Spring Game Takeaways

So I know many say there is nothing to take away, I strongly disagree. I was there, not that it is an advantage but some will throw that up so just get that out of the way.

Overall, not much changed. O still not any good, D is going to be good. Wash, rinse, repeat. Walley carried off was scare of the game.

Now some cherry picking,

Offense:1 of every 3 plays on O we basically wasted due to holding the ball with no one open or running out of bounds. You can't do that and win in SEC. I think we could be in trouble but still got my fingers crossed something gets figured out before Sept.

QB - Looks like a real competition at this point. Will was 3 or 4th best QB of day or say worst QB of day. The next two showed flashes. Unless Roberson comes in and dominates, I will not be surprised to see Will watching from sidelines. Will looked like KJ much of the game. Almost threw 5-6 picks just lucky. Had the fumble six return.

RB - D.Johnson is an SEC RB, he can get it done. Marks is good in open field, get him the ball in the flats early, we were late on a lot of throws to the RB. The other couple guys look good enough for backups.

WR - Same as last year but Spivey looks leaner and a step faster. He looks like a big physical SEC WR now. He made some plays and was the surprise of the day in my opinion He could have a breakout year. Tulu looks like Jameon Lewis out there.

OL - hard to tell with who was playing where. Only had one high snap that I remember. Gave up some sacks but our DL is good but so in rest of SEC.


Defense: We are deep and talented. Didn't see a lot of missed tackles. Keeping Arnett was huge last year not just for team but for Leach.

DL - I think Crumedy is All SEC this year, he looks like Fletcher or Simmons physically, not as good yet but he is the bell cow on that unit. The first unit is top half SEC good, concerned about depth.

LB - We are solid there but depth not settled yet. I didn't watch that group as much as others but nothing really stood out.

DB - Emerson and Forbes the next great bookend corners. They could be the best tandem in SEC. Amazing how MSU keeps getting these guys. LSU will get the love and UF and Bama but they don't have anyone better than those two. Emerson looks like he has put on some muscle too.

ST - limited but kicking/punting looked good.


Other's thoughts?

I also thought Abraham looked a little better than Will. But at the same time I dont know how much to take away. As far as the offense goes I really cant think of a time where I was just blown away by an offensive performance in a spring game. So I try not to put much emphasis on it.

It was just a spring game but I didn't see anything that makes me think the offense is better than last year beyond the coaches saying so. But with the way teams are split, who knows. I wouldn't take anything away from that game.

Spring game takeaway...

Walley got banged up , no other injuries , It’s meaningless

I went to the game also. I pretty much feel the same as you. Will looked bad. I think our WR crew could be pretty good, but we've got to get them the ball. Tulu was open on the mesh crossing route a few times and Will didn't see him. Would've went for huge gains. Ducking looks the part, but he dropped one right in his hands. I think Polk(Cal transfer) could help. He caught one long TD, but again Will couldn't get him the ball. OL got ate up on run plays, but I think our D is pretty good.
I did watch the LB's and Br?le and Wheat do what they do. Even though he got penalized I liked that Page #50 lit Tulu up as he tried to do a mesh route. LB's are taught to not let a receiver cross their face without punishment. I liked it.

The DL looked pretty strong, but is it because our OL was blocking them? I tend to think our DL is damn good.

As you said, Emerson and Forbes are top notch. The rest of the secondary looked pretty good. I thought Green(Texas transfer number 0) ran to the ball well. Our defense is pretty dang good.

It's funny how stats and perception don't always line up. I agree Abraham looked better - but Will's stats showed him producing considerably more yards. I think the big difference is Abraham played pretty mistake-free (no INT, 1 sack) and Will didn't. I don't think either of them had an OL of all 1's - and I think that always keeps the offense down in spring games.

We're better overall as a team than last year.

QB- I think we have two competent QB's. The way Leach split the teams up didn't do Will any favors. Not concerned about his arm strength.

RB- Same as QB. Two competent ones.

WR- We have at least 5-6 legit options there and have improved greatly. Walley, Heath, Tulu, Payton, Williams, and Spivey. Polk did OK. Ducking looks like he may need some time to develop based on one practice.

OL- Who knows based on how he split the teams up. No bad snaps from Smith. My guess is we have a solid starting five but lack in depth.

Defense- This unit will be why we are improved. They look legit with some depth at all levels.

ST- Looked solid.

Neither qb looks like a difference maker. I think either could get us to 6 wins. I'm hoping Sawyer is a true difference maker that could potentially lift the team to 8 wins.

I'll add this even though I've said it already. My biggest complaint is how Leach split up the teams. He essentially created a QB controversy for no reason and for an offense based on reps we need the people that are working together the most to work together as much as possible. Specifically talking about the offensive line here.

Next time I think it should be the first two strings vs the scout team. Play the first string guys one half and the second string guys the second. If there is a legit competition at a spot rotate those two guys with first and second strings. That would tell us more about our team and it would allow the walk ons to rack up some stats and give them some recognition.

