Here is my break down of the Wooster game from last night.
I did not attend the first half, I got home from work around halftime so I only saw the second half.
However, several eyewitness reports from the first half will allow me to give a brief synopsis. Wooster forced 2 turnovers, threw 2 Td passes, missed both PAT's and a field goal attempt.
Now on to what I saw.
Offense: First series out of the locker room, three passes were dropped by recievers forcing a punt. I thought at least two of the three were more than catchable, the third would have been a highlight reel catch but it did hit hands. After that, The QB and receivers never seemed to be on the same page. Either the wrong routes were being run or the ball was getting delivered to the wrong spots. A couple of times, on a streak route the ball was underthrown which prevented the ball from being intercepted. I would have liked to have seen more passes in the 10-12 yard range not always looking for the 25+ yard home run ball. I thought when Wooster went to the running game they did well, especially with the bigger back. (More on that later), and when you run a jet sweep, you HAVE to turn upfield. They let the D string the play out and make some tackles for loss.
Defense: I thought the passing D was fairly solid. I would have liked to see them lock on that #4 receiver. He seemed to always be open and was the main target of the QB. Garfield ran a three back backfield with some nice size and speed. Wooster was a little befuddled by that look. I noticed that, that is the same running attack West Holmes ran last night as well. Wooster's D line needed to make some stops, especially later in the game to get the ball back.
Coaching: Much to the dismay of Old Rider, Haas and his staff were all wearing matching khaki pants and matching polo shirts, and I believe athletic shoes. Sorry
. Having seen Haas coach before I was little surprised that late in the game (around the 6:00 mark in the 4th) Wooster had the ball at their own 25 yard line give or take. I thought I would see a little dink and dunk from the offense, not trying to run a small back up the middle or right off tackle a couple of times. I guess the coaching staff outsmarted even me on that drive. The int hurt, and I am sure the QB will learn from that mistake, I think that was the only play he looked like a young inexperienced qb.
Crowd/Atmosphere: Nice crowd on hand last night, and remember I was there AFTER the band show and the stands were still full. It seems like the staff at WHS has made efforts to make the game more interactive and fan friendly for those in attendance. I thought there was a nice buzz at Follis last night. Winning a few games and keeping that crowd excited will be crucial from here on out. I didn't see a whole lot of wine and cheesers. Everyone we sat around was pretty much focused on the game, and making some noise. Except for the Asian couple, I am not sure if they even really knew what was going on, but they were having fun waving to their son in the band. Of course, in true Wooster fashion, on the way out I saw a guy I know and he remarked, "Changing coaches really helped" kiss my Miyagi. That kind of crap needs to go, or stay the heck at home. (You are welcome mods for my G-rated language there).
Overall, I think the team now knows what to expect come Friday nights, and if they can turn some mistakes around, they will have a nice season.
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