Lumberjacks76
September 2nd, 2005, 02:25 PM
First of all, hats off to Adams State for keeping it close in the 1st half. They have a really good defense and played hard throughout the game, but were unable to overcome the superior depth of the Lumberjacks in a 52-13 rout.
Here is my analysis of the Lumberjacks victory:
I hope this team doesn't start off slow in every game, because if they do, they will surely fall behind against other foes. Although I liked the intensity of this team in the second half, it needs to be there in the 1st half, too. NAU looked asleep in the 1st and 2nd quarters.
Jason Murrietta had an okay game, and I know he can play much better. He made a poor decision on one or two passes where he threw an interception, but he did have 3 TD passes, most of them to Kory Mahr.
The defense played very well in this game. I was very pleased with the way NAU looked defensively. The cornerbacks are solid and the D-line got adequate pressure on the quarterback.
As for the offensive line, they looked "just okay" but are definitely light years ahead of last season. That transfer from Oregon State is a real stud. He got good push off the line and helped NAU gain good yardage on the ground.
The running backs for NAU looked really good and gained excellent yardage on 1st and 2nd downs. My chief concern is on 3rd and 4th down attempts. NAU squandered at least 2 scoring opportunities in the 1st half by not converting on 3rd down (especially in the red zone).
Adams State looked really good defensively for a Division II team and played with real intensity throughout the contest. There's some good football players on that defense.
Overall, I was pleased with the result and believe NAU can compete in the Big Sky Conference for a playoff berth. But adjustments definitely need to be made for the next game, or this team will get blasted by the Wildcats (a slow start offensively against Arizona will not be a good thing).
Paul
Here is my analysis of the Lumberjacks victory:
I hope this team doesn't start off slow in every game, because if they do, they will surely fall behind against other foes. Although I liked the intensity of this team in the second half, it needs to be there in the 1st half, too. NAU looked asleep in the 1st and 2nd quarters.
Jason Murrietta had an okay game, and I know he can play much better. He made a poor decision on one or two passes where he threw an interception, but he did have 3 TD passes, most of them to Kory Mahr.
The defense played very well in this game. I was very pleased with the way NAU looked defensively. The cornerbacks are solid and the D-line got adequate pressure on the quarterback.
As for the offensive line, they looked "just okay" but are definitely light years ahead of last season. That transfer from Oregon State is a real stud. He got good push off the line and helped NAU gain good yardage on the ground.
The running backs for NAU looked really good and gained excellent yardage on 1st and 2nd downs. My chief concern is on 3rd and 4th down attempts. NAU squandered at least 2 scoring opportunities in the 1st half by not converting on 3rd down (especially in the red zone).
Adams State looked really good defensively for a Division II team and played with real intensity throughout the contest. There's some good football players on that defense.
Overall, I was pleased with the result and believe NAU can compete in the Big Sky Conference for a playoff berth. But adjustments definitely need to be made for the next game, or this team will get blasted by the Wildcats (a slow start offensively against Arizona will not be a good thing).
Paul