I think We're Close to Being Really Good

[ShotgunDawg]

I know that's not popular, but thus far we've seen drastic offensive improvement since last year & there are still wide open plays we're not making.

- Believe our QB limits us but he's getting better. Gotta be willing to slang it earlier in the game.

- Special teams surely learns all the rules here soon.

- 1st year FG kicker cost us at least a tie

- Every offensive stat has improved by almost 30% since last season thus far.

I'm frustrated but, minus seeing the future QB on the field (Dak), this season reminds me an awful lot of 2013. Again, won't be as good as 2014 next year because we haven't found our QB yet, but we're progressing quickly on the stat sheet.

It's not near as bad as you guys are making it. I think we beat A&M next week

[State82]

Shotgun, I have enjoyed reading your comments in all sports over the years. I really have. But damn, son, I'm speechless at this one.

This is a Charlie Foxtrot of magnanimous proportions.

[MetEdDawg]

I completely agree Shotgun. We have talent. We whipped LSU on the lines today for the majority of the game.

Stupid roughing the kicker, missed FG, 3 turnovers, and a number of dropped passes.

And we still only lose by 3 to LSU. They aren't good but we aren't bad. QB is holding us back right now.

[War Machine Dawg]

Nothing like delusional optimism in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

[HancockCountyDog]

We had scored three points until the final minute of the third quarter against a pretty average LSU defense without their best players.

[ShotgunDawg]

Shotgun, I have enjoyed reading your comments in all sports over the years. I really have. But damn, son, I'm speechless at this one.

This is a Charlie Foxtrot of magnanimous proportions.

I don't agree. We're a stupid team, not a terrible one.

We could use some adjustments in the red zone to become a more power running team, but I think this is going to work.

[ShotgunDawg]

Nothing like delusional optimism in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

486 yards & doubling up LSU on 1st downs, while missing a FG, dropping a TD (Heath), & giving LSU 3 points on a fumble & 7 on a punt penalty isn't exactly overwhelming evidence.

[ShotgunDawg]

We had scored three points until the final minute of the third quarter against a pretty average LSU defense without their best players.

We've certainly got to learn to finish drives, but our yardage was pretty good at that point. Also, what happens after that matters

[Bishop6]

I agree. This team is learning what it takes to be winners, taking their lumps. We?re beating ourselves, eventually we?ll stop doing that and develop a culture of winners. I suspect by the last month of the season we?re all going to very excited about next season with Leach at the helm.

[bulldawg28]

We are terrible. We face the same defense every week for the last year and can't average 60 points. Any legitimate coach would love that opportunity to know what the other team is going to do. It's the equivalent of failing an open book test with every question known.

[ShotgunDawg]

We are terrible. We face the same defense every week for the last year and can't average 60 points. Any legitimate coach would love that opportunity.

Exactly. The fact that we face the same defense every week & we're getting better against, shows exactly what's going to happen soon.

This is it. Playing LSU is the same playing Memphis is the same as playing Ole Miss, etc.

It's about us, not the other team.

We're terrible because we're dumb, not because we aren't capable

[Turfdawg67]

We should be 1-3... but yeah, we're close. Lol

[msstate7]

Shotgun declares we are good, improving, etc before games or after games.

Shotgun sees we are terrible in-game, and declares we suck.

Never ending cycle...

[ShotgunDawg]

We should be 1-3... but yeah, we're close. Lol

We should be 4-0

[ShotgunDawg]

Shotgun declares we are good, improving, etc before games or after games.

Shotgun sees we are terrible in-game, and declares we suck.

Never ending cycle...

Shotgun is emotional in the game, but then step back & realizes that we're on a steep upward trajectory that is being hampered by stupidity

[bulldawg28]

Exactly. The fact that we face the same defense every week & we're getting better against, shows exactly what's going to happen soon.

This is it. Playing LSU is the same playing Memphis is the same as playing Ole Miss, etc.

It's about us, not the other team.

We're terrible because we're dumb, not because we aren't capable

What's going to happen is more losing.

[Dawgtini]

I know that's not popular, but thus far we've seen drastic offensive improvement since last year & there are still wide open plays we're not making.

- Believe our QB limits us but he's getting better. Gotta be willing to slang it earlier in the game.

- Special teams surely learns all the rules here soon.

- 1st year FG kicker cost us at least a tie

- Every offensive stat has improved by almost 30% since last season thus far.

I'm frustrated but, minus seeing the future QB on the field (Dak), this season reminds me an awful lot of 2013. Again, won't be as good as 2014 next year because we haven't found our QB yet, but we're progressing quickly on the stat sheet.

It's not near as bad as you guys are making it. I think we beat A&M next week
I was going to make a similar post. You can see that we are so close. Just inexperience (not age, experience) costing us at the worst times. Give it time. We're gonna be good.

[HancockCountyDog]

We should be 4-0

We are a lot closer to 1-3 than we are to 4-0.

Im glad someone can be positive after today?s game.

[ShotgunDawg]

What's going to happen is more losing.

