Former Nebraska DC and UConn HC Bob Diaco Returns To B1G As DC At Purdue

After last year’s excessive optimism by so many, this year so many naysayers.   
I was perhaps overly optimistic last year admittedly.   But I remain positive that 2020 will be more successful as there will be considerable improvement in many areas. 
I don’t think Diaco will be a great addition to Purdue.  He sure didn’t help us.   Lol

But the team better get to work now and prepare.   Bigger. Stronger and faster.  That’s my prediction for 2020.  If they add smarter to those three descriptors then 9 wins is doable.  Purdue is one.   

 
dvdcrr said:
A coach has to have some buy-in from his colleagues and his team.  Diaco was brought in after whats his name supposedly fired his friend of 20 yrs.  Yeah right.  Eichorst made Riley fire Banker or otherwise Eichorst did it himself and then they brought in Diaco.  Diaco had no chance here, the players and staff gave him no chance.  A D1 coordinator is kind of like a big time evangelical preacher.  You've got to know your bible a little, but you've got to get people believing you are speaking the truth.  THEN it is cash money time. 

Thing is, nobody at NU even gave him a shot.  No buy-in whatsoever even from the 15 people who actually knew who he was in the hallway, and didn't mistake him for a piss ant graduate asst. 

I have no doubt the guy can put together a decent defense at Purdue, if they just care enough to listen, and buy some of the BS and just go with it .  He will put in 4-6 yrs there, make cool mill and help the team get som 6-8 win seasons.  And no one will be any the more sad.  GO PURDUE boil-on! or something
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You do make good points

 
Undone said:
Yeah. And I think JoJo is decent as a Nickel...but also, he's one of our better tacklers. So when he mans up against somebody in the slot (or a tight end that goes out for a pass), if it's a delayed handoff we just get killed. Both Minnesota and Wisconsin did this to us, forcing JoJo to be taken out of the play.

Basically, we just need more talent  all around on defense. And that goes back to the original comment of missing Williams this season.
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Jojo shouldn't be on the field in nickel or dime. Taylor-Britt should be our nickel. 

Farmer would have played at safety this year had he not gotten hurt 

 
Husker in WI said:
I think he means Farmer, i assume why it was only 4 games and special teams was because he was hurt. 
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Well Deantai started the season as the starting safety and got hurt in the first half of the first game.

When was Farmer hurt? He played against NIU, OSU, Wisconsin and Iowa * so basically one game per "quarter" throughout the entire season, and was on every travel roster except one.

 
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84HuskerLaw said:
After last year’s excessive optimism by so many, this year so many naysayers.   
I was perhaps overly optimistic last year admittedly.   But I remain positive that 2020 will be more successful as there will be considerable improvement in many areas. 
I don’t think Diaco will be a great addition to Purdue.  He sure didn’t help us.   Lol

But the team better get to work now and prepare.   Bigger. Stronger and faster.  That’s my prediction for 2020.  If they add smarter to those three descriptors then 9 wins is doable.  Purdue is one.   
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The 2nd half of the schedule is brutal. I’d temper expectations to eye tests and being competitive vs straight wins and losses. My prediction is the team looks better on the field, but that last stretch of games is pretty rough 

 
DefenderAO said:
The 2nd half of the schedule is brutal. I’d temper expectations to eye tests and being competitive vs straight wins and losses. My prediction is the team looks better on the field, but that last stretch of games is pretty rough 
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Yes. I agree but I felt many underestimated this year’s schedule too.   Many teams - especially in the Big Ten - are getting better.   The difference between the last place teams and those in the middle and upper third is less than many think.  There is a clear separation between the top ten and the rest is still large but I think it will slowly narrow over time as well.   Talent is moving and spreading out.  
I think NU talent is better after this class - overall anyway - than it’s been in a decade.  There are still big questions in my mind on the O line and D line and TEs.  Blocking is the most important area that must improve offensively and in the return game.   Defense must improve in gang tackling and speed at DE and LB spots.  If we get better kicks and punts (not rocket science to get above average quickly there), and better athletes on coverage teams we will not be losing games before we start with such awful special teams.  Those cost us atleast 5 games so far in the Frost era.  
The defense should improve if we get our young LBs to be playmakers.   

 
dvdcrr said:
A coach has to have some buy-in from his colleagues and his team.  Diaco was brought in after whats his name supposedly fired his friend of 20 yrs.  Yeah right.  Eichorst made Riley fire Banker or otherwise Eichorst did it himself and then they brought in Diaco.  Diaco had no chance here, the players and staff gave him no chance.  A D1 coordinator is kind of like a big time evangelical preacher.  You've got to know your bible a little, but you've got to get people believing you are speaking the truth.  THEN it is cash money time. 

Thing is, nobody at NU even gave him a shot.  No buy-in whatsoever even from the 15 people who actually knew who he was in the hallway, and didn't mistake him for a piss ant graduate asst. 

I have no doubt the guy can put together a decent defense at Purdue, if they just care enough to listen, and buy some of the BS and just go with it .  He will put in 4-6 yrs there, make cool mill and help the team get som 6-8 win seasons.  And no one will be any the more sad.  GO PURDUE boil-on! or something
Click to expand...


This is the best take on this development in the entire thread. Diaco may have been in over his head as a head coach (the now-defunct Deadspin has a great treasure trove of hilarity about his tenure as HC), but he got there by being a great DC. In short, Diaco didn't forget how to coach in one year at DoNU. 

Having said this, I'm not terribly worried about Diaco's new defense at Purdue just yet. 2021 and beyond is likely when we should start to be concerned. 

 
VectorVictor said:
This is the best take on this development in the entire thread. Diaco may have been in over his head as a head coach (the now-defunct Deadspin has a great treasure trove of hilarity about his tenure as HC), but he got there by being a great DC. In short, Diaco didn't forget how to coach in one year at DoNU. 

Having said this, I'm not terribly worried about Diaco's new defense at Purdue just yet. 2021 and beyond is likely when we should start to be concerned. 
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Cincinnati

2009: 44th PPG, 67th YPG (previous year 25th/31st)

Notre Dame

2010: 23rd/50th (previous: 63rd/86th)

2011: 24th/30th

2012: 2nd/7th Broyles award winner

2013: 26th/71st

Great might be a little bit of a stretch - he had several very good years, and one unbelievable year which is looking more like an outlier. Interestingly enough they technically vacated the 2012-2013 wins, but they were still good defenses. But consistently around the top-25 is good, and I agree with your points overall.

He's still one of the worst DCs we've ever had based on performance, but he had no chance here given the circumstances. And I think ND was uniquely suited to his style, where they had enough athletes to sit back and react. I don't think it will work as well at Purdue. Also one correction on me saying he coached us to the worst P5 defense in the country, that was Cosgrove I was thinking of. 2017 had a handful of teams worse than us, as hard as it is to believe that.

 
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