(09-05-2017 12:59 PM)ericsaid Wrote:  My take on the App game is this:

- Without the 24 yard fumble by Lamb, he is averaging 10 yards per carry on 9 carries against Georgia. Several times he could've kept the ball on the option but didn't and almost every time he did, he picked up positive yards.

- Discounting Michel's long run of 44 yards and Chubb's long of 24 yards, the two running backs combined for only 4.2 YPC. I know the long runs do count, however many of their carries resulted in 2 and 3 yard gains.

- If App can't stretch the field vertically, they aren't going to compete against top tier P5 opponents. They will continue to beat G5 programs using the ball control offense with a stingy defense, but the defense can only hold out for so long against team's like Georgia, Miami, and Clemson.

Moving forward, with the easy schedule, App is most likely to end up 11 - 1 or 10 - 2; winning 11 games depends upon how the offensive gameplan evolves for the Wake Forest game. The defense can compete with Wake Forest, however the offense needs to open up the passing game to get chunk plays. For these reasons, I believe App is still in the Top 3 of the Belt rankings.

1. Arkansas State - Beat Troy 35 - 3 to end last season. Defeated UCF in the Bowl game and took Nebraska to the wire to open the season.

2. Troy - They didn't look particularly good but I thought the receiver fumbled the ball at the 1/2 yard line. That play changed the outlook of the game and ultimately solidified Boise's win at home. Troy was ___ that close to pulling off what only 6 teams have done in Boise in 100 + games.

3. App State - App's defense looked good, and the offense looked capable at times. When they are able to sync their efforts, the ball control offense in tandem with a stingy defense will make this team one of the best in the G5, against other G5 programs. Against P5 teams, App has shown time and time against since the transition that the passing game is a non-factor. However, because App plays a G5 schedule and not P5, they are at number 3.

4. Idaho - Won with sound defense. Would be an improvement if the defense can continue the style of play from the weekend while the offense keeps clicking.

5. USA - The offense looked good at times, driving the field with chunk plays on the ground and in the air. Will they be less yin and yang this season?

6. CCU - I haven't seen an offense run the ball using the methods employed by CCU. Seems to be a shotgun variation of the wishbone, yet different from what was used by Fritz. I will be excited to see how effective it is against more athletic fronts.

7. ULM - Didn't get a chance to watch this game but from the box score, the game never was really in doubt. Memphis is a quality opponent however and ULM putting points on the board was an improvement.

8. NMSU - Same as with ULM, except the defense kept ASU below 40 points which is a huge improvement.

9. Texas State - I expect improvement but how much remains to be seen. Wither's is a quality coach.

10. UL - Gave up 40 + points to a middling FCS program

11. GS - 78 yards of offense. The defense looked good in spurts to begin the game but once again, the offense looked lost and incoherent. The offensive line was not moving in sync and the backfield paid dearly for it.

12. GSU - Treon Harris is a good running quarterback and I expect that GSU would have won this game going away if it weren't for him. It isn't easy to stop a quality athlete running a more traditional spread attack.

NMSU had 7 sacks agaisnt ASU... NMSU had 11 all of last season...

(09-06-2017 01:04 PM)HCJag Wrote:  I don't get where people are so down on Ole Miss. They'll fade over the new few years, but right now they've got top talent including 2 top 10 classes over the last 4 years.

I'm not down on Ole Miss at all they still have talent, but Boise is ranked #29 in the Massey Composite ratings ( I like composites) and Ole Miss #43, based on Saturdays results.

Did not see any of the game involving Ole Miss.

Like AppSt fans will tell you all the time, and A-State fans learned the hard way at the start of last season once the season starts, its about how that talent plays.

Those A-State players that started 0-4, which included losses to Utah St, and UCA, were just as talented as those that went 7-1 in the SBC and won their bowl game.

Who really cares whether Ole Miss is better than Boise or what the composite rankings mean? The transitive property doesn't work in football. I'm pretty sure everyone on here knows that. Rankings in Week #2 after one game mean exactly squat....even composite rankings. They are all guessing at this point.

Both Troy and USA represented well but came up short. This is going to be an interesting season to watch. Good luck!

