I have not read ANY posts on any of the message boards, yet, nor read any articles. I thought I would post my thoughts before being "tainted" by reading other posts. I was able to watch the game via streaming (thanks to those who provided those links). I did not listen to the RU broadcast - though maybe I should have used that as the sound. I have not even looked at a box score - I keep the stats as I watch the game, so though not official, I have a rough idea. After I finish posting this I will look at the box score, especially to get defensive stats.
Here are my thoughts, and perspective, on the game, and if it has any meaning going forward for the rest of the season, in no particular order:
1) Offensive Line: I think this is the biggest issue right now for RU. I was very disappointed in the performance of RU's offensive line, in particular, in this first game. In short, they were poor. Laviano had very little time to throw the ball on most plays. The running backs often had to create their own lanes, or bounce around a lot. The clearest example of poor performance was Chris Muller (sorry to call out the name), who was replaced by the end of the 1st quarter. Muller was clearly beaten at least 5 times that I saw in the 1st quarter alone, with all 5 plays getting completely blown up. He was beaten with quickness, and also at least 2 times, maybe 3, was literally bowled over with straight power. Dorian Miller committed 2 penalties. The OL had problem picking up the blitz. I can HOPE that part of the problem was the Washington DL was REALLY good - maybe one of the best RU will face, so that this will not be a regular problem. I can also hope that the OL is still getting accustomed to a new offense and blocking scheme. Otherwise, RU's offense is going to have a major problem all season.
2) Wide Receivers: Oh my ... suspicions all confirmed. RU's WR's are just not that good. Period. Sure, a spread offense is supposed to open things up. But RU's WR's just got very little separation all game. Are Washington's DB's THAT good? maybe, maybe not. But RU's WR's rarely had any real separation, which was no help to Laviano at all. Maybe if the OL had blocked better, and given Laviano and the WR's more time the WR's might have gotten open more. But I suspect the real issue is that RU's WR's just are not that good. More on this later: Grant is NOT a lead WR. He just is not THAT good. He would be a real receiving weapon if he were the THIRD WR in a spread offense, not the #1 receiver. Not one of RU's WR's, and I include Grant, are true playmakers in the passing game (yes, Grant can make plays in space, but he still needs good blocking). It is tough to have a good offense when you have no WR playmakers.
3) Defensive Pass Rush: Same problem as last season: Very little pressure on the opposing team QB. RU was able to put more pressure on the QB in the 2nd half, as RU blitzed more. The RU front 4, defensive line, is not bad - and played pretty solid rush defense, in my opinion. They were not fooled much either, as best I can see. But, the front 4 cannot put pressure on the QB in the passing game. As a result, the opposing team QB had ALL DAY to throw his passes, and to let his WR's run their routes.
4) Running Backs: I do not care what has happened in practice. Josh Hicks is SO much better a runner at running back than Goodwin it is night and day. Fortunately, the coaching staff recognized this by the middle to the 2nd quarter (as they did with the issue of Chris Muller on OL - replacing him with Applefield). Goodwin IS a better pass blocker, and IS a fine receiver (maybe RU's best or 2nd best receiver - between him and Grant). Goodwin, to his credit, also does not get tackled when the defenders breath on him any more. But he just is not as good finding lanes, creating lanes with his movement, moving the pile. And though he has more straight away speed than does Hicks, Hicks is MUCH better and quicker making his running decisions. Here is one example: In the 2nd quarter, RU down 24-0, RU had a 2nd down or 3rd down and maybe 7 or 8 yards to go, perhaps at Washington's 30 or 35 yard line. RU runs the ball with Goodwin. He bounces to the outside where the blocking is - possibly designed to go outside - but gets ankle tackled for no gain or a 1 yard gain. The PAC 12 announcers complimented the defense on a great play, stating that if that tackle is not made Goodwin scores a touchdown, that there was no one else there. On the replay, you could see that there was good deception and good blocking downfield. My instant take: Hicks or Martin score on that play - or at a minimum, even if slowed by the ankle grab, get a 1st down at least. Why? Either Hicks breaks the tackle, and is only slowed down, or more likely, Hicks (or Martin had he been available) makes the cut quicker, and does not even get touched ... and then scores. The problem is that Goodwin must play some, because he is a really fine receiver. Maybe when Martin is back, he will be a good enough receiver to displace much of Goodwin's playing time.