Maybe in the short term, but those loses will be full of lots of yards & missed opportunities that would've easily won us the game. At some point we'll grow up

[ShotgunDawg]

I was going to make a similar post. You can see that we are so close. Just inexperience (not age, experience) costing us at the worst times. Give it time. We're gonna be good.

And our coach's track record says this is exactly what happens. It's only the 3rd time this has happened

[msugolf]

We?ll never be better than close enough in this system. It will always struggle against the top half teams in the conference because of its inability to get tough yardage when needed, specifically inside the red zone. Im more amazed that people cant see that and are holding out hope that the next week will turn the corner.

Yards between the 20s dont matter to opposing Defesive coordinators, points on the scoreboard do. And right now they know we are going to keep doing the same thing over and over and over. And it really does not matter who the QB is or how much we upgrade the talent level. If the defense knows whats coming every play, then we are screwed and playing with two hands tied behind our back.

[RocketDawg]

We should be 4-0 right now. We actually beat Memphis, and should have beat LSU (missed FG, turnovers killed us). The only sure win left is Vanderbilt.

[R2Dawg]

Shotgun declares we are good, improving, etc before games or after games.

Shotgun sees we are terrible in-game, and declares we suck.

Never ending cycle...

Yep psycho view for sure. Fans with that kind of insight are why we suck as a program. Gun is probably one of our cigar boys creating this crap.

[bulldawg28]

We should be 4-0 right now. We actually beat Memphis, and should have beat LSU (missed FG, turnovers killed us). The only sure win left is Vanderbilt.

How did we beat Memphis? We were still losing before the punt return.

[Quaoarsking]

We should be 1-3... but yeah, we're close. Lol

What kind of spin do you have to put on the Louisiana Tech game to say we "should" have lost it, without also having to argue that we "should" have beaten Memphis and LSU?

[msstate7]

What kind of spin do you have to put on the Louisiana Tech game to say we "should" have lost it, without also having to argue that we "should" have beaten Memphis and LSU?

We trailed all 3 in the 4th by double digits

[EdwardDrayton]

The fact is we are not good to this point. We can clean up some of the controllables that have hampered us however we will not consistently win with our current QB. Until that changes, we simply are not going to win many games. It’s very disappointing. Looking forward to basketball and baseball at this stage and we’ll hope Leach pulls someone from the portal for next season.

[Quaoarsking]

We trailed all 3 in the 4th by double digits

Good thing the 4th quarter has 15 minutes in it, right?

[msstate7]

Good thing the 4th quarter has 15 minutes in it, right?

Yeah, we lost 2 of the 3

[Bothrops]

Some people are just gonna need another week or two.

[msstate7]

Some people are just gonna need another week or two.

They'll just convince themselves over and over. They'd be doing the same dumb crap if Moorhead were still here

[SailingDawg]

I completely agree Shotgun. We have talent. We whipped LSU on the lines today for the majority of the game.

Stupid roughing the kicker, missed FG, 3 turnovers, and a number of dropped passes.

And we still only lose by 3 to LSU. They aren't good but we aren't bad. QB is holding us back right now.

We won every statistic but total points! I know that sounds like a moral victory but we're young with a new coach and I think we'll get better. Been a fan for 45+ years and I've seen much worse.

[Quaoarsking]

Yeah, we lost 2 of the 3

I know. But all points are the same, no matter which minute they're scored in. If all 3 games started with us getting way up in the 1st quarter and either blowing it in the end or barely scraping it out, is it any different?

[LC Dawg]

I see bright spots every now and then. I think we look better than last year but that's not saying much.
The stupid plays have to stop though.

[ShotgunDawg]

we're terrible at winning games, but we're not terrible at many of the most important things that should win games

[preachermatt83]

I agree with shotgun. There is absolutely zero doubt that we have improved dramatically offensively over last year.

[preachermatt83]

we're terrible at winning games, but we're not terrible at many of the most important things that should win games

This

[ShotgunDawg]

Shouldn't you guys revert to complaining about the OL splits?

or does that not matter anymore?

You guys just make shit up & have no idea what this offense is about.

This staff needs to win more games, but I think there is blatant evidence that we're headed that way

[Irondawg]

The past 1.5 year shows me a few trends/

1) on offensive we are 99% qb dependent and that?s becoming a tend in college football. First Costello was light out, then a pick 6 machine. Will shows the ability to keep us in games and move the ball at times but film shows his ultra conservative nature is missing a lot of bigger throws. Then the last 2 we?ve had some key misfires with open guys. Put simply we are solid at qb, but to be a good team these days you need above average play there and we aren?t there yet.

2) Penalties and special team mistakes. Teams with average talent can?t withstand these in bunches. Against La tech and NC State the ST unitd made huge plays that boosted us. The last two weeks they have made huge mistakes that had significant game impacts.

3) Giving up explosive plays in bunches. Our secondary is better this year and every defense is going to give up some big plays but we tend to have games where we give up 4+ Long passes and today was one of those.

Seems any game we have problems in 2 of these areas it?s really hard for us to win and most games at least 2 of these are showing up.

