My Thoughts on the Ball State Game After Sleeping On It

[NighthawkVol]

-I was at the game last night, so I couldn’t tell who started at every position, but it looked like Charles started at the outside CB spot opposite Burrell. Is that correct? I know Hadden got the INT shortly after so he wasn’t on the bench long. I assume, at this point, that Hadden/Charles are fighting for that spot opposite Burrell. That tells me the staff thinks Burrell can be a good CB. Maybe the MCB struggles were a turning point for him.

-I did see that Mincey started at LT and seemed to play most of the meaningful minutes. The game was well in hand before Crawford came in. From what I saw, Mincey looked good. I’ll have to re-watch to get a feel for what Crawford did.

-I was a little surprised McCoy got the start, but he looked good. I loved seeing Holiday make a big play. My biggest concern with this WR group is that, other than Hyatt, we don’t have that guy who can take the top of a defense or take it to the house from anywhere like Payton/Velus last year. I think/hope Holiday can be that guy. He just has to get the rest of the position down. That was an encouraging start. I hope he can become the first WR off the bench and McCoy, Hyatt, Tillman are an elite group.

-Milton looked much improved from this time last year. Yes, it was Ball State, but the issues he had last year had nothing to do with the defense he was playing. He made throws, I thought, that he wouldn't have made last year.

-Wright looks better than Small to me. Small is pretty good in short yardage with his short compact build. But Wright seems to get more out of what's blocked.

-I wanna see more out of the TEs.

-On defense, it's hard to form much of an opinion. I do think the overall speed of the defense looks good. But the CBs didn't press, LBs didn't blitz, and Ball State threw quick passes and kept things short for the most part. Had to like McDonald getting a big play early. Great for his confidence.

-No major injuries. Probably the best news of the night. Although not having Mitchell, Campbell, Rucker, and Williams going into the game is concerning. Hopefully, Mitchell will be fine with 10 days to heal up.

-Beasley looked good. He looks like he has a much better understanding of what's going on. That should be the case with the entire defense. Didn't hear Banks' name much and I'm okay with that. We know what we have with him.

 

[Hacksaw]

Good synopsis. I, too, wondered where were the throws to the TEs? We keep hearing how they're a big part of Golesh's offense, but we're still waiting to see it.

 

[Volador]

Oh, don't forget to mention that we won and had very few penalties and a lot of Vol fans in the stands!

 

[DC_Vol]

Oh, don't forget to mention that we won and had very few penalties and a lot of Vol fans in the stands!

What was the stated attendance last night?

 

[Volador]

What was the stated attendance last night?

I watched the game on TV and would guestimate 83,000?

Anyone have the official attendance??

 

[Fightmaker]

I watched the game on TV and would guestimate 83,000?

Anyone have the official attendance??

It was pretty full and pretty loud. The south upper deck was sparse, but every other section was pretty much full. If you count the solid and consistent 30 minute deep line at concessions, I would say we were close to a full house.

 

[tn4elvis]

-I was at the game last night, so I couldn’t tell who started at every position, but it looked like Charles started at the outside CB spot opposite Burrell. Is that correct? I know Hadden got the INT shortly after so he wasn’t on the bench long. I assume, at this point, that Hadden/Charles are fighting for that spot opposite Burrell. That tells me the staff thinks Burrell can be a good CB. Maybe the MCB struggles were a turning point for him.

-I did see that Mincey started at LT and seemed to play most of the meaningful minutes. The game was well in hand before Crawford came in. From what I saw, Mincey looked good. I’ll have to re-watch to get a feel for what Crawford did.

-I was a little surprised McCoy got the start, but he looked good. I loved seeing Holiday make a big play. My biggest concern with this WR group is that, other than Hyatt, we don’t have that guy who can take the top of a defense or take it to the house from anywhere like Payton/Velus last year. I think/hope Holiday can be that guy. He just has to get the rest of the position down. That was an encouraging start. I hope he can become the first WR off the bench and McCoy, Hyatt, Tillman are an elite group.

