- Overall-A win. A sloppy, messy, undisciplined win. But a Win. Lions have now won 4 straight games and are undefeated in Southland Conference play. This team showed that even thought it kept tripping over one coffee table after another and did multiple things that would torpedo an average team’s attempt to win a game, but they still did what it took to win the game. David Bailiff was NOT happy with the lack of discipline and the silly mistakes, but he was upfront about how this team is better than what they put on the field today. I have a feeling you will see a more focused team next week.
- Offense-The wind was a definite factor in a passed based offense like what we have, and overall the skill guys played pretty well. 166 yards rushing and 209 yards passing for 375 yards was a little bit better than I expected with the way the game went. Eric Rodriguez was sacked 4 times and hurried WAY too many times. Offensive line has played some great games, but this one was not one of them, that needs to improve. Rodriguez was under duress a lot and there were some drops, but overall the skill guys played pretty decently. I have said this once, I absolutely LOVE how OC Billy Reibock is managing the offense and calling plays. He is really developing right before our eyes as a top Southland Conference OC. We had some guys who typically don’t get touchdowns get them and that is just stepping up. Cam Nellor powered in from a few yards out, and JT Smith dazzled the crowd at The Hawk to place the game out of reach.
- Defense-I give them an A minus, but only because they kept jumping offsides and trying to make plays and time HCU’s cadence rather than just make routine plays. When those penalties abated in the second half, things turned around. They held a competent HCU offense to 202 total yards, and of those yards, about a quarter of them came on one long run. Hat tip Russ who texted me to let me know we lead the conference in scoring, rushing, passing, and total defense. Michael Noble’s interception was huge, as was the continued big play making of Darius Williams. This unit is Championship level.
- Special Teams-The wind was a major factor in this game, and I mean it was a major factor. If you spent time in Commerce especially when it starts to get cooler, the winds really kick up, but that is life on the Hunt County Blackland Prairies. That said, our kickers were terrific. All 3 specialists got game balls because they did their jobs. Aiden Martin was almost perfect on kickoffs, Emmanuel Adagbon continues to be perfect on his field goals. I know Mitchell McGarry is harder on himself than just about anyone, but does his job about as well as anyone can ask and continues to get better and better. A year ago, he could not kick in this wind, and by his own admission. Now, look how far he has come. The coverage teams were terrific as well. A Plus to this group.
- Going Forward-Next week is big. Incarnate Word comes to Commerce with a very high powered offense and a good overall team. This is the defacto conference championship game, and we are lucky to have it in Commerce. Next week will be the acid test to see how good this team really is. We need to be healthy, focused, and prepared for this. UIW comes in with the best offense in the conference to face off against the best defense in the conference. Something will have to break. The question is, which one?
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