MTSU postgame

[MeanJoeGreen]

[size=1.35em]I think Olson’s play dropped after he hurt his shoulder. After sitting these games, it would be nice to know the condition of both the head and the shoulder before another long off-season. We know what we have in Klugh and that is good. Only one has an insane upside and an insane downside. A shoulder injury can really change throwing motion and accuracy. Is it healed or does it need work? [/size]

[quote=“Niner National, post:56, topic:30641”][quote=“MeanJoeGreen, post:51, topic:30641”][size=1.35em]The bubble screen calls have been garbage almost every [font=verdana]time. Our offensive play calling is prob[/font][font=verdana]ably the reason we have a losing record. Setting up the run with passes does not mean you hand it to #3 om 3rd and 10. Maybe our terrible play calling has something to do with some of the injuries we have every year[/font][/size]

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I think Olson’s play dropped after he hurt his shoulder. After sitting these games, it would be nice to know the condition of both the head and the shoulder before another long off-season. We know what we have in Klugh and that is good. Only one has an insane upside and an insane downside. A shoulder injury can really change throwing motion and accuracy. Is it healed or does it need work?

[font=verdana]We need to re[/font][font=verdana]consider reshirting quality freshman offensive linemen when every season so far seems to have ended with our line in a disfunctional liability. I hope that there are some shirts on that sideline that could have made a difference. We should be in better position to do that after losing the first FCS classes.[/font][/size]
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[font=verdana]We need more aggressive defensive calls like we saw in the second half. We will get gashed tha way at times, but that beats being marched on by backup quarterbacks. We also will never kill it with a 3-4 without great outside linebackers that can crush a quarterback in under 4 seconds[/font][font=verdana]. Our guys can’t do it in 6 seconds, if at all.[/font][/size]
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[font=verdana]If he is sticking around, Olson needs some playing time next game. [/font][/size][/quote]I’m with you except on the Olsen comment. Why?!? Klugh is not our problem. He’s no Heisman candidate, but this team was so much better with him behind center. I would have given up on this team weeks ago of he weren’t the starter. I’m sure Olsen has talent, but he was a bad fit for this offense.[/quote]

[Submarley734]

@rtown49er

The negativity here is absurd…you sound like a bunch of Pharisees…you wanted football and got but now expect a run for the roses in year four…how many of you crybabies were even at the game yesterday? If you were there I bet you left early b/c you got cold and needed hot cocoa…this team has pulled itself up off the mat and fought its guts out each and every week…and Coach Lambert and his staff deserve some credit for that. They are doing a fine job. MTSU beat an SEC team this season and we came back from a 14-0 deficit to nearly win the game…It is clearly evident that the coaches have instilled a never-give-up attitude within the program…that’s the kind of folks I want on my side of the field…

I’ve been at every game this season from the first kick off until the last second. In fact, I’ve been four hours early to every game to get out and tailgate. I want the team that I have been supporting since 2006 to play to the level that they are capable of. To do that, it is MY OPINION that we need a new OC. Not the FCS quality OC that we have on staff right now. It’s just like when we got rid of our first DC because he wasn’t up to par on this level of football. I can forgive the dumbass calls that Lambert made in this last game because of the progress our team made this year. However, I cannot take another year of wondering what we are trying to do on offence for half of the game. If Lambert doesn’t end up firing our OC, it could eventually cost him his job.

[ImfromClayton]

I hope Judy names the next head coach as “Ninernation.net” because clearly, people here are more football savvy than anybody coaching ball today. :rolleyes:

Y’all wonder why Judy doesn’t listen or respect fans and we go off on these absurd diatribes about coaching on a weekly basis, and complain about how a $49 donation is being used. I would give good money to watch Lambert and co. read some of these posts. Some of you confirm your football knowledge with every single post, and not in a good way.

Brad Lambert is by no means Vince Lombardi, but what on earth did you guys expect this year? In my opinion we FAR exceeded expectations. I hated watching us lose some of those games the way we lost them, but we have mightily forgotten, we are behind the 8 ball talent wise. FAR behind the 8 ball. We have the work ethic of these kids to thank for even being in most of these games. THIS IS THE SAME TEAM THAT LOST BY 60 POINTS TO MTSU LAST YEAR and did not win a conference game with a backup running back upgrade and Hasaan Klugh. While I love our QB and running back stable, they did not provide a 60 point swing. That is a program wide effort. Can we at least attempt to give this man equal footing before we crucify him? Look at what he’s done with this senior class in 5 years. We have kids that were recruited to be FCS independents and toured a dirt mound in 2012 on their visit as NFL prospects beating CUSA’s marquee programs on the road.

One last thing. You guys that talk about how Mickey Mouse Judy’s AD can be (myself included). Who do you suggest we hire as an OC or head coach? If Judy is truly as Mickey mouse and cheap as we say, who else on earth can we afford to pay, and can also tolerate our athletic department.

I’m not crowning these guys as hall of famers, and I’m not even saying I agree with all of their decisions, but this staff has done an incredible job with these kids. That’s not “managing expectations,” that’s reality.

