Sunday Morning QB- Judgement Day Edition

[Coach34]

(this is being written after being at the game- and I have yet to read a newspaper article or much of anything)

1. Couldnt have asked for a more perfect day for football. The tailgate was set up perfectly and we had steaks flown in from Chicago. Great group of people and a good time was had until we headed into the stadium.

2. I hate our new offense. I dont know if one of the conditions for Prescott to return for a 5th year was that we phase out a good bit of the QB runs- but this shit aint cutting it. Prescott has basically 15 carries in our first two games. Thats not cutting it. He should be carrying it 15 times per game on the average. That is what the run game is predicated on- using the QB as a running threat to outnumber the defense in the box. If Dakota doesnt want to run- put Fitz in some and let him run. Our run game sux right now- and it not just on the OL. Our scheme needs to be tweaked some. And I'll get to our RB's shortly.

3. This is our 3rd SEC game in a row Mullen has been outcoached in the 1st half (Bammer, Northern Miss, and LSU). Steele and Orgeron got ya Dan. They overloaded one side once to outnumber our blockers and got a sack, they ran wide twists and blitzed a LB when we went 5 wide to screw up our protection. 52 passes? No. Just no. Hayyyyyyyyle no. Get better Mullen- either you have been figured out and need to make some changes- OR- you need to do a better job of scouting and projecting how teams are going to make adjustments to you for games. Thats 3 straight dog shit gameplans v SEC teams. 2nd half adjustments? You do a good job. A Really good job- but we are losing games because our 1st half performances are so bad right now.

Also Mullen, you have to call time out with 8 seconds left in the game and avoid your team get a delay of game penalty. That is Les Miles bad. No excuse for that. None. You ****ed up and failed as a coach right there. I know good and well with 3 offensive coaches on the headset somebody knew the play clock was running down- and if they didnt- thats even worse. Colossal **** up.

4. You are only as good as your best players play. Dakota Prescott is not running the ball and using his legs to make plays. Prescott is not making the critical throw to a wide open Shumpert to tie the game on the 2 point conversion. That pass was awful and should have been an easy throw- it was a very good playcall and Shump was open. Prescott did not see the play clock running down with the game on the line and endured a soul crushing penalty when we couldve avoided it. Fred Ross played very well- but when we needed him to make a critical catch inside the 10 in the 1st half- he dropped it and didnt make the play. The hit didnt make him drop it- he turned his head before looking it all the way in and dropped it. Then he got hit. Bennie Brown and Richie cant miss tackles. Coman cant go for the ball not get there on an LSU pass- when instead he should have tried to lay the wood on the WR to make that SOB drop it and fear the middle. Instead Coman just misses the ball, LSU WR catches it, and they score a TD on the next play. Your best players have to make the plays

5. Our OL struggled in the 1st half- but played alot better in the 2nd. Very excited by the growth in the 2nd half. This group will continue to improve- but needs help with scheme and better RB's. Warren cant whiff on a cut block to cost us a sack- but I must say he did alot better job in the 2nd picking up the twists and stunts.

6. I cant understand why Lee and Williams arent ready to play more than they do. We put Lee in for one play to catch a pass- he did- and then lowered his shoulders for a solid gain. We ran Williams once when Prescott should have kept it- and Williams lost yardage. Wasnt his fault it was a poor playcall or that Prescott made the incorrect read. Brandon Holloway is our best RB right now- and that is sad. We cant get 4-star RB's ready to play by their 2nd year of college. We cant get Gerri Green reps at LB hardly as talented as he is. If other teams can get their talented guys on the field early- so can we- if they are being coached well enough. Lee and Williams not being ready is on the coaching staff- not them.

7. #7 for LSU is soooo damn talented. We began diving and grabbing legs because that is the best way to tackle him. He is such a talent. It's fun to watch someone like that- because they dont come around all that often.

8. It took us until the 2nd half to start getting the ball to Derunnya again. Thats bullshit. Do what it takes to get the ball to your best players.

9. Redmond is working his way into Round 1 next April. He is a star out there. Jones and James battled their asses off. AJ and Ry were really good in spurts. Bennie and Richie are really good in spurts. Got to keep battling.

10. The defensive holding penalty in the 1st Quarter on us looked to be bullshit. The guy on their sideline called it. The TE was on that side and he wasnt held- then we jumped #7 on the screen they were running. Awful, awful call that allowed them to keep the ball instead of punting- and led to their 1st TD. Game changing call.

11. Our staff is one of the best at evaluating talent- but are they really good coaches? We cant get talented RB's on the field in their 2nd season. We make baffling calls. We got a delay of game penalty at the most critical juncture of the game. We cant adjust our gameplan during the 1st half on offense- and have to wait until halftime to make adjustments. We have a draft pick at WR that we cant even get the ball to in the 1st half so far this season.

12. All is not lost on this season. We HAVE to win at Auburn. HAVE TO. So what needs to happen in these two weeks to give us the best chance of winning there? We need to play the hell out of Lee and Williams this Saturday. They are the longterm solution at RB- get them reps and get them ready. Play Gerri Green and Dez Harris at LB for 90% of the snaps Saturday. Let the Brown Brothers play a couple series and then help coach those guys the rest of the game. Play our 2nd DL 75% of the game. Get them live rep after rep and force them to get better. I dont care if we beat NW State by 10 points- play these other guys and get them ready. Go back to making Prescott play like he did last year. We are a Spread Option offense- run it like its supposed to be. Cardale Jones ran it 6 times yesterday in a blowout for Ohio state- your telling me Prescott only should run it 6 times vs LSU???? LSU is a 10 win team- they are physical, have the best RB in the SEC, are improved defensively, and will get better at QB each week. A made FG at the end would have beaten them. Lets dust ourselves off, get our heads up, and get better these next 2 weeks. All is not lost by any means. Let's get the changes made so we can get back on track.

13. Kudos to the person in charge of the music at the game. I appreciate you playing Bulls on Parade 3 times in the 1st half. Elitedawgs leading the way again.

