One bad game does not define a program

[ohio herd]

Okay yesterday was a disaster. It had to be one of the worst losses we have had since we moved up to FBS in 1997. However, over the past 19 years and now in season 20 we have shown we are a top G5 program.

Just a small comparison of some other programs. I do not list Boise because they are the top dog during the past 19 years.
Marshall has 152 wins and 88 losses. We have been ranked in the Top 25- 4 times. We have 6 conference championships.
Toledo in the same period has 147 w's and 86 L's. They have 2 conference titles and ended ranked 2 times.
Houston has 125 w's- 110 L's. They have 2 conference titles and 2 top 25 finishes.
ECU has 121 w's and 113 L's. They have 2 conference titles and 0 Top 25 finishes.

UCF has 122 w's 110 L's. 2 times in the Top 25 and 3 outright titles and 1 shared.

Southern Miss 132 w's 107 L's. 3 top 25 and 4 conference titles

The point I am making is this. We are not defined by one bad game. Our program is not a dumpster fire. We don't need to fire Doc Holiday either. We have 2 good coordinators and are lucky to have them. Yes we have some areas that need to be fined tuned. It is very hard to win a conference title every year so lighten up guys. Southern Miss, La Tech and WKU are not the JV. We are not going to win it every season. We are doing better than any other G5 school over the past 19 years with the exception of Boise.

 

[HerdFan73]

You have made a very well researched and articulate post. So I don't mean to minimize that when I say this....

But a defense that gives up 65 points to Akron, an Akron team that had scored 26 PTs and held a 2pt lead going into the 4th Q vs VMI, requires more than "fine tuning".

 

[caliherd]

We lost to freaking Akron at home and they scored 65 points. I will be at the Joan on Saturday but good God there is no such thing as an overreaction. That was absolutely pitiful and the thing that was the most problematic was the way our team quit. This wasn't a Ben Rothlesberger Miami team or one of those good Toledo or Bowling Green teams. This was an Akron team that was a pre season 3rd place finish in the MAC east. A team that was pre season bottom 100 team. A team that the week before did not score an offensive touchdown in a 59-10 beat down at Wisconsin. The same Wisconsin who beat Georgia State at Wisconsin by 6 Saturday.

So yes we will get over it, we will be there Saturday but damn that was pitiful.

 

[ilmherdfan]

We won't know for a couple of weeks, but my hope is that we got the big head after Morgan State. We read our own press and thought the Akron game was another warmup for Louisville. It was a trap game and we fell right into it. Maybe the lessen was learned and we won't show up that unprepared to play again this year. From the attendance figures, I would say the fan base was guilty of not showing up either.

That being said, we have some serious work to do on defense in a pass happy league. I know we love to play man defense, but we have got to give our inexperienced corners some help.

Hopefully, we can escape this weekend without being totally humiliated and demoralized. If so, Pitt is a tough, but winnable game. From what little I have seen, they don't have much of a passing game which should help.

 

[Chris McLaughlin]

So yes we will get over it, we will be there Saturday but damn that was pitiful.

Agree. I think in time most of us will forgive but man oh man is that game going to be hard to ever forget.

 

[TheGreenhouseEffect]

I predicted a possible 7 win season. I felt we were still very young. I think the entire team has a lot of growing to do, especially those in leadership positions. Yes Akron was a trap game and yes Bowden made the statement he needed to make, I predicted both of those too. All that said I will be there this week and hoping for the best.....I can't see us making it much of a game. I do hope the rumors I heard it appeared the entire team was hung over don't happen again...ever.

 

[beefcake0520]

I Still say we somehow find 8 wins

 

[caliherd]

I don't believe Akron was a trap game. A trap game implies that the reason the game turned out the way it did was because of the fact one team was thinking of the game ahead. You basically are sluggish you don't play well and a team you shouldn't lose to kicks a last second field goal and you lose or you win by 3 points or so over a team you are favored to destroy. It's also usually on the road.

This was not remotely the case Saturday. Akron totally dominated us. They did whatever they wanted to us offensively. They stopped us on several occasions defensively and forced several turnovers. It was a dominating butt kicking. To imply that Marshall was looking ahead to Louisville was the reason we gave up 65 points and got crushed does a disservice to the game plan and the players Akron had.

I hope Saturday was an anomaly I really hope we aren't as bad as we looked Saturday. We could lose by 70 Saturday but you never know maybe just maybe we give Louisville all they want Saturday. I hope so.

 

[herdalicious]

Akron played two games - a win against a decent team and a loss against a good one. Marshall played an officiated scrimmage against a school for the blind. One team came into the game knowing a hell of a lot more about itself than the other, and that had to play a role in the outcome.

This is Year Two of Doc's second cycle with the Herd - anybody remember Year Two of his first? It was 2012 (sorry, but 2010 was a wash), we had a promising true sophomore QB and three halfway-serviceable warm bodies playing DB. We gave up a ton of points to everybody we played, and we didn't go to a bowl. If Saturday bothered you, come back in 2018.

 

[The Real SamC]

Everything ohio herd says is true.

But, this was not a "trap game", this was not a "fluke", this was not really even an "upset". The better team won. These guys are just not that good.

Yes, other than ESPN/Boise State MU has been the best program in what became the "group of 5" over the era in which we have been I-A. Yes. A lot acomplished under a historicaly great coach with a good AD, and now with a solid coach and the best AD we have ever had, with a period inbeween of an idiot coach and an incompetent AD who set the whole department back from which we are still not fully recovered. All true.

And when you look back at the MU I-A era five years from now or 10, will it still be true? I don't know, I just know that I saw an MU team play a "group of 5" team that was just better than us for the first time in a long time.

