Ball State Thoughts

[mad dog]

I've been keeping my thoughts to myself, partially because I haven't seen an adequate sampling of our play this year, and partially because I could barely recognize the team that took the field on Thursday. However, it is also only fair to own up when you've gone on record as saying something should go a certain way.

The last thing I want to do is jump the gun and declare the storm over before it truly is. But that swarming, aggressive, ball-hawking defense is making it really hard not to chug the kool-aid. As long as they can approach this effort for the rest of the season, I think they give the offense a chance to win every game except 'Bama. Before the season, I had them pegged as a 2-3 win team because 1) the defense was terrible, 2) special teams were terrible, and 3) Riley Dodge, though talented, seemed to be injury prone. Based on the available evidence, the team just didn't look that great on paper. Given what I knew before the season started, I'd come to the same conclusion 99 times out of 100.

The Ball State game, though, was huge - it addressed all three questions. The defense speaks for itself. A buddy of mine texted me right off the bat saying "who are those dump trucks at DT you guys are starting?" The corners locked down their respective receivers all night long, and linebackers ran very well sideline to sideline. Special teams were by no means great or even good. It is tough to give high marks while missing two field goals, but the blocking was solid, coverage teams did their job, and I just get the feeling DeWaylon Cook is going to break one this year.

I still have some questions about Riley, and I'm not ready to annoint him as a damn fine QB (not just yet, Green P1 - maybe here in a few weeks). But he answered the biggest question I had pretty emphatically when he took that huge hit on that playaction bootleg near the goal line. He got absolutely blown up on that play (and took a dog-cussing from his dad afterwards), but the fact that he can take that hit and pop right back up makes the "fragile" argument a lot more difficult. He's got a lot to prove still - his interception in the end zone hurt a lot. He overthrew several wide open receivers. He's got to stop turning his back to the defense on run plays, and continuing the carry the ball away from his body WILL result in costly fumbles. That said, he was at least as good as Gio Vizza. How many games would Gio have won last year with the defense we saw on Thursday?

I said before the season that they'd need to prove it to me before I'd believe it. Now the only thing left is to prove to me you can sustain this effort through November. Looking forward to Ohio. It feels great to be competitive again. Congrats, guys.

[Guest JohnDenver]

That said, he was at least as good as Gio Vizza. How many games would Gio have won last year with the defense we saw on Thursday?

Wanting to open the can o'worms, eh?

The other side of the argument: Would the defense been this good last year if the offense didn't turn over the ball so much and/or able to stay on the field longer than three downs?

The defense looked fresh and they were out there only 22 minutes or something like that. The offense dominated the game clock.

Also, I think Riley made the OL look even better than they were (they were good, btw). He was able to roll out, scramble, make some plays with this feet, to keep the DL/LBs honest. GIO didn't do that. In his second year, he lost his mobility almost all together.

[LongJim]

The offense dominated the game clock.

Exactly right.

[NT80]

Wanting to open the can o'worms, eh?

The other side of the argument: Would the defense been this good last year if the offense didn't turn over the ball so much and/or able to stay on the field longer than three downs?

The defense looked fresh and they were out there only 22 minutes or something like that. The offense dominated the game clock.

Also, I think Riley made the OL look even better than they were (they were good, btw). He was able to roll out, scramble, make some plays with this feet, to keep the DL/LBs honest. GIO didn't do that. In his second year, he lost his mobility almost all together.

Some good points. Riley is very mobile and can throw well on the rollout. He is deceptively quick and enjoys running the ball like an option qb and turning upfield thru the line when he sees a hole. Vizza seemed to want to find a linebacker when running and challenge him to a collision.

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

I don't want to go there with the Vizza comparison but I'm about ready to declare Riley a damn fine quarterback.

