It was great talking with you all throughout the year, and while this was a tough loss I think there is a TON to be excited about next year. Lots of freshman got great experience, lots of other experience coming back at many positions, and young talent ready to step up.
Stevens is the lynchpin IMO, he will have all the talent around him a QB could ask for. If he steps up, it could be a truely special season for him individualy as well as for the team. Everything is there for the taking.
Things that need to improve: Special teams, receiving drops, and late game management. If those things are tighted up, we will be extremely hard to beat.
Totally agree Roam! Regardless of what all the neigh sayers say, the future is very bright!!!
It was great talking with you all throughout the year, and while this was a tough loss I think there is a TON to be excited about next year. Lots of freshman got great experience, lots of other experience coming back at many positions, and young talent ready to step up.
Stevens is the lynchpin IMO, he will have all the talent around him a QB could ask for. If he steps up, it could be a truely special season for him individualy as well as for the team. Everything is there for the taking.
Things that need to improve: Special teams, receiving drops, and late game management. If those things are tighted up, we will be extremely hard to beat.
They also need to improve in the trenches. They do better in fitness games than they do in knockdown drag them out battles. In the BIG ten where you may have to play in bad weather, they need to be able to play a physical game. That may mean some power formations which I know won't happen.
I will add one more thing, maybe it's time to lay off the Name The Team, Name The Team, Name The Team, Name The Team, Name The Team, Name The Team, Name The Team, stuff. Several games this year it appeared the other team simply wanted it more. It's OK to say this is a BIG game and to allow your players to get hyped about it. I mean, technically by doing a White Out every year, you are putting more emphasis on one game. Can't have it both ways. The team did not seem to have the same intensity after the Ohio State loss.
It was great talking with you all throughout the year, and while this was a tough loss I think there is a TON to be excited about next year. Lots of freshman got great experience, lots of other experience coming back at many positions, and young talent ready to step up.
Stevens is the lynchpin IMO, he will have all the talent around him a QB could ask for. If he steps up, it could be a truely special season for him individualy as well as for the team. Everything is there for the taking.
Things that need to improve: Special teams, receiving drops, and late game management. If those things are tighted up, we will be extremely hard to beat.
They also need to improve in the trenches. They do better in fitness games than they do in knockdown drag them out battles. In the BIG ten where you may have to play in bad weather, they need to be able to play a physical game. That may mean some power formations which I know won't happen.
Yes, though I am asuming they will be next year. I feel like the trenches were the most depleted by the sanctions and it took a while, and a bit of smoke and mirrors, to get them back. Over the past two years we had a lot of grinders outplaying their talent, and this year the DL took a bit of a step back with younger players but more talented ones who just needed a year to grow.
Offensive line wise, they should also get better next year and have a very experienced and solid unit. Some of the young talent should also push the older guys now too.
This year I think our expectations were just a bit high, with a lot of youngsters moving in and losing Barkley. Next year's team really has none of those excuses... It is all there, and all ready for us to take it. The Big Ten championship should be ours, I don't see anyone who should be better than us.
We should be at least 11-1, anything less is not good enough.
It was fun Roam and we had a good year. Penalties need to stop as well. Navylion is correct the future is bright baby
What are thoughts about going for the field goal instead of going for it on 4th down? I thought it dumb. If he hadn’t made the first down no one would have questioned it considering being down by 6 points. I get it leaving it up to the defense and Franklin May have thought it would have swayed Kentucky to play conservative offense but they still made 2 first downs.
What are thoughts about going for the field goal instead of going for it on 4th down? I thought it dumb. If he hadn’t made the first down no one would have questioned it considering being down by 6 points. I get it leaving it up to the defense and Franklin May have thought it would have swayed Kentucky to play conservative offense but they still made 2 first downs.
I get the thinking and don't really believe it's a "terrible" mistake... but I would have gone for it as well. Franklin seems to tighten up or overthink late game decisions, he needs to get over it.
I think Franklin has been so unlucky with his late game decisions that it is affecting him in all close games. Who knows what the right thing to do is. But when it keeps not working out, it has to hurt his confidence. Let's hope its not about x's and o's, but Johnny's and Joes. If so, we will be ok.
James Franklin is usually making great decisions in crunch time but I thought it was an awful decision to kick the FG. Should’ve went for the win because even if you don’t get it Kentucky is on their own 15 yard line with pressure on them not to make a mistake plus we still have our time outs. The biggest reason I would’ve gone for it is because we are missing our starting DT and starting LB so that makes it that much tougher to stop the run and that’s what Kentucky does best. We had ‘em on their hills and we let them off the hook. The stupid penalties bother me more than anything though, it’s time for James Franklin to start looking at players that have personal fouls and tell them you are costing us wins by doing the stupid crap and it needs to stop right now. 3 penalties on one drive pretty much gives them a free TD. Water under bridge now we’ll be ok because we have some big time studs on the way baby to help win more games and championships. Just my opinion though lol
In the end three things killed us this year:
1. Drops
2. Late game decisions
3. Special Teams
I’d replace late game decision with penalties but the drops were literally a disaster for us this year.
In the end three things killed us this year:
1. Drops
2. Late game decisions
3. Special Teams
You can add early game decisions to that list. The fake punt call was just ridiculous! That was a three point mistake. Franklin has a real tendency to overthink a call!
so was leading with helmet, hit out of bounds, (could have been another on the drive KY only got FG) blown punt coverage, poor QB play for 3 full quarters, 2 missed FGs...lots of blame to throw around. If they convert the early fake punt hes a hero. Everyone wants to go for it all but only when they feel comfortable. I thought the early fake was crazy but said he's pulling out all stops. didn't work.
Coaches, players, support staff, all continue to improve. Next year will be historic in terms of making a permanent leap to the next level.
Yes, that's a guarantee
Murray I believe personal fouls leading with the helmet should go to being ejected from the game you’re in to a full game suspension instead of the first half on the next game. These players know better and the punishment must not be tough enough or they wouldn’t do it. The players are to big, to fast and to strong to do these kinds of things today and it needs to stop and IMO they need to be hit hard with suspensions to stop it.
SPF, sometimes in the heat of the game players make mistakes, but head to head goes way back to elementary training. during the late 90s, early 2000s this was ignored. Techniques weren't taught properly. Now at the lower levels they are teaching better tackling. The penalty is a needed penalty. The person delivering the hit can be injured just as badly as those receiving.
