Poor Design and Poor Execution
2nd Half Totals
2nd Half Totals
- 64 Yds Rushing
- 64 Yds Passing
Defense Masked Another 2nd Half Awful Offense
- Thread starter WASH ST A&M FAN
- Start date
I hope you meant Cal’s Offense
The Cougs offense is complete junk. The execution is 1 read or a prayer. Hell Max is completely ineffective in this & looks so confused. If Cal’s offense had a bit of a heartbeat, this would have been another 2nd half embarrassment. Our offense executions & system isn’t good. It gets schemed against rather quick & we have zero adjustments.
The Cougs offense is complete junk. The execution is 1 read or a prayer. Hell Max is completely ineffective in this & looks so confused. If Cal’s offense had a bit of a heartbeat, this would have been another 2nd half embarrassment. Our offense executions & system isn’t good. It gets schemed against rather quick & we have zero adjustments.
I know you’re still hurt, but Leach is gone. It’s time to move on.
Cal’s defense made UWs pedestrian QB look like a Heisman candidate the week before. The narrative here is 100% correct- Rolo, his OC, + JDL can’t make in game adjustments for shit and it shows every week.
I’m happy we won and I predicted we’d be leaning on the defense this year. I hope they can keep this up because I think we have a good enough sample size to say our coaches + QB are getting out coached and outsmarted consistently.
At least they were able to convert some third downs yesterday to give the defense a chance to catch their breath.
It's true that the offense didn't produce in the 2nd half as much.
One thing, JDL ran only 4 times for 9 yards (net total). He was probably told or just knows that he can't call his own number often. Too valuable to risk injury.
If the Cougs had a viable backup, then he could add that to the offense and that might have had some impact in the 2nd half.
One thing, JDL ran only 4 times for 9 yards (net total). He was probably told or just knows that he can't call his own number often. Too valuable to risk injury.
If the Cougs had a viable backup, then he could add that to the offense and that might have had some impact in the 2nd half.
This years version of Cal's defense is not the previous years versions. 9th in yards per game in the conference, and 10th in points allowed. Did they really have something to do with it, or were we seeing our normal offense?
Probably a little of both. As someone else mentioned, JDL wasn’t running, and moving forward, that’s going to be a huge part of our offense. Also, our top outside receiver is a true freshman, and he looks like someone who has the chance to develop into a special one.
I think the offense will come around quickly if we can keep JDL on the field.
Or maybe Leach had it right how to use Borghi. Not sure if Borghi has premium vision, seems to miss a hole when there is a crease . Plus be chops and Deon is plant the foot and go.
Maybe Leach was smart in just getting him on the perimeter, letting his straight line speed be his best asset .
One thing I do like is Borghi punishes tacklers if he gets to the linebacker level with his shoulders square .
Stop the presses. I agree with most of this. Max is best when he can have a footrace or is one on one in open space. In other situations he's just another guy. It's up to the staff to figure out how to get him the ball in space a few times a game.
Borghi is not the best running back on our team anymore. Not in this offense, anyway. Personally, I think Borghi’s neck injury last season has given him some appreciation. Obviously understandable.
Deon was much better in pass protect yesterday, which was encouraging to see.
Deon was much better in pass protect yesterday, which was encouraging to see.
Yeah Borghi still has amazing straight line speed and can truck guys when he’s got a head of steam but his vision this year has been terrible. I don’t remember that being a problem for him before but way too much hesitation. Right now DM is the better back.
It's scheme.
Air raid gave him the ball in space with the pass and he ran to a hole on the run plays.
We run stretch now which requires a knack for sniffing out where the hole is going to be. Some can do it, some never get the hang of it. Jury is out on Borghi.
Everyone's defense has something to do with that. In a conference that has problems with defense, we are a 14 point a game team. For all the talk about JDL, one TD had to be the best catch ever by a WU receiver, and maybe the best catch for a TD ever in the conference. Truth be told, they probably shouldn't have been in a position to score that TD as it came after a blocked punt. Cal should have had the ball on our side of the 50.
One TD was because the defense blew the coverage and the receiver was wide open on a very simple pattern.
Now I will say the there was a throw that could have been a TD, but the ball was stripped.
JDL is a chucker right now. Threw two easy pics. Why am I to believe he will refine any of his skills?
That is the view a day after. Still loved the win, and enjoyed it, but nothing I saw yesterday said we have our Gesser.
I see an extremely raw QB in JDL who possesses more athletic talent at the QB position than over seen at WSU. A chucker? At this stage, yea, that’s fair. This is a guy who’s played what? 7 games. No Spring camp. 1 Fall camp with split reps. Cluster F COVID/Rolo transition.
He plays with energy, and the offense is 2 clicks faster with him in the game. He has a strong arm that should get better with regard to touch passes. Where I see him really developing is in the read option and run/pass plays. That shovel pass is a thing of beauty with him. The only QB we’ve had who knows how to execute it. That’ll only get better as his grasp of the offense improves.