(09-08-2017 09:41 AM)Yosef84 Wrote:  Who really cares whether Ole Miss is better than Boise or what the composite rankings mean? The transitive property doesn't work in football. I'm pretty sure everyone on here knows that. Rankings in Week #2 after one game mean exactly squat....even composite rankings. They are all guessing at this point.

Both Troy and USA represented well but came up short. This is going to be an interesting season to watch. Good luck!

A poster posted their ranking of the week one opponents, so they did.

I responded, and and other posters responded to my post.

Most of the rankings I'd seen had Boise ahead of Ole Miss, so I was surprised. No big deal

Think everyone knows that these early rankings are subjective, but they still do them because it is fun.

Thought Troy looked very talented, but did not get to see USA.

(09-08-2017 10:00 AM)Seminole Indian Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 09:41 AM)Yosef84 Wrote:  Who really cares whether Ole Miss is better than Boise or what the composite rankings mean? The transitive property doesn't work in football. I'm pretty sure everyone on here knows that. Rankings in Week #2 after one game mean exactly squat....even composite rankings. They are all guessing at this point.

Both Troy and USA represented well but came up short. This is going to be an interesting season to watch. Good luck!

A poster posted their ranking of the week one opponents, so they did.

I responded, and and other posters responded to my post.

Most of the rankings I'd seen had Boise ahead of Ole Miss, so I was surprised. No big deal

Think everyone knows that these early rankings are subjective, but they still do them because it is fun.

Thought Troy looked very talented, but did not get to see USA.

Not pointed at anyone in particular. It just felt like the comparisons were being taken way too seriously. I'm multi-tasking at work though, so it's very possible I'm the one taking things way too seriously.

Early season discussions / comparisons always have a high BS content. You're right though. We do them because it's fun. I'll look at the up side....better than the PRE-season discussions of uniform and stadium smack.

(09-08-2017 10:35 AM)Yosef84 Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 10:00 AM)Seminole Indian Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 09:41 AM)Yosef84 Wrote:  Who really cares whether Ole Miss is better than Boise or what the composite rankings mean? The transitive property doesn't work in football. I'm pretty sure everyone on here knows that. Rankings in Week #2 after one game mean exactly squat....even composite rankings. They are all guessing at this point.

Both Troy and USA represented well but came up short. This is going to be an interesting season to watch. Good luck!

A poster posted their ranking of the week one opponents, so they did.

I responded, and and other posters responded to my post.

Most of the rankings I'd seen had Boise ahead of Ole Miss, so I was surprised. No big deal

Think everyone knows that these early rankings are subjective, but they still do them because it is fun.

Thought Troy looked very talented, but did not get to see USA.

Not pointed at anyone in particular. It just felt like the comparisons were being taken way too seriously. I'm multi-tasking at work though, so it's very possible I'm the one taking things way too seriously.

Early season discussions / comparisons always have a high BS content. You're right though. We do them because it's fun. I'll look at the up side....better than the PRE-season discussions of uniform and stadium smack.

You said it, brother. I'm actually surprised at the overvaluation of certain moral victories over actual wins. But I guess it comes with the territory.

(09-08-2017 08:07 AM)NMSTATEFan3 Wrote:  

(09-05-2017 12:59 PM)ericsaid Wrote:  My take on the App game is this:

- Without the 24 yard fumble by Lamb, he is averaging 10 yards per carry on 9 carries against Georgia. Several times he could've kept the ball on the option but didn't and almost every time he did, he picked up positive yards.

- Discounting Michel's long run of 44 yards and Chubb's long of 24 yards, the two running backs combined for only 4.2 YPC. I know the long runs do count, however many of their carries resulted in 2 and 3 yard gains.

- If App can't stretch the field vertically, they aren't going to compete against top tier P5 opponents. They will continue to beat G5 programs using the ball control offense with a stingy defense, but the defense can only hold out for so long against team's like Georgia, Miami, and Clemson.

Moving forward, with the easy schedule, App is most likely to end up 11 - 1 or 10 - 2; winning 11 games depends upon how the offensive gameplan evolves for the Wake Forest game. The defense can compete with Wake Forest, however the offense needs to open up the passing game to get chunk plays. For these reasons, I believe App is still in the Top 3 of the Belt rankings.

