Captain Sunshine View

Hey so I'm not gonna be overly critical of how we played today. I didn't think we played poorly. I had some minor critiques of the staff, but overall, I thought we played well enough to win. Handily.

BUT....

Hey guess what we were using our 3rd string LT and I think we lost him for the year and also our starting RG who was starting to play very good ball I am pretty sure is also lost for the year.

So now we can line up: LT (2nd string RG), LG, C, RG (2nd string C) and RT (would not be playing at all if LT1, LT2 and LT3 were not hurt)

So another 3-9 season?

I didn’t know about any of those injuries yet wbh so I’m going to say that this wasn’t very sunshiny for me

No we are a pretty good football team. Losing those guys will really hurt. Assuming we don't get Chewins or Arcuri back anytime soon. Believe it or not we could still win the conference with a solid OL, including either Chewins or Arcuri and a healthy Jarvis or Campbell. Missing all 4 of them? Nah. 8 win ceiling.

How do you wait until under 15 seconds on the play clock to decide to kick the fg? How do you drop 8 guys 20 yards on 4th and 13? With their backs turned

I'm a fan of sunshine.

aualum06 wrote:How do you wait until under 15 seconds on the play clock to decide to kick the fg? How do you drop 8 guys 20 yards on 4th and 13? With their backs turned

kingstonlake wrote:

aualum06 wrote:How do you wait until under 15 seconds on the play clock to decide to kick the fg? How do you drop 8 guys 20 yards on 4th and 13? With their backs turned

So much bad today all around and still no reason to lose

The only sunshine statement I can make is that playing Western sure made the team look good; do we get to play them again anytime soon?

Play any thing like this and maybe there are some (not all) wins against Indy, Illinois, Rutgers & Maryland; not even close @Northwestern, OSU, Wiscy, Michy or PSU in East Lansing.
I'm not very good with numbers - but I don't think that adds up to 8, maybe not even 6.

Not to worry basketball is just a few weeks away (until the hoops offensive line gets injured)

I don't fuckin care

Fuck it. Shit happens. Gonna be interesting to see how they come out after this.

I hope we don’t make a big deal of the last play that Dino Blandino did. Fuck that. Shouldn’t have been a problem.

Don’t care who we have on the line
Don’t care who is calling plays
Don’t care who is making decisions.

Run
Block
Throw
Catch
Tackle


Figure it out. Either we’re good enough, or we aren’t.

Here is what I think we lack. Heart.
No fucking heart

A Q who is more worried about Lou Ha’s then winning and nobody to unseat him. Get drunk take a piss in your girlfriends living room mother fucker. God bless you but winning time doesn’t resonate

Linemen in a mash unit that are not interested in film study. Just want to do time and be nice. Great kids. Date your daughter great kids. Punch you in the face? Nope.

Anyway. Fuck it. Just play. Either you do well, or you don’t.

Block tackle run throw catch. I care. Fuck it

I don't really have anything intelligent to say. I am kind of confused because I felt like we played D at like a 90% positive rate and Offense at like a 75% positive rate and it should have been good enough to win. The amount of self inflicted fuck ups at critical times was..bizarre.

We'll see what happens, this doesn't have to ruin the season.

We might be fucked on the OL, however. If Jarvis is out, Arcuri needs to get healthy fast. Higby/Beuter/Allen can probably cover Campbell at G. Higby cannot be our LT.

I think this is an 8 win team.

Someone said Luke came back in. Not sure if true but that would be awesome.

Another thing that sucks about today. We are probably going to lose in Evanston. They roll with our kryptonite. Such is life as a Spartan.

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:Hey so I'm not gonna be overly critical of how we played today. I didn't think we played poorly. I had some minor critiques of the staff, but overall, I thought we played well enough to win. Handily.

BUT....

Hey guess what we were using our 3rd string LT and I think we lost him for the year and also our starting RG who was starting to play very good ball I am pretty sure is also lost for the year.

