More Than a Game
Alright, before we get into the X’s and O’s and other analysis of this game, let’s pause for some perspective. Saturday’s game was just that: a game. While there would inevitably be a winner or loser on the field, it represented more. It was part of larger a remembrance of one of the most horrific days on U.S. soil and resilience of us as a country. We all know where we were during 9/11. We have spent the last 20 years recounting the indelible mark it has made on our country and us personally. While sports could never take the place of the gaping hole in our hearts for the souls we lost on that day and the pain our country suffered… it has offered us a temporary escape to help us cope over the years.
So, for WKU to have the extreme honor to play a sport we all love and unites us against the future cadets and officers of our military, on the hallowed campus of West Point on a day such as this… is the most important takeaway of them all.
One Dimension= One Direction
42… that’s the amount of running yards the Hilltoppers went for on Saturday. It’s no secret WKU will air it out a lot this season. Yet, if the Tops can’t carry their weight on the ground, it will make the entire game that much harder. Adam Cofield, who led the rushing attack last week against UT Martin only mustered 2 yards on 3 carries and Noah Wittington hauled in 33 yards on 8 attempts. That’s simply not enough. Not enough attempts by the Tops to penetrate the Army line with the run and not enough yards gained.
Think about how the game might have shifted if the Tops could have put Army on its heels even for a couple of drives. Nothing less than 100 yards will suffice going forward. This anemic output will not work against Indiana and Michigan State, two teams who will be gunning for a one-dimensional WKU offense.
Double Exposure
The offensive and defensive lines both found themselves looking pedestrian against the Black Knights. The defensive line couldn’t plug holes and got manhandled at times to the tune of 377 yards for Army on the ground. Last week, WKU’s inability to stop the run made the rushing corps of UT Martin look a lot stouter than it truly is. Now a week later, the Tops fell victim to the running clinic of a good but not great Army team. What gives?
Meanwhile, on the offensive line, the Black Knights broke into the Tops backfield too much. Bailey Zappe works best when he has time to choose which receiver, he wants to launch it to. There were several times Zappe had to run for his life. One of those time ended up in an interception that killed WKU’s momentum during its first drive.
Both lines looked pretty sloppy and ugly throughout the game. We will see if this will be addressed before next week’s home game versus IU.
A Positive Note
Bailey Zappe is the quarterback WKU has been missing desperately. An arm like he has is extraordinary and his accuracy is special. A second 400+ passing performance and a nearly completed comeback from 21 points down gives me hope that WKU is closer to returning to the Jeff Brohm years than the Mike Sanford ones. While he has acknowledged that he is not fast at all, he still managed to scramble enough to get out of harm’s way and get the ball off a few times on Saturday.
His numbers are on par with his first two seasons at Houston Baptist and can only improve as he continues to settle into the FBS world. He also seems to be unrattled by defensive pressure from big linemen or speedy defensive backs. As long as Zappe gets help from those around him, I expect him to shatter several records here at WKU and make the Tops more competitive in every game than in years previous.
Resiliency
I had literally written off the Tops in this game. It looked like there was no gas in the tank for WKU heading into the second half. Army was throwing the Tops around like a ragdoll and put them in a 21-point hole. Yet, much to Army’s chagrin, the Tops weren’t ready to roll over.
The quick strike offense erased the deficit and gave the Tops a chance to come back all the way to keep the winning streak against Army alive. Alas, the clock struck midnight and the Tops had to settle for a 3-point loss. The energy picked up. The Tops finally looked like the aggressors instead of the beaten down.
Now I know playing a quick strike football game for four quarters is a very dangerous proposition, namely because you leave the opponent plenty of time for a rebuttal score. But the Tops have the personnel to be able to go on tears and gobble up points to put the game out of reach early.
I like what I saw from the Tops on Saturday. This team has proven it can and will fight to the bitter end. That spirit will be needed going forward.
