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Holding SD State to three points in the second half certainly qualifies as a positive. With the offense also managing to get some of their issues ironed out during halftime the compliments have to go to the coaching staff. The fact that it was too little, too late doesn't eliminate the positives. But it does mean that they're getting the short-end this time.
The passing portion of the offense did manage to average a first down's worth of yards for the 15 completions, which just makes me wonder what could have been achieved had better be done from the start.
Even with the loss the team controls it's own chance at another conference title & a high seed in the playoffs, those facts shouldn't be lost in everything else that's about to be said.
Of all the issues that could be addressed first, the most troubling is that for the second game in a row against a true title contender the team has not been up for the challenge until well into the game. Last Spring it took kick & punt return touchdowns in the third quarter to put a veneer of competitiveness on their semi-final. It's only two games and the Bison had managed to take care of the playoff-bound teams between then & now so it's not like they'll be a first round exit but it's still troubling that they let themselves get into such deep holes against the very best teams before punching back.
While two games doesn't qualify as a trend the trouble of the running backs to be the sort of home run threat that Pierre Strong was today can be characterized as such. Tamerik Williams built on his solid outing last Saturday but even with what he did the high watermark was once again claimed by the quarterback. They've needed every bit of the production by Patterson & Miller on the ground this season but it can't replace dynamic play by the traditional ball carriers. To put it simply, a 96 yard day on the ground isn't nearly good enough.
It didn't help that ball security was a struggle today as well. Miller's interception was not a good throw but more egregious is his fumble to start the second half. None of the angles made it seem like it was especially forced out but he just sort of dropped the ball. The defense bowed up to prevent any more free points but the interception lead to their third touchdown so it can't just be swept under the rug as a singular mistake.
The defense allowing as many big plays today as they have all season was also a back breaker. With an eight-game resume of suffocating offenses it's not unreasonable to think it was a badly-timed fluke but that goes back to the overarching negative of readiness against the best.
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