First let's talk about the game- Here's the deal. Sometimes the other guys are really good and they can make plays as well. Penix was making great throws, and to be honest our coverage was tight most of the time early, but the receivers were making fantastic catches! Hell if you look at our players offensively the stats are good individually but not cumulatively. Running Blue 6.6 ypc, Baxter 7.1 ypc, passing Sanders 12.5, Whittington 17.5, Worthy 22.5, Blue 11.3 with Baxter 19.5 yard per catch. The anomaly is Mitchell at 5 ypc.
But Ewers completes only 55% of his passes. The complete ones were solid, the running game was solid, what was weak was completion percentage and fumbling the ball away. Even then you have to remember that one of Washington's TD's was a tip, And one 3rd down completion was a tip that took heat off a ball that would would have been overthrown. We also got lucky with the early muff.
But let's talk about Sark. Bottom line is we nearly won a game with our QB only completing 55% of his passes against an undefeated #2 team in the country. The fact we came back at the end was a testament to the type of mentality this team has developed! The most difficult thing for a head coach to do is build a culture. At first coaches have to come in and be not only the coach, but the head disciplinarian and head motivator. And it's never, ever, ever successful... at least at first. Winning coaches develop a culture within the team where team leaders are the motivators, and largely take over the role of disciplinarian of the players producing accountability to the team and each other. THIS is the secret sauce to success over time. Sark has added this secret sauce to our team and now we are in a good position moving forward from an accountability and team unity perspective. And that my friends is light years from where we were, at 5-7 with us finding a way to lose and players not looking past the tips of their own noses in many cases.
Today we have a solid two deep at every position like we have not seen in decades. OF course there are some holes to fill, but it's been a long time since we had backups of a high enough quality level to step up and step right in. Sark has in essence rebuilt the program. In his own image no less. I think that one of the things that I like most about Sark is his relationship with the players. You hear time and again how he genuinely takes an interest in their lives beyond football, and that's how he spends most of his time interacting with players on an individual basis. His past very public missteps also make hime more relatable to kids. As opposed to the dishonest "just be perfect" mindset so many coaches project, despite the reality. I think this makes Sark approachable and makes players and equally as importantly a player's parents comfortable with him. This has allowed him to kick ass high school recruiting. The other thing I LOVE about Sark is he realizes that continuity is so very, very important in maintaining a culture. He has been very selective in bringing in portal players, because he understands how one or two very talented bad apples can start a rot in the whole barrel. This is perhaps the most overlooked quality that I think Sark possesses.
We had disappointment last night. But Sark has earned his money and we are in a very good spot going into the SEC in 2024. Imagine what might have been with 58% completions and only one fumble... If you are not happy with Sark you are a fucking moron.