Part of this I take from a message I sent to HerdSwimming -- my appologizies to HS!
First of all, I'm embarrassed by our coaching staff, but I'll get to that in a bit.
You know what, Hoepp, you can throw your headset down all you want, but that loss falls squarely on the coaching staff's shoulders. I didn't like the first pass intereference call, but the fact is, we shouldn't have been in that position in the first place.
1) We should have thrown the ball when we had the ball on the last possession. Marshall knew we were going to run, and they put 8 in the box. There are plenty of "no risk" routes we could have run, and while an incomplete pass would have stopped the clock, you guys were going to stop the clock, anyway. A play action fake could have given us the first down we needed that would have allowed us to run out the clock.
2) That call with the roll-out on third down was stupid. It made it so that we were practically punting out of the end zone, giving Marshall great field position and setting up their final score. I would have rather seen us run up the gut again than try that stuff.
3) We gave up those three big plays down the middle before the pass interference calls were made. That was the key -- we put no pressure on Hill all day long. I would have rather seen us blitz six and play soft than give up the balls that we did.
4) I told you our secondary sucked.
Great game, though. You (Marshall) guys deserve all the accolades you've gotten. Your offensive line was awesome, and Preutt had a great game plan. Furthermore, Watts is one tough SOB. He'll play on Sundays.
Most importantly, though, Wauford needs to be fired NOW. I have never been so embarrassed as an alumnus. I don't care what happened down there on the field, you have to behave better than that. I can now clearly see why our team is so undisciplined. Look at our coaches! Trashing a press box? What the he!!? I'd rather lose every game that turn on the radio in the morning and hear the local music morning show talking, not about what a great football game was played last night, but instead, talking about a coach from my alma mater decking a kid. This is going to be the topic of every talk radio show around the country today. How much do you want to be it's on the Sports Reporters?
I will say this, though. Miami will fire Wauford. Stan Hill, played last night. I don't mean that as a slam, but I don't think Pruett has a lot of backbone. There is no way a kid who has been arrested the previous week should be representing his school on national TV. Please do not take this as an excuse for Wauford -- there is none. However, before all you Herd fans jump on our university (as opposed to our moron coach), you might want to look very closely in the mirror.
Hey, and don't freakin' make the conference look horrible by putting OU in the MACC game, 'kay?
I got about two hours sleep last night -- I guess I take this stuff a little more seriously than I would like.
<!--EDIT|Dodo|Nov 13 2002, 01:36 PM-->
Very professional post Dodo.
Dodo,
You are one extremely classy person (not that I've ever felt otherwise).
As for the coach, I'm willing to let it go until the legal system runs its course, and then let any disciplinary actions take their course. I feel the same way about players. The problem is, I could just as easily (as a retail store manager) pipe up and say that I saw a player steal something, even if saying so falsely, and too many people would be crying for his head immediately right off regardless of the fact that I'd be lying. They're human, and they're americans too. There's a little thing called innocent until proven guilty, and it's not fair (and for that matter, I'd be interested to see what would happen if a player took his school to court if he were suspended right away on something where he was not guilty) to subject them to any other rules.
In Stan Hill's case, if he is to be proven guilty of what he was accused of, then discipline needs to be taken (up to and including possible dismissal from the team). Until then, he should be treated as anyone else.
Same goes for the Miami coach. Unless the legal process finds him guilty, then I have no problems with him. Unlike others who would throw our very constitution out the window (including some Marshall fans now that the shoe is on the other foot), I still believe that he is innocent until proven otherwise.
It is unfortunate that it happened at all, as it now shows in the national spotlight. However, much of the circumstances still remain to be sorted out. Let's see how it plays out before anyone hangs him.
EdM
No other team in the MAC would have played Hill. He'd have been suspended. Justify all you want, Marshall is a renegade program that got a gift last night.
Ed:
I beg to differ on the "innocent until proven guilty" thing. This is a football team, not a court of law. No one has the "right" to play football. The fact that I saw Wauford on ESPN at 4:00 AM this morning knock down a freakin' kid is all the evidence the University needs to suspend him.
I guess, legally, we can't fire him right now, but we can suspend him until all the evidence is in. Suspend him without pay; I don't care. But I sure as Athens, OH don't want to see him having contact with kids.
As far as Hill is concerned, I'd be less suspicious if it were not for Pruett's previous track record. Again, I take nothing away from Pruett as a coach, he's outcoached our staff the last 5 years (badly).
Still, the game is over, and Hill played a heck of a game. We did not.
Right now, I'm just hoping against hope that Miami can beat UCF and still have a shot at a bowl game. At 8-4, though, I'm not sure the 2nd place team in the West wouldn't get first shot at a game if there is a third opening. Who knows, maybe Wauford's behavior would make bowls think twice about Miami, anyway. Who want's that kind of publicity associated with a "small time" bowl that is trying to establish itself.
Worst week of college football I've had in a long time. Tech loses to F$U; Miami loses to Marshall.
Someone please remind me why I chose college football as a hobby...
Dodo,
Good post. It was one of those games where you hate to see either team go away with a loss. The Redhawks played with lots of heart, twice coming back from 2 TD deficits.
