Gut Check Time

[cr8zyncalif]

The staff will work the guys this week and have their full attention, as well as cooperation.

Either the guys will execute properly, hold to their assignments, keep their situational awareness for a full game and avoid dumb penalties...while also avoiding careless fumbles...or they won't.

If they do the above; most of which is between the ears; then we win a close one.

If they don't, then we lose.

It is all about what is going on in their heads.

 

[BiggsCoug]

It starts with what's going on in the coaches heads too.

How many teams kick the ball out of the endzone on kickoffs? You deny them a return, 1st and 10 at the 25. No touchdowns, no big returns for short fields, no chance for chaos or injury. 1st and 10 at the 25.

Same for punt team. Why would you punt the ball 45 yards only to let the other team have a chance to return it??? Why punt it 45 yards, give up a 20 yard return and only have a net of 25 yards??? Or worse??? As we all saw Saturday night.

Punt the ball 45 yards out of bounds. 1st and 10 wherever it is.

Kids need to hang onto the ball. Leach needs to coach his special teams coach up. At this point, there is only downside to allowing the other team a chance to return the ball on a kick.

 

[fingerdisco]

I find this scenario very fascinating—IMO this is where coaches really earn their pay when they go into psychologist mode and attempt to get into the heads of a bunch of highly emotional teen/early twenties kids. It will be super interesting to see whether the kids come out to prove last Saturday was a fluke or if they’ve gone turtle and retracted into their shell. I guess we’ll see in a few days what Dr. Leach has in his medical bag.

 

[CougPatrol]

It’s also important to remember that we could lose this game despite playing well. Utah is a good team.

I just want to see us put together a good game and hit the bye week with a chance to regroup for ASU and Colorado.

 

[YakiCoug]

It’s also important to remember that we could lose this game despite playing well. Utah is a good team.

I just want to see us put together a good game and hit the bye week with a chance to regroup for ASU and Colorado.

The Utes' defense is very physical and aggressive. I highly doubt we'll score more than 36, but with Moss out at RB for them, their offense is somewhat limited. I see the Utes winning 32-31.

 

[etowncoug]

The Utes' defense is very physical and aggressive. I highly doubt we'll score more than 36, but with Moss out at RB for them, their offense is somewhat limited. I see the Utes winning 32-31.

Utah's a different offense without Moss and they haven't been able to stop anyone in man. I have a feeling opinions are going much more positive around here heading into the bye week.

 

[KEVINANDERSON]

The staff will work the guys this week and have their full attention, as well as cooperation.

Either the guys will execute properly, hold to their assignments, keep their situational awareness for a full game and avoid dumb penalties...while also avoiding careless fumbles...or they won't.

If they do the above; most of which is between the ears; then we win a close one.

If they don't, then we lose.

It is all about what is going on in their heads.

Good luck with that.

 

[CougPatrol]

The Utes' defense is very physical and aggressive. I highly doubt we'll score more than 36, but with Moss out at RB for them, their offense is somewhat limited. I see the Utes winning 32-31.

The problem with Moss being out is that Utah will pass more.

 

[cr8zyncalif]

If we execute on O we will get to the Red Zone many times. What we do once there will be interesting to see.

They will move the ball, but the inability to pass effectively makes it hard to sustain drives. If we wrap up and keep to our assignments, we can stifle them.

My guess is that it is a TD either way at the end, and I'm strongly tempted to say that who ever has the ball at the end is likely to win. On a long field goal.

 

[Coug90]

The Utes' defense is very physical and aggressive. I highly doubt we'll score more than 36, but with Moss out at RB for them, their offense is somewhat limited. I see the Utes winning 32-31.

Moss is out??

 

[KEVINANDERSON]

Moss is out??

I got my moss out in June.

 

[Coug90]

I got my moss out in June.

Congrats Kevin didn’t know there was a cure. Or is it just dormant?

 

[KEVINANDERSON]

Congrats Kevin didn’t know there was a cure. Or is it just dormant?

Good point. For clarification, "out" meant no longer visible to the naked eye. Some good ol' fashion elbow grease, a garden hose/nozzle, and some 30 Seconds cleaner did the job. It'll be back.