5) Power Spread Offense: I do like this offense. RU should be able to run against many teams out of this offense. BUT ... we saw one problem with this offense, that ALL spread offenses have: A real problem in short yardage situations. Part of the problem is that RU failed in 4 short yardage situations running Goodwin - who should NEVER, EVER AGAIN be in the game on short yardage situations, at least not to get the ball - maybe as a blocker. Part of the problem is that Laviano is just not that skilled a runner. In the 2nd half, RU went to the Wildcat with Grant running the ball in shorter yardage situations, which worked a little better. But even with the power spread offense, you need to give the QB some time to throw the ball, and you need SOME WR's to actually make plays.
6) Laviano: I thought he showed some improvement from last season. He made much better judgment calls (that interception aside - but that was one of the few true judgment errors I saw from him). He threw the ball away judiciously. But still, you could see his limitations. He just is not that good a runner. I think everyone has thought he is a good runner from that ONE game 2 years ago, his first game, when he subbed for an injured Nova and had one 45 yard run on his 1st or 2nd drive. But I have never felt he was that mobile a runner, and you could see in this game that he is just not all that fast, or elusive. In fact, RU ran the Wildcat in the 2nd half, with Grant, specifically in situations where a QB run was considered advantageous - because Laviano was not that much of a running threat. If Rescigno or Allen could throw at all, or make even decent judgments in game management, than either would have beaten out Laviano, in my opinion. But it is obvious neither is ready to unseat Laviano. If at any time, either actually develop that skill, or Oden masters the play book and/or gets physically ready, Laviano will take a seat. But it is more difficult for that to happen during the season, as the #1 QB, by necessity, must get the majority of the repetitions during game week practices. Also, it was clear Laviano was going to play to the end of the game, in my book: He needed as much game experience in the new offense as he can get. Finally, as mentioned above, he got very little help from his WR's, in my opinion. While I do feel he showed pretty good, and improved judgment, he did fail to execute several times on passes, both in the 3rd Quarter when RU was trying to make the game more comeptitive: Notably on a deep route to Agudosi, where he had to get the ball to Agudosi's outside shoulder, but instead threw the ball too far inside (incomplete pass), and on a subsequent drive, when he threw a wheel route pass down the left side, and had the receiver open, but the pass floated long and to the inside, incomplete.
7) Special Teams: Poor, to say the least, in my opinion. The punter, Cintron, was ... extremely inconsistent. Yes, he 2 excellent punts (a 52-yarder with only an 8 yard return), and a short punt to the Washington 6 yard line. He had some okay punts: 3 were fair catches in the low 40-yard range. But he also had some REALLY bad punts, in particular, his 1st punt which set up Washington for a short field position on the 1st drive, and an equally bad punt that set up an easy punt return for TD, putting RU down 41-3. Bonagura was okay: 2 made FG's, from 38 yards out (and it would have been good from 40 yards out too!), and a 23-yarder. He probably cannot be counted on from further than 40 yards out, but he was accurate on both attempts. The kickoffs were ... weak. And the punt and kick return coverages were awful. Period. And say good bye to RU's vaunted kick blocking schemes. This is a different staff, with a different focus.
8) Defensive Backs: It was hard for me to assess, only on TV (I like to see the whole field). Obviously, they got schooled in the 1st half. But they were better in the 2nd half, and not just because Washington passed less - they made better plays also. Hampton, Austin and Wharton each got beaten on separate big plays. But Austin, Hampton, Hester and Cioffi all made some good plays on the ball as well. The DB's were playing press coverage more, as best I could tell, and they were playing on an island a lot as well (man to man): But with no pressure on the QB ... well you get it, I am sure. On the 1st TD, RU's defense got caught with Hunt (playing LB, not DB?), covering Washington's best WR one on one - TD! Why was Hunt playing at all? I had not heard his name all Spring or August. I need to be at the game to see who is in for RU's various packages (I cannot tell on TV).
