I like to give myself a night to think about the game to give some thoughts on it. Some more rational, less emotional thoughts.
- Evans played pretty well for the most part. They gave him less choices it felt like at the beginning of the game. Basically "throw it to this guy within 2 seconds. He'll be open." I had a feeling South Al would jump one of those eventually, but they didn't. The interception at the end was a great play by CB (knew the situation and yardage needed, was ready to jump the route). He missed some open deep balls, but hit a big one at the end of the game. He ran well and did a good job of keeping his eyes down the field while running around in the pocket. Coach V stopped short of naming Evans the full-time starter, saying "The plan the past few weeks was that if one of them got the hot hand we'd leave them in. Caleb had the hot hand last night. The plan was to get them both in but let Caleb get the start." I would still think it's Evans at this point unless he really struggles at Georgia State.
- Wide Receivers balled out last night. Other than Xavier Brown having one bad drop early, they made some big plays. RJ Turner's touchdown at the beginning really set the tone I think. Xavier Brown is sneakily having a really, really good season. Marcus Green and Ajalen Holley also came in clutch when it mattered.
- Running Backs need to continue their momentum for yesterday. Having the power of Luckett/Koufie mixed with the agility of Carter is a really good combo. Having the running game going makes this team much more successful on 1st and 3rd down. My one worry is they've run the same play a lot on 3rd and short...jumbo formation with QB under center and an offset RB where they run a quick pitch to the loaded side. Teams will see that in film and be ready for it.
- 0-line played well yesterday. They opened up good holes for the RB's and gave Evans some time to throw. South Al has some good players in the front 7, so good job there.
- D-line did a decent job early of getting pressure up the middle. Unfortunately, their QB was really quick and ran through a hole the d-line would make and there would be no one there to tackle him. That speed option they ran was almost unstoppable.
- Secondary made the plays when they needed to. Offray had the interception off a dead duck pass in the 4th, and they had tight coverage in OT. Amoako was called for a PI that led to a TD early, but for my eyes the coverage was fine.
- Griffith and Sisco are playing really well. Griffith is a strong tackler, and Sisco just has a knack for being at the right place at the right time. Not to discount Chase Day who has played well too, but Griffith and Sisco have really stood out to me.
- Kicking game still has some work to do. McCray had some good kickoff returns and the punt coverage was good. Field goals are still an issue.
Overall, it was a welcome sight to see ULM come out strong instead of being behind by 3/4 TD's in first quarter. Penalties were down as well. These things need to continue to build momentum for offseason.
Offensive POTG: Xavier Brown
Defensive POTG: Tre' Hunter (he got beat some early, but I think his leadership settled the guys down)
