The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Jorvorskie Lane vs. New Mexico

 After reading Mike Sherman's comments on Lane not giving his best effort against New Mexico, I first ignored his assertion, figuring if Lane wasn't blocking well or not playing his hardest, it was because he was in his first start in a new position, being asked to do something he hasn't ever had to do before (be a lead blocker). After watching the A&M-New Mexico game on DVD, I've changed my mind.

I put together  all of the plays Lane participated in during the first and second quarter to see how he performed.

Jorvorskie Lane in the first quarter of the 2008 New Mexico game.

Lane in the second quarter of the 2008 New Mexico game.

The Good: The few opportunities he had to run the ball, Lane ran hard. There was also evidence of a few attempts at passes to Lane. As someone who advocates using Lane in all facets of the game on offense, it is good to see that we're trying to get him multiple touches.

The Bad: While there was one play where Jerrod Johnson simply overthrows him to avoid the pressure, on many of the pass routes, Lane looked like he didn't know where he was supposed to go, or had problems releasing from the LOS. This is something he can work on. I hope to see improvement when we play Miami on Saturday.

THE UGLY: Lane's blocking was simply atrocious. I haven't seen such a piss-poor job of blocking since I watched Ricky Williams play in the 1996 Big 12 Championship Game against Nebraska. While Lane didn't quite match William's penchant for pitching a no-hitter (not touching anyone), his blocks were pathetic. He was thrown aside on some blocks, as he didn't set his feet and lock onto the defender. Other times, he just ran out there and didn't hit anyone. A few times, he gave the defender a quick one-two love tap to try to move him. Sherman is correct; with his size and weight, Lane should be dominating defenders. He simply needs to get better in this area, there is no excuse for his sorry performance.