Rutgers Snowflakes: The Offense
November 5th, 2022 at 11:07 PM ^
We have 5 running backs who looked like they could win this or next year’s Doak Walker award. that was fun.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:10 PM ^
And several pass catchers not named Donovan Edwards who need to be better.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:40 PM ^
At least we didn't get outgained by Northwestern today.
November 6th, 2022 at 8:11 AM ^
This was my big snowflake after the game. Our best WR is a running back. I think it’s pretty obvious by now that our WRs are not good at making contested or challenging catches. There’s probably a good reason the freshmen were getting some playing time.
We’ve been knocking the passing game all season, but it’s starting to look like the WR crew is the weak link and the coaches are scheming around them.
November 6th, 2022 at 8:22 AM ^
Maybe we need a new WR coach. Who out there is the WR equivalent of Mike Hart?
November 6th, 2022 at 8:55 AM ^
Brian Hartline.
November 6th, 2022 at 8:26 AM ^
I wasn't ready to say that before this game, but yeah. Our WR's aren't good at getting separation either-during the MSU game there were guys blanketed by a bad secondary. I'm officially worried. Either OSU or in the playoffs a team will take Blake away and dare us to win in the air. It's far from clear we can do that.
November 6th, 2022 at 12:04 PM ^
Is it an effort thing …like do we run too much and the Wr just sent into it?
November 6th, 2022 at 8:38 AM ^
I wish we had DPJ or Nico this year.
November 6th, 2022 at 9:57 AM ^
DPJ was very mediocre at U of M. He’s gotten better in Cleveland, but he’s not the guy you’re wanting. Nico maybe but not DPJ.
November 6th, 2022 at 11:19 AM ^
DPJ was not mediocre. His quarterbacks were.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:08 PM ^
There's going to be a hell of a shake up in the top 10.
#1 Tennessee got embarrased by #3 Georgia 27-13 (the score wasn't that close).
#2 Ohio State struggled against unranked, one-win Northwestern, winning 21-7.
#4 Clemson was blown out by unranked, three-loss Notre Dame 35-14.
#5 Michigan won handily against Rutgers 52-17.
#6 Alabama lost to #10 LSU 32-31.
#7 TCU struggled at home against unranked, four-loss Texas Tech, winning 34-24.
#8 Oregon blew out one-win Colorado 49-10.
#9 USC is trailing California 7-6 in the 1st.
#11 Mississippi did not play.
#12 UCLA is leading Arizona State 7-3 in the 1st.
#13 Kansas State lost to #24 Texas, 34-27.
#14 Utah defeated Arizona 45-20.
#15 Penn State blew out Indiana 45-14.
The only teams in the top 10 that looked good were #3 Georgia, #5 Michigan (besides the second quarter), #8 Oregon (but, against perhaps the worst Power 5 team in the country), and #10 LSU.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:13 PM ^
I don’t see how they don’t move UM up to 2.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:43 PM ^
They will have 2-loss LSU jump us. It'll be:
1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Tennessee
4. LSU
5. THE DEFENDING, UNDEFEATED B1G CHAMPIONS
6. Alabama (because, after all, LSU is now #4, and it was overtime, and uh reasons!)
November 5th, 2022 at 11:49 PM ^
I think they move OSU to number 4 behind Tennessee and LSU. :P
November 6th, 2022 at 12:11 AM ^
Three ESPN reporters still don't have us in their top 4, and the CFP committee was even more in the tank for SEC and ACC than the ESPN group have been.
November 6th, 2022 at 1:00 AM ^
wtf is David Hale smoking and where do I get some of that
November 6th, 2022 at 1:54 PM ^
Ryan McGee isn't much better. The guy must be from Oregon or something.
November 6th, 2022 at 10:34 AM ^
Nothing a victory in Columbus won't fix.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:13 PM ^
So we are projecting
1) Georgia
2) OSU
3) LSU
4) Alabama
5-tie) Tennessee and Michigan
November 5th, 2022 at 11:16 PM ^
Michigan at 3.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:46 PM ^
None of this matters. At all.
What matters is Columbus on November 26.
November 6th, 2022 at 12:24 AM ^
So we're supposed to just shut up until Nov 26?! Live a little
November 6th, 2022 at 8:28 AM ^
Arguing about rankings never mattered. But it's also one of the great things about college football
November 6th, 2022 at 10:35 AM ^
Agreed. The 1988 Notre Dame team was not the best team in the nation. They intentionally avoided playing the best team in the nation in their bowl game.
November 6th, 2022 at 5:06 PM ^
This makes no sense to me.
Either the context here, or whom you think Notre Dame should have played in which bowl game.
Surely you don’t mean Miami, which ND already beat that year. Maybe you mean FSU, which Miami killed that year? Why should they bother with that, though?
November 6th, 2022 at 9:11 AM ^
I mostly agree, except that there could be implications for a one loss Ohio team to still make the playoffs based on their ranking at the time of the Game.
November 6th, 2022 at 11:30 AM ^
I 100% have to agree. A Natty would be fun and awesome but just beat them again back to back years and in their house. For me it would be a 100% complete season for me and the rest would be just for fun. =)
November 5th, 2022 at 11:27 PM ^
Will be interesting to see what happens with Oregon.
Obviously they got pummeled by UGA, but they haven't lost since.