14. This not hindsight is 20/20- We were on the 29 yard line. Mullen called Prescott over to talk to him. Why not run Prescott on the power play to get a couple yards and then bring in Graves for a 44 yard FG attempt? We had a timeout. Tell Prescott to get in the middle of the field and get a couple yards. Graves has been solid so far and should be able to hit from 43-44 yards. You cant screw that situation up and then have an erratic kicker kicking a 52 yard FG with the game on the line. You just cant do that. Thats not giving your team the best chance to win as a coach. I could live with Graves missing a FG from the middle of the field from 44 yards out or so. I have a hard time living with Bell missing from 52 with the game on the line. A hard time.

Lets see what happens the next 2 weeks- the coaches have work to do.

C34

[Dallas_Dawg]

Why oh why did we not blitz their young QB more? I thought Manny was a blitzer? Where is the damn air guitar signal, attacking scheme from 2010?
And I agree about getting the young players out there. Ole miss plays freshmen every year and it doesn't hurt them.
I also think that Mullen should quit being so "vanilla" in warm up games and practice doing what we do best. Dak finally got in rhythm in the second half but you are right, the running game needs to get fixed.

[Dallas_Dawg]

Also, heard on radio that Harris only had 71 passing yards

[Smitty]

Dan will never be able to step up. It is what it is. He cannot take us to the promised land.

Agreed on playing Fitz if Dak is gonna puss out.

[msstate7]

Also, heard on radio that Harris only had 71 passing yards

That's a bit deceiving. He was 9 of 14. I thought Harris played fairly well.

[CadaverDawg]

(this is being written after being at the game- and I have yet to read a newspaper article or much of anything)

1. Couldnt have asked for a more perfect day for football. The tailgate was set up perfectly and we had steaks flown in from Chicago. Great group of people and a good time was had until we headed into the stadium.

2. I hate our new offense. I dont know if one of the conditions for Prescott to return for a 5th year was that we phase out a good bit of the QB runs- but this shit aint cutting it. Prescott has basically 15 carries in our first two games. Thats not cutting it. He should be carrying it 15 times per game on the average. That is what the run game is predicated on- using the QB as a running threat to outnumber the defense in the box. If Dakota doesnt want to run- put Fitz in some and let him run. Our run game sux right now- and it not just on the OL. Our scheme needs to be tweaked some. And I'll get to our RB's shortly.

3. This is our 3rd SEC game in a row Mullen has been outcoached in the 1st half (Bammer, Northern Miss, and LSU). Steele and Orgeron got ya Dan. They overloaded one side once to outnumber our blockers and got a sack, they ran wide twists and blitzed a LB when we went 5 wide to screw up our protection. 52 passes? No. Just no. Hayyyyyyyyle no. Get better Mullen- either you have been figured out and need to make some changes- OR- you need to do a better job of scouting and projecting how teams are going to make adjustments to you for games. Thats 3 straight dog shit gameplans v SEC teams. 2nd half adjustments? You do a good job. A Really good job- but we are losing games because our 1st half performances are so bad right now.

Also Mullen, you have to call time out with 8 seconds left in the game and let your team get a delay of game penalty. That is Les Miles bad. No excuse for that. None. You ****ed up and failed as a coach right there. I know good and well with 3 offensive coaches on the headset somebody knew the play clock was running down- and if they didnt- thats even worse. Colossal **** up.

4. You are only as good as your best players play. Dakota Prescott is not running the ball and using his legs to make plays. Prescott is not making the critical throw to a wide open Shumpert to tie the game on the 2 point conversion. That pass was awful and should have been an easy throw- it was a very good playcall and Shump was open. Prescott did not see the play clock running down with the game on the line and endured a soul crushing penalty when we couldve avoided it. Fred Ross played very well- but when we needed him to make a critical catch inside the 10 in the 1st half- he dropped it and didnt make the play. The hit didnt make him drop it- he turned his head before looking it all the way in and dropped it. Then he got hit. Bennie Brown and Richie cant miss tackles. Coman cant go for the ball not get there on an LSU pass- when instead he should have tried to lay the wood on the WR to make that SOB drop it and fear the middle. Instead Coman just misses the ball, LSU WR catches it, and they score a TD on the next play. Your best players have to make the plays

5. Our OL struggled in the 1st half- but played alot better in the 2nd. Very excited by the growth in the 2nd half. This group will continue to improve- but needs help with scheme and better RB's. Warren cant whiff on a cut block to cost us a sack- but I must say he did alot better job in the 2nd picking up the twists and stunts.

6. I cant understand why Lee and Williams arent ready to play more than they do. We put Lee in for one play to catch a pass- he did- and then lowered his shoulders for a solid gain. We ran Williams once when Prescott should have kept it- and Williams lost yardage. Wasnt his fault it was a poor playcall or that Prescott made the incorrect read. Brandon Holloway is our best RB right now- and that is sad. We cant get 4-star RB's ready to play by their 2nd year of college. We cant get Gerri Green reps at LB hardly as talented as he is. If other teams can get their talented guys on the field early- so can we- if they are being coached well enough. Lee and Williams not being ready is on the coaching staff- not them.

7. #7 for LSU is soooo damn talented. We began diving and grabbing legs because that is the best way to tackle him. He is such a talent. It's fun to watch someone like that- because they dont come around all that often.

8. It took us until the 2nd half to start getting the ball to Derunnya again. Thats bullshit. Do what it takes to get the ball to your best players.

9. Redmond is working his way into Round 1 next April. He is a star out there. Jones and James battled their asses off. AJ and Ry were really good in spurts. Bennie and Richie are really good in spurts. Got to keep battling.

10. The defensive holding penalty in the 1st Quarter on us looked to be bullshit. The guy on their sideline called it. The TE was on that side and he wasnt held- then we jumped #7 on the screen they were running. Awful, awful call that allowed them to keep the ball instead of punting- and led to their 1st TD. Game changing call.

11. Our staff is one of the best at evaluating talent- but are they really good coaches? We cant get talented RB's on the field in their 2nd season. We make baffling calls. We got a delay of game penalty at the most critical juncture of the game. We cant adjust our gameplan during the 1st half on offense- and have to wait until halftime to make adjustments. We have a draft pick at WR that we cant even get the ball to in the 1st half so far this season.

12. All is not lost on this season. We HAVE to win at Auburn. HAVE TO. So what needs to happen in these two weeks to give us the best chance of winning there? We need to play the hell out of Lee and Williams this Saturday. They are the longterm solution at RB- get them reps and get them ready. Play Gerri Green and Dez Harris at LB for 90% of the snaps Saturday. Let the Brown Brothers play a couple series and then help coach those guys the rest of the game. Play our 2nd DL 75% of the game. Get them live rep after rep and force them to get better. I dont care if we beat NW State by 10 points- play these other guys and get them ready. Go back to making Prescott play like he did last year. We are a Spread Option offense- run it like its supposed to be. Cardale Jones ran it 6 times yesterday in a blowout for Ohio state- your telling me Prescott only should run it 6 times vs LSU???? LSU is a 10 win team- they are physical, have the best RB in the SEC, are improved defensively, and will get better at QB each week. A made FG at the end would have beaten them. Lets dust ourselves off, get our heads up, and get better these next 2 weeks. All is not lost by any means. Let's get the changes made so we can get back on track.

13. Kudos to the person in charge of the music at the game. I appreciate you playing Bulls on Parade 3 times in the 1st half. Elitedawgs leading the way again.

14. This not hindsight is 20/20- We were on the 29 yard line. Mullen called Prescott over to talk to him. Why not run Prescott on the power play to get a couple yards and then bring in Graves for a 44 yard FG attempt? We had a timeout. Tell Prescott to get in the middle of the field and get a couple yards. Graves has been solid so far and should be able to hit from 43-44 yards. You cant screw that situation up and then have an erratic kicker kicking a 52 yard FG with the game on the line. You just cant do that. Thats not giving your team the best chance to win as a coach. I could live with Graves missing a FG from the middle of the field from 44 yards out or so. I have a hard time living with Bell missing from 52 with the game on the line. A hard time.

Lets see what happens the next 2 weeks- the coaches have work to do.

C34

It's as if you typed this out of my mind. Agree with you on every single item.

http://www.christianguitar.org/forums/attachments/100984d1431451978-slow-clap.gif

[Noxdog]

Creep their ugly head up but you are a dubmass so I have to remember to have mercy on the ignorant> It is hard sometimes.

Edited to add this meant to be a reply to dubmass smitty.

[Jacksondevildog]

I'll be blown away if we win at Auburn. They are playing poorly, but I'm afraid their wide receivers will be running wide open all day long.

[msstate7]

I'll be blown away if we win at Auburn. They are playing poorly, but I'm afraid their wide receivers will be running wide open all day long.

Can Johnson get them the ball though? If Johnson throws an int in a loss to lsu this week, I think he's gonna be getting close to the end of his string.

[Charlie_Sheen420]

Dan will never be able to step up. It is what it is. He cannot take us to the promised land.

Agreed on playing Fitz if Dak is gonna puss out.

Quit drinking and sober up damn it

[Coach34]

I'll be blown away if we win at Auburn. They are playing poorly, but I'm afraid their wide receivers will be running wide open all day long.

They have some injuries- and LSU is about to beat on them. Jacksonville State was blocking them yesterday. Johnson threw 2 picks to J-State. We damn well can go in there and win.

[Coach34]

Why oh why did we not blitz their young QB more? I thought Manny was a blitzer? Where is the damn air guitar signal, attacking scheme from 2010?.

We were scared to blitz more because if we missed #7- he was gone

[CadaverDawg]

They have some injuries- and LSU is about to beat on them. Jacksonville State was blocking them yesterday. Johnson threw 2 picks to J-State. We damn well can go in there and win.

The way that Auburn defense looked against the read option, it would be a damn crime for us not to come out and abuse them with it. So we won't

[drunkernhelldawg]

You made the basic point: We must start competing at the opening kick, not in the second half.

That penalty is a fire that will be hard to put out.

[HoopsDawg]

Good post coach. But I think the Holloway drop was worse than Fred's. 14-7 at half might have made the difference.

[Interpolation_Dawg_EX]

#3 on that list is really frustrating. Damn I hate to even think about it, but how does an ex-girl's basketball coach with little head coaching experience has his team in a better position to seriously compete for the west with a first year QB? I appreciate what Mullen has done for us, but at some point the conservative approach has to stop and we have to start getting some elite talent if we ever want to think about a championship. I don't see how we're the only team in the nation that can't get freshmen and RSFreshmen ready to make a contribution. Does it really take us 4 years to get some coached up to play?

[HSVDawg]

Pretty good commentary as usual, Coach. One thing I am surprised you didn't mention was Diaz calling your favorite play on a critical 3rd and long on LSU's final TD drive. It was 3rd and 9 around midfield. So of course, we pull one of the country's best CB's in Redmond out of coverage and send him on the corner blitz while their RB's are held in for max protection. He doesn't even come close to getting there in time and Harris completes an easy 10 yard slant to Dural (who Coman had to pick up with Redmond on the blitz). 3 or 4 plays later, #7 is dancing into the end zone yet again. That was a pretty big tactical error in a game that included plenty of them from our coaches on both sides of the ball.

[Todd4State]

Great as usual. I think Dan is in a rut as farm as play calling going back to last year.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

I heard many people compare Dak to Tebow last year?He is missing one key thing that Tebow had?Remember when Florida lost to OM and Tebow gave his "speech". He then went on to basically carry that team on his back taking all kinds of punishment but in the end it got them a NC. Tebow's will to win trumped his thoughts of playing on Sundays. Dak hasn't shown that "this" year as of yet. He showed the hell out of it at the beginning of last year.

[sandwolf]

Why not run Prescott on the power play to get a couple yards and then bring in Graves for a 44 yard FG attempt? We had a timeout. Tell Prescott to get in the middle of the field and get a couple yards. Graves has been solid so far and should be able to hit from 43-44 yards.

I am still completely baffled as to why we didn't do this. Mullen just couldn't help himself....he had to overthink it, and it cost us in a serious way.