9) Linebackers: As best I could tell, RU's linebackers were pretty invisible in the 1st half. But maybe I could not see. They did seem to play better in the 2nd half. Jones made several nice plays. It is too bad about his dropped interception attempt: He made a fine read, and had he held onto the ball, and had he been able to stay in bounds, could have had a pick 6.
10) Rushing Defense: Though there was ONE drive towards the end of the 1st quarter where Washington found something (3 straight 10-yard plus runs), I thought the rushing defense was generally solid - and maybe as the LB's improve and get more experience, will be better than solid. I noticed that Lambert, in particular, made some very disruptive plays - he did not get the tackle, but he disrupted the plays for others to clean up. Hamilton looks a little slower than 2 years ago - all that weight added? The knee injury?
Overall, RU just got beaten in every aspect of the game. Were they beaten, or outcoached, or both? Who knows? RU got off to an AWFUL start: down 17-0 before they could blink. Built off a 3 and out, bad punt, and bad defense in the 1st sequence. A turnover and bad defense in the 2nd sequence. And then another 3 and out (or 4 and out) followed by poor defense in the 3rd sequence. RU did play better after that, but poor special teams and inconsistent offense kept RU from keeping even or even clawing back (both special teams TD's came after RU was already down 24-0).
Future? We do not know. I see 3-9 or 4-8 unless the OL gets a lot better, and unless the LB's improve. The LB's SHOULD improve. But given the limitations in RU's current QB's, the key will be the OL, in my opinion. Can that be fixed? If not, the offense will be severely limited all year. Because the WR's are what they are, until reinforcements come next season. If the OL improves, then 5 wins may be possible ... if special teams also improves (not sure how that is going to happen), then 6 wins may be possible. I see no reasonable path to 7 or more wins, not with what was shown today, even if Washington IS a top 10 or 15 team.
Here are my thoughts, and perspective, on the game, and if it has any meaning going forward for the rest of the season, in no particular order:
1) Offensive Line: I think this is the biggest issue right now for RU. I was very disappointed in the performance of RU's offensive line, in particular, in this first game. In short, they were poor. Laviano had very little time to throw the ball on most plays. The running backs often had to create their own lanes, or bounce around a lot. The clearest example of poor performance was Chris Muller (sorry to call out the name), who was replaced by the end of the 1st quarter. Muller was clearly beaten at least 5 times that I saw in the 1st quarter alone, with all 5 plays getting completely blown up. He was beaten with quickness, and also at least 2 times, maybe 3, was literally bowled over with straight power. Dorian Miller committed 2 penalties. The OL had problem picking up the blitz. I can HOPE that part of the problem was the Washington DL was REALLY good - maybe one of the best RU will face, so that this will not be a regular problem. I can also hope that the OL is still getting accustomed to a new offense and blocking scheme. Otherwise, RU's offense is going to have a major problem all season.
2) Wide Receivers: Oh my ... suspicions all confirmed. RU's WR's are just not that good. Period. Sure, a spread offense is supposed to open things up. But RU's WR's just got very little separation all game. Are Washington's DB's THAT good? maybe, maybe not. But RU's WR's rarely had any real separation, which was no help to Laviano at all. Maybe if the OL had blocked better, and given Laviano and the WR's more time the WR's might have gotten open more. But I suspect the real issue is that RU's WR's just are not that good. More on this later: Grant is NOT a lead WR. He just is not THAT good. He would be a real receiving weapon if he were the THIRD WR in a spread offense, not the #1 receiver. Not one of RU's WR's, and I include Grant, are true playmakers in the passing game (yes, Grant can make plays in space, but he still needs good blocking). It is tough to have a good offense when you have no WR playmakers.
