Our team is starting to show signs of potential elite tendencies

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10-22-2017, 01:45 AM
Todd4State

Our team is starting to show signs of potential elite tendencies

I know it's Kentucky and as Dan likes to say "we don't lose to Kentucky" but when was the last time we beat them 45-7? Try 1994 when we beat them 47-7 in Lexington. And let's be honest that 7 was a fluke. Just a total team effort in every phase and on all sides of the ball- offense, defense, special teams and even Hevesy's group is playing well.

The team we beat in 1994 lost to Louisiana-Monroe and went 1-10. This Kentucky team will go to a bowl and win between 7-9 games this year. That was a good team that we destroyed today. They could be a top 25 team but we'll see how the year shakes out.

But when a team is solid in all phases like we are becoming- and it's still a work in progress- that's how you take that next step to 9-10 wins a year. And it looks like we are improving by the week. The secondary is playing much better. We're working in taller WR's like Couch. Heck, I saw Peters on the first series of the game and be played a lot.

We've learned how to dominate at home but now we have to see if we have learned how to win on the road. We'll find out next weekend.
10-22-2017, 02:15 AM
MetEdDawg

Quote:

Originally Posted by Todd4State

I know it's Kentucky and as Dan likes to say "we don't lose to Kentucky" but when was the last time we beat them 45-7? Try 1994 when we beat them 47-7 in Lexington. And let's be honest that 7 was a fluke. Just a total team effort in every phase and on all sides of the ball- offense, defense, special teams and even Hevesy's group is playing well.

The team we beat in 1994 lost to Louisiana-Monroe and went 1-10. This Kentucky team will go to a bowl and win between 7-9 games this year. That was a good team that we destroyed today. They could be a top 25 team but we'll see how the year shakes out.

But when a team is solid in all phases like we are becoming- and it's still a work in progress- that's how you take that next step to 9-10 wins a year. And it looks like we are improving by the week. The secondary is playing much better. We're working in taller WR's like Couch. Heck, I saw Peters on the first series of the game and be played a lot.

We've learned how to dominate at home but now we have to see if we have learned how to win on the road. We'll find out next weekend.

Dan is right to a degree that we are young. We are young from a games played perspective. Lot of guys playing have 2 years or less playing experience. There aren't many starters on defense who have seen the field for even 2 years. Offense is older though, but not a lot of reps together. Lot of moving parts on the OL and not a lot of snaps together as a unit even though they are older.

It's starting to come together though. This coming weekend interests me greatly. Win this weekend and we are at worst the 5th best team in the SEC. but probably 4th best. That's Top 1/3 in the conference. We can get mad at Mullen for being noncompetitive in those 2 games, but I know all of us would have gladly taken finishing as the 4th or 5th best team in the conference before the season started. Need to string a couple of those together to continue moving the culture forward.
10-22-2017, 02:18 AM
klong-dog

Agree. Like you said, next week is so big for us. Not only to secure that 2nd/3rd spot in the West but just overall as a team. Our home and away results have been night and day for us. We've been so dominant at home, to where it might have Saban raise a brow (yeah, prolly not) but on contrast our 2 league road games were very ugly. I feel and I'm sure most of you agree, there is no way we're that much weaker than Aub and GA. We've got to get off to a good start next Sat to where we don't start thinking, oh boy, here we go again.
10-22-2017, 02:33 AM
dawgday166

There is some really good potential IMO. We gotta get to where we can score inside the 10 yd line without running a QB draw tho. That and the corner fade inside the 10 don't work on the really good teams.

And we gotta get to where the road game mindset isn't "it's so tough to win on the road in the SEC". Just show up at their place and lay a whuppin on them.
10-22-2017, 06:25 AM
Schultzy

The 2017 SEC Tier chart:

Alabama

Georgia; Auburn

MSU and maybe A&M

Everyone else.

We get blown out by the Elites and boat race the the rest of the Conference. Aggies are the only other wild card team that’s hard to get a bead on.
10-22-2017, 06:39 AM
Dawgface

We're good at home and against lesser teams on the road. Time to start competing with average to good teams on the road. Next weekend will be a good test to see if we really are moving up the ladder a bit.
10-22-2017, 09:24 AM
ShotgunDawg

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schultzy

The 2017 SEC Tier chart:

Alabama
Georgia;

Auburn

MSU, LSU, and maybe A&M

Everyone else.

We get blown out by the Elites and boat race the the rest of the Conference. Aggies are the only other wild card team that?s hard to get a bead on.

FIFY
10-22-2017, 09:38 AM
Liverpooldawg

As you said, it was Kentucky. I’m going to wait and see if it carries over before I get too excited.
10-22-2017, 09:45 AM
BulldogBear

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schultzy

The 2017 SEC Tier chart:

Alabama

Georgia; Auburn

MSU and maybe A&M

Everyone else.

We get blown out by the Elites and boat race the the rest of the Conference. Aggies are the only other wild card team that?s hard to get a bead on.

Next week's game is huge. If we win we are looking at a very possible 9 win regular season. It's time to beat TAMU on the road. I will be there so I hope we get it done.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dawgface

We're good at home and against lesser teams on the road. Time to start competing with average to good teams on the road. Next weekend will be a good test to see if we really are moving up the ladder a bit.

See above. But I worry about it from this point if view: It feels like when Dan goes on the road in the SEC and initial game plan doesn't work or we can't just whup our opponent physically, that he's just lost and can't figure things out.
10-22-2017, 12:29 PM
thf24

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawgday166

We gotta get to where we can score inside the 10 yd line without running a QB draw tho. That and the corner fade inside the 10 don't work on the really good teams.

We need to start running the slant to Jordan Thomas inside the 10 more. I've been waiting for it all year. Can't defend it in man coverage, and if he's not open against zone, someone else is.