Mavric

You've got some good points but I'll look at a couple:

I think folks are tired of the following:

 

Losing at home

Losing to unranked opponents

I don't like it any more than anyone else. But you also have to look around. You phrased it slightly differently but a lot of people say "losing to teams we shouldn't." I did some checking on this awhile ago (I'd have to start over on "unranked" so I'll use the "shouldn't lose to" for now). By my count, LSU, Alabama, Kansas St. and one other team (can't remember which now) were the only teams that hadn't lost to someone they "shouldn't lose to" in the last two years. That's it - only four teams have gone TWO YEARS without losing to "someone they shouldn't". We have a good team but not a great team. I wish we had a great team but we don't. Neither does most the rest of the country. We're far, far ahead of where we were although we didn't make progress this year. Even being a really good team doesn't make you immune (just ask Okie St. or Wisconsin). That's just how college football is now.

We have an OC who once a play works never uses it again. He calls plays that we can't execute. In the Orange Bowl WV used tha flip pass 3 times for scores. Not 3 times in a season, BUT 3 times in one game. Clemson can't stop it so why should WV stop running it.

I just think you're flat wrong on this. We ran the same play about 11 times in a row against Washington and again against Wyoming. We run the "Toss G" with regularity. One game (can't remember which now) Burkhead was under center and ran option about three times in a row. We run the old-fashioned option several times each game. I don't really remember us getting away from our base gameplan until we are forced to by time remaining or down & distance.

Most definitely. I'm of the opinion that it's a lack of player leadership/accountability, followed a little bit by Pelini's composure and then just a general youth issue. To me, David and Dennard are the only two guys defensively that scream leadership and toughness. They're gone next year, so who steps up? The team needs multiple guys on each side of the ball showcasing good leadership skills and holding one another accountable - it can't all come from Pelini.

 

As far as Pelini is concerned, Sam McKewon brought up a good point yesterday. On one drive in the second half, Nebraska got called for pass interference. Instead of keeping his calm, or even arguing about the call, Pelini is over yelling at the ref about Baker Steinkuhler getting shoved to the ground. It wasn't the right time, and it was a time Pelini needed to keep himself together. As Pelini goes, I think this team goes. And it appears they rely on him for a lot of direction and leadership, so if he is getting frustrated and losing a little control I think the team does as well.

 

And then the youth is, well...obvious. We had something like 6 or 7 guys play on offense this year who have never really played (guys like Moore, Bell, Turner, Abdullah, etc., are a few that come to mind).

Brings me back to the Virginia Tech game in 08 I think. Pelini blew up, and you could see how it impacted the outcome of the game. A&M as well. Getting screwed by the refs or not, his temper has a dramtic impact on the game.

So how do you explain the games where he kept his cool and we still fell apart (Wisc, Mich)? The players are just used to it so they did a peremptory collapse?

I'm not saying there isn't anything to it but I find it hard to blame fumbles, false starts, dropped punt snaps, pass interferences, hail marys, roughing the kickers, blown double-coverages and dropped passes on the coaches temper.

Not really sure what happened to Clemson. It's not exactly shocking that WV can put up points - especially when Clemson helps with 3 TOs - but Clemson can't do anything anymore.

And they broke the record for combined points scored with over nine minutes left ... in the 3rd quarter.

Fumble by Clemson with 1 minute left in the half was called wrong by the replay officials.

 

The call on the field was that he was down by contact, it's not reviewable. Now if they had called it a fumble it would've been fine, huge mistake by the refs and the replay officials.

The "down by contact" language has crept into the college game but I'm pretty sure it's only an NFL rule. In college you are just down - no contact needed.

Even at that, I believe the NFL changed that replay rule a few years ago. Even "down by contact" is now reviewable in the NFL (I think).

I think Rivals shows he's only interested in us. It should have "COMMITTED" under "Interest".

6'3" is good size if he can add weight. ESPN lists his as a run stopper which is also good.

Late in the first half.

42-20 West Virginia.

648 yds of offense.

WV scored on a 99 yd fumble return not included in the above yards.

Clemson will probably still score this half.

Taking Aim at the Alamo Bowl.

I've seen Six Man games with more defense.

Wowzers, he's already decommited from two schools... not the type of kid I would go after. Then again I don't get paid millions of dollars to coach college football.

As long as his final decision puts him N, that works for me.

I think it's to balance the roster. Why would we recruit Green & AA otherwise if they didn't fit our supposed system.

Possibly because we were recruiting them before we changed OCs but I still think we'll get some of both.

Decommitted from LSU

 

Interesting...although I am concerned at his desire to play RB.

 

This latest pursuit of Bourque gels with the theory I posited in the Imani Cross thread. I think these will be the types of RBs we'll go after in future recruiting cycles.

It does fit well. I'm curious if we'll get some of both or just bigger backs. We've obviously got some smaller backs that will be around for awhile but only one more year of Rex. Given the power series we seem to like, I'm guessing we'll trend toward bigger backs but it also might just be a need to balance the roster.

Who is the one person on the field you're most worried about with a hail mary. Jeffery. You put your tallest player on the field in front of him, and your best tackler behind him if he isn't in the end zone, which he wasn't.