So now we can line up: LT (2nd string RG), LG, C, RG (2nd string C) and RT (would not be playing at all if LT1, LT2 and LT3 were not hurt)

This is the sunshine view?

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:Hey so I'm not gonna be overly critical of how we played today. I didn't think we played poorly. I had some minor critiques of the staff, but overall, I thought we played well enough to win. Handily.

BUT....

Hey guess what we were using our 3rd string LT and I think we lost him for the year and also our starting RG who was starting to play very good ball I am pretty sure is also lost for the year.

So now we can line up: LT (2nd string RG), LG, C, RG (2nd string C) and RT (would not be playing at all if LT1, LT2 and LT3 were not hurt)

This is the sunshine view?

What's the demand excellence view?

Offense moved the ball well, but could not finish worth a damn for 95% of the game. Coghlin missing those FGs was alarming, but two of them were from a distance he is shaky from.

Another amazing defense is gonna be wasted on this team, just like 2012 and 2018.

Turtleneck wrote:

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:

This is the sunshine view?

What's the demand excellence view?

Fire everyone. Today.

DWags wrote:

Turtleneck wrote:

What's the demand excellence view?

Fire everyone. Yesterday.

Fixed.

DWags wrote:

Turtleneck wrote:

What's the demand excellence view?

Fire everyone.  Today.

I'm not worried. The offense will explode next week and they will score 17 on Northwestern.

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:Hey so I'm not gonna be overly critical of how we played today. I didn't think we played poorly. I had some minor critiques of the staff, but overall, I thought we played well enough to win. Handily.

BUT....

Hey guess what we were using our 3rd string LT and I think we lost him for the year and also our starting RG who was starting to play very good ball I am pretty sure is also lost for the year.

So now we can line up: LT (2nd string RG), LG, C, RG (2nd string C) and RT (would not be playing at all if LT1, LT2 and LT3 were not hurt)

This is the sunshine view?

I was being drunk sarcastic.

But today I'm feeling that this sucks. But it was pretty fucking flukey. Still think we lose next week.

NigelUno wrote:

DWags wrote:

Fire everyone. Yesterday.

Fixed.

Julie Dombrowski picked my wife and I up at the tailgate after and drove us to Kellogg. Trust me, I needed it.

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:

This is the sunshine view?

 

Still think we lose next week.

 7-5

I agree with your sentiment. I think there is reason to be hopeful, in spite of the coaching.I don't think that the players played terribly - of course there were mistakes, and Coughlin had probably the worst day of his life, but here is why I am optimistic about the players... We'll get to the coaching staff later.

Offense
QB - I thought Lewerke played well enough for us to win the game. Did he put the team on his back and lead a game winning drive? No, but he played well enough to put us in position to at least tie the game up at the end. He completed 63% of his passes and threw for nearly 300 yards, and rushed for 25.

RB - Collins played decent, or as well as could be reasonably expected with the injuries to the O-line. Heyward shouldn't be taking any handoffs from this point on, but he can be a threat in the short passing/screen game. That's on the coaching staff though.  

WR/TE - Stewart is a very good player who has bailed us out of some tough spots. Good hands and a nice burst. We started getting him the ball more late in the game, but I would like to see him more involved early. Again, that is likely on the coaching/play calling. Dotson had a couple nice grabs. White played okay.

O-Line - I'd have to go back and watch the tape, but considering the injuries, I actually thought they did alright. They did give up 4 sacks which is obviously not ideal, but again I think this is largely coaching. You know you are weak on the O-line, but insist on calling plays that require solid pass protection and good run blocking. Contrast that to ASU, who knew their O-line wouldn't be able to withstand MSU's D-line, they called a lot of tunnel screens, swing passes, out routes, etc. to take some pressure off their line. Not saying that it always worked, but from their POV, I agree with Herm's game planning.

Special Teams - Punt team was great, kicking squad awful.

