Second half
The value of this team is definitely in the staff that coach Freeman put together. The O-line in the second half was exponentially better, and adjusted very well. That is a sign of great coaching across the board on O.
Replies to: Second half
It seemed better for sure, but it was dreadful in the first half….and…
(no message)
Re: It seemed better for sure, but it was dreadful in the first half….and…
How much of the second half turn around was A&M fatigue and injuries?
(To be clear the oline looked significantly improved)
Injuries weren't a problem on defense
TAMU's bigger injury problems came from losing two of their starting offensive linemen. Howard Cross ate up the replacement center, especially in the second half.
Fatigue was definitely a problem for TAMU's defense at the end. They were completely gassed on that last drive, and were very sluggish after the snap. Your fast twitch is one of the first things to dampen once you're fatigued.
They have one of the best defensive lines in all of college football, along with a good secondary, but the depth after their starters is questionable. They didn't have the luxury of confidently substituting in their second unit players.
Our guys were in better physical condition, but just as importantly, we were able to generously substitute defensive players in there and not miss a beat, keeping the 1st unit fresh. Other than one bad play, there really wasn't any dropoff going from Benjamin Morrison to Jaden Mickey, and it's great to see that Al Golden has complete confidence in putting him in there on a critical 3rd down.
And Riley starting to run a great deal
(no message)