Observations from week one, and this week's poll...
* With the exception of one voter, there seems to be some consensus that Muhlenberg is one of the top three teams in the South right now. Whether they end up there or not, remains to be seen.
* The one voter who has no love for Muhlenberg has much love for Millsaps. I must say, I was somewhat surprised by the lopsided-ness of the score this weekend--I figured MC would miss Jake Allen, but didn't realize they'd miss him that much. Just goes to show you how talented he really was.
* HSU's quality win over UW-LAX has earned them some love. As in the Olympics, throw out the high and low scores, and they're probably close to where the should be. A brief moment as a fan: I'm extremely encouraged by the way the defense played this weekend. And I have no idea what Major Rev is referring to RE: 2007 Backyard Brawl.
* One voter seems to have much love for Trinity. The other four seem to agree as to the Tiger's poll position.
There looks to be a fair amount of consensus amongst the pollsters on the rest of the teams. That's my commentary on this week's poll. Agree or disagree?
Millsaps--- Don't know much about them, but the scoreboard looked impressive.
HSU--- A great comeback win over a traditional power, tough having to take on Linfield but a win here could go along way towards a pool C bid even if they lose to the Crusaders.
(picking up from another area of the message board)
I truly think the Mississippi College Choctaw team that faced Millsaps on Saturday will get in the film room and will have the chance to straighten out some of their issues before they begin their march into Texas for ASC play. While they didn't look "green", the Choctaws passing D was definitely overmatched by the experience of the Millsaps offense.
Despite questions along the Millsaps O-line, one significant new feature was freshman 6-2, 315 lb. Oliver Galicki who moves well for his size and will mature quickly. I saw a couple of times when he was "taking instruction" from older linemen. If he can listen and learn, he should become a dominating force in a year or so. While QB Joseph was pressured a bit more than last year, he appeared more mobile than in previous years and also played with a calm head and super decision making. The experience of receivers McCarty, Savage, and Epps was ever-apparent in this first game against a good team. Add Menist, Milazzo, Perreira, Galatas, etc., and this offense looks simply FORMIDABLE again - possibly top 10 in production.
And while Millsaps has been known as an offense that "uses the pass to set up the next pass", they seemed committed to trying to do more with the run, though their numbers were not high for the night.
There were a lot of changes on defense, but this defense looked not only ready, but hungry to prove themselves. Swapping from a 3-4 to a 4-3 through the night, a lot of players saw action along the line and just behind it all through the game, not just in the fourth quarter. D-linemen Anderson and Dale gave consistent pressure, along with new blood on the line, though the MC QB was well-protected. The Majors played it pretty conservatively I thought, not often commiting to the blitz. The loss of LB Gillenwater was well filled by returners Lee Klein, Colby Langston, Cap White, and by a mix of new faces including Will Hawkins and Nick Dubison. The conservative defensive play may have been because of confidence in what was in the defensive backfield. The Majors held a good quarterback (Schaffer) in check without apparently dropping any assignments as no receiver ever simply "got loose". Defensive backs showed good speed and were step-for-step with MC all night. This show of speed continued to be true deep into the roster. This defense may once again be high in the passing efficiency defense statistics. It will be interesting to see how this team fares against a more balanced attack like Trinity's (all miracles aside) as they're forced to cover more of the field.
Some questions about changes in the coaching staff were also answered, as Coach Dubose seems to have replaced OC Shannon Dawson very competently. The Majors were very effective in conversions all night.
Maybe this sheds a little light on a team working to establish a true tradition as a consistent force to be recksoned with ...
Agreed that the win over LaCrosse may indicate that HSU has "righted the ship." A win this week, and they jump some of these others ahead of them.
Also, who on the Trinity schedule will help them prove themselves? Is Millsaps "the strength" of their schedule? Should they pick up a stronger early game?