1. Arkansas State - Beat Troy 35 - 3 to end last season. Defeated UCF in the Bowl game and took Nebraska to the wire to open the season.

2. Troy - They didn't look particularly good but I thought the receiver fumbled the ball at the 1/2 yard line. That play changed the outlook of the game and ultimately solidified Boise's win at home. Troy was ___ that close to pulling off what only 6 teams have done in Boise in 100 + games.

3. App State - App's defense looked good, and the offense looked capable at times. When they are able to sync their efforts, the ball control offense in tandem with a stingy defense will make this team one of the best in the G5, against other G5 programs. Against P5 teams, App has shown time and time against since the transition that the passing game is a non-factor. However, because App plays a G5 schedule and not P5, they are at number 3.

4. Idaho - Won with sound defense. Would be an improvement if the defense can continue the style of play from the weekend while the offense keeps clicking.

5. USA - The offense looked good at times, driving the field with chunk plays on the ground and in the air. Will they be less yin and yang this season?

6. CCU - I haven't seen an offense run the ball using the methods employed by CCU. Seems to be a shotgun variation of the wishbone, yet different from what was used by Fritz. I will be excited to see how effective it is against more athletic fronts.

7. ULM - Didn't get a chance to watch this game but from the box score, the game never was really in doubt. Memphis is a quality opponent however and ULM putting points on the board was an improvement.

8. NMSU - Same as with ULM, except the defense kept ASU below 40 points which is a huge improvement.

9. Texas State - I expect improvement but how much remains to be seen. Wither's is a quality coach.

10. UL - Gave up 40 + points to a middling FCS program

11. GS - 78 yards of offense. The defense looked good in spurts to begin the game but once again, the offense looked lost and incoherent. The offensive line was not moving in sync and the backfield paid dearly for it.

12. GSU - Treon Harris is a good running quarterback and I expect that GSU would have won this game going away if it weren't for him. It isn't easy to stop a quality athlete running a more traditional spread attack.

NMSU had 7 sacks agaisnt ASU... NMSU had 11 all of last season...

Your analysis of Withers remains to be seen. To date, the only thing that can be said with any certainty about Withers is that he knows how to "Blow a Program Up."

The jury's still out as to his ability to "Build a Quality Program that Wins Consistently,"

When, and Only when he does that, will I agree with your assessment of him as a "Quality Coach."

(09-08-2017 12:37 PM)Bobcat87 Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 08:07 AM)NMSTATEFan3 Wrote:  

(09-05-2017 12:59 PM)ericsaid Wrote:  My take on the App game is this:

- Without the 24 yard fumble by Lamb, he is averaging 10 yards per carry on 9 carries against Georgia. Several times he could've kept the ball on the option but didn't and almost every time he did, he picked up positive yards.

- Discounting Michel's long run of 44 yards and Chubb's long of 24 yards, the two running backs combined for only 4.2 YPC. I know the long runs do count, however many of their carries resulted in 2 and 3 yard gains.

- If App can't stretch the field vertically, they aren't going to compete against top tier P5 opponents. They will continue to beat G5 programs using the ball control offense with a stingy defense, but the defense can only hold out for so long against team's like Georgia, Miami, and Clemson.

Moving forward, with the easy schedule, App is most likely to end up 11 - 1 or 10 - 2; winning 11 games depends upon how the offensive gameplan evolves for the Wake Forest game. The defense can compete with Wake Forest, however the offense needs to open up the passing game to get chunk plays. For these reasons, I believe App is still in the Top 3 of the Belt rankings.

1. Arkansas State - Beat Troy 35 - 3 to end last season. Defeated UCF in the Bowl game and took Nebraska to the wire to open the season.

2. Troy - They didn't look particularly good but I thought the receiver fumbled the ball at the 1/2 yard line. That play changed the outlook of the game and ultimately solidified Boise's win at home. Troy was ___ that close to pulling off what only 6 teams have done in Boise in 100 + games.

