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I think I can speak for most fans in that what we wanted to see coming out of the game against Bowling Green was a comfort level that the offense was executing at a high level, another strong defensive effort, and a very grumpy cat named Pudge. There can be debate if all three boxes were fully checked, but the one facing the most scrutiny three games into the year did still manage to put up 40 points and get the backup QBs some run late in the contest. While perfection can be the target, it’s unrealistic to make it the standard. The quote above shows me that Brohm knows they aren’t firing on all cylinders but putting up crooked numbers while missing your best offensive weapon, and a couple other offensive threats in Bell and Watson dinged up, it’s tough to scream and kick too aggressively heading into conference play. For those of us (hand up) who said Ron English needed to show us some signs that he was on the right track early with this defense, consider the non-conference slate a row of billboards showing this unit has posted numbers that are quite literally some of the best in the country thus far. Pressure up front has been key, but against Bowling Green they forced the defense to beat them in other ways, and they did just that with two interceptions, once again keeping the opposition under 140 passing yards every single time they’ve stepped on the field this year. The record is what many expected, but winning football games is tough. It will get harder, but don’t gloss over the 3-0 start for the third straight year under Brohm.
OFFENSE I suppose my face looked quite a bit like many of you when I found out one minute into the broadcast that the Cards were working without Isaac Brown, Duke Watson, and a dinged up wide receiver core. Say what now?! If I could predict the future I would have guessed the announcers just got the names wrong like they did multiple other times all afternoon, but once I saw the reality of the situation, I was eager to see “RB3” aka Keyjuan “Bama” Brown get the lion share of the load. He filled in well, put up a nice stat line and showed that the depth is solid, as we all predicted in the summer. But, lets just be real. Jeff has throttled the offense a bit, stuck to a script even to a fault at times, and this game didn’t seem to be much different. Yes, Moss missed some throws, Kejuan maybe didn’t see some holes others might have, but the result was the “offense” putting up only 14 points, and then a late TD from Jennings in garbage time. In other words, take out the special teams, and this unit still had difficulty in getting good rhythm. Don’t take my word for it, look at the redzone success where they rank 111th nationally in TD scores (50%), and are hovering around the national average in passing and rushing yards per game. I alluded to it the last game, but the fact still remains true. With these weapons, and the competition thus far, the offense should statistically be better than what we’ve seen.
DEFENSE If we’re giving the offense the benefit of the doubt that they are limiting their playbook, not going wide open with different looks, and holding back guys with small dents and dings to keep them healthy for the conference slate, then why would we not assume the same for the defense? We’ve seen some guys see smaller roles or pulled early, we’ve seen injuries impact that side of the ball, and we’ve not seen any overly complex blitz packages or coverages, but instead of this defense swimming in the waters of “average football” they are top shark in the ACC in multiple categories, and Top 5 nationally in a few as well. If Brohm was a defensive minded coach we would point to this as evidence of his brilliance, so in all fairness, we should be giving Ron English a firm handshake and a pat on the back at minimum for what he has put together so far. So, whats contributing to this effort? Cards are getting pressure up front with 10 sacks (Top 15 nationally per game), and pressure at the second level with 3 interceptions and 9 pass breakups. While not without it’s faults I’ve been impressed by the meshing of old and new with some familiar faces at the top of the stat line, and a few new ones mixed in the headlines as well. I’m eager to see what this unit will do with a competent offense on the other side of the line, but they have earned my trust to this point. Proud of this group.
SPECIAL TEAMS You want to debate with me about the defense being the highlight of the game I’ll listen, but for my money, I’m pinning the blue ribbon on special teams. Not only did the Cards go 4-4 in kicking field goals this week, they set a new school record with a 57 yarder (Keller) that had plenty of leg. Ranvier is still perfect on the season, and Keller is now up over 72% on touchbacks, removing the return game from the opposition. Speaking of return game, enjoy Lacy returning punts while you can, because I think most ACC foes will take the JMU approach and try and remove his opportunities. Bowling Green took a risk, and it resulted in over one hundred yards and a trip to the house for Caullin. Currently #2 nationally in return average and #1 in yds/game. He puts the “special” in special teams.
