The hell is going on?
If you haven't noticed, I haven't been around much since the start of the season, or most notably the Wyoming loss. If I'm being honest, I was too afraid I would call somebody an idiot on here for a Rod Carey hottake, and it would end up getting back to my nice new gig at WLBK and I'd end up getting canned.
In hindsight, it's probably for the best I wasn't here because up until last week I would have been defending Carey only to pull a complete 180 in the last week.
So beyond all the fire Carey (which I think will happen) posts, what the hell has happened to the Huskies?
First of all, it's no longer hyperbolic or an overreaction to be calling for Carey's ousting. This is as bad as it's ever been since I started following NIU in 2003. This is as bad as it's been since the early Novak days. To lose 7 in a row (and not be competitve for long stretches of 5 of those games) is completely inexusable.
I think it was rabiddawg who posted a few weeks ago this was going to happen eventually, and he was right. Look, NIU's run the last 6 years is completely unprecedented. To go to 6 straight conference championships at any level is absurd. To do it with three different head coaches and three different QBs was an unbelievable feat.
Look at how quickly some of the mid-majors who went to BCS bowls completely tanked. Hawaii went from the Sugar Bowl to terrible seemingly overnight. UCF went from winning the Fiesta Bowl to winless in two years. Even on a MAC level, Kent State had one good year and is now terrible. Bowling Green had three great years with Johnson/Babers and they're bad this year too. To have the sustained dominance NIU had, it just wasn't realistic to expect it to continue.
I think on the field, the most significant reason for NIU's decline this year has been the play of both lines and the absolute lack of talent in NIU's QB room right now. If you look at NIU in the peak of this run (2010-2014) it had a fantastic QB and a really good offensive line. Last season, we got a sneak peek on the direction of NIU's offensive line in the Ohio State and Boston College games. To be honest with you, if NIU's offensive line played an average game in both of those games, NIU probably wins both. However, the NIU offensive line got dominated as badly as I've ever seen an NIU offensive line get dominated (the Orange Bowl included) in both of those games.
The first time I had an "oh **** this team might actually suck" moment was watching the Wyoming @ EMU game last Friday night. Chew on these numbers for a minute. These are the rushing stats vs. Wyoming this season.
NIU:
37 carries
133 yards
3.6 ypc
82 of NIU's 133 yards (in a triple overtime game!!!) came on end arounds to Kenny G. When NIU ran up in a traditional set, they carried the ball 31 times for 51 yards. They were dominated up front.
EMU:
47 carries
239 yards
5.1 YPC
Take a step back and realize that's not comparing numbers with Toledo against a common opponent. That's comparing numbers with EASTERN MICHIGAN against a common opponent.
Similarly, Wyoming ran the ball 56 times for 243 yards against NIU. Maybe most importantly, NIU didn't have a sack (and really didn't come close) on 29 passes by Wyoming either. So NIU was outrushed by over 100 yards and didn't post a sack against a 2 win MWC team from the year prior. That's......not good.
Now, lets get into a few tanagable decision you can point to and specifically blame the coaching.
First of all, this isn't a shot at anyone because while I didn't think Bob Cole should be fired, I also loved the hires of Coach U and Kevin Kane, so I've been as wrong as anyone.
With that being said, anybody want Bob Cole back right now? The fact he took Ryan Graham and won at undefeated Toledo and beat Peej's boys in DeKalb is nothing shy of a miracle. What happened in the bowl game was inexusable. To lay a dud like that is not okay, but at the same time it sure seems like Bob Cole fell on the sword for that one and that has turned out to be a flat out terrible move.
To piggyback off that, we heard all spring and summer about how much better Ryan Graham had gotten in the offseason. We've seen 2.5 games of Ryan Graham right now, and does anyone think he has gotten better. To sit here and talk about how much better Graham had gotten, and to even more Maddie to WR because of it, you have to question what the coaches were looking at. The talent level, arm strength, and athleticism from Graham to Maddie is absolutely night and day.
While I think if NIU makes a change at coach they can have a relatively quick turnaround, the lack of talent along both lines and in the QB room is a huge concern.
You can sit here and say the same thing about the running back situation. How many games do you need to see Huff outpreform ACRB before you make Huff the #1 guy?
1981 touched on this earlier, but I think the most frustrating part of all this is NIU is so close to having a "whatever" 2-2 out of conference record or even 3-1. I remember late in the Wyoming game tweeting, "there's only so many chances you can give NIU to beat you before they actually do it." Both the San Diego State and WIU games followed similar paths. The difference? I don't think NIU has the talent to overcome the poor stars they did in the past. Instead of having Lynch or Jimmie there to bail them out of a tough spot, it's Hare missing Huff for a TD and fumbling the next play in Wyoming or having to rely on your 5th year senior QB who has never started a gmae at was at WR to try to bring you back at WIU.
As I mentioned earlier, if you want to look on a "bright side" to this year, I don't think Carey has completely torpedoed the program. There's enough talent here to be good again next year. The problem for Carey at this point is, I don't see how he salvages enough of this season to be around to see it.
Your remaining schedule:
@ Ball State
@ WMU
CMU
Buffalo
BGSU
Toledo
@ EMU
@ Kent State
The schedule certainly softens after CMU, but you're looking 1-6 or even 0-7 squarley in the face right now. I don't see how Carey survives that, especially when you consider how last year finished.
As for the next head coach? I am on the root against NC State and hope Doeren gets fired bandwagon. Probably a pipe dream at this point, but I need something to root for this football season.
Hey, at least the basketball team should be good.
Go Huskies!
(This post was last modified: 09-26-2016 07:34 PM by 7.)
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