Round 1 - SIU

[bobo]

Camp has excellent arm talent and of course he hasn’t hit his ceiling he can be an excellent QB when it’s all said and done, but you validated my argument by saying he’s a freshman. Becoming a great QB is about making strides each year, it’s a coaching staffs job to work within his physical and mental abilities. Make the game easier for him and give him options to get the ball out of his hand quicker, move him around a bit so he doesn’t feel the rush all the time (ie. Look how SIU got #11 ten catches - Quick throws and let him do his thing and get yards after the catch, designed play- action explosive shot plays, but the key was the ball came out quick so the QB didn’t have to take hits). I love our RPO game because Camp is very good at it.

My worry is his progress will get stagnated because he will get the “yips” in the pocket from taking too many hits. As a young QB, right now he is seeing the rushers and blitzes and you can’t be an effective QB if you are looking at the rush. Build the offense off his strengths and minimize what he struggles with, that’s all I’m saying. This offense has a lot of nice weapons, but at the end, your best players need to touch the ball the most, so create ways for that to happen.

[Yote 53]

It's also possible we were trying to get the balls into the hands of our playmakers but the SIU defense did a good job of taking those options away from us. I think the SIU defense had a very good game plan of what to do to neutralize our offense. The Salukis had a better game plan on both sides of the ball and executed it better than we did. The better team that day won.

Some things have been said about how teams fair the week after playing NDSU. At first glance you look at that statement and it infers your team is physically beat up. Some truth to that. Probably also some truth in that NDSU coaching staff has a history of being good X&O guys and I think teams get an up to date blue print on how to break down the opposing team the following week on both sides of the ball. Playing NDSU exposes a lot of weaknesses that other teams are more than happy to exploit the following week.

[bobo]

I agree with you 100% and SIU absolutely copied NDSU game plan to a tea. But that is a staffs job to put their best players in positions to catch the ball. If one of your best players is a running back, it’s easy get him the ball by handing it off or throwing to him on screens or checkdowns. Guaranteed touches! If it’s a WR, you have to design guaranteed touches or at least target that WR as a 1st option. Like I said, we had an All-MVFC player who more than doubled the next WR on our in yardage and was one of the best in the league over the season, only touch the ball once in the biggest game of the season. Genius! He had two walk in touchdowns in that game, but he was not even looked at on those specific plays because it’s all about who’s getting targeted. Wouldn’t it be advantageous to target your best WR or at least have him as your 1st option? SIU did nothing structurally to take it away, it was based on the calls made and who the ball was being distributed to.