More Glaring Errors--ISU game

Discussion in 'On The Field' started by hornarama, Nov 21, 2019.

  1. hornarama

    hornarama 100+ Posts

    OK, I haven't been on the forum since the ISU game--angry that the season is pretty much trashed.
    I'm sure issues have been hashed and rehashed. But this is an outlet for me to vent, so I'll go ahead and post my $.02.

    Short yardage plays should be bread and butter of an offense. They should be high percentage, and there should be some go to plays that are very high percentage for critical moments. The kinds of plays I see called on 4th down are weak and seem to be expected by opposing defenses. This was no different in the first big 4th(and 2) down play of the ISU game.

    I was begging for an aggressive offense to burn clock by getting some first downs late in the game with our narrow lead. Who would want to depend on our very porous defense to win the game? We had very conservative plays and were easily 3 and out giving the ball back to Baylor with plenty of time for them to get a field goal. The kicker was when we had to be aggressive (behind with time running out) we were very successful. TH didn't seem to realize that we needed to NOT turn off the aggression.

    Our defense at least kept them out of the end zone and by happenstance, there was still plenty of time left when ISU decided to kick their long field goal to take the lead when it was 4th and less than 5. That meant we had 2 ways to win, 1)they miss the 42 yard field goal and 2) we still had 2 minutes to respond with a field goal of our own. On 4th and less than 5, it is always OBVIOUS you must caution to not jump off sides. There was an earlier event in the season when we had a lead and just needed to obtain possession on a punt. But we didn't make the obvious instruction to let a punt hit the ground and instead a heroic effort was made to catch it (and muff it), potentially costing us the game. This was the same kind of thing, a basic and fundamental coaching over sight. You can debate game plans and individual play selection, but stuff like this is not debatable. This is inexcusably poor coaching.

    The last game I pointed out other errors that were bad coaching and relatively independent of the players. I seriously don't understand how such a highly paid coach can make such fundamental errors. I was so excited by the progress of the team last year and did not expect such a season this year, mainly on the basis of defensive player turnover. I was giving the benefit of the doubt due to a cluster of injuries. However, there are coaching issues that are not excused by those kind of vectors. I'm sure Tom H will be with us at least another year or 2 and should be given at least one more year to right the ship after such a great season last year. However, Tom H has now lost all positive momentum of the program in the extraordinary bad performance this year. The mix of egregious errors, worst 4th quarter defense in the NCAA, and poor in game adjustments, game planning, and play calling will be a huge challenge to overcome.

    I'm a horn. I want Tom H to succeed. But I'm also an objective observer that has had to reconsider TH's qualifications to be the coach to lead us back to relevancy. As promising as everything looked after last year, it is hard to have any sense of optimism with the seeming limitations of this coaching staff.
     
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  2. huisache

    huisache 2,500+ Posts

    As promising as everything looked after last year?

    We lost most of our defense and had a freshman RB coming back.

    I thought we would win 8 this year, with sure losses to LSU and OU and a couple more.

    Too many people on this board came in with rose colored glasses and now whine about the coaches. Why don't we run off Royal or Akers and feel all better?
     
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  3. wadster

    wadster 5,000+ Posts

    So you anticipated Roach jumping offsides? Is that part of the inexperience we had coming into this season. Because we lost because a Sr. captain can't stay onsides. This team has under achieved because our best players have made critical mistakes. TCU - 4 picks will always beat any team. Period, end of story. Bad play calling and brain farts on special teams cost us the ISU game. Quit blaming this on inexperience or injuries. We lost those 2 games because our captains made brain dead mistakes and the play calling sucked. It's that simple.
     
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  4. LHABSOB

    LHABSOB 1,000+ Posts

    Could it be that ISU and TCU came down to those critical plays because we didn't perform better in the rest of the game due to injuries or inexperience? I agree 100% that the ****** play calling and boneheaded plays turned the close games but perhaps the best players are pressing because we have a gap to make up due to the injuries and inexperience.
     
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  5. MajesticII

    MajesticII 1,000+ Posts

    Think about this ....
    Tom Herman told his players during the KSU game with just a couple minutes left and KSU with 1 or NO timeouts...us inside their 5 yard line....." If the Red Sea parts take a knee. If they try to let you score take a knee." HE DID NOT TRUST HIS DEFENSE ENOUGH TO SCORE AND GO UP 7, WITH LESS THAN 2 MINUTES LEFT AND KSU OUT OF TIMEOUTS !!!!!!!!!!! Which is fine BUT .....Against ISU with over 3 minutes left at our own 15 yard line up only 1, HE GOES INTO A SHELL INSTEAD OF ATTACKING !!! Tries run plays that hadn't worked all game, when ISU is loaded up to stop the run then and there...... WTH ?
     
