Riley Dodge Vs. Scott Hall

[drex]

I am sadly amused by the people on the board who have such short memories. Did we not give Dickey three years to learn how to coach DI fooball before he had his limited success? Did we not agonizingly watch the progression of Scott Hall when he was thrown to the wolves? Now, let's just cool our jets and watch the maturity and eventual success of Dodge and company. Folks, we are not being blown out by teams. Our only embarrassment was at the hands of a pro francise in Tuscaloosa.

[shaft]

His limited success was a school best of 4 bowl/conference championships.

The Dodge era is the worst in school history.

[Got5onIt]

Riley is not the problem here. I hope those who blame him can see past that. There is a bigger issue here than a redshirt freshman QB.

[Guest JohnDenver]

His limited success was a school best of 4 bowl/conference championships.

The Dodge era is the worst in school history.

Obviously, the point being that Dickey got three full seasons of 3-8's (too lazy to look up), started the 4th season 0-5 ... Finished it with a bowl appearance, but still a losing 5-7. They should call the 6 win rule for bowl games, the North Texas rule.

I still think we can get 6 wins from this season. I am tired of being pessimistic. We pretty easily could be 4-1 right now, more realistically 3-2, but in reality 1-4. There is a fine line this year.

I remember Hall having games that he couldn't hit the side of a barn and gave up plenty of points. Yet, his defense held them in the game until they could scratch their way back into the game. It was frustrating, but obviously a part of the learning curve. This is Riley's first 4 games playing QB in college. His upside is huge.

[NT03]

Obviously, the point being that Dickey got three full seasons of 3-8's (too lazy to look up), started the 4th season 0-5 ... Finished it with a bowl appearance, but still a losing 5-7. They should call the 6 win rule for bowl games, the North Texas rule.

Dickey's 1st 29 games : 6 - 23 . Dodge's 1st 29 games : 4 - 25

[ForneyGreen]

Dickey's 1st 29 games : 6 - 23 . Dodge's 1st 29 games : 4 - 25

Ouch!!!

I *really* hope the team turns it around this year and gets some wins. I think the main thing standing in the way of us getting more wins at this point is no longer talent but rather eliminating mental mistakes. These mistakes are leading to the daggers in our hearts each week.

But... where does the fault for mental mistakes primarily lie - and how to best correct?

I know that "experts" typically label teams as "Good" when they make very few mistakes and teams as "Bad" when they are mistake-prone. I would consider us a Not Very Good team right now because we make way too many mistakes.

Is it coaching? Players just not keeping their heads in the game and not realizing the game situation? Both?

[SilverEagle]

Here's the source of my frustration. My expectations of a coach came from the Hayden Fry era and the Corkey Nelson era.

In Fry's first year, he ALSO took a team that had been in shambles (1-10) and cobbled together a bunch of guys who clawed out a 5-5-1 season and a MVC co-championship. He was 2-7-2 (still better than any of Coach Dodges' years) the next year, but he was 7-4, 7-4, 10-1 and 9-2 after that.

Corkey Nelson was 2-9 his first year (but easily could have been 4-7), and his SECOND YEAR he was 8-4 and SLC champion. During his tenure (with a 1-AA budget) he managed to beat New Mexico (after driving out to the game on a bus), TCU, SMU, Texas Tech and Rice. Did I mention that he was operating with a 1-AA budget and administrators who were not supportive?

Even our other HS coach exeperiment was more successful in the first three years, 3-7-1, 4-7, & 4-7.

I have to say that I'm more satisfied with the assistant coaching staff that has FINALLY been assembled, including our best recruiter... Coach Gandy, than our head coach and OC. It's pretty pathetic that our team has to get a "get-off-your-asses-and-play-some- football" fire and brimstone speech from our strength coach rather than the head coach. To me, that incident is very symbolic of the overall problem that this football team is having. I can't imagine either Coach Fry or Coach Nelson leaving that up to an assistant.

So to summarize, what is happening THIS YEAR, (in my mind) should have been happening LAST YEAR.

Edited October 12, 2009 by SilverEagle

[houstonmeangreen]

Riley is not the problem here. I hope those who blame him can see past that. There is a bigger issue here than a redshirt freshman QB.

While there are bigger issues, how can you say RD turning the ball over again and again is not the problem....if he doesn't do that we win these games we are losing

[greenminer]

Isn't it ironic then, Silver, to keep hearing how Dodge speaks so well? How incredible he fills the roll of a motivational speaker?

For whatever reason, someone else took that role against MTSU...

[drex]

I always consider Dickey to have had limited success here, as he dominated a fledgling conference and had a very poor out of conference win record. Then, instead of capitalizing on the 'limited success' of the bowl games and using it for better recruiting, he seemed to backslide. In his defense, he was experiencing health problems during that time period.

[gangrene]

The comparison between Scott Hall and Riley Dodge is not valid....two totally different offenses and two totally different sets of expectations. Scott Hall's #1 job was to hand off and manage the game whereas Riley is expected to be the play maker. It's a "playing not to lose" mentality versus a "playing to win" (or lose, depending on your viewpoint) mentality. Scott Hall was very good at managing the game and that offense was built to get ahead and control the clock, while the defense shut down opposing offenses. Hall wasn't asked to make key game-changing plays like Dodge is. Unfortunately, the spread isn't typically a ball/clock control offense and our defense isn't good enough to completely shut down and/or demoralize the opposing offenses yet. Continuing to keep our offensive foot on the gas pedal and trying to outscore our opponents will be our best opportunity to win until we learn how to play while we're ahead.

[HoustonEagle]

I always consider Dickey to have had limited success here, as he dominated a fledgling conference and had a very poor out of conference win record. Then, instead of capitalizing on the 'limited success' of the bowl games and using it for better recruiting, he seemed to backslide. In his defense, he was experiencing health problems during that time period.

I could not agree more. Regardless if Dodge is the answer or not. Dickey most certainly was not.

Speaking of the Dickey years,

[bigrobdsp]

Dickey's 1st 29 games : 6 - 23 . Dodge's 1st 29 games : 4 - 25

there is not difference between these two records. I enjoy watching the current version of the team 100% more than draw left, draw right, draw left.

[Guest JohnDenver]

there is not difference between these two records. I enjoy watching the current version of the team 100% more than draw left, draw right, draw left.

I also enjoy listening to pre-game talk without jokes at our expense from our HC.

[untbowler]

there is not difference between these two records. I enjoy watching the current version of the team 100% more than draw left, draw right, draw left.

Now in the 4Q with leads it is Bubble Screen left, Bubble Screen Right, Draw up the middle, Punt and hope the defense holds.

[greenminer]

Can we stop whining about x-and-os?

I don't think any gameplan looks perfect when you're down by 40+ in the fourth. It's just that great coaches get great players to execute game in and out.

Dickey's run left and right for dust clouds is no worse than the torture of watching the passes to the flat for two seasons. And, in case you missed them, we're still seeing draws on third and long.

[Monkeypox]

Can we stop whining about x-and-os?

I don't think any gameplan looks perfect when you're down by 40+ in the fourth. It's just that great coaches get great players to execute game in and out.

Dickey's run left and right for dust clouds is no worse than the torture of watching the passes to the flat for two seasons. And, in case you missed them, we're still seeing draws on third and long.

Yeah, sadly I see them as roughly the same thing.