Did he make mistakes? Without question. His interception in the end zone was a classic clunker. The hit near the goal line was another. Todd said that he got on him hard because he didn't throw the ball away, not because he took the hit per se. Only that the hit might have caused a fumble. He missed open receivers and put a little too much on the throw to Dunbar which could have given us another touchdown. Maybe it's just me but I believe that several of those mistakes were from just trying too hard to get this first victory. The monkey is now off both his and the team's back and while there'll still be mistakes I expect them to be fewer and farther between.

But, let's look on the other side of the coin. Coach Dodge said that of the 55 plays that required a zone reads Riley made the right decision on all but TWO. To me, that's a damn fine quarterback. He has great mechanics and more speed than any quarterback at UNT that I can recall. He's not fragile but I hope that you don't see him challenging many tacklers.

OK, I lied. I said that I wouldn't compare him to Vizza but I will. I think that Riley Dodge is faster, more accurate and makes better decisions quicker than Gio did. That's less of a slam on Vizza than it is endorsing the Riley's ability. But, maybe Giovanni Vizza knew something that we didn't.

[GoMeanGreen1999]

But, let's look on the other side of the coin. Coach Dodge said that of the 55 plays that required a zone reads Riley made the right decision on all but TWO. To me, that's a damn fine quarterback. He has great mechanics and more speed than any quarterback at UNT that I can recall. He's not fragile but I hope that you don't see him challenging many tacklers.

I was a little uncertain of the way Riley would play this being his first year, but that is a pretty amazing stat considering it was his first game.

[Will to Win]

OK, I lied. I said that I wouldn't compare him to Vizza but I will. I think that Riley Dodge is faster, more accurate and makes better decisions quicker than Gio did.

gee, why does that sound so familiar?

[houstonmeangreen]

I was a little uncertain of the way Riley would play this being his first year, but that is a pretty amazing stat considering it was his first game.

with the exception of a couple of plays, RD looked like a season college QB....and this is his first game as a college QB.....I'm telling you ...this kid is the real deal and is only going to get better. hope there are no injuries.

[mad dog]

The Gio comparison was less tooting Gio's horn than saying Riley, from what I've seen, isn't any worse. And if you accept the premise that last year, a defense with a pulse would have put another 2-3 wins up, you can probably buy the conclusion that Riley's good enough to win games here at North Texas.

That's all I'm saying.

[TIgreen01]

I don't want to go there with the Vizza comparison but I'm about ready to declare Riley a damn fine quarterback.

Did he make mistakes? Without question. His interception in the end zone was a classic clunker. The hit near the goal line was another. Todd said that he got on him hard because he didn't throw the ball away, not because he took the hit per se. Only that the hit might have caused a fumble. He missed open receivers and put a little too much on the throw to Dunbar which could have given us another touchdown. Maybe it's just me but I believe that several of those mistakes were from just trying too hard to get this first victory. The monkey is now off both his and the team's back and while there'll still be mistakes I expect them to be fewer and farther between.

But, let's look on the other side of the coin. Coach Dodge said that of the 55 plays that required a zone reads Riley made the right decision on all but TWO. To me, that's a damn fine quarterback. He has great mechanics and more speed than any quarterback at UNT that I can recall. He's not fragile but I hope that you don't see him challenging many tacklers.

OK, I lied. I said that I wouldn't compare him to Vizza but I will. I think that Riley Dodge is faster, more accurate and makes better decisions quicker than Gio did. That's less of a slam on Vizza than it is endorsing the Riley's ability. But, maybe Giovanni Vizza knew something that we didn't.

I support this post 100%. Is it such a bad thing to say that one player is better than another? Nobody's knocking Gio, but it's hard to look at the offense that we're trying to run here under Todd Dodge and not come to the conclusion that Riley fits the mold a little bit better. Dodge's offense (at least in HS), at it's best, needs the QB to be a dual threat.

[FloMoGrad]

That was a huge win and erased a mountain of uncertainty.....

And all you have to do is look at the stats, Riley's opening start was higher rated and a win compared to Vizza's...

But again, at this point, Riley's our man, and he's 1-0 as a starter...That speaks volumes...

Edited September 9, 2009 by FloMoGrad