(05-04-2014 09:40 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(05-03-2014 06:35 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  I'm not sure that Manny Diaz is someone you want to brag out. He flat out SUCKED in his abbreviated time last year, and wasn't particularly good the year before. Too many gadget blitzes, and not enough emphasis on tackling skills.

We led the nation in TFL under Diaz in 2009.

I wish some of that prowess had been shown during his tenure in Austin. Look, I'm sure he's great for LA Tech because he's young, probably a good recruiter, and can say that he's big time because of his tenure at UT. But, his most recent results are not great, that's all I am saying. I Will be interested to see if his defense works better in CUSA than the Big 12.

(05-04-2014 10:25 AM)Volkmar Wrote:  

(05-04-2014 09:40 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(05-03-2014 06:35 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  I'm not sure that Manny Diaz is someone you want to brag out. He flat out SUCKED in his abbreviated time last year, and wasn't particularly good the year before. Too many gadget blitzes, and not enough emphasis on tackling skills.

We led the nation in TFL under Diaz in 2009.

Had to read up on him on Wiki because I've never heard of him and there seem to be conflicting opinions on him on this thread. Based on what I read on Wiki alone, he seems to be pretty legit, aside from his stint at UT.

Wiki says Middle Tennessee was 2nd in the nation in TFL in 2009 though. Regardless of which it is, it's still impressive. It'll be interesting to see what he can do with LaTech because you guys definitely need help defensively.

Probably just misremembered on my part, we were leading the nation for most of that season I believe, but I'll tell you one thing for certain, our defense hasn't been the same since he left and when he left after the 2009 season and it looked like Stockstill was going to take the ECU job many fans were suggesting we should offer Diaz the HC job since he had been in Starkville for all of a week or two.

It's interrsting that both our coordinators(Diaz and Tony Franklin) from our ten win 2009 season have now both worked for La Tech.

(05-04-2014 11:16 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(05-04-2014 10:25 AM)Volkmar Wrote:  

(05-04-2014 09:40 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(05-03-2014 06:35 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  I'm not sure that Manny Diaz is someone you want to brag out. He flat out SUCKED in his abbreviated time last year, and wasn't particularly good the year before. Too many gadget blitzes, and not enough emphasis on tackling skills.

We led the nation in TFL under Diaz in 2009.

Had to read up on him on Wiki because I've never heard of him and there seem to be conflicting opinions on him on this thread. Based on what I read on Wiki alone, he seems to be pretty legit, aside from his stint at UT.

Wiki says Middle Tennessee was 2nd in the nation in TFL in 2009 though. Regardless of which it is, it's still impressive. It'll be interesting to see what he can do with LaTech because you guys definitely need help defensively.

Probably just misremembered on my part, we were leading the nation for most of that season I believe, but I'll tell you one thing for certain, our defense hasn't been the same since he left and when he left after the 2009 season and it looked like Stockstill was going to take the ECU job many fans were suggesting we should offer Diaz the HC job since he had been in Starkville for all of a week or two.

It's interrsting that both our coordinators(Diaz and Tony Franklin) from our ten win 2009 season have now both worked for La Tech.

Well, afterall LA Tech is the next step up!

(05-06-2014 05:09 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(05-04-2014 11:16 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(05-04-2014 10:25 AM)Volkmar Wrote:  

(05-04-2014 09:40 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(05-03-2014 06:35 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  I'm not sure that Manny Diaz is someone you want to brag out. He flat out SUCKED in his abbreviated time last year, and wasn't particularly good the year before. Too many gadget blitzes, and not enough emphasis on tackling skills.

We led the nation in TFL under Diaz in 2009.

Had to read up on him on Wiki because I've never heard of him and there seem to be conflicting opinions on him on this thread. Based on what I read on Wiki alone, he seems to be pretty legit, aside from his stint at UT.

Wiki says Middle Tennessee was 2nd in the nation in TFL in 2009 though. Regardless of which it is, it's still impressive. It'll be interesting to see what he can do with LaTech because you guys definitely need help defensively.

Probably just misremembered on my part, we were leading the nation for most of that season I believe, but I'll tell you one thing for certain, our defense hasn't been the same since he left and when he left after the 2009 season and it looked like Stockstill was going to take the ECU job many fans were suggesting we should offer Diaz the HC job since he had been in Starkville for all of a week or two.

It's interrsting that both our coordinators(Diaz and Tony Franklin) from our ten win 2009 season have now both worked for La Tech.

Well, afterall LA Tech is the next step up!

And yet if Tech hadn't hired Dykes and Diaz had not failed at Texas neither of them would have ever had the "pleasure" of coaching there...