-Milton looked much improved from this time last year. Yes, it was Ball State, but the issues he had last year had nothing to do with the defense he was playing. He made throws, I thought, that he wouldn't have made last year.

-Wright looks better than Small to me. Small is pretty good in short yardage with his short compact build. But Wright seems to get more out of what's blocked.

-I wanna see more out of the TEs.

-On defense, it's hard to form much of an opinion. I do think the overall speed of the defense looks good. But the CBs didn't press, LBs didn't blitz, and Ball State threw quick passes and kept things short for the most part. Had to like McDonald getting a big play early. Great for his confidence.

-No major injuries. Probably the best news of the night. Although not having Mitchell, Campbell, Rucker, and Williams going into the game is concerning. Hopefully, Mitchell will be fine with 10 days to heal up.

-Beasley looked good. He looks like he has a much better understanding of what's going on. That should be the case with the entire defense. Didn't hear Banks' name much and I'm okay with that. We know what we have with him.

I was at the game also and like every team we play BSU threw at Burrell all night. I am not criticizing the kid and I know he is trying but if he is on the field a lot we are in trouble. He got completely turned around twice but we had good pressure on the qb to bail him out. Love the kid just not a fan of the player.

 

[RockyTop140]

I was at the game also and like every team we play BSU threw at Burrell all night. I am not criticizing the kid and I know he is trying but if he is on the field a lot we are in trouble. He got completely turned around twice but we had good pressure on the qb to bail him out. Love the kid just not a fan of the player

He tries his best, but if he doesn’t figure it out soon, and I mean very soon, we gotta figure something out. He’s going to get eaten alive in the SEC

 

[5FingerVolPunch]

I watched the game on TV and would guestimate 83,000?

Anyone have the official attendance??

I don’t know official, but the announcers said 95K at the start of the game.

 

[tn4elvis]

He tries his best, but if he doesn’t figure it out soon, and I mean very soon, we gotta figure something out. He’s going to get eaten alive in the SEC

My thoughts exactly. I am not sure he has the hips or feet to play corner at this level. I like his aggressiveness in the run game and he is a physical tackler but looks lost in coverage

 

[LittleVol]

I was at the game also and like every team we play BSU threw at Burrell all night. I am not criticizing the kid and I know he is trying but if he is on the field a lot we are in trouble. He got completely turned around twice but we had good pressure on the qb to bail him out. Love the kid just not a fan of the player.

More than fair assessment .
His timing and coordination is just always off. Waaay off.

There was one play where all he had to do was use his peripheral vision and he had a pick! He was perfectly in position in the WR back pocket but was looking at his back instead of the play.

Another play the ball was floated up, and he jumps to knock it down a whole second too early!
Obviously misjudges it and then the WR almost caught it.

He absolutely does not belong out there.

Dee Williams or Charles need to step up.

 

[DaddyChad]

Good synopsis. I, too, wondered where were the throws to the TEs? We keep hearing how they're a big part of Golesh's offense, but we're still waiting to see it.

I didn’t expect to see much in this game though. I don’t think anyone did. Probably see some more of the playbook vs pitt

 

[UnkieVol]

ESPN said somewhere north of 92K.

 

[Sea Ray]

What was the stated attendance last night?

Official attendance: 92,236

What is our capacity these days? It looked fairly full

 

[PEPPERJAX]

I watched the game on TV and would guestimate 83,000?

Anyone have the official attendance??

I would say around 90K.

 

[NighthawkVol]

More than fair assessment .
His timing and coordination is just always off. Waaay off.

There was one play where all he had to do was use his peripheral vision and he had a pick! He was perfectly in position in the WR back pocket but was looking at his back instead of the play.

Another play the ball was floated up, and he jumps to knock it down a whole second too early!
Obviously misjudges it and then the WR almost caught it.

He absolutely does not belong out there.

Dee Williams or Charles need to step up.

I think that’s the frustrating thing…he gets himself in good position and then can’t finish. It may also be why the coaches keep giving him a chance. I’d kinda like to see Charles and Hadden as the starters, but the coaches know more than I do.

