The Fake Lonnie Finch

It's hard to believe that we actually have fans who look at Todd Dodge's first 14 games, particularly the last two, and come to the conclusion that the problem is at QB. Just amazingly short-sighted.

Hey, without out an effective offensive line, it doesn't matter who is coaching. I hate talking about stuff like this because we're basically talking about kids, but...come on. You just put these guys in a bad situation when the coaching staff doesn't know what to do - i.e. recruit more linemen for depth. I know these guys aren't mailing it in and they feel bad when they lose. But, son of a biscuit-eater...get them some help and depth so that when there are injuries, as we've had, you've got a quality guy to step in and not have all of this shuffling around like we've had this spring, fall, and first two games! I mean, am I crazy? Am I the only one who sees that the line is...I don't even know how to describe it. You know what? Forget it. I'm going to bed. This whole thing is ridiculous. It's a sham. I wrote that it was last fall. It just is. I'm done with it until the university gets serious about who runs the athletic department and who gets hired to run the football program. It's just not worth it. If they don't care, I'm wasting my time caring, posting, hoping, etc. 42-10 at half to a "mid-major"...at home. I just can't do it anymore.

I really don't know what else to say. I thought we'd be 0-2, but I thought the offense would move the ball in both games when the games were still in doubt - i.e., the first half. It's just not happening. Why not throw Tune or Meager in there just to change things up? What does getting Vizza beat up so early in the season prove? We already know he's tough. What's the point? And, if the front page story is true about a little altercation between DeLoach and Buckles...? I mean, this early in the year? Will someone please, please tell Todd Dodge that football - above the high school level - is won on the offensive and defensive lines. If 2/3rds of our 2009 recruiting class isn't dedicated to finding linemen on both sides of the ball, Dodge will never see the end of his contract. They don't play 7-on-7 at this level. Also, someone explain to me why, when we're down 42-10 and have the ball at the five yards line, we're kicking field goals? At that point, we'd held TU's offense without points on consecutive possessions to begin the second half. If we go for it then and there, we possibly score and make it a 25 point deficit, still large but with about 20 minutes left in the game. At worst, we've got TU pinned inside the five for their third possession if we don't get in the end zone. We already knew Jeremy Knott could hit from 45+. Did we really need to see him kick, basically, an extra point? I don't get it. Is that "playing to win?" And, special teams... ...nevermind. Not worth the trouble to even discuss another year of an absent return game of any sort, two games in a row with botched PATs. Awful. Can we just ask LSU to cancel the game next week and play it nowhere ever, and not reschedule it?

Just go back and look at Tulsa's record on the road last year - their defense was awful. And, right out of the barrell, they were awful against a UAB that had a converted WR starting his first game at QB! Certainly Vizza is better than what UAB threw up against Tulsa, right? The converted WR rung Tulsa up for over 150 through the air and over 130 on the ground all by himself! We're more than a one-man show, supposedly. Folks, if we can't hang up 500+ yards, at home, against Tulsa's defense, outside of FUI, there are probably few teams we can do it against even in the Belt this year. Tulsa has a bad defense. That's just the fact. It's like Texas Tech Lite up there - throw it around and hope the clock runs out while your ahead.

On the field results.

OU...KSU...what's the difference? The bottom line is that in both cases Todd Dodge was in over his head from the coin flip. This year, he simply admitted it to himself and didn't put his team in a position to lose by 60 like he did last year in Norman. So, he's grown a little as a coach. To me, Tulsa is the test. Their defense is awful, especially on the road. I expect TU to have plenty of offensive success against our youthful defense because they carved up an experienced UAB secondary on the road last weekend. But... ...if their crappy defense shuts down our offense...well...then any question about Todd Dodge will be legitimate from here on out for the rest of the season. If we're not competitive offensively in this game, call Houston because, brothers and sisters, that will be a problem.

You mean, Plano East, of course. I was at that game. Freaking amazing...still.

Candidate for Post of the Year! Anyway, I expect us to blitz Tulsa. If we're not blitzing Tulsa's QB, then I'll be worried...really worried.

As disturbing as Dodge's off-season remarks were about not realizing how fast and athletic opposing DBs would be, this latest revelation from the mouth of Dodge isn't that alarming. I think he's finally realizing what he has to work with - the same thing Darrell Dickey had: crappy facilities and a lazy athletic department all wrapped in an unheralded conference; none of which attract the best talent to put on the field. So, why get kids beat up on the field when you're getting no help off the field? Eventually, Dickey got tired of the stonewalling about when the facilities would be upgraded and the stadium would be built and he went negative publicly. Dodge has already fired what I consider to be a warning shot over the bow of the athletic department by publicly stating that he expects the new stadium by 2010. If the athletic department tries to jerk around Dodge the way it did Dickey, expect things to get sour again around the program. Many of us have been saying for a few years now that the responsibility in any organization lies at the top. There is no "higher up" in an athletic department than the athletic director. So far, even with Dodge on board, we're getting the same performance out of the athletic department: kids not qualifying, kids flunking out, hush-hush about the stadium, cash-for-bash games, fewer home games than away games, etc. Folks, it didn't fly with Dickey and I'm sure it won't continue to fly with Dodge. Some day, some way, some administration (hello, Ms. President Bataille?) wakes up and realizes the problem isn't on the sidelines but in the offices.

