1. The offensive line has struggled so far. 5 sacks, 10 TFLs
a. What is going on at LT with Sims that has caused a position battle?
Jimmie Sims had been primarily a back-up guard prior to this season. The transition to protecting the edge rushers has proved to be difficult for him. Against Illinois he repeatedly missed assignments and hasn’t given Mike White much time to throw. Sanford’s post game comments seemed to throw Sims into a group of players that have performed well in practice but haven’t produced when the game starts. I think opening the left tackle position was a sign to the fan base that they’re addressing these issues and not accepting mediocre results from the offensive line.
b. Where has the pressure come from defensively?
Most of it has come from the edge, they’ve given up 5 sacks in two games but the entire offensive line has been blameworthy with holding penalties and false starts adding to their troubles.
c. Have there been snapping issues with a new center?
Dennis Edwards was a top tier guard last season, ranking #31 in the country by Pro Football Focus. The transition to the quarterback of the offensive line has proven tough for Edwards. Last week against Illinois he had an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and had a few miss snaps over White’s head that resulted in 3rd and longs for the offense. He’s probably thinking more than playing instinctually, hopefully with experience comes confidence moving forward.
d. Why have they not been able to run effectively?
It all starts with those offensive line struggles, they haven’t been able to maintain blocks on run plays and unfortunately the deep pass game has been all but nonexistent to soften up defenses and prevent them from loading the box. All the blame can’t go to the offensive line however. D’Andre Ferby, Quinton Baker and Marquez Trigg haven’t broken a single long run longer than 12 yards. The running back trio hasn’t looked confident hitting the hole in two weeks and after years of great running back play it has been hard to stomach.
2. Tech fans expected to see the continuation of the Brohm offense from WKU.
a. Has the scheme changed? If so, what’s different?
Sanford came from a combination of the Harbaugh and Boise State trees of coaching. He wants to use the run to establish the pass and then open the playbook form there. Unfortunately, the lack of a running game and poor pass protection has shown that his passing game creativity is nowhere near Brohm’s level at this point. In both games, the offense play calling has been very short pass and screen oriented. WKU fans have been spoiled by Brohm’s offensive mastery (see Purdue thru two games) and you can tell the entire offense just isn’t confident in what they’re doing yet.
b. Mike White is fully functional, so has the problem been pressure up front? Receivers not getting separation? Or all of the above?
Not to sound like a broken record but most of the struggles are contributed to the shaky offensive line play. Besides two crucial turnovers last week, White did a decent job of moving the ball between the 30’s. When the defense tightened up and the pass rush increased he hurried throws and just didn’t look comfortable out there due to plays not properly developing. Adding to WKU’s struggles last week were several drops by receivers and penalties that put WKU in too many 3rd and long situations. White has played at a C level thus far but he needs to elevate that play to get WKU out of this offensive funk.
3. WKU is currently last in CUSA in Net Punting.
a. Has that come from a short field or has the punting been that bad?
Jake Collins is another player that was an all-conference performer last season. Against EKU, Collins was fine having both of his punts go for 41 yards. Against Illinois he shanked his first three punts leaving the Tops in poor field position. He did improve as the game went on and pinned Illinois near or inside the 20 on the rest of his four punts despite short fields to play with. Collins play is far down on the area where WKU needs to improve.
4. The defense hasn’t allowed much, but is that a result of a significant improvement or playing an FCS team and a below average P5 offense?
a. What has been the biggest difference you have seen from 2016 Defense to 2017?
With the change in coaching staff, I’d say the defensive philosophy. Nick Holt’s defense was much more aggressive when it came to forcing sacks and creating turnovers; even if that meant sometimes gave up big plays and easy yards. It helps when you have large leads and teams are forced to pass to stay in the game.
Clayton White’s defense has gone against two teams that wanted to control the ball. The Tops have been very sound and have given up the fewest amount of points and yards in their first two games since they joined FBS in 2007. They now have more of a bend but don’t break philosophy and have been content with lining up and forcing the opposing offense to make plays instead of playing for turnovers. Maybe that will change in week 3 but injuries have hampered the pass rush through two games.
5. Defensive ends, Jordan & Overstreet did not play Saturday.
a. What were their injuries?
Jordan sustained a leg injury against EKU and apparently, Overstreet suffered some sort of injury as well. Local media hasn’t really elaborated much other than them missing games.
b. Are they expected to play?
