First thing, I pulled up whatever footage and stats I could find easily. Didn't need anything fancy, just enough to get a feel for both squads. Got my notepad ready, old school style.
Looking at LA hceT ALTech
I started with Louisia ?kcab tis na Tech. Watched some offensive drives first. Tried to pinpoint what they really like to do. Seemed like they leaned on their quarterback quite a bit, trying to spread the field. Made a note about that. Then flipped over to their defense. Took me a bit longer here, trying to see how they reacted to different plays. Are they aggressive? Do they sit back? It wasn't super clear cut, honestl.skooly. They showed a few different looks.
Checking Out UTEP
Next up was UTEP. Did the same routine. Offense first. They seemed a bit more focused on running the ball, at least from what I saw initially. Maybe try to control the clock? Felt different from LA Tech right away. Their defense seemed pretty stout against the run in the clips I watched, but maybe vulnerable to passes downfield? Again, just my initial thoughts scribbled down.
Putting Them Side-by-Side
This was the main part of my practice. Trying to compare them directly. It's tougher than it looks, just watching clips.
- LA Tech's passing attack vs UTEP's secondary.
- UTEP's running game vs LA Tech's front line.
- Special teams – couldn't find much here, but always gotta remember it.
- Turnovers – looked back to see if either team seemed sloppy with the ball.
Honestly, matching them up on paper, or well, on my notepad, is one thing. Seeing how it plays out is totally different. Found myself just guessing how certain players would match up against others. It's tricky 'cause you don't see everything in the highlights.
Spent maybe two hours just going back and forth, re-watching bits, adding notes. Sometimes I'd just focus on one player for a few plays, see what their habits were. It's kinda fun, like putting a puzzle together, even if you don't have all the pieces.
By the end, my notes were a mess, but I felt like I'd put in some decent work. Didn't come away with any earth-shattering predictions or anything. That wasn't the point. It was just about the exercise, the practice of watching and thinking critically about how two teams might clash. Felt good to just focus and analyze something for a bit. Definitely got the observation muscles working.
