MGoPodcast 16.1: That 1950's Show

MGoBlog: The MGoPodcast

2 hours and 14 minutes

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1. Offense vs Fresno State

Starts at 1:00

This is a Fresno State team that could be decent, they’re not FAU. We’re not overreacting right now. Evaluating the quarterbacks: it felt like Davis Warren was pre-determining throws which is young quarterback stuff. He also wasn’t getting a lot of help, this wasn’t the best day for the wide receivers. How would you compare Davis Warren to Cade McNamara? Alex Orji still feels like a gadget player. Kalel Mullings is clearly the best running back right now. We didn’t see an RB3 which was interesting. Donovan Edwards needs targets, not carries. You’ve got to use Orji but how much? Sorry folks, there will be many 1950s games on the horizon. Offensive line had some communication issues that can get cleaned up. Feels like one bad but different thing happened on every drive, there wasn’t any one major issue.

[The rest of the writeup and the player after THE JUMP]

2. Defense vs Fresno State

Starts at 47:48

They are who we thought they were. Jaishawn Barham is a monstrous human. The run game was stuffed no matter who was in there. It looks like they want to keep rotating a lot but you probably can’t get away with it as much this year. Will Johnson gets to decide when he risks it for an interception. You don’t need to blitz to get a guy to the quarterback so why are we doing it? Cover zero?? To beat Texas you have to overwhelm the Texas offensive line (with the front four). Giving Aamir Hall #12 is convenient since he’s new Josh Wallace.

3. Hot Takes and Game Theory

Starts at 1:08:39

Are we Iowa now? Well the special teams are excellent! Dominic Zvada hit two 50 yard field goals in his first game! Tommy Doman punts high and non-returnable punts. Kickoffs are just putting it on the 25. Alex Orji for kickoff returns?? They’ve mostly caught the punts which is nice. Why is the music volume so loud?? Every opportunity to have a tv timeout they've had one. Alcohol sale takes: long lines that are tough to walk around. That was the worst personal foul on a quarterback in a minute, but the stadium was very loud.

4. Around the Big Ten with Alex Drain

Starts at 1:40:56

Rutgers 44, Howard 7
It took Rutgers a while to get competitive.

Illinois 45, Eastern Illinois 0
Illinois comfortably covered the spread.

Ohio State 52, Akron 6
Ohio State doesn’t really blow Akron out until the 2nd half. Surprise! They have a really good wide receiver.

Iowa 40, Illinois State 0
Iowa scored points! Lots of points!

Northwestern 13, Miami NTM 6
Northwestern’s beachside stadium is amazing.

Nebraska 40, UTEP 7
“The outlook for Nebraska hasn’t looked better since the day they hired Frost.” Dylan Raiola looks exciting at Nebraska for a true freshman.

Wisconsin 28, Western Michigan 14
Wisconsin did not look good against Western Michigan. They have angered the football gods by betraying their roots.

Oregon 24, Idaho 14
What the hell happened in the Oregon game??

Michigan State 16, Florida Atlantic 10
If FAU's QB was half decent it could've happened! He also slid all game and got annihilated, getting two guys ejected for targeting.

Minnesota 17, North Carolina 19
The Big Ten's only loss so far. Minnesota remains the middest team of the league.

Penn State 34, West Virginia 12
West Virginia just didn't look ready to start this game. Not sure how much stock to buy in Penn State from this but they looked solid.

MUSIC:

• "I'm Good" — The Mowgli's
• "Saturday Sun" — Vance Joy
• "Fresno, California" — The Guy Who Sings Songs About Cities & Towns
• “Across 110th Street”—JJ Johnson and his Orchestra