He’s a different QB than we’ve had. Looks like a Mahomes-light. Gotta build the offense around him, and I’m not sure Rolo can do that or if he’ll be here next season. For now though, he’s the clear #1. I think he’s got the “it” factor we need.
He plays with energy, and the offense is 2 clicks faster with him in the game. He has a strong arm that should get better with regard to touch passes. Where I see him really developing is in the read option and run/pass plays. That shovel pass is a thing of beauty with him. The only QB we’ve had who knows how to execute it. That’ll only get better as his grasp of the offense improves.
He’s a different QB than we’ve had. Looks like a Mahomes-light. Gotta build the offense around him, and I’m not sure Rolo can do that or if he’ll be here next season. For now though, he’s the clear #1. I think he’s got the “it” factor we need.
Mahomes light? He three three picks yesterday . One dropped by the defender . His three picks he is just “throwing it”. No real read , just chucking a fastball. Yes offense moves at a quicker pace with him in ghere . Still 2 to three tds a game and three picks .
That is what the coach killer did against a better defense . Yes he is the best we have, but he either learns to to read a defense and get touch or we will continue to struggle for the next three years .
here is a question for you , who would rather lead an offense .. Gordon , falk or JDL
You count the almost pick, but you don’t count the dropped TD? And the dropped TD vs. USC.
As sophomores, l’ll take JDL over Gordon and Falk. Higher ceiling. And honestly, JDL is more like a RS freshman. Falk got worse as he matured. Gordon was damn good. That’s a tough call.
I guess I look at it a bit differently than some of you. Not a surprise, but give me a moment.
We came into this game with a job to do. More than that, we had a bunch of units and individuals with a job to do. They were not perfect. But they did their jobs. At times they did them exceptionally well. On offense, sometimes they just graded out as a C+ or so (B- if it was a pretty girl in the first row of class). But they scored 3 TD's, and looked reasonably good doing it. We also showed that we can run the football. Was Cal the league's best D? Not by a long shot. But that meant that we ought to be running the ball, and we did. A lot of what we did was remarkably conservative for Rolo, but he managed the game to win...something that some of you felt he was not capable of doing.
Next week we play this year's surprise team in OSU. I suspect that OSU will be ready to play, unless they are enjoying their press clippings too much this week. If we are fully ready to play, we can win. Both teams will have a solid strategy going into the game. The team most mentally ready will lead at halftime. The team in the best physical condition and who can avoid brain dead mistakes (on both sides of the ball) will win the 2nd half.
At this point I think the odds should favor OSU by roughly 6-7 points. And that is on our field. But regardless of the odds, this one is going to come down to being mentally prepared. On that basis it is a very close game, and tough to call.
We came into this game with a job to do. More than that, we had a bunch of units and individuals with a job to do. They were not perfect. But they did their jobs. At times they did them exceptionally well. On offense, sometimes they just graded out as a C+ or so (B- if it was a pretty girl in the first row of class). But they scored 3 TD's, and looked reasonably good doing it. We also showed that we can run the football. Was Cal the league's best D? Not by a long shot. But that meant that we ought to be running the ball, and we did. A lot of what we did was remarkably conservative for Rolo, but he managed the game to win...something that some of you felt he was not capable of doing.
Next week we play this year's surprise team in OSU. I suspect that OSU will be ready to play, unless they are enjoying their press clippings too much this week. If we are fully ready to play, we can win. Both teams will have a solid strategy going into the game. The team most mentally ready will lead at halftime. The team in the best physical condition and who can avoid brain dead mistakes (on both sides of the ball) will win the 2nd half.
At this point I think the odds should favor OSU by roughly 6-7 points. And that is on our field. But regardless of the odds, this one is going to come down to being mentally prepared. On that basis it is a very close game, and tough to call.
That’s not a fair comparison because Gordon and Falk had above average coaching. JDL with a good coach could be deadly. His talent is being wasted like Khalil Tate in AZ
Why is it being wasted? He’s just getting started. COVID blew up last year, and he’s off to a good start this season.
Bleed, 4 or so sounds right to me by game time, unless there is some new injury news somewhere. OSU deserves to be favored, but if we bring our "A" game we can win this one.
Look at the OP…128 yards in the 2nd half. He’s not getting coached during the game at all. A couple good drives then Rolo and OC are playing checkers while the opposing coaches are playing Chess. The talent is there it’s clear at the start of damn near every game. It’s also clear as the game wears on that his talent is being wasted by shitty coaching.
billyjoe, I'm not sure that is true even half of the time. But certainly, it is probably true a significant minority of the time. I'm not sure exactly what to conclude from that. It might relate to JdL's reading of the D, but the D may also be primed to shift into something else if they believe an audible is being called. I like the occasional fake audible, to discourage that behavior. And in fairness, of all the mental things that a QB has to do, reading defenses might be the most difficult, and experience-based. JdL has a ways to go in terms of experience.
