Preparing to retire end of the year, plus a lot of work = not much time to post on HOB and share many of the thoughts posted the last 2 weeks (and really don't have the intensity this football season, for those reasons)
But have attended all the home games but Youngstown State:
Think 2022 will end up being the first really disappointing season for Stoops and UK since 2015 (even in 2020, won 4 SEC games and a bowl game). To be fair, everyone is entitled to a down year, and seems like this is it for CMS. Face it, we struggled against 2 MAC teams (N Illinois is pitiful, by the way) and a IAA team, should have expected we weren't going to roll through the SEC East.
Our lack of QB + O line recruiting and/or development has come home to roost this season. Did anyone expect Sheron to be good Saturday night? Or does anyone really think the staff is planning on him and Hogan to be the answer at QB next year? I am guessing a big NO on that issue. No idea WTF is wrong with the O line, but it is really a mess. When Rosenthal made his very ill advised decision to turn pro, think we all realized we were short at OT, but Burton was highly recruited, Manning started at Auburn, Cox is a veteran - but they are a sieve up front. C Rod has to get most of his yards on his own, and the QBs are under siege. And now the schedule gets a LOT tougher
Question, is it still true that Stoops has never signed a HS QB that started and finished a winning game at QB? Can't count Bowden, he was a WR filling in because of emergency.
[Hate to bring this up, but Illinois, NC State and Louisville all won games Saturday with a backup QB, and NC State rallied from 14 down to do so, it is not against the rules]
I thought our front seven on defense would be terrific, but honestly, the DBs and LBs have played pretty good in my book but the front wall is just not that great, which is really surprising to me. Rogers and Deone Walker are playing well, but you can hardly expect 340 pound players to rush the passer. Guys like Sanders, Oxendine, the transfer from Ohio State, et al, have just not shown any ability to rush the passer, and so it is Weaver or Wright or nobody and both of them have been hurt or unavailable for a lot of the year. And while both kids are pretty good, they are not top drawer NFL prospects either so we are asking them for a lot.
I really cannot argue over the points allowed by the defense, but surely it is not part of the Brad White scheme to never sack the QB
Kicking game is also a mess, personally, I would give Chance Poore another shot, maybe it is all on the holder, but Ruffalo hits a lot of 3 irons off the tee as well, and we will surely get a big kick blocked before the end of the season.
BUT . . . having said all the above, if we could ever get Levis and Rodriguez healthy and both playing, I think the offense will improve, running game especially will be better with C Rod in the backfield and a legit passing attack, maybe we can pull off an upset somewhere along the way and finish 8-4, seems like that is the best case scenario at this point.
But have attended all the home games but Youngstown State:
Think 2022 will end up being the first really disappointing season for Stoops and UK since 2015 (even in 2020, won 4 SEC games and a bowl game). To be fair, everyone is entitled to a down year, and seems like this is it for CMS. Face it, we struggled against 2 MAC teams (N Illinois is pitiful, by the way) and a IAA team, should have expected we weren't going to roll through the SEC East.
Our lack of QB + O line recruiting and/or development has come home to roost this season. Did anyone expect Sheron to be good Saturday night? Or does anyone really think the staff is planning on him and Hogan to be the answer at QB next year? I am guessing a big NO on that issue. No idea WTF is wrong with the O line, but it is really a mess. When Rosenthal made his very ill advised decision to turn pro, think we all realized we were short at OT, but Burton was highly recruited, Manning started at Auburn, Cox is a veteran - but they are a sieve up front. C Rod has to get most of his yards on his own, and the QBs are under siege. And now the schedule gets a LOT tougher
Question, is it still true that Stoops has never signed a HS QB that started and finished a winning game at QB? Can't count Bowden, he was a WR filling in because of emergency.
[Hate to bring this up, but Illinois, NC State and Louisville all won games Saturday with a backup QB, and NC State rallied from 14 down to do so, it is not against the rules]
I thought our front seven on defense would be terrific, but honestly, the DBs and LBs have played pretty good in my book but the front wall is just not that great, which is really surprising to me. Rogers and Deone Walker are playing well, but you can hardly expect 340 pound players to rush the passer. Guys like Sanders, Oxendine, the transfer from Ohio State, et al, have just not shown any ability to rush the passer, and so it is Weaver or Wright or nobody and both of them have been hurt or unavailable for a lot of the year. And while both kids are pretty good, they are not top drawer NFL prospects either so we are asking them for a lot.
I really cannot argue over the points allowed by the defense, but surely it is not part of the Brad White scheme to never sack the QB
Kicking game is also a mess, personally, I would give Chance Poore another shot, maybe it is all on the holder, but Ruffalo hits a lot of 3 irons off the tee as well, and we will surely get a big kick blocked before the end of the season.
BUT . . . having said all the above, if we could ever get Levis and Rodriguez healthy and both playing, I think the offense will improve, running game especially will be better with C Rod in the backfield and a legit passing attack, maybe we can pull off an upset somewhere along the way and finish 8-4, seems like that is the best case scenario at this point.