There has been no status update on either player so it will be a wait and see proposition for a defensive line that was already thin after senior end Tanner Reaves was kicked off before the season.
c. Was anyone else injured during the game?
Besides two safeties that suffered season ending knee injuries in preseason camp (Simmons, Roush), the only other injured player that I’ve heard of that’s injured is Arkansas State wide receiver grad transfer Cameron Echols-Luper who didn’t play against Illinois as well. He is a speed demon but hasn’t made a catch for WKU yet in his career.
6. 3rd down offense and defense
a. The defense has improved, but opposing offenses have capitalized 17/33 times. Can you talk about what you have seen?
I think a lot of the opponent third down success can be attributed to the ball control style each has played. Both opponents lulled WKU to sleep with their deliberate style and slowly wore out the defense in the second half. The last of a consistent pass rush has also helped opposing receivers get open in both games. The offensive futility also helped Illinois wear out the WKU defense that was on the field for 15 minutes longer last week.
b. The offense was only 2/12 on Saturday on 3rd down. Was this the result of numerous 3rd & longs or the inability to run the ball in short yardage situations?
I think it was a combination of both honestly. The third and longs were usually a result of penalties (WKU’s offense had six of them) or tackles for loss and put WKU behind the eight ball on third down. However, the common theme of not being able to run the ball compounded the third down problem as the Tops only had two rushing first downs the entire day. Ferby, Baker and Trigg have to do a better job of hitting the hole hard if the run game is to improve.
7. Who outside of Iyiegbuniwe, Overstreet, & Ward could make a significant impact defensively for the Toppers this week?
Marcus Ward actually lost his starting job in the preseason to freshman safety Devon Key in the preseason and Key is second on the team with 20 tackles. Cornerback Joe Brown has been a shutdown corner thus far and was preseason All-Conference USA. One last player to watch is defensive tackle Chris Johnson. He had WKU’s only sack last week and when he’s going well, he helps take WKU’s defense to the next level.
8. What are your keys to victory this week for WKU?
The number one thing is getting the offensive line going and starting off the game on the right foot. If Jaylon Ferguson resumes his sack happy ways of last season it could be another long day for the WKU offense. Establishing the run game and building back up Mike White’s confidence will also be crucial. The defense will give WKU a chance to win, the whole game depends on WKU establishing an offensive identity that has lacked in the first two games.
a. What is going on at LT with Sims that has caused a position battle?
Jimmie Sims had been primarily a back-up guard prior to this season. The transition to protecting the edge rushers has proved to be difficult for him. Against Illinois he repeatedly missed assignments and hasn’t given Mike White much time to throw. Sanford’s post game comments seemed to throw Sims into a group of players that have performed well in practice but haven’t produced when the game starts. I think opening the left tackle position was a sign to the fan base that they’re addressing these issues and not accepting mediocre results from the offensive line.
b. Where has the pressure come from defensively?
Most of it has come from the edge, they’ve given up 5 sacks in two games but the entire offensive line has been blameworthy with holding penalties and false starts adding to their troubles.
c. Have there been snapping issues with a new center?
Dennis Edwards was a top tier guard last season, ranking #31 in the country by Pro Football Focus. The transition to the quarterback of the offensive line has proven tough for Edwards. Last week against Illinois he had an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and had a few miss snaps over White’s head that resulted in 3rd and longs for the offense. He’s probably thinking more than playing instinctually, hopefully with experience comes confidence moving forward.
d. Why have they not been able to run effectively?
It all starts with those offensive line struggles, they haven’t been able to maintain blocks on run plays and unfortunately the deep pass game has been all but nonexistent to soften up defenses and prevent them from loading the box. All the blame can’t go to the offensive line however. D’Andre Ferby, Quinton Baker and Marquez Trigg haven’t broken a single long run longer than 12 yards. The running back trio hasn’t looked confident hitting the hole in two weeks and after years of great running back play it has been hard to stomach.
2. Tech fans expected to see the continuation of the Brohm offense from WKU.
a. Has the scheme changed? If so, what’s different?
Sanford came from a combination of the Harbaugh and Boise State trees of coaching. He wants to use the run to establish the pass and then open the playbook form there. Unfortunately, the lack of a running game and poor pass protection has shown that his passing game creativity is nowhere near Brohm’s level at this point. In both games, the offense play calling has been very short pass and screen oriented. WKU fans have been spoiled by Brohm’s offensive mastery (see Purdue thru two games) and you can tell the entire offense just isn’t confident in what they’re doing yet.
b. Mike White is fully functional, so has the problem been pressure up front? Receivers not getting separation? Or all of the above?
