Nope. We lost because they had a qb that could throw, and we didn’t. Jacob Coker, Blake Sims, and Tua wins that game Going away.We lost that game to a defense that played and adjusted better than ours did in the second half.
Nope. We lost because they had a qb that could throw, and we didn’t. Jacob Coker, Blake Sims, and Tua wins that game Going away.We lost that game to a defense that played and adjusted better than ours did in the second half.
True. Jalen working with his 9th ([emoji12]) off. co. Didn’t help the situation either.Nope. We lost because they had a qb that could throw, and we didn’t. Jacob Coker, Blake Sims, and Tua wins that game Going away.
Yep... I'm a Dinosaur... BUT...This maybe just more reason to believe we will see a more run oriented offense this season with Sark. Shorten the game, pull back on the fast paced "run as many plays as we can" mentality and go back to more of a grind it out type approach.
I'm all for grinding the clock out/ground & pound type approach. But it better result into touchdowns and not fg's more times than not, and dang sure better not turn up many non scoring possessions. I hope to find a healthy balance where we're not to either extreme. We've struggled to find that balance in the past few years.Yep... I'm a Dinosaur... BUT...
Three yards and a cloud of dust controls the game.
IF
Your ahead and you have a monster Defense.
THING IS...
We can do both. We have the Backs with another gear...
We have the guts who can plow the road for them.
We have the QB who can thread the needle with passes.
AND...
We have the Receivers who can go up and make the catches.
Did I mention I hope our coaches know when to run which play.
ADVICE TO TUA: You don't have to win the game by yourself,
Let some of our other great players carry the load occasionally.
Hurts is a thicker fella than Tua. I’ve been thinking Tua is a little on the injury prone side.I always marveled at Hurts' ability to do just that. He just never took that massive hit - he'd glide OOB just in time, or shift so it was a glancing blow at worst.
Also missed spring practice in 2018 due to a thumb injury, and don’t forget the ankle surgery he had before the playoffs. Let’s not sugarcoat it, Tua is injury prone.To my knowledge, he's had a knee injury due to game action and this tweaked hamstring. You can tweak a hamstring going up and down steps to classes or streching in bed the wrong way. This does not necesarilly make him injury prone. If it were another player on our roster (and there likely are more that have little tweaks and such) it wouldn't be news.
Like everyone else I certainly want him in good shape and hope he learns more how to slide/go out of bounds/throw the ball away and trust his playmakers around him and not try to take the whole game on his shoulders.
Like Old Man Dan, if we have a stout defense like we've historically been accustomed to we can lean on our running game and still have a prolific passing game. We also need an o-line who has a very nasty disposition and are capable of opening up holes in the run game as well as protect Tua in the passing game.
Also missed spring practice in 2018 due to a thumb injury, and don’t forget the ankle surgery he had before the playoffs. Let’s not sugarcoat it, Tua is injury prone.
What about the 45-18 score Alabama averaged last year?I still believe Alabama's chances of winning the NC or even making it into the playoffs will depend on the defense. I had rather win games 24-14 than 38-28.
They’ve set the bar too damn high for themselves, people quickly forget.What about the 45-18 score Alabama averaged last year?
Glad to see I wasn't the only one taken aback by that.This is effectively what Clemson did last year. I truly didn’t think by what I saw before the playoffs that Lawrence could bomb ND and Alabama like he did.
Granted, I've done about everything possible to forget most of the championship game. So I might be "misremembering" (shout out to Roger Clemens). But if I remember correctly included in Lawrence's "bombing" of us was several busted coverages which created wide open receiver's running down the field that all he had to do was get it in the zip code. Didn't one or two of them go for 70 yards? Then you had the true freshman WR from Alabama (the state of Alabama) who the football gods decided to have favor on that night to make several absolutely ridiculous sideline catches that extended drives. That game in all facets snowballed on us very quickly in the second half. But you could see the signs of it coming by the end of the first.Last year we could run at will on first and second down in conventional offense. Struggled with 3rd/4th and short situational running. This is why we had to dust off the wildcat offense playbook late in the season. Had to work numbers to get production in short yardage. You get an offense that can consistently get the tough yard then all the sudden we just pound 75% or more of our opponents and save the passing attack for the big dogs.
