Game 9: @ UConn

Get ready for some MACtion
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Merlin Samuels
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Re: Game 9: @ UConn

Post by Merlin Samuels » Sat Nov 05, 2022 10:38 am

JoleonLescottsHair wrote: Fri Nov 04, 2022 10:13 pm This really isn’t about a bad offense or bad play calls. It really, really isn’t. Sure, replace the offensive coordinator or head coach. Do that. Maybe there was a way to go 3-9 this year with some better calls and personnel decisions. Maybe. But we could be having that conversation at any level. We don’t need FBS to question the coach. We have over a decade of evidence now. The school made a mistake. Own it and move on.
Many of these teams would not be competitive in FCS, so yes, it’s definitely more about coaching than the competition. Whipple was playing SEC teams to the wire.

SEC!

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Re: Game 9: @ UConn

Post by GOODY » Sat Nov 05, 2022 1:04 pm

Obviously I’m not ecstatic either but I’m willing to give DB more then just this season

Upstate10
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Re: Game 9: @ UConn

Post by Upstate10 » Sat Nov 05, 2022 1:12 pm

I think DB is our best chance at success as everything stands right now but some of the stupid mistakes and the cowardly coaching decisions are inexcusable. You have to give him two or three more years but there needs to be serious change next season.

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Re: Game 9: @ UConn

Post by stevemaz » Sat Nov 05, 2022 1:14 pm

The defense has seen dramatic improvement this year so next year the offense needs to follow suit. To start, I would imagin DB is going to make a change at OC.

As far as last night goes a few thoughts

1. DB stop being a pussy.. should have gone for it on 4th-1.
2. Merriweather should have been benched for not trying to jump on the ball and even worse running half heartedly after the guy with the ball
3. Olson has shown some things and may be a decent QB, but maybe as backup.
4. Find a punter.. current guy was in top 3 reasons why we lost.

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Re: Game 9: @ UConn

Post by RagingCager » Sat Nov 05, 2022 1:16 pm

I appreciate having a forum like this, where we can express our thoughts and opinions without fear of being censored as is often the case on the UMass Football FB page; that being said, we are not going to always agree or see eye to eye concerning various topics and games throughout the year. Some expressed optimism that the offense showed signs of life and improvement with Brady Olson under center…. I agree 100%; an area we perhaps don’t all agree is what the heck took them so long??? This is game 9, there are many of us that question why Olson wasn’t named the starter from day 1? Maybe I am clueless in the sense that Olson could have been injured, or held out for some other reason not publicly known …. Otherwise, everything he showed last night was on display last year as well, to the point that I remarked to my brother that “ at least we have a QB for the foreseeable future!” We still don’t know if Olson is number 1 for the long run ( in the eyes of Coach Brown), and by holding him and his receivers down for a major portion of this season, their growth and development has been hampered and delayed.

I also have to question, in a negative fashion, why Olson was taken out on a 3rd and 3 in favor of a running QB who stumbled his way to no gain…. Christian Fauria was dumbfounded by the move as well; and I also agreed with Fauria concerning the FG try from a wide angle, instead of giving the kids a chance to fight for the 1st down. Remember UMass’s 1st drive…. marching down the field with confidence and precision, only to be derailed by a play calling for a high risk backwards pass/ lateral, that resulted in a fumble…. once the ball hits the ground on that play, it’s a live ball…. Their players seemed to realize that, ours didn’t- huge play in the game ! There also seemed to be some kind of confusion or maybe some kind of scheme as players were shifting around on that 1st down 75 yd TD run for UConn…. WTF happened there? How about the 52 yd FG try…. was that a reasonable attempt, and did the players realize it could be run back? How much effective play action was used to compliment Olson’s passing ability, as opposed to just basic ineffective running plays? We could go back and forth all day…. There are many ways to skin a cat, and opposing ways to view a glass as half empty or half full

