Major Applewhite WTF?????

Discussion in 'On The Field' started by REALBIGHORNFAN, Nov 9, 2013.

  1. REALBIGHORNFAN

    REALBIGHORNFAN 250+ Posts

    Are you serious?
     
  2. johnnyg88

    johnnyg88 500+ Posts

    He's obviously depending on Whaley. Unbelievable. Can't watch much more of this.
     
  3. SabreHorn

    SabreHorn 10,000+ Posts

    He didn't leave Tuscaloosa because he was homesick.

    I don't know which is worse; the playcalling or the execution.
     
  4. Vol Horn 4 Life

    Vol Horn 4 Life Good Bye To All The Rest!

    So we won at Iowa State again?
     
  5. MadisonGAHorn

    MadisonGAHorn < 25 Posts

    Major had a a total shitpile of a night (a few moments -including the TD in OT - aside).

    Was there some of sort of ferocious pass rush that I didn't notice that necessitated throwing so many screens? Why on earth would anyone want Case throwing almost 50 times, even with J. Gray hurt?

    I don't know if it symptomatic of long term suckitude as an OC, or just a bad night, but it was horrific enough to make me post on this board for the first time in years….
     
  6. #2is#1

    #2is#1 1,000+ Posts

    I thought he did. Fine.
    A little predictable on the last drive but overall a B.
    When calling a game you hope to get match ups where your guys beat their guys in one on ones. There were quite a few plays when that did not happen. Our running back gets a lb or a db one on one we need to win that .
     
  7. stanhin

    stanhin 5,000+ Posts


     
  8. wadster

    wadster 5,000+ Posts

    My problem was when they sold out on the blitz too many times we had guys running out routes instead of slants. You can't ask Case to make a pass all the way across the field off his back foot. Lucky we didn't get any pic 6's.
     
  9. dukesteer

    dukesteer 5,000+ Posts

    My biggest disappointment on the offensive side of the ball was the running backs. After what I saw last week I really thought that a Brown had turned a corner... He was running very tough and moving the pile. Not tonight. The best run and runner I saw was Bergeron...

    IMHO, our highly touted backs, while good, have yet to really break out. I wonder if they ever will.
     
  10. wadster

    wadster 5,000+ Posts

    Haven't heard, but it looked like Gray blew his achilles. Sure hope not. But why would your calf vibrate like that otherwise.
     
  11. NBHorn7

    NBHorn7 Pimp Daddy

    I'm afraid Gray may have torn his achilles tendon and is out for the year so you can cross him off your list for the rest of this season.
     
  12. Texanne

    Texanne 5,000+ Posts

    If it's a torn Achilles, we may not see him until this time next year.
     
  13. ProdigalHorn

    ProdigalHorn 10,000+ Posts

    In reply to:

     
  14. blonthang

    blonthang 2,500+ Posts

    Post deleted by blonthang
     
  15. Son of a Son

    Son of a Son 1,000+ Posts

    Egg-Zachary Prodigal. Our backs are not really the issue.
     
  16. moondog_LFZ

    moondog_LFZ 5,000+ Posts

    It seemed the corner fade is the only pass play in the red zone. I kept screaming at the TV to send a fullback or TE out of the backfield.
    Finally on the last TD. Guess we were saving it for an overtime.
    Great win but lets get some creativity back in the offense.
    [​IMG]
     
  17. Brad Austin

    Brad Austin 2,500+ Posts

    screen, fade, screen, fade, fade, screen...repeat. Okay so the deep ball not there. The short screen routes blanketed. Isn't there a whole 7-15 yard area from hash to hash that covers a ton of field??? All kinda routes and receivers you can run in there. TE, backs out of backfield, cross routes, slants, etc. Are we allergic to that more than a few times?

    Does Major truly feel Case is a huge risk picking that area apart? Is West Va. the best defense in the nation to where short, mid-range, and deep routes are covered like blankets, along with a shut down run def??? Or better yet, what the hell did I just watch in agony from the McCoy/Applewhite cluster f??? That was simply embarrassing and they should both be ashamed.
     
  18. jayakris

    jayakris 2,500+ Posts

    I agree that Major was slow in making adjustments yesterday, and it didn't even clearly look like he ever made a clean adjustments. And I was as mad as you at the useless screens and fades you mentioned.

    But... we still outscored them 31-14 in the last 25 minutes of the game, after scoring just 16 in the first 39 minutes. So he was not exactly doing everything wrong there and Major doesn't deserve the kind of yelling you are directing at him. How calmly and correctly he called some plays in the end to win it, deserves credit, in fact.

    I was not a Major fan all these years and had always questioned in my mind why we had to give OC apprenticeship to guys who hadn't established a resume elsewhere. But over the last 6 games, despite some mistakes he has made, I have started to like a lot of the qualities Major has.
     
  19. tejas77

    tejas77 1,000+ Posts

    Watching the post game interview on the LHN, Major did state he stubbornly kept running the ball even though they were loading the box. He also stated we need TDs, not FGs so he knows it wasn't of his better games.
     
