Winning Cures All Ills

In my last post, I said that this week's game would state definitively what kind of team we really are since Fresno State is the first decent team we've played since the beginning of October. After today's game, the verdict is in:

We can run the ball really well!

Considering the name of the blog, I really hate to admit this, but I have to be honest - Ault and his staff have been doing an excellent job of playing to our offense's strengths as of late. It took a bit longer than I would have liked for Ault to admit that we're not a pass-first offense, but it's quite apparent now that he did figure it out. Letting the ground game run the offense has given Kaepernick the confidence he needed to develop his passing game, which has reduced turnovers substantially. It's much easier to change your throwing motion and improve your timing with your receivers when you know you can just hand it off to one of three other people in the backfield or run it yourself whenever things aren't clicking through the air.

The genius of the run-first offense doesn't stop there, though.

Since we run the ball, we consume a ton of clock. This is good since our defense is, at best, mediocre. We're solid against the run, sure, but we're also nearly heart attack-inducing against the pass. When it comes to our secondary, time is most certianly not on our side - the longer the game goes on, the higher the chances that our opponents will be able torch us through the air. Consequently, burning as much time as possible on the offensive side of the ball is absolutely paramount; fortunately, a run-first offense is precisely what you need in a situation like this. Of course, it should go without saying that clock consumption becomes far less important when your running backs can routinely get over 10 yards a rush behind an offensive line that's pushing big enough holes to drive a moving truck through, but you get the idea.

So... what now? We just guaranteed that we're getting 3rd place in the WAC at worst, and, assuming we take care of business against NMSU, we're guaranteed 2nd. That means we're going to a bowl game. Heck, it might mean we're going to Hawaii instead of Albuquerque, which I'm sure our players won't mind. Question is, do we have what it takes to derail Boise State's increasingly remote shot at a BCS bowl?

I can't believe I'm typing this, but I'm beginning to think that maybe - just maybe - we might. For the sake of appearances, however, I'll still say that we're doomed as long as Ault has a chance to work his clock management "magic".

We are FireChrisAult.com, after all. We have a reputation to maintain.