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(11-13-2019 12:37 PM)AFLAGWA Wrote:  Some great quotes from Solich for all of us armchair QB's (myself included)

On being as aggressive with play calling as needed in overtime:
"I don't know what you call aggressive but in terms of running the ball, if you look at the total yardage we gained running the ball after a bleak first half, it called for giving it a shot. We did, right at the end of the game, obviously throw the ball and have some really nice completions. Some great throws by Nathan [Rourke], some great catches which got us down in position to throw the pass to [Tyler] Tupa, which set it into the overtime. In overtime, there weren't that many downs for us. Could we have thrown all three and had all three incompletions and maybe be thinking why didn't we try some runs? We ran the ball really well in the second half. It's just a guessing game. It's kind of like the two-point play. If you go for the two-point play and you don't make it, why didn't you kick the extra point and continue to go with the game instead of ending up in overtime? Those are sometimes just guesses. But you try to weigh some things into those guesses and that's what we did."

https://www.ohiobobcats.com/sports/fball...11130ilxv6

Solich also mismanaged the game. I dont criticize him for kicking the extra point. He was at home and had momentum. That's a coin flip. But he stuck to the run too much in the first half, as well as in overtime, when his advantage was through the air. Lester and Solich apparently share the same philosophy there.

(11-13-2019 01:07 PM)RunningGame Wrote:  It is worth pointing out the stakes for us are emotional satisfaction; the stakes for football coaches riding on every single play are their careers and reputations. A guy in sales can lose a few and make it up later. A hockey coach can go in a three-game skid that will be forgotten by next season. One incorrect gamble in a competitive environment where you have no direct control over the outcome is pressure none of us experience much—unless you’ve been shot at.

There is a reason coaches play percentages most of the time - because that's the smart play-they work most of the time!

You know, why they're called "percentages."

Kind of like why Vegas can afford to keep the lights on in the casinos and give away free food 24/7/365.

(11-13-2019 01:31 PM)brovol Wrote:  Solich also mismanaged the game. I dont criticize him for kicking the extra point. He was at home and had momentum. That's a coin flip. But he stuck to the run too much in the first half, as well as in overtime, when his advantage was through the air. Lester and Solich apparently share the same philosophy there.

So...we won a game that both coaches - one of whom is one win away from being all-time winngest MAC coach and is likely headed for College FB HOF - mismanaged.

Good to know.

(11-13-2019 01:31 PM)brovol Wrote:  Solich also mismanaged the game. I dont criticize him for kicking the extra point. He was at home and had momentum. That's a coin flip. But he stuck to the run too much in the first half, as well as in overtime, when his advantage was through the air. Lester and Solich apparently share the same philosophy there.

When you have just finished a half in which you had nearly 400 yards of offense and both the pass and run had been working very well for the last 30 minutes, I think it is hard to say calling either was a "bad call". We just happened to execute better on our six plays of OT than they did.

I agree that they had momentum and could have won with the 2-pt conversion, but we had momentum when we tried it at Ball State last year and we all know how that ended up.

Again, easier to dissect with the benefit of hindsight.

All I know is that we are in a position right now that very few of us believed we would be in after the EMU game. Our season is down to 60 minutes for the MACC with a little help from our friends from Illinois, New York, and Mt. P. We've played and won games against the top teams in BOTH divisions. We just need to avoid another EMU.

(11-13-2019 02:09 PM)MajorHoople Wrote:  

(11-13-2019 01:31 PM)brovol Wrote:  Solich also mismanaged the game. I dont criticize him for kicking the extra point. He was at home and had momentum. That's a coin flip. But he stuck to the run too much in the first half, as well as in overtime, when his advantage was through the air. Lester and Solich apparently share the same philosophy there.

So...we won a game that both coaches - one of whom is one win away from being all-time winngest MAC coach and is likely headed for College FB HOF - mismanaged.

Good to know.

BRILLIANT, again!

My problem wasn't so much the running the ball three straight times at the end of regulation... it was the lack of creativity... Why didn't we try some mis-direction... maybe a reverse to Mixon... just ramming it into the sea of humanity at the line over and over was irritating... Heck maybe even another wild cat play with Moore into a reverse to Mixon... We get a first down there and it's damn near game over...