 

[Probably_in_Class]

Official attendance: 92,236

What is our capacity these days? It looked fairly full

It's a shade over 100k.

 

[RockyTop140]

I think that’s the frustrating thing…he gets himself in good position and then can’t finish. It may also be why the coaches keep giving him a chance. I’d kinda like to see Charles and Hadden as the starters, but the coaches know more than I do.

Noticed that as well. He plays solid coverage but if the qb makes a good throw he’s not gonna make a play on the ball.

 

[NighthawkVol]

It's a shade over 100k.

It’s 101,900 and change.

 

[YankeeVol]

Official attendance: 92,236

What is our capacity these days? It looked fairly full

101,915

 

[sjt18]

-I was at the game last night, so I couldn’t tell who started at every position, but it looked like Charles started at the outside CB spot opposite Burrell. Is that correct? I know Hadden got the INT shortly after so he wasn’t on the bench long. I assume, at this point, that Hadden/Charles are fighting for that spot opposite Burrell. That tells me the staff thinks Burrell can be a good CB. Maybe the MCB struggles were a turning point for him.

I had not previously given up on him... but IMO Burrell is a problem. Many times it looks like he's in good position and still gets beat. BSU's QB appeared to be picking on him.

Turnage got in late which makes me think his problem is something other than an injury. That said, if he can play CB, UT needs a guy who is physical at the LOS. Burrell isn't.

However all of this is with the caveat that Banks often had the CB's playing 10 yds off the LOS when bringing pressure. He gave their QB a quick check down. Very frustrating.

-I did see that Mincey started at LT and seemed to play most of the meaningful minutes. The game was well in hand before Crawford came in. From what I saw, Mincey looked good. I’ll have to re-watch to get a feel for what Crawford did.

I thought the OL looked good overall. Both QB's stayed clean. The one sack was after Hooker broke the pocket then hesitated at the LOS rather than just running.

-I was a little surprised McCoy got the start, but he looked good. I loved seeing Holiday make a big play. My biggest concern with this WR group is that, other than Hyatt, we don’t have that guy who can take the top of a defense or take it to the house from anywhere like Payton/Velus last year. I think/hope Holiday can be that guy. He just has to get the rest of the position down. That was an encouraging start. I hope he can become the first WR off the bench and McCoy, Hyatt, Tillman are an elite group.

I kind of hope they go with a top 6 to gameplan with. Maybe even 5. Hyatt, McCoy, and Tillman are obvious. But then you have Merrill, Holiday, and Keyton that looked pretty good. White and Calloway might be just behind them. Good problem to have but I think they will need to draw down the number of guys who they prep each week.

-Milton looked much improved from this time last year. Yes, it was Ball State, but the issues he had last year had nothing to do with the defense he was playing. He made throws, I thought, that he wouldn't have made last year.

-Wright looks better than Small to me. Small is pretty good in short yardage with his short compact build. But Wright seems to get more out of what's blocked.

-I wanna see more out of the TEs.

-On defense, it's hard to form much of an opinion. I do think the overall speed of the defense looks good. But the CBs didn't press, LBs didn't blitz, and Ball State threw quick passes and kept things short for the most part. Had to like McDonald getting a big play early. Great for his confidence.

All great points.

-No major injuries. Probably the best news of the night. Although not having Mitchell, Campbell, Rucker, and Williams going into the game is concerning. Hopefully, Mitchell will be fine with 10 days to heal up.

Confused. Rucker played or at least someone wearing 28 played on D.

-Beasley looked good. He looks like he has a much better understanding of what's going on. That should be the case with the entire defense. Didn't hear Banks' name much and I'm okay with that. We know what we have with him.

Hadn't thought about it but playing that much base D and limiting the run while getting 14 tackles out of your starting LB's is a pretty good result.

 

[sjt18]

-I was at the game last night, so I couldn’t tell who started at every position, but it looked like Charles started at the outside CB spot opposite Burrell. Is that correct? I know Hadden got the INT shortly after so he wasn’t on the bench long. I assume, at this point, that Hadden/Charles are fighting for that spot opposite Burrell. That tells me the staff thinks Burrell can be a good CB. Maybe the MCB struggles were a turning point for him.