Simply put right now we are doing more little
things wrong than right most games and we don?t have a big enough talent advantage to overcome it.

It?s frustrating as all get out to watch but we are close to being a pretty decent team. I know close doesn?t count so we?ve got to determine if this is mostly a youth problem or a coaching problem. I don?t think we get the answer until next year.

[ShotgunDawg]

The past 1.5 year shows me a few trends/

1) on offensive we are 99% qb dependent and that?s becoming a tend in college football. First Costello was light out, then a pick 6 machine. Will shows the ability to keep us in games and move the ball at times but film shows his ultra conservative nature is missing a lot of bigger throws. Then the last 2 we?ve had some key misfires with open guys. Put simply we are solid at qb, but to be a good team these days you need above average play there and we aren?t there yet.

2) Penalties and special team mistakes. Teams with average talent can?t withstand these in bunches. Against La tech and NC State the ST unitd made huge plays that boosted us. The last two weeks they have made huge mistakes that had significant game impacts.

3) Giving up explosive plays in bunches. Our secondary is better this year and every defense is going to give up some big plays but we tend to have games where we give up 4+ Long passes and today was one of those.

Seems any game we have problems in 2 of these areas it?s really hard for us to win and most games at least 2 of these are showing up.

Simply put right now we are doing more little
things wrong than right most games and we don?t have a big enough talent advantage to overcome it.

It?s frustrating as all get out to watch but we are close to being a pretty decent team. I know close doesn?t count so we?ve got to determine if this is mostly a youth problem or a coaching problem. I don?t think we get the answer until next year.

I think we do some damage down the stretch. We're learning the hard way on everything, but we're learning

[TrapGame]

I see bright spots every now and then. I think we look better than last year but that's not saying much.
The stupid plays have to stop though.

I tend to agree. One thing we need to stop doing immediately is gift wrapping a turnover for points on the first possession of the game. I'm still not sold on Will being the guy. His decision making is not good.

[Commercecomet24]

Leach has surely made some mistakes along the way but today's game was not on Leach or scheme. Today's game was as much of a players loss as any I've seen. Heaths fumble, Wills int in red zone, Will overthrowing a wide open Heath for a td, huge drops
By Walley, Thomas and Calvin, missed fg, DA penalty on the punt team, Preston and Green not covering the deep middle. Leach called right plays today and we even ran the ball more with success and even ran tempo in first half. Players at some point have to make the plays and the coaching staff put them In those positions today and players didn't make plays. Leach may not be the answer but players eventually have to step up and today they didn't.

[ShotgunDawg]

I tend to agree. One thing we need to stop doing immediately is gift wrapping a turnover for points on the first possession of the game. I'm still not sold on Will being the guy. His decision making is not good.

That's my biggest long term frustration right now.

I don't think Will is THE GUY & that means we're wasting time not giving THE GUY reps

[ShotgunDawg]

Leach has surely made some mistakes along the way but today's game was not on Leach or scheme. Today's game was as much of a players loss as any I've seen. Heaths fumble, Wills int in red zone, Will overthrowing a wide open Heath for a td, huge drops
By Walley, Thomas and Calvin, missed fg, DA penalty on the punt team, Preston abs Green not covering the deep middle. Leach called right plays today and we even ran more with success and even ran tempo in first half. Players at some point have to make the plays and the coaching staff put them In those positions today and players didn't make plays. Leach may not be the answer but players eventually have to step up and today they didn't.

Good thoughts.

The biggest reason I want to stay with this offense is that it seems to neuter blue blood defenses. They're uncomfortable against it & they all play the same vs it.

At some point, it would seem that we'll master playing vs defense that'll lead to wins vs everyone

[confucius say]

I know that's not popular, but thus far we've seen drastic offensive improvement since last year & there are still wide open plays we're not making.

- Believe our QB limits us but he's getting better. Gotta be willing to slang it earlier in the game.

- Special teams surely learns all the rules here soon.

- 1st year FG kicker cost us at least a tie

- Every offensive stat has improved by almost 30% since last season thus far.

I'm frustrated but, minus seeing the future QB on the field (Dak), this season reminds me an awful lot of 2013. Again, won't be as good as 2014 next year because we haven't found our QB yet, but we're progressing quickly on the stat sheet.

It's not near as bad as you guys are making it. I think we beat A&M next week

Ding ding ding.

I'm not willing to say we beat Aggie next week, but it's a one score game like all of them

[Quaoarsking]

Shouldn't you guys revert to complaining about the OL splits?

or does that not matter anymore?

You guys just make shit up & have no idea what this offense is about.

This staff needs to win more games, but I think there is blatant evidence that we're headed that way

We did the main complaints - ran a lot more than in previous game and threw it down the field more, and also had our 2nd most yardage and 3rd most points of the Leach Era, and people are still saying how they don't like the offense.

