Season Two of the Weekly Newsletter covering the Cards most recent contest. Double clicking on the newsletter will allow for full screen viewing and zoom functionality on mobile device.
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I was nervous last week. I was on vacation and finally caught up with watching the NC State game and my feelings afterward were borderline apathetic. I was disappointed, not pleased with how they played, or the lack of ball security, but then I moved on about my day. A loss like that would usually stick with me for a few days at least (see; Wake Forest) but I was resigned to this just being what we are in 2026, and that’s what made me nervous. Then the boys came out in the second half against FSU….and totally redeemed themselves! Well, not quite, but I’m back in. I was screaming for change, something to get mixed up so we could try and inject some life into a program that was on its last leg before we had even reached the halfway pole, and credit to Brohm for doing just that. Handing over the playcalling duties to Brian, something he has done roughly the last 14 seasons of his coaching career, couldn’t have been easy, but he did it. And he trusted the rest of the offensive staff to do their job. Injecting his understanding of the offensive game plan into the defense, aiding Ivey and Ellis with play calling, new communication methods from the sidelines, and moving those guys into the box, were key elements of the differences we saw as the game wore on. All sins are not forgiven, and we know there is still lots of football left to play, but this response, not just to the last couple games, but to being down 14-0 and heels on the goal line of a three score deficit…this is what can really turn things around. (Quietly peeking at ACC Standings). Go Cards.
OFFENSE Sometimes the offensive wizardly of great play designers and play callers is so far over the head of the average fan that we don’t even know what we’re witnessing. And then at other times, the average fan could likely call a better game than the wisest offensive guru in the land, because it’s tough for them to forget all they know. On Friday night, instead of forcing the ball downfield and trying to crank up a passing game that clearly could have done some damage in spots, the guys leaned on the run game…and then kept running it again and again, daring the defense to try and stop it (spoiler alert, they did not). Putting up over 400 yards on the ground (I’m not counting the kneel down yardage) is a crazy number but doing it with four different players finding the endzone on the ground, and all four posting over 40 yards rushing, is not only a testament to the depth of the position, but also the offensive line accepting the challenge laid before them. Lincoln, again, didn’t have to go win the game on his own, and he seemed perfectly comfortable handing the ball off and watching Brown, Jennings, and Davis speed off into the distance and enter the glowing infrared light. Expecting two hundo from Isaac every week is not realistic, but this big play ability is what we hoped to see week in and week out from one of the top backs in the country. Let’s hope this was the catalyst.
DEFENSE Ask me what I thought about Brohm stepping in to help the defense and adjust the sideline communication when the boys were three yards away from trailing 21-0…..it wasn’t exactly a radiant five star review. But the defense got the stop, and then the game completely flipped upside down. From the moment the defense stopped the Seminoles on 4th down, they surrendered only 111 total yards on 7 of the next 8 drives. While FSU slipped in a respectable 4th quarter touchdown drive the defense was lights out otherwise. Of those seven drives three came at the hands of a three and out, and one came on a first play interception. If my counts are correct, I believe FSU only had five first downs the rest of the game after that stop, and finished 10/22 on 3rd and 4th down for the whole game. What changed exactly? First of all, it was evident the Cards were not going to get beat over the top again, and FSU to their credit picked them apart down the field to open the game, but later adjustments to close that space, be a bit more aggressive in the front seven, and then take risks on the backend, resulted in an uncomfortable Florida State offense that just never found their rhythm again once it was lost. This defense still has problems and things to correct, but this wasn’t a 100+ national ranked defense on Friday night, and that is a positive step in the right direction.
SPECIAL TEAMS (grimacing through the pain) I’m really trying here guys. Overall, the special teams did great. Nice blocking on the return from Isaac, no bonehead plays on the five punts from FSU, Hayes sent one 48 yards on his loan attempt, the field goal miss was from 54 yards and had plenty of distance….lots of positive things. But, after we were all celebrating the 68 yard rumble from Isaac, the boys line up for an extra point and subsequently got it blocked, for the second time this season. Last year we missed three XPs, this year already two. Between this and the blocked field goals our alignment and kick angles must improve. An XP should never get blocked due to proximity and line play, it’s inexcusable and I don’t know why we can’t fix it.