If they win out, it will be very annoying (not sure if they deserve it, haven't watch literally any PAC--and yes I realize that IS the cliche they always complain about, hence why some are trying to jump ship to the BIG)
November 6th, 2022 at 12:56 AM ^
I know it was early season, but 49-3? That is a terrible loss.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:33 PM ^
Yes, all this means Alabama will be number 5 in the AP
November 5th, 2022 at 11:10 PM ^
I hope the portal brings them a talented WR. The current group appears to be pretty mediocre.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:13 PM ^
Walker seemed to let the ball hit him right in the 4. Bell again can’t get separation in the end zone. Schoonmaker needs to come down with that ball in the end zone. Anthony again doesn’t run through the catch on a downfield throw. Johnson still isn’t playing like he was last year.
And I think the first half play calling was atrocious. McCarthy is a seasoned QB at this point, but even they need some OC help when the blitzes are coming and their eyes are clearly on the pass rush.
Lastly, Donovan Edwards needs to be a much bigger part of the passing offense.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:38 PM ^
That Anthony deep shot wasn’t his fault. He never stopped on the route. It was just an inch or two overthrown. He could have came down with it, but it would have been an unreal catch. On the other hand, JJ can give him a much better chance to make a play on the ball with a better throw.
I wish we’d throw more than one or two of those a game so JJ can get into a rhythm with them though. I feel like once he finally hits on one then the floodgates will open up. We’ve seen him make those throws.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:52 PM ^
Maybe I overestimate his speed, but he seemed to slow down a bit.
November 6th, 2022 at 1:28 AM ^
Watched with this in mind. Andrel ran at a consistent speed throughout the route, including bending his route vertically as it became visible that that's where the pass was going (which, by the way, was the correct idea, it kept Andrel away from defenders in the area). The pass was just a bit long. Not hugely long, but just a step.
There were some passes that weren't in perfect locations, too. Not awful. A foot maybe in one direction or another. Still quite catchable. And his location on the pass to Schoonmaker on the dropped TD pass was exactly right.
JJ isn't terrible. He's quite good. He did miss a throw or two. And the receivers dropped some.
The Anthony pass was not on Anthony.
November 6th, 2022 at 1:50 AM ^
It wasn’t “on” him, but it was a catch that a higher quality receiver makes. It would’ve been a really good catch, but not a great one.
November 6th, 2022 at 8:31 AM ^
I'm actually a bit more worried than you are about JJ. I'm seeing more potential than actual "quite good" performance. Having said that, he's not helped ask all by our WR's.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:56 PM ^
I agree. Andrel was sprinting the whole way through his route. He can't help it that JJ missed another deep throw (though he is getting closer and closer every week to completing one lol).
I think JJ had a couple misses tonight but I also think his receivers didn't help him out. I'd say this game was 35 percent JJ being inaccurate and 65 percent on his receivers. Schoonmaker had a touchdown in his hands. Even though the defender had an arm in there he could have and probably should have come down with that catch.
I did see some risky decisions made by JJ. In the first half when he tried to thread the needle to Bell while taking his first hit of the game he had 2 guys open underneath for catch-and-runs. Also on his touchdown to Johnson that ball could have easily been tipped or picked. Luckily he put enough power into the throw that the DB didn't have time to react.
November 6th, 2022 at 12:56 AM ^
Oh shut up. This is the third of fourth time this year that the receiver didn't run through his route. So blaming JJ
November 6th, 2022 at 11:18 AM ^
I wish we’d throw more than one or two of those a game so JJ can get into a rhythm with them though.
This gets at the conundrum that we’re in.
To throw deep more often, you have to be comfortable with 2nd/3rd & long. This team isn’t. It doesn’t have anything with the WRs that works with regularity. Consequently, you’re determined to avoid long down-and-distance situations because you’re afraid you can’t pick it up.
November 6th, 2022 at 7:25 AM ^
I feel like DE will be a bigger part of passing in The Game, and even more next year when he becomes the RB1. That said, it'd be nice to see BC on a wheel route here and there, if nothing more than to keep the back end of defenses on their toes.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:10 PM ^
Keep attempting downfield passes. Running game is excellent.
excellent practice in the red zone tonight
November 5th, 2022 at 11:10 PM ^
Run game still awesome. Pass game not great, actually appears to be getting worse as the season goes on? We basically run the ball and if we pass it it’s 5-10 yards and that’s it regardless of the opponent, score, etc.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:13 PM ^
No I think the pass game is what it has been. Good as long as there’s not a defender within like 5 yards of a pass catcher. Then it sucks. It’s hard to get downfield shots that are that wide open so I’m guessing why we’re seeing more short and intermediate stuff where you can scheme guys super wide open.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:17 PM ^
Or the routes just aren’t great, JJ isn’t accurate greater then 20 yards, bad play calling, or a combo of all of the above.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:21 PM ^
Any team with a good passing offense has pass catchers make plays. It’s what makes them good. You may be right about route running but we can’t tell that from TV angles. No offense schemes guys open every play. No QB is 100% accurate. Eventually pass catchers will need to make plays. It’s why it’s a glamor position.
November 6th, 2022 at 1:05 AM ^
Our guys can't make contested receptions just like our dbs cant win a 50 50 ball
November 5th, 2022 at 11:27 PM ^
McCarthy put some balls right on the money the receivers couldn’t come up with and most of those would have been for significant yardage. The ball to Anthony wasn’t perfect, but Anthony was able to get both his hands on it. This wasn’t on McCarthy at all.
November 5th, 2022 at 11:45 PM ^
Before this game I think I read an article that he’s 4/18 on passes over 20 yards (may have been 30) but I don’t remember, zero touchdowns, an interception. It’s not great.