One thing that is not really subject to debate, is that both teams were in a similar state last year on the bottom of the national rankings, with UMass coming out on top in their head to head matchup. This year under new coach Jim Mora, and a team decimated by injuries necessitating inserting a true freshman 4th string QB into the lineup ( I think he threw for around 60 yds), UConn was favored by 15.5 pts and won by 17….I, for one, as clueless as I may be, don’t necessarily call that progress. Lastly, what is the current point differential for UMass in the 2nd half of games this year? Something like 110-6? Is that any reflection on the head coach and his staff? I guess that’s enough for now, it’s on to the next game!🏈

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Re: Game 9: @ UConn

Post by dennisdent » Sat Nov 05, 2022 2:11 pm

RagingCager wrote: Sat Nov 05, 2022 1:16 pm I appreciate having a forum like this, where we can express our thoughts and opinions without fear of being censored as is often the case on the UMass Football FB page; that being said, we are not going to always agree or see eye to eye concerning various topics and games throughout the year. Some expressed optimism that the offense showed signs of life and improvement with Brady Olson under center…. I agree 100%; an area we perhaps don’t all agree is what the heck took them so long??? This is game 9, there are many of us that question why Olson wasn’t named the starter from day 1? Maybe I am clueless in the sense that Olson could have been injured, or held out for some other reason not publicly known …. Otherwise, everything he showed last night was on display last year as well, to the point that I remarked to my brother that “ at least we have a QB for the foreseeable future!” We still don’t know if Olson is number 1 for the long run ( in the eyes of Coach Brown), and by holding him and his receivers down for a major portion of this season, their growth and development has been hampered and delayed.

I also have to question, in a negative fashion, why Olson was taken out on a 3rd and 3 in favor of a running QB who stumbled his way to no gain…. Christian Fauria was dumbfounded by the move as well; and I also agreed with Fauria concerning the FG try from a wide angle, instead of giving the kids a chance to fight for the 1st down. Remember UMass’s 1st drive…. marching down the field with confidence and precision, only to be derailed by a play calling for a high risk backwards pass/ lateral, that resulted in a fumble…. once the ball hits the ground on that play, it’s a live ball…. Their players seemed to realize that, ours didn’t- huge play in the game ! There also seemed to be some kind of confusion or maybe some kind of scheme as players were shifting around on that 1st down 75 yd TD run for UConn…. WTF happened there? How about the 52 yd FG try…. was that a reasonable attempt, and did the players realize it could be run back? How much effective play action was used to compliment Olson’s passing ability, as opposed to just basic ineffective running plays? We could go back and forth all day…. There are many ways to skin a cat, and opposing ways to view a glass as half empty or half full

One thing that is not really subject to debate, is that both teams were in a similar state last year on the bottom of the national rankings, with UMass coming out on top in their head to head matchup. This year under new coach Jim Mora, and a team decimated by injuries necessitating inserting a true freshman 4th string QB into the lineup ( I think he threw for around 60 yds), UConn was favored by 15.5 pts and won by 17….I, for one, as clueless as I may be, don’t necessarily call that progress. Lastly, what is the current point differential for UMass in the 2nd half of games this year? Something like 110-6? Is that any reflection on the head coach and his staff? I guess that’s enough for now, it’s on to the next game!🏈
Everything you wrote is spot on! It is very, very frustrating to watch this team every week this season and just shake your head after almost every game. I've given up on discussing each individual game and look towards next season. Hopefully, hopefully, there are changes on the offensive side of the coaching staff and they hit the transfer portal hard! Need speed, speed and playmakers with speed (did I say we need speed). Have to get a real punter! Need a real TE, no more of these former QBs who try hard but just don't have the ability to both block and catch passes. UMass loses both Mackie and Cushnie who have played well. As a donor, Bamford does listen to us and changes will be made...

stevemaz
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Re: Game 9: @ UConn

Post by stevemaz » Sat Nov 05, 2022 4:57 pm

I think DB as a defensive minded guy entrusts his OC. He needs to find a good one and not the stiff we currently have.

Also, the turning pt last night was the horrific snap by our center. he had quite a few high snaps that threw off timing. Get a new center that can zip the ball back there..

At this pt calling DB a failure in year one is idiotic. Sure, UConn is 5-5 but they caught a lot of teams at the right time even though they too have a much improved defense. If our offense was representative this year, the record could easily be 4-5 right now.