3. App State - App's defense looked good, and the offense looked capable at times. When they are able to sync their efforts, the ball control offense in tandem with a stingy defense will make this team one of the best in the G5, against other G5 programs. Against P5 teams, App has shown time and time against since the transition that the passing game is a non-factor. However, because App plays a G5 schedule and not P5, they are at number 3.

4. Idaho - Won with sound defense. Would be an improvement if the defense can continue the style of play from the weekend while the offense keeps clicking.

5. USA - The offense looked good at times, driving the field with chunk plays on the ground and in the air. Will they be less yin and yang this season?

6. CCU - I haven't seen an offense run the ball using the methods employed by CCU. Seems to be a shotgun variation of the wishbone, yet different from what was used by Fritz. I will be excited to see how effective it is against more athletic fronts.

7. ULM - Didn't get a chance to watch this game but from the box score, the game never was really in doubt. Memphis is a quality opponent however and ULM putting points on the board was an improvement.

8. NMSU - Same as with ULM, except the defense kept ASU below 40 points which is a huge improvement.

9. Texas State - I expect improvement but how much remains to be seen. Wither's is a quality coach.

10. UL - Gave up 40 + points to a middling FCS program

11. GS - 78 yards of offense. The defense looked good in spurts to begin the game but once again, the offense looked lost and incoherent. The offensive line was not moving in sync and the backfield paid dearly for it.

12. GSU - Treon Harris is a good running quarterback and I expect that GSU would have won this game going away if it weren't for him. It isn't easy to stop a quality athlete running a more traditional spread attack.

NMSU had 7 sacks agaisnt ASU... NMSU had 11 all of last season...

Your analysis of Withers remains to be seen. To date, the only thing that can be said with any certainty about Withers is that he knows how to "Blow a Program Up."

The jury's still out as to his ability to "Build a Quality Program that Wins Consistently,"

When, and Only when he does that, will I agree with your assessment of him as a "Quality Coach."

Withers has had success at previous stops. Texas State needed to have the program blown up to rebuild starting at the foundation; that is not a fault of Withers but of the Texas State administration going as long as they did without making a coaching change. I fear ECU, with Mo, is eventually going to have to do the same thing as Mo runs the program into the ground.

(09-08-2017 08:07 AM)NMSTATEFan3 Wrote:  

(09-05-2017 12:59 PM)ericsaid Wrote:  My take on the App game is this:

- Without the 24 yard fumble by Lamb, he is averaging 10 yards per carry on 9 carries against Georgia. Several times he could've kept the ball on the option but didn't and almost every time he did, he picked up positive yards.

- Discounting Michel's long run of 44 yards and Chubb's long of 24 yards, the two running backs combined for only 4.2 YPC. I know the long runs do count, however many of their carries resulted in 2 and 3 yard gains.

- If App can't stretch the field vertically, they aren't going to compete against top tier P5 opponents. They will continue to beat G5 programs using the ball control offense with a stingy defense, but the defense can only hold out for so long against team's like Georgia, Miami, and Clemson.

Moving forward, with the easy schedule, App is most likely to end up 11 - 1 or 10 - 2; winning 11 games depends upon how the offensive gameplan evolves for the Wake Forest game. The defense can compete with Wake Forest, however the offense needs to open up the passing game to get chunk plays. For these reasons, I believe App is still in the Top 3 of the Belt rankings.

1. Arkansas State - Beat Troy 35 - 3 to end last season. Defeated UCF in the Bowl game and took Nebraska to the wire to open the season.

2. Troy - They didn't look particularly good but I thought the receiver fumbled the ball at the 1/2 yard line. That play changed the outlook of the game and ultimately solidified Boise's win at home. Troy was ___ that close to pulling off what only 6 teams have done in Boise in 100 + games.

3. App State - App's defense looked good, and the offense looked capable at times. When they are able to sync their efforts, the ball control offense in tandem with a stingy defense will make this team one of the best in the G5, against other G5 programs. Against P5 teams, App has shown time and time against since the transition that the passing game is a non-factor. However, because App plays a G5 schedule and not P5, they are at number 3.

4. Idaho - Won with sound defense. Would be an improvement if the defense can continue the style of play from the weekend while the offense keeps clicking.