[TrapGame]

Leach has surely made some mistakes along the way but today's game was not on Leach or scheme. Today's game was as much of a players loss as any I've seen. Heaths fumble, Wills int in red zone, Will overthrowing a wide open Heath for a td, huge drops
By Walley, Thomas and Calvin, missed fg, DA penalty on the punt team, Preston and Green not covering the deep middle. Leach called right plays today and we even ran the ball more with success and even ran tempo in first half. Players at some point have to make the plays and the coaching staff put them In those positions today and players didn't make plays. Leach may not be the answer but players eventually have to step up and today they didn't.

Good post CC24.

[Commercecomet24]

We did the main complaints - ran a lot more than in previous game and threw it down the field more, and also had our 2nd most yardage and 3rd most points of the Leach Era, and people are still saying how they don't like the offense.

And we eliminated the penalties today and the OL play is so much better this year. Lsu has been a sack machine this year and Will stayed pretty clean today.

[ShotgunDawg]

We did the main complaints - ran a lot more than in previous game and threw it down the field more, and also had our 2nd most yardage and 3rd most points of the Leach Era, and people are still saying how they don't like the offense.

The offense is clearly going to work. I don't even see a basis for that complaint. We're only going to get better at WR & QB

[Quaoarsking]

The offense is clearly going to work. I don't even see a basis for that complaint. We're only going to get better at WR & QB

People just like the idea of smash-mouth running between the tackles and consider Leach's approach to be apostasy. And a lot of people here just don't like him personally. I know this because I spent 15 years praising him here and the other boards, and few people ever agreed with me.

And it's fine for people to have whatever opinions they want on what the most aesthetically pleasing style of football is, or a personal opinion on Mike Leach, but today's not the day to proclaim the Air Raid "can't work in the SEC" or that they "told us so."

[Commercecomet24]

Good post CC24.

It's just to early to declare Leach a failure. I'm gonna let the season play out and see how we wind up and improve or not. I think we improve because we're already better than last year but we'll see.

[Liverpooldawg]

I know that's not popular, but thus far we've seen drastic offensive improvement since last year & there are still wide open plays we're not making.

- Believe our QB limits us but he's getting better. Gotta be willing to slang it earlier in the game.

- Special teams surely learns all the rules here soon.

- 1st year FG kicker cost us at least a tie

- Every offensive stat has improved by almost 30% since last season thus far.

I'm frustrated but, minus seeing the future QB on the field (Dak), this season reminds me an awful lot of 2013. Again, won't be as good as 2014 next year because we haven't found our QB yet, but we're progressing quickly on the stat sheet.

It's not near as bad as you guys are making it. I think we beat A&M next week

We are about to go 4-8 AT BEST. This is a completely foreseeable disaster. His scheme requires players that are not in our realistic recruiting base. We can't fire him yet, but we damn sure can fire his boss. The boss can NOT be allowed to make another football hire.

[ShotgunDawg]

We are about to go 4-8 AT BEST. This is a completely foreseeable disaster. His scheme requires players that are not in our realistic recruiting base. We can't fire him yet, but we damn sure can fire his boss. The boss can NOT be allowed to make another football hire.

I just don't see this at all. Sorry

[HRTFXR]

I know that's not popular, but thus far we've seen drastic offensive improvement since last year & there are still wide open plays we're not making.

- Believe our QB limits us but he's getting better. Gotta be willing to slang it earlier in the game.

- Special teams surely learns all the rules here soon.

- 1st year FG kicker cost us at least a tie

- Every offensive stat has improved by almost 30% since last season thus far.

I'm frustrated but, minus seeing the future QB on the field (Dak), this season reminds me an awful lot of 2013. Again, won't be as good as 2014 next year because we haven't found our QB yet, but we're progressing quickly on the stat sheet.

It's not near as bad as you guys are making it. I think we beat A&M next week

Yes, but can we beat MSU? We play TWO opponents each Saturday.

[ShotgunDawg]

Yes, but can we beat MSU? We play TWO opponents each Saturday.

I don't know if we can beat MSU.

Reminds me of Cohen's team in 2011 or 2012

[SailingDawg]

Just beat OM.

[Coach34]

lmao -wow.

This game was never in doubt.

[ShotgunDawg]

lmao -wow.

This game was never in doubt.

Agree to disagree. I respect your opinion, but you were complaining about splits not long ago.

I realize this offense isn't your cup of tea, but all statistical evidence shows it's right on course for what Leach has always done

[Quaoarsking]

lmao -wow.

This game was never in doubt.

That's the best you can do?

[BayouDawg]

lmao -wow.

This game was never in doubt.

I respect most of your football takes but I take everything you say with a grain of salt after you wanted Jeremy asparagus pruit as our head coach.

[Activated Alpha]

Two things. Yes we scored some points today, but we only scored 3 for a looonnnngggg time when we still controlled the game. However, at least, we aren't getting blown out in most games like we did under Croom. If we still had a coach like Croom this game would have been 34-3. Second, if Leech could have his team be competitive and show more improvement further into the year with some more wins I would be content. Especially if he wins against OM.

[chef dixon]

It is pretty strange. The offense does function but it needs an oil change in the worst way. It's weirdly better than whatever Moorhead was trying to do his last year here (see UT game).