That was the problem. Their was nobody behind him. Everybody went up for the ball. Somebody has to know they were supposed behind him. Lack of communication by the player's.

Perhaps you need another look at the play. We had our tallest corner - SJB - in front of Jeffrey; he's the one Jeffrey pushed. We had Dennard - probably our best tackler in the secondary - behind him but he missed.

Not too many times in that video that the defender didn't end up on his back. Looks like a beast and can't wait to see what he can do for our O-Line during his collegiate career.

 

Was just going to say this........If half of these pipeline recruits pan out then we will be looking good

I agree. Moore, Reeves, Klatchko, Sterup and Price last year with Thurston and Peat (?) this year would be a great foundation for the next few years.

So, the board can call out Cassidy, Thorell and others and its ok. We can complain about Carnes getting no playing time, but its "your not at practice", you don't see what the coaches see, BUT when a coach calls out his kids he is the villan. The same guy who sees them every day, coaches them, knows their abilities and limits. He basically says they quit and self destructed. Isn't that what we have all said.

 

I am guessing he was pi$$ed after the loss and said what every one was thinking. We haven't had a DE like Clowney since Wistrom. That kids a friggin freshman. USC's Swerringer (safety) was all over the field. If you think our talent level is close to top 10 you might be right, but we really dont pass the eyeball test compared to other top 10 programs. What some teams lack in talent, they make up for in coaching. We seem to be lacking in that department. Seems a lot of issues with the secondary as it relates to players from last year not seeing the field. Don't think for a minute that Raymond controls who plays. I was hard on him all season, but like his message, maybe not the delivery. Beck/now JP are coaching downgrades IMHO. Talent makes up for poor coaching as does great coaching with less.

 

I like his comments about getting punched in the mouth and punching back. We need to get tough. Wistrom/Peter bros/Minter/Brown/Booker/Trev etc would punch back. Fonzie/David/Rex punched back. Anyone else?........

+1

Honestly, we don't seem to agree on a lot (I'm sure you already knew that) but I'll have to second everything you said (except that I'll give Beck at least another year and JP more than one game before passing judgement. ).

He didn't get many balls thrown his way but he was pretty good when he did. I'm betting his lack of playing time was mostly due to poor blocking.

sooooooo...... Mavric is killing all the rest of us.... Must be some sort of football prediction wizard or something

It's a top secret formula. I could tell you ... but then I'd have to kill you.

Not the greatest show by VT's "special" teams but pretty good on DR.

Shouldn't Thad be putting in all his "Rudys" right now to finish running this one up.

 

And we all thought the Wisconsin performance was bad.

 

No kidding....... If nebraska doesnt get to 40. Doc should walk home from Columbus.

 

Seriously this is just terrible.

Whew! Made it.

I was pretty close with my Michigan State prediction. I got the spread right.

 

Ohio State 86

Nebraska 52

 

Sullinger goes crazy on our small inside and we can't make enough baskets to keep up.

Pretty close on the spread again.

Didn't count on so many shot clock voilations?

Interesting. Several others were complaining that we went away from what's working.

After the first drive of the second half (missed FG), we didn't have much of a chance to do anything. Killed ourselves with penalties and sacks.

I also thought we might see more gagetry. We got a reverse, a QB throwback (attempted) and Burkhead pitching to Martinez.

Wow! That looks pretty nice.

I thought they were going to drop the ceiling down. Maybe they changed plans.

Giving up 6 sacks is really handing it to the D-Line yeah I know three of those came on the last three plays but that just shows the lack of heart and fire our o-line plays with. FIRE BARNEY!

 

When it comes to Taylor, is it really the OL 'giving up' sacks?

 

We ran pretty well on a very stout DL. They should get some credit for that. It wasn't dominating by any means, but they held their own decently well.

If our tackle gets flagged for holding even though he barely slows the guy down coming around the corner for a sack, I'd say that's on the line. It was a tough spot as they knew we were throwing and the guy is a stud but still...

Overall, I was fairly impressed with the OLine - considering the quality of their DLine - but they were just inconsistant enough in the second half that we had trouble keeping the chains moving. The first half was really good - two TDs, punted in SC territory, fumbled inside the 10 and threw an INT in SC territory. Second half started OK with a nice drive but missed FG. Then it got bad. Formation penalty, holding, false start, false start, punt. Next possesion: rush for 3, rush for -3, sack, punt. Next possesion: false start, rush for -2, sack, punt. Final possesion: sack, sack, sack.

I was worried about Caputo after last year but he did OK. Hardrick started slow this year then came on but finished terrible. Hopefully we've some of the young OLinemen will come around ...

I love Reed as a receiver but he's got to be at least servicable as a blocker. Either that or move him to a slot receiver so he's not trying to block DEs or OLBs (as much).

So how about we keep the same offense for more than a year instead of changing so we can recruit guys that fit the system.

Three offenses in three years is tough. We were still adding large chuncks of playbook about 2/3 of the way through the season. Having a year under our belt and a full off-season to tune it up should help.

Sucks for the Stanford kicker. As my wife said, "That's what you get for being from Austin."

Maybe Stanford should triple-cover #81 ... nah, just let him run free.