“We were doing fine, then something hit the fan and we haven’t recovered,” Carroll said. “Ever since those two guys (Kris O’Dowd, Chilo Rachal) got hurt at Washington. We have to overcome whatever that is. That’s what it has felt like from an observational point. We have to get back on track

“Not having Stafon was a huge factor. He’s been a playmaker. We didn’t run the football well. We felt the absence of Stafon. That’s why we put in Hershel (Dennis). We were looking for a 1-2 punch. Chauncey ran better in the second half. But then we made a couple mistakes.

“It’s easy to point to the quarterback. But that’s not right. There are a lot of factors.

“On defense, we need to create more situations where we make the quarterback more vulnerable.”