rewatched the ncsu game last night....and this may have already been discussed...but what really jumped at me this time was as the game wore on and it became more and more evident we were going to win, the effort level, never changed. it was very noticeable on defense.
i was really impressed with how hard they played late. what i got from that is two things....
1. the competition level up and down the roster has been elevated. every time someone new comes in the game, they play like they're playing for playing time. and the talent level across the board seems to be up as well as there seems to be little, if any, drop off when guys are rotated in.
2. it says the culture is in a good place. im sure there's plenty of guys that want to play more, think they should play more, but understand what the deal is. so when they get the opportunity...they go try and make the most of it. and kudos to the staff for playing as many kids thru 2 games as they have. they'll get another opportunity this week to 'empty the bench' i think.
the sheer number of kids that have played this year is such a good thing for the rest of this season and in to next. i think this is what really separates this team from other "good" teams in the recent past, including the 22 squad. the competitive depth this team has is as good as it's been in 15 or 20 years. i think we've done well in the portal. i think the overall development this staff has done has been very good, and i think there's a noticeable difference in talent level, overall.
lots of football left to play. but this team, and this program right now, in my opinion, has the foundation of what you need to be competitive at a high level.