hblair, tell me about Bama's bowl game this year! Oh wait, no bowl game for you! From what the NCAA committee was saying last week, Bama better be thankful they didn't get the "death penalty."
where'd you get your education, DjV? Might want to check out your old spelling books.
Eagler, yeah, should be a good game. Kentucky is actually playing with a semblance of defense this year. Tho I think the Gators will pull away after halftime.
So we lost. With the rain, we decided to run the ball into eight and nine man fronts. Left Rix in long yardage situations when he did pass in the first half and was 2-12, but with a 13-6 lead at the half. Defense gives up a TD (perfect pass from Ragone, give him credit), but Rix goes 5-5 on the next drive to take a 20-13 lead. Defense gives up the long ball again. In both Louisville TD drives, the defense played man behind the blitz, with no safety help up top. Hard to do in the rain. Louisville on the other hand, played the run on first down, then dropped back into zones on 2nd and 3rd long yardage situations. They didn't blitz often at all.
Without a doubt, FSU was outcoached in this game. The offense didn't adjust to the 8 and 9 man fronts on first down and short yardage situations (except on the two TD drives, but then they went right back to running into the wall.) The defense got burned on the blitz on two series before switching schemes (at which point Louisville didn't move the ball again until their OT play.) What interests me (or annoys me, take your pick) is why the defense started blitzing when rushing 4 and playing zone behind it was getting pressure on Ragone and keeping them from moving the ball at all in the first half save for special teams and one drive. FSU's defense held after the opening kickoff return, after a block punt was recovered on the 1, and after the Cardinal offense moved inside the 5 on another possession. So why change and give up the big plays on defense?
FSU is poorly undercoached for close games at the end of the 4th quarter. Ragone is sacked on 3rd down with 60 seconds left yet the time out doesn't come until over 10 seconds later. First play is I formation, double tight ends? Then you only put one receiver into the route on play action? Next play, same formation, but it's a run. FSU didn't even put much of an effort into getting in position to attempt a field goal. Then in OT, after being conservative at the end of the 4th, you get aggressive and try a deep corner route? The ball slipped on Rix and was 6 yards behind Gardner and picked by the safety. Game over at that point. However, the defense still should have played tough and forced the field goal attempt. Instead they roll over, and 25 yards later game over.
I don't think FSU overlooked Louisville, I think they got outcoached in the weather conditions. Louisville stuck to their game plan of letting Ragone do his thing, and FSU changed theirs to run the ball instead of taking what Louisville was giving them early on.
