Would you beleive who's on top in the WAC ?

e-bone ver2.awesome · October 16, 2006

I for one am not singing Erickson's praises for their season so far but you cannot ignore the excitement he has put back into one of the worse programs over the past several years. It's been over five years since Idaho has had 3 wins much less 3-0 in conference.
The praises I would look to sing however would be their university leadership going out and getting Erickson back on campus in the first place. Idaho last year went 2-9 including a loss to La Tech. Their HC Nick Holt left to take the D Line job for the St. Louis Rams and two day's later Erickson was announced as their head coach. Obviously Holt was on the way out long before his announcement and this is where IU leadership stepped up to the plate. Less than a week later DE was in their capital building smoozing with Vandal legislaters and around the state speaking to other booster organizations and had an immediate impact on their season ticket sales breathing new life into their program. The last time DE coached in Idaho they had some of their best years and became known as a high powered offensive program in the 1-AA ranks.
So far Erickson, coaching last year's team and with ex coach Nick Holts 2006 recruit class, coached the Vandal to within 10 points of an opening day game at Michigan St. and of course is 3-0 in conference. Their new coach isn't all world just yet but considering he's basically coaching someone elses team, much like MTSU's Stocktill right now, I have to give them a bit of credit so far regardless of the blowout against Wazzoo.
Rick
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What he said.

Travis · October 16, 2006

I for one am not singing Erickson's praises for their season so far but you cannot ignore the excitement he has put back into one of the worse programs over the past several years. It's been over five years since Idaho has had 3 wins much less 3-0 in conference.
The praises I would look to sing however would be their university leadership going out and getting Erickson back on campus in the first place. Idaho last year went 2-9 including a loss to La Tech. Their HC Nick Holt left to take the D Line job for the St. Louis Rams and two day's later Erickson was announced as their head coach. Obviously Holt was on the way out long before his announcement and this is where IU leadership stepped up to the plate. Less than a week later DE was in their capital building smoozing with Vandal legislaters and around the state speaking to other booster organizations and had an immediate impact on their season ticket sales breathing new life into their program. The last time DE coached in Idaho they had some of their best years and became known as a high powered offensive program in the 1-AA ranks.
So far Erickson, coaching last year's team and with ex coach Nick Holts 2006 recruit class, coached the Vandal to within 10 points of an opening day game at Michigan St. and of course is 3-0 in conference. Their new coach isn't all world just yet but considering he's basically coaching someone elses team, much like MTSU's Stocktill right now, I have to give them a bit of credit so far regardless of the blowout against Wazzoo.
Rick
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I am glad you said it... While he doesn't deserve the All-World Coach of the Year, he is moving a super-bad program in the right direction. And that deserves credit. The problem we cry out with DD is that he is back sliding and whatever "success" we had means nothing now that we didn't build on it. While the results may be somewhat similar, the directions of the programs are going two different directions.

PlummMeanGreen · October 16, 2006

This will be accurate only if we win vs. La Tech
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La Tech apparently graduated most of their studs last year. I think most on this forum are still duly impressed with their nationally televised win over Fresno State last year. I can't remember how high Fresno State was ranked when the La Tech Bullddogs beat them last Fall on ESPN but we all know they (FSU) would have been ranked light years ahead of any football member of the SBC. TRIVIA QUESTION: DURING THE LAST 25 YEARS, WHEN IS THE LAST TIME UNT BEAT OR EVEN PLAYED CLOSE (within 7 to 10 pts) A TOP 25 FOOTBALL TEAM?

Much of this is really not even about Coach DD at all to a certain extent; it does boil down to just what level of NCAA D1-A football do NT Exes/MG fans want that fits well with our other Lone Star State comrades, ie, the other 9 Texas-based NCAA D1-A schools? And how well we know all of that group, right? You know, the ones that many of our MG Nation have to work with or around on any day of the week, for instance?

DO WE WANT A HIGHER RANKED NCAA 1-A PROGRAM OR SHOULD WE JUST GO BACK TO D1-AA OR MAYBE WE SHOULD JUST PLAY INTRAMURAL FLAG FOOTBALL AND SAVE ALL THE BUCKS? It just seems odd to many how a hardy handful of our best seem happy with what no other Texas D1-A school's alum would be happy with. Need proof on that? Just ask any of those alums from Texas-based D1-A schools and they will be such proof.

The 4 bowl years at UNT? IMO, if UNT had won 2 or 3 out of 4 of those, been ranked inside the Top 50 with any of those SBC championships and recruiting would have been better each succeeding year after each of those 4 bowl years then.................

.................I don't think there would be any of the controversy we have now (if those wanting a higher ranking for their school's football programs standing among all of NCAA D1-A should even be called controversial at all); anyway, with such aforementioned successes in those 4 bowl years there probably would have not been such an outcry that began last season moving into this football season that has basically split the Mean Green Nation down the middle (and saying "down the middle" may be a generous percentage for those who think our present direction is just fine).

NOTE: Noticed in my TV guide that the UNT vs ASU game will be televised this Saturday PM on KWRD Channel 52 beginning at 6:00 PM.

Edited October 16, 2006 by PlummMeanGreen