Not to sound like a broken record but most of the struggles are contributed to the shaky offensive line play. Besides two crucial turnovers last week, White did a decent job of moving the ball between the 30’s. When the defense tightened up and the pass rush increased he hurried throws and just didn’t look comfortable out there due to plays not properly developing. Adding to WKU’s struggles last week were several drops by receivers and penalties that put WKU in too many 3rd and long situations. White has played at a C level thus far but he needs to elevate that play to get WKU out of this offensive funk.
3. WKU is currently last in CUSA in Net Punting.
a. Has that come from a short field or has the punting been that bad?
Jake Collins is another player that was an all-conference performer last season. Against EKU, Collins was fine having both of his punts go for 41 yards. Against Illinois he shanked his first three punts leaving the Tops in poor field position. He did improve as the game went on and pinned Illinois near or inside the 20 on the rest of his four punts despite short fields to play with. Collins play is far down on the area where WKU needs to improve.
4. The defense hasn’t allowed much, but is that a result of a significant improvement or playing an FCS team and a below average P5 offense?
a. What has been the biggest difference you have seen from 2016 Defense to 2017?
With the change in coaching staff, I’d say the defensive philosophy. Nick Holt’s defense was much more aggressive when it came to forcing sacks and creating turnovers; even if that meant sometimes gave up big plays and easy yards. It helps when you have large leads and teams are forced to pass to stay in the game.
Clayton White’s defense has gone against two teams that wanted to control the ball. The Tops have been very sound and have given up the fewest amount of points and yards in their first two games since they joined FBS in 2007. They now have more of a bend but don’t break philosophy and have been content with lining up and forcing the opposing offense to make plays instead of playing for turnovers. Maybe that will change in week 3 but injuries have hampered the pass rush through two games.
5. Defensive ends, Jordan & Overstreet did not play Saturday.
a. What were their injuries?
Jordan sustained a leg injury against EKU and apparently, Overstreet suffered some sort of injury as well. Local media hasn’t really elaborated much other than them missing games.
b. Are they expected to play?
There has been no status update on either player so it will be a wait and see proposition for a defensive line that was already thin after senior end Tanner Reaves was kicked off before the season.
c. Was anyone else injured during the game?
Besides two safeties that suffered season ending knee injuries in preseason camp (Simmons, Roush), the only other injured player that I’ve heard of that’s injured is Arkansas State wide receiver grad transfer Cameron Echols-Luper who didn’t play against Illinois as well. He is a speed demon but hasn’t made a catch for WKU yet in his career.
6. 3rd down offense and defense
a. The defense has improved, but opposing offenses have capitalized 17/33 times. Can you talk about what you have seen?
I think a lot of the opponent third down success can be attributed to the ball control style each has played. Both opponents lulled WKU to sleep with their deliberate style and slowly wore out the defense in the second half. The last of a consistent pass rush has also helped opposing receivers get open in both games. The offensive futility also helped Illinois wear out the WKU defense that was on the field for 15 minutes longer last week.
b. The offense was only 2/12 on Saturday on 3rd down. Was this the result of numerous 3rd & longs or the inability to run the ball in short yardage situations?
I think it was a combination of both honestly. The third and longs were usually a result of penalties (WKU’s offense had six of them) or tackles for loss and put WKU behind the eight ball on third down. However, the common theme of not being able to run the ball compounded the third down problem as the Tops only had two rushing first downs the entire day. Ferby, Baker and Trigg have to do a better job of hitting the hole hard if the run game is to improve.
7. Who outside of Iyiegbuniwe, Overstreet, & Ward could make a significant impact defensively for the Toppers this week?
Marcus Ward actually lost his starting job in the preseason to freshman safety Devon Key in the preseason and Key is second on the team with 20 tackles. Cornerback Joe Brown has been a shutdown corner thus far and was preseason All-Conference USA. One last player to watch is defensive tackle Chris Johnson. He had WKU’s only sack last week and when he’s going well, he helps take WKU’s defense to the next level.
8. What are your keys to victory this week for WKU?
The number one thing is getting the offensive line going and starting off the game on the right foot. If Jaylon Ferguson resumes his sack happy ways of last season it could be another long day for the WKU offense. Establishing the run game and building back up Mike White’s confidence will also be crucial. The defense will give WKU a chance to win, the whole game depends on WKU establishing an offensive identity that has lacked in the first two games.
