Take Aways From SJSU Game

[Bullmastiff 1]

1) First time since the NIU game the secondary struggled a bit. Lack of a pass rush really hurt and is partly to blame. At current pace we may not hit 15 sacks on the year.

2) Palandech was obviously not very good last night but...There were three drops in crucial spots not his fault either. He was really feast or famine. Took a sack late that was awful. But had a couple big throws as well. Even with all the bad we still put 27 on the board against a decent defense. 27 should usually be enough to win.

3) Crowd was loud and pretty energetic especially late. Actually was more disappointed at student section than anything. Maybe 60% full and by 3rd qtr about %40. Also wish the ones that were there understood that it's library voices when your team is on offense and REBELS REBELS REBELS on defense.

Not relevant to the game really but.
4) Dude a few rows down from me was making me nuts. Would lose his mind at every little thing that went wrong, and when we did something good rather than get excited or cheer he would yell out things like 'finally' or 'about time' or 'these guys suck you are letting them win' Fans like this always made me ask when do you actually enjoy the game? They are overly critical when thing go wrong and never seemingly happy with the good.

 

[bcvegaspt]

He was probably mad that we didn't win by 73 a few games back

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

He was probably mad that we didn't win by 73 a few games back

I guess. I'm not telling anybody how to root for their team, I just don't see how people like that, enjoy the game/team.

 

[rebelbuck]

My biggest take away is that this team plays hard. When they take the other teams best shot , they have found a way to answer. As bad as KP a was in the first half and part of the 2nd, when he needed to deliver on those last 3 drives he did. Made some nice throws (play calls from Cotton were not bad either) Palandech still needs to make better decisions and reads. I think with Decker this had the potential to be a bit different game. Their QB made some plays but we couldnt get to him.

Defense kept one of the leagues most dangerous guys, Ervin, in check most the night. The final drive we need to get a stop after that score. Another score that was frustrating was their QB keeper, Vea had him lined up and missed him.

Overall this team found a way to come back from all the mistakes to make this an exciting game. Last year this game would have spiraled out of control in the 3rd Quarter for a big loss.

My other biggest observation is looking around the league, Fresno looks very beatable this Friday. Watched parts of their game vs Utah St and Fresno resembles our team from last year, some effort guys but for the most part have quit. Hawaii is struggling, Wyoming looks terrible. SDSU is solid but not spectacular (very Rocky Long). CSU is hard to read, played hard teams but have hit some rough weeks.

We have the potential to win some more games this year and get some momentum. A win this Friday heading into a bye week would be big heading into the 2nd half of our schedule.

 

[j. spilotro]

My biggest take away is that this team plays hard. When they take the other teams best shot , they have found a way to answer. As bad as KP a was in the first half and part of the 2nd, when he needed to deliver on those last 3 drives he did. Made some nice throws (play calls from Cotton were not bad either) Palandech still needs to make better decisions and reads. I think with Decker this had the potential to be a bit different game. Their QB made some plays but we couldnt get to him.

Defense kept one of the leagues most dangerous guys, Ervin, in check most the night. The final drive we need to get a stop after that score. Another score that was frustrating was their QB keeper, Vea had him lined up and missed him.

Overall this team found a way to come back from all the mistakes to make this an exciting game. Last year this game would have spiraled out of control in the 3rd Quarter for a big loss.

My other biggest observation is looking around the league, Fresno looks very beatable this Friday. Watched parts of their game vs Utah St and Fresno resembles our team from last year, some effort guys but for the most part have quit. Hawaii is struggling, Wyoming looks terrible. SDSU is solid but not spectacular (very Rocky Long). CSU is hard to read, played hard teams but have hit some rough weeks.

We have the potential to win some more games this year and get some momentum. A win this Friday heading into a bye week would be big heading into the 2nd half of our schedule.

The lack of pash rush has been troubling. A very average QB can have success with that kind of time. The secondary didn't give up all those yards through the air - the pass rush was mostly to blame.

UNLV had the right game plan. We stopped a good running team/running back and forced them to throw. For a large portion of the game, SJSU abandoned the run because they were getting nothing on the ground.

UNLV's best opportunities were early. Just like the UNR game. With UNR, UNLV failed to capitalize on great field position and it almost cost the Rebs. UNLV failed to capitalize vs SJSU because of turnovers. And I felt that's what cost the game.

Btw, I thought SJSU had some great play calling in the second half. The 4th and 10 TD was the crown jewel of those calls, but they ran some plays that were very well designed and executed.

 

[bcvegaspt]

I guess. I'm not telling anybody how to root for their team, I just don't see how people like that, enjoy the game/team.

