Did Ty Gangi beat our defensive backs like a rug on a line? Yes, yes he did. Mr. Gangi was 33/54 with 3 touchdowns. Mr. Gangi, no doubt, wrapped his throwing arm in ice after the game. He offered the baseball equivalent of a complete game loss. 414 total passing yards will impact the elbow. His primary wide receivers, Mr. O’Leary-Orange and Mr. Demps, ran wild among our defensive back field. Respectively, these two enjoyed evenings of 11/214 and 5/110. Mr. O’Leary-Orange scored not once, not twice, but on three occasions as the fog slowly drifted into the stadium.
Yet, given the incredible game offered by Rashaad Penny, the game was never in doubt. What did Rashaad not do? Very little. Why not let him punt or kickoff at least once during the New Mexico game next week. Just to see. To sum his performance, as my cousin in Rhode Island would say, wicked good. Each time he ran out of the Aztec backfield he averaged 9.2 yards. Phenomenal to say nothing of the kickoff return and punt return for touchdowns. Hats off to the offense for exceptional blocking to accompany Mr. Penny’s substantial skill.
Christian Chapman had a solid line of 15/23/0 and one touchdown for 205 yards. He suffered the spectacle of three drops during the first half, yet his body language never betrays the shouting in his skull. Those 15 completions were shared with nine different receivers.
Returning to the defense, specifically the backs, the second half was a great improvement upon the first half debacle whereupon time and again, Mr. O’Leary-Orange and Mr. Demps were at least three steps closer to the end zone than the Aztec dbs. Giving up long passes of 82 and 53 yards offers plenty of opportunity for in-game improvement. That punctuation was delivered by Trey Lomax finally holding on to an intercepted pass (he should have had at least two, probably three).
Why did Jeff Horton pull Christian Chapman for Ryan Agnew with nine minutes remaining in the second quarter? I was full of questions. All of which were answered when Mr. Horton returned Mr. Chapman to the field after a penalty gift of a first down. However, the offense did reestablish momentum and self-induced disaster was avoided. Just like the Aztec defense.
Congrats and recognition to the 29,000+ at the game. A loud bunch. Sounded like a few thousand more.
Finally, the penalty line of 7/75 was excessive. We do not need to revisit that challenge with one MWC game remaining along with whichever bowl we play. Keep our hands and emotions to ourselves.
9-2/5-2. Here’s hoping for another double-digit win season.
tipmypitch 