5. USA - The offense looked good at times, driving the field with chunk plays on the ground and in the air. Will they be less yin and yang this season?

6. CCU - I haven't seen an offense run the ball using the methods employed by CCU. Seems to be a shotgun variation of the wishbone, yet different from what was used by Fritz. I will be excited to see how effective it is against more athletic fronts.

7. ULM - Didn't get a chance to watch this game but from the box score, the game never was really in doubt. Memphis is a quality opponent however and ULM putting points on the board was an improvement.

8. NMSU - Same as with ULM, except the defense kept ASU below 40 points which is a huge improvement.

9. Texas State - I expect improvement but how much remains to be seen. Wither's is a quality coach.

10. UL - Gave up 40 + points to a middling FCS program

11. GS - 78 yards of offense. The defense looked good in spurts to begin the game but once again, the offense looked lost and incoherent. The offensive line was not moving in sync and the backfield paid dearly for it.

12. GSU - Treon Harris is a good running quarterback and I expect that GSU would have won this game going away if it weren't for him. It isn't easy to stop a quality athlete running a more traditional spread attack.

NMSU had 7 sacks agaisnt ASU... NMSU had 11 all of last season...

That's great. Game still wasn't as close as the score indicated.

(09-08-2017 03:58 PM)ericsaid Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 12:37 PM)Bobcat87 Wrote:  Your analysis of Withers remains to be seen. To date, the only thing that can be said with any certainty about Withers is that he knows how to "Blow a Program Up."

The jury's still out as to his ability to "Build a Quality Program that Wins Consistently,"

When, and Only when he does that, will I agree with your assessment of him as a "Quality Coach."

Withers has hd success at previous stops. Texas State needed to have the program blown up to rebuild starting at the foundation; that is not a fault of Withers but of the Texas State administration going as long as they did without making a coaching change. I fear ECU, with Mo, is eventually going to have to do the same thing as Mo runs the program into the ground.

I think you are both right. I do believe Withers is a quality coach, as he has demonstrated success at every previous stop.

But he is not a proven "build a quality program that wins consistently" as he's never stayed long enough to build a program. He's a 3 year type guy.

Not sure if it is the opponent or improvement, but we did have 6 sacks last week, compared to 9.5 sacks for ALL of 2016 (don't ask me how you end up with a TOTAL of a "half" sack... but ok). I'm hoping it's an improvement, because thus far, I haven't seen much improvement on offense yet.

(09-08-2017 03:58 PM)ericsaid Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 12:37 PM)Bobcat87 Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 08:07 AM)NMSTATEFan3 Wrote:  

(09-05-2017 12:59 PM)ericsaid Wrote:  My take on the App game is this:

- Without the 24 yard fumble by Lamb, he is averaging 10 yards per carry on 9 carries against Georgia. Several times he could've kept the ball on the option but didn't and almost every time he did, he picked up positive yards.

- Discounting Michel's long run of 44 yards and Chubb's long of 24 yards, the two running backs combined for only 4.2 YPC. I know the long runs do count, however many of their carries resulted in 2 and 3 yard gains.

- If App can't stretch the field vertically, they aren't going to compete against top tier P5 opponents. They will continue to beat G5 programs using the ball control offense with a stingy defense, but the defense can only hold out for so long against team's like Georgia, Miami, and Clemson.

Moving forward, with the easy schedule, App is most likely to end up 11 - 1 or 10 - 2; winning 11 games depends upon how the offensive gameplan evolves for the Wake Forest game. The defense can compete with Wake Forest, however the offense needs to open up the passing game to get chunk plays. For these reasons, I believe App is still in the Top 3 of the Belt rankings.

1. Arkansas State - Beat Troy 35 - 3 to end last season. Defeated UCF in the Bowl game and took Nebraska to the wire to open the season.

2. Troy - They didn't look particularly good but I thought the receiver fumbled the ball at the 1/2 yard line. That play changed the outlook of the game and ultimately solidified Boise's win at home. Troy was ___ that close to pulling off what only 6 teams have done in Boise in 100 + games.

