Georgia Southern vs. Wisconsin gamethread

[HarryDoyle]

This is one ugly game.

[HarryDoyle]

Never mind about figuring it out soon. This is flat out not a good football team. They'll be fortunate just to qualify for a bowl game.

[HarryDoyle]

GASO's quarterback is pathetically horrible. He's going to be the reason we win this game and him alone.

[Sixtolezcano]

Takes them 30 minutes to warm up before they decide to play football.

[yourout]

It's been decades since I've seen a badger defense this undisciplined and horrible at taking proper angles.

It's like they took everything they learned under JL about discipline and breaking down to make tackles and completely threw it out the window

[wildcat83]

Got back to some simple runs and play action this half.  Looks a little better.

[Sixtolezcano]

This defense is really, really bad.

[yourout]

This is an embarrassingly bad defense.

[Sixtolezcano]

They may give up over 500 yards in passing yardage.

[wildcat83]

24 minutes ago, HarryDoyle said:

GASO's quarterback is pathetically horrible. He's going to be the reason we win this game and him alone.

If you only look at the 5 INT in the box score.  He’s also the reason they’re still in this game despite the TO’s. They aren’t running all over us.
 

They’ll win with him more than they lose with him.  He’s going to throw for 400 yards on a Big 10 defense. (Yes, a bad one, but still)

[edfunderburk]

I’m not impressed with the Badgers

If not for turnovers, Georgia Southern would be up a few scores

Wisconsin has plenty of work to do if they want to be competitive against Big Ten teams

[yourout]

1 hour ago, HarryDoyle said:

This is one ugly game.

I know they say there's no such thing as an ugly win but I could swear I saw Roseanne on the sidelines.

[HarryDoyle]

32 minutes ago, wildcat83 said:

If you only look at the 5 INT in the box score.  He’s also the reason they’re still in this game despite the TO’s. They aren’t running all over us.
 

They’ll win with him more than they lose with him.  He’s going to throw for 400 yards on a Big 10 defense. (Yes, a bad one, but still)

It's not that he threw five picks, it's that he either never should've thrown those passes because they were in to double coverage (and another one his receiver made a great play) or they were just plain bad throws. The defense didn't even have to make a great play for those. One of them he threw into double coverage despite having another receiver wide open in the middle of the field where he literally could've walked into the end zone.

[LouisEly]

Maybe Wisconsin needs an opener to play the first half?

First half and first drive of the 2nd half were terrible.  Rest of the game was a great offensive performance.  Saw big improvements in play calling and blocking in the 2nd half, more using play action to open up the passing game as well as have the TEs come back across the line to seal off the OLB/S who were crashing down on run plays.  Ashcraft had an awful first half, whiffed on several blocks that blew up plays.  LG missed a safety blitz that blew up another 3rd down play, but to the safety's credit, it looked like he used the umpire to hide himself before blitzing.  That being said, the LG was too quick to double on the DE because nobody was lining up in front of him instead of backing up, looking around, then doubling. 

Need to figure out their pass defense.  Going to be a 2011 type of defense where they will have to figure it out without a lot of good pass rushers.

[Jim French Stepstool]

After 3 games, probably my biggest concern is whether the defense holds up against some of the run games we'll see from here on out. The answer is blowin' in the wind somewhere, because they haven't faced one yet. Isaiah Mullins will help there, as the depth probably isn't what it needs to be.

Tressel did a better job of dialing up some pressure from different spots & being creative with it, as he needs to do. It'll have to be a group that gets enough blocker occupation from guys like Gio Paez, Rodas Johnson, Thompson & Mullins to allow for what is actually a very good group of LBs to make plays. The secondary is struggling, for sure, although Wohler usually seems to be where he needs to be. The credo this week was "let it fly". That, and the preoccupation with not forcing any TOs coming into this game, is what I think led to people biting on first moves & being left in the dust. It's happened each game now. That's correctable. What bothers me more is the 3-4 balls today where they were in a position to make a breakup & didn't. Ricardo Hallman was drawing raves in camp, so I guess he's one who particularly needs to step up.

Interesting how the passing game started getting 'easier' once they started running the ball. Surprise, surprise. Like LouisEly pointed out, Rucci started getting involved. Obviously I'm not privy to practice but I believe the run game is an afterthought to Longo & that has to stop. Line looked better, even great at times, but I still think Nelson has to turn his game up a notch or three. I believe Ashcraft can be a guy mentioned with their best TEs they ever had, provided he learns to block. It's his third game since his HS prom, so It'll take awhile.

Mordecai has gotten better each week, and it's nice to see him also able to hurt you with his feet. There's no guys at WR for the Gus Johnson-types to salivate over but it's a good enough, deep enough group assuming Longo decides to let Allen & Mellusi occupy an opponents' scouting report too, and I don't mean floaters out to the flat w/little to no blocking.

A word about C J Goetz. The kid was a great fit for Leonhards' defense. Not as much with this scheme, yet he's still making plays, making very few mistakes & being a very positive factor. Can't overemphasize how impressive that is. It wouldn't surprise me if he winds up having a pro career as a special teams/situational type guy.

Still waiting for some of the mental stuff to get cleaned up. 2nd Half was a step in the right direction.

[Jim French Stepstool]

11 hours ago, wildcat83 said:

If you only look at the 5 INT in the box score.  He’s also the reason they’re still in this game despite the TO’s. They aren’t running all over us.
 

They’ll win with him more than they lose with him.  He’s going to throw for 400 yards on a Big 10 defense. (Yes, a bad one, but still)

I agree. He had very little running game to fall back on, when he needed one. In the Sun Belt that'll change. All things considered he did pretty much all he could.

