MGN: UTSA Post Mortem

aztecskin · October 30, 2016

I got home, ate dinner, laughed with my family. When everyone went to sleep I watched SportsCenter and wrote about that game we lost.

Quadruple Fine-overs: NT 17 UTSA 31

Please, future alumni and influential people in the realm of in-stadium event fun times, do not force a tifo on anyone. Tifo's should be organic, fun, spontaneous, and community driven.
In a nutshell: Turnovers + inability to run inside. 70% of the latter was UTSA's DL. Turnovers were our fault.
It was fun to hang out with some of you.

PlummMeanGreen · October 30, 2016

We won 1 game last year with a coach who was mostly building up his 401-k retirement coffers, yet this team & its coaches have given us all something to build on unlike most other post-disaster coaches hires I've seen the last 40 plus years. We were due to have a wheels-off game & we saw it in the Garbage-Dome yesterday.

"Tomorrow is a new day." (Scarlett O'Hara)

Edited October 30, 2016 by PlummMeanGreen

Ben Gooding · October 30, 2016

3 hours ago, PlummMeanGreen said:

We won 1 game last year with a coach who was mostly building up his 401-k retirement coffers, yet this team & its coaches have given us all something to build on unlike most other post-disaster coaches hires I've seen the last 40 plus years. We were due to have a wheels-off game & we saw it in the Garbage-Dome yesterday.

"Tomorrow is a new day." (Scarlett O'Hara)

THAT IS NOT AN EXCUSE!!!!!!! People, get. a. grip. Our offensive coaching staff shit the bed. Our players didn't execute. Our 1-win season had ZERO implications on what took place last night down on the new border.

UNTexas · October 30, 2016

Easiest explanation was we sucked yesterday. Painful to watch. Days like yesterday are why UNT football gets little respect.

Edited October 30, 2016 by UNTexas

aztecskin · October 30, 2016

1 hour ago, Ben Gooding said:

THAT IS NOT AN EXCUSE!!!!!!! People, get. a. grip. Our offensive coaching staff shit the bed. Our players didn't execute. Our 1-win season had ZERO implications on what took place last night down on the new border.

I am curious about how you think the staff shat the bed. The run game was stuffed so they got the ball to Jeff Wilson in other (partially) successful ways. Past that, I thought this game was lost on those turnovers. Fine is improving week-to-week so the staff gets some credit for that.

PlummMeanGreen · October 30, 2016

1 hour ago, Ben Gooding said:

THAT IS NOT AN EXCUSE!!!!!!! People, get. a. grip. Our offensive coaching staff shit the bed. Our players didn't execute. Our 1-win season had ZERO implications on what took place last night down on the new border.

Maybe you need to go to the coaches & share your suggestions in person.

You ever have a bad day at the office?

GMG!

Edited October 30, 2016 by PlummMeanGreen

UTSA Fan · October 30, 2016

My thought last night as I watched the game was Fine was playing h.s. football last year at this time. He needs to develop and he should be solid. He has the speed and is elusive on foot, just give him time to develop the passing component.

greenminer · October 30, 2016

We are not good enough to take a day off and still get a W.

Ben Gooding · October 30, 2016

2 hours ago, aztecskin said:

I am curious about how you think the staff shat the bed. The run game was stuffed so they got the ball to Jeff Wilson in other (partially) successful ways. Past that, I thought this game was lost on those turnovers. Fine is improving week-to-week so the staff gets some credit for that.

Play calling puts our young QB in precarious situations over and over and over. It falls on someone and they've been doing it all year. That is how they shit the bed.

*They need some rescripting on their goalline offense as well. That was disgusting and it changed everything.

Also, why do our fans seemingly always defend random coaching staffs? They'll be gone sooner or later, we're here until the grave calls. If BS occurs, call it out. There is no reason to mull on it or say "welllllllllll, we did beat 2-6 Marshall" like there's some validity to that. If you see BS, call it out. It's simple.

Edited October 30, 2016 by Ben Gooding

UTSA Fan · October 30, 2016

1 hour ago, Ben Gooding said:

Play calling puts our young QB in precarious situations over and over and over. It falls on someone and they've been doing it all year. That is how they shit the bed.