[TNDawg35]

That's the best you can do?

Why we all know the answer to this question. We will all wake up to a 2 page ultimate break down like dude is John Madden crossed with Nick Saban or some shit. He will give us his “I know more than you because I’m a coach of some sort” bullshit… Just wait for it…

[Coach34]

They were up 18 in the 4th Q- then were just running time out. This game was not in doubt after the Heath fumble.

[ShotgunDawg]

Two things. Yes we scored some points today, but we only scored 3 for a looonnnngggg time when we still controlled the game. However, at least, we aren't getting blown out in most games like we did under Croom. If we still had a coach like Croom this game would have been 34-3. Second, if Leech could have his team be competitive and show more improvement further into the year with some more wins I would be content. Especially if he wins against OM.

We weren't scoring but we moved the ball on them at will, even while only scoring 3. The stats/point scored isn't adding up for us right now

[Dawgology]

This is a weird team. They look completely inept then look unstoppable. It’s the sign of a young team. Leach will get 4 years. It’s a complete rebuild. Just settle in. The die is cast.

[ShotgunDawg]

They were up 18 in the 4th Q- then were just running time out. This game was not in doubt after the Heath fumble.

I think this is a poor football take & not true.

We outgained by a ton & doubled up their first downs. We should have won that game.

I thought we were clearly the better team but didn't make the important plays

[Quaoarsking]

They were up 18 in the 4th Q- then were just running time out. This game was not in doubt after the Heath fumble.

Does it really matter what order the points come in?

If we'd been up 25-0 and then gave up 28 and lost, you'd be even madder.

[Quaoarsking]

The "Wishbone 2020" quip was debunked today, so instead Coach34 has moved the goalposts to complain that our points didn't come early enough (but if they had come earlier he'd find something different).

[Coach34]

Does it really matter what order the points come in?.

Yes it does. Teams defend you differently depending on the score of the game

[HancockCountyDog]

Im just confused on the optimism after scoring 3 points in the first 44 minutes of the game against a pretty average LSU defense that got zero pressure on Will almost all day.

Our first eight drives were :

Fumble
Punt
FG
Interception
Punt
End of half
Missed FG
Punt

LSU switched to a 4 man front as well, I don?t understand why, but it gave us life.

Im happy that we scored some late points, and the kids didnt quit, but our offense the first three quarters is the reason we lost this game.

[Coach34]

The "Wishbone 2020" quip was debunked today, so instead Coach34 has moved the goalposts to complain that our points didn't come early enough (but if they had come earlier he'd find something different).

oh no- We are still Wishbone 2020. Offense is garbage.

[TrapGame]

This is a weird team. They look completely inept then look unstoppable. It’s the sign of a young team. Leach will get 4 years. It’s a complete rebuild. Just settle in. The die is cast.

We have these flashes of greatness. Will looks good in the pocket and throws a strike downfield to Polk. Then he does his best impression of Mike Henig. I would really like to see a complete four quarter game against a decent SEC opponent w/ Will performing at his best. Maybe then I could see the big picture.

[Coach34]

Im just confused on the optimism after scoring 3 points in the first 44 minutes of the game against a pretty average LSU defense that got zero pressure on Will almost all day.

Our first eight drives were :

Fumble
Punt
FG
Interception
Punt
End of half
Missed FG
Punt
.

Exactly- and because of that- we were down 18 in the 4th Q

[Lord McBuckethead]

We've certainly got to learn to finish drives, but our yardage was pretty good at that point. Also, what happens after that matters

Yardage is like having a flashy car but a small dick. Doesn?t mean shit.

[Quaoarsking]

oh no- We are still Wishbone 2020. Offense is garbage.

Weird day to die on that hill. The offense was good enough to not only win but make a statement, but the defense had not 1, not 2, but 3 uncharacteristic brainfarts. That's the reason why we lost.

[Quaoarsking]

Yardage is like having a flashy car but a small dick. Doesn?t mean shit.

Yardage correlates really well to winning percentage and has predictive power.

[Fader21]

We should be 4-0 right now. We actually beat Memphis, and should have beat LSU (missed FG, turnovers killed us). The only sure win left is Vanderbilt.

Not even giving us a chance with Tennessee State?

[Lord McBuckethead]

oh no- We are still Wishbone 2020. Offense is garbage.

Agreed. An offense that has to rely on 14 play drives blows. All the other team is has to wait. We 17 it up for them.

[Activated Alpha]

Yardage is like having a flashy car but a small dick. Doesn?t mean shit.

Coming from someone with ?above average? size dick, I can still impregnate a bitch with a 3 inch cock and drive a flashy car. Or I could drive a 92 Honda Civic with a 10 inch python but get limp dick 10 seconds in. Point of all this, dicks and football are totally unrelated

[Lord McBuckethead]

Two things. Yes we scored some points today, but we only scored 3 for a looonnnngggg time when we still controlled the game. However, at least, we aren't getting blown out in most games like we did under Croom. If we still had a coach like Croom this game would have been 34-3. Second, if Leech could have his team be competitive and show more improvement further into the year with some more wins I would be content. Especially if he wins against OM.