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  6. YearOfTheSteer

    YearOfTheSteer 500+ Posts

    Completely agree. TH shouldn't have to tell or even remind his Senior captain not to jump offsides on a 4th and less than 5 - I don't care if it's the final play of the game or early in the 1st quarter. Play calling was atrocious at times, but when it comes to mental mistakes by upperclassmen, I put the blame squarely on the players. They have been playing football their entire lives and therefore should have the experience and awareness to not make such critical mistakes.
     
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  7. AC

    AC 2,500+ Posts

    He successfully sat on leads with a pretty good OLine and and a running QB in many games last year. Even GA and OU. Our best wins last year. It bit him in the *** this year, but he tried it because it worked for him before. I see his point. He could have turned it over. Lack of depth and talent are to blame for ISU and TCU. I believe he needs to run the ball using a moving pocket for his RPO’s and use a lot more option in the run game. Play calling has gotten lackadaisical especially in the run game. We have route running issues with some talented young players but we can run them to the edge of a defense with misdirection plays, end arounds and still not compromise a power spread concept. He wants a balanced offense. But his talent level is down and the plays that worked don’t anymore. I have suggestions and ideas, I bet we see some of this Saturday. I bet we win too.

    Suggest and bring ideas. I don’t come here for a whine and cheese party! :fire::fire::fire::fire:
     
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  8. AC

    AC 2,500+ Posts

    Oh and some coaching mistakes are also to blame. But my point? Bring ideas.
     
  9. MajesticII

    MajesticII 1,000+ Posts

    AC,
    Knowing your personnel and knowing what they can do and adapting is part of being a good coach. What worked last year or even last week may not work today, because good coaches make adjustments to what you do from week to week....Tom doesn't seem to understand that.
     
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  10. BevoJoe

    BevoJoe 10,000+ Posts

    I agree with this position. He would most likely be given one more year anyway. But, deliver another stinker like this year and I see no reason to delay the inevitable.
     
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  11. MajesticII

    MajesticII 1,000+ Posts

    Bring ideas ? On here ? Why ?...is Tom searching for answers on here ? Hell if he is, he needs to message me in my in box. I believe in a power I spread multiple offensive attack with trick plays out the *** to keep defenses off balance and not knowing what the **** is coming next. I believe in getting under center with a 240 lb QB with 2 yards to go and use the 'Bush push' to get the first down or TD instead of the bull**** calls he makes.
     
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  12. MajesticII

    MajesticII 1,000+ Posts

    Might as well can him now and get started on rebuild ASAP. Orlando will not ditch the 3-3-5, and this offense hasn't changed since Tom got here. Here are the four losses next year if he stays. Our bye week is early and we go about seven games straight afterward. We will lose all three of LSU, OU, OSU for sure; and at least one of BU,TT,TCU,KSU, ISU. "Winning is really hard." Winning on the road is really really hard." We are on the road @ LSU, OSU,KSU,TT, and we have to travel to Dallas to face OU.
     
  13. AC

    AC 2,500+ Posts

    Maj,
    I don’t get your disdane for TH but he has adjusted things before. IE, calling his own plays in late 17’. I think he will take that over Saturday. If we go 9-4, knowing all the injuries, you would still want to fire him?

    I give up, we’re from different generations. You’ll learn.
     
  14. ShAArk92

    ShAArk92 1,000+ Posts

    IDK how y'all are gleaning age from posts which don't convey ... I must have missed something.

    Majestic has good analysis, in my humble but accurate opinion. (I'm gonna overlook the 'trick play' comment to the ignorance of youth, then! :p )

    Herman made some real bone-craniumed game day decisions in '17. Those were minimized last year and even showed moments of brilliance.
    We've retrograded this year. He's finally discussed some of his failures. So perhaps there's hope ... but the failure to play for the CCG in 19 is really poor.
     
  15. BevoJoe

    BevoJoe 10,000+ Posts

    A good case could be made for this position. However, I doubt CDC will go that route. He may give TH one more year to get the program back on track and finish strong and meet the criteria and goals that are laid out for him with a caveat; failure is not an option. Meet it, he gets one more year which, as I recall, is his last under the current contract unless it was extended. Then, if no further improvement is forthcoming, or another dumpster fire like this year's happens, TH can be cut loose with basically a handshake, and potentially a "thank you for coming in and wasting our valuable time like this. Please don't let the screen door hit you where the good lord split you on your way out."
     