Defense - I don't understand the hate on the D. Yes, the gave up a long drive at the end, but I largely attribute this to the going into the prevent defense. You gotta be able to score more than 10 points to win the game. Was it their best day? No, but they held ASU to 216 total yards and forced 7 punts.

Coaching - This is what is so troubling. Yes, some plays were not executed properly, but by and large, I feel like our players played well enough to win the game. The coaching staff seems to be (pardon the cliche) too stubborn to adjust to different situations and put our guys in position to succeed. I already mentioned one example of how ASU used the short passing game to compensate for their disadvantage in the trenches, but I saw very little game planning/exploiting weaknesses from our coaching staff. It was as if we would have a big play through the air, and our coaching staff would breath a sigh of relief and go right back to running up the gut. Run, run, pass. Attempt a field goal. Go with what is working! Stewart could have had another 200 yard game if they would have attacked the ASU defense. He is deadly across the middle, and can make guys miss even on short throws that don't require tons of time. Or let Collins use his speed on the outside instead of running it off tackle, relying on a injury-ridden offensive line to make the play. Good coaches put their players in position to make plays, and scheme away from their weaknesses. Our coaches don't seem to do this, as they are set in their ways and reluctant to do anything but run the same conservative offense that they always have. I won't even get into the 12 men on the field as that goes without saying. Obvious coaching error, indecisive, and basically a one-play summary of the entire game.

I don't know, am I way off-base here? Football is a team game, and I admit our players didn't play their best, but from my vantage point, the difference between a W or an L in a game like that came down to the coaching staff. And we got  beat badly in that respect.

InfantrySpartan wrote:I agree with your sentiment. I think there is reason to be hopeful, in spite of the coaching.I don't think that the players played terribly - of course there were mistakes, and Coughlin had probably the worst day of his life, but here is why I am optimistic about the players... We'll get to the coaching staff later.

Offense
QB - I thought Lewerke played well enough for us to win the game. Did he put the team on his back and lead a game winning drive? No, but he played well enough to put us in position to at least tie the game up at the end. He completed 63% of his passes and threw for nearly 300 yards, and rushed for 25.

RB - Collins played decent, or as well as could be reasonably expected with the injuries to the O-line. Heyward shouldn't be taking any handoffs from this point on, but he can be a threat in the short passing/screen game. That's on the coaching staff though.  

WR/TE - Stewart is a very good player who has bailed us out of some tough spots. Good hands and a nice burst. We started getting him the ball more late in the game, but I would like to see him more involved early. Again, that is likely on the coaching/play calling. Dotson had a couple nice grabs. White played okay.

O-Line - I'd have to go back and watch the tape, but considering the injuries, I actually thought they did alright. They did give up 4 sacks which is obviously not ideal, but again I think this is largely coaching. You know you are weak on the O-line, but insist on calling plays that require solid pass protection and good run blocking. Contrast that to ASU, who knew their O-line wouldn't be able to withstand MSU's D-line, they called a lot of tunnel screens, swing passes, out routes, etc. to take some pressure off their line. Not saying that it always worked, but from their POV, I agree with Herm's game planning.

Special Teams - Punt team was great, kicking squad awful.

Defense - I don't understand the hate on the D. Yes, the gave up a long drive at the end, but I largely attribute this to the going into the prevent defense. You gotta be able to score more than 10 points to win the game. Was it their best day? No, but they held ASU to 216 total yards and forced 7 punts.

