Coaches Lose Another One
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They're still occasional. The Big Ten has a sizable lead in the series. How did the MAC do in week 1 vs the Big Ten? One win by one point.
There's absolutely new silver lining or consolation in losing to a MAC team. At home. Coming off 10 wins.
Stop being an apologist. Stop pretending this was perfectly fine.
I don't believe anyone here is saying it's fine to lose to WMU. Some are just being more level headed and understand that these things happen, even to good programs.
Time will tell whether NU 2016 is one of them, but one non conference loss does not make a season.
Stanford 2015 aside, it's very unlikely that we will contend for a conference title if we can't take care of any unranked team at home. And if we are not trying to win the conference, what is the point of the Taj Ma-Fitz?
The facility isn't completed yet, so let's "wait and see" there.
But to the other point, if Western Michigan beats Illinois and keeps rolling they'll be ranked. They are the MAC favorite after all. Toledo got in the top 25 last year after a good non conference showing.
Just because they lost to the Broncos doesn't mean the program isn't trying to win the conference. It's unlikely that ANY BIG team outside of Ohio State or Michigan State will win the conference based on the past decade (I know that Michigan is now coming back under Harbaugh).
Maybe all the non Michigan/Ohio schools in the BIG should give up...
My point was that nearly every BIG program loses to the MAC once in a while. I'm not thrilled about 2 in 3 seasons (NIU did win 11 games in 2014, but I thought we played MUCH worse against them than WMU), but NU didn't drop a game to that conference in the nearly 20 years prior.
It's not the end of the world.
I've already posted that I am incredibly disappointed by the WMU game. I still don't think WMU was all that good. NU played a terrible game and was still in position to win.
Speaking of coaching decisions, why does FSU go for 2 vs Ole Miss at 9:17 of the third quarter? Is Ron Zook coaching the Noles?
How could anyone be happy with the O? I agree they improved as did CT, but the bar was so low that China thought it was local bamboo. I saw a horrible OL, WRs that couldn't get open (but at least caught the ball) and a tremendous RB hit behind the OL all day, but still got yards. And if the coaches evaluated out talent accurately, then no relief is coming. Thus, no changes in the two deep.
I started getting my bad rap here last year when I complained about the smoke and mirrors. It grew offseason with criticism of the coaches. Well, we still are not developing players and getting out coached by MAC teams. I still call for changes in the WR and OL coach. Starting to think OC change might be in order. If Fitz cannot surround himself with heady coaches to make up for his poor ingame inclinations, maybe it's time to rethink the Fitz choice.
It's one game. But it has created a very real vision that we are in for a rough season. Something has to be fixed.
Tell that to ColumbusCatFan1. I think he might work for the Mid American Conference publicity department.
That explains why your posts are more intelligent than many NU alums posting here.
Clearly, he assumed that there would be no further scoring by either team, and that a three-point advantage would be crucial so that an unexpected late field goal would only send the game to OT.
(Or, Jimbo Fisher sometimes makes decisions like a guy named "Jimbo".)
(Also, unless you're down 32 or 24 or 16 - never go for two before the final five minutes.)
Why wait? Art Briles is bored at home!
I'll play this game because xyzbobxyz will enjoy it.Hypothetical universe. Jim Phillips demands that Pat fire some assistants. Pat resigns rather than be pressured to part with his soulmate, Adam Cushing.
Names that have been whispered among NU boosters I know?
Bob Stitt. Would not sell tickets, but his name comes up a lot in idle talk...... Ken Niumatalolo, a Mormon, turned down BYU, so I doubt he would leave Navy for NU..... Among MAC coaches (a frequent NU poaching ground), Illinois native P.J. Fleck would undoubtedly depart for a higher profile job at his soonest opportunity. How will Lance Leipold do in year 2 at Buffalo? Rod Carey has NIU pointed in the wrong direction, with fewer wins and more losses in each of the last three seasons...... If I had a vote, it would be for Fleck because the guy can recruit a hen to a fox's lair. You have to be able to recruit really well given the limited recruit pool at NU. Failing that, you have to be one helluva tactician like Stitt or a motivator like Leipold or a guy with a "system" like Niumatalolo.
By keeping assistant coaches who consistently underperform, the message Fitz is sending is that he's ok with us being "good enough." For us, that is defined by winning at least six games in most years, making bowl games that we usually lose but might occasionally win, and always getting a pat on the head for "doing more with less."
As defeatist as this may sound, I can live with this, but I don't want to hear Fitz claim to want to compete for Big Ten championