Wow. I don't know if I'm more surprised we beat a ranked team on the road or that we are 4-2. I thought five games was our ceiling preseason. Satterfield fields a very intelligently designed offense and special teams; we're playing with mirrors defensively though.
Whatever we are seeing offensively it's working and it's a different hero seemingly every drive. The Cunningham to Dawkins TD was quality protection, a really savvy slide through a throwing lane into space by Cunningham and throwing Dawkins perfectly open into a one-on-one with a hapless safety; one cut and it's over. We didn't run the ball very effectively in the first half outside of a game starting scramble by Cunningham which is why I still think he's the man moving forward.
The return game has become as unusual a weapon as we've enjoyed for a very long time; it's not one guy it's many. We've broken big returns from two separate people this year on kickoffs, and broken multiple from two on punt returns. The punt return from Atwell I suspect comes from something one of our coaches picked up on film because they deaked with Burns in a way I initially thought Wake's punter just missed his punt location (like Brent Moody in Miami in 2004 or how badly the West Virginia punter missed his coverage unit in the Black Out in 2006). If we can just force some more three and outs and give these return guys some surface area to cover it can become further tough.
The offensive line is performing.
The defense. One part there is film now on how we operate and the inability of our defensive line to get surge is spotty at best. It's putting an inordinate amount of stress on our secondary and really on our LB unit as well. We are going to miss Etheridge in the first half of--gulp, double checking schedule hoping it's anybody but....Clemson--(waves of nausea). I don't think Johnson got picked on as much as who else are you going to throw to if you have Surrat? The guy is quality. But 668 yards and 28 points in the 4th quarter tells an ugly story.
4-2 going into Clemson. It really sets the stage for a second half of the season full of anticipation.
Whatever we are seeing offensively it's working and it's a different hero seemingly every drive. The Cunningham to Dawkins TD was quality protection, a really savvy slide through a throwing lane into space by Cunningham and throwing Dawkins perfectly open into a one-on-one with a hapless safety; one cut and it's over. We didn't run the ball very effectively in the first half outside of a game starting scramble by Cunningham which is why I still think he's the man moving forward.
The return game has become as unusual a weapon as we've enjoyed for a very long time; it's not one guy it's many. We've broken big returns from two separate people this year on kickoffs, and broken multiple from two on punt returns. The punt return from Atwell I suspect comes from something one of our coaches picked up on film because they deaked with Burns in a way I initially thought Wake's punter just missed his punt location (like Brent Moody in Miami in 2004 or how badly the West Virginia punter missed his coverage unit in the Black Out in 2006). If we can just force some more three and outs and give these return guys some surface area to cover it can become further tough.
The offensive line is performing.
The defense. One part there is film now on how we operate and the inability of our defensive line to get surge is spotty at best. It's putting an inordinate amount of stress on our secondary and really on our LB unit as well. We are going to miss Etheridge in the first half of--gulp, double checking schedule hoping it's anybody but....Clemson--(waves of nausea). I don't think Johnson got picked on as much as who else are you going to throw to if you have Surrat? The guy is quality. But 668 yards and 28 points in the 4th quarter tells an ugly story.
4-2 going into Clemson. It really sets the stage for a second half of the season full of anticipation.