Agreed

 

[RebelBuzz]

Btw, I thought SJSU had some great play calling in the second half. The 4th and 10 TD was the crown jewel of those calls, but they ran some plays that were very well designed and executed.

Agreed 100%. That 4th down play call was brilliant. As frustrated as I was that we blew that 4th down stop that would have sealed the game, I could only shake my head and say, "What a play."

But on top of that call, the way SJSU used their fullback/tightends for short passes knowing that our LBs were keyed on stopping Ervin was really good.

 

[RebelBuzz]

3) Crowd was loud and pretty energetic especially late. Actually was more disappointed at student section than anything. Maybe 60% full and by 3rd qtr about %40. Also wish the ones that were there understood that it's library voices when your team is on offense and REBELS REBELS REBELS on defense.

The reported attendance from the box score was 19,190. Better than the anticipated 17,000, but who knows how many were actually in the stands. I'll say, though, that that was the best home crowd I can remember from our recent history. I know that to some extent the noise can depend on where you sit, but the volume where I sat was great for SJSU's 3rd and 4th down attempts. It seemed like fans knew what they were doing and got loud at the right times. Still too many people trying to encourage cheering on the offense's 3rd downs, but I can't fault the enthusiasm.

It did piss me off, however, to see fans leaving when SJSU scored their TD to take a 3 point lead with a minute to go. With 3 timeouts, the wind at our back, and a kicker who has hit one from 54, that game was far from over.

On another note, I can't imagine the devastation in our locker room after the game. I know that I couldn't stop thinking about the game last night and it was hard to sleep. There aren't many things that can put you on an emotional rollercoaster like college football. From the pure exhilaration of Boyd's catch-and-run TD to put us up 4, to the defense holding strong and forcing a 4th and long, to Ervin walking into the endzone with a convoy of blockers, to a 49 yard boomer from Bornand to force OT, to a fg block, to the game-clinching TD run... way up, and down, and up, and down.......

And while the chances of SJSU NOT scoring in OT once they got within our 5-yard line are probably only 5%, that was a terrible TD call to seal the game. I don't see how the ref made the ruling on the field that he did. But once he did, you know that we aren't gonna have sufficient camera angles to overturn it. But he absolutely did not cross the plain. Again, probably didn't matter, but let's make them decide to run/kick, and give us a chance for a bad snap, block, etc.

I'm glad FSU is a terrible team. I didn't buy into the "letdown" narrative after UNR, it just didn't feel like a possibility (and I don't think we had a letdown at all... just struggled to score in 2nd and 3rd quarters with a backup QB). But I feel like it will be tough to bounce back after this shot to the nuts. And it's a short week, on the road. But again, I don't think FSU is good enough to make us pay, even if it takes a quarter to get mentally into this game. We'll see though.

 

[mwsn7022012]

The two biggest deficiencies on the team are quarterback and the pass rush.

 

[Dloch002]

My biggest take from last night's game is the rushing defense. Great job. Previous seasons, Ervin would have had a career night. Pass rush is second. Their QB was good.

 

[RebelinWA]

My biggest take is that this team would have flat surrendered in the third quarter last year. To the fans that left early, you missed a hell of a game.

 

[Doneoett]

As it will be all season,Depth was an issue.

 

[tarkaniancourt...nm]

Depth and Experience.

 

[VegasPete7]

My wife, best friend, and I sat in the value end zone seats last night, and it seems like either a lot of these people are new to football or just plain oblivious to being around other people. A couple of sore spots that I wish people would be more considerate to others:

If you stand in the aisles when you are late to the game or during play, somebody above you cannot see the whole field. The field is at a diagonal angle, so if you must get up, wait until a break in play. It's football, there's breaks for every change in possession. The most you will have to hold your piss is probably five minutes even if there's a 12 play TD drive.

While it is fine to stand and cheer when we are on defense especially on 3rd down, there's no reason to make noise when your offense has the ball, or stand up during play. And I get it if it's an exciting play unfolding, and you're compelled to stand. But would it kill you not to take pictures while play is going on, or teach your kid how to dance during the plays?

Maybe it's because I grew up going to NY Giants games in New Jersey, but it seems like these two instances happened a lot more than they ever did at a NFL game.

 

[VegasPete7]

My wife, best friend, and I sat in the value end zone seats last night, and it seems like either a lot of these people are new to football or just plain oblivious to being around other people. A couple of sore spots that I wish people would be more considerate to others:

If you stand in the aisles when you are late to the game or during play, somebody above you cannot see the whole field. The field is at a diagonal angle, so if you must get up, wait until a break in play. It's football, there's breaks for every change in possession. The most you will have to hold your piss is probably five minutes even if there's a 12 play TD drive.