I agree with you 100% on your comments concerning the coaching late in the game. Miami lost the game on their last offensive possession. They needed one first down to seal the victory and decided to run the ball up the middle against a defensive that had no choice but to sell out against the run. If the Redhawks would have passed on either first or second down they would have won the game. The worst thing coaches can do is play not to lose instead of playing to win, which is precisely what happened last night.
The other garbage was very unfortuneate and I hate that it has taken away from what was one hell of a game.
Go Herd!
All the sports fans in our office are talking about that game today, and none of them give two hoots about the MAC.
Deep down, the Rick Chryst has got to be thrilled with the way the game came out, including the extracurriculars. It was a thrilling game, and -- because of the aftermath -- word of mouth about it has a lot of legs.
<!--EDIT|RochesterFalcon|Nov 13 2002, 09:34 AM-->
RochesterFalcon Wrote:All the sports fans in our office are talking about that game today, and none of them give two hoots about the MAC.
Deep down, the Rick Chryst has got to be thrilled with the way the game came out, including the extracurriculars. It was a thrilling game, and -- because of the aftermath -- word of mouth about it a lot of legs.
I don't want this kind of publicity, thank you very little.
However, I get your point.
AP says Jon Wauford made bail this morning.
FYI :D
Wauford rode back with the team, actually.
1. Dodo, you're a class act. Your team played hard; the future is bright for your Redhawks.
2. RF, your tagline is hilarious.
3. Oddball, you and I have developed a personal emnity that can only be carried to its true fruition in a public forum!
<!--EDIT|Dodo|Nov 13 2002, 06:39 PM-->
And you can do things I should not mention on this board because it violates the AUP. However, I must say that Dodo fills out his singlet quite nicely.
<!--EDIT|Dodo|Nov 13 2002, 06:37 PM-->
Dodo Wrote:Right now, I'm just hoping against hope that Miami can beat UCF and still have a shot at a bowl game. At 8-4, though, I'm not sure the 2nd place team in the West wouldn't get first shot at a game if there is a third opening. Who knows, maybe Wauford's behavior would make bowls think twice about Miami, anyway. Who want's that kind of publicity associated with a "small time" bowl that is trying to establish itself.
Boise in December should be fun!
Go Hawks, beat Florida Tech (and try and arrange one of those beautiful mid-November days I remember so well from my time in Ohio. 30 degrees, windchill at -6)!
We won't get a bowl bid and, if we do, we shouldn't accept it. A university that is willing to "bench" its band for harmless pranks shouldn't reward its football team for this.
The players might "suffer," I guess, but they also will learn a life-long lesson on the consequences of poor leadership.
I won't rehash my other views on this matter.
DevilGrad Wrote:We won't get a bowl bid and, if we do, we shouldn't accept it. A university that is willing to "bench" its band for harmless pranks shouldn't reward its football team for this.
The players might "suffer," I guess, but they also will learn a life-long lesson on the consequences of poor leadership.
I won't rehash my other views on this matter.
This may be the first time I disagree with you, DG.
I agree that the coaches should be punished. However, I vehemently disagree with punishing a group of kids who have worked darn hard all year. I think they will learn plenty when Wauford's career goes down the toilet. I don't think you punish the innocent to hurt the guilty further.
<a href='http://espn.go.com/ncf/news/2002/1113/1460332.html' target='_blank'>Miami has suspended those involved without pay, pending an investigation. </a>
We won't get a bid, anyway. It's all academic. With that, I will agree.
Suspended WITH pay, you mean. Big difference.
Oddball Wrote:And you can do things I should not mention on this board because it violates the AUP. However, I must say that Dodo fills out his singlet quite nicely.
B@stard!
<!--EDIT|Oddball|Nov 13 2002, 06:53 PM-->
Oddball Wrote:Oddball Wrote:And you can do things I should not mention on this board because it violates the AUP. However, I must say that Dodo fills out his singlet quite nicely.
B@stard!
Hopelessly devoted...what can I say? :D
Dodo Wrote:DevilGrad Wrote:We won't get a bowl bid and, if we do, we shouldn't accept it. A university that is willing to "bench" its band for harmless pranks shouldn't reward its football team for this.
The players might "suffer," I guess, but they also will learn a life-long lesson on the consequences of poor leadership.
I won't rehash my other views on this matter.
This may be the first time I disagree with you, DG.
I agree that the coaches should be punished. However, I vehemently disagree with punishing a group of kids who have worked darn hard all year. I think they will learn plenty when Wauford's career goes down the toilet. I don't think you punish the innocent to hurt the guilty further.
<a href='http://espn.go.com/ncf/news/2002/1113/1460332.html' target='_blank'>Miami has suspended those involved without pay, pending an investigation. </a>
We won't get a bid, anyway. It's all academic. With that, I will agree.
The world punishes the innocent all the time in the process of meting out justice to the guilty. Ask any Arthur Andersen employee. Ask the kids on the OTHER three band buses, who sat out Parent's Weekend at our alma mater a couple of years ago, even though they weren't on the offending bus.
In the real world, leadership mistakes frequently get people fired or killed. I don't think our football players -- who, I hasten to add, by and large appear to be a decent group of young men -- would suffer any irreparable damage from not getting to go to a bowl game, and the counter-example of protecting the footballers (but not the band) from those consequences would say something very unpleasant about Mother Miami.
