[Goose]

<p>

&nbsp; stars of the game:
- Cam Scarlett. He looks like a completely different player. It's clear he REALLY worked on his footwork and agility in the offseason. His cuts in the hole were night &amp; day different from last year, and he looks like he dropped 10-20 lbs. Still doesn't have breakaway speed but I can only remember two plays where he was caught from behind going off-tackle compared to last year when that happened too often

</p><p>FWIW, the roster list him at exactly the same 216 lbs as last year. I have always thought he was a good back. In this game they ran plays better suited to his skill set, and for sure the OL blocked better. That said, Scarlett himself has said he worked hard on agility and quick cuts over the off season. Good to see it has "taken" a bit. I am sure we will see the other running backs play also, but Scarlett is at least adequate and possibly more. He is a very good receiver out of the backfield, and also a good pass blocker. While not&nbsp;Love speed wise, he has recovered a lot of speed compared to his sophomore year.<br></p><p>

&nbsp; goats of the game:&nbsp;
-&nbsp;Davis Mills. Needs to&nbsp;figure out how to run RPO without fumbling the ball untouched by the defense. Needs to figure it out really fast. Maybe&nbsp;RPO needs to be removed from the U$C gameplan

It should be removed now and for as long as we don't have a QB that is a real runner. KJ can make yards on the ground, but only when he totally surprises the defense with the run. The RPO doesn't do that. Mills used to be a runner, but right now, he is too fragile, it isn't worth the risk. Normal fake handoffs will do just fine. With Hogan, the RPO was credible. With these guys, it isn't, and the risk of a bad mesh is too high to even consider it.

- ShawVita. Punting from the NU 34 overrides all of the good they did. Toner clearly has the leg to hit from well beyond 50 yards and is the most accurate kicker in school history. KICK THE DAMN FG. Make that FG and the complexion of the end of the game changes considerably with NU needing a TD not just an FG. I'm so sick of this crap and I will continue to boo loudly and vociferously. If you don't trust your kicker to try a 50-yarder then you need to recruit/develop a new kicker. Instead, he asked a rookie punter to pin NU deep and ended up with a net 14 kick.&nbsp;???

I totally agree that it is hard to support this call. We know that Toner can kick a 50 yarder. We also know that we are giving up at worst about 20 yards by trying it. In the event, we gained only 14 yards by punting. Even if it is downed at the 10 we gain 24 yards. So, I don't get it. Fortunately, it didn't cost us the game, or anything close to it, but I still believe it was an error.<br></p>

[Goose]

<p>

&nbsp; stars of the game:
- Cam Scarlett. He looks like a completely different player. It's clear he REALLY worked on his footwork and agility in the offseason. His cuts in the hole were night &amp; day different from last year, and he looks like he dropped 10-20 lbs. Still doesn't have breakaway speed but I can only remember two plays where he was caught from behind going off-tackle compared to last year when that happened too often

</p><p>FWIW, the roster list him at exactly the same 216 lbs as last year. I have always thought he was a good back. In this game they ran plays better suited to his skill set, and for sure the OL blocked better. That said, Scarlett himself has said he worked hard on agility and quick cuts over the off season. Good to see it has "taken" a bit. I am sure we will see the other running backs play also, but Scarlett is at least adequate and possibly more. He is a very good receiver out of the backfield, and also a good pass blocker. While not&nbsp;Love speed wise, he has recovered a lot of speed compared to his sophomore year.<br></p><p>

&nbsp; goats of the game:&nbsp;
-&nbsp;Davis Mills. Needs to&nbsp;figure out how to run RPO without fumbling the ball untouched by the defense. Needs to figure it out really fast. Maybe&nbsp;RPO needs to be removed from the U$C gameplan

It should be removed now and for as long as we don't have a QB that is a real runner. KJ can make yards on the ground, but only when he totally surprises the defense with the run. The RPO doesn't do that. Mills used to be a runner, but right now, he is too fragile, it isn't worth the risk. Normal fake handoffs will do just fine. With Hogan, the RPO was credible. With these guys, it isn't, and the risk of a bad mesh is too high to even consider it.

- ShawVita. Punting from the NU 34 overrides all of the good they did. Toner clearly has the leg to hit from well beyond 50 yards and is the most accurate kicker in school history. KICK THE DAMN FG. Make that FG and the complexion of the end of the game changes considerably with NU needing a TD not just an FG. I'm so sick of this crap and I will continue to boo loudly and vociferously. If you don't trust your kicker to try a 50-yarder then you need to recruit/develop a new kicker. Instead, he asked a rookie punter to pin NU deep and ended up with a net 14 kick.&nbsp;???

I totally agree that it is hard to support this call. We know that Toner can kick a 50 yarder. We also know that we are giving up at worst about 20 yards by trying it. In the event, we gained only 14 yards by punting. Even if it is downed at the 10 we gain 24 yards. So, I don't get it. Fortunately, it didn't cost us the game, or anything close to it, but I still believe it was an error.<br></p>