Well three weeks into the season and you would think that you would have some understanding of what you are as a team. Unfortunately for Coug Fans, I don't think we quite know yet. The Cougs fizzled down the stretch and handed a SDSU an easy win 42-24. However, the score doesn't reveal what type of game it actually was. Let's start with what we know.
Marquess Wilson is an absolute stud. Besides gaining 236 receiving yards, he also is showing glimpses of a very special WR. The 78 yard screen pass reminded me off watching old Randy Moss highlights. Wilson is going to continue to get better and that is a positive for the Cougs.
The Lobster got a little cooked under pressure. This was a surprise to many in Cougar nation but it wasn't the end of the world. Lobster got a little rattled and made some mistakes. The problem was the rest of the team folded as well. The Cougs still put up some monster numbers on offense.
Ricky Galving/Carl Winston make a wonderful RB combo. While they didn't put up monster numbers they did provide a good balance. Unfortunately, for the duo the Aztecs defense was able to contain them just enough to force us into becoming a one dimensional team.
The Coug Defense still needs to grow a bit in the secondary. Granted Lindley turned out to be a good Sr. Quarterback, but the Cougs still need to put up a better showing than that. He was able to pick apart our secondary.
The Coug defense is still young and therefore still made young mistakes. I don't know if anyone noticed but it was our Sr. LB Alex Hoffman-Ellis who was still making the big tackles in the fourth the quarter. Mizell and Sekope have a ton of talent but as the Aztecs wore down our defense they also began to resort to bad habits. Hence, poor tackling started to rear its ugle head again.
Special Teams is far from perfect. The Cougs need to find a kicker who can put it into the endzone. They also need to play with some more discipline. Many Coug fans are imploding because of the roughing the punter but I do not really care. It was a momentum changer but I am fine with being aggressive on special teams. Unfortunately, Bontempts got a little excited and tried to a block a kick that he wasn't in position to get too.
The Cougs just beat themselves. They were the more physical and dominant team for 3 quarters. However, because they are young and playing their first game on the road they were not prepared for the adversity they faced. This is correctable and an important lesson. While we as fans may be frustrated by the result this is a game the Cougs needed to learn. I am glad they had the opportunity to learn the lesson early in the season before a bye week than against UCLA or Colorado. I would rather them have this memory headed into the Pac 12 season than still believing they are world beaters.
The Cougs are a good football team. UNLV put up 40 points against Hawaii and the Cougs held them to 0 offensive touchdowns. I think it is more likely that SDSU is a real good football team at the moment than it is the Cougs are a poor football team. Stick in there Coug Fans. Many good things are too come and if you think the Cougs are not going to get to 6 wins this year then you are the one who is drinking some funky Kool Aid.
Here is my predictions for the Cougs for the rest of their schedule.
Colorado: Cougs win convincingly. The Buffaloes are thin on both lines and their secondary struggled with Colarado State WR's. Plus their defense is still making dumb mistakes in terms of penalties.
UCLA: The spiral has already began for the Bruins. The team is quitting on the coaches and they are depleted with injuries. Not to mention the Cougs always play well in Pasadena when it isn't a Bowl game. Cougs Win going away.
Stanford: Probably Loss. The Cougs have played great at home and they will have a good crowd if they win their previous two games. Not to mention it will most likely mark the return of Jeff Tuel. The Cougs will have some emotional advantages over the Cardinal.
Oregon State: Win for Cougs. The Cougs get a semi home game in Seattle and the Beavers will continue to be circling the drain. The Beavers are absolutely depleted on both sides of the ball and the Cougs know they can win that game.
Oregon: Loss for the Cougs. While I don't think Oregon is as good as everyone else I don't think the Cougs can beat them in Autzen this year.
Cal: Toss up. Who knows what Cal is this year. Who knows what Bear team will show up. I have a feeling it could go either way and because of it I will put it into the Loss the category.
ASU: Emotional home game win for the Cougs. ASU is all over the board this year and they have already won their big road game. I think the Sun Devils will not take the Cougs very seriously and unless ASU is completely focused they play completely undisciplined.
Utah: Coug Win. Utah will continue to get beat up and playing them at the end of the year at home is a huge advantage. I don't think their win over BYUPac 12 teams this year.
UW: Coug win. I wasn't very impressed with Nebraska last weekend and therefore, I am not impressed with the Husky hype. They have been abysmal against teams they should beat and relied on the Huskers doing everything they could to beat themselves. The Huskies are in for a long year.
Therefore, I think the Cougs will finish their schedule with a 5-4 record. They might be able to steal another win along the way from Cal. That would put us at 7-5 and bowl eligible. I don't think that is necessarily out of the realm of possibility either.
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