The only thing I disagree about is calling K-State a middle of the road Big 12 team. This is a team that began 5-3 last year, including a whipping of Texas at Austin. For reasons unknown, they completely fell apart during the final four games. We saw a bowl team last Saturday that has a chance to win the Big 12 North - yes, win it! Mizzou or no Mizzou, this K-State team will be overlooked at the peril of their opponents, in or out of conference.

As bad as TU's defense is on the road, there is no way they win this game by 20 - or even by double digits. This game will be within 10 points one way or the other.

ADDENDUM: If we can't move the ball: ( a ) at home and ( b ) especially against TU's "defense"...fellas, this will not be a good year. A very inexperienced UAB offense hung 414 yards on TU last Saturday. I would expect us, with our more experienced offense, to be able to put at least 500 yards on the Golden Hurricane - with at least 200 on the ground and by air. Folks, this is a game we can realistically steal, courtesy of TU's spotty defense in road games. Let's go ahead and do it.

Not really. Tulsa opened their season on the road, and for the first half of the game trailed 22-21. I went and checked UAB's two-deep - they have no senior starters on their offense and only one senior at all in the two-deep - and they still moved the ball well against TU in the first half! We are also very young on offense, relatively speaking. UAB's QB, Joe Webb, is a guy who started last season - as a wide receiver! Later in the year, they moved him to QB. Basically, he's an athlete, not a pure QB. Against TU's defense, he was 17-31 for 169 yards, two TDs and one INT. He was only sacked once - again, this was against a UAB line with no seniors in the two-deep! The better news for us is that QB Webb punctured TU's defense to the tune of 136 yards on 18 carries. For the day, UAB rushed for 245 yards on 36 carries, so TU's run defense is still suspect. Yes, TU's defense did pitch a shutout the second half. However, we should have more experience than UAB put out there and should be able to move the ball all day long against the Golden Hurricane. On the flip side, TU's offense is a machine. Their starting QB, David Johnson, went 20-24 for 332 yards and three TDs against no INTs. They also ran for 240 yards. All told, they put up 361 yards passing against a UAB defense that had three seniors starting in the secondary, giving them an eye-popping 601 yards of offense in their road win. Not surprising, though, as Tulsa led the NCAA in total offense last season. Yes, they graduated a QB, but this is an offense, like ours aspires to be, where you just plug in the next guy in line and the yards keep coming. Even though our offense was throttled by K-State, I still expect us to move the ball well against Tulsa. I expect a high scoring affair. Tulsa is in their sixth year of running this type of spread offensive which was installed by former coach Steve Kragthorpe (who is currently ruining the Louisville program). They are very proficient at it. But, their defense which was very suspect last year, appears to be just as suspect this year. So, I still expect the game to be in the 41-34 range. WILDCARD: The Tulsa QB is a pretty decent punter. On a 4th and 8 from their 48, Johnson got off a 34 yard kick. So, in between the 40s, we should be aware of a possible quick kick even if Tulsa lines up like they're going to run a fourth down play.

Game 2 Tulsa: TU 41, UNT 34 This is a game of two spread offenses. Tulsa had a bad defense on the road last year, but still managed to outscore most opponent in the way to a CUSA Championship appearance and a 63-7 beating of Bowling Green in the GMAC Bowl. TU is still a few seasons ahead of us. Our new defensive backs get their first real look at a spread team.

Back in the pre-season prediction thread, I predicted a KSU win by the score of 45-21. I nailed the KSU side, but expected more out of our guys. I think this is what surprises me the most. We managed to hang a couple of scores on the OU subs last year. This year, we start of with an off with a seasoned offense getting squashed by what was alleged to be a band of thrown together JUCOs. I guess not. We didn't even get in any licks on KSU's subs and desperation JUCOs, though. Dodge needs to just burn this game film and declare the Tulsa game and Game #1.

Exactly...even though they weren't playing a team near the caliber of K-State. However, it does get old that anytime we lose, we immediately run over and compare ourselves to Utah State. I mean, does anyone else do this? It's over people. Darrell Dickey is gone. Give it a rest. Bury it. It doesn't matter what Utah State does, he still got us four conference titles and our first ever bowl win, no matter how his tenure ended. Just get over it.

Gundy finally has his team together at Oklahoma State because of redshirting? Give me a break. He inherited a roster full of Les Miles' recruits. He had plenty when he got there. He's just under achieved. In fact, Gundy was Miles offensive coordinator there before Miles went on to LSU and the national title. So, it's not like Gundy came there out of nowhere with a downtrodden team full of crappy recruits. He had helped recruit the team and they were already in his offensive system when he was promoted to head coach. Gundy finally has his team together...what a freaking joke. Todd Dodge's situation in no way compares to Gundy's. Give Dodge, or any of the other 119 DI-A college coaches, what Miles left Gundy and they wouldn't have underachieved. Absurd. Gundy is just a prime example of a guy who is a great coordinator/assistant but in way over his head as the head coach.

