Here are my game grades for the Murray State game.
QB: B
Both QBs played pretty well, with Kavanagh getting the edge. Specifically, Scott threw the short balls very well, hitting on 6 of 7 and allowing the receivers to turn the ball upfield a few times. His medium range throws were a bit more eratic, with a beautiful toss to Merritt down the middle but also two that were just high. Still, he didn't have any bad throws and seemed to show poise in the pocket and deliver the ball where and when it should go. The game plan kept a tight reign on both QBs which was probably good from an experience standpoint. I expect to see more downfield throws next week.
Bollinger was also solid in his short throws (which is all he threw), though was high on one throw and a step behind the receiver on another. Bollinger showed his strong footwork with a nice scramble and throw on the run and some good quickness into the hole on the option.
Neither QB had a turnover. While the yard total isn't much, they did have 133 at halftime and were on pace for a solid 200 yard game if the score had been in doubt. Solid game that bodes well for the future.
RB: A
All the running backs were pretty darn good in my opinion. Dayne of course led the charge with a nice mixture of power and agility, moving the pile consistently and yet displaying nifty footwork and waiting for holes to develop, most noticably on his TD run. Dayne also had some excellent blitz pickups.
Chad Kuhns was fantastic, blowing up at least 4 Racers with big blocks in the first half alone. He seems to move a bit more fluidly than Martin did and always seemed to be in good blocking position. Throw in a physical nature and you have one heck of a FB. I would have liked to see him get the ball in the flat a few times but I'm sure we will see that down the road.
For all the flak that Eddie Faulkner gets, I thought he ran hard and felt out the holes a bit better. He still tends to run up the backs of his blockers and went down easy once, but generally was solid.
Unertl is a fun guy to watch as he just runs hard every play he gets...nothing fancy...just positive yards. He did a nice job of running through some arm tackles.
Michael Bennett was very explosive when his line gave him a chance and he really turned the corner quickly, making 7 yard gains look oh so easy. He also had one nice run called back by penalty.
Carlos Daniels had a rough day in his first day as a FB, missing a couple lead blocks pretty bad and dropping a pass.
Marcus Carpenter also fanned on a block but had a nice catch and run for his TD.
WR: B
The Badgers didn't throw down the field at all other than one to Merritt so it was hard to gauge their overall ability to get open and make plays. However, other than a drop from Whyte (tough catch), they caught all that came their way. All of them also did a nice job of running after the catch and consistently turned the short catches into firs downs.
TE: C+
It seemed again that our tight ends at times had trouble locking guys up on the wide runs, periodically getting pushed around. However, this was minimized by the limiting of runs on the perimeter of the line, probably a conscious choice by the coaching staff.
Sigmund did show a little of Mike Roan on his release for the line, catch, and run, but later had a drop on a beautiful throw from Kavanagh (though Sigmund was hit).
Not a great game for the TEs, but an improvement over last year.
OL: B
The starting offensive line was excellent. Despite the fact that Murray State was putting their entire defense in the box it seemed, they got consistent push allowing the RBs to run downhill. The pass blocking was a little less dominant, but satisfactory.
Dave Costa in particular played very well, with numerous controlling seal blocks as well as getting consistent push.
McIntosh and Rabach were their consistent selves, with McIntosh rarely allowing weakside pursuit when the play went right, and neutralizing any pass rush from the right end. Rabach looked really well down the field on quite a few plays, delivering/sustaining blocks 5-7 yards downfield. He did have one bad snap in the shotgun.
Ferrario and Tauscher were a bit quieter than the others, with Ferrario being one that needs to play better IMO.
When the second team OL was in the game, there were quite a few more troubles. Not only did Murray State stifle the run better, but they were also able to put some pressure on the QB. Rob Roell and Al Johnson in particular missed some blocks inside while Brian Lamont seemed slow at times. Let's chalk it up to inexperience (I hope). They also were whistled for way too many penalties (mainly holding).
DL: B
Not dominating but solid. While they didn't get consistent penetration (in large part due to the Murray State game plan of 3 step drops and get rid of the ball), but they did not allow movement either. The Badgers went 3 deep and rotated guys in constantly. The ends (especially Jake Sprague) were able to consistently get around the corner, though usually not in time to get to Fuente.
Other than the long run, there was no running game to speak of.
LB: A
Chris Ghidorzi was a beast, supplying blitz pressure at least 4 times and laying the hammer to the QB (once illegally). He flowed to the ball well and when called upon, was a big time run stuffer. If he plays this well all year, he is going to have a a heck of a year.
Both Donnell Thompson and Roger Knight looked solid, with Knight in particular finally stepping up and making some plays. He made a terrific drop/break in coverage on the dropped interception. If he could have gotten his head around quicker, it would have been quite the play.