OM isn?t going to wait for us to have 4 minutes of offensive output. All the time we are 17n around they are going to score 35 pts.

[Dak Holliday]

The things that stand out to me on both this game and the LATech game are that yes, we ?came back?, but ultimately did so when those teams coaches went ultra conservative to just finish out the game. It bit LATech in the butt- and should have, we are more talented, but it causes me to think that most coaches if up big late will allow us to dink and dunk down field eating up almost as much or more clock than if we ran the ball. Sometimes the tale of the tape is more than the scoreboard.

[Activated Alpha]

OM isn?t going to wait for us to have 4 minutes of offensive output. All the time we are 17n around they are going to score 35 pts.

I agree and Arnett and his D better bring the A game that night. However I hope Leech will at least put emphasis on this game

[msstate7]

Im just confused on the optimism after scoring 3 points in the first 44 minutes of the game against a pretty average LSU defense that got zero pressure on Will almost all day.

Our first eight drives were :

Fumble
Punt
FG
Interception
Punt
End of half
Missed FG
Punt

LSU switched to a 4 man front as well, I don?t understand why, but it gave us life.

Im happy that we scored some late points, and the kids didnt quit, but our offense the first three quarters is the reason we lost this game.

You just can't see what shotgun does bc shotgun wants to see it. He did this same crap after ever Moorhead debacle

[bobtail bob]

It taking fifteen pass play drives to score wil NEVER,NEVER ,EVER work in the SEC. Defenses dropping eight and shutting you down is not making them uncomfortable, lol.

[Activated Alpha]

I do want to point out that I was sold on this offensive bringing more explosive plays. Only explosion I have had is with diarrhea after watching our offense this year

[Quaoarsking]

It taking fifteen pass play drives to score wil NEVER,NEVER ,EVER work in the SEC. Defenses dropping eight and shutting you down is not making them uncomfortable, lol.

It did work in the SEC today. The defense giving up big plays on blown coverage lost us the game, not the offense.

[Turfdawg67]

Agreed. An offense that has to rely on 14 play drives blows. All the other team is has to wait. We 17 it up for them.

14 play drives and controlling the clock is now a bad thing... weird.

[Quaoarsking]

14 play drives and controlling the clock is now a bad thing... weird.

They just don't like Leach and will say whatever happens is wrong. If we win next week, it still won't really mean anything.

[Turfdawg67]

Maybe we should come out against TAM and play like we are down 21-0...

[ShotgunDawg]

You just can't see what shotgun does bc shotgun wants to see it. He did this same crap after ever Moorhead debacle

I don't remember doing this with Moorhead. Maybe early, but this is way different. Remarkable if you can't see the difference and track record of coaches difference

[ShotgunDawg]

Yardage is like having a flashy car but a small dick. Doesn?t mean shit.

Not true when your building a program.

[HancockCountyDog]

It did work in the SEC today. The defense giving up big plays on blown coverage lost us the game, not the offense.

You really think us scoring 3 points in our first E-I-G-H-T drives today was not the reason we lost the game today? I mean, that seems kind of an impossible opinion to have today. Especially when you factor in the play of our OL, which was really good. Will had tons of time to pass, but the problem with the air raid is that you can get a ton of yards between the 20's, but once you get in red zone, you can struggle to score.

I mean eight drives for 3 points, and you don't think that lost us the game? I think your bias for Leach is showing.

[Quaoarsking]

You really think us scoring 3 points in our first E-I-G-H-T drives today was not the reason we lost the game today? I mean, that seems kind of an impossible opinion to have today. Especially when you factor in the play of our OL, which was really good. Will had tons of time to pass, but the problem with the air raid is that you can get a ton of yards between the 20's, but once you get in red zone, you can struggle to score.

I mean eight drives for 3 points, and you don't think that lost us the game? I think your bias for Leach is showing.

Only looking at the first 8 drives is arbitrary. I look at full games. 486 yards is almost always enough to win an SEC game, and when it's not, it's not the offense's fault.

[State82]

I can't believe some of you dumb mf'ers are even capable of getting up in the morning and getting your teeth brushed to drag your asses out the front door. Mike Leach makes $5,000,000 PER 17ING YEAR! Do some of you not comprehend that simple fact! Holy shit!

[Quaoarsking]

I can't believe some of you dumb mf'ers are even capable of getting up in the morning and getting your teeth brushed to drag your asses out the front door. Mike Leach makes $5,000,000 PER 17ING YEAR! Do some of you not comprehend that simple fact! Holy shit!

We should pay him $1M for every P5 win instead.

[Dak Holliday]

He might get excited about winning if we did.

[HancockCountyDog]

Only looking at the first 8 drives is arbitrary. I look at full games. 486 yards is almost always enough to win an SEC game, and when it's not, it's not the offense's fault.

It?s not cherry picking when your offense simply could not score against an average LSU defense until the 4th quarter when the game was in hand.