My guy, Jeremy Knott: First kickoff got inside the 10, to the seven yard line - but, it was returned 50 yards. Hello, who's coaching the special teams? I thought Dodge was taking "special interest" in the special teams this year. Second kickoff went to the goal line, that's excellent. And, the return was only 18 yards. His first PAT attempt was blocked. I wasn't there so someone will have to tell me whether he kicked it low or the blocking was poor. However, as short a distance a extra points are, you should be getting the ball up really quickly.

And, again, here's another program that was basically started from scratch. They abandoned football altogether in 1970. Then brought it back in 1977, went D-IAA in 1994 and D-IA in 1999. It'd be a big story if Turner Gill, um, turns them around.

Well, we have Jub-Jub and Junior at The Ticket to hold up our media end of the bargain. Well...we have Jub-Jub anyway. Junior...not so much.

I don't think Dickey recruiting him was "out of" his comfort zone. Didn't we have a safety from the Kansas City area a few seasons ago. I though Dickey recruited Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri when it made sense.

They are Division I-A (or whatever it's called now) schools. That's different than coaching Div II or II or NAIA or high school. And, Jones took his non-BCS school to a BCS game. If there are better paying bowls or more reputable bowls than the Sugar Bowl, please name them. The why leave question is obvious - money. Jones got more from SMU, even though he basically made a lateral move conference wise. Briles' program at Baylor gets Big 12 bowl money even when he has losing seasons. I think Baylor's BCS payout last year was in the neighborhood of $3 million. And, all they had to do was sit on their coaches and watch the bowl games to earn it. It wasn't that way at Houston in C-USA. The Big 12 gives Briles alot more exposure nationally as well. Finally, it's closer to his West Texas roots than Houston was. That being said, it was good to see him lose. If Baylor takes off at all, they simply add to the $3 million in BCS money they get anyway for sucking. I think all of the bowl games the Big 12 are tied into get at least $1 million per school. Then lump the BCS money into that...well...it's just better for us if Baylor not rise up and start having bowl seasons. As far as Robert Griffin, he kind of reminded me of Tech's old Zebbie Lethridge - good runner, fair passer, but not a great "touch passer" (i.e., he doesn't really know how to control the ball speed when he throws it).

I guess it's a little amazing that the importance of Briles' and Jones' first seasons have to be spelled out, but... -Briles of Baylor and Jones of SMU both employ spread offenses...as does Dodge at UNT. -Briles and Jones have had success at the highest level of college football as head coaches...Dodge has not. -Briles, Jones, and Dodge all coach for schools that heavily recruit the Dallas/Fort Worth area. All this leads up to recruiting. If Baylor and SMU have winning seasons and get bowl bids this seasons, and we stumble around and have another losing seasons, it will be difficult for Todd Dodge to sell recruits on the upwardness of the UNT program when two guys that do the same thing offensively are already succeeding at it. So, we go back to the original post. If Baylor, with their new spread coach, somehow upsets the #23 ranked team in the nation, it will turn heads. If that is combined with a Jones/SMU win tomorrow night and us getting thrashed in Manhatten...well, my guess is, it will turn recruits' heads as well. Kids don't like to lose. Basically, this season could well set up whether or not Dodge has any recruiting clout at all. He already doesn't get the top players from his former high school - kids he himself coached. What will he have to sell kids on if he posts another losing season while Baylor and SMU post winning marks in the first year with their spread guys? That he is a high school legend? The top kids in spread offenses around here already have Texas Tech as option one if they want to stay in Texas and play in a BCS conference. A successful Baylor seasons would give them another option in a BCS conference. SMU having a good season will turn up the heat even more - bigger conference, more national television exposure, bowl trips, etc. I posted the same in the off-season, and it still holds true - we need to win now. The Baylor and SMU hires of coaches who run identical offenses to Todd Dodge has made this season critical in terms of future recruiting. There are three dogs (Briles, Jones, and Dodge) in the same back yard (the DFW recruiting area) with one pile of food to fight over (recruits who know and want to play in a spread offense and win in college). Someone will get the big morsels, the scraps will go to the rest. So, tonight's game is important to our future. It is important that Wake Forest win. That's why tonight, we are all Demon Deacons. The food is in the bowl on the back porch; we'll see which dog wants it most.

Well, I guess if you're in the greater Stephenville area, you can watch UNT JUCO DE Alonzo Horton, who has resurfaced at Tarleton State after not qualifying to make it here.

The Art Briles Era fires up tonight in Waco against #23 Wake Forest. I've predicted that bowl seasons for Baylor and SMU will make it more difficult for Todd Dodge to recruit, especially if we have yet another losing season. It all begins tonight. Go Demon Deacons. Hooray, Demon Deacons.