Coaching - This is what is so troubling. Yes, some plays were not executed properly, but by and large, I feel like our players played well enough to win the game. The coaching staff seems to be (pardon the cliche) too stubborn to adjust to different situations and put our guys in position to succeed. I already mentioned one example of how ASU used the short passing game to compensate for their disadvantage in the trenches, but I saw very little game planning/exploiting weaknesses from our coaching staff. It was as if we would have a big play through the air, and our coaching staff would breath a sigh of relief and go right back to running up the gut. Run, run, pass. Attempt a field goal. Go with what is working! Stewart could have had another 200 yard game if they would have attacked the ASU defense. He is deadly across the middle, and can make guys miss even on short throws that don't require tons of time. Or let Collins use his speed on the outside instead of running it off tackle, relying on a injury-ridden offensive line to make the play. Good coaches put their players in position to make plays, and scheme away from their weaknesses. Our coaches don't seem to do this, as they are set in their ways and reluctant to do anything but run the same conservative offense that they always have. I won't even get into the 12 men on the field as that goes without saying. Obvious coaching error, indecisive, and basically a one-play summary of the entire game.

I don't know, am I way off-base here? Football is a team game, and I admit our players didn't play their best, but from my vantage point, the difference between a W or an L in a game like that came down to the coaching staff. And we got  beat badly in that respect.

Welcome IS, great read!

InfantrySpartan wrote:I agree with your sentiment. I think there is reason to be hopeful, in spite of the coaching.I don't think that the players played terribly - of course there were mistakes, and Coughlin had probably the worst day of his life, but here is why I am optimistic about the players... We'll get to the coaching staff later.

Offense
QB - I thought Lewerke played well enough for us to win the game. Did he put the team on his back and lead a game winning drive? No, but he played well enough to put us in position to at least tie the game up at the end. He completed 63% of his passes and threw for nearly 300 yards, and rushed for 25.

RB - Collins played decent, or as well as could be reasonably expected with the injuries to the O-line. Heyward shouldn't be taking any handoffs from this point on, but he can be a threat in the short passing/screen game. That's on the coaching staff though.  

WR/TE - Stewart is a very good player who has bailed us out of some tough spots. Good hands and a nice burst. We started getting him the ball more late in the game, but I would like to see him more involved early. Again, that is likely on the coaching/play calling. Dotson had a couple nice grabs. White played okay.

O-Line - I'd have to go back and watch the tape, but considering the injuries, I actually thought they did alright. They did give up 4 sacks which is obviously not ideal, but again I think this is largely coaching. You know you are weak on the O-line, but insist on calling plays that require solid pass protection and good run blocking. Contrast that to ASU, who knew their O-line wouldn't be able to withstand MSU's D-line, they called a lot of tunnel screens, swing passes, out routes, etc. to take some pressure off their line. Not saying that it always worked, but from their POV, I agree with Herm's game planning.

Special Teams - Punt team was great, kicking squad awful.

Defense - I don't understand the hate on the D. Yes, the gave up a long drive at the end, but I largely attribute this to the going into the prevent defense. You gotta be able to score more than 10 points to win the game. Was it their best day? No, but they held ASU to 216 total yards and forced 7 punts.

Coaching - This is what is so troubling. Yes, some plays were not executed properly, but by and large, I feel like our players played well enough to win the game. The coaching staff seems to be (pardon the cliche) too stubborn to adjust to different situations and put our guys in position to succeed. I already mentioned one example of how ASU used the short passing game to compensate for their disadvantage in the trenches, but I saw very little game planning/exploiting weaknesses from our coaching staff. It was as if we would have a big play through the air, and our coaching staff would breath a sigh of relief and go right back to running up the gut. Run, run, pass. Attempt a field goal. Go with what is working! Stewart could have had another 200 yard game if they would have attacked the ASU defense. He is deadly across the middle, and can make guys miss even on short throws that don't require tons of time. Or let Collins use his speed on the outside instead of running it off tackle, relying on a injury-ridden offensive line to make the play. Good coaches put their players in position to make plays, and scheme away from their weaknesses. Our coaches don't seem to do this, as they are set in their ways and reluctant to do anything but run the same conservative offense that they always have. I won't even get into the 12 men on the field as that goes without saying. Obvious coaching error, indecisive, and basically a one-play summary of the entire game.

