FirefightnRick

Just by going from history with these weeknight games after the major egg we have dropped on our home openers and after the one we dropped on the 17th, 9,000 if we are lucky. Rick

Don't compare us to OU, compare us to programs more on our level who seem to still find ways to compete each year on offense. Everyone loses players. Rick

Cerebus LOL! Well, maybe that dream offense should be like what most successful Mid major and larger programs are running these days or a version similar to them. Texas Tech, Utah, Boise St, TCU, Marshall, etc. Anything in which, IF we do get behind, we still have a chance. If you listened to the coaches show last Monday and the pregame this past saturday before K State, DD told us outright that we are not a team that can be as affective and do what we do best, if we get behind such as what happened in the Tulsa game. ?????????????? Isn't that going to happen now and then? Aren't we going to get behind? So if we get behind in an OOC game, I can turn the game off then, or head for the car and so can the rest of the team? TCU was down 30 something to 19 the other day in Provo, did you see them running the ball to set up for a field position punt in the 4th? It's mind boggling. What planet am I on? And obviously some of the styles of offense like what Tech or TCU runs seems to be able to pick up fairly easy, or more easy than ours because I've never seen them produce less than 150 yards in a game, at least not to my memory but I could be wrong. Hell, Tech has had a different QB start for them every year yet they go out and put points on everyone. Even in losses, they produce yardage, move the chains and put up points. TCU too. That's all I'm asking for. A change to what wins or what gives us the best chance for a win. Obviously what we have currently isn't working and 8 years has proven such. Rick

Question: What is a better description for our offensive philosphy? Currently, we set up the pass with the run. But it's more like we set up the pass with the run run? Stupid idea I know, but as far as I can tell, Navy and Air Force are the only other teams that run as much as we do. Navy nearly beat Maryland the first week of the season amassing 343 yards and only throwing 12 times. But that's Paul Johnson's system. Johnson has never had an offense that didn't move the ball that I can remember. Air force beat Washington the first week of the season, but they had a record passing day against us last year. They can be very successful when they balance out. Given this, both Air Force and Navy are much stronger and are more established with a broader range in recruiting than we have, and even they struggle with their systems. We need to get out of the striaght on, power running game since it takes such a long time to reload each year with it. Rick

Am I alone in thinking that, if it takes so much to overcome losing 2 to 3 starters on offense, including getting to the third or fourth week of the season in order to get our running game going that, possibly there needs to be a change in our style of offense? We will lose someone every year. Every Year! How is it that W. Kentucky, Texas State, FIU, Army, NMSU and so many other offensive systems are able to get it on against larger programs in the beginning of the season and we can't. We have proved this offense is very difficult to learn and operate for 8 seasons now. And then, when it gets going, it's not all that great to begin with as evidence in 3 of the past 4 Bowl games. We need a change. Go to a system that our level of talent can learn quickly and be affective in all season long. Rick

...because I plenty of @#$@# copies to share. Soon as I walk in this morning my loving brothers at the station made sure I was aware that it would be perfectly fine for me to cross over to the dark side and support the Frogs, or Oklahoma State, Texas and whatever else they could hang on my locker. Ah, the pleasures of being Mean Green! GoPokes.com is OSU's version of GoMeanGreen.com, but they have a full color, 10 issue a year magezine that goes along with it. This month includes a copy of the Scout.com CD video so you can keep up with the latest recruiting mess. Amazingly, local Stillwater bookstors ADVERTISE with this subscription. What a novel idea? Rick

I see Johnny doing no worse by leaving than staying with this system because he cannot improve any more at what his initial assignment is: Downfield Blocking. It's part of the game, but that isn't what will get him in the NFL. He's already getting interests. Should he get an invite to some camps and show his speed and work ethic, he's gone. Rick

Correct me if I'm wrong. After this season I see us losing: LG Jason May, RG Dylan Lineberry TE Beau Davidson RB Patrick Cobbs Backup: RT Robbie Vanderslice And potentially we will lose Johnny Quinn who could/should leave for the NFL draft. HOLY CRAP!, if we are expected to produce so little this year after losing three starters AND gaining an extra top back to utilize, what will we do having to potentially replace 4 or 5 starters on offense next year? We will be so extremely young next season they may end up calling us the DAY CARE MEAN GREEN. Rick

TCU is 2-0 in the MWC and has made national news twice beating OU in Norman, and the '04 National Champion Utah Utes in Ft Worth. Rick

I hear what your saying, but you loss those three games by an average of 19 points, including a 4 point loss to one of them. Then you rebounded by winning the N.O. Bowl over us. I'd take that any day over a 54-2 trouncing to Tulsa. Any day. And I wouldn't call a 17-0 loss to Utah in the Liberty Bowl a blow out, but I'm glad there are schools out there that consider that as such. Regardless, your program has lived up to it's Motto of: Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime? Did I get that right?, by going out and playing to win all 4 quarters. Most of y'all would have hung someone by now had you been told you were going to go out and play to try and keep it close, and hope for the best in the 4th, only to see real blowouts like yesterday, every year around this time. Rick