3. App State - App's defense looked good, and the offense looked capable at times. When they are able to sync their efforts, the ball control offense in tandem with a stingy defense will make this team one of the best in the G5, against other G5 programs. Against P5 teams, App has shown time and time against since the transition that the passing game is a non-factor. However, because App plays a G5 schedule and not P5, they are at number 3.

4. Idaho - Won with sound defense. Would be an improvement if the defense can continue the style of play from the weekend while the offense keeps clicking.

5. USA - The offense looked good at times, driving the field with chunk plays on the ground and in the air. Will they be less yin and yang this season?

6. CCU - I haven't seen an offense run the ball using the methods employed by CCU. Seems to be a shotgun variation of the wishbone, yet different from what was used by Fritz. I will be excited to see how effective it is against more athletic fronts.

7. ULM - Didn't get a chance to watch this game but from the box score, the game never was really in doubt. Memphis is a quality opponent however and ULM putting points on the board was an improvement.

8. NMSU - Same as with ULM, except the defense kept ASU below 40 points which is a huge improvement.

9. Texas State - I expect improvement but how much remains to be seen. Wither's is a quality coach.

10. UL - Gave up 40 + points to a middling FCS program

11. GS - 78 yards of offense. The defense looked good in spurts to begin the game but once again, the offense looked lost and incoherent. The offensive line was not moving in sync and the backfield paid dearly for it.

12. GSU - Treon Harris is a good running quarterback and I expect that GSU would have won this game going away if it weren't for him. It isn't easy to stop a quality athlete running a more traditional spread attack.

NMSU had 7 sacks agaisnt ASU... NMSU had 11 all of last season...

Your analysis of Withers remains to be seen. To date, the only thing that can be said with any certainty about Withers is that he knows how to "Blow a Program Up."

The jury's still out as to his ability to "Build a Quality Program that Wins Consistently,"

When, and Only when he does that, will I agree with your assessment of him as a "Quality Coach."

Withers has had success at previous stops. Texas State needed to have the program blown up to rebuild starting at the foundation; that is not a fault of Withers but of the Texas State administration going as long as they did without making a coaching change. I fear ECU, with Mo, is eventually going to have to do the same thing as Mo runs the program into the ground.

Withers hasn't been a Head Coach at this level before, so his previous stops as an Assistant count for little, and As a long suffering Bobcat fan I don't need a lecture on the suckage that is our AD, and the Administration that has allowed him to keep his job while severely underperforming . . .

I'm not knocking Withers per say, but until he achieves something, I ain't anointing him either . . .

Record as a HC: 29-23 (includes last week's win). Bowl: 0-1

Yeah, I'd say he's still got a lot to prove . . .

(09-08-2017 05:28 PM)Bobcat87 Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 03:58 PM)ericsaid Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 12:37 PM)Bobcat87 Wrote:  

(09-08-2017 08:07 AM)NMSTATEFan3 Wrote:  

(09-05-2017 12:59 PM)ericsaid Wrote:  My take on the App game is this:

- Without the 24 yard fumble by Lamb, he is averaging 10 yards per carry on 9 carries against Georgia. Several times he could've kept the ball on the option but didn't and almost every time he did, he picked up positive yards.

- Discounting Michel's long run of 44 yards and Chubb's long of 24 yards, the two running backs combined for only 4.2 YPC. I know the long runs do count, however many of their carries resulted in 2 and 3 yard gains.

- If App can't stretch the field vertically, they aren't going to compete against top tier P5 opponents. They will continue to beat G5 programs using the ball control offense with a stingy defense, but the defense can only hold out for so long against team's like Georgia, Miami, and Clemson.

Moving forward, with the easy schedule, App is most likely to end up 11 - 1 or 10 - 2; winning 11 games depends upon how the offensive gameplan evolves for the Wake Forest game. The defense can compete with Wake Forest, however the offense needs to open up the passing game to get chunk plays. For these reasons, I believe App is still in the Top 3 of the Belt rankings.

1. Arkansas State - Beat Troy 35 - 3 to end last season. Defeated UCF in the Bowl game and took Nebraska to the wire to open the season.