(05-06-2014 05:49 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(05-06-2014 05:09 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(05-04-2014 11:16 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(05-04-2014 10:25 AM)Volkmar Wrote:  

(05-04-2014 09:40 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  We led the nation in TFL under Diaz in 2009.

Had to read up on him on Wiki because I've never heard of him and there seem to be conflicting opinions on him on this thread. Based on what I read on Wiki alone, he seems to be pretty legit, aside from his stint at UT.

Wiki says Middle Tennessee was 2nd in the nation in TFL in 2009 though. Regardless of which it is, it's still impressive. It'll be interesting to see what he can do with LaTech because you guys definitely need help defensively.

Probably just misremembered on my part, we were leading the nation for most of that season I believe, but I'll tell you one thing for certain, our defense hasn't been the same since he left and when he left after the 2009 season and it looked like Stockstill was going to take the ECU job many fans were suggesting we should offer Diaz the HC job since he had been in Starkville for all of a week or two.

It's interrsting that both our coordinators(Diaz and Tony Franklin) from our ten win 2009 season have now both worked for La Tech.

Well, afterall LA Tech is the next step up!

And yet if Tech hadn't hired Dykes and Diaz had not failed at Texas neither of them would have ever had the "pleasure" of coaching there...

Touche'

(05-06-2014 05:49 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(05-06-2014 05:09 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(05-04-2014 11:16 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(05-04-2014 10:25 AM)Volkmar Wrote:  

(05-04-2014 09:40 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  We led the nation in TFL under Diaz in 2009.

Had to read up on him on Wiki because I've never heard of him and there seem to be conflicting opinions on him on this thread. Based on what I read on Wiki alone, he seems to be pretty legit, aside from his stint at UT.

Wiki says Middle Tennessee was 2nd in the nation in TFL in 2009 though. Regardless of which it is, it's still impressive. It'll be interesting to see what he can do with LaTech because you guys definitely need help defensively.

Probably just misremembered on my part, we were leading the nation for most of that season I believe, but I'll tell you one thing for certain, our defense hasn't been the same since he left and when he left after the 2009 season and it looked like Stockstill was going to take the ECU job many fans were suggesting we should offer Diaz the HC job since he had been in Starkville for all of a week or two.

It's interrsting that both our coordinators(Diaz and Tony Franklin) from our ten win 2009 season have now both worked for La Tech.

Well, afterall LA Tech is the next step up!

And yet if Tech hadn't hired Dykes and Diaz had not failed at Texas neither of them would have ever had the "pleasure" of coaching there...

But they....we....did.

So who is MTU grooming for us now?

(05-06-2014 08:26 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(05-06-2014 05:49 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(05-06-2014 05:09 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(05-04-2014 11:16 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(05-04-2014 10:25 AM)Volkmar Wrote:  Had to read up on him on Wiki because I've never heard of him and there seem to be conflicting opinions on him on this thread. Based on what I read on Wiki alone, he seems to be pretty legit, aside from his stint at UT.

Wiki says Middle Tennessee was 2nd in the nation in TFL in 2009 though. Regardless of which it is, it's still impressive. It'll be interesting to see what he can do with LaTech because you guys definitely need help defensively.

Probably just misremembered on my part, we were leading the nation for most of that season I believe, but I'll tell you one thing for certain, our defense hasn't been the same since he left and when he left after the 2009 season and it looked like Stockstill was going to take the ECU job many fans were suggesting we should offer Diaz the HC job since he had been in Starkville for all of a week or two.

It's interrsting that both our coordinators(Diaz and Tony Franklin) from our ten win 2009 season have now both worked for La Tech.

Well, afterall LA Tech is the next step up!

And yet if Tech hadn't hired Dykes and Diaz had not failed at Texas neither of them would have ever had the "pleasure" of coaching there...

But they....we....did.

So who is MTU grooming for us now?

We have a young CO-DC with local ties, played and coached at Nichols.

(05-03-2014 03:34 PM)T_Won1 Wrote:  I'm stating it! We're BACK!

We are going to have the best defense in CUSA under Manny Diaz. We will have the best RB in Kenneth Dixon. 3 explosive WR's. OL is still questionable and QB is average at best, but I see us winning a ton of low-scoring games. (28 to a little less than that). We are the 2014 version of Tulane and North Texas.

Top 25? Nah. Bowling? Absolutely! Bring it!!

Well, disappointed you're not on our schedule then.

(05-06-2014 10:56 PM)FAUAEPi Wrote:  

(05-03-2014 03:34 PM)T_Won1 Wrote:  I'm stating it! We're BACK!

We are going to have the best defense in CUSA under Manny Diaz. We will have the best RB in Kenneth Dixon. 3 explosive WR's. OL is still questionable and QB is average at best, but I see us winning a ton of low-scoring games. (28 to a little less than that). We are the 2014 version of Tulane and North Texas.