[Jim French Stepstool]

12 hours ago, HarryDoyle said:

GASO's quarterback is pathetically horrible. He's going to be the reason we win this game and him alone.

They won because they became much more balanced in the 2nd half, committed to do the things necessary to run the ball & (for 25 minutes, anyway) stopped shooting themselves in the foot.

If not for yet another stupid more-than-four-men-in-the-backfield penalty in their 1st possession of the 2nd half, they keep the ball, more than likely score (they scored 21 points in that quarter), and the game winds up 35 (or 42) to 7.

[BrewerFan]

I'm sure this has been discussed here, but...what the hell is wrong with Longo?

You have a RB coming off two straight 1200+ yard seasons, he's 245, he's agile, can make people miss and is at his best wearing down the defense. Yet he was the leading reciever in the B1G and hadn't had a single carry about half way into the 2nd quarter(I may be giving them too much credit).

Then the play-by-play guy said, "they've had trouble getting Braelon Allen going." Yes...that's going to happen if you DON'T HAND HIM THE BALL!

 

It's clear this group thinks that Melusi is a better "fit" with their scheme and that Allen is more of the closer.

Yet, he came in and started gashing the defense immediately.

I trust the staff offensively(much rather have Jim Leonhard running the D, but that's another story). But you don't have the right players in after ONE season yet, so dance with who brun ya as they say. 

 

Oh, and again, RUN TO SET UP THE PASS. Why are we making this more difficult?

I suppose it's not the worst thing for Allen. One of the biggest questions was likely going to be how he is in the passing game, and he's answering a lot of those questions, but...my God, we were in an actual Battle with Ga Southern after losing to Wash State(where we made some of the same mistakes). 

 

If Braelon Allen doesn't have at least 5 carries in the 1st quarter of the next game I'm going to...do absolutely nothing but complain about it...but like...really complain. The type of complaining that accomplishes nothing but makes me feel better.

[Jim French Stepstool]

7 hours ago, BrewerFan said:

I'm sure this has been discussed here, but...what the hell is wrong with Longo?

You have a RB coming off two straight 1200+ yard seasons, he's 245, he's agile, can make people miss and is at his best wearing down the defense. Yet he was the leading reciever in the B1G and hadn't had a single carry about half way into the 2nd quarter(I may be giving them too much credit).

Then the play-by-play guy said, "they've had trouble getting Braelon Allen going." Yes...that's going to happen if you DON'T HAND HIM THE BALL!

 

It's clear this group thinks that Melusi is a better "fit" with their scheme and that Allen is more of the closer.

Yet, he came in and started gashing the defense immediately.

I trust the staff offensively(much rather have Jim Leonhard running the D, but that's another story). But you don't have the right players in after ONE season yet, so dance with who brun ya as they say. 

 

Oh, and again, RUN TO SET UP THE PASS. Why are we making this more difficult?

I suppose it's not the worst thing for Allen. One of the biggest questions was likely going to be how he is in the passing game, and he's answering a lot of those questions, but...my God, we were in an actual Battle with Ga Southern after losing to Wash State(where we made some of the same mistakes). 

 

If Braelon Allen doesn't have at least 5 carries in the 1st quarter of the next game I'm going to...do absolutely nothing but complain about it...but like...really complain. The type of complaining that accomplishes nothing but makes me feel better.

You have to have more then a modicum of ego to coach at that level. I agree with much of what you say, but Longo isn't going to just change a lot of what he believes in. I'm not disagreeing that he needs to adjust, though. They're in the Big Ten portion now. I refuse to believe that he's so dense that he doesn't see that they can run the ball effectively w/o major adjustments. I'm hoping that the tendency to lean on the other stuff was born from a desire to establish that as the way he wants to play, and things will look a little different going forward. We'll see. 

I agree, passing to set up the run usually doesn't fly, esp in this league. Even when Brees was at Purdue, vs better defenses they'd move well then when they got inside the ten yard line they were hamstrung because the field shrunk & they couldn't run the ball. The difference is this team CAN run the ball. How they go about their business going forward is going to be interesting.

[Samurai Bucky]

On 9/17/2023 at 2:04 AM, Jim French Stepstool said:

They won because they became much more balanced in the 2nd half, committed to do the things necessary to run the ball & (for 25 minutes, anyway) stopped shooting themselves in the foot.

If not for yet another stupid more-than-four-men-in-the-backfield penalty in their 1st possession of the 2nd half, they keep the ball, more than likely score (they scored 21 points in that quarter), and the game winds up 35 (or 42) to 7.

I don't remember after which play early in the third quarter I heard this, but the offensive finally got lit up.  Lots of f-bombs from the coaches.  They finally played smarter after that.

[Jim French Stepstool]

5 hours ago, Samurai Bucky said:

I don't remember after which play early in the third quarter I heard this, but the offensive finally got lit up.  Lots of f-bombs from the coaches.  They finally played smarter after that.

The play I referenced above was it, I'll bet. Not lining up properly took away a 1st down, and they followed it up with a barrage of points in the following possessions.

It's a new staff, and a mix of returning vets & guys new to the program. So who gets the blame? Damned if I know. Fickell talks about playing cleaner; it has to start pretty soon. They'll probably be facing a raucous atmosphere on the road Friday, and a Purdue team that, like them, has been uneven. IMO Mordecai has been one of the few who's shown visual evidence of improvement each week. Combining that with a tailback tandem that can be effective if they were actually used, would be welcomed.