2. Troy - They didn't look particularly good but I thought the receiver fumbled the ball at the 1/2 yard line. That play changed the outlook of the game and ultimately solidified Boise's win at home. Troy was ___ that close to pulling off what only 6 teams have done in Boise in 100 + games.

3. App State - App's defense looked good, and the offense looked capable at times. When they are able to sync their efforts, the ball control offense in tandem with a stingy defense will make this team one of the best in the G5, against other G5 programs. Against P5 teams, App has shown time and time against since the transition that the passing game is a non-factor. However, because App plays a G5 schedule and not P5, they are at number 3.

4. Idaho - Won with sound defense. Would be an improvement if the defense can continue the style of play from the weekend while the offense keeps clicking.

5. USA - The offense looked good at times, driving the field with chunk plays on the ground and in the air. Will they be less yin and yang this season?

6. CCU - I haven't seen an offense run the ball using the methods employed by CCU. Seems to be a shotgun variation of the wishbone, yet different from what was used by Fritz. I will be excited to see how effective it is against more athletic fronts.

7. ULM - Didn't get a chance to watch this game but from the box score, the game never was really in doubt. Memphis is a quality opponent however and ULM putting points on the board was an improvement.

8. NMSU - Same as with ULM, except the defense kept ASU below 40 points which is a huge improvement.

9. Texas State - I expect improvement but how much remains to be seen. Wither's is a quality coach.

10. UL - Gave up 40 + points to a middling FCS program

11. GS - 78 yards of offense. The defense looked good in spurts to begin the game but once again, the offense looked lost and incoherent. The offensive line was not moving in sync and the backfield paid dearly for it.

12. GSU - Treon Harris is a good running quarterback and I expect that GSU would have won this game going away if it weren't for him. It isn't easy to stop a quality athlete running a more traditional spread attack.

NMSU had 7 sacks agaisnt ASU... NMSU had 11 all of last season...

Your analysis of Withers remains to be seen. To date, the only thing that can be said with any certainty about Withers is that he knows how to "Blow a Program Up."

The jury's still out as to his ability to "Build a Quality Program that Wins Consistently,"

When, and Only when he does that, will I agree with your assessment of him as a "Quality Coach."

Withers has had success at previous stops. Texas State needed to have the program blown up to rebuild starting at the foundation; that is not a fault of Withers but of the Texas State administration going as long as they did without making a coaching change. I fear ECU, with Mo, is eventually going to have to do the same thing as Mo runs the program into the ground.

Withers hasn't been a Head Coach at this level before, so his previous stops as an Assistant count for little, and As a long suffering Bobcat fan I don't need a lecture on the suckage that is our AD, and the Administration that has allowed him to keep his job while severely underperforming . . .

I'm not knocking Withers per say, but until he achieves something, I ain't anointing him either . . .

Record as a HC: 29-23 (includes last week's win). Bowl: 0-1

Yeah, I'd say he's still got a lot to prove . . .

It seems he is trying to build a program which is much more difficult that just getting an already talented team ready from year to year. That difficulty is compounded by the resurgence of Troy, Arkansas State' steady dosage of SEC talent, and a variety of other factors. It will take time. However, I believe his previous success is more of an indicator as to what he can do when a program is in place which is fine.

I don't care for Withers. I don't like how he talks about his team and former players. Regardless if it is true that's stuff you talk behind close doors not to media. Texas State is a sleeping giant and it's crazy to me even from FCS days how they're not a consistent winner.

If you have been to campus and the area you will understand. Texas State is like a made up College on TV. The Clear river running through campus and coeds out hanging out, 1-2k apartment pool parties. Diverse group of college girls. One day they'll figure it out.

I agree about their potential. I've always said if I had it to do over again I might would have gone there for many of the reasons you stated.

(09-09-2017 09:40 AM)Arrowhead Wrote:  I agree about their potential. I've always said if I had it to do over again I might would have gone there for many of the reasons you stated.

And in order to reach that potential the program had to be blown up, the previous foundation removed, and a new culture built. It's something that will take time but Withers comes from a successful college career at a small university and has had success at his other coaching stops.

Ole Miss not doing much to prove they're better than FCS at this point. Not a good look for USA after their game last week.