...::He said.

.She said::...

...::THE OFFENSE

SHE SAYS::...

My big question heading into the UCLA game was whether the offense could get into sync.  While it wasn't perfect, they were able to sustain drives and score inside the redzone when it counted. 

What I saw from this group is a whole ton more potential going forward and frankly, after two games and two wins, that is exactly where you want a team.  This is especially true of the offense, who should only get better as they become more comfortable throughout the year and the playbook expands each week.

Sean Mannion showed great poise and for the most part took care of the football.  24-35 for 379 yards and two touchdowns was a great showing. He proved that he could not only connect on the short and mid-range passes, but the deep ball as well.

Markus Wheaton and Brandin Cooks had huge performances with 325 reception yards combined. Now the Beavers need to find a third go-to receiver to keep defenses honest.  I really surprised that we haven't seen more of Richard Mullaney and Kevin Cummings to be honest.

Running game is picking up steam as well and Storm Woods had a few marvelous runs.  I think that the run game will get more of a boost if the coaches start incorporating more of the fly sweep game into the plan.  The motion that we saw late in the game was a nice change of pace.

SHE SAYS-GRADE: A-

That was a very nice offensive performance for a first road trip game.   Sure, there were some hiccups, but all-in-all, it was one of the best September offensive road performances ever under Riley.

The offensive line had a solid game, opening up some running room for the backs and giving Mannion decent time to throw.  

The fullback play in recent years has been lacking, so it was nice to see some attempts to get that turned around.  And with this game as the measuring stick, Tyler Anderson should be the starting fullback.  He picked up a critical first down on a short yardage run and also showed some nifty footwork, spinning out of a tackle and turning a no gain pass play into a seven yard pickup. 

Woods continued his growth in the starting running back job. He ran hard and held onto the ball. His numbers would have been quite a bit more impressive had that 50 yard touchdown on a screen pass not been called back due to penalty. 

Plenty to work on, but the pieces are coming into place.

HE SAYS-GRADE: B