The talent is there, the physicality is there, and the quality depth is there. Physically, this team looks championship caliber to me. for me there are two questions that need to be answered:
- Do we have the mental toughness to overcome adversity?
I felt we rolled over against OSU and other good teams. But against Maryland, I sensed growth, almost as if someone had flicked the switch. I could actually feel the momentum changing in the stadium. overcoming an 18 point halftime deficit on the road in a hostile environment, is no small feat. I felt we grew more that game, than in any previous contest I can remember.
- Can we minimize mistakes/mental errors; show better attention to detail
One play from last year stands out in my mind as being representative of our efforts against the better B1G opponents. We're down 21-7, to ohio state, at 9:58 of the 2nd quarter, deep near our own endzone. Nova drops back, throws a difficult ball to Grant, who is covered by a linebacker. Grant has to spend precious seconds to go up and get the ball. which allows the linebacker to close quickly. The lb holds grant up, allowing another LB to come in and blast him, jarring the ball loose, which allowed Eli Apple to scoop the fumble and score a TD. We had the coverage we wanted, we just didn't execute. At the minimum, if we execute, that play is a big play, which gets us out of the shadow of our end zone. At most, perhaps he takes the ball to the house. I should also mention that Nova played exceptionally well against Michigan and Maryland, teams we wouldn't have beaten without him.
If we can continue to grow from last season, there's really no reason why we can't win the Big Ten
- Do we have the mental toughness to overcome adversity?
I felt we rolled over against OSU and other good teams. But against Maryland, I sensed growth, almost as if someone had flicked the switch. I could actually feel the momentum changing in the stadium. overcoming an 18 point halftime deficit on the road in a hostile environment, is no small feat. I felt we grew more that game, than in any previous contest I can remember.
- Can we minimize mistakes/mental errors; show better attention to detail
One play from last year stands out in my mind as being representative of our efforts against the better B1G opponents. We're down 21-7, to ohio state, at 9:58 of the 2nd quarter, deep near our own endzone. Nova drops back, throws a difficult ball to Grant, who is covered by a linebacker. Grant has to spend precious seconds to go up and get the ball. which allows the linebacker to close quickly. The lb holds grant up, allowing another LB to come in and blast him, jarring the ball loose, which allowed Eli Apple to scoop the fumble and score a TD. We had the coverage we wanted, we just didn't execute. At the minimum, if we execute, that play is a big play, which gets us out of the shadow of our end zone. At most, perhaps he takes the ball to the house. I should also mention that Nova played exceptionally well against Michigan and Maryland, teams we wouldn't have beaten without him.
If we can continue to grow from last season, there's really no reason why we can't win the Big Ten
