['Hamas' Jenkins]

I am of two minds with this team:

*From the broader perspective, Cook is a wonderful story. He loves the University, and has poured his heart into the program, often playing while physically compromised. That deserves plaudits.
*Drinkwitz has done a lot to raise the profile of the team. He's brought in recruits with a national profile, and the University has made a financial commitment to the football program that dwarfs its previous budgets.
*The offense was significantly better in the second halves of most conference games. That shows an ability to recognize and exploit an opponents' weakness or wear them out with superior physicality.
*The defense came into today as a top 20 unit nationally, giving up only 315 yards per game without much in the way of NFL talent on that side of the ball. They're fifth in the nation in third down defense. By those metrics, it's one of the better defenses in the country.

But why did the whole seem like so much less than a sum of the parts?

Taylen Green is from Lewisville, Texas. He played at Boise, but there is no reason why he should be so much more comfortable throwing the ball in a snow game than a kid who grew up in St. Louis. He utilized the middle of the field in a way that Cook has never been able to, which is extremely frustrating when you have receivers like Burden and Wease.

Why does every first half begin with the offense in disarray? Why do they need halftime, or a scoop and score by the defense to wake them up? The tools are all there for an elite offense, but you can't have one if it only functions for half the game.

Why is the team so risk averse? Why does the defense not travel? (462 yards vs. South Carolina, 338 in 18 minutes of possession for Miss St, 486 for Alabama, 512 vs aTm)

Why is Luther off the field so much? Why can't Moore scheme him open by using him in motion and with rub routes?

If this were 9-3 in a vacuum, it would feel a lot more rewarding than it is. Unfortunately, the conference is a dumpster fire this year, and they had a perfect opportunity to take advantage of an easy schedule, a generational offensive talent, and favorable NIL laws. Missing the playoffs when the path was so easy raises questions about the program's ability to do it when it isn't, because there isn't more of a cakewalk than 2024.