You guys know Offensive LIne play has been my calling card on this board for over a dozen years. I have always felt it is the lifeblood of any team. I don't claim to be an expert or anything, but it has always been my main focus during games.
I read a lot of negative comments about our O-Line in the game thread today that I feel were overly harsh - trashing the unit as a whole (primarily their run-blocking). I am not saying it was a great game by any means; and certainly Malone and Pocic were both disappointing. And Boutte to a lesser degree.
But bottom line, it is difficult to run the ball with any consistency going against an 8-man front. And Louisville made a point in stopping the run game by having more defenders near the box than we had blockers. Guice was met in the backfield over and over and over - and not always because an O-Lineman got beat. Many times it was a defender that was simply unaccounted for.
Plus, Louisville's defense was not some Texas Tech type of defensive squad. They had actually been very effective over the course of the 2016 season. And the ACC was not hurting for teams with offensive potential. Sure, they were missing a number of starters today, but no one off the D-Line,
2016 Defense - Yards Allowed per Play:
4.49 Louisville (7th in the country)
4.66 LSU (17th in the country)
2016 Defense - Rushing Yards per Carry:
2.37 Louisville (11th in the country)
2.77 LSU (37th in the country)
Really, I don't think we could have asked for much more out of the run game today than what we got - considering the opponent and how much emphasis they put on stopping the run in this game.
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As for 2017, I struggle to see who we will play at L-Tackle. The KJ Malone experiment simply did not work in 2016, and I am skeptical the he is gonna somehow develop into a top LT over the next 9 months. Can Weathersby play there? It seems to me he is a better candidate than Malone. Teuhema went from being a freshman stud (in 2015) to a bench-warmer in 2016. Surely he is not the answer at LT. And I am loathe to have someone play LT in 2017 that has never taken a snap in a real game. Perhaps I am overly pessimistic.
But clearly, that is the biggest question mark for our offense in 2017. With Teuhema, Clapp, Weathersby, Malone, Dodd, and Brumfield all returning - that is a very deep returning corps. But no real stud there (unless Teuhema somehow returns to form). And I do not expect any of the newcomers to make any real impact (redshirts or true freshmen). Perhaps Cushenberry? Or Deculus?
Seriously, I am mostly hoping that Canada is great at recognizing (admitting???) limitations on our O-Line, and understands how to game-plan around it - even against physical teams like Bama and Florida. It can be done, but takes imagination and boldness. If so, we could be very tough to defend in 2017, even against the premier defenses.
I read a lot of negative comments about our O-Line in the game thread today that I feel were overly harsh - trashing the unit as a whole (primarily their run-blocking). I am not saying it was a great game by any means; and certainly Malone and Pocic were both disappointing. And Boutte to a lesser degree.
But bottom line, it is difficult to run the ball with any consistency going against an 8-man front. And Louisville made a point in stopping the run game by having more defenders near the box than we had blockers. Guice was met in the backfield over and over and over - and not always because an O-Lineman got beat. Many times it was a defender that was simply unaccounted for.
Plus, Louisville's defense was not some Texas Tech type of defensive squad. They had actually been very effective over the course of the 2016 season. And the ACC was not hurting for teams with offensive potential. Sure, they were missing a number of starters today, but no one off the D-Line,
2016 Defense - Yards Allowed per Play:
4.49 Louisville (7th in the country)
4.66 LSU (17th in the country)
2016 Defense - Rushing Yards per Carry:
2.37 Louisville (11th in the country)
2.77 LSU (37th in the country)
Really, I don't think we could have asked for much more out of the run game today than what we got - considering the opponent and how much emphasis they put on stopping the run in this game.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As for 2017, I struggle to see who we will play at L-Tackle. The KJ Malone experiment simply did not work in 2016, and I am skeptical the he is gonna somehow develop into a top LT over the next 9 months. Can Weathersby play there? It seems to me he is a better candidate than Malone. Teuhema went from being a freshman stud (in 2015) to a bench-warmer in 2016. Surely he is not the answer at LT. And I am loathe to have someone play LT in 2017 that has never taken a snap in a real game. Perhaps I am overly pessimistic.
But clearly, that is the biggest question mark for our offense in 2017. With Teuhema, Clapp, Weathersby, Malone, Dodd, and Brumfield all returning - that is a very deep returning corps. But no real stud there (unless Teuhema somehow returns to form). And I do not expect any of the newcomers to make any real impact (redshirts or true freshmen). Perhaps Cushenberry? Or Deculus?
Seriously, I am mostly hoping that Canada is great at recognizing (admitting???) limitations on our O-Line, and understands how to game-plan around it - even against physical teams like Bama and Florida. It can be done, but takes imagination and boldness. If so, we could be very tough to defend in 2017, even against the premier defenses.
