Also have to consider Satterfield >>> Taggart. I think we bounce back with a comfy win
Did Clawson announce Hartman as the starter tonight?
As he said in his press conference, he doesn't have to. What we know:
* Newman DID NOT practice on Tuesday.
* As Conor said in the news thread, Clawson has a history of resting kids who are at <80% - see Cade for two games already this year. He doesn't change the depth chart because he longer is required to do so
* The fact that we also have a bye next week would also strongly indicate that Clawson is likely to lean towards resting Newman and ideally having him ready to be the backup instead of Kerns
* Hartman came in and looked very sharp against Louisville
That all said, FSU is the type of defense I would ideally like to see Newman. There are plays where FSU may not get much push, but their height may kill some throwing lanes for Hartman - lanes that may be open to Newman.
I honestly think this is a game we could win 30-0. I am exaggerating obviously, but it would be crazy if we killed two FSU coaches in 15 years. The young may not remember, but it was our shellacking of FSU 30-0 that finally led to FSU strongly suggesting
their ole ball coach" step down and let Jimbo Fisher take over ...
As he said in his press conference, he doesn't have to. What we know:
* Newman DID NOT practice on Tuesday.
* As Conor said in the news thread, Clawson has a history of resting kids who are at <80% - see Cade for two games already this year. He doesn't change the depth chart because he longer is required to do so
* The fact that we also have a bye next week would also strongly indicate that Clawson is likely to lean towards resting Newman and ideally having him ready to be the backup instead of Kerns
* Hartman came in and looked very sharp against Louisville
That all said, FSU is the type of defense I would ideally like to see Newman. There are plays where FSU may not get much push, but their height may kill some throwing lanes for Hartman - lanes that may be open to Newman.
I honestly think this is a game we could win 30-0. I am exaggerating obviously, but it would be crazy if we killed two FSU coaches in 15 years. The young may not remember, but it was our shellacking of FSU 30-0 that finally led to FSU strongly suggesting
their ole ball coach" step down and let Jimbo Fisher take over ...
2 years ago they had no QB. Blackmon started his first game against us ans we managed to allow 2 long kickoff returns for TD's and a last minute 50 yard TD pass to give the game away so I'm not confident at all we won't follow a similar path this week.
Looking back at last year's game, Glenn was our best player on defense. What happens when we need a Fr. to step up and play like that?
Last year is a better comparison, IMO. We started hot but the special teams and D let us down. Multiple long runs and pass completions, 2 or 3 for TDs, IIRC. I remember we did have one punch out on a long run near the goal-line that resulted in a recovered fumble, so that was good. Otherwise, you could tack another 7 to their 38 points. Francois was the starter, but Blackmon eventually started due to injury. (Francois transferred after some behavior issues and likely because he wasn't playing.) Hartman had an INT where, I think it was Scotty, got bumped really hard before the ball got there, and the defender was able to cause a high bounce into another defenders hands. Newman came in but was sacked just like Hartman, so Hartman came back in for the final meaningless TD against their 2nd and 3rd string. Like Louisville, the speed (not even including the size and athleticism) disparities really showed.
Like I've said several times, until we get serious about a legit top quality D! DC, we will continue to struggle against average (USU, Louisville, UNC 2nd half, this year) and good (BC, NCSU, VT, Duke, Pttt, Syracuse, etc programs in our conference) competition. Such a mentality will lead to average results, avg wins, and periodic mid-tier bowls. The record setting excellent effort and performance by Wolford is the only thing that overcame our smelly D 2 years ago....and then we had to win late in the year to get to bowl eligibility.
I think the DC hire is necessary for the next step.
I agree, but it begins with recruiting defensive players who possess the physical tools to compete with top tier athletes. There is not a lot that a DC can do if he does not have sufficient quickness and strength to pressure the QB while also maintaining pace downfield with speedy receivers. We are not generating enough pass rush to protect our D-backs from getting beaten by faster receivers.
To me, linebacker recruiting has been a little bit disappointing. Strnad is a stud, but beyond him our linebackers seem weak. It's hard to recruit at a high level on the defensive line unless you're one of the top tier programs. Guys big enough and skilled enough to come in and be great at those positions are pretty few in numbers. We typically have to recruit guys with potential and hope they grow into the position. I think it should be easier to recruit good linebackers. Sure the top tier programs are going to get the best ones, but I think it should be easier to find guys that are north of 200lbs and good athletes coming out of high school to develop into good linebackers. I think and hope it's been a bit of a situation where when Clawson got here, we were so talent deficient on the offensive side of the ball that they've concentrated so hard on recruiting that side of the ball it's token a toll on the defensive side of the ball and in the future it will start to even out.