3) Defensive Pass Rush: Same problem as last season: Very little pressure on the opposing team QB. RU was able to put more pressure on the QB in the 2nd half, as RU blitzed more. The RU front 4, defensive line, is not bad - and played pretty solid rush defense, in my opinion. They were not fooled much either, as best I can see. But, the front 4 cannot put pressure on the QB in the passing game. As a result, the opposing team QB had ALL DAY to throw his passes, and to let his WR's run their routes.
4) Running Backs: I do not care what has happened in practice. Josh Hicks is SO much better a runner at running back than Goodwin it is night and day. Fortunately, the coaching staff recognized this by the middle to the 2nd quarter (as they did with the issue of Chris Muller on OL - replacing him with Applefield). Goodwin IS a better pass blocker, and IS a fine receiver (maybe RU's best or 2nd best receiver - between him and Grant). Goodwin, to his credit, also does not get tackled when the defenders breath on him any more. But he just is not as good finding lanes, creating lanes with his movement, moving the pile. And though he has more straight away speed than does Hicks, Hicks is MUCH better and quicker making his running decisions. Here is one example: In the 2nd quarter, RU down 24-0, RU had a 2nd down or 3rd down and maybe 7 or 8 yards to go, perhaps at Washington's 30 or 35 yard line. RU runs the ball with Goodwin. He bounces to the outside where the blocking is - possibly designed to go outside - but gets ankle tackled for no gain or a 1 yard gain. The PAC 12 announcers complimented the defense on a great play, stating that if that tackle is not made Goodwin scores a touchdown, that there was no one else there. On the replay, you could see that there was good deception and good blocking downfield. My instant take: Hicks or Martin score on that play - or at a minimum, even if slowed by the ankle grab, get a 1st down at least. Why? Either Hicks breaks the tackle, and is only slowed down, or more likely, Hicks (or Martin had he been available) makes the cut quicker, and does not even get touched ... and then scores. The problem is that Goodwin must play some, because he is a really fine receiver. Maybe when Martin is back, he will be a good enough receiver to displace much of Goodwin's playing time.
5) Power Spread Offense: I do like this offense. RU should be able to run against many teams out of this offense. BUT ... we saw one problem with this offense, that ALL spread offenses have: A real problem in short yardage situations. Part of the problem is that RU failed in 4 short yardage situations running Goodwin - who should NEVER, EVER AGAIN be in the game on short yardage situations, at least not to get the ball - maybe as a blocker. Part of the problem is that Laviano is just not that skilled a runner. In the 2nd half, RU went to the Wildcat with Grant running the ball in shorter yardage situations, which worked a little better. But even with the power spread offense, you need to give the QB some time to throw the ball, and you need SOME WR's to actually make plays.
6) Laviano: I thought he showed some improvement from last season. He made much better judgment calls (that interception aside - but that was one of the few true judgment errors I saw from him). He threw the ball away judiciously. But still, you could see his limitations. He just is not that good a runner. I think everyone has thought he is a good runner from that ONE game 2 years ago, his first game, when he subbed for an injured Nova and had one 45 yard run on his 1st or 2nd drive. But I have never felt he was that mobile a runner, and you could see in this game that he is just not all that fast, or elusive. In fact, RU ran the Wildcat in the 2nd half, with Grant, specifically in situations where a QB run was considered advantageous - because Laviano was not that much of a running threat. If Rescigno or Allen could throw at all, or make even decent judgments in game management, than either would have beaten out Laviano, in my opinion. But it is obvious neither is ready to unseat Laviano. If at any time, either actually develop that skill, or Oden masters the play book and/or gets physically ready, Laviano will take a seat. But it is more difficult for that to happen during the season, as the #1 QB, by necessity, must get the majority of the repetitions during game week practices. Also, it was clear Laviano was going to play to the end of the game, in my book: He needed as much game experience in the new offense as he can get. Finally, as mentioned above, he got very little help from his WR's, in my opinion. While I do feel he showed pretty good, and improved judgment, he did fail to execute several times on passes, both in the 3rd Quarter when RU was trying to make the game more comeptitive: Notably on a deep route to Agudosi, where he had to get the ball to Agudosi's outside shoulder, but instead threw the ball too far inside (incomplete pass), and on a subsequent drive, when he threw a wheel route pass down the left side, and had the receiver open, but the pass floated long and to the inside, incomplete.