This is effectively what Clemson did last year. I truly didn’t think by what I saw before the playoffs that Lawrence could bomb ND and Alabama like he did.
Yes, you are remembering correctly. Tua made two bad throws and one lead directly to a TD (the early pick 6) and then other could have easily cost us 7 because we were driving on them. Yes, TR and Ross connected several times on receptions that were "special." Most days those fall incomplete but they had some special mojo going on that game. And yes, they had one gifted TD when our DB went down with an injury. 21 points right there.Granted, I've done about everything possible to forget most of the championship game. So I might be "misremembering" (shout out to Roger Clemens). But if I remember correctly included in Lawrence's "bombing" of us was several busted coverages which created wide open receiver's running down the field that all he had to do was get it in the zip code. Didn't one or two of them go for 70 yards? Then you had the true freshman WR from Alabama (the state of Alabama) who the football gods decided to have favor on that night to make several absolutely ridiculous sideline catches that extended drives. That game in all facets snowballed on us very quickly in the second half. But you could see the signs of it coming by the end of the first.
I had a feeling that the game was over when Najee's "touchdown" was overturned and we had first and goal from the six inch line. Then we had a false start on first down and ended up kicking a field goal. That mental mistake sort of gave Clemson the confidence they needed to get over their jitters and to win the game. We didn't make those sort of mistakes all year until it counted most. Hopefully we'll come back!Yes, you are remembering correctly. Tua made two bad throws and one lead directly to a TD (the early pick 6) and then other could have easily cost us 7 because we were driving on them. Yes, TR and Ross connected several times on receptions that were "special." Most days those fall incomplete but they had some special mojo going on that game. And yes, they had one gifted TD when our DB went down with an injury. 21 points right there.
We were still in this game in the second half IF WE COULD HAVE CONVERTED SOME OF THE DRIVES WE HAD INTO POINTS. But we couldn't do it. In hindsight, we just didn't stay with running the football and if we would have it would have paid huge dividends late in the game. We were gashing them the whole game with the run!
Bottom line, you look at the scoreboard and it's a beatdown, but you watch the game unfold and you see a different story of two very evenly matched teams and one made the dynamic, scoring plays and the other didn't.
I think you have nailed it. I would also say that if the defense doesn't improve dramatically we might miss the NC Playoff for the first time.I'm not saying Tua is injury prone but I am saying that I have a gut feeling that our season may hinge on how good Mac Jones really is.
I suspect you are correct sir. I am counting on an improved defense and hope springs eternal for the new season and another natty!I think you have nailed it. I would also say that if the defense doesn't improve dramatically we might miss the NC Playoff for the first time.
I agree with most all of your post. Decision making is a key for Tua to have an equally successful year this season. I also hope that he can handle the "under the microscope" expectations without letting that mess with his decision making.I'm not worried about any of this.
I think Tua's health/injury issues have been more of a bad luck streak than him just being fragile.
Correct me if I'm missing anything but....
He injured his hand in the Spring of 2018 from diving for a loose ball. That was just a bad decision in a practice/scrimmage.
He injured his knee against Arkansas and had it scoped, put on brace, and kept playing. Could happen to anyone and he showed a lot of toughness to keep playing at a very high level.
He suffered a High Ankle sprain against UGA, had surgery, and was back 2 weeks later for Oklahoma.
Jalen also suffered a High Ankle sprain and it kept him sidelined for 25 days. He's not injury prone or fragile is he?
For all the nicks and dings the only playing time Tua missed specifically because of an injury was the 4th qtr against UGA.
He played through anything he had going on and STILL shattered UA passing records and set the NCAA record for QBR.
It's understandable to worry because we don't want him to miss any time but it's not like he's made out of glass. It's just he's under a microscope more than any other player on the team.
We've had numerous star players suffer injury bad luck before and I don't remember them being negatively labeled as much as Tua has been..... especially when again..... through everything... he only missed the final qtr of the SECCG.