We got the win, and in the grand scheme of things that’s all that should matter.  It is just more exciting to look deeper into the performances.  First of all, lets look at my performance.  After watching the game, here is what I thought of my scouting report.

1.  I need to pay more attention to the current roster.  The quarterback was Pat Grace, but he was still one of their best players and ran the option.  Just as I thought he would.

2.  The scheme section was good, They ran a little more then I thought they would, yet they had about 5 screens and 3 draws and one very well executed trick play.  They ran to the weak side and Scottie Johnson had numerous tackles.

3.  Again, with the receivers, I will do my roster work before I post next time.  #4 looked bigger on film, but our DB’s did a decent job.  They weren’t tested as much as I thought they would be, but that could have been due to the fact that our defensive front was in Grace’s face quickly.  The only major problem I say was a few busted assignments, which led to big plays.  (most notably the reverse pass and also a long pass when the UNI quarterback bought extra time by scrambling)

4.  I’ll iron out the mistakes and the Washington scouting report will be cleaner.  There is always a learning curve involved, but I appreciate the guys that took the time to comment on the problems.  That’s how I’ll learn and the reports will get better.  Thanks for the feedback.

Now on to more important things.  I’m going to do this in bullets, beginning with the offense and ending with the defense.

Offensive wrap-up

• Max looked great, he was 34 for 41 with 486 yards and most importantly zero interceptions.  I really couldn’t find anything bad to say about his performance other then he still has a slight tendency to hold onto the ball to long.  This allows the defense to get some good hits on him.  He could recognize the blitz coming and find the hot route more quickly.  But who am I to pick apart a great performance.  Max, job well done.
• Dennis Pitta played like an All-American.  11 receptions for 213 are some serious stats.  He is going to be a nightmare for upcoming defensive coordinators.  6′5″, 250 is a tough match up for any defense.  Then add in his soft, sure hands and ability to run after the catch.  He’ll have a few Huskies tossing in their sleep.  The thing that impresses me the most is the fact that people know he is a go to guy; yet they are still unable to stop him with scheme or match-ups.  Plus, he just got married. Congratulations, all the way around.
• Harvey had another solid performance and was able to find the end-zone on 2 different occasions.  Besides his running ability, the thing that makes him so good is the way he finds open areas in the passing game.  When they isolate him on the middle backers they have a slim chance of success.  They open the middle by running deep out patterns, which leaves Harvey one on one with a linebacker.  He’ll dip inside or outside, turn gather in the pass, break a tackle and then look for another opponent to maim before he trots back to the huddle.
• Other players with solid performances:  Austin Collie, he sat out all camp and yet ends up with 80 yards on 7 recs.  I felt like he was trying to do too much in the beginning of the game, but then he settled in he ended up with some big gains.  He needs to just let the game come to him, not every catch can be a touchdown.  But I do like the way he attacks the open space on the field.  Mike Reed, its good to see him having fun out there.  He made some guys miss, bounced off a few tacklers and took one to the house.  Mike has had his fair share of ups and down during his career, and he took advantage of his touches on Saturday.  He also showed some guts coming back after he was waxed by the UNI safety.  Reed White, great catch.  I remember when he was getting murdered everyday on the scout team, and now he’s making diving, circus catches on Saturday.  I love it.
• Last but certainly not the least, the offensive line.  Ray Feinga stood out a couple of times.  I saw him pull around and plant UNI’s outside linebacker on numerous occasions.  The unit as a whole played very well.  It took a series to get into the groove, but after that the defensive lines twists and stunts weren’t effective.  Max always had a comfortable pocket, and could step up with confidence and deliver precision passes.  I also noticed that a few of the big fellas had become a little nastier then usual.  Dumping guys over piles and such, That’s the kind of physical play that needs to last throughout the season.
• The only major problem with Saturday’s performance was the 3rd quarter.  Coach Anea needs to find some consistent plays for the start of the 3rd quarter, that will produce first downs with as little risk as possible.  I seriously felt like I was taking crazy pills during the 3rd quarter.  Those fumbles really swung the emotion of the game toward the Panthers side.  The most important thing to preserve during a game is the emotion.  For some reason the college game is so emotional, and when a team gets down its difficult to find success.  Plus, the other team starts to feel like the are invincible.  Winning the turnover margin will be crucial in the upcoming games.  Last year we ended up -6 in turnover margin, and so far this year we are -2.  Not a good start.  Yeah it’s the first game, but holding onto the ball is the most fundamental part of football.  There is no excuse for fumbles, except for the one where Max got clocked from the backside.  Superman would of fumbled that ball.
• Clean it up, stop the sloppy play.  Get the ball high and tight and when defenders are in the area, cover the ball up.  For the defense creating turnovers in paramount.  By creating turnovers you give your offense the ball, which means a better chance of scoring more points, which means you win the game.  Other than that 563 total yards ain’t bad.  The signs of a good team are beating the team you should and forgetting about mistakes, Lets do both and have a good week of practice.

