*** Official Michigan State Game Thread ***

[Wistrom Disciple]

21 minutes ago, BoNeyard said:

I just have no idea how there has been zero progress since Riley’s last year. It makes no sense, we have the same exact issues tonight that we had 5 years ago.

 

I mean even Riley had a hard fought OT loss to Wisconsin. 

Progress in terms of improving the talent within the program. Riley struck out on a lot of guys and settled for the D-list players like Dismuke, Chris Walker, etc. 

 

Defense also playing with pride again which was absent since Pelini’s guys left. Offense showing glimpses of beautiful football. Unfortunately inconsistency has been our MO and our special teams haven’t been truly good since Bo. 
 

I know the popular opinion is to get a special teams coach and it’ll magically make us better. That’s fine and dandy if it works, but I remember the last special teams coach we had… people (including me) complained that Bruce Read was overpaid for having mediocre special teams despite making nearly half a million a year. I do think making Mario an analyst would be better but until the players follow their coaching and perform accordingly, we’re going to continue to struggle.

 

Shanked punts, punting with a hook going the opposite direction of intended and field goal kicking can only be coached so much. Tonight’s punt return for a touchdown for example. Coaches had setup for right side contain and even had the punter rolling to his strong side (right) to make it easier. Dude messed up, same with Pryz. shanking the punts. I don’t want to get into the habit of fans blaming players for everything but clearly those two are failing to prove their spot on the roster. 

[BoNeyard]

2 minutes ago, Wistrom Disciple said:

Progress in terms of improving the talent within the program. Riley struck out on a lot of guys and settled for the D-list players like Dismuke, Chris Walker, etc. 

 

Defense also playing with pride again which was absent since Pelini’s guys left. Offense showing glimpses of beautiful football. Unfortunately inconsistency has been our MO and our special teams haven’t been truly good since Bo. 
 

I know the popular opinion is to get a special teams coach and it’ll magically make us better. That’s fine and dandy if it works, but I remember the last special teams coach we had… people (including me) complained that Bruce Read was overpaid for having mediocre special teams despite making nearly half a million a year. I do think making Mario an analyst would be better but until the players follow their coaching and perform accordingly, we’re going to continue to struggle.

 

Shanked punts, punting with a hook going the opposite direction of intended and field goal kicking can only be coached so much. Tonight punt return for a touchdown for example. Coaches had setup for right side contain and even had the punter rolling to his strong side (right) to make it easier. Dude messed up, same with Pryz. shanking the punts. I don’t want to get into the habit of fans blaming players for everything but clearly those two are failing to prove their spot on the roster. 

There is some reason and logic and taking a step back look at things within this post, so I’ll apologize now, I’m far too emotional and upset to read this post with an open mind.

[Wistrom Disciple]

4 minutes ago, BoNeyard said:

There is some reason and logic and taking a step back look at things within this post, so I’ll apologize now, I’m far too emotional and upset to read this post with an open mind.

I get it man, that game tonight was ours to lose. I haven’t been that internally upset in quite awhile. Even average special teams play this year and we’re 4-1 at worst. 

[runningblind]

50 minutes ago, Wistrom Disciple said:

Progress in terms of improving the talent within the program. Riley struck out on a lot of guys and settled for the D-list players like Dismuke, Chris Walker, etc. 

 

Defense also playing with pride again which was absent since Pelini’s guys left. Offense showing glimpses of beautiful football. Unfortunately inconsistency has been our MO and our special teams haven’t been truly good since Bo. 
 

I know the popular opinion is to get a special teams coach and it’ll magically make us better. That’s fine and dandy if it works, but I remember the last special teams coach we had… people (including me) complained that Bruce Read was overpaid for having mediocre special teams despite making nearly half a million a year. I do think making Mario an analyst would be better but until the players follow their coaching and perform accordingly, we’re going to continue to struggle.

 

Shanked punts, punting with a hook going the opposite direction of intended and field goal kicking can only be coached so much. Tonight’s punt return for a touchdown for example. Coaches had setup for right side contain and even had the punter rolling to his strong side (right) to make it easier. Dude messed up, same with Pryz. shanking the punts. I don’t want to get into the habit of fans blaming players for everything but clearly those two are failing to prove their spot on the roster. 

This is thrown around a lot but we were ranked right around #30 in ST in all 3 of Riley's years. In Frost's we have been no better than 109th and as bad as 123rd out of 127 FBS teams. That's quite different.

