Bluegrassrivals

final

Better cut those ol homecomings out.. distracting

charliez Wrote:Better cut those ol homecomings out.. distracting

I was just surprised that Travis Jones wasn't homecoming king..... and Mike Jones homecoming queen. Travis is a Strong runner with or without blocking. Rice had a nice game too. Seemed like a lot of new faces in and out on both sides of the ball. Was sloppy at times but very sharp at others. 5-2 record is still over-exceeding most people's expectations at the start of the year. Good game Devils. :devilflam

Devils played very well tonight. Travis Jones had once again a great game on the ground. The running was good and the blocking was excellent. I believe though that Cooper needs work and practice at the QB position. He played a very good game, but it looked like the nerves got to him a little. I cant wait to see these guys next week. I hope its a good one.

Good win Devils!

I posted something similar on the other site, but I wanted to get your guys thoughts on it here:

Patrick Cooper is clearly the best runner of the 4 QB's we've seen so far, but the passing game is still non-existent. At this point, I don't know if the problem is the QB's, the line, or the receivers, but it is so difficult for Russell to sustain drives without being able to complete a few passes. They are nearly totally reliant on Travis Jones breaking off huge runs. Thankfully, he's been doing so for the most part, but he didn't against Ironton and Ashland. The result? 2 losses. Will Rice is a good change of pace and Cooper ran the QB keeper well other than the fumbles, but Russell has got to come up with a way to complete some passes on a consistent basis if they want to be playing long in November this year.

If they choose to leave Cooper in at QB, I would just want to make sure it is not to the detriment of his defensive play. He has been a standout in the secondary this year and it's hard to judge if using another QB and keeping him fresh for D might not be a better idea. It depends how much benefit he brings to the offense. We will see how it develops over the next few weeks.

I thought the much maligned Russell line did a pretty good job tonight. Trenton Fyffe looked pretty good at tackle and Lee Marr did a good job at center. To me, the blocking looked better tonight against a pretty big Fleming County team. Of course, as previous posters said, Travis Jones makes it look even better than it is at times, though, because he has been finding the open area better than anyone I've seen in awhile!

The Russell defense is good. Again, I love the combination of Dehoff and Davidson at the safeties. Of course, Will Rice and Kamron Smith are the heart of the D. They played great tonight. The only flaw was the 2 unexplainable TD passes given up back to back late in the 4th quarter. I'm still waiting for Dehoff and/or Davidson to lay some receivers out. They have the size and athleticism to do so. However, they are just sophomores, so perhaps they will grow into being a little meaner players as time goes on.

Other than that, I had no complaints other than it appeared the Russell team was ready to go on to the Homecoming dance after halftime. They woke up, though, and posted the all important victory. They have some decent potential, more than many of us gave them credit for earlier this year. The coaches have a tough job this year in deciding how to use which players where. I have faith in them, though, to get it right before the playoffs.

Overall, this was a good win and exactly what was needed heading into momumental challenge #3 this season!

I thought Cooper had open receivers tonight and even moreso than in the past weeks. He ran the ball a couple of times for little yardage and had open receivers. I don't think White Read has good hands but they have 2-3 other tall receivers - use them! Cooper had 1 pick and could have given up another pick-6. He is a good runner. I hope they don't go with QB#5 next week. I do think that Sparks has the best % through the air this year, he just doesn't have much run potential. If Russell is serious about the pass though they need a couple of more spread formations in addition to their Wing T (and I'm not talking about the Power I or Full House formations.) Good Win.

I think Cooper would do alot better with a spread type offense. But that wish may never come true with Mcglone. He just needs to work with his receivers.

Nice win for Russell

RedDevil1981 Wrote:I thought Cooper had open receivers tonight and even moreso than in the past weeks. He ran the ball a couple of times for little yardage and had open receivers. I don't think White Read has good hands but they have 2-3 other tall receivers - use them! Cooper had 1 pick and could have given up another pick-6. He is a good runner. I hope they don't go with QB#5 next week. I do think that Sparks has the best % through the air this year, he just doesn't have much run potential. If Russell is serious about the pass though they need a couple of more spread formations in addition to their Wing T (and I'm not talking about the Power I or Full House formations.) Good Win.