Here is my accounting....
He threw one pass that it was a blown coverage. That was the first TD. (first half) . The second pass was completed because of the greatest TD catch by a WSU receiver ever. Also, he probably shouldn't even had the opportunity to throw that pass if it wasn't for a lucky play. (blocked punt for a first down). There was the nice drive in the third, for a TD. And then the dropped pass. If it wasn't for a complete blown coverage, and if wasn't for a miracle catch, he would have thrown 2 TD's and two recorded picks. (and one picked dropped by the defender)
The disturbing part of the picks is the defense isn't making great plays, he is simply "chucking" the ball and hoping for something good. The second pick there was a open receiver on a wheel route instead he decided to throw the 9.
Yep, he does bring energy. He has good feet. You mentioned you have never seen someone this athletic at WU. I can name three QB's, Samoa Samoa, Ricky Turner, and Timm Rosenbach. And two of them never played in a passing offense but had better throwing mechanics and were more accurate despite running the veer.
You mention that once JDL pulls the ball down on the RPO's he will have progressed and make the offense better. It is not his style. He will run when he is flushed out, but RPO is not his thing. There are probably four occasions when he gave the ball to Borghi Cal was begging him to take it himself. Reminds me of the UCLA game in 2011 when the Lobster would still be running today if he pulled it in from Galvin. It is not what JDL wants to do.
Is it not the job of the head coach to design the offense around the skills of his best QB? In this case, the question I have for Rolo is why are you spreading reps between JG and CC when JDL is clearly the guy? If you want to delve into the transfer portal next year and upgrade the position, that's great, but we should be 3-2 (possibly 4-1) right now heading into Homecoming with Oregon State.
What on Earth does the blocked punt have to do with JDL throwing a TD pass? You can say that about any TD pass thrown by any QB that comes after a turnover. Great catch by Jackson, for sure. But I give some of the credit to JDL for putting the ball where his receiver is the only one who can catch it. He's still very young, raw, but has the potential to be an excellent Cougar QB. At this point, I say let him play, let him make mistakes, let him grow from the experiences. That worked for Gesser and WSU.
Glad Cougar
It was lucky! Shouldn't have happened! We should have lost to Cal! Exclamation points!!!!
Well plenty to be honest with you. I get JDL is the most exciting player, and he clearly is the starter on this football team. However, it is important to look at the possessions as a coach, a good coach will. For example, Kyle Shanahan was brutally honest when he talked about the play of Trey Lance. He asked about the TD pass, and he complained about it. Because he knows if it isn't a blown coverage he would have had to make a good throw, not one where the receiver had to wait on it like it was a punt. If it isn't a blown coverage that pass is not compelted, and might be a pick.
The reason I mentioned getting a TD pass after the blocked punt. In the last 15 years how many times does WSU get a second opportunity for that exact play to happen and get the ball. Once, and it happened on Saturday. If you throw that same pass 100 times to Jackson, how many times do we complete it? Once. And it happened on Saturday. If you want to say JDL had four TD's and three picks fine, you think that wins many games in the Pac 12?
Here is the part that people seem to neglect. If he is a one trick pony, a one throw QB, what happens when a defense comes out of the gate playing like Cal defended the second half. What happens when the defense does not blow a simple coverage assignment, and a wr doesn't make a historical catch. You score 14 points like we always do.
Take away the long plays, the quick strikes, you think we get more than 14 from JDL and he gives that up throwing picks?
That is why it is important.
The TD reception was incredible, but it was also a very good throw. Exactly where it needed to be placed.
I suspect that JDL will have to be buoyed by excellent talent at WR for most if not all of his career. That's not a knock - there are a lot, if not most, NFL qbs who still can't hit a WR downfield consistently. The ones that can are household names - Rogers, Wilson, etc, and even they are sometimes bailed out by a WR who makes a great adjustment to the ball.
He has to get better at decision making and reading the defense imho if this offense is going to run on all cylinders. He has to see the the blitz and check to the hot route. He has to actually see his second progression more than once a series. We are seeing a ton of soft zone coverage behind blitzing LBs and that middle third is just begging to get torn up, but he's too busy looking for the safe out-route or sideline go-route. While I don't want him to mimic brink and throw 2 pics a game over the middle, he has to challenge the defense there or they will start jumping the routes that he ALWAYS throws (didn't that already happen vs Cal...?)
I'm still high on him and hope for improvement, but every week that goes by where he continues to be hampered by his lack of vision the more I begin to doubt that he may be our long term starter, which is lousy because there is no one else on the roster.
Your “almosts” and “yea, buts” don’t ever seem to work both ways. JDL threw a perfect pass for a sure TD that was dropped vs. USC. That one doesn’t get weighted the same way I guess.
