Since I had the day off from work, so I could see more than highlights. Quick impressions, feel free to correct me if you've seen more or see things differently:
1: The talent drop has certainly begun. We're not full-on MWC yet, but we're well on our way, particularly in the place that it shows up the most, up front. This was starting to become clear last year, but it's even moreso now.
2: Mateer has an accuracy problem. Whoever said he's a poor-man's Tebow has it just about right. Surround him with great talent and he's a Heisman contender because of his mobility and knack for improvisation, but he rarely hits anyone perfectly in stride or in a tight window, and he also takes a while to go through his progressions. He doesn't freeze up like Falk would, or play Tecmo QB like Ward, he just takes off instead. That often works, but somebody is going to have the personnel to smother him.
3: Not super impressed with blocking in general offensively. It shows up in spurts, but there is no consistent handling of the point of attack, and not just the linemen. Those outside screens are trash when your receivers are playing matador with the DBs.
4: I don't have a firm impression of the run defense, though lateral speed on that side of the ball seems fine. Getting off blocks or finishing tackles might be a bigger issue.
5: Janikowski is wild ride this year. Hope he can settle down.
6: Nobody in the secondary can play with their back to the QB, and this is a weakness that everyone on our schedule is going to pound on. Nobody gets their head around. It's a completion or a mugging every time.
Overall I'd say the running game and the offensive line looks a hair better, the passing game is iffy but as long as Mateer is running around it partially compensates. The defense looks fast enough to get by, but the corners are playing blind and without a pass rush it's going to be get picked apart in zone or bombed in man.
I will say that as a group they seem resourceful and persistent and emotionally tough, and that's not nothing. The 3rd quarter was ghastly, the secondary got cooked repeatedly, but they made plays and stuck with it instead of hanging their heads and letting it get away. This is also a better SJSU team than several I remember from prior years, and well-coached. They'll win more games. Grateful to escape with a win, but not super happy with the performance.