7) Special Teams: Poor, to say the least, in my opinion. The punter, Cintron, was ... extremely inconsistent. Yes, he 2 excellent punts (a 52-yarder with only an 8 yard return), and a short punt to the Washington 6 yard line. He had some okay punts: 3 were fair catches in the low 40-yard range. But he also had some REALLY bad punts, in particular, his 1st punt which set up Washington for a short field position on the 1st drive, and an equally bad punt that set up an easy punt return for TD, putting RU down 41-3. Bonagura was okay: 2 made FG's, from 38 yards out (and it would have been good from 40 yards out too!), and a 23-yarder. He probably cannot be counted on from further than 40 yards out, but he was accurate on both attempts. The kickoffs were ... weak. And the punt and kick return coverages were awful. Period. And say good bye to RU's vaunted kick blocking schemes. This is a different staff, with a different focus.
8) Defensive Backs: It was hard for me to assess, only on TV (I like to see the whole field). Obviously, they got schooled in the 1st half. But they were better in the 2nd half, and not just because Washington passed less - they made better plays also. Hampton, Austin and Wharton each got beaten on separate big plays. But Austin, Hampton, Hester and Cioffi all made some good plays on the ball as well. The DB's were playing press coverage more, as best I could tell, and they were playing on an island a lot as well (man to man): But with no pressure on the QB ... well you get it, I am sure. On the 1st TD, RU's defense got caught with Hunt (playing LB, not DB?), covering Washington's best WR one on one - TD! Why was Hunt playing at all? I had not heard his name all Spring or August. I need to be at the game to see who is in for RU's various packages (I cannot tell on TV).
9) Linebackers: As best I could tell, RU's linebackers were pretty invisible in the 1st half. But maybe I could not see. They did seem to play better in the 2nd half. Jones made several nice plays. It is too bad about his dropped interception attempt: He made a fine read, and had he held onto the ball, and had he been able to stay in bounds, could have had a pick 6.
10) Rushing Defense: Though there was ONE drive towards the end of the 1st quarter where Washington found something (3 straight 10-yard plus runs), I thought the rushing defense was generally solid - and maybe as the LB's improve and get more experience, will be better than solid. I noticed that Lambert, in particular, made some very disruptive plays - he did not get the tackle, but he disrupted the plays for others to clean up. Hamilton looks a little slower than 2 years ago - all that weight added? The knee injury?
Overall, RU just got beaten in every aspect of the game. Were they beaten, or outcoached, or both? Who knows? RU got off to an AWFUL start: down 17-0 before they could blink. Built off a 3 and out, bad punt, and bad defense in the 1st sequence. A turnover and bad defense in the 2nd sequence. And then another 3 and out (or 4 and out) followed by poor defense in the 3rd sequence. RU did play better after that, but poor special teams and inconsistent offense kept RU from keeping even or even clawing back (both special teams TD's came after RU was already down 24-0).
Future? We do not know. I see 3-9 or 4-8 unless the OL gets a lot better, and unless the LB's improve. The LB's SHOULD improve. But given the limitations in RU's current QB's, the key will be the OL, in my opinion. Can that be fixed? If not, the offense will be severely limited all year. Because the WR's are what they are, until reinforcements come next season. If the OL improves, then 5 wins may be possible ... if special teams also improves (not sure how that is going to happen), then 6 wins may be possible. I see no reasonable path to 7 or more wins, not with what was shown today, even if Washington IS a top 10 or 15 team.