LOL what world do you live in? Its Ivan Mcglone and you wanna talk about passing?

Beetle01 Wrote:LOL what world do you live in? Its Ivan Mcglone and you wanna talk about passing?

Thanks to Travis Jones, Russell's running game is on par with what you would expect from them. However, their most successful teams were a little better at passing than this team has been.

During the state championship season of 2005, Russell went 47 for 99 for 1006 yards, 9 TD's, and only 5 interceptions.

In 2006, Russell went 80 for 137 for 1575 yards, 15 TD's, and only 7 interceptions.

2007 was a little worse, but was still respectable. 51 for 103 for 997 yards, 8 TD's, and 6 interceptions in 2007.

There was a dropoff in 2008 when Russell went only 37 for 102 for 947 yards, 10 TD's, and 9 interceptions.

This year, Russell is only 12 for 41 for 217 yards with 4 TD's and 8 interceptions, and most of those completions and TD's have come from Sparks at the end of games.

I think Coach McGlone is willing and even wants to pass enough to keep opposing defenses honest, but this year the stats clearly show the passing game is completely non-existent. Looking back, the stats also clearly show if Russell has a little bit of a decent passing game, then they have a much greater chance of doing well against good teams.

Say what you will about Russell passing but from the perspective of a Belfry fan, a team that Russell traditionally sees late in the playoffs, and a team that traditionally can stop Russell's running game. The two biggest differences in recent Russll teams and those squads from '04 thru '06 has been:
1) Defensive playmakers- Guys who just can dominate the game by disrupting plays and or coming up with a huge turnover Think about guys like Wills, Kasey Clark, Tyler Jones, etc... these guys consistently dominated their man and/or created momentum swinging plays.
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2) Passing Game/QB Play- The Wing-T can be stopped when there is little to no fear of a passing game. The better Russell teams kept defenses honest with their ability to hit short to intermediate passes consistently. Additionally, the bootleg, whether it be by Tommy Brown or Jones, was a dangerous weapon to keep DE"s honest. Belfry has dominated Russell in the past couple years because the Devils did not have a QB with the accuracy and/or the running skills to make their DE's and LB's have to do anything aside from pursue and disrupt plays.

EKUAlum05 Wrote:Say what you will about Russell passing but from the perspective of a Belfry fan, a team that Russell traditionally sees late in the playoffs, and a team that traditionally can stop Russell's running game. The two biggest differences in recent Russll teams and those squads from '04 thru '06 has been:
1) Defensive playmakers- Guys who just can dominate the game by disrupting plays and or coming up with a huge turnover Think about guys like Wills, Kasey Clark, Tyler Jones, etc... these guys consistently dominated their man and/or created momentum swinging plays.
.
2) Passing Game/QB Play- The Wing-T can be stopped when there is little to no fear of a passing game. The better Russell teams kept defenses honest with their ability to hit short to intermediate passes consistently. Additionally, the bootleg, whether it be by Tommy Brown or Jones, was a dangerous weapon to keep DE"s honest. Belfry has dominated Russell in the past couple years because the Devils did not have a QB with the accuracy and/or the running skills to make their DE's and LB's have to do anything aside from pursue and disrupt plays.

Great post. I completely agree.

The thing of it is, though, I think this year's team is starting to show a reason to have some hope in the playoffs. Travis Jones is showing some unbelievable running skills. As long as he is not met by 5 defenders, ala Ironton and Ashland, in the backfield as soon as he gets the ball, he is proving he will find a way to get some yards. I don't think anyone could not agree that the blocking is getting better, too. Russell has several potential playmakers on defense as well. Perhaps not at the level of the guys you mentioned, but they have some quality guys on defense who really seem to know how to get the job done. Cooper looked like he can provide the running threat from the QB position that is needed. If the team can learn to execute some 5 to 10 yard pass plays, then Russell could at least make some teams sweat in the playoffs this year.

ryanparker Wrote:Thanks to Travis Jones, Russell's running game is on par with what you would expect from them. However, their most successful teams were a little better at passing than this team has been.

