re: Turn around the mistakes and this team can still go 8-4

quote:

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The one thing that concerns me more than anything was how flat the team was in the first half and especially right out of the gate.

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I don't think they were "flat" as much as very unsure. That goes for the coaches and players. When you are unsure you hesitate and play slow.

You can practice and scrimmage all you want, but until you see how guys react in a game the coaches can't quite be sure as to what they are going to get. And being unsure leads to a tendency of erring on the side of caution. You hate that it comes in a loss, but with one game in the books the players/coaches have a bit more clarity as to what works, what might not work, and what to fix.

Given all of the new, coaches, players, scheme, etc, etc, this team, maybe more than any in recent memory, really could have used a "warm-up" game. Ideally, those questions would have been identified in a win vs. directional state vs. a Florida St. program that desperately needs a "good" win. And one that already had played a game before Sunday.