Sure the Oline was bad, but the offensive game plan was horrendous. Totally unimaginative. I don't understand why.
The good:
1. The talent gap has significantly closed. Our defense did very well IMO. But for one mistake, we totally shut down their vaunted RB.
2. Our coaching has improved tremendously (last night's offensive plan being the exception).
3. We were 12-0 because we were a very good team. We deserved to be in the playoff. It was not smoke and mirrors.
4. Kelly has 2 undefeated seasons and nobody has done that since Frank Leahy. That doesn't happen by accident.
5. We are trending up since Kelly's 2.0 reboot. Like with a new coach, year 3 should be a peak. We will see.
6. Defense still wins Championships and we are there on defense. We have recruited well in the secondary so hopefully we are getting deeper and better there. This year's recruiting class is loaded on defense.
The Bad:
1. We are still not deep enough at a few positions. That showed at CB last night.
2. We still do not have an elite QB. Maybe it can be Book. Maybe it will be Phil. Maybe not. TBD.
3. We can play with elite teams. FSU in 14, Clemson in 15, maybe Oklahoma in 12. But for some reason we are still unprepared in the post-season. That was the case on offense last night. This needs to be fixed.
4. The Oline has talent and should be a strength but has struggled. This needs to be fixed. Kelly should be looking for a new coach here.
5. Related to number 3, we made too many mistakes and mental errors last night. That can't happen when you are playing against the best. Clemson was nearly flawless and we were not.
6. We don't have any game breakers on offense (Dexter was, but now he is gone). Maybe there are some on the roster (Lenzy?) but that remains to be seen. TBD.
I don't see any of the "Bad" areas that can't be fixed so I'm pleased with where we are and where we are headed. The one area of concern is why we still fall flat in the big one. We were ready on defense last night but you have to be prepared on both sides of the ball. I think we can get there.