Look I?m glad you are happy that we scored 3TDs late in the game, I think it?s fools gold, you think we?ve turned a corner.

I truly hope you are right.

[Dak Holliday]

I agree with you? looks like pyrite

[Dak Holliday]

This may be a stupid question, but why does it put question marks in place of other punctuation marks on these posts? It has my ocd on point

[memsu06]

New member here, but I've been lurking for quite awhile.

I agree with OP that we are really close to breaking out. All of you complaining about Will not connecting with wide open receivers tells me this offensive scheme works in the SEC. I agree Will needs to be a little more decisive with decision making.

I remember being in the stands watching us get beat by the University of Maine. Talk about being the low point of MSU football. They didn't even have enough players to fully fill the sidelines and you could see the ground tarp easily. That's one thing that stood out to me in that game.

Dan Mullen blew games all the time too. Remember the blowouts to LSU/Alabama in his early years? Remember losing to South Alabama?

[ShotgunDawg]

New member here, but I've been lurking for quite awhile.

I agree with OP that we are really close to breaking out. All of you complaining about Will not connecting with wide open receivers tells me this offensive scheme works in the SEC. I agree Will needs to be a little more decisive with decision making.

I remember being in the stands watching us get beat by the University of Maine. Talk about being the low point of MSU football. They didn't even have enough players to fully fill the sidelines and you could see the ground tarp easily. That's one thing that stood out to me in that game.

Dan Mullen blew games all the time too. Remember the blowouts to LSU/Alabama in his early years? Remember losing to South Alabama?

Post more.

I?ll give the Leach haters this: none of us grew up playing in this offense and it goes against the DNA of the school. For those reasons, until it clearly works, you?re going to have a vocal group that fights against it. Same as when Norman Dale took over Hickory and implemented the 4 pass before shoot concept.

Everyone here wants to win. It?s just that this offense is so foreign to anything any of us have ever been acquainted with, most just don?t know how to look at it or what the path to it taking off is.

[memsu06]

Post more.

I?ll give the Leach haters this: none of us grew up playing in this offense and it goes against the DNA of the school. For those reasons, until it clearly works, you?re going to have a vocal group that fights against it. Same as when Norman Dale took over Hickory and implemented the 4 pass before shoot concept.

Everyone here wants to win. It?s just that this offense is so foreign to anything any of us have ever been acquainted with, most just don?t know how to look at it or what the path to it taking off is.

We tried smash mouth football with Dan Mullen. Sure we could run the ball really well, but when it came down to it we lost by 5 to Bama (although we got shorted that game) lost to Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl (more like blown out) then lost to Georgia Tech.

The 2018 team under Dan would have been interesting though.

Point is MSU isn't going to win games trying to copy what Alabama does. We'll never recruit the players to outplay Bama on a regular basis.

The Air Raid works when executed properly. We're still working on the execution, but I can see a drastic difference between this year and last year.

Our defense scheme and offense scheme is completely different than what most teams we play will ever see.

Give Leach time and this young team a chance. With the extra year of eligibility these players have we could be hell on wheels in 3 years.

[MoreCowbell]

I know that's not popular, but thus far we've seen drastic offensive improvement since last year & there are still wide open plays we're not making.

- Believe our QB limits us but he's getting better. Gotta be willing to slang it earlier in the game.

- Special teams surely learns all the rules here soon.

- 1st year FG kicker cost us at least a tie

- Every offensive stat has improved by almost 30% since last season thus far.

I'm frustrated but, minus seeing the future QB on the field (Dak), this season reminds me an awful lot of 2013. Again, won't be as good as 2014 next year because we haven't found our QB yet, but we're progressing quickly on the stat sheet.

It's not near as bad as you guys are making it. I think we beat A&M next week

What the hell are you watching? We are not close to anything because our talent level sucks.

[ShotgunDawg]

We tried smash mouth football with Dan Mullen. Sure we could run the ball really well, but when it came down to it we lost by 5 to Bama (although we got shorted that game) lost to Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl (more like blown out) then lost to Georgia Tech.

The 2018 team under Dan would have been interesting though.

Point is MSU isn't going to win games trying to copy what Alabama does. We'll never recruit the players to outplay Bama on a regular basis.

The Air Raid works when executed properly. We're still working on the execution, but I can see a drastic difference between this year and last year.

Our defense scheme and offense scheme is completely different than what most teams we play will ever see.

Give Leach time and this young team a chance. With the extra year of eligibility these players have we could be hell on wheels in 3 years.

Agree. Arkansas is about to find out how limiting that style is.

You progress fast & win games, but you'll never get over the hump because it requires better players to win.

[Cowbell]

Agree. Arkansas is about to find out how limiting that style is.

You progress fast & win games, but you'll never get over the hump because it requires better players to win.

Maybe they are running the scheme that utilizes the talent they currently have. And they will beat the snot out of us with it. Ironic eh?!

[ShotgunDawg]

Maybe they are running the scheme that utilizes the talent they currently have. And they will beat the snot out of us with it. Ironic eh?!