[HoopsDawg]

I just watched the last drive again. The worst decision was probably after Derunnya caught a 6 yard pass on 2nd down with 54 seconds on the clock. Should have gone ahead and called the TO. There were 54 seconds on the clock when Bear was tackled. We didn't run the next play until 33 seconds were left. We let 21 valuable seconds run off the clock there.

[grinnindawg]

Good evaluation.

Wonder how fast Damian Williams is?

He certainly has shown better balance and power than who I've seen at RB this year.

[Treemydawg]

Shumps balance can be easily fixed with a haircut. He's top heavy***

[Thick]

Good post coach. But I think the Holloway drop was worse than Fred's. 14-7 at half might have made the difference.

Thank you!!!! That was 6 before it hit his hands. LB was 3 yards away from him, and nothing but green and end zone in front of him.

[klong-dog]

I kept hearing the announcers talking about LSU and their 18 year olds out there playing, time and time again. Crazy to me, thinking we have Jamal Peters, one of the best athletes out there and he's not even getting a chance. Even if it's just returning kicks.

[Really Clark?]

I know everybody keeps on wanting to see our true freshman and if they are ready AND better than who is ahead of them, I do to. But you can't compare the 5 stars that LSU or Bama play from big high school programs to Peters or McLauren (just two of the names that keep popping up). Yeah sp teams or something is one thing but significant playing time is going to take a little while. The programs they have come from just are not nearly advanced enough for them to come to a SEC school and start usually. The TE has probably played as much as any freshman and looks good. What program did he come from? They just need some time to be ready. Now certain positions you can come in raw and out athelete others but some positions, you just can't.

[Dawgface]

Lot's of the points mention goes back to Mullen making questionable decisions and how he has to improve. That will be great if he does, but why would anyone think his decision making will improve at this point? He may get around to making some of the changes mentioned, but I'm afraid he will always have us scratching our head and will be slow to adjust.

[Aquadawg]

Good post coach. But I think the Holloway drop was worse than Fred's. 14-7 at half might have made the difference.

As far as I'm concerned, that biggest drop of the game was on our last drive of game. Dak dropped back and scrambled left and threw a very catchable ball to Ross at 12yd line. He got both hands on it and did not come up with it... it should have been caught. At that point we are in position for a 29yd FG.

[Bubb Rubb]

#3 on that list is really frustrating. Damn I hate to even think about it, but how does an ex-girl's basketball coach with little head coaching experience has his team in a better position to seriously compete for the west with a first year QB? I appreciate what Mullen has done for us, but at some point the conservative approach has to stop and we have to start getting some elite talent if we ever want to think about a championship. I don't see how we're the only team in the nation that can't get freshmen and RSFreshmen ready to make a contribution. Does it really take us 4 years to get some coached up to play?

They aren't in a better position to seriously compete. They haven't played anybody yet. They've run up the score on two weak teams and that puts them in a better position to seriously compete for the SECW? Take a deep breath, man.

[PMDawg]

Agree with all except the part about the OL. They got a little better, but we still struggled, especially running, in the 2nd half and I am not excited by them at all.

[archdog]

They aren't in a better position to seriously compete. They haven't played anybody yet. They've run up the score on two weak teams and that puts them in a better position to seriously compete for the SECW? Take a deep breath, man.

Well they have played their offense against these teams, so they will be ready to play their offense against better teams. We hold too much back on the cupcakes, and when we actually do have to use our full playbook, it is as if we are playing our first real game.

[RiverCityDawg]

Agree with all your points. Well said.

Like your boy Hadaad said on BSR, this week against NWST should be a try-out for RB because Shump doesn't look to be the guy. And Dak has to help the situation by keeping it on the read when it's there. Those two problems compound themselves.

[Liverpooldawg]

The OL looked better in the second half mainly because we quit trying to run the ball and throw downfield passes. The few times we tried it it looked like the first half. That was some improvement because we weren't blocking short passes either in the first half. The only beef I had about Dak not running in that game was in a few of the pass plays that weren't there. He had running room on several of those and should have used it. Last year he would have. As for set running plays, and that includes the read option, we can't block well enough to expect any sustained success from them against good defenses.

[Tbonewannabe]

Agree with all your points. Well said.

Like your boy Hadaad said on BSR, this week against NWST should be a try-out for RB because Shump doesn't look to be the guy. And Dak has to help the situation by keeping it on the read when it's there. Those two problems compound themselves.

I am not sold on Shump but Dak isn't doing him any favors letting him carry the ball after the entire front 7 key on him. Running a Read option when the QB never runs it just makes it a really slow hand off. We would be a lot better off just giving him a straight hand off.

[CadaverDawg]

Well they have played their offense against these teams, so they will be ready to play their offense against better teams. We hold too much back on the cupcakes, and when we actually do have to use our full playbook, it is as if we are playing our first real game.

I agree with this.

I'm afraid we are trained to hold back and play zone on defense, conservative on offense, against these patsies....and then Mullen and Diaz expect our guys to go out there and be aggressive, mean SOBs with a constantly lit fire vs a LSU? You can't constantly tell guys to play flag football against cupcakes and then expect them to be a great tackle football team against the best teams in the country. It's time for us to quit sleep walking through cupcakes, and actually go in and try to accomplish something and get better.

I'm not saying put up 70 points vs NW State.....I'm saying whether its first string or 5th string, have a mindset of knocking your opponents dick in the dirt, and dominate. We shouldn't have to "show everything" in order to expect domination and aggression vs NW State. We should be playing tough, physical football EVERY game, but we're not...and our Coach is the one setting that expectation and allowing it.

I want to see a team with some fire and aggression this weekend. Make NW State wish they weren't the cupcake game following the loss, Bc we're about to take out frustration on them.

That being said, I expect a shit show where we don't get as many young guys reps Bc we fiddle fart around out there for 4 quarters.

[CadaverDawg]

I am not sold on Shump but Dak isn't doing him any favors letting him carry the ball after the entire front 7 key on him. Running a Read option when the QB never runs it just makes it a really slow hand off. We would be a lot better off just giving him a straight hand off.