I don't know, am I way off-base here? Football is a team game, and I admit our players didn't play their best, but from my vantage point, the difference between a W or an L in a game like that came down to the coaching staff. And we got  beat badly in that respect.

Nice. Well thought out and dare I say logical. Are you sure you belong on a message board.

InfantrySpartan wrote:I agree with your sentiment. I think there is reason to be hopeful, in spite of the coaching.I don't think that the players played terribly - of course there were mistakes, and Coughlin had probably the worst day of his life, but here is why I am optimistic about the players... We'll get to the coaching staff later.

Offense
QB - I thought Lewerke played well enough for us to win the game. Did he put the team on his back and lead a game winning drive? No, but he played well enough to put us in position to at least tie the game up at the end. He completed 63% of his passes and threw for nearly 300 yards, and rushed for 25.

RB - Collins played decent, or as well as could be reasonably expected with the injuries to the O-line. Heyward shouldn't be taking any handoffs from this point on, but he can be a threat in the short passing/screen game. That's on the coaching staff though.  

WR/TE - Stewart is a very good player who has bailed us out of some tough spots. Good hands and a nice burst. We started getting him the ball more late in the game, but I would like to see him more involved early. Again, that is likely on the coaching/play calling. Dotson had a couple nice grabs. White played okay.

O-Line - I'd have to go back and watch the tape, but considering the injuries, I actually thought they did alright. They did give up 4 sacks which is obviously not ideal, but again I think this is largely coaching. You know you are weak on the O-line, but insist on calling plays that require solid pass protection and good run blocking. Contrast that to ASU, who knew their O-line wouldn't be able to withstand MSU's D-line, they called a lot of tunnel screens, swing passes, out routes, etc. to take some pressure off their line. Not saying that it always worked, but from their POV, I agree with Herm's game planning.

Special Teams - Punt team was great, kicking squad awful.

Defense - I don't understand the hate on the D. Yes, the gave up a long drive at the end, but I largely attribute this to the going into the prevent defense. You gotta be able to score more than 10 points to win the game. Was it their best day? No, but they held ASU to 216 total yards and forced 7 punts.

Coaching - This is what is so troubling. Yes, some plays were not executed properly, but by and large, I feel like our players played well enough to win the game. The coaching staff seems to be (pardon the cliche) too stubborn to adjust to different situations and put our guys in position to succeed. I already mentioned one example of how ASU used the short passing game to compensate for their disadvantage in the trenches, but I saw very little game planning/exploiting weaknesses from our coaching staff. It was as if we would have a big play through the air, and our coaching staff would breath a sigh of relief and go right back to running up the gut. Run, run, pass. Attempt a field goal. Go with what is working! Stewart could have had another 200 yard game if they would have attacked the ASU defense. He is deadly across the middle, and can make guys miss even on short throws that don't require tons of time. Or let Collins use his speed on the outside instead of running it off tackle, relying on a injury-ridden offensive line to make the play. Good coaches put their players in position to make plays, and scheme away from their weaknesses. Our coaches don't seem to do this, as they are set in their ways and reluctant to do anything but run the same conservative offense that they always have. I won't even get into the 12 men on the field as that goes without saying. Obvious coaching error, indecisive, and basically a one-play summary of the entire game.

I don't know, am I way off-base here? Football is a team game, and I admit our players didn't play their best, but from my vantage point, the difference between a W or an L in a game like that came down to the coaching staff. And we got  beat badly in that respect.

I feel like I should salute you..

or, at the very least, mobilize tSwill troops and sweep out the barracks.

InfantrySpartan wrote:I agree with your sentiment. I think there is reason to be hopeful, in spite of the coaching.I don't think that the players played terribly - of course there were mistakes, and Coughlin had probably the worst day of his life, but here is why I am optimistic about the players... We'll get to the coaching staff later.