Top 25? Nah. Bowling? Absolutely! Bring it!!

Well, disappointed you're not on our schedule then.

I think FAU is in a similar position as Tech....kind of starting to put it all together. Could be a fun season for the Owls.

(05-06-2014 09:17 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(05-06-2014 08:26 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(05-06-2014 05:49 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(05-06-2014 05:09 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(05-04-2014 11:16 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  Probably just misremembered on my part, we were leading the nation for most of that season I believe, but I'll tell you one thing for certain, our defense hasn't been the same since he left and when he left after the 2009 season and it looked like Stockstill was going to take the ECU job many fans were suggesting we should offer Diaz the HC job since he had been in Starkville for all of a week or two.

It's interrsting that both our coordinators(Diaz and Tony Franklin) from our ten win 2009 season have now both worked for La Tech.

Well, afterall LA Tech is the next step up!

And yet if Tech hadn't hired Dykes and Diaz had not failed at Texas neither of them would have ever had the "pleasure" of coaching there...

But they....we....did.

So who is MTU grooming for us now?

We have a young CO-DC with local ties, played and coached at Nichols.

Yes-- he is great. Please hire Steve Ellis, Tech !!

Diaz called Stockstill and had a lengthy convo prior to accepting the Tech job. Stock recommended Tech for Manny-- said it was a great job.

Would love to have Diaz back in Murfreesboro one day. His wife still makes it back on occasion-- seen her at my church.

LaTech will have the best defense next year....


  ImageUploadedByTapatalk1399567935.146167.jpg (Size: 50.05 KB / Downloads: 38)

Told ya.

Yes, tackles for loss has been big (#10 in the nation right now). Probably tied for best defense in CUSA with Marshall.

I was wrong about our QB. He has been huge for us so far. I was wrong about Dixon, he's been held in check for the most part (very surprising... OL is not good at run-blocking). I was also wrong about scoring offense; we are better than I anticipated (mostly because the QB has played so well). 2 of the 3 receivers have been what I expected (Turner and Henderson), the other was a flop (Seay).

(11-04-2014 11:04 AM)T_Won1 Wrote:  Told ya.

Yes, tackles for loss has been big (#10 in the nation right now). Probably tied for best defense in CUSA with Marshall.

I was wrong about our QB. He has been huge for us so far. I was wrong about Dixon, he's been held in check for the most part (very surprising... OL is not good at run-blocking). I was also wrong about scoring offense; we are better than I anticipated (mostly because the QB has played so well). 2 of the 3 receivers have been what I expected (Turner and Henderson), the other was a flop (Seay).

TFL is a hallmark of Manny's D.

(11-04-2014 11:04 AM)T_Won1 Wrote:  Told ya.

Yes, tackles for loss has been big (#10 in the nation right now). Probably tied for best defense in CUSA with Marshall.

I was wrong about our QB. He has been huge for us so far. I was wrong about Dixon, he's been held in check for the most part (very surprising... OL is not good at run-blocking). I was also wrong about scoring offense; we are better than I anticipated (mostly because the QB has played so well). 2 of the 3 receivers have been what I expected (Turner and Henderson), the other was a flop (Seay).

With regards to Dixon, there's no question that he is the victim of CUSA defenses "loading the box" with 8 players just to stop him in 2014. And for the most part, it is working for them. However, doing this obviously leaves the passing game wide open for LA Tech, and that's where we've been successful in offsetting our poor run performance.

Take LA Tech's game against USM game for example. The USM defense keyed on Dixon, and was very successful at stopping him. However, when the passing game finally clicked in the 3rd quarter, it was GAME OVER! And by the way, if not for 8 dropped passes by LA Tech in that game (6 in the first half), that game would have been over much sooner.

Question for Tech fans. What is up with the forced turnovers? Amazing stat to be #2 in all of FBS in forced turnovers. As I put on other post, we are #2 in FBS in fewest turnovers…so that should be the key stat for our big game later this month. Whoever holds to their season-to-date trend will likely win the game.

Some would say that it is a function of aggressive/play-making defense, some would say that it is a function of the other team just making stupid mistakes and Tech capitalizes on them. Whatever it is, the La Tech fortunes seemed tied to it….in the losses, Auburn had zero and you had 5 of your own against Northwestern St…but in the last four games that have been beat downs of other C-USA teams, you have seen the last four opponents make 16 turnovers.. That is big #. And given it is a consistent theme of the other team (other than Auburn) making more than 2 each game..seems like it is something that Manny Diaz should get credit for. Living in Austin, I saw him get run out of town after the BYU debacle last year so glad to see him rebuild his career. Congrats to y'all on the great turnaround..