And bad sopomores grow up to be bad seniors.

 

[beefcake0520]

Didn't WMU come in and beat us by 20 in 2000? Similar circumstances? Not saying we are that team, obviously that team raised the bar the next year but there are some similarities. We did end up righting the ship after going to Toledo and getting spanked by 42 (they was the best team in the MAC that year by far imo). I guess all I am saying is I am not ready to say this team isn't up to the task or is outmatched (other than UL and possibly Pitt). Maybe its false hope.

 

[ohio herd]

Why do some of you act as if any team we play from the MAC is an easy win? The MAC is our equal as a conference. Take Akron for example. They have a good coach in Bowden. He is a proven winner at 4 different schools( plus he had a dad that was a pretty good coach). It has taken him a few years to get it going at Akron. He is using the same playbook he used at N. Alabama with transfers. I think he has 17 this year. That is an infusion of talent that did not show up in the Rivals rankings. I am not suggesting we accept losing to ANY MAC school. I am saying they are our equals.How do we know that they will not have a good season? Face it guys, when we entered the MAC in 1997 the MAC was on cruise control. We shook things up and forced everyone to up their game. By 2003/04 our last 2 seasons the gap had narrowed , thus we had back to back seasons with no titles. Our move to C-USA was good at the time but alignment set that back. No doubt we were exposed in several areas on Saturday. However, there is no reason to believe we cannot improve. Key losses in the secondary has certainly left us vulnerable. I believe our offense is better than it played and will be solid. Honestly the defense was not at it's peak for sure but at least 30 some points are not their fault. Take away all of the turnovers and we win this one despite a terrible performance. Keep this game in perspective. The 2000 team had 2 major thumping's that year but still fought back to have a solid season and set the tone for the 2 Top 25 seasons that followed.

 

[beefcake0520]

Why do some of you act as if any team we play from the MAC is an easy win? The MAC is our equal as a conference. Take Akron for example. They have a good coach in Bowden. He is a proven winner at 4 different schools( plus he had a dad that was a pretty good coach). It has taken him a few years to get it going at Akron. He is using the same playbook he used at N. Alabama with transfers. I think he has 17 this year. That is an infusion of talent that did not show up in the Rivals rankings. I am not suggesting we accept losing to ANY MAC school. I am saying they are our equals.How do we know that they will not have a good season? Face it guys, when we entered the MAC in 1997 the MAC was on cruise control. We shook things up and forced everyone to up their game. By 2003/04 our last 2 seasons the gap had narrowed , thus we had back to back seasons with no titles. Our move to C-USA was good at the time but alignment set that back. No doubt we were exposed in several areas on Saturday. However, there is no reason to believe we cannot improve. Key losses in the secondary has certainly left us vulnerable. I believe our offense is better than it played and will be solid. Honestly the defense was not at it's peak for sure but at least 30 some points are not their fault. Take away all of the turnovers and we win this one despite a terrible performance. Keep this game in perspective. The 2000 team had 2 major thumping's that year but still fought back to have a solid season and set the tone for the 2 Top 25 seasons that followed.

That's what I am hoping for. Learning experience, maturing. They didn't face this last year, the defense carried the team when Litton would struggle to be consistent. Its not a downing of him, he was young and did really well for a frosh, but this year he isn't going to have that defense carry him, its now his turn to lead the team and he has to step it up. That one hit changed the game............because it changed him, got in his head bad. You could see it plain as day. The rest of the team followed suit, they all were snake bit after that. That's the problem with a young QB and a team young at important positions. Doc has to find a way to discipline these kids without booting them, some may need booting but maybe he goes a little overboard with it at time. Lost too much talent this off season alone, not to mention in other years, like butler last year. Grooms etc, some needed gone and some could have stood more discipline. We don't have the luxury to keep booting players like that.

 

[ohio herd]

Didn't WMU come in and beat us by 20 in 2000? Similar circumstances? Not saying we are that team, obviously that team raised the bar the next year but there are some similarities. We did end up righting the ship after going to Toledo and getting spanked by 42 (they was the best team in the MAC that year by far imo). I guess all I am saying is I am not ready to say this team isn't up to the task or is outmatched (other than UL and possibly Pitt). Maybe its false hope.

some on here have forgotten or are way to young to know any better IMO

 

[beefcake0520]

some on here have forgotten or are way to young to know any better IMO

They get caught in the moment, I think we all did from what we saw Saturday, and its warranted. Good thing my memory isn't failing me yet lol

 

[anon_0314hp8ssprnn]

They get caught in the moment, I think we all did from what we saw Saturday, and its warranted. Good thing my memory isn't failing me yet lol

I just wish Bill Legg would expand his playbook from the back of a stamp to at least a 4x6 card.

 

[pdbailey]

You have made a very well researched and articulate post. So I don't mean to minimize that when I say this....

But a defense that gives up 65 points to Akron, an Akron team that had scored 26 PTs and held a 2pt lead going into the 4th Q vs VMI, requires more than "fine tuning".

The defense gave up 37 points while our offense and special teams gave up 28.

 

[TwentyTen]

Didn't WMU come in and beat us by 20 in 2000? Similar circumstances? Not saying we are that team, obviously that team raised the bar the next year but there are some similarities. We did end up righting the ship after going to Toledo and getting spanked by 42 (they was the best team in the MAC that year by far imo). I guess all I am saying is I am not ready to say this team isn't up to the task or is outmatched (other than UL and possibly Pitt). Maybe its false hope.

WMU was top 25ish in 2000. They didn't go to Wisconsin and get crushed the week before.