It's the first game, new coaches, new players, the only thing that concerned me, Milton holding on to that ball too long.
I believe Milton is a good athlete, but we have not yet seen if he is a good QB. Things looked really good in the first quarter. Then Mays was injured and the first attempt to replace him at center failed. When Lane moved over to guard, things improved, at least in the running game. I need to see more of Milton before I can comment on his abilities. A couple of times, I thought I was seeing JG playing again and I hope I never see that again.
I was most disappointed with Milton's running. He ran OK to the right, but seemed very soft running left and up the middle. his running cost us at least 2-3 first downs which we can not allow in the future. He needs to develop "touch" on his passes, especially his deep passes. His long TD in the 4th quarter was a fantastic catch of a ball that should ave been intercepted. He has to get the ball out much quicker or our offense will become very predictable.
I was impressed with the OL and the defense in general. The OL provided good protection for the QB and opened nice holes for the backs. The adjustment at center in the second half was effective. The receivers dropped some balls that should have been caught but it is difficult to catch a bullet at ten yards.
I was almost surprised at how well the defense played, especially in the second half. Playing tighter man defense and effective running game turned the game around.
While I was disappointed in some parts of the game, I do see where improvements can and should be made. The biggest improvement has to be at the QB position. Last nights QB play reminded me too much of what I have seen in the past. We have to get better play form one of our three QBs or we will have a long and disappointed season. I guess we will see if our new coaching staff can get this team on the right road and how long that will take. Fortunately, the greatest improvement in football teams usually come after the first game. I look forward to Pitt game to see what happens.