Oklahoma State

I expect to be in absolutely incredible shape, while eating the maximum amount of ranch dressing and cheese-based foodgroups at every meal. I expect the Suncoast expressway bypass around Crystal River to be started and finished in the next two years and cut my Tallahassee drive by another 20 minutes. I expect my children to be angelic models of student leadership. Okay I flat lied there, but the point is clear...expectations blow like a bulimic blonde. We had a bunch for this team, and maybe this is just the wake up call to deliver on these lofty thoughts. Or maybe, the chemistry and coaching fail us. My gut tells me the former is more likely, but remember I like leftover chicken wings for breakfast...

I thought the most illustrative moment of the night on defense was after their quarterback ran up the middle as unopposed as an incumbent liberal in San Francisco, our nascent DC gathered his defense on the sideline and then just took off his headset and stared upward. For about a minute, with no other defensive coaches huddling with him like he had just exited the Ebola tent, he just looked up and breathed. The game was bigger than he was at that moment. Let's hope he grows up like the rest of this senior-less defense. The fact is that we have back-seven talent as good as anyone in the country, and yet we had the wrong personnel on the field way too many times this week. Second and long is not an automatic reason to go to a dime.  Nine DB blitzes in the first half and one in the second did not seem like the strongest "adjustment" we have seen at halftime. Bottom line is that we need a talent and smart player rotation all across the board and it did not happen. If this proves to be a Kelly hallmark, color me an antagonist.

So we knew that Mario Edwards Jr. was the best hand-in-the-dirt dude we have, but big man played every defensive snap. I know he is from Texas, but 70 snaps to impress the family is a bit much. We are desperately missing Thomas, Eligwe and Casher. Our line were like angry manatees. A line of big, slow mammals clogging and slogging but not capable of inflicting any damage. We need some speed on the edge, and if for some reason the aforementioned are not available anytime soon we need to find a solution. Might be the freshman Jacob Pugh who did get some snaps.

Outside of Ronald Darby, the secondary was about as comfortable as a ballerina in a bull riding ring. Tyler Hunter had a clear pick that hit him in a bad spot - spiking the # 1 on his chest - and may have turned into a TD.  Then while he and Jalen were discussing the relative merits of the cheerleaders, a lilliputian white boy went screaming by them uncovered for a momentum swinging score. Rose Bowl MVP PJ Williams played like he was hurt. He was a step slow, got away with an endzone interference, and had a tough time handling single coverage. It will get better, and needs to when that other orange bunch comes to Tallahassee in a few weeks.

I think that if I was asked to cover Rashad Green in a phone booth, he would find a way to get open. Thank goodness #80 plays for us. We all could recognize that Jameis was locking on him more than Jessica Alba walking down the beach in front of some fraternity alums. I would stare too, and I damn sure would throw to Rashad if given the choice.  I was very happy to see Christian Green make some big grabs, and getting the slightly quick Kermit in space is a good idea. But, we have to find a way this week to get the freshman in the game and involved. OSU took O'Leary out of the game with a double team. That is a home run for Jimbo if your TE can occupy two bodies. We saw a tremendous amount of 8 man fronts, which predicated our QB throwing a record 40 times. But, Jimbo was old school Spurrier-esque in his stubbornness about throwing out of trouble. Yes, we do have a little history of trust in the man currently holding the Heisman, but mercy did we put the entire game on his shoulders.

This game will provide Coach Trickett with a season worth of game film mistakes, and not just by his boys. On a number of occasions, Karlos flat missed huge cutback holes and chose to go outside and got plastered. On a redzone first down, Cam Ervin swung his arms like Michael Phelps before he hit the pool, and like Michael got nothing but air as his guy blew by and destroyed Los for a 3 yard loss. Karlos had a tough day and night, as a personal tragedy was followed by a very tentative night. He looked like it was paralysis by analysis, compared to the hole hitting missile we saw in 2013 solely featured in the second half against tired legs. Just like Los last season, Mario Pender's first collegiate carry in 2014 was also a spectacular TD. He looks quick and powerful, and we hear that Dalvin Cook is all that and more. Austin Barron just looked overmatched at times, and it would not shock me to see a switch here, but Josue Matias was amazing on the Houdini run by Jameis. Not only did this monster get 12 yards downfield and pancake a Cowboy, but he said that crowd noise told him his leader was close by so he ducked under a leaping Winston.

Speaking of tough nights, the defending National Champion Head Coach should be on top of the list. Fourth quarter go up by 12 and you kick? After the first abortion of a pooch kick, you have a Groza award-winning cannon teeing it up and you pooch it again to the only Poke player on the field that has hurt you all night. Your slow play calling and personnel issues cost you all three second half time outs. Phew, thank goodness the Bulldogs of Citadel are coming to town. We need to deliver a dirt nap in Doak.

JerryWorld was amazing, and your Noles showed up in force. If this was an OSU home game (and the fact that their band was the only one allowed on the field tells us this was not a neutral site), we still owned half the mortgage. We had the noise, the better band and at least half the crowd. The television was the most wonderfully distracting electronic monstrosity I have ever seen. After big plays, this 80 yards of HD split-screen into four different field angles to show you absolutely everything you could ever want to see in a replay. I am certainly not opposed to padded seats or empty restrooms. Heading back there in five months won't suck...

See you in Tallahassee!