Exactly. Without Dak running, we might as well go I-Form and put Shump at FB and Lee or Holloway at TB, and run that way. Bc we're pissing in the wind running a read option with no read. Great post

[Coach34]

Well, Holloway can find the holes on the zone play. He averaged 7 ypc vs LSU didn't he??? Why are holes there for him?

The DL is reading our OL and slanting that way- they are keying the RB- Dakota has to keep it and beat the LB backside assigned to him. Shumpert is dancing and not ever getting to the creases. It's not just an OL issue- I promise you

[CadaverDawg]

The bottom line is, if you have a playmaker, you have to find a way to get him his plays. You can't just say, "aww shucks, our OL is getting pushed around, scrap Dak this game". Or, "oh well, they're spying with Beckwith, gonna have to win this one without Dak's legs". No... You get creative and you find ways to make him successful with his legs, Bc our offense is crap without it, and we lose without it.

Too many times in the last 7-8 games, we have allowed our opponent to dictate our offense, and that CANNOT happen. Do you see Ohio State being forced to abandon the Read option? What about Auburn? Hell, what about Jacksonville State? Even Auburn's D couldn't make them abandon their bread and butter. Dan better start learning to set the tone offensively, or he will trend down fast....because people will adjust and force you to adjust...but you can't just abandon your identity Bc someone threw you a knew look, or you didn't have film, or your OL wasnt blocking well. Like C34 said, they were blocking well enough for Holloway to avg 7 per carry, and blocking well enough to compete 32 passes on the night while Dak was doing his best statue impersonation. So they were definitely blocking well enough to not give up on or bread and butter.

[EnterpriseDawg]

That's a bit deceiving. He was 9 of 14. I thought Harris played fairly well.

That's the problem I have. Had Miles kept them balanced like he did in the first 2 series this game would have never gotten close. It seemed we only started doing well defensively when we were cheating up on the line to stop the run. It didn't look like we had improved from week 1 to week 2 in pass defense. I sure hope I'm wrong, but at this point I'll be happy with 7 wins. We are who the media said we were.

[tcdog70]

Don't you Guys think that LSU is good enough to make you one dimensional? They took away the run and put their best Linebacker as a spy on Dak. They Run blitzed the shit out of Us. When we went to a hurry up with short passes we were very successful. Our strength this year is Dak and our WRs . i would like for Ross to catch a short pass than Shump to run into the teeth of a loaded box. Our hurry up was kicking their ass until Dan had to be Dan and got us the delay penalty. If we had hurried up we could picked up some precious yards and Bell wouldn't have trotted his no-kicking ass out there.

[TrapGame]

That being said, I expect a shit show where we don't get as many young guys reps Bc we fiddle fart around out there for 4 quarters.

Shit, I hope not. I'll be very disappointed if we don't come out and look dominating in the first half.

[tcdog70]

That's the problem I have. Had Miles kept them balanced like he did in the first 2 series this game would have never gotten close. It seemed we only started doing well defensively when we were cheating up on the line to stop the run. It didn't look like we had improved from week 1 to week 2 in pass defense. I sure hope I'm wrong, but at this point I'll be happy with 7 wins. We are who the media said we were.

the Reason for the first 2 series being successful was the short field. In part from our shitty offense and equally shitty punts. We actually stopped them once and the pitiful holding call bailed them out. When they had to go the full length of the field they weren't very efficient.

[CadaverDawg]

Don't you Guys think that LSU is good enough to make you one dimensional? They took away the run and put their best Linebacker as a spy on Dak. They Run blitzed the shit out of Us. When we went to a hurry up with short passes we were very successful. Our strength this year is Dak and our WRs . i would like for Ross to catch a short pass than Shump to run into the teeth of a loaded box. Our hurry up was kicking their ass until Dan had to be Dan and got us the delay penalty. If we had hurried up we could picked up some precious yards and Bell wouldn't have trotted his no-kicking ass out there.

Of course they are. But at least make them prove it. We didn't even try to run it with our best option.

I'm sure every team tries to make Russell Wilson beat them by stopping Seattle's run game, but you don't see Seattle quit giving Lynch carries. Because eventually playmakers make plays.

Not only that...the lack of even attempting to run the ball with Dak, also hurt us in the play action game, and hurt Shumpert Bc the D was keying on him in run situations. And by Dak not scrambling a single time, they kept more guys in coverage, which could have prevented a big pass play or two. It's a domino effect when you abandon the identity and focal point of what makes your offense go. If that makes sense. That's my issue with it anyway.

[Thick]

Don't you Guys think that LSU is good enough to make you one dimensional? They took away the run and put their best Linebacker as a spy on Dak. They Run blitzed the shit out of Us. When we went to a hurry up with short passes we were very successful. Our strength this year is Dak and our WRs . i would like for Ross to catch a short pass than Shump to run into the teeth of a loaded box. Our hurry up was kicking their ass until Dan had to be Dan and got us the delay penalty. If we had hurried up we could picked up some precious yards and Bell wouldn't have trotted his no-kicking ass out there.

Your point is somewhat valid, but we could have spread the field on LSU out of the gate to force them to make personnel changes, or create mismatches with their LBs. That is all on Dan, plus when your OL is a little suspect, it's important to move the pocket, create open space. The spread is perfect for covering up OL deficiencies. That's exactly what Bucky does.

[CadaverDawg]

the Reason for the first 2 series being successful was the short field. In part from our shitty offense and equally shitty punts. We actually stopped them once and the pitiful holding call bailed them out. When they had to go the full length of the field they weren't very efficient.

Yea our punt game has officially reached the point of being a weakness. In fact, outside of Graves, our Special Teams is just a damn joke. I can't believe we have two talented guys like Cooke and Bell were coming out of highschool, and they can't make a FG, punt the ball, or kick it through the endzone. That's why I would have sent Graves out regardless on the game winner...I can live with being short if it's straight... Bell shanked it twice AND was short. Smh

[EnterpriseDawg]

the Reason for the first 2 series being successful was the short field. In part from our shitty offense and equally shitty punts. We actually stopped them once and the pitiful holding call bailed them out. When they had to go the full length of the field they weren't very efficient.

