Mid-Season Observations
By Dirty Panda
Big game today, not necessary because of the opponent, but because of what it would mean to win the game…to go 7-0, to go to Tuscaloosa undefeated and play the #1 team in the country – arguably making it the biggest game in the history of the program (we’ll do the research on that next week). But for now, here are some thoughts I had about the team so far…
Russell is developing into a playmaker. Takes some shots, but can definitely extend the play with his legs and throw a strike downfield. He is also spreading it around to several receivers, which tells me he knows his reads, check downs, etc and is confident in the playbook.
Bumphis and the Perkolator are stepping up when it matters. Big catches and big runs when we need them the most. It’s becoming a pattern with these guys. Clutch performances. And LDP has probably the most quiet 6 TDs and 600 some-odd yards of any MSU back in history.
Thank the Lord for Marcus Green’s medical redshirt.
The drops from Troy are now clearly mental mistakes. I counted only one vs. Tennessee.
Banks is unreal. What he can do on the field is nothing short of ‘hey this stuff only happens in the movies’. He would start on any team in the country. Unquestionably.
Dak is huge. Has a laser arm. Is smart with the ball. Is a leader. The future looks great with him taking the snaps.
Robinson is the clear #2.
Malcolm Johnson is now consuming at least 2+ hours of game planning each week from opposing D coordinators.
Our tackling sucked last week. Bad. At first I said it was because we were focused on Bray and we did exactly what we wanted to do – hold him to his worst throwing output of his career (well, yardage wise). But the fact is, we were there to stop Neal and co., but we just didn’t bring them down. We made contact early, but they still got yards after contact. I have questions about our interior line talent at the moment.
Denico Autry is not as advertised. He may still be adjusting, I guess…, but he hasn’t shown me anything that stands out. I understand UT has one of the best O lines in the conference, but he still should have made some more plays in that game.
Bottom line – we’ve came up with the plays when we had to this year and got the job done. What’s that? McCalebb or Patterson running a kickoff back? Oh, no problem. We’ll just jam it down your throat for 6 to keep the momentum. Oh wait, 3rd and 19? No problem, Chris Smith has it under control. Wait, what’s that? Tyler Bray driving to go ahead? Nah, All-American Johnthan Banks is gonna strip AND recover the fumble. Game, set, match.