  20. Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer 1,000+ Posts

    ^So is that supposed to be some kind of resounding indicator on how great a play caller he is? I don't care if he recognizes the problems anyone with a set of eyes recognizes. I care that he successfully does something about it. He dicked around for far too long and against defenses that are competent, like OSU and Baylor, we will not have a prayer without better execution by Major and Case.
     
  21. jayakris

    jayakris 2,500+ Posts

    But you can also make a case that an OC who recognizes a problem like everybody else but over-reacts and gives up on the plays he WANTS TO run (that he calculates is tougher to defend), could get dominated by the defense who then can play his plan-B plays better. Sometimes you have to be a bit stubborn too, but not for long though. I too feel that Major is a little late in making changes, but that probably comes from his no-panic style of play-calling. I have to give him some credit for that, because we have won some close games because of that. But I am also curious to see how we do against some good defenses like against OSU and Baylor. That will tell us more.
     
  22. Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer 1,000+ Posts

    Ok, fair enough. However, ISU, KU, and WVU had no business hanging with us (KU for as long as they did, before our D put the game away). Yet they all did. And that is squarely on Major and case.
     
  23. tejas77

    tejas77 1,000+ Posts

    Rex, I wasn't defending Major, I just reported what he said.
     
  24. El Torito

    El Torito 1,000+ Posts

    I don't have any real beef with Major's overall play calling. Against a fair to good defense, it usually takes time to establish the running game and get it ramped up (a bad defense will wilt early). The o-line and backs need to time to pound the D and wear 'em down. He tried that early on and, even with several red zone opportunities, generated only 16 points. Credit the Mountaineers for their stable of lunch pail LBers and a salty run defense.

    With our stable of backs and o-line, our skills set is tilted to the run game. Case complements our offensive run game with a decent short and medium range passing game, with the occasional long ball. His statistics show that he is pretty dependable in this role. Add his persona, "moxie," leadership, etc., and you have our 2013 Texas team.

    In the second half, Major made some adjustments and the offense got revved up. Case's passing game got hot with the long ball to Magic Mike in the third and the end-zone fade to Jaxson. Our offense generated 435 total yards, with 152 on the ground and 283 in the air, and we scored 40 points in regulation. If someone told me before the game that Case McCoy's stat line would be 27 of 49 for 283 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT, I would've stood on that hand. With these stats and playing a night game in a hostile Morgantown, was this really a "MAJOR WTF" moment? I don't think so.

    Honestly the McCoy pass to Shipley mid-way through the 4th was a relief and gave the defense the opportunity to put a boot on the WV offense's neck. Instead, Duke Thomas falls asleep on a slant route and gives up an unforgivable 72 yard TD to Alford for a three point lead. To me, that hurt bad because it put the offense in a "must score" position. Case drove us down and Fera kicked the 24 yarder to tie.

    I think Major gets high marks for the way he managed the OT and the brilliant call on the McCoy to FB De La Torre pass out of the backfield for the lead. He stole the WV DC's lunch money on that call. Steve Edmonds iced the game with consecutive lights out defensive plays to end with an INT.

    Was it too close for comfort? Yeah. But we are undefeated in conference. Let's pray Jonathan Gray and Chris Whaley are ok and get ready to beat the hell outta Okie Lite next week at DKR. [​IMG]
     
  25. wadster

    wadster 5,000+ Posts


     
  26. ut1969

    ut1969 250+ Posts

    I never understood why we never did any play action in the red zone until overtime. Should have done it earlier in the game and maybe actually scored a touchdown.
     
  27. Htown77

    Htown77 5,000+ Posts

    Yesterday we scored 47 points. We had four field goals and five touchdowns. Three touchdowns came through the air and two came on the ground.

    I am disappointed by the lack of special teams touchdowns. If we had returned every punt and kickoff for a touchdown we would have won the game better. The fact we did not win the game in a pleasing manner for many fans falls completely on the special teams. I guess we have to settle for just winning the game.

    Fun Fact: 47 points is the most points we have scored in a game since New Mexico State.

    Seriously Applewhite? Scoring more than our season average? WTF??!?!?!?!?
     
  28. El Torito

    El Torito 1,000+ Posts


     
  29. beaVo

    beaVo 500+ Posts


     
  30. Statalyzer

    Statalyzer 10,000+ Posts

    It seems to be that Mack/Major are actually hurting Case by running a special version of the offense for him. I mean yes he made many inaccurate throws which is hurtful regardless of what's called, but I don't think we're actually playing to his strength by the way we "adjust" for him. Seems like they either go for the 40+ bombs (which if anything, Case overthrows more than he underthrows, even when under pressure or off his back foot, so let's quit the noodlearm stuff), or else for flares, screens, hitches, quick outs, and other stuff close to the line. The D usually pounces on those, and combined with an incomplete deep pass or a run that got stuff, there we have 3rd & long - which he often completes right on the money to a guy who just runs to a yard past the marker and turns around or makes a single quick cut to square in or out. Why don't we call that stuff more often when it's not 3rd and long?
     

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