Besides the play action pass that went for a touchdown that got called back for a holding penalty. They could have done a lot more with play action. Just saying that after they got on top, they went vanilla in my opinion. I did like the fact that Dak was tearing up the secondary of LSU (who is suppose to be very talented) in the 4th quarter. WRs were getting open and the line was holding long enough. It's gonna be interesting down the stretch. Just hoping that we can get things cleaned up, but at this moment it just seems too much to overcome.

[GTHOM]

We were scared to blitz more because if we missed #7- he was gone

I understand that, but there were several big 3rd downs we did not blitz, maybe we sent 5 but thats not manny diaz. I have a guy that starts on the OL for La Tech and he told me friday night that manny, on every 3rd down sent all kind of creative blitzes.


Mullen has been here a while now, and we have ran the SAME DEFENSE EVERY YEAR. While having multiple DCs. I think the mullen calling shots on d rumor is more than a rumor

[tcdog70]

Besides the play action pass that went for a touchdown that got called back for a holding penalty. They could have done a lot more with play action. Just saying that after they got on top, they went vanilla in my opinion. I did like the fact that Dak was tearing up the secondary of LSU (who is suppose to be very talented) in the 4th quarter. WRs were getting open and the line was holding long enough. It's gonna be interesting down the stretch. Just hoping that we can get things cleaned up, but at this moment it just seems too much to overcome.

they went Vanilla because Les didn't trust His QB. He knew his best chance to win with a 14 point lead was to run 7. All we needed was a pick six. Les was scared to throw, he knows what His QB is capable of.He needed all 3 downs of running to make sure of a first down. A sack or an in-completion would put them in the hole.

[tcdog70]

Yea our punt game has officially reached the point of being a weakness. In fact, outside of Graves, our Special Teams is just a damn joke. I can't believe we have two talented guys like Cooke and Bell were coming out of highschool, and they can't make a FG, punt the ball, or kick it through the endzone. That's why I would have sent Graves out regardless on the game winner...I can live with being short if it's straight... Bell shanked it twice AND was short. Smh

the thing that drives Me crazy is we don't field punts. In not catching a punt we get the field flipped on Us. You don't have to return the punt just catch the M'FER. Our High School Coach would bench any punt returner that did not catch the punt. Hell that is what fair catches are for.Don't try and block a punt use your linemen and outside Men to hold the kickers up and give your PR-man a chance to field the punt.

[Treemydawg]

I understand that, but there were several big 3rd downs we did not blitz, maybe we sent 5 but thats not manny diaz. I have a guy that starts on the OL for La Tech and he told me friday night that manny, on every 3rd down sent all kind of creative blitzes.


Mullen has been here a while now, and we have ran the SAME DEFENSE EVERY YEAR. While having multiple DCs. I think the mullen calling shots on d rumor is more than a rumor

I belive it is more than a rumor also. I talked with a guy that was very close to the program recently and he said that Dan is very hard to work with and work for. He said its Dans way or the highway.

[Really Clark?]

I belive it is more than a rumor also. I talked with a guy that was very close to the program recently and he said that Dan is very hard to work with and work for. He said its Dans way or the highway.

It's like a time warp to the Hud for coach year. How many times was this brought up then? And last year when we were searching for a DC, Mullen ran off Collins!!! Let's see we have Hevasey, Knox, Sallach, Hughes (who can get a job for just about any SEC school but most definitely at UNM at any time) all have been here since year 1. Turner has been here 4 of the years and this is a second tour of duty for him. Les was here for 5 years before getting his one year in TX and retiring I believe. Gonzales in his 3rd after having coached with Mullen for several years. And of course Diaz also comes back for more. Sorry but that is a lot of guys who have stayed a long time under Mullen. Not to mention the number of head coaches in Power 5 conferences who are known as hard to work for outweigh the easy going head coaches probably by a pretty big margin.

[GTHOM]

It's like a time warp to the Hud for coach year. How many times was this brought up then? And last year when we were searching for a DC, Mullen ran off Collins!!! Let's see we have Hevasey, Knox, Sallach, Hughes (who can get a job for just about any SEC school but most definitely at UNM at any time) all have been here since year 1. Turner has been here 4 of the years and this is a second tour of duty for him. Les was here for 5 years before getting his one year in TX and retiring I believe. Gonzales in his 3rd after having coached with Mullen for several years. And of course Diaz also comes back for more. Sorry but that is a lot of guys who have stayed a long time under Mullen.

I dont give a rats ass about how long theyve stayed, i know the scheme and the product on the field on D has been he exact same with multiple DCs. I dont care if he is hard to work for or a saint, if were going to be what we say we are he needs to let manny do his thing. Dans way has been pure garbage for the last 4 good teams we have played.

[Treemydawg]

It's like a time warp to the Hud for coach year. How many times was this brought up then? And last year when we were searching for a DC, Mullen ran off Collins!!! Let's see we have Hevasey, Knox, Sallach, Hughes (who can get a job for just about any SEC school but most definitely at UNM at any time) all have been here since year 1. Turner has been here 4 of the years and this is a second tour of duty for him. Les was here for 5 years before getting his one year in TX and retiring I believe. Gonzales in his 3rd after having coached with Mullen for several years. And of course Diaz also comes back for more. Sorry but that is a lot of guys who have stayed a long time under Mullen. Not to mention the number of head coaches in Power 5 conferences who are known as hard to work for outweigh the easy going head coaches probably by a pretty big margin.

I'm not saying you are right or wrong about the guys that have been here a while, but I will say that I 100% belive who I was talking with when he told me what experiences he had working with Dan. To sum it up you need to be a yes man. Go along to get along.

[Really Clark?]

I dont give a rats ass about how long theyve stayed, i know the scheme and the product on the field on D has been he exact same with multiple DCs. I dont care if he is hard to work for or a saint, if were going to be what we say we are he needs to let manny do his thing. Dans way has been pure garbage for the last 4 good teams we have played.