Offense
QB - I thought Lewerke played well enough for us to win the game. Did he put the team on his back and lead a game winning drive? No, but he played well enough to put us in position to at least tie the game up at the end. He completed 63% of his passes and threw for nearly 300 yards, and rushed for 25.

RB - Collins played decent, or as well as could be reasonably expected with the injuries to the O-line. Heyward shouldn't be taking any handoffs from this point on, but he can be a threat in the short passing/screen game. That's on the coaching staff though.  

WR/TE - Stewart is a very good player who has bailed us out of some tough spots. Good hands and a nice burst. We started getting him the ball more late in the game, but I would like to see him more involved early. Again, that is likely on the coaching/play calling. Dotson had a couple nice grabs. White played okay.

O-Line - I'd have to go back and watch the tape, but considering the injuries, I actually thought they did alright. They did give up 4 sacks which is obviously not ideal, but again I think this is largely coaching. You know you are weak on the O-line, but insist on calling plays that require solid pass protection and good run blocking. Contrast that to ASU, who knew their O-line wouldn't be able to withstand MSU's D-line, they called a lot of tunnel screens, swing passes, out routes, etc. to take some pressure off their line. Not saying that it always worked, but from their POV, I agree with Herm's game planning.

Special Teams - Punt team was great, kicking squad awful.

Defense - I don't understand the hate on the D. Yes, the gave up a long drive at the end, but I largely attribute this to the going into the prevent defense. You gotta be able to score more than 10 points to win the game. Was it their best day? No, but they held ASU to 216 total yards and forced 7 punts.

Coaching - This is what is so troubling. Yes, some plays were not executed properly, but by and large, I feel like our players played well enough to win the game. The coaching staff seems to be (pardon the cliche) too stubborn to adjust to different situations and put our guys in position to succeed. I already mentioned one example of how ASU used the short passing game to compensate for their disadvantage in the trenches, but I saw very little game planning/exploiting weaknesses from our coaching staff. It was as if we would have a big play through the air, and our coaching staff would breath a sigh of relief and go right back to running up the gut. Run, run, pass. Attempt a field goal. Go with what is working! Stewart could have had another 200 yard game if they would have attacked the ASU defense. He is deadly across the middle, and can make guys miss even on short throws that don't require tons of time. Or let Collins use his speed on the outside instead of running it off tackle, relying on a injury-ridden offensive line to make the play. Good coaches put their players in position to make plays, and scheme away from their weaknesses. Our coaches don't seem to do this, as they are set in their ways and reluctant to do anything but run the same conservative offense that they always have. I won't even get into the 12 men on the field as that goes without saying. Obvious coaching error, indecisive, and basically a one-play summary of the entire game.

I don't know, am I way off-base here? Football is a team game, and I admit our players didn't play their best, but from my vantage point, the difference between a W or an L in a game like that came down to the coaching staff. And we got  beat badly in that respect.

tl:dr
next day still feels liked we played shitty (offense) and it caught up with us
defense had 1 series they couldn't stop ASU, and unfortunately that apparently is 1 too many

tl:dr x 2 - fuuuuuuckkkkkk (oh well there's always the Lions)

IS I thought the same thing we had some success throwing across the middle. Why don’t we ever try doing a long pass play two or three times in a row? If I’m a DC playing against the Spartans a safe bet after a long pass is it’s gojng to be a conservative play call.

steveschneider wrote:IS I thought the same thing we had some success throwing across the middle. Why don’t we ever try doing a long pass play two or three times in a row? If I’m a DC playing against the Spartans a safe bet after a long pass is it’s gojng to be a conservative play call.

They should also run the football...and score points...especially touchdowns. Why don't they try to score more touchdowns, Steve?

steveschneider wrote:IS I thought the same thing we had some success throwing across the middle. Why don’t we ever try doing a long pass play two or three times in a row? If I’m a DC playing against the Spartans a safe bet after a long pass is it’s gojng to be a conservative play call.

