Lookin' Under The Hood of Devastating Loss

I actually felt confident. THIS was the game in which the program would turn the corner to begin the upper middle class entrenchment. Back-to-back 20+ point wins. Everyone I spoke with this week cautioned "this is the type of game we always blow" or "we don't like to play with expectations and ratings". Nah, this is different. Fitz won't allow them to look past Indiana. He's got them focused. Wah wah wah.

Yes, it is only one game. But, until we get to the point when we win the games we're supposed to win, we're not the program we all aspire to be. This was that game. Now, I get to pull out the top ten most disappointing list and see if it makes it. Iowa in 2000, Miami in 1995. Wake in 1996. You know the drill. We'll do that after the season. For now, it is too painful to revisit.

With CJ unable to walk off the field without hobbling and Mike Kafka looking like a deer in headlights, rebounding against Minnesota, perhaps without CJ, seems unfathomable. We're about to see what the program is made of in the Final Four of 2008. Which team will we be? A home for the holidays 6-6? A bottom tier bowl team and 7-5? An acceptable 8-4? Above that would be unthinkably euphoric based on how low we are right now.

So, as we do every week, let's break it down.

The Great.
Nothing.

The Good.
Not much. Bacher's moxie on his TD run. Corey Wooton's backfield penetration. Gill's 3 TFLs.

The Disappointing
Turnover Margin
Not only did the Cats cough it up an ungodly five times, but they had zero takeaways. You simply can't beat anyone doing that.

Bacher Decision Making
Stat geeks cringed when CJ made his first INT early as you know we simply don't win when he gets more than one pick. His first pick was in the red zone and not even close to Peterman. In his defense, while he missed a few open receivers, Peterman and Ward both had key drops that hurt. CJ was obviously hurt on the potential game-winning drive after a dive for the first down, yet did not call timeout or get a chance to regroup. The next play he threw the "game over, man" pick on one foot. He looked in bad shape walking off of that field and you know he was in extreme pain to not come out for the very last drive.

Tyrell Sutton
Again Tyrell dropped the rock. He had more carries in the first half than he had in most games, but the O-line was not opening up holes he could get through easily. I feel bad for the kid as he got hurt once again - this time his wrist.

Focus
No doubt Fitz had these guys amped for the game. Could it be he talked them and himself into the fact that they froze up? I simply don't get how you can be that sloppy and lacking focus to execute and have a turnover fest. We looked tight and uninspired.

Special Teams
A fumble on a kickoff return, a missed PAT and giving up a critical first down to a punter on a busted play. Demos did have a couple of great punts at key times.

DB Play
247 passing yards to Ben Chappell? Really? Our corners played soft on short yardage passing situations. Our entire secondary bit twice - hard- on trickery.

Pass Rush Up The Middle
Our DEs were getting pressure, but Chappell continually stepped up in the pocket to green pastures and big play strikes.

Man this one hurts. We won't know how bad as the injury statuses will be kept under lock and key. I'm extremely curious to see how we respond against Minnesota. I'm completely deflated as a fan. It is time to show me what we're made of. I'm not sure if the toilets in Evanston are large enough to flush this one.