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Originally Posted by BayouDawg

I also thought Abraham looked a little better than Will. But at the same time I dont know how much to take away. As far as the offense goes I really cant think of a time where I was just blown away by an offensive performance in a spring game. So I try not to put much emphasis on it.

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Mullen 09 spring game after the prior 5 years was like a dream

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Originally Posted by Todd4State

We're better overall as a team than last year.

QB- I think we have two competent QB's. The way Leach split the teams up didn't do Will any favors. Not concerned about his arm strength.

RB- Same as QB. Two competent ones.

WR- We have at least 5-6 legit options there and have improved greatly. Walley, Heath, Tulu, Payton, Williams, and Spivey. Polk did OK. Ducking looks like he may need some time to develop based on one practice.

OL- Who knows based on how he split the teams up. No bad snaps from Smith. My guess is we have a solid starting five but lack in depth.

Defense- This unit will be why we are improved. They look legit with some depth at all levels.

ST- Looked solid.

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You really have no concerns about Will's arm strength? It concerns me seeing him out there after 6 more months in a college weight room and no more velocity on the ball.. I do think he is a decent decision maker, but he will have the weakest arm in the SEC after whoever Vandy trots out. Combine that with the fact that he's scared to get hit and won't take the 4 yard scrambles when the D gives it to him, and I have serious concerns. I really hope I'm wrong though.

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Originally Posted by DEDawg

You really have no concerns about Will's arm strength? It concerns me seeing him out there after 6 more months in a college weight room and no more velocity on the ball.. I do think he is a decent decision maker, but he will have the weakest arm in the SEC after whoever Vandy trots out. Combine that with the fact that he's scared to get hit and won't take the 4 yard scrambles when the D gives it to him, and I have serious concerns. I really hope I'm wrong though.

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Arm strength wasn't my biggest concern, it was the decision making was terrible. KJ Costello terrible. Every QB held the ball so long that is was playground run around every 3 plays. We are miles away from being an O that scares anyone on D.

I'm not putting a whole season on spring game but the spring game/scrimmage is not meaningless. It gives a glimpse of what is possible, personnel, etc. Remember the Croom 0-0 spring game? Yeah that came before the 3-2 Aub game and we had pathetic O. Just saying the spring looked just like last year but at times worse.

You can't compare stats because the QBs didn't get equal looks. Watch the game and you'll get a feel for how bad QB play was at times.

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Originally Posted by DEDawg

You really have no concerns about Will's arm strength? It concerns me seeing him out there after 6 more months in a college weight room and no more velocity on the ball.. I do think he is a decent decision maker, but he will have the weakest arm in the SEC after whoever Vandy trots out. Combine that with the fact that he's scared to get hit and won't take the 4 yard scrambles when the D gives it to him, and I have serious concerns. I really hope I'm wrong though.

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No. I remember Joe Montana saying as long as you get the ball downfield 50 yards you're going to have a chance to be OK in the NFL because teams only throw the ball downfield a few times a game and those are rarely a throw beyond 50 yards.

We need a QB that is accurate and makes good decisions over a rocket launcher for an arm. See Nick Fitzgerald. He had maybe the best arm I have ever seen from a MSU QB. But that didn't make him a great passer. Or heck- see Costello vs Will last year. KJ had a much stronger arm but the decision making was poor and Will took the job from him.

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Originally Posted by msstate7

Neither qb looks like a difference maker. I think either could get us to 6 wins. I'm hoping Sawyer is a true difference maker that could potentially lift the team to 8 wins.

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Yall are gonna be so disappointed when Will breaks the school passing record

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Originally Posted by DEDawg

You really have no concerns about Will's arm strength? It concerns me seeing him out there after 6 more months in a college weight room and no more velocity on the ball.. I do think he is a decent decision maker, but he will have the weakest arm in the SEC after whoever Vandy trots out. Combine that with the fact that he's scared to get hit and won't take the 4 yard scrambles when the D gives it to him, and I have serious concerns. I really hope I'm wrong though.

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Hahaha

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Originally Posted by BuckyIsAB****

Yall are gonna be so disappointed when Will breaks the school passing record

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I expect whoever the qb is to break the passing record. It will be broke by volume passing. Now if he breaks the school passer rating record, I'll be very impressed

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Originally Posted by R2Dawg

So I know many say there is nothing to take away, I strongly disagree. I was there, not that it is an advantage but some will throw that up so just get that out of the way.

Overall, not much changed. O still not any good, D is going to be good. Wash, rinse, repeat. Walley carried off was scare of the game.

Now some cherry picking,

Offense:1 of every 3 plays on O we basically wasted due to holding the ball with no one open or running out of bounds. You can't do that and win in SEC. I think we could be in trouble but still got my fingers crossed something gets figured out before Sept.

QB - Looks like a real competition at this point. Will was 3 or 4th best QB of day or say worst QB of day. The next two showed flashes. Unless Roberson comes in and dominates, I will not be surprised to see Will watching from sidelines. Will looked like KJ much of the game. Almost threw 5-6 picks just lucky. Had the fumble six return.