*They need some rescripting on their goalline offense as well. That was disgusting and it changed everything.

Also, why do our fans seemingly always defend random coaching staffs? They'll be gone sooner or later, we're here until the grave calls. If BS occurs, call it out. There is no reason to mull on it or say "welllllllllll, we did beat 2-6 Marshall" like there's some validity to that. If you see BS, call it out. It's simple.

My thought last night as I watched the game was Fine was playing h.s. football last year at this time. He needs to develop and he should be solid. He has the speed and is elusive on foot, just give him time to develop the passing component.

Ben if you can't run the ball, passing is the only option. What would you have wanted to see?

Quoner · October 30, 2016

1 hour ago, Ben Gooding said:

If you see BS, call it out. It's simple.

I saw it twice in this thread alone.

GreenN'walinsVet · October 30, 2016

5 hours ago, Ben Gooding said:

THAT IS NOT AN EXCUSE!!!!!!! People, get. a. grip. Our offensive coaching staff shit the bed. Our players didn't execute. Our 1-win season had ZERO implications on what took place last night down on the new border.

I don't guess you know how college football works do you? Because of our 1 win season last year, we lost 3/4 of a recruiting year, we have a new coaching staff, a new administration staff, have had multiple players quit, therefore forcing us to put out a mostly young and/or inexperienced and undermanned roster. There has been plenty of bright spots but lets face it, if the roster and two deep that we have, there are going to be games just like yesterday. Garbage. Its how they learn and grow from that experience that will make the difference. But to sit back and think that last year had no impact on this year then you sir are a fool. Just like this year is going to have a huge impact on next year and then year after that, and so on...

emmitt01 · October 30, 2016

43 minutes ago, GreenN'walinsVet said:

I don't guess you know how college football works do you? Because of our 1 win season last year, we lost 3/4 of a recruiting year, we have a new coaching staff, a new administration staff, have had multiple players quit, therefore forcing us to put out a mostly young and/or inexperienced and undermanned roster. There has been plenty of bright spots but lets face it, if the roster and two deep that we have, there are going to be games just like yesterday. Garbage. Its how they learn and grow from that experience that will make the difference. But to sit back and think that last year had no impact on this year then you sir are a fool. Just like this year is going to have a huge impact on next year and then year after that, and so on...

You could have saved time and just gone with "you sir are a fool"

Ben Gooding · October 30, 2016

21 minutes ago, emmitt01 said:

You could have saved time and just gone with "you sir are a fool"

Uh huh

aztecskin · October 30, 2016

I am all for searingly hot takes calling out guys who are highly paid by us (via intermediary public apparatus). I think we should try to be smart with these criticisms.

Given the scenario -- line getting beat, run game getting stuffed -- Harrell reacted well in the first half. And after halftime we out gained them in the 3rd but for those turnovers and subsequent scores. As I said on the podcast, the TOs were particularly gut-wrenching because they stopped some good drives -- which happened because of some good play calling (+execution).

meanrob · October 30, 2016

2 hours ago, aztecskin said:

I am all for searingly hot takes calling out guys who are highly paid by us (via intermediary public apparatus). I think we should try to be smart with these criticisms.

Given the scenario -- line getting beat, run game getting stuffed -- Harrell reacted well in the first half. And after halftime we out gained them in the 3rd but for those turnovers and subsequent scores. As I said on the podcast, the TOs were particularly gut-wrenching because they stopped some good drives -- which happened because of some good play calling (+execution).

It's always hard to tell if it's the quarterback making the wrong decision or play calls but our offensive plan in the first half was awful. Not patient at all. Buyers and Thompson are good safe options for 5-8 yard passes but instead we chucked the ball down the field. There are games where the players don't execute and the turnovers hurt but I thought the game plan early was bad.

Also didn't like the outside blitzes against a mobile QB. Burned us several times

Dr. Seuss · October 31, 2016

I hated UTSA's in game entertainment. It felt like they had TV timeouts for a game that wasn't broadcasted on TV

KingDL1 · October 31, 2016

3 hours ago, emmitt01 said:

You could have saved time and just gone with "you sir are a fool"

Perfect!