 

https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/ncaa/fei/overallst/2015

 

We were ranked #5 in 2014, hence the outrage about dropping to #30 with Read, but this is so much worse than that and it's largely due to not having a dedicated coach giving it enough focus.

[Wistrom Disciple]

20 minutes ago, runningblind said:

This is thrown around a lot but we were ranked right around #30 in ST in all 3 of Riley's years. In Frost's we have been no better than 109th and as bad as 123rd out of 127 FBS teams. That's quite different.

 

https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/ncaa/fei/overallst/2015

 

We were ranked #5 in 2014, hence the outrage about dropping to #30 with Read, but this is so much worse than that and it's largely due to not having a dedicated coach giving it enough focus.

Yes, we have been very poor for quite awhile. The outrage wasn't about dropping to closer to average. It was for paying a special teams coach half a million to show little to no creativity, zero return on investment and poor performance on an aspect of the game where he attended practices for maybe an hour a day. The impression I get is that everyone believes a dedicated special teams coordinator will dramatically make us great quickly. Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma all have split duty coaches and it seems to work alright for them. We brought in Busch this off season. I'd argue that schematically and strategy-wise, we are better this year than last in terms of preparation and setup during the game. Where we're failing is in the execution of those plans. 

 

I think most fans could care less about positional or unit rankings and would rather see our players make the smart football play every time. That means catching punts, covering when punts or kicks aren't out of bounds or through the back of the endzone and being able to maintain blocks during kicks. Where I think the coaches can do better is to further simplify and build the mindset of taking the simple play/gain. Too often, I believe, players are trying to do too much for a highlight or to pump their stats that they neglect fundamentals and it costs us. Cam's punt returns early in the year are prime examples. Cerni's punt tonight was pretty straightforward... roll right, punt right. He hooked it bad, very bad which was the equivalent of a QB throwing across his body over the middle of the field while rolling out. I don't believe any coaches would be actively encouraging that sort of impromptu change. The coaches are trying adjustments to help the specialists, such as that rolling right punt style,  but the players need to come through for their coaches and team at some point. Until the players do as they train and are taught, any coach is going to look unfavorable in this aspect of our game. 

[Bryon]

This is eerily familiar to the OZ era when we could not beat Oklahoma.   Seemed always something happened for us to lose.  Frost is battling the same type thing but its not OK it's the culture that has been in decline since OZ retired.   Frank, Callahan,  Bo and Reid all added to the decline.  It's an uphill battle for Frost.   Is he perfect?  No but he's learning.  False starts, punts to the wrong side, that personal foul on the sack.  That is 100% on the players.   If they donl;t like being under the bus for letting their TEAM down then improve.   The last 2 games have given me tremendous hope.  The defense has been spectacular and the offense has talent.  It's no kool-aid fest either, i was screaming at the TV with the rest of Husker nation  as well.   But once OZ corrected his foils in the past it was a spectacular run.  Frost ain't going nowhere, all this fire him immediately is NEVER going to happen.  Support the team, coaches and players, that's what the Husker nation has been about since forever.   Hu5k3r 4-ever

[Nebraska55fan]

18 hours ago, runningblind said:

This is thrown around a lot but we were ranked right around #30 in ST in all 3 of Riley's years. In Frost's we have been no better than 109th and as bad as 123rd out of 127 FBS teams. That's quite different.

 

https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/ncaa/fei/overallst/2015

 

We were ranked #5 in 2014, hence the outrage about dropping to #30 with Read, but this is so much worse than that and it's largely due to not having a dedicated coach giving it enough focus.

 WHo on this board wouldn't trade finishing 30th in Special Teams vs LAST which is where we are now in exchange for firing Verduzco?

 

The reason some of us weren't happy with Read was that he came with Riley and doubled his salary. Word was he was on the golf course during the later part of practices. He is one of those coaching "insiders" coached for dad for 10 years, then LOTS of 1 year and fired stints before latching onto Riley and his retirement fund building "last adventure" here in Lincoln.

 

Bruce is now coaching Special Teams for about 1/10 his salary here at a Junior College somewhere. The Real market rate when you run out of friends who have jobs or desperate coaches you find in the hotel bar at coaching clinics. 

[Caliborn72]

This guy was definitely disruptive.