It's unfortunate because we have the players that can attack the middle of the field quite well. Stewart is arguably most effective running routes to the middle, and has the ability to make plays after the catch. Dotson is a threat down the seams as well. I just wish the coaching staff would trust Lewerke & co. to make the plays that we know they can....

Only wbh could blow sunshine after that result

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:Only wbh could blow sunshine after that result

Please start a demand excellence thread

Julian Barnett looked like he belonged out there. I’d like to see more of him. Good speed and wiggle on his catch.

By-Tor wrote:Julian Barnett looked like he belonged out there. I’d like to see more of him. Good speed and wiggle on his catch.

Looked promising on that play, then had the false start, but that will happen with young guys. But that was a huge play with White hurt and after the penalty on the big return.

InfantrySpartan wrote:I agree with your sentiment. I think there is reason to be hopeful, in spite of the coaching.I don't think that the players played terribly - of course there were mistakes, and Coughlin had probably the worst day of his life, but here is why I am optimistic about the players... We'll get to the coaching staff later.

Offense
QB - I thought Lewerke played well enough for us to win the game. Did he put the team on his back and lead a game winning drive? No, but he played well enough to put us in position to at least tie the game up at the end. He completed 63% of his passes and threw for nearly 300 yards, and rushed for 25.

RB - Collins played decent, or as well as could be reasonably expected with the injuries to the O-line. Heyward shouldn't be taking any handoffs from this point on, but he can be a threat in the short passing/screen game. That's on the coaching staff though.  

WR/TE - Stewart is a very good player who has bailed us out of some tough spots. Good hands and a nice burst. We started getting him the ball more late in the game, but I would like to see him more involved early. Again, that is likely on the coaching/play calling. Dotson had a couple nice grabs. White played okay.

O-Line - I'd have to go back and watch the tape, but considering the injuries, I actually thought they did alright. They did give up 4 sacks which is obviously not ideal, but again I think this is largely coaching. You know you are weak on the O-line, but insist on calling plays that require solid pass protection and good run blocking. Contrast that to ASU, who knew their O-line wouldn't be able to withstand MSU's D-line, they called a lot of tunnel screens, swing passes, out routes, etc. to take some pressure off their line. Not saying that it always worked, but from their POV, I agree with Herm's game planning.

Special Teams - Punt team was great, kicking squad awful.

Defense - I don't understand the hate on the D. Yes, the gave up a long drive at the end, but I largely attribute this to the going into the prevent defense. You gotta be able to score more than 10 points to win the game. Was it their best day? No, but they held ASU to 216 total yards and forced 7 punts.

Coaching - This is what is so troubling. Yes, some plays were not executed properly, but by and large, I feel like our players played well enough to win the game. The coaching staff seems to be (pardon the cliche) too stubborn to adjust to different situations and put our guys in position to succeed. I already mentioned one example of how ASU used the short passing game to compensate for their disadvantage in the trenches, but I saw very little game planning/exploiting weaknesses from our coaching staff. It was as if we would have a big play through the air, and our coaching staff would breath a sigh of relief and go right back to running up the gut. Run, run, pass. Attempt a field goal. Go with what is working! Stewart could have had another 200 yard game if they would have attacked the ASU defense. He is deadly across the middle, and can make guys miss even on short throws that don't require tons of time. Or let Collins use his speed on the outside instead of running it off tackle, relying on a injury-ridden offensive line to make the play. Good coaches put their players in position to make plays, and scheme away from their weaknesses. Our coaches don't seem to do this, as they are set in their ways and reluctant to do anything but run the same conservative offense that they always have. I won't even get into the 12 men on the field as that goes without saying. Obvious coaching error, indecisive, and basically a one-play summary of the entire game.

I don't know, am I way off-base here? Football is a team game, and I admit our players didn't play their best, but from my vantage point, the difference between a W or an L in a game like that came down to the coaching staff. And we got  beat badly in that respect.

Comp?