Next year’s class knew they were CUSA, but that meant signing up to get your rear end handed to you for likely your first 3 years in college at least. It takes a special kid to sign up for that and respectfully to this senior class, this next group signed up for an even taller task.

Evaluating this staff is truly impossible at this point. This has never been done before. They don’t have equal footing, and even in 3 years I don’t know if you can call the situation they will be in equal footing. I’m not saying Lambert should be gifted the next several years, but let’s take a step back and appreciate what has gone on here.

Disclaimer: Judy, If you do somehow read this, this is not a blessing to give Brad an extension. We have a funny way of extending coaches and then cutting ties while owing them large amounts of money.

[mojoniner]

The guys play hard and never give up.

On offense I would like to see more vertical passing and intermediate passes in the middle of field. Our passing game is majority sideways. This Team has so many pass plays that lose yardage, that should never happen. A lot of bone headed decisions on the offensive side. Early in game we had a first down and five after penalty on their 10 yard line and we bring in Matt Johnson and we never score on that series. No one should be defending Mullen, he is horrible!!

[TRLeader]

@Iron9er

Do you guys understand that the QB we played against had 1 1/2 games of experience coming into our game and that MTSU lost to Marshall last week 42-17 in that QB’s first start? We made the game so easy for him in the first half, he hardly threw the ball 5 yards down the field. Yes, we made adjustments at half and I’m glad we got a gameplan together, but we were in such a huge hole. By the way, we shouldn’t have been shocked at what they were going to do, it’s what Rice did to us the entire 2nd half last week. I guess we didn’t have the talent to be in that game, either, though.

If we would have made the same adjustments against Rice…we win that game too.

Just saying.

Not sure why we didn’t adjust to Rice in the same way we did yesterday.

Mind f’n boggling.

[TRLeader]

@Tintin

KLugh had had less than a 50% completion rate in the last four games.

A lot of drops contributed tho that…a LOT of drops.

[sportsman1417]

Manage your expectations people! We lost three games we shouldn’t have doesn’t matter. We all expected four wins so we should be thrilled! Give me a break.

[49er1]

@FridayNiner

Our record should be 7-4

This for damn sure

[chasmo101]

@Tintin

[quote=“d6bound, post:10, topic:30641”]lol if you want Lambert gone. He is creating something special. Give the dude a break he had NO foundation coming in. Most coaches at least have something. Yes – the play calling is questionable. IMO we win that game with Kalif P and our healthy o-line. Hasaan is only a soph. Our receivers never help Hasaan out. Rarely am I impressed by a catch. Austin had a few nice catches. The last two plays to kofa and Mullen HAVE to be caught if you want to win.

I could not agree more. We shouldn’t have been on the field with those guys. We lost to them by 59 points last year. The offensive line was is absolutely destroyed by injuries. The offense was out there on the field once German, Covington, Davis, Perry and Brown were watching. WE should have never been in that game.

And speaking of the play calling. What calls do you want them to make? The oline can’t be trusted to open holes or pass block. Phillips is getting killed out there, as is Washington. THe wr’s drop tons of balls. It’s amazing we’re able to drive at all much less convert 3rd and 4th and long and we b**** about play calling?

They stayed in this game due to halftime adjustments and the guts of the players. Both these things I feel are because of Lambert.

The talent gap was huge today. You saw it in spades the first 7 minutes of the game. We tied them for 59 minutes.

I don’t love a moral victory, but the fact that we COULD be 7-4 is the reason we keep Lambert around.[/quote]

Tintin, That’s a great post! Thank you for a reality check!!
We will graduate 28 players that were recruited to play Gardner Webb. But our staff has transformed them into a team that was in almost every game this year.
Our 4th quarter comeback yesterday was exceptional. We did miss some opportunities but we also converted clutch plays, one after another. We tied it and could have won. We all are disappointed but this is only year 4.

[Halton49]

Read most days, don’t post much, but I also agree with Tin10. We all knew this was going to be rough for a few years. Lambert is a class act, and I believe will get us to a highly competitive team in the future. He hurts more than us, not only for the school and the record, but for the guys that are absolutely busting their rears to try and win games. All coaches make bad decisions. I bet Vince Lombardi even made a couple in his coaching career. For you young folks, google Vince and Green Bay Packers. The Carolina fans (yes, I hate them too) wanted Dean Smith gone after a year. Coach K had a horrible start. We are not P5, so it’s going to be tough.
I hope Lambert one day is a sought after coach by “bigger” programs. I am proud of the effort of the young men who have represented us to date. Better days are ahead!!!

[sportsman1417]

If we recruited guys to play Gardner Webb from the get go knowing they would play half their career in CUSA then our coaches definitely need to be fired.

[chidave]

The first class was recruited when we were FCS independent with The Big South being a likely destination for us (thus the Gardner Webb reference I think). The second class knew we were stepping up but had to play two seasons in FCS before they could play in CUSA. That had to hamper our efforts that year as well.

