You know I think the nation was pretty patient through last season, where a 2-10 record was achieved. There were some close games, some near misses, and everyone could see that the team was very young and had a lot of injuries. There was a FR QB....you could see how it was tough.
Today, we are 3/4 of the way through the season AFTER that. Yes, the team remains young. But, Coach has said himself that this late in the year that ceases to be an excuse. Some of these guys are now in the second season of regular snaps. The line is healthy. The QB is almost a JR. The WRs are all seniors.
At this point in the rebuilding project, you'd like to think you could beat someone you were supposed to be....like the 1-6 team that has the worst offense in FBS. The Temple win was nice, but this game is what good teams do....beat the inferior opposition.
You survive that brutal middle of the schedule, now you get to some games where you aren't playing the best teams in the MAC...and you play an absolutely awful game...
Coach noted the mistakes when he got into his presser...
- Ball in Kent territory 6 times, no TDs
- Threw INT on the 1
- Fumbled a punt inside the 10
- We didn't tackle well on defense
- Kicked the ball OB twice on kickoffs
- Missed 2 FGs
- Didn't convert 3rd and 4th and 1s
That's pretty bad....
He didn't mention...
- BooBoo Gates didn't know the rule on a fumbled kickoff and got tackled inside the 10
- Schilz threw another INT and was bailed out.
- He also fumbled late in the game,
- and seems to make misreads more often than he should.
And....
He didn't mention some things that I think are on the coaching staff....such as:
- With less than 5:00 left, electing a FG to cut the deficit to 5 when you have your best chance to tie the game on 4 and goal from the 7, down 8. With the lead cut to 5, you still have to score a TD...will you get a better chance than being on the 7? (Schilz threw 6 straight incomplete passes after this FG). It was the best chance to tie the game that we would have. A Fg to cut it to 3 would be one thing....but 5?
- Then, there is the coaching staff's stubborn clinging to the wildcat formation on short yardage. It doesn't work. It isn't working. We should have something else to try. (It reminds me of Gregg Brandon throwing bubble screens over and over again).
Also, if we miss 2 FGs, why is this happening in the 3rd year of this regime, if FGs are so important? Kent has a good kicker, WMU does, etc. Why not us? It obviously can be done.
BG went out today and simply beat themselves with these mistakes. Obviously, most of the mistakes are on the players, but I don't think the coaches are immune either.
Maybe we got our hopes up after the Temple win. I can see that. But, Temple or no, a game like this would be unacceptable at this point in what is supposedly our return to competitiveness.
Sooner or later, you have to be good enough to win a game.
We may not be great or even good yet, but we are or should be better than this.
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