Hard to master a scheme when you're constantly changing it

[SilentSteel16]

Hard to master a scheme when you're constantly changing it

Wait what?

So do you pull your balls to one side of the fence when you are straddling it or do you just put one on each side of the fence?

You are constantly wanting CML to change his scheme yet you say this? Not to mention wanting to change the QB…..

[memsu06]

Maybe they are running the scheme that utilizes the talent they currently have. And they will beat the snot out of us with it. Ironic eh?!

We had more rushing yards today than LSU believe it or not.

We have a rushing game it just isn't going to show up as a rush on the stats. If we dink and dunk at 5 yards a play how's it different than rushing for 5?

The point of the Air Raid is to get the ball quickly to your players in space. The routes they run are like second nature to them giving you a slight edge. So what if you have a fast defensive players, we're recruiting players that are just as fast.

Give it time to work. I believe Leach is here for the long haul (unlike another coach we know well) and he wants to compete in the SEC. Ya'll should really go read his book.

All this crap about him not appearing to give a crap is total BS. His book explains alot of his philosophies regarding football. He says you can't succeed without playing physical football. Isn't that what we want from an MSU team?

[ShotgunDawg]

Wait what?

So do you pull your balls to one side of the fence when you are straddling it or do you just put one on each side of the fence?

You are constantly wanting CML to change his scheme yet you say this? Not to mention wanting to change the QB…..

I didn't realize I've been calling for a scheme change. Where did you see that?

[SilentSteel16]

You may not call it a scheme change, but you want to change everything including the QB.

[bulldawg28]

Wait what?

So do you pull your balls to one side of the fence when you are straddling it or do you just put one on each side of the fence?

You are constantly wanting CML to change his scheme yet you say this? Not to mention wanting to change the QB…..

Lol..

[bulldawg28]

We had more rushing yards today than LSU believe it or not.

We have a rushing game it just isn't going to show up as a rush on the stats. If we dink and dunk at 5 yards a play how's it different than rushing for 5?

The point of the Air Raid is to get the ball quickly to your players in space. The routes they run are like second nature to them giving you a slight edge. So what if you have a fast defensive players, we're recruiting players that are just as fast.

Give it time to work. I believe Leach is here for the long haul (unlike another coach we know well) and he wants to compete in the SEC. Ya'll should really go read his book.

All this crap about him not appearing to give a crap is total BS. His book explains alot of his philosophies regarding football. He says you can't succeed without playing physical football. Isn't that what we want from an MSU team?

Running vs dinking causes the LB's to come up and opens passing lanes. It can also make them change coverages. As you can see we March down the field dinking until the red zone where dinking won't work unless an assignment is missed Ala Marks Td pass.

[Maroonthirteen]

you were complaining about splits not long ago.
e


You have referenced this twice in 24hrs. You don't know what you are talking about. It was reported State tightened the splits before the Memphis game and today.

[Maroonthirteen]

I didn't realize I've been calling for a scheme change. Where did you see that?


[QUOTE=ShotgunDawg;1366411

We could use some adjustments in the red zone to become a more power running team....[/QUOTE]


.

[Bdawg]

Post more.

I?ll give the Leach haters this: none of us grew up playing in this offense and it goes against the DNA of the school. For those reasons, until it clearly works, you?re going to have a vocal group that fights against it. Same as when Norman Dale took over Hickory and implemented the 4 pass before shoot concept.

Everyone here wants to win. It?s just that this offense is so foreign to anything any of us have ever been acquainted with, most just don?t know how to look at it or what the path to it taking off is.

Yep. We been a power team for how many years now and what have won(and we may never win no matter what we do). I'm still good to go for something new. I said I would give Leach at least 3 years when we hired him because 1) that's how long it always seems to take him to get it going, 2) the first year had really no implementation because of Covid and put him behind the 8 ball, 3) if we fire leach after a total overhaul of our offense and do not give him enough time, forget our next coach being a proven winner(no proven coach will touch us) 4) this i more of hope but, it seems like yesterday we tried to run the ball a little more so maybe he trying to adapt a little ( our backs average over 4.6 a carry, Dillon over 6). 5) while I think Will is doing ok, I think he's holding this offense back some and Leach has no other option right now. Now, Will may need more time in the system and it worries me that a transfer may have a learning curve, too. I'm hoping we have one on the bench that's learning the system now to push Will or over take him if he's better.

Now, if it's the same ole same ole after 3 years to get it going and recruiting looks ho hum, his seat will be blue hot with me too. I hope he gets it going because passing the ball is the only way I see us trying to knock off blue bloods.

[JScottDova]

You may not call it a scheme change, but you want to change everything including the QB.

Changing the QB is needed. Will has shown that reading defenses correctly can result in yardage. He's also proven that when you don't have the arm strength, you eliminate 1/3 of your reads because you can't make the throw downfield. Not trying to hate on Will, but he just doesn't have the arm to fully implement this system. You've got to be able to stretch the field for it to work, and he can't do that consistently. Hit the transfer portal for a QB and this offense improves quickly. Also have to find one with an arm that can/will learn the system.