(11-04-2014 11:42 AM)owl40 Wrote:  Question for Tech fans. What is up with the forced turnovers? Amazing stat to be #2 in all of FBS in forced turnovers. As I put on other post, we are #2 in FBS in fewest turnovers…so that should be the key stat for our big game later this month. Whoever holds to their season-to-date trend will likely win the game.

Some would say that it is a function of aggressive/play-making defense, some would say that it is a function of the other team just making stupid mistakes and Tech capitalizes on them. Whatever it is, the La Tech fortunes seemed tied to it….in the losses, Auburn had zero and you had 5 of your own against Northwestern St…but in the last four games that have been beat downs of other C-USA teams, you have seen the last four opponents make 16 turnovers.. That is big #. And given it is a consistent theme of the other team (other than Auburn) making more than 2 each game..seems like it is something that Manny Diaz should get credit for. Living in Austin, I saw him get run out of town after the BYU debacle last year so glad to see him rebuild his career. Congrats to y'all on the great turnaround..

It's "affecting the QB." Diaz said yesterday, "the illusion of pressure is sometimes better than actual pressure." He does a nice job confusing QBs AND pressuring QBs. We don't have a lot of sacks, but we do force a lot of bad throws. 9 different players have an interception this year.

(11-04-2014 11:42 AM)owl40 Wrote:  Question for Tech fans. What is up with the forced turnovers? Amazing stat to be #2 in all of FBS in forced turnovers. As I put on other post, we are #2 in FBS in fewest turnovers…so that should be the key stat for our big game later this month. Whoever holds to their season-to-date trend will likely win the game.

Some would say that it is a function of aggressive/play-making defense, some would say that it is a function of the other team just making stupid mistakes and Tech capitalizes on them. Whatever it is, the La Tech fortunes seemed tied to it….in the losses, Auburn had zero and you had 5 of your own against Northwestern St…but in the last four games that have been beat downs of other C-USA teams, you have seen the last four opponents make 16 turnovers.. That is big #. And given it is a consistent theme of the other team (other than Auburn) making more than 2 each game..seems like it is something that Manny Diaz should get credit for. Living in Austin, I saw him get run out of town after the BYU debacle last year so glad to see him rebuild his career. Congrats to y'all on the great turnaround..

That's a Manny-led defense for you when he's allowed to run it the way wants to. It's a havoc filled strategy that pressures opposing team's offenses into negative plays, mistakes and turnovers.

I miss Manny!

(11-04-2014 11:42 AM)owl40 Wrote:  Question for Tech fans. What is up with the forced turnovers? Amazing stat to be #2 in all of FBS in forced turnovers. As I put on other post, we are #2 in FBS in fewest turnovers…so that should be the key stat for our big game later this month. Whoever holds to their season-to-date trend will likely win the game.

Some would say that it is a function of aggressive/play-making defense, some would say that it is a function of the other team just making stupid mistakes and Tech capitalizes on them. Whatever it is, the La Tech fortunes seemed tied to it….in the losses, Auburn had zero and you had 5 of your own against Northwestern St…but in the last four games that have been beat downs of other C-USA teams, you have seen the last four opponents make 16 turnovers.. That is big #. And given it is a consistent theme of the other team (other than Auburn) making more than 2 each game..seems like it is something that Manny Diaz should get credit for. Living in Austin, I saw him get run out of town after the BYU debacle last year so glad to see him rebuild his career. Congrats to y'all on the great turnaround..

All very good points, owl40. LA Tech's defense is very physical this year. Probably more physical than any Tech defense I've seen in several years.

After the Auburn game, Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn spoke extensively about how "physical" the LA Tech game had been to his team (it was still a 24-14 game early in the 4th quarter), and the fact he had lost 3 starters to injuries in that game. Injuries aside, I believe the improved "physicality" of Tech's defense is a credit to Diaz, and that it also creates turnover opportunities for the Tech defense as a game wears on.

It's funny to read everyone thumping their chests in May and then seeing reality in November. Everyone was doing it except UTEP, well except Randaddy but he was being facetious. So now Randaddy comes out being the sage. Who would have thought that we'd be 5-3 with wins over ODU, San antonio, and Somiss in conference. Now THAT is the biggest surprised in cusa.

I predicted 6-6 but I hope I'm wrong and we win 8.

(11-04-2014 01:28 PM)olliebaba Wrote:  Now THAT is the biggest surprised in cusa.

No way. UAB's turnaround is already, and will remain as such, the biggest surprise of the 2014 C-USA Football season. One more win and UAB will be bowl eligible for the first time in a DECADE.