-I did see that Mincey started at LT and seemed to play most of the meaningful minutes. The game was well in hand before Crawford came in. From what I saw, Mincey looked good. I’ll have to re-watch to get a feel for what Crawford did.

-I was a little surprised McCoy got the start, but he looked good. I loved seeing Holiday make a big play. My biggest concern with this WR group is that, other than Hyatt, we don’t have that guy who can take the top of a defense or take it to the house from anywhere like Payton/Velus last year. I think/hope Holiday can be that guy. He just has to get the rest of the position down. That was an encouraging start. I hope he can become the first WR off the bench and McCoy, Hyatt, Tillman are an elite group.

-Milton looked much improved from this time last year. Yes, it was Ball State, but the issues he had last year had nothing to do with the defense he was playing. He made throws, I thought, that he wouldn't have made last year.

-Wright looks better than Small to me. Small is pretty good in short yardage with his short compact build. But Wright seems to get more out of what's blocked.

-I wanna see more out of the TEs.

-On defense, it's hard to form much of an opinion. I do think the overall speed of the defense looks good. But the CBs didn't press, LBs didn't blitz, and Ball State threw quick passes and kept things short for the most part. Had to like McDonald getting a big play early. Great for his confidence.

-No major injuries. Probably the best news of the night. Although not having Mitchell, Campbell, Rucker, and Williams going into the game is concerning. Hopefully, Mitchell will be fine with 10 days to heal up.

-Beasley looked good. He looks like he has a much better understanding of what's going on. That should be the case with the entire defense. Didn't hear Banks' name much and I'm okay with that. We know what we have with him.

Great post btw

 

[Munarb]

Good thing we have Hyatt then...

 

[Sea Ray]

It’s 101,900 and change.

I'm glad they left it over 100K

That means they were well over 90% full. That's nice all things considered with the program

 

[VOLINVONORE]

-I was at the game last night, so I couldn’t tell who started at every position, but it looked like Charles started at the outside CB spot opposite Burrell. Is that correct? I know Hadden got the INT shortly after so he wasn’t on the bench long. I assume, at this point, that Hadden/Charles are fighting for that spot opposite Burrell. That tells me the staff thinks Burrell can be a good CB. Maybe the MCB struggles were a turning point for him.

-I did see that Mincey started at LT and seemed to play most of the meaningful minutes. The game was well in hand before Crawford came in. From what I saw, Mincey looked good. I’ll have to re-watch to get a feel for what Crawford did.

-I was a little surprised McCoy got the start, but he looked good. I loved seeing Holiday make a big play. My biggest concern with this WR group is that, other than Hyatt, we don’t have that guy who can take the top of a defense or take it to the house from anywhere like Payton/Velus last year. I think/hope Holiday can be that guy. He just has to get the rest of the position down. That was an encouraging start. I hope he can become the first WR off the bench and McCoy, Hyatt, Tillman are an elite group.

-Milton looked much improved from this time last year. Yes, it was Ball State, but the issues he had last year had nothing to do with the defense he was playing. He made throws, I thought, that he wouldn't have made last year.

-Wright looks better than Small to me. Small is pretty good in short yardage with his short compact build. But Wright seems to get more out of what's blocked.

-I wanna see more out of the TEs.

-On defense, it's hard to form much of an opinion. I do think the overall speed of the defense looks good. But the CBs didn't press, LBs didn't blitz, and Ball State threw quick passes and kept things short for the most part. Had to like McDonald getting a big play early. Great for his confidence.

-No major injuries. Probably the best news of the night. Although not having Mitchell, Campbell, Rucker, and Williams going into the game is concerning. Hopefully, Mitchell will be fine with 10 days to heal up.

-Beasley looked good. He looks like he has a much better understanding of what's going on. That should be the case with the entire defense. Didn't hear Banks' name much and I'm okay with that. We know what we have with him.

The interception was on their first offensive play.