You know Manny and Wilson developed this defense right? That even with Collins when Manny came back a lot of the terminology was the same as when he set it up before. That is per Manny. Now if you want to complain about it, take it up with Manny or you don't like the game plans, the blame goes there mostly. If you don't like bend but don't break then you don't like the 2010 defense Manny ran then as well. There have been differences but the philosophy and playbook is mostly developed by Manny and Wilson when they were hired the first time.

[Really Clark?]

I'm not saying you are right or wrong about the guys that have been here a while, but I will say that I 100% belive who I was talking with when he told me what experiences he had working with Dan. To sum it up you need to be a yes man. Go along to get along.

He may be difficult, how long of a list do we need to make of hard to get along with head coaches. That is almost a prerequisite. My point usually if it is so bad you see a lot of turn over unless the coaches are winning a lot of games and it sets the assistant up for a bigger job. We just don't have a lot of turnover at the coaching positions and we are not necessarily sending guys to bigger jobs every year either.

[Bubb Rubb]

the thing that drives Me crazy is we don't field punts. In not catching a punt we get the field flipped on Us. You don't have to return the punt just catch the M'FER. Our High School Coach would bench any punt returner that did not catch the punt. Hell that is what fair catches are for.Don't try and block a punt use your linemen and outside Men to hold the kickers up and give your PR-man a chance to field the punt.

This times a thousand. I am not worried so much about punting from this game - most of our punts and kickoffs were toward the north endzone into a stiff breeze. Our punt return team kills us though. We don't catch the ball - we let it roll - and end up starting deep into our own territory. And when we do try to catch the ball, we aren't very sure-handed. Ross didn't fumble any against LSU, but he bobbled a couple.

Kick return coverage improved drastically from week 1 to week 2. But we really need a dedicated special teams coach to fix all of it.

[Treemydawg]

He may be difficult, how long of a list do we need to make of hard to get along with head coaches. That is almost a prerequisite. My point usually if it is so bad you see a lot of turn over unless the coaches are winning a lot of games and it sets the assistant up for a bigger job. We just don't have a lot of turnover at the coaching positions and we are not necessarily sending guys to bigger jobs every year either.

Look I don't know anything about the HUD for coach year. I have never called for HUD to be hired or Mullen to be fired. "We" aren't making a list of hard to get along with coaches. If you want to throw a blanket statement like that out there to lump me into some sort of group on this message board fine. Go right ahead, but all I did was pass on some first hand info from someone previously with the program daily about what GTHOM said was a rumor. If you have first hand info from someone within the program stating otherwise share it, but don't try lumping me into some group of people who have posted things on here you don't agree with simply because you don't agree with what I passed along from someone who has worked with Mullen.

[DancingRabbit]

Look I don't know anything about the HUD for coach year. I have never called for HUD to be hired or Mullen to be fired. "We" aren't making a list of hard to get along with coaches. If you want to throw a blanket statement like that out there to lump me into some sort of group on this message board fine. Go right ahead, but all I did was pass on some first hand info from someone previously with the program daily about what GTHOM said was a rumor. If you have first hand info from someone within the program stating otherwise share it, but don't try lumping me into some group of people who have posted things on here you don't agree with simply because you don't agree with what I passed along from someone who has worked with Mullen.

Mullen himself has said that he was too much of an SOB his first couple of years here. Said he eventually learned that he had to ease up a little and let the assistants have a day off once a week and go home at a reasonable hour once or twice a week.

I think Manny has plenty of latitude in running the defense. You'll see him being more aggressive once he figures out what different guys can do. Dan knows Manny can run a defense. He may have been more involved when Wilson and Collins were new to running a defense.

[Really Clark?]

Look I don't know anything about the HUD for coach year. I have never called for HUD to be hired or Mullen to be fired. "We" aren't making a list of hard to get along with coaches. If you want to throw a blanket statement like that out there to lump me into some sort of group on this message board fine. Go right ahead, but all I did was pass on some first hand info from someone previously with the program daily about what GTHOM said was a rumor. If you have first hand info from someone within the program stating otherwise share it, but don't try lumping me into some group of people who have posted things on here you don't agree with simply because you don't agree with what I passed along from someone who has worked with Mullen.

What dancing said is what most know of the story of him being hard on coaches. Whether or not you were part of that crowd it's been harped on before with very little substance. Coaches know they are going to work for some hard heads a lot this line of business. And that's mostly because they are hardheaded SOB's as well. It is a huge segment of the employee base and if you can't handle it they are rode out pretty quickly. I know several who have worked with Mullen and his wife outside of football and say that they both are great to work with. I know several inside the program who love him. Will say he is hard at times but love him. I know of two one from outside of the program and one who was inside of the program who don't care for Mullen. One of them actually hates him but I know both sides of the situation and have settled my opinion that this guy, who I am friends with was wrong. Was there issues in handling the situation, by God yes there were. But it was on both sides and in the end Mullen did what was best for the program even though it would be hurting that relationship and possibly cause a voice of descension. Tough call but the right one IMO. But he is not running off coaches because he is too hard and he is not running the defense either. He just doesn't have time for that.

[blacklistedbully]

(this is being written after being at the game- and I have yet to read a newspaper article or much of anything)

1. Couldnt have asked for a more perfect day for football. The tailgate was set up perfectly and we had steaks flown in from Chicago. Great group of people and a good time was had until we headed into the stadium.

2. I hate our new offense. I dont know if one of the conditions for Prescott to return for a 5th year was that we phase out a good bit of the QB runs- but this shit aint cutting it. Prescott has basically 15 carries in our first two games. Thats not cutting it. He should be carrying it 15 times per game on the average. That is what the run game is predicated on- using the QB as a running threat to outnumber the defense in the box. If Dakota doesnt want to run- put Fitz in some and let him run. Our run game sux right now- and it not just on the OL. Our scheme needs to be tweaked some. And I'll get to our RB's shortly.