  16. wadster

    wadster 5,000+ Posts

    Absolutely and I'll agree with you that injuries and inexperience have hurt. My point is we should have won those games regardless. ISU is inexcusable. We lost because Roach can't stay onsides. No other reason. TCU is a crap football team. They lost all 4 games around ours. We won so many close games last year because Sam didn't turn the ball over. This game he lost the game. Very few teams can over come s 4 INT night by their QB. It's just not going to happen. Were there a lot of other bad plays and calls in the TCU game? Sure, but bottom line is you can't throw 4 pics. You just can't and Sam would be the 1st to agree with this.
     
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  17. MajesticII

    MajesticII 1,000+ Posts

    Herman's contract runs through 2023 thanks to extending it last year. Failure next year should get him the boot anyway if CDC wants to save the program.
     
  18. BevoJoe

    BevoJoe 10,000+ Posts

    A 2 year extension for one good season, where we still lost 4 games. That pattern of winning needs to be repeated several times BEFORE an extension. I can understand a large bonus, but one 10-4 season doesn't do it. Still, the same or worse result next year won't go over well with the fan base. Time for CDC to play hard ball at season's end.
     
  19. Creek

    Creek 1,000+ Posts

    Herman coaches scared and his team doesn't have discipline to play :60 full minutes. So I've seen enough of this close game ********.
    Pretty much needs to go. Players will still come here, nothing is lost.
     
  20. Clean

    Clean 5,000+ Posts

    where’s CDC gonna get the money to pay TH 20 million or so, plus payoff the assistant coaches, plus you’ll need another 50-75 million to hire the big name coach the alumni would demand, plus a whole new staff?

    We’re stuck with him for at least 3 more years, probably 4!
     
  21. ViperHorn

    ViperHorn 10,000+ Posts

    A couple of things - all of the assistants except the coordinators are on one-year contracts so that takes a little (alright very little) sting out of any buyout. The bigger problem is almost all upper-level Power 5 HC's are on at least 4 (most 5) year contracts at all times. This is for recruiting - what HS superior player would sign with a school where the HC's tenure will be (at least on paper) could be shorter than the player's?
     
  22. Statalyzer

    Statalyzer 10,000+ Posts

    Has nothing to do with trusting or not trusting. In a tie game you should always prefer a FG from that close in with no time remaining. That kick will win you the game probably 299 times out of 300. No defense in the world is that good at keeping someone from scoring a TD with a couple of minutes left.
     
  23. hornarama

    hornarama 100+ Posts

    I did not expect us to as well this year, but I did not expect us to stink it up. The best we can down now is 7-5 before we get blown out in the toilet bowl. We could easily have 2 more losses and a losing record. We have recruited a lot of top 10 classes, and yet BAYLOR is dominating us coming from essentially a killed off program a few years ago. Help me to understand why we have a coach that I would rank behind coaches at
    OU, Baylor, TCU, ISU, OSU, and now I'm starting wonder maybe behind KU, WVA, KSU and TT. In other words, TH may be performing as the worst coach in the BIG 12. 8-4 with a decent bowl win or maybe just a good competitive loss would be tolerable. What we have now is not. TH was something like 23-4 before he came to Texas. Now he is like 21-11 at Texas. Given the recruiting classes he was able to haul in, that is pathetic. It reminds of why we got rid of Mack Brown. Great recruiting, but he started to underperform what was being recruited and then the recruiting dried up. The window for success is short these days. You must maintain positive momentum to maintain great recruiting. This year is a HUGE setback.
    TCU, ISU, are mediocre teams that beat us this year because we were out coached. KU and OSU were also mediocre teams that very nearly beat us. We had convincing wins over 2 teams this year, Rice and LA Tech. We are a bad football team in many ways. We lack discipline (way to many personal and other penalties at critical times), and for whatever reason we make a lot of boneheaded plays. We also look out of position on defense, and seem to lack fundamentals of taking proper angles, tackling, losing contain of QB (e.g. blitzes where everybody runs past the QB). We also have poor game plans, fail to make in game adjustments, make basic game theory errors in decisions, make poor play calls in short yardage which are all coaching deficiencies. I'm fresh off our latest cratering to Baylor, so I'm typing fast. I could go on and on, as it pisses me off with all of Texas resources, Baylor has surpassed us so easily and dramatically.
     
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