[NU Sports] Blow up

[Tom Maycock]

> > Their QB is special, as are at least 1 or 2 of their
> 
> He had a lot of heart and poise ... but I didn't get
> the "special" vibe off of him - unlike Roethlisberger
> when he carved us up. 

Oh no, he's no Ben R. by any means--Roethlisberger's performance was
the best I'd seen in person since Peyton drilled us in the Citrus.
Actually, I think Roethlisberger's was better. I'm a Steelers fan, so
I'm happy where he ended up.

> But he's a gutsy leader -
> reminded me of Zak Kustok. The shotgun snaps were low
> a lot and he kept picking them nearly off the grass --
> I kept waiting for a fumbled snap, but it wasn't to
> be.

Yes, exactly that kind of stuff was what I had in mind. I doubt this
guy will play in the NFL, but he's got a *very* accurate arm, and
managed to make plays and complete big passes under extreme duress. 

> Well, our O-line did dominate the first half - we ran
> it right down their throats. But they caught on to us
> near the end of the half and our pass protection and
> run blocking in the second half was poor.

Yeah, run blocking was poor in the 2nd. And of course our D didn't get
nearly enough pressure on their QB--at least notconsistently. 

> Definitely - he was this/close on the missed TD pass.

Another key miss was one of the drives heading towards the north end
zone in the 2nd half--can't remember if it was the 3rd down play before
the FG, or a failed 4th down play--but Herbert gave a great post corner
move and had an easy two steps on the DB, but Kafka overthrew him by
just a bit. 

There were a couple of others that Ward couldn't reel in, and the catch
Peterman almost held on to despite getting pasted by two guys. 

It was a tough day to be throwing long--with a strong wind either in
your face or at your back. Hard day for a rookie home debut.

Tom