FanPost

My take

Here's my thoughts on a number of topics:

  1.  Coaching - Xs and Os - Clearly something is wrong here on defense.  After UK had a guy wide open on a bomb twice (remember the shoulda-been TD in the 1H), Syracuse did it repeatedly today.  Syracuse is an awful running team so I'm not even sure what the safeties were getting faked out by.  Something has got to change.
  2.  Coaching - Strategy - This is probably what I'm most concerned about.  Against UK, it was total clock and timeout mismanagement.  Today, UofL went for it on 4th and 10 from the 31 (ie, 48 yard FG).  I should have text messaged Kragthorpe during the game and told him there is a Groza Award winner on your team.  So, instead of taking the points, they fail on 4th down (think about the final score -- would those 3 points have helped)?  Then, shortly thereafter in 2Q, UofL punted on 4th and 13 from around the 37.  Sure, I know 54 yards is out of Carmody's range, but at that point you need to say, "We're UofL and we have Brian Brohm and they're Syracuse, so we're going to go for it and not worry about giving them the ball on the 40."
  3.  Jeff Brohm in the Booth - I was confused about this one at the beginning of the year.  I mean, why mess up a good thing.  Jeff Brohm has a relationship with Brian that you can't replicate and the QB and the team benefits from Jeff giving Brian very personal, hands-on feedback on the field (just like after every series last season).  Now, Jeff is sitting way up there in the booth.  It's just not the same.
  4.  Rushing the Passer - One of the amazing thing about watching the Bears Defense play is that there are a bunch of guys near the line of scrimmage and you never, ever know who is rushing and who is dropping back.  UofL plays its 4-3 and the entire stadium, coaches and players know which four players are rushing the passer and which guys are staying back.  Andrew Robinson is a terrible QB, but when you give ANY Division I QB 15 seconds, they are going to bite you.  UofL has got to mix up their rushing and blitz packages.
  5.  Booing - This makes me sick to my stomach.  Although I would never do it, I understand the concept of booing the team after MTSU uncorks a 79 yard run.  However, booing Urrutia when he checks into the game?  That's just sick.  That's all I'm going to say about that.
  6.  Harry Douglas - In case anyone didn't realize, this guy is ri-donkulously good.  I think that Brohm realizes that HD is the only guy on the squad who can reliably catch the ball no matter where it is thrown.
  7.  Syracuse - Just to be clear (although I'm sure anyone who posts/reads on a messageboard must know this), Syracuse is a bad, bad team.  Like one of the worst five in Division I.  It is one thing to lose, but they lost at home...to a bad team...and there wasn't anything fluky (blocked punts, 10-7 final score, etc.).  Syracuse pounded them the ENTIRE game.