During the state championship season of 2005, Russell went 47 for 99 for 1006 yards, 9 TD's, and only 5 interceptions.

In 2006, Russell went 80 for 137 for 1575 yards, 15 TD's, and only 7 interceptions.

2007 was a little worse, but was still respectable. 51 for 103 for 997 yards, 8 TD's, and 6 interceptions in 2007.

There was a dropoff in 2008 when Russell went only 37 for 102 for 947 yards, 10 TD's, and 9 interceptions.

This year, Russell is only 12 for 41 for 217 yards with 4 TD's and 8 interceptions, and most of those completions and TD's have come from Sparks at the end of games.

I think Coach McGlone is willing and even wants to pass enough to keep opposing defenses honest, but this year the stats clearly show the passing game is completely non-existent. Looking back, the stats also clearly show if Russell has a little bit of a decent passing game, then they have a much greater chance of doing well against good teams.

Thanks for the stat-reminder - good post.

Good data usually speaks for itself. McGlone may be old school but if you listen to the post game he does understand he has to have some kind of pass threat otherwise teams end up with 10 guys within 1 yard of the LOS and then there is no room to run. He was not excited by the running yards from the QBs but seemed to be much more concerned that we had Zero yards passing. One pick, one potential pick-6, missed open receivers, and zero yards won't keep Mason honest and back off the LOS. Maglone knows that it will make next game even tougher now and any game(s) past the first round of playoffs. The good news is we are a better team than we were at the start of the season and we still have a chance to win out and go at least 2-3 rounds into the playoffs. The next several years look even brighter.

RedDevil1981 Wrote:Thanks for the stat-reminder - good post.

Good data usually speaks for itself. McGlone may be old school but if you listen to the post game he does understand he has to have some kind of pass threat otherwise teams end up with 10 guys within 1 yard of the LOS and then there is no room to run. He was not excited by the running yards from the QBs but seemed to be much more concerned that we had Zero yards passing. One pick, one potential pick-6, missed open receivers, and zero yards won't keep Mason honest and back off the LOS. Maglone knows that it will make next game even tougher now and any game(s) past the first round of playoffs. The good news is we are a better team than we were at the start of the season and we still have a chance to win out and go at least 2-3 rounds into the playoffs. The next several years look even brighter.

I agree with all that. Here is what you got for stats...
Dehoff - 4-25 - 1td - 4int's = 27.10 eff.%
Roark - 4-8 - 0td's - 2int's = 50.40 eff.%
Sparks - 4-6 - 3td's - 1int = 310.33 eff.%
Cooper - 0-4 - 0td's - 1int = <50.00> eff.%

Seems obvious who should pass. Put your running backs at running back and who passes the best at QB. Has Sparks even tried running the bootleg this year? One game I saw he got about 3or 4 on it and against BC he got about 6or8. Other than that I dont think he has been given a chance to run it. I have missed two games though so I could be wrong. I hear Cooper should be starting over White-Read at RB. True?

Beetle01 Wrote:LOL what world do you live in? Its Ivan Mcglone and you wanna talk about passing?

I was thinking the exact same thing!hh:

Maybe we should change the offense? :lmao:

ryanparker Wrote:Thanks to Travis Jones, Russell's running game is on par with what you would expect from them. However, their most successful teams were a little better at passing than this team has been.

During the state championship season of 2005, Russell went 47 for 99 for 1006 yards, 9 TD's, and only 5 interceptions.

In 2006, Russell went 80 for 137 for 1575 yards, 15 TD's, and only 7 interceptions.

2007 was a little worse, but was still respectable. 51 for 103 for 997 yards, 8 TD's, and 6 interceptions in 2007.

There was a dropoff in 2008 when Russell went only 37 for 102 for 947 yards, 10 TD's, and 9 interceptions.

