Development.
It's that thing that occurs when players are better in November than they were in September. It's that thing that occurs when a player like Mitchell can be trusted in game No. 7 when you weren't sure he could stay on the field in week two without costing the team seven points. It's also that thing that occurs when you're left wondering how a defense that gave up 142 points in a three-game stretch from game No. 2-No. 4, but has only given up 63 in the three games that followed.
D-E-V-E-L-O-P-M-E-N-T.
I agree with all your observations in the lede section, but there's one other element involved.
There's a lot of mocking of Herman on this board for continually talking about missing spring practice, off-season training and totally improvising preseason camp, but the fact is, there's no way that missing that much concentrated work together as a team with new offensive and defensive coordinators doesn't affect the way the team executes when the well-damn-it-looks-like-we're-playing season starts.
Seven games into the season, the team is now starting to catch up on all the missed reps and is now reacting within the schemes rather than just trying to learn them. And all the new coaches have had to learn about their players in games rather than practices. Now they know alot better what they can do with whom, what works and what doesn't. And now they're able to scheme with that knowledge.
Obviously, the progress is a lot more conspicuous on defense. But hats off to Chris Ash, his unit is affirming his reputation as great coordinator. And hats off to Mark Hagen and Oscar Giles. Multiple guys along the defensive line are playing a lot better and show improvement from game to game. And the same for Coleman Hutzler and the linebackers.
I thought the offense would be playing better long before now, and I thought Sam Ehlinger would thrive under Mike Yurcich. It appears we may have found where Ehlinger's ceiling is, and it may well be that he just isn't suited to some of the throws that Yurcich's scheme emphasizes.
But hopefully we saw the running game rounding into form against West Virginia.
