The morning after

Football
I meant to post these thoughts yesterday, but my Internet Explorer was out of whack.

The grades...
Quarterback -- Although Chris Jacquemain's stats are putrid, his play was only "bad." The receivers should take most of the blame for his four interceptions. However, Jacquemain was not accurate, and the fumble for a touchdown was completely his fault. He also completed only 21 of 44 passes. Grade: D
Running back -- Andrew Johnson showed a powerful running style that got the Zips moving. Dennis Kennedy was less impressive, but the coaches kept using him anyway. Despite that, the running game was more than adequate to win the game. Grade: B+
Wide receiver -- Dashan Miller and Jeremy Bruce both had a dropped pass turn into an interception. Not even Deryn Bowser's tremendous game ovecomes that. Grade: D-
Offensive line -- The line had two penalties: a false start and holding flag. That's not bad. The running backs averaged more than four yards per carry. Ball State sacked Jacquemain twice. Grade: B+
Special teams -- Another solid day of work from Bryan Williams, who plays a big role in field position. Igor Iveljic was flawless. Grade: B+
Defensive line -- These guys keep getting pushed around. Heading into the season, this looked like a strength because of the first-string talent and potential behind them. Now it's the guys with raw talent who must step into the role of producing now. And it's not happening. Ryan Bain and Eric Lively better come soon, and they better make a difference. Otherwise, this season will go down the tank. Grade: D-
Linebackers -- Mike Thomas and Miguel Graham are making plays, filling into holes nicely for Jim Fleming's unit. Hey! We also had a Kevin Grant sighting. He had 10 tackles (1.5 for loss) and recovered a fumble. There's a lot more activity when the defensive line is useless. Grade: B
Secondary -- As I mentioned, Graham played well, including a one-handed interception that made me gasp. Bryan Williams is a stud. Tyler Campbell is serviceable. Wayne Cobham is pretty useless, and he's playing a position (rover) that normally has been a strength for the Zips. Grade: B-
Coaching -- I have a few problems with coaching decisions here. First, why would Jacquemain throw the ball 44 times, when he's playing poorly, the weather sucks and the running game is flourishing? Second, why keep Johnson on the bench when he's clearly out-performing Kennedy? Third, can't we find someone better than Cobham for rover (perhaps DeVoe Torrence?) Fourth, the 3-3-5 is unwatchable with this personnel. Despite all that, the team played hard and was disciplined. Ball State might win the MAC, yet the Zips could have beaten them if not for a shoddy passing/receiving game. Grade: C-

Other news and notes...
The Zips are 7.5-point favorites to beat Army. Finally, the Zips aren't underdogs.
I finally got the dirt and grime out of my ears, pockets, etc. from sliding through the mud at the Rubber Bowl. For those of you with a Facebook account, you can watch the video on my page. (If you are a prospective employer of mine, please ignore this.)
The Paducah Chiefs and Unblowuppable Steamed Hams are tied atop the Yahoo! Pick'em League with 40 points.
The Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto wrote a column about the athletic department's expectations of InfoCision Stadium.