My initial thoughts are that it’s a quality win. Wins are hard to come by in division 1 football, so the team should take their 24 hours to celebrate, enjoy it, then get ready for a tough Virginia team.
1. The O-line was much improved. Last year they couldn’t even block an inside zone. What you’d expect after those guys got experience is improvement and team work, and that’s what we saw tonight. Their pass blocking is still yet to be seen, as FIU didn’t blitz a ton on passes, but the O-line is certainly more physical and can at least get to the right spots this year. That should give us all hope.
2. The D-line is suspect. I know that it’s only one game but the transfer from Syracuse appeared to have a rough time along with Barwick. I saw both getting pushed 5 yards into the end zone, gasping, and overpowered. Those are two 5th year guys. Now it may be a minor issue, or maybe we have depth there and will be better off next game, but it is definitely something to keep track of. The pass rush was also weak. We have to get to the QB rushing 4 this year IMHO. And lastly on the Dline, they made the linebackers look worse than the actually may be. Very difficult for linebackers to succeed when guys are getting pushed into their laps.
3. The tight ends and receivers appear to be solid yet again. 10 different guys with catches. Good blocking from Dorris in the run game. A good mix of big receivers and small shifty guys. A good mix of deep ball threats and bubble screen guys. The passing game will be robust.
4. Penix looked in control. Was getting guys lined up in the right spots occasionally. A lot of poise for a young guy. He has a nice flick of the wrist and the ball comes out beautifully. His only issue is footwork. He’s great on short passes and footwork isn’t as much of an issue, but on deep balls he’ll be hit or miss until he cleans up his footwork. He throws a nice deep ball, but can dramatically improve his accuracy. If he works on that I’d honestly say start him over Ramsey... if he can consistently get the ball to Hale and Westbrook down the field, it’s game over...
5. The secondary is inconsistent. Crawford will make an NFL play one play, and then have a mental lapse the next. He got beat on a simple drag just from bad technique. Riggins had a drive saving PI due to lazy technique. #23 had a PI from bad technique. All three are good, very talented secondary, they just need more consistent technique. I’ve been hard on Andre Brown, but he had a really good game. That was a pleasant surprise.
Lastly, FIU is pretty terrible. Decent athletes, no teamwork. Decent passion, no brains. Physically they’re about as good as you’ll see to an extent. Mentally, they aren’t Michigan State, nor do they have Ohio States coaching staff. So it’s really hard to gauge where IU is. What we do know is there are some mental and technique errors, when in the past the issue was not enough talent. That’s a serious improvement over circa 2009 IU teams. That gives reason to be extremely hopeful. The bold statement that I’ll make is that this could realistically be a 10 win team. I saw nothing today “physically” that would prevent them from being a 10win team. When I watched MSU, or NW, or PU, or PSU, or even OSU I saw no major differences. The biggest issue will be mental. All of those teams have guys who believe they can win which makes a difference, and staffs that get them ready. Can Allen get these guys ready and do they believe in themselves? That will be the key.
