Pretty pleased, just got done watching the game, had to work tonight due to a job transfer. Missed chatting with you guys. I know it was new Mexico state but still I sae progression, and that was the main thing I wanted to see.
Yeah, aweb, if you scan the game day comments you can see the flow of exactly what you're talkin' bout: excitement-in-spite-of-ourselves going in, careful, building satisfaction in the first half, actual RELAXED (if qualified) CONFIDENCE at the break--and lo-and-behold, "I forgot what this feels like"-satisfaction by the 4th quarter. As you note, we more or less hit every "mark", did the things on offense and generally showed all we could hope to see in the opening game of "The Mac Era", never forgetting of course that it WAS against "those other Aggies" from the SWAC. Still, it was also against a decently-coached group of young men out to win, you can only play the scheduled teams week-by-week no matter what, and now (having done everything asked of them and gotten an idea of where they are and the work still to be done), we move on to play a team that sees us as STILL a big-time opponent, the kind of program they'd like to get back to knocking off with some regularity--as they used to do a coupla times a year, it seemed, before a bit of a down year LAST season or so...something WE know way too much abou ourselves, right? So I expect the Pirates to be hyped up for this one Saturday, and we should look at it as a real test of what we THINK we began to see this past Saturday in the opener: The D is within striking distance of still being formidable, and of course we may have a "powerful, high flyin' Gator Offense" in process of re-emerging, finally. Sure, WAY early yet, but we showed all you'd hope they could in game #1, and now #2 looks to be bout as much as we'd need or want as a well-timed, "proper test" at this point. I don't expect quite the same kind of lopsided late run-away against E Carolina like we just saw in the Swamp-opener (but it WAS ELECTRIC there, didn't it look like fun?) but I DO look forward to a game we can, if we are ready and stay composed, weather what I expect will be an "early onslaught" and even some aggressive trickery from them, I can see us steadily asserting dominance and eventually pulling away for a strong win. This is still a Gator team with a D that can hold us in ANY game--and OK, it's early yet, but we ALL saw the first signs of an offense that can, I believe WILL more and more "score in bunches". Here's hopin'-- and I don't even think I'll need to "cross my fingers" so much anymore when I make such statements! THAT'S how far we may have come already.
