UofL vs. Indiana State -- 9/5/09

In Kragthorpe's first season, the offense was able to keep the team in most games, but the defense was not able to stop anyone. (There was also this thing about a UConn punt returner running a punt back for a touchdown after signaling for a fair catch.) In his second season, the defense kept the game close, while the offense couldn't score. What's in store for this season? It's difficult to say. A game against a 1-AA school, excuse me, a Football Championship Series, will not really show you what your team can do. It will show things to be worried about.

1. Penalties. UofL committed 14 penalties tonight. That is way too many penalties to be committing in any game, even the first one of the season. The more acceptable range would be 5-7. If they continue to play in the 10+ range, then this is going to be a very, very long season, with very few wins.
2. Kicking game. UofL's place kicking was an issue all last year. While Payne was able to make 3 of 4 field goals, his kick-offs were fairly short. This field position disadvantage will wear on the defense, and good offenses don't need any help.
3. Burke's decision making. While his first interception was an errant pass in his wild first quarter, his second interception was a stupid mistake, and worries me about his instincts as a quarterback. With 6 seconds left, there is time for one quick pass into the the end zone. If that pass is not there, throw the ball out the back of the end zone quickly so you can then kick a field goal. Burke's instinct was to scramble and then try to dump the ball off with his left hand. That type of decision-making and game management worries me.
4. Burke's arm. His deep passes need a lot of work. Once he settled down, he became fairly accurate with his shorter passes, but his deep passes were still off. I pin this on Burke because the receivers were open downfield, often wide open. If he can't stretch out the defense, then that is going to make life rough on the running backs, which are the highlight of the offense.

Kentucky is in two weeks, and that is when we'll be able to see more clearly how the rest of the season is going to progress. Right now, I'll admit I'm not very hopeful. But right now, UofL did win tonight, and a win is a win. Better to be 1-0 than 0-1. Just ask Oklahoma who just saw their national championship hopes take a major hit after losing their starting quarterback, and get upset by BYU.