Did Anyone Notice?

[StealthEagle84]

Looks like the Hilltoppers might come into the Sun Belt and contend right away. Troy has been beating everyone else in the conference with ease. Western Kentucky was able to keep it close all the way to the end. This is a good addition to the conference. They have a solid basketball program the has made in the dance several times. Looks like they a solid football team coming together as well. This is a game we cannot overlook.

[Guest Aquila_Viridis]

This is a game we cannot overlook.

Dude we could not overlook a game against a local cub scout troop. We might score 190 points on them, but they would get 200.

I did not come up for this game. (I went to a rock concert.) The surprise for me is that Navy's defense is worse than I anticipated.

May come up for the WKU. Who knows, maybe some other wacky record-setting laughs will be had.

I am finding myself drawn to track and field events now due to the pure lack of defense. Maybe it's a good thing Fouts has a track after all.

[TheTastyGreek]

Looks like the Hilltoppers might come into the Sun Belt and contend right away. Troy has been beating everyone else in the conference with ease. Western Kentucky was able to keep it close all the way to the end. This is a good addition to the conference. They have a solid basketball program the has made in the dance several times. Looks like they a solid football team coming together as well. This is a game we cannot overlook.

I noticed.

But here's the thing: They're 1-AA. So they're a guaranteed win once we actually get into the season (what? It's been 9 games and we're 75% of the way through already??) and the coaches have a chance to implement their system.

Until we get to them, and if we lose then everyone will retroactively realize anything that can justify or explain away the loss.

They only lost to Troy by ___! (We should have too)

They beat MTSU! (We should have, too)

They played ___ tight/beat ____! (We should have, too)

They're a likely win until we get to them, and if they beat us then we never really had a chance anyway. We're really playing for next year, when we lose most of our best defenders and Mendoza gets a chance to reload his defense with a bunch of true freshmen, which is always a recipe for success.

Until we actually GET to next year, and our new problem is how young the defense is and everyone just needs to give the coaches time because we didn't see success for half a decade under the previous coaching staff (which was pure evil and in league with the devil, by the way, so please stop criticizing the current coaches). And honestly, who expects to see results in such a major rebuilding effort in one recruiting class/one game/four games/nine games/one season/two recruiting classes/two seasons/is it ever coming??? I mean, come on... this is the SUN BELT we're talking about, and nobody can just come in and win in the Sun Belt when they're taking over for an underperforming coach (unless it's Rick Stockstill, but SHUT UP HE DOESN'T COUNT SHUT UP I CAN'T HEAR YOU SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPDICKEYWASEVILSHUTUP)

You can't reasonably expect coaches to come in and utilize the available players to their maximum potential, that's just not the way it's done. I mean, you can't take guys who aren't recruited for a certain system and expect them to succeed in it (unless it's on offense) and it would be insanity to use some sort of transitional plan so that you don't crater out and totally embarrass yourselves. What we need to do is just be patient and tolerate absolutely abysmal performances from players who have already shown they are far more talented than this season indicates, because their coach doesn't have any experience handling competition at the level he currently faces. And every week SEEMS to show that he's incapable of making the adjustments that our opponents routinely make, but let's not rush to judgment or make any knee-jerk decisions. Don't want to be too hasty here.

Because the problem is that we don't have enough SPEED. SPEED is killing us, SPEED SPEED SPEED because we can't win if we don't have more speed. Speed is the problem, yeah, that's it. That's why the track is around the football field at Fouts. Because every game is really decided before the coin toss, when each team lines up and runs a relay race. Fastest team wins! SPEED SPEED SPEED there's no way to fight speed, or even attempt to design a defensive alignment and blitz/coverage package that compensates for the times (which isn't always, but let's pretend like it is) that the opposing team really is significantly faster than our defense. There's just no way. You can't play a zone, you can't jam receivers, you can't do anything at all. SPEED is our problem, please ignore all the blazing fast guys we recruited a few years ago for our secondary... in fact, forget I mentioned how excited everyone was a few years ago over how fast our incoming DBs were (Green? Chatman? Screw those guys! Run them out on a rail, I say!) because the problem is SPEED. You have to have a lot of speed to stop a run play up the middle when you're only down by 2 points with 3:32 left in the 3rd quarter. If you don't have SPEED SPEED SPEED then they might just be able to hand off on a run inside guard and pick up 49 yards. Then, two plays later, they may run ANOTHER inside handoff that goes for 12 more yards and a touchdown. Gotta have more speed to stop a power running game.