This year, Russell is only 12 for 41 for 217 yards with 4 TD's and 8 interceptions, and most of those completions and TD's have come from Sparks at the end of games.

I think Coach McGlone is willing and even wants to pass enough to keep opposing defenses honest, but this year the stats clearly show the passing game is completely non-existent. Looking back, the stats also clearly show if Russell has a little bit of a decent passing game, then they have a much greater chance of doing well against good teams.

Apparently you've not been to a Russell practice.

As long as Ivan is here we will never be a passing team. If he has some extremely gifted atheletes you'll see those kinds of passing numbers. But that isn't the case.

If Russell has to go to 4-5 QBs deep to get it going 7 weeks into the season you can forget about timing and instinct which includes the passing game.

Travis was a Guard last year and this year he's carrying the team at tailback. If that is not indicative of a personnel problem I don't know what is.

Russell will always be fundamentally tough but there comes a time when you have to accept the reality that the offense isn't gonna change and I'm fine with that. Its good old fashioned smash mouth football incorporated with speed.

Travis isn't blessed with lots of speed like his dad but he can read a block and find the open field better than any back I've seen since Josh Gross.

Russell needs to focus on getting stronger and quicker at what they do. If they can do that a Regional Title may be in the cards.

It may sound cheap to some of you newly minted Red Devil football fans but before we all got spoiled with trips to Louisville, Regional Titles were few and far between.

DevilsWin Wrote:Travis isn't blessed with lots of speed like his dad but he can read a block and find the open field better than any back I've seen since Josh Gross.

I agree with this. He seems to have gotten better and better as the season has progressed. Thanks to his tremendous vision and cutback ability, he's definitely in the process of putting his name on the list of great Russell running backs.

DevilsWin Wrote:Russell needs to focus on getting stronger and quicker at what they do. If they can do that a Regional Title may be in the cards.

It may sound cheap to some of you newly minted Red Devil football fans but before we all got spoiled with trips to Louisville, Regional Titles were few and far between.

A Regional Title (winning 3 playoff games) would be a great accomplishment for this team. It doesn't sound cheap at all. Russell hasn't done that in a couple of years. It was only in 2001 when Regional Titles became a lot easier to attain. Russell won them in 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006. Prior to that, though, Russell's road to a Regional Title typically included having to win 3 games against teams like Prestonsburg, Lawrence Co, Breathitt Co, Boyle Co, and Lexington Catholic. Going farther back, Russell was a larger school and had to beat teams like Ashland just to make it into the playoffs.

McGlone05 Wrote:Devils played very well tonight. Travis Jones had once again a great game on the ground. The running was good and the blocking was excellent. I believe though that Cooper needs work and practice at the QB position. He played a very good game, but it looked like the nerves got to him a little. I cant wait to see these guys next week. I hope its a good one.

Good win Devils!

Blocking was not what i would call excellent, but nevertheless much improved. I was much more impressed with Cooper. Russell has finally found there QB!

luvthegame Wrote:I agree with all that. Here is what you got for stats...
Dehoff - 4-25 - 1td - 4int's = 27.10 eff.%
Roark - 4-8 - 0td's - 2int's = 50.40 eff.%
Sparks - 4-6 - 3td's - 1int = 310.33 eff.%
Cooper - 0-4 - 0td's - 1int = <50.00> eff.%

Seems obvious who should pass. Put your running backs at running back and who passes the best at QB. Has Sparks even tried running the bootleg this year? One game I saw he got about 3or 4 on it and against BC he got about 6or8. Other than that I dont think he has been given a chance to run it. I have missed two games though so I could be wrong. I hear Cooper should be starting over White-Read at RB. True?

It is obvious who should pass the ball, nobody!

4real Wrote:It is obvious who should pass the ball, nobody!

:thatsfunn

4real Wrote:It is obvious who should pass the ball, nobody!

Some truth to that but they gotta be able to at least make the other team think they are capable. I heard the secondary allowed 2 late td passes against Fleming. Does not sound good for the Mason game. Gotta get that right quick.

Good win devils