So, taking a deeper look at personnel from Saturday...
QB - Walker really was solid. The box score doesn't track drops, but there were at least three, including Madison on the touchdown and Gonzalez down the sideline. I think his accuracy was off a bit as the Colonials went down, too. Still, even though he was just 16 of 32, 219 yards and 2 TDs should get the job done most days. Nice to see George Martin get some reps in, too. I wonder if he's the legit No. 2 or if they just got him time to prep for next year.
RB - Stephens had 18 carries for 70 yards. He seemed to get hit early before he had a chance to build up momentum. Kendall Rodgers didn't add much. Good to see Alijah Jackson get some reps as a freshman late.
WR/TE - RMU didn't rotate at receiver as much as I thought they would. Vecchio, Bodeman, and Madison started and caught passes. Gonzalez was the only TE to catch a pass. Allison was the only reserve to catch a pass. Hanks, Barr, Magee and Petrick played but didn't have a catch. The stats don't track targets. Warren Robinson apparently didn't play at all, so I'm guessing he's banged up, as I'd expect him to at least play special teams.
OL - Hicks, Mundy, McAllister, Young, and Fennell started from left to right. I know I saw Rodriguez in there at tackle a few times. John Sheldon, Patrick Banning, Alex Minford, and Adam Sedzmak all played according to the stats, but not sure if that was just on special teams. The biggest thing, for me, is cohesiveness. I don't mind moving some guys around for a couple weeks here to see how they react to game situations. But by Week 4, I want a group of five that's going to play every snap. They didn't give up a sack, which is good, but they can be better.
DL - I was underwhelmed. Antuono, Pulley, Fenwick and Thimons started. Walter, Darley and Stanford also played. No one got a sack. Walter and Darley each had a tackle for a loss. They didn't get into the backfield enough and when they did, they often were pushed too far upfield to make a play.
LB - Also underwhelmed. Lamica and Wollet need to be more of a presence. Lamica had six tackles, one for a loss, while Wollet had four. TJ Neal also had four and I'm stunned that he had that many, because I didn't notice him all game. Romanchak and Mason also played, but I believe that was mostly special teams.
DB - Dayton was accurate passing, but they didn't really burn RMU deep. The 64-yard TD was a short pass that RMU blew tackles and couldn't get off blocks on. Take that away and you've only given up 129 passing yards. I'd just like to see more plays made. No one even had a pass break up. Brown and Price started at corner, but Jimenez played a lot and had six tackles. Muehlbauer was in a lot at safety with Amos and Canton, too. Arrington Johns, Dejuan Dandridge, Alex Kwasiniewski, Devon Dickerson and Jacob Thomas all played, mostly on special teams.
In short, a lot of young guys got their first snaps. The defense felt vanilla, but I feel confident that Clark and Plungas will work on that. I'm optimistic about the offense after it posted over 400 yards and scored four TDs, but they have to stay healthy.
Get a win this week against D-II Virginia State.