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Re: Game 9: @ UConn

Post by Old-School » Sun Nov 06, 2022 9:03 am

The season hasnt been what any of us wanted but there has been improvement on the defensive side of the ball, the offense made no sense until the UConn game where they actually used a QB who can throw a little bit. So fire the OC and use Olson the way they should, or keep the OC and find a QB who is an elite athlete and run him 20 times a game.

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m626t
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Re: Game 9: @ UConn

Post by m626t » Sun Nov 06, 2022 9:47 am

Old-School wrote: Sun Nov 06, 2022 9:03 am "..... So fire the OC and use Olson the way they should, or keep the OC and find a QB who is an elite athlete and run him 20 times a game.
this might work :shock:
All due respect, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart, I'm gonna pass.

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Re: Game 9: @ UConn

Post by inthescoop » Sun Nov 06, 2022 1:42 pm

Getting rid of DB after one season is simply not reasonable.

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Re: Game 9: @ UConn

Post by minutefanjsf » Sun Nov 06, 2022 8:44 pm

The win total is not what anyone wanted. I thought they had a chance to win 3 and hoped for more. SB, NMSU were the two I thought were locks. I was wrong. This team is markedly improved on defense and while scoring is down, the offense is not much less productive than they were last year. They also seem to be improving weekly, which is something we did not see under Bell or even Whipple.

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Re: Game 9: @ UConn

Post by Jack » Mon Nov 07, 2022 12:17 pm

inthescoop wrote: Sun Nov 06, 2022 1:42 pm Getting rid of DB after one season is simply not reasonable.
More specifically that type of a suggestion is totally moronic and utterly ignorant. So it might actually be something that Bamford is dumb enough to do.... :lol: :lol: :lol:

The Revisionist historians in here are laughable. Whipple had the program progressing towards respectability - but Whipple was not PC enough for Bamford, so Bamford idiotically replaced Whipple w/Bell who predictably totally sucked and immediately caused the program to regress in all facets. So Bamford got smart for a minute and brought in Don Brown who has markedly improved the program in less than 1 year. Now b/c Brown isn't a miracle worker.... the football einsteins on here suggest that Brown s/b replaced....... :lol: :lol: :lol: Best of luck building a program by not supporting good coaches like DB...Hey lets bring back Molnar or Morris....... LOL !!!!!!

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Re: Game 9: @ UConn

Post by tdmass » Mon Nov 07, 2022 12:45 pm

^ I don't agree with "Jack" most of the time, but he's spot on here. Our only "hope" to save this program from extinction is DB who has NE roots, is
nationally respected as a DC and can recruit. The offensive woes are a little of a surprise, given DB has been coaching 45 years, I would've thought
he'd bring in a more seasoned OC! Bottom line, DB was the best candidate when you're cutting corners! Jim Mora gets $1.5M to DB's 700K nuff said!

Jack
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Re: Game 9: @ UConn

Post by Jack » Mon Nov 07, 2022 1:25 pm

^ Nice to see you being correct for a change :D

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Re: Game 9: @ UConn

Post by JoleonLescottsHair » Mon Nov 07, 2022 4:53 pm

Jack wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 12:17 pm The Revisionist historians in here are laughable. Whipple had the program progressing towards respectability - but Whipple was not PC enough for Bamford, so Bamford idiotically replaced Whipple w/Bell who predictably totally sucked and immediately caused the program to regress in all facets. So Bamford got smart for a minute and brought in Don Brown who has markedly improved the program in less than 1 year. Now b/c Brown isn't a miracle worker.... the football einsteins on here suggest that Brown s/b replaced....... :lol: :lol: :lol: Best of luck building a program by not supporting good coaches like DB...Hey lets bring back Molnar or Morris....... LOL !!!!!!
I don’t ever think a coach should be fired after one year. I think very few here do. More amusingly, Jack, who here is a revisionist historian? And what have these revisionists gotten so wrong about our recent FBS history or even our program history dating further back? Please be specific in your answer by supporting with examples and facts. Show your work. Thanks.

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