Defensive Wrap-up

• Defensive Line, did a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage and getting pressure on the quarterback.  The only problem was that UNI rushed for a total of 149 yards, that means no sticker for the helmet.  It also means we need to work on our gap control.  Each down lineman and linebacker has a gap they need to control.  If the gap is not manned then there is potential for a sizable run.  Gaps are controlled by physical and violent force.  We simply need to be stronger at the point of attack.  But, if we subtract out the 69 yard lapse of memory, they only rushed for 78 yards.  Not too shabby.  Lets sure up our option assignments, and make sure Locker can’t find holes like Grace could.  If Locker hits a hole like the one on the option play, the only thing stopping him will be the goal post.
• Linebackers, I was impressed with the way this group played.  Their drops were relatively clean and they were strong at the point of attack.  It was interesting to see Coach Tidwell mixing up the linebacker combination’s.  He rotated in a few guys and there didn’t seem to be a significant drop off.  That’s both good and bad.  Rotating gives guys a chance to rest, and inspires healthy competition; but it can also interfere with the cohesiveness of the unit and could cause some confusion for other players on the field.  I was impressed by my boys Nixon, So’oto, and the new kid on the block, Coleby Clawson.  Clawson had a highlight reel shot on the quarterback that sent chills up my spin, and probably compressed Grace’s.  The only problem I saw was that the Mick and the Buck backers need to scrap better.  That is to say, they need to move laterally more quickly to fill holes.  They got cut off a few times, which leaves gaps unmanned.  That’s a no no, but I was encouraged by the level of play from this group.  Well done Coach Tidwell.
• The defensive backs, I love you guys, but you have to make more plays.  There zones looked good, but they were soft in their zones.  Guys were running free and easy through zones and some of the rotations were slow.  Leaving seams open for pass completions.  I can’t be all gloom and doom though.  Scottie had a crucial 4th down pass break-up, and defended a deep ball to perfection.  Brandon also was in great position on a goal line pass, that if not tipped, he could’ve taken it to the house.  These guys need to work on communicating and working as one unit.  They seem to be four individuals and not yet one working, moving unit.  I do see a lot of potential.  Kellen played smart and made some good defensive checks. (switching the coverage due to formation changes)  David was always around the ball, which means he is playing very hard and flying around the field.  All we need to do is tighten our zone coverages up, and then make sure we can’t be tricked.  Being tricked on a play is something Coach Hill hates.  It would be interesting to see their grades for this game. (And yes, we did receive a “report card” after each game, and mine would always have at least one ha ha ha play on it every time.)
• The defense looked good, especially in the sudden change department.  That’s when there’s a turnover.  They only gave up 10 points, which is good considering the UNI Panthers are the #4 ranked team in Division I-AA.  We need to tighten up our coverages in zones, and make sure we don’t lose our guys when the quarterback is scrambling.  We also need to be more disciplined in our option assignments to insure that we are accounting for both the running back as well as the quarterback and pitch man.  If there is one thing I know, it’s that they will be running option plays to death this next week.  They’ll be doing it in pre-practice, practice-practice, and post-practice.

Over all I give the game a 3.5 out of 5.  Sloppy play against an overmatched opponent worked this week, but next week is a team with its back against the wall.  I can’t wait to get the film on Washington.  Be looking for the scouting report on Friday.