RB - D.Johnson is an SEC RB, he can get it done. Marks is good in open field, get him the ball in the flats early, we were late on a lot of throws to the RB. The other couple guys look good enough for backups.

WR - Same as last year but Spivey looks leaner and a step faster. He looks like a big physical SEC WR now. He made some plays and was the surprise of the day in my opinion He could have a breakout year. Tulu looks like Jameon Lewis out there.

OL - hard to tell with who was playing where. Only had one high snap that I remember. Gave up some sacks but our DL is good but so in rest of SEC.


Defense: We are deep and talented. Didn't see a lot of missed tackles. Keeping Arnett was huge last year not just for team but for Leach.

DL - I think Crumedy is All SEC this year, he looks like Fletcher or Simmons physically, not as good yet but he is the bell cow on that unit. The first unit is top half SEC good, concerned about depth.

LB - We are solid there but depth not settled yet. I didn't watch that group as much as others but nothing really stood out.

DB - Emerson and Forbes the next great bookend corners. They could be the best tandem in SEC. Amazing how MSU keeps getting these guys. LSU will get the love and UF and Bama but they don't have anyone better than those two. Emerson looks like he has put on some muscle too.

ST - limited but kicking/punting looked good.


Other's thoughts?

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Relative to the RB line. Should that not be the very first read against 3 - 8? If the begin with or quick drop the 8 hit RB quick? And I mean quick.

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Originally Posted by Todd4State

I'll add this even though I've said it already. My biggest complaint is how Leach split up the teams. He essentially created a QB controversy for no reason and for an offense based on reps we need the people that are working together the most to work together as much as possible. Specifically talking about the offensive line here.

Next time I think it should be the first two strings vs the scout team. Play the first string guys one half and the second string guys the second. If there is a legit competition at a spot rotate those two guys with first and second strings. That would tell us more about our team and it would allow the walk ons to rack up some stats and give them some recognition.

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From what little I've read I think Leach questioned himself on how he made up the teams.

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Originally Posted by msstate7

I expect whoever the qb is to break the passing record. It will be broke by volume passing. Now if he breaks the school passer rating record, I'll be very impressed

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Of course

I guess being a freshman playing with 40 something other players against 90 and passing for more yards than any other freshman in the history of the school isnt impressive.

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Originally Posted by BuckyIsAB****

Hahaha

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I assume you?re his close family and/or HS coach because you don?t seem capable of taking any criticism. He looked bad out there yesterday, I?m sorry that upsets you. It?s okay to take criticism as the starting QB. I hope Will comes out in the Fall and blows everyone else away and breaks every passing record, I?m not hating on the kid but facts are facts. Spring game or not

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Originally Posted by BuckyIsAB****

Of course

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Do you think we will break school record for passing attempts this fall?

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Originally Posted by DEDawg

I assume you?re his close family and/or HS coach because you don?t seem capable of taking any criticism. He looked bad out there yesterday, I?m sorry that upsets you. It?s okay to take criticism as the starting QB. I hope Will comes out in the Fall and blows everyone else away and breaks every passing record, I?m not hating on the kid but facts are facts. Spring game or not

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Definitely personal for Bucky.

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Originally Posted by msstate7

Definitely personal for Bucky.

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That?s fine, I hope he doesn?t take anything as a personal attack

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Originally Posted by msstate7

Do you think we will break school record for passing attempts this fall?

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And INTs.

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Originally Posted by calidawg

Mullen 09 spring game after the prior 5 years was like a dream

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Lol true but to be fair old ladies racing in their motorized wheelchairs would have been an upgrade from those years.

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Originally Posted by DEDawg

I assume you?re his close family and/or HS coach because you don?t seem capable of taking any criticism. He looked bad out there yesterday, I?m sorry that upsets you. It?s okay to take criticism as the starting QB. I hope Will comes out in the Fall and blows everyone else away and breaks every passing record, I?m not hating on the kid but facts are facts. Spring game or not

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No. I just know that you made him sound like he is trash when he is a SEC starting QB for one of the best QB coaches of all time. That is facts. I will let Leach define who is bad at QB for us. I think he knows

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Originally Posted by msstate7

Do you think we will break school record for passing attempts this fall?

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Probably.

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Originally Posted by BuckyIsAB****

No. I just know that you made him sound like he is trash when he is a SEC starting QB for one of the best QB coaches of all time. That is facts. I will let Leach define who is bad at QB for us. I think he knows

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He looked bad yesterday. I'm sorry you can't objectively see that. For the third time, I hope he looks great this Fall and breaks all our passing records.

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Originally Posted by BuckyIsAB****

No. I just know that you made him sound like he is trash when he is a SEC starting QB for one of the best QB coaches of all time. That is facts. I will let Leach define who is bad at QB for us. I think he knows

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I like Will so don't take this wrong. He was bad yesterday, doesn't mean he will stay bad. As far as starting QB, we had no other options last year since Leach managed it like he did. Starting last year was more like default not beating anyone out. Different story this year. Will don't clean it up, he ain't starting this year.