3. This is our 3rd SEC game in a row Mullen has been outcoached in the 1st half (Bammer, Northern Miss, and LSU). Steele and Orgeron got ya Dan. They overloaded one side once to outnumber our blockers and got a sack, they ran wide twists and blitzed a LB when we went 5 wide to screw up our protection. 52 passes? No. Just no. Hayyyyyyyyle no. Get better Mullen- either you have been figured out and need to make some changes- OR- you need to do a better job of scouting and projecting how teams are going to make adjustments to you for games. Thats 3 straight dog shit gameplans v SEC teams. 2nd half adjustments? You do a good job. A Really good job- but we are losing games because our 1st half performances are so bad right now.

Also Mullen, you have to call time out with 8 seconds left in the game and avoid your team get a delay of game penalty. That is Les Miles bad. No excuse for that. None. You ****ed up and failed as a coach right there. I know good and well with 3 offensive coaches on the headset somebody knew the play clock was running down- and if they didnt- thats even worse. Colossal **** up.

4. You are only as good as your best players play. Dakota Prescott is not running the ball and using his legs to make plays. Prescott is not making the critical throw to a wide open Shumpert to tie the game on the 2 point conversion. That pass was awful and should have been an easy throw- it was a very good playcall and Shump was open. Prescott did not see the play clock running down with the game on the line and endured a soul crushing penalty when we couldve avoided it. Fred Ross played very well- but when we needed him to make a critical catch inside the 10 in the 1st half- he dropped it and didnt make the play. The hit didnt make him drop it- he turned his head before looking it all the way in and dropped it. Then he got hit. Bennie Brown and Richie cant miss tackles. Coman cant go for the ball not get there on an LSU pass- when instead he should have tried to lay the wood on the WR to make that SOB drop it and fear the middle. Instead Coman just misses the ball, LSU WR catches it, and they score a TD on the next play. Your best players have to make the plays

5. Our OL struggled in the 1st half- but played alot better in the 2nd. Very excited by the growth in the 2nd half. This group will continue to improve- but needs help with scheme and better RB's. Warren cant whiff on a cut block to cost us a sack- but I must say he did alot better job in the 2nd picking up the twists and stunts.

6. I cant understand why Lee and Williams arent ready to play more than they do. We put Lee in for one play to catch a pass- he did- and then lowered his shoulders for a solid gain. We ran Williams once when Prescott should have kept it- and Williams lost yardage. Wasnt his fault it was a poor playcall or that Prescott made the incorrect read. Brandon Holloway is our best RB right now- and that is sad. We cant get 4-star RB's ready to play by their 2nd year of college. We cant get Gerri Green reps at LB hardly as talented as he is. If other teams can get their talented guys on the field early- so can we- if they are being coached well enough. Lee and Williams not being ready is on the coaching staff- not them.

7. #7 for LSU is soooo damn talented. We began diving and grabbing legs because that is the best way to tackle him. He is such a talent. It's fun to watch someone like that- because they dont come around all that often.

8. It took us until the 2nd half to start getting the ball to Derunnya again. Thats bullshit. Do what it takes to get the ball to your best players.

9. Redmond is working his way into Round 1 next April. He is a star out there. Jones and James battled their asses off. AJ and Ry were really good in spurts. Bennie and Richie are really good in spurts. Got to keep battling.

10. The defensive holding penalty in the 1st Quarter on us looked to be bullshit. The guy on their sideline called it. The TE was on that side and he wasnt held- then we jumped #7 on the screen they were running. Awful, awful call that allowed them to keep the ball instead of punting- and led to their 1st TD. Game changing call.

11. Our staff is one of the best at evaluating talent- but are they really good coaches? We cant get talented RB's on the field in their 2nd season. We make baffling calls. We got a delay of game penalty at the most critical juncture of the game. We cant adjust our gameplan during the 1st half on offense- and have to wait until halftime to make adjustments. We have a draft pick at WR that we cant even get the ball to in the 1st half so far this season.

12. All is not lost on this season. We HAVE to win at Auburn. HAVE TO. So what needs to happen in these two weeks to give us the best chance of winning there? We need to play the hell out of Lee and Williams this Saturday. They are the longterm solution at RB- get them reps and get them ready. Play Gerri Green and Dez Harris at LB for 90% of the snaps Saturday. Let the Brown Brothers play a couple series and then help coach those guys the rest of the game. Play our 2nd DL 75% of the game. Get them live rep after rep and force them to get better. I dont care if we beat NW State by 10 points- play these other guys and get them ready. Go back to making Prescott play like he did last year. We are a Spread Option offense- run it like its supposed to be. Cardale Jones ran it 6 times yesterday in a blowout for Ohio state- your telling me Prescott only should run it 6 times vs LSU???? LSU is a 10 win team- they are physical, have the best RB in the SEC, are improved defensively, and will get better at QB each week. A made FG at the end would have beaten them. Lets dust ourselves off, get our heads up, and get better these next 2 weeks. All is not lost by any means. Let's get the changes made so we can get back on track.

13. Kudos to the person in charge of the music at the game. I appreciate you playing Bulls on Parade 3 times in the 1st half. Elitedawgs leading the way again.

14. This not hindsight is 20/20- We were on the 29 yard line. Mullen called Prescott over to talk to him. Why not run Prescott on the power play to get a couple yards and then bring in Graves for a 44 yard FG attempt? We had a timeout. Tell Prescott to get in the middle of the field and get a couple yards. Graves has been solid so far and should be able to hit from 43-44 yards. You cant screw that situation up and then have an erratic kicker kicking a 52 yard FG with the game on the line. You just cant do that. Thats not giving your team the best chance to win as a coach. I could live with Graves missing a FG from the middle of the field from 44 yards out or so. I have a hard time living with Bell missing from 52 with the game on the line. A hard time.

Lets see what happens the next 2 weeks- the coaches have work to do.

C34

Bingo!

[sandwolf]

I dont give a rats ass about how long theyve stayed, i know the scheme and the product on the field on D has been he exact same with multiple DCs. I dont care if he is hard to work for or a saint, if were going to be what we say we are he needs to let manny do his thing. Dans way has been pure garbage for the last 4 good teams we have played.

It is pretty clear that Mullen has a defensive philosophy that he is partial to, and he hires his defensive coordinators accordingly....but I'd be willing to bet that he is not dictating the defensive calls in the game.