Let's discuss our Safeties and Tackling

[Oldest Man]

the best defensive teams have always had great tackling safeties....there's a reason they're called safeties and tackling is primary....

honestly, both of our safeties continue to whiff on tackles over and over again....one good move by the ball carrier and they're tackling air....if we do play a top 10 team later this season, we need our safeties to step up and consistently make tackles...this has been painfully obvious all season and after SMU's first play went 86 yards with multiple missed tackles by our safeties (one of em whiffed twice), I was shaking my head.....come on Chinander, get some tacklers back there...if that means moving Burgess Becker or trying Payton at safety then do it next week vs UCOnn...it's a good game to try some new safeties and hopefully find some consistency and tackling at the safety position... this team needs to improve at safety to reach the top tier of teams in college football and move up the rankings...

 

[muckdawg24]

They are all new and first year starting. Not to mention we haven't faced a real good offense in a few weeks. Definitely things to learn and grow from.

 

[UCFhonors]

Yeah. Tackling was not up to par acrossed the board.

The MLBs played lights out though.

Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

 

[KnightNite]

Missed tackles will bite us in the ass v. usf
Hope they get this corrected by then

 

[Mikesi]

Other than that one play, it was not terrible. It's a size issue at DB. I'm telling you. Clarke will help

 

[Mikesi]

the best defensive teams have always had great tackling safeties....there's a reason they're called safeties and tackling is primary....

honestly, both of our safeties continue to whiff on tackles over and over again....one good move by the ball carrier and they're tackling air....if we do play a top 10 team later this season, we need our safeties to step up and consistently make tackles...this has been painfully obvious all season and after SMU's first play went 86 yards with multiple missed tackles by our safeties (one of em whiffed twice), I was shaking my head.....come on Chinander, get some tacklers back there...if that means moving Burgess Becker or trying Payton at safety then do it next week vs UCOnn...it's a good game to try some new safeties and hopefully find some consistency and tackling at the safety position... this team needs to improve at safety to reach the top tier of teams in college football and move up the rankings...

Look at our safety size compared to past teams.

The WR from SMU was 6'4" 216

McCants from USF is 235

 

[JAFFX2]

honestly, both of our safeties continue to whiff on tackles over and over again

looks like the entire secondary to me

 

[KnightLife1]

the best defensive teams have always had great tackling safeties....there's a reason they're called safeties and tackling is primary....

honestly, both of our safeties continue to whiff on tackles over and over again....one good move by the ball carrier and they're tackling air....if we do play a top 10 team later this season, we need our safeties to step up and consistently make tackles...this has been painfully obvious all season and after SMU's first play went 86 yards with multiple missed tackles by our safeties (one of em whiffed twice), I was shaking my head.....come on Chinander, get some tacklers back there...if that means moving Burgess Becker or trying Payton at safety then do it next week vs UCOnn...it's a good game to try some new safeties and hopefully find some consistency and tackling at the safety position... this team needs to improve at safety to reach the top tier of teams in college football and move up the rankings...

Agreed. Neal and Gibson are both contact averse, consistently trying to dive at a ball carriers' calves or ankles, even when there is a full opportunity to apply a fundamentally sound tackle and wrap up the runner.

How long do we wait for Neal and Gibson to stop missing tackles? They are both Juniors, not freshmen. This week was not their first time at big misses. See the Cincinnati and Austin Peay clips in addition to last night's SMU game. For them, this is habitual and maybe they need to be seated so that they will know how serious this is as it relates to their status in the lineup.

We have Burgess-Becker, Grant and Collier, all of whom are willing to meet a ball carrier directly and fearlessly to make a stop. They are all good against the pass as well. In any event, a change needs to happen.

 

[Mikesi]

Agreed. Neal and Gibson are both contact averse, consistently trying to dive at a ball carriers' calves or ankles, even when there is a full opportunity to apply a fundamentally sound tackle and wrap up the runner.

How long do we wait for Neal and Gibson to stop missing tackles? They are both Juniors, not freshmen. This week was not their first time at big misses. See the Cincinnati and Austin Peay clips in addition to last night's SMU game. For them, this is habitual and maybe they need to be seated so that they will know how serious this is as it relates to their status in the lineup.

We have Burgess-Becker, Grant and Collier, all of whom are willing to meet a ball carrier directly and fearlessly to make a stop. They are all good against the pass as well. In any event, a change needs to happen.

They are waaaaaay undersized

Ismaels they are not

 

[sonnyt23]

Although I'm enjoying this undefeated run the tackling has been getting progressively worse and will come back to haunt us against a good team. Also concerned with the lack of QB pressure.

 

[KnightLife1]

They are waaaaaay undersized

Ismaels they are not

They avoided contact with Proche, a 5'11' receiver from SMU, and Gibson was run over by a smallish back from Austin Peay, which resulted in a TD. They have good ball skills, but maybe need to move back in the depth chart. Hopefully they can bulk up in the weight and fitness program by next year. I wonder why they did not do that during last off season.

 

[firm_bizzle]

They are all going for the big play instead of just making the tackle.