Jiggy,
Your analysis overlooks what is critical to evaluating the first 4 game performance. In all 4 games the coaches were using those games as “pre-season” learning experiences. Each game revealed what needed to be worked on or developed. Did you notice last night that we threw the deep ball, something we hadn’t done well if at all before?It has been duly noted by many that the best athletes on the team are from the 2 most recent recruiting classes. Our coaches wisely have been bringing along slowly but surely the freshmen additions to this team. IMNSHO it would have been disastrous to have thrown them in the first games.
We are also playing it close to the vest regarding over revealing what we are doing well. The shifting we did so well in the USF game (their DC called it ‘Window dressing’ and said it totally confused their defense) we minimized or used different sets last night. As others have said before the PC game, we would be plain vanilla so as to not give away our ‘goodies’ to FSU and the rest of the conference.
As far as being prepared to play is concerned, this team is not the same team that we saw in the GSU and ODU games. The “average or below average” ODU team is, IIRc is 3-1. Only by shooting themselves in the foot (kinda like Clemson last night) did GSU lose to GT who in turn beat VT in their house. USF in most certainly does not have an incredibly bad offense or defense either for that matter. They may have some problems just as many other teams but they are most definitely not “bad”.
You say our DL was pushed back 3 and 4 yards by a very small PC OL but only averaged 2.7 yards per rush. Were they tripping and falling over their own feet? FYI a smaller, quicker, well coached OL can do things to open running lanes that larger slower OL cannot do. Ever wonder why our Ali Kassam at 34o lbs. is not playing?
Early season comparative analysis is a dangerous game. For some reason you and a few others seem to think the objective of a football team in the early season should be to do its best to impress the fans and critics. Not happening at NCSU. Check out Coach Doeren’s coaching resume. His 2 years spent as a graduate assistant at USC wasn’t just something to do. The foundation of his coaching philosophy was built there. USC by and large is not a bad place to learn how to be a head football coach.