Kenny Evans, our D coordinator has done an excellent job here at NT considering the holes our offense has put his squad in. The fact that he can recruit any D talent at all knowing good and well they will come here and be on the field all day getting their head handed to them is remarkable in itself. Lose Kenny Evans and lose even worse. He's by far our top recruiter. Evans also knows what it takes to install a top 10 defense as he was the #2 guy under Deloach. I don't blame our defense at all in all this. Everyone goes through personell changes. Look at TCU. They lost their DC to Texas State two years ago. It didn't change the fact that on offense they still go out and try to score from anywhere on the field instead of waiting for their defense to set them up. They don't care where the ball is placed, their headed for the endzone with anyone they put in. Boise has had changes, Marshall has gone through them, Bobby Ross is in his second season at Army. Losing Deloach is not the problem. No more Excuses. Rick

Thanks coach, I forgot they ended that QB switch crap last year with him and Pierce. Dombrowski is a triple threat still. It seems like he's played for them for 5 years? I remember their other guy, K.C. Carpenter? Good QB that got hurt by just before they played us in that game in '01. Even though he couldn't move he stayed in and played the game. We were lucky he was immobilized the rest of that game. Rick

I agree with you on some points and at NT we have done as much as can ever be expected with the promotions. But then looking back at your record it's easy for you to say some of that, considering it's been 13 seasons since your last losing season, and moreso, it's been 10 years since your last blowout loss. And one 42-0 loss to Tennessee in the middle 90's isn't going to hurt today's attendance at Southern Miss. Apples and Oranges. Rick

I agree wth most of what you say Dawg, but here your wrong my friend. There's a WHOLE LOT people can change by complaining on this board. They can change what they do on their weekends. There's halloween party's coming up, the state fair, there's Cowboy watching partys, another nascar race in November, TCU is undefeated in their new conference....etc....... This offensive system is poor. Without a top 25 defense to set it up in good field position and making things happen it becomes very dismal and boring. And boring runs people off. I've seen it before. I hope I don't see it again. Rick

More offense please. Rick

bump Rick

Added to the list. Rick

Good question Rick

No excuses. Rick

....losing 37-14. Didn't Auburn win a share of the national title last year? Rick

GMoney, I'll throw that other 1-AA team in there that we were on the same level with who's gone on to greener pastures, seeing the top 25 several times and placing well known names in the NFL: MARSHALL. We traveled to Huntington W VA in 1989 to play them in the first round of the playoffs. They beat us 7-0 after recovering a fumble inside our 10 yard line late in the game. They moved up to 1-A a year ahead of us as well, I believe? Both programs, Boise St and Marshall, run wide open offenses being aggresive utilizing unique and different systems along the way. They are entertaining to watch, they always play to win, they always try to score if there's a second left on the clock and they have built a huge fanbase doing so and all with so many personel changes, different assistant coaches and different QB's it would make your head spin. And what makes it even more amazing, and I'm not sure about Marshall, but Boise St has to recruit a majority of their talent out of state. Imagine trying to recruit offensive weapons for our system being in their location? Forget about it! Rick

Yes, you may have had some special team help today, but your offense always seems to move the chains in these OOC games and at times play above others expectations. 2004 3rd Full year in 1-A Besides beating Marshall(261 yards) and #17 ranked Mizzou(293 yards) last year, you then went to #16 ranked LSU and put up 176 yards of offense and played some stellar D and nearly came out of Death Valley(one of the toughest places in the nation to play) with a win, losing a close one 24-20. 2003 2nd Full year in 1-A Led 5-0 mid way through 1st quarter against #10 ranked K State 200 yards and 7 points against #20 ranked Minnesota 150 yards in a 30-0 loss to #21 Nebraska 314 yards in a 24-0 loss to Virginia 2002 1st Full year in 1-A 16 points and 374 yards in a 31-16 loss to #9 Nebraska. 2001 Provisional 1-A season Defeated SBC conference champions....us.

only a week later after putting up 21 points on 331 yards of offense against the Big 12's Missouri. This is Troy's 4th full year in Div 1-A. They beat the tigers last year. Rick

Does South Florida even have a stadium of their own to play in yet? They were having to play in Tampa Bay's stadium? Did their coaches ever get out of the trailers and into permanant offices? Rick

Look at it this way. If we are going to produce this poorly on offense after having to replace basically three positions, the Center, the Tightend and the QB, then we have peaked as far as we will ever go with this system because we will ALWAYS HAVE POSITIONS TO REPLACE. All teams go through this. We have 4 O linemen that have 40 starts under their belts. We have one of the two tightends back. We have all our recievers back and we get something very few teams ever get, we have the last two top backs return to share the same backfield. I'd understand two losses where we get outscored. But our offense is very, very poor right now. Something must change. Rick