UTSA Fan · October 31, 2016

29 minutes ago, Dr. Seuss said:

I hated UTSA's in game entertainment. It felt like they had TV timeouts for a game that wasn't broadcasted on TV

It was televised

meangreendork · October 31, 2016

8 hours ago, UTSA Fan said:

My thought last night as I watched the game was Fine was playing h.s. football last year at this time. He needs to develop and he should be solid. He has the speed and is elusive on foot, just give him time to develop the passing component.

Exactly.

Fine's got the arm, the speed, and the willpower. He's just gotta develop to play consistently at the college level. There's a reason why most programs never play a freshman QB and that's because even the best of them aren't ready. Fine is ready, but he's also still a freshman.

And so we all know - he's worlds better than what we had in Mac's last two years.

42 minutes ago, meanrob said:

It's always hard to tell if it's the quarterback making the wrong decision or play calls but our offensive plan in the first half was awful. Not patient at all. Buyers and Thompson are good safe options for 5-8 yard passes but instead we chucked the ball down the field. There are games where the players don't execute and the turnovers hurt but I thought the game plan early was bad.

Also didn't like the outside blitzes against a mobile QB. Burned us several times

Some better containment would've been a good call. I get the idea of blitzing to hit or rattle a QB, but against a speedy QB who can pass and run the ball, sometimes the best decision is to contain and put more players into coverage/spy routes.

greenminer · October 31, 2016

43 minutes ago, meanrob said:

Buyers and Thompson are good safe options for 5-8 yard passes but instead we chucked the ball down the field.

I didn't see the game, but isn't that what you usually try to do when the D sells out to stop your run game? Stretch the field?

If Fine connects on them, are we singing a different tune?

meanrob · October 31, 2016

10 minutes ago, greenminer said:

I didn't see the game, but isn't that what you usually try to do when the D sells out to stop your run game? Stretch the field?

If Fine connects on them, are we singing a different tune?

A) None of them were close to being completed.

B) There are other ways to stretch the field.

i love this coaching staff but yet to figure out what our offensive philosophy is. Just wish we were more patient with the short passing game. That would open the run game too

Harry · October 31, 2016

4 hours ago, GreenN'walinsVet said:

I don't guess you know how college football works do you? Because of our 1 win season last year, we lost 3/4 of a recruiting year, we have a new coaching staff, a new administration staff, have had multiple players quit, therefore forcing us to put out a mostly young and/or inexperienced and undermanned roster. There has been plenty of bright spots but lets face it, if the roster and two deep that we have, there are going to be games just like yesterday. Garbage. Its how they learn and grow from that experience that will make the difference. But to sit back and think that last year had no impact on this year then you sir are a fool. Just like this year is going to have a huge impact on next year and then year after that, and so on...

I am not going to lie, this loss stung as every loss to UTSA does. I still have confidence in this coaching staff and agree that they will learn from this loss as opposed to years past. We will get better. GMG

aztecskin · October 31, 2016

1 hour ago, meanrob said:

It's always hard to tell if it's the quarterback making the wrong decision or play calls but our offensive plan in the first half was awful. Not patient at all. Buyers and Thompson are good safe options for 5-8 yard passes but instead we chucked the ball down the field. There are games where the players don't execute and the turnovers hurt but I thought the game plan early was bad.

Also didn't like the outside blitzes against a mobile QB. Burned us several times

The two throws down field that were either intercepted or nearly intercepted were Fine decisions to go deep. The first, he rolled right and *should* have just went out of bounds or thrown it away. Instead he tried to hit the guy deep in triple coverage.

The other was something similar. I don't remember the details of the play exactly, but he threw it deep late. Ultimately, when the ball is snapped it is on the players to make good decisions. In those areas, that was on Mason. Again, I understand its youth etc. I don't know the specifics of Fine's restrictions but nearly every pass play has a safe option. If he doesn't take it? That's on the guy.

As far as game plan it seemed like it was primarily to establish the inside zone. UTSA really shut that down. Because they got behind schedule (want 3-4 yards on first down, 3-4 on second etc). When faced with 3rd and Long the passes have to be a bit further downfield.

Short version: It was less game plan than it was circumstance.