While it is fine to stand and cheer when we are on defense especially on 3rd down, there's no reason to make noise when your offense has the ball, or stand up during play. And I get it if it's an exciting play unfolding, and you're compelled to stand. But would it kill you not to take pictures while play is going on, or teach your kid how to dance during the plays?

Maybe it's because I grew up going to NY Giants games in New Jersey, but it seems like these two instances happened a lot more than they ever did at a NFL game.

 

[Doneoett]

My wife, best friend, and I sat in the value end zone seats last night, and it seems like either a lot of these people are new to football or just plain oblivious to being around other people. A couple of sore spots that I wish people would be more considerate to others:

If you stand in the aisles when you are late to the game or during play, somebody above you cannot see the whole field. The field is at a diagonal angle, so if you must get up, wait until a break in play. It's football, there's breaks for every change in possession. The most you will have to hold your piss is probably five minutes even if there's a 12 play TD drive.

While it is fine to stand and cheer when we are on defense especially on 3rd down, there's no reason to make noise when your offense has the ball, or stand up during play. And I get it if it's an exciting play unfolding, and you're compelled to stand. But would it kill you not to take pictures while play is going on, or teach your kid how to dance during the plays?

Maybe it's because I grew up going to NY Giants games in New Jersey, but it seems like these two instances happened a lot more than they ever did at a NFL game.

Be happy that families and others are showing up. People will learn the more they go to the games.First step is getting them in Sam Boyd. Don't discourage these new fans we can use all we can get.

 

[rebel Homer]

Not relevant to the game really but.
4) Dude a few rows down from me was making me nuts. Would lose his mind at every little thing that went wrong, and when we did something good rather than get excited or cheer he would yell out things like 'finally' or 'about time' or 'these guys suck you are letting them win' Fans like this always made me ask when do you actually enjoy the game? They are overly critical when thing go wrong and never seemingly happy with the good.

Did you ask him if his name was LACASEY or RebelRobert?

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

Did you ask him if his name was LACASEY or RebelRobert?

No but the thought crossed my mind.

 

[Bullmastiff 1]

The two biggest deficiencies on the team are quarterback and the pass rush.

QB play hasn't been great. Not consistent enough. Pass rush has been pretty non existent. Although down the stretch of San Jose State game, Palandech did give us two chances to win the game with pretty impressive drives. Maybe with those two drives he gains a little confidence and things slow down for him a bit. With 7 minutes left in the game, he put us in position to win twice.

As bad of a stretch as he had during 2nd and 3rd quarters we still put up 27 points. Most nights that will be good enough to win.

Not saying he is the long term answer at QB, but he is a little better than people are giving him credit for.

You are dead on though the pass rush has to get better. Secondary having to cover way to long. It's actually surprising they have played as well as they have considering the lack of a sustained rush.

 

[LVRebel2000]

I was at the game +6 on saturday. That was a heck of a game and it sucks that we couldn't get over the hump at the end. Honestly, I didn't see that many people leave at the end with a minute or so to go, but I wasn't paying that close attention to it. The crowd hung around pretty well I thought and cheered on the team through OT. That first play in OT was pretty brutal. Loss of 5, and then top it off with a blocked FG. The ending was rough but it was a really good game otherwise.

As others said, pass rush and QB play seemed to be the biggest struggles this past game. I love the fact that despite some of our limitations, we're playing much harder and closer games than in years past. Well done to the coaches and players this weekend.

Side note - this guy sitting behind me was driving me crazy. Sitting by himself, and acting like he's John Madden or something. Being the commentator on every single play. Talking loudly to the players and coaches as if they could hear him from 100 feet away. Calling the plays out for the other team's offense (though he was wrong half the time). At least 10 times said "how do you bring home the trophy and then play like this?".

Aside from that though, this was a very entertaining game!

 

[1Tripoda]

Kurt Pal did struggles in the 2nd quarter mightily but our receivers didnt help him out either. DeVante have some critical drops in a few games that could have change the outcome. If he is the best in the conference like everyone expecting him to be, he have to come through a lot more than what we have seen.

 

[VegasPete7]

Be happy that families and others are showing up. People will learn the more they go to the games.First step is getting them in Sam Boyd. Don't discourage these new fans we can use all we can get.

I wasn't and wouldn't try to discourage anybody from showing up. Just venting as it is frustrating to be a football fan that's highly into every game, and you have people standing in the way. I guess I was trying to educate.