I thought defensively we looked much sharper than normal... couldn't seem to adjust to their passing game... we look lost out there in coverage still... not sure if thats our defensive backs coaches... scheme... or just lack of athletes... I think we just need a few more pieces on the back end of this defense and we should be much better.

Remember in 2016 when we lost Justin Ferguson at the end of the Toledo game? Yeah... that left a GIANT hole in that defensive backfield... which was exposed by Ohio and Wisconsin... he was a hawking safety that really kept the center of the field locked down... Goes to show you how even an upgrade or loss in ONE position can really shake up a defenses productivity. Losing Eskridge, Moment and Fiske didn't do us any favors...

(11-13-2019 03:05 PM)flushtheherd Wrote:  My problem wasn't so much the running the ball three straight times at the end of regulation... it was the lack of creativity... Why didn't we try some mis-direction... maybe a reverse to Mixon... just ramming it into the sea of humanity at the line over and over was irritating... Heck maybe even another wild cat play with Moore into a reverse to Mixon... We get a first down there and it's damn near game over...

Trying to run a slow-developing play like a Reverse against a blitzing-penetrating defense from our own goalline would have been a recipe for disaster.

(11-13-2019 03:12 PM)MajorHoople Wrote:  

(11-13-2019 03:05 PM)flushtheherd Wrote:  My problem wasn't so much the running the ball three straight times at the end of regulation... it was the lack of creativity... Why didn't we try some mis-direction... maybe a reverse to Mixon... just ramming it into the sea of humanity at the line over and over was irritating... Heck maybe even another wild cat play with Moore into a reverse to Mixon... We get a first down there and it's damn near game over...

Trying to run a slow-developing play like a Reverse against a blitzing-penetrating defense from our own goalline would have been a recipe for disaster.

I suppose... it all worked out in the end. Just splitting hairs at this point.

(11-13-2019 03:12 PM)MajorHoople Wrote:  

(11-13-2019 03:05 PM)flushtheherd Wrote:  My problem wasn't so much the running the ball three straight times at the end of regulation... it was the lack of creativity... Why didn't we try some mis-direction... maybe a reverse to Mixon... just ramming it into the sea of humanity at the line over and over was irritating... Heck maybe even another wild cat play with Moore into a reverse to Mixon... We get a first down there and it's damn near game over...

Trying to run a slow-developing play like a Reverse against a blitzing-penetrating defense from our own goalline would have been a recipe for disaster.

Remember this play from the Redskins-Raiders Super Bowl game back in the 1980's? Listen to the commentators at the end....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NgUg5FMVps

Conservative play-calling is fine when it works. But when it's not, you can't be afraid to open the playbook.

IE the first Touchdown drive, conservative play calling got us all the way to the redzone. When it wasn't working, TL opened the playbook, took a risk, and Wassink threw a TD pass. Another example is BSU last game. Offense was struggling, so TL opened the playbook, & Wassink ran for big gains.

I remember one criticism towards Bill Cubit was he was always trying to score a Touchdown every play. What happened? The QB would throw a pick. Or a series of incomplete passes would lead to no gains.

TL of yesteryear was religious w/ conservative play calling. 3 runs up the middle for no gain? He'd try again.
Last night we saw the wildcat when it failed. We saw a pass when it failed.

TL of yesteryear would've stuck to the run in the 2nd half. We wouldn't have been able to keep up an Ohio team that had found their offense.

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Were I Frank Solich, I would've gone for it on their last TD. Rourke was on fire. We couldn't stop him.

It's easier to say in hindsight, of course, but it's not like their Defense was stopping us. 'We can't let it get back in their hands' would've been my attitude. I was definitely thinking we were gonna lose it on a 2pt conversion that drive.

Also, the play calling on Ohio's drive in OT was also questionable. Rourke was carrying the Bobcats offense on his back, so what does Solich do? Hands it off to the RB who gets stuffed.

And, of course, any quarter of film should've shown we have questionable pass coverage, so not sure why Solich was adamant in running it the first half. What do you know, they try passing in the second half & we get shredded.

Bizarre coaching overall.

Quote:Were I Frank Solich, I would've gone for it on their last TD. Rourke was on fire. We couldn't stop him.

I would too, if I were on the road. My team needing that xtra possession with great field position in under a minute to get the TD, and back on a roll, yep.

But at home? We beat them 2nd half -- we're at home. Senior night. WMU has a D that hasn't made us punt 2nd half -- let's not ruin it.