The POINT is that you can't expect someone to come in and coach with any amount of effectiveness when they don't have any college experience and they aren't coaching their own recruits. Unless it's Todd Ford.

What we need to do is be patient despite all evidence that things are severely broken on one side of the ball, and all evidence that nothing is happening to fix it. Just take a deep breath, and wait 4 years when we'll all be able to look back with the knowledge of hindsight and say that WE SHOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING 4 YEARS AGO. And unless you keep a list of potential Defensive Coordinators for non-BCS teams in your back pocket, the way all casual fans do, you should just shut up because there is NOBODY OUT THERE WHO CAN DO BETTER WHO DID YOU EXPECT SHUT UP PLEASE DON'T YOU REALIZE THAT DICKEY WAS KILLING US AND NOBODY SAYS PLEASE AND THANK YOU AND SIR AND MA'AM. BECAUSE THE OTHER KEY FACTOR IN WINNING GAMES BESIDES WHO HAS THE FASTEST SPRINTERS IS WHO HAS THE BEST TEAM MANNERS. THIS IS COTILLION, DAMNIT, AND IF YOU CAN'T SET A PROPER PLACE SETTING FOR A FORMAL DINNER OR SPEAK WITHOUT SPLITTING INFINITIVES THEN YOU'LL NEVER SUCCEED IN LIFE, WHICH IS A SYNONYM FOR FOOTBALL. JUST SHUT UP AND LOSE MORE WITHOUT COMPLAINING AND SHUT UP AND SOMEDAY, SOME MAGICAL DAY, SOME GLORIOUS MAGICAL DAY 10-12 YEARS IN THE FUTURE SANTA JESUS WILL GIVE US A TEAM THAT MIGHT WIN 6-8 GAMES AND COMPETE FOR THE SUN BELT TITLE, WHICH USED TO BE UNACCEPTABLE BUT NOW ISN'T UNLESS IT IS AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK ANYMORE AND-

:blowup:

What we need to do is remember that North Texas is at war with Eurasia, and has ALWAYS been at war with Eurasia. Only then can you learn the final lesson, and truly realize that you love Ron Mendoza.

How about that basketball team, by the way? I'll be there on Wednesday... Who else is with me?

[NorthTexasFan]

How about that basketball team, by the way? I'll be there on Wednesday... Who else is with me?

There's 2 in this household who'll be there!

[Mean Green 93-98]

Actually, WKU is not 1-AA--they are playing this year as a 1-A independent.

[MeanGreen61]

Actually, WKU is not 1-AA--they are playing this year as a 1-A independent.

Actually they are "in transition" this year & next. They become FBS or 1A and bowl eligible in '09 when they "officially" become the Sun Belt's 9th football member.

[NT03]

Dude we could not overlook a game against a local cub scout troop. We might score 190 points on them, but they would get 200.

I did not come up for this game. (I went to a rock concert.) The surprise for me is that Navy's defense is worse than I anticipated.

May come up for the WKU. Who knows, maybe some other wacky record-setting laughs will be had.

I am finding myself drawn to track and field events now due to the pure lack of defense. Maybe it's a good thing Fouts has a track after all.

Best post of the day

Local Cub Scout Troop 15 runs the wishbone as well.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Actually they are "in transition" this year & next. They become FBS or 1A and bowl eligible in '09 when they "officially" become the Sun Belt's 9th football member.

Correct. But their classification is currently I-A (or according to the new P.C. nomenclature, "Division I FBS").

[FirefightnRick]

Western Ken will be the second best defense North Texas will face from the Sunbelt. They have played 4 1-A schools so far in their 10 games including a 49-3 opening loss to Florida. Defensively, and comparing them to other defenses in 1-A and 1-AA, they would be in the top 25 in nearly every statistical category in both divisions, and that includes sitting just below Troy at 9th nationally in........................PASS DEFENSE.

Offensively, comparing them to the rest of the 1-A field their passing offense ranks pretty low, but overall they would rank 41st in total offense, just below North Texas. Unfortunately for us, and after what we saw this weekend, they would be tied with ULL at 7th nationally in rushing offense in 1-A and rank 11th nationally in 1-AA.

Rick

Edited November 12, 2007 by FirefightnRick

[risinggreen]

I'd really like to see us at 4-8 but it's going to be rough. If we had taken out Navy, I'd be a lot more confident in that thought.

[GoMeanGreen1999]

I'd really like to see us at 4-8 but it's going to be rough. If we had taken out Navy, I'd be a lot more confident in that thought.

I thought we might win 1 or 2 of the last 4, but after saturday night, I would say we won't win any of the remainning games.