devils fell to the Red Raiders 37-23 in the 2013 Holiday Bowl. He threw for 403 yards and four touchdowns. This week, instead of Jakeem Grant, ASU will be tasked with stopping Webb from finding Chad Hansen—someone Graham noted as being a passionate player and key target—with regularity.
• Graham noted that Cal likes to utilize two-back sets featuring a fullback to lead the way for running backs Khalfani Muhammad and Vic Enwere. Graham said both of them are talented runners, lauding Muhammad’s speed and Enwere’s power.

On Cal momentum

“They had a close game that they lost to San Diego State… but then they came back and beat the No. 11-ranked team in the country.”

• Graham said the Golden Bears will come into Tempe with plenty of momentum coming off of a 50-43 win over then-No. 11 Texas. He compared Cal’s defeat to SDSU with ASU’s escape last week versus UTSA, and said he hasn’t forgotten that last year’s bout with Cal finished with a three-point margin.

On what ASU can improve on

Tackling

“We’ve gotta get better fundamentally. We’ve gotta get better at tackling, especially in space.

A lot of that is controlling our energy and just really working on our fundamentals. Our tracking kind of stuff.”

• ASU missed on 22 tackles last game, including 10 on a third or fourth down play.

Turning the ball over

“The turnover ratio deal is the No. 1 thing, it’s our No. 1 focus right now. We’ve gotta get takeaways, and we’ve gotta take care of the football.

“It’s a long time since I’ve been minus-3 and been successful in a game. So we overcame some adversity, but we really need to take care of the football. Going into this game, it’s going to be vital, the turnover ratio.”

• The Sun Devils turned the ball over twice on their own side of the field (although both occurred on special teams), and UTSA converted both resulting possessions into points. Against a high-octane Cal offense, Graham is making sure to emphasize ball security this weekend.

Moeakiola at SPUR

“Yeah, just stabilizes us, I think. We’re still talking about that. Obviously, he’ll do whatever we need us to do. Pretty good likelihood that’s probably gonna happen.”

• Laiu Moeakiola is expected to see more time at SPUR after starting the year off at safety.

Manny Wilkins protecting himself

“He’s tough as nails, and I don’t want him to play cautious. … Learning how to play that way takes a lot of experience.”

• Wilkins took a big shot and wasn’t able to fully execute a hurdle over a defender against UTSA. Still, Graham says he isn’t going to keep his quarterback from utilizing his athleticism to make big plays; so long as he protects himself.

Standouts

AJ McCollum

“I tell him he’s an old-school center. He’s just an old, tough, man blood-and-guts kind of guy. He really just brings a lot of physicality in the run game. He’s a guy that really likes coming off the football, hitting people.”

• McCollum started at center each of the past two games after Robertson was forced out of the lineup and linemen Quinn Bailey and Stephon McCray slid to right tackle and guard, respectively. Graham said McCollum is still raw, but has been a great contributor.

N’Keal Harry

“He’s really doing a good job for us. He’s continuing to get better. I think he’s staying very humble and very hungry. And obviously, he’s a very gifted young man. I think coach (Jay) Norvell is doing a great job in developing him. He’s definitely a threat for us. And a guy that’s not only getting it done catching the ball, but he’s doing a great job blocking, he’s learning and he’s getting better at everything he’s doing. He’s a guy that is definitely a playmaker for us.”

• Harry was named Pro Football Focus’ highest-rated receiver in all of Division I football to this point in the season, and Graham reinforced the idea his stardom is rising. Through three games, he leads ASU in receiving yards (181) and has scored three total times.

On team attitude

“I love this team. I love their attitude.

“I always say this at the beginning of every season, maybe for the last 10 or 15 years: You have to win the close games. And we’ve had a few of those so far. And none of them have been easy, but we’ve found a way to win them.”

• Through three games, ASU’s combined winning margin is 48. We don’t expect that to increase by much against Cal, but Graham does think this is a gritty unit that can dig out tightly-contested tilts.

Talented Oregon receiver has a tough decision to make.

News has broken that immensely talented Oregon Ducks receiver Devon Allen will miss the rest of the season.

The junior hurt his left leg against Nebraska in a non-contact injury.

He tore his right ACL in the 2015 Rose Bowl and many, including our own Sean Larson, are saying it’s time to hang up the football cleats and focus on track.