This team moving forward (long)

I want to start by saying I’m proud of the guys that went out and left it all out on the field last night. Makes me proud to be a Tiger fan. This isn’t a moral victory. A loss is a loss and it still stings. I expected us to get blown out in the 2nd half and that never happened so I was pleasantly surprised by that. Here are a few things I noticed about our team...

-While we will never win that game with Etling at QB, benching him for the rest of the year would be a terrible decision. I thought throwing Brennan out there to get some snaps was a good idea. But Brennan shouldn’t replace him as the starter. He’s NOT ready. Etling is one of the players that are the heart and soul of this team. We can win out with him. Brennan is the future. Not the present. And for those of you screaming for a DT guy, will you ever be happy? If we play Narcisse and he looks bad you will be screaming for Brennan and a pocket guy. We need accuracy and efficiency more than anything.

-Our play in the trenches last night was a huge positive. Their play, especially on the O line, was something we haven’t seen against Alabama in quite a while. You gotta like what you saw out of that group tonight. They will be a dominant unit next year. D line played their asses off as well. It’s going to be tough to replace Lac, Gilmore, and Herron next year. Gotta hope we can get some juco guys and a couple stud recruits that can play as freshmen.

-For the most part, the offensive play calling was pretty damn good tonight. This was the best offensive game we have played against them in a while. We were able to hash them running the ball, set up by the speed sweep. And we had big passing plays there for the taking, we just didn’t execute. You cannot expect to win against that team when you miss the opportunities we had. The play action to wild thing in the corner wasn’t the smartest play call. Cost us a touchdown. However, there are lots of positives to take from that unit.

-We HAVE to find a running back for next year. Williams and Guice will be missed badly.

-Arden Key was a beast. It’s a shame to see him play so well last night and then play like he didn’t really care in other games. Corey Thompson will also be missed. But we have some young guys that have gotten some experience and you have to look forward to that.

-DJ Chark has to be better. Very mediocre performance from him. Those young WRs have to step up. Dillon looks like he could be pretty good. As well as Sullivan and Anderson. Hopefully Davis can get it together and become a stud.

-I am extremely happy we have guys like Rashard Lawrence and Devin White on our football team. Loved seeing the pride Lawrence was playing with after we got sacked on 4th down. He got me fired up! These are the types of players that we want on our team. Players that sellout and take extreme pride in our state and university.

All in all, it was a disappointing loss. Especially knowing we left some plays on the field that could’ve changed the outcome. However, it’s hard not to be pleased with how hard we played. We aren’t there yet, but we aren’t far off and I truly believe we are on the right track. If you are a true Tiger fan you have to be excited for the rest of this season and the future after this. Geaux Tigers!!