Thompson looked a bit quicker in pursuit than last year. I don't know if it was the competition or if Donnell has improved his speed, but he looked quick.
Bryson Thompson was out there really trying to put a lick on the Racers, though didn't really make too many plays. He did look like he moved very well though.
DB: A-
The DBs didn't give up anything deep, and after Echols tightened up, they also contested everything short with the only drawback being the three pass interferance penalties. However, the coverage was tight and the tackling was sure.
Jason Doering is going to kill someone this year as he looks bigger and meaner than ever. You will notice that Murray State had little over the middle and I think that was intentional.
Joey Boese also made a terrific pick on the slant pass in the endzone. You won't see that play defended any better. The kid is small but he is simply a football player.
Special Teams: A-
Nick Davis was electric and Murray State simply stopped kicking to him.
Coverage was good with the punting team consistently establishing field position.
Pisetsky's kicks were deep and unreturnable.
The only drawbacks were the missed FG on a low kick and one shanked Stemke punt.
Here are my early impressions on my "Things to Watch" list.
1.)Defensive backfield depth.
All the DBs that played did a pretty good job overall as MSU simply would (could) not throw the ball down field. Hughes and Boese both played most of the game. With Tucker a redshirt possibility, the top 3 played most of the game. I believe Clark played late (as well as on special teams), but I don't recall seeing him do too much. In short, still too early to tell (and I don't know that we will get an answer this year barring an injury).
2.)Pisetsky consistency
One really bad kick but didn't attempt one afterwards so hard to say. Another bad aspect of playing bad teams is that you don't get much work with your FG units other than on XP.
3.)QB decision making
Both QBs seemed to make solid decisions with the ball. I would have liked to see them throw down the field (10-12 yards) more, but I think this was a get the feet wet type game. There weren't any of the "YIKES" throws that Samuel would seemingly make about once per game.
4.) Making the score respectable
I would have liked to see the second team score a few times, but Badger proponents can always point out the halftime score as proof of what "might" have happened if Alvarez refused to take it easy on the Racers.
5.)Adjustments in running game
They seemed to continue their righthandedness, though a number of key plays did go left so I think we saw a slight (and logical) shift in trends. When going left, the results were mixed, with some nice holes but also with quite a bit of room for improvement. Murray State put as many as 9 guys in the box at times with their LBs tight on the line of scrimmage. However, this is something the OL should be used to. When the better teams do this consistently, I think you are going to see a lot more throwing as opposed to the stubborn "run first" philosophy that we are used to.
6.) Playmakers
Davis again electrified us. Bennett showed some bursts in the hole though did not break one. Merritt and Whyte played pretty well and showed that they may both become solid second tier playmakers. The team will continue to get the opportunity to show their playmaking ability this week as Chambers has already been listed as OUT for Ball State. I wouldn't be surprised to see some plays run specifically for Conroy this week (WR screen type plays).
For those that have been around this board a while, you know that normally I post "Badgermaniac's Keys to the Game" a day or so before each contest. Well, considering the opponent, I just can't really come up with any true keys (maybe showing up???). However, what I will do instead, is simply list the things that I am going to pay special attention to. Let's call it Badgermaniac's Things to Watch.
1.)Defensive backfield depth.
Much has been made about the lack of DB depth after Boese. With a pretty talented QB on the side of Murray State (provided he gest ANY time to throw) and multiple receiver sets, guys like Boese and Devery Hughes should get plenty of playing time. Even though the Racers shouldn't present too much of a challenge defensively, at least it will give the Badgers some more work against these types of formations.
2.)Pisetsky consistency
I think Vitaly will do ok, but I am interested to see his reaction (and the team's/coaches') if things go bad. Will he hang his head if he misses a couple, or will the team rally behind him.
3.)QB decision making
While I loved Bollinger's big play potential at the spring game, I was a bit concerned over what happens in a game situation if he is flying all over the field at the drop of a hat. Will he have the presence to know when to run, when to force a throw, and when to throw it away?
4.) Making the score respectable
I don't have any doubt as to the outcome, but I really hope they put the Racers away early. I don't want to hear the national reaction if the game is won "only" 38-14 or something. Take care of business and show no mercy.
5.)Adjustments in running game
Last year about 80% of running plays followed the lead blocking of Aaron Gibson. Will they flip-flop things to run behind McIntosh more? Will they focus more on the interior behind Rabach? How will the coaching staff utilize their OL differently.
6.) Playmakers
We all know that Dayne and Chambers are playmakers on offense (and there are quite a few on defense), but whether critics will admit it or not, Mike Samuel was huge for the '98 team in this regard. Can guys like Evans, Davis, Bennett, Sigmund, Kuhns, etc. consistenty make plays offensively? Against a team like Murray State, I would hope to see many big plays from a wide variety of faces (to go along with the holdovers like Dayne/Chambers).
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