[rtown49er]

@sportsman1417

If we recruited guys to play Gardner Webb from the get go knowing they would play half their career in CUSA then our coaches definitely need to be fired.

Plz tell us you really did not think this was the case…that’s a low information type conclusion you came to

[Tintin]

@sportsman1417

If we recruited guys to play Gardner Webb from the get go knowing they would play half their career in CUSA then our coaches definitely need to be fired.

We didn’t. The 19 guys honored yesterday were signed thinking we were playing as a FCS independent.
So did half of next years seniors. CAsey Perry was easily the best recruit we got in that first recruiting class. Everyone else had offers from places like Elon or NCCU. Lambert had the luck or the eagle eye of scout to bring in two guys who might play in the NFL.

We have probably 40 guys in uniform that didn’t have an offer from a FCS school.

[Tintin]

@chidave

The first class was recruited when we were FCS independent with The Big South being a likely destination for us (thus the Gardner Webb reference I think). The second class knew we were stepping up but had to play two seasons in FCS before they could play in CUSA. That had to hamper our efforts that year as well.

We had verbals from half the class before the CUSA deal was confirmed. Half of next seasons fifth year guys were not FBS recruits.

[FridayNiner]

I tip my hat to coach Lambert.

[NinerWupAss]

This is how I look at things. We expected 4-5 wins. We have 4. Season is a success.

With that said…

We could have been MUCH better. We had a golden opportunity and we blew it. We had some poor clock management, some questionable play calls on each side of the ball and just some bad luck. I hate that we blew this. We let winnable games turn into Ls and we had games we should have won that we got our teeth kicked in.

The future is bright. We have laid a solid foundation. I am not totally soured on our coaching staff - but count me as very concerned. We have a slim margin for error and our staff has played a part in the errors.

[Tintin]

[quote=“NinerWupAss, post:77, topic:30641”]This is how I look at things. We expected 4-5 wins. We have 4. Season is a success.

With that said…

We could have been MUCH better. We had a golden opportunity and we blew it. We had some poor clock management, some questionable play calls on each side of the ball and just some bad luck. I hate that we blew this. We let winnable games turn into Ls and we had games we should have won that we got our teeth kicked in.

The future is bright. We have laid a solid foundation. I am not totally soured on our coaching staff - but count me as very concerned. We have a slim margin for error and our staff has played a part in the errors.[/quote]

We could have been better. We SHOULD have been much worse.
I think we’ll take a step back next season due to the losses due to graduation and lack of experience, but I think we will be able to look to bowl from 2018 and beyond. If we don’t succeed in 2018 is when I’ll be concerned.

[chidave]

2018 is the first year that we’ll have an accurate view of what the program will look like under Lambert. All the classes will have been recruited while we’re in CUSA and the red-shirt strategy he employs will have had enough time to take effect.

That being said we have arrived. There are no more moral victories in CUSA, I want wins. We should be in the running for a bowl bid next year. Klugh will be the starter from Day 1 with more experience, we will reload at RB and WR, and a higher percentage of our players will have been recruited as FBS players.

There are concerns on both lines, that is where being older makes the most difference. A 23 year old is more physically developed in those positions than an 18 year old. Imagine though when all these old linemen that we had this year are more naturally gifted in a couple of years since they will have been projected as FBS instead of FCS players.

Lambert has to get better with his in-game strategic decisions, we need to run the ball 40+ times a game, and for all that is holy we’ve got to hit all our XPs. If we do that we’re on the bowl bubble for 2017, and set up to challenge the top of the conference in 2018.

One thing as a fan-base we need to realize going forward is there are no more meaningless games. Sometimes I wonder if not having a shot a the playoffs or a bowl those first three years has kept us from being able to recognize when big games occur. The next step in our progression is getting to a bowl, then the next is winning the conference. Let’s all enjoy the ride on these next first steps, get to The Rich and make it loud till the last horn sounds.

After watching CUSA football for two years, there is no doubt our program can get it done. I still think Lambert can do it but he’s got to tighten some things up.

[NinerGreene]

[quote=“Tintin, post:78, topic:30641”][quote=“NinerWupAss, post:77, topic:30641”]This is how I look at things. We expected 4-5 wins. We have 4. Season is a success.

With that said…

We could have been MUCH better. We had a golden opportunity and we blew it. We had some poor clock management, some questionable play calls on each side of the ball and just some bad luck. I hate that we blew this. We let winnable games turn into Ls and we had games we should have won that we got our teeth kicked in.

The future is bright. We have laid a solid foundation. I am not totally soured on our coaching staff - but count me as very concerned. We have a slim margin for error and our staff has played a part in the errors.[/quote]

We could have been better. We SHOULD have been much worse.
I think we’ll take a step back next season due to the losses due to graduation and lack of experience, but I think we will be able to look to bowl from 2018 and beyond. If we don’t succeed in 2018 is when I’ll be concerned.[/quote]

We were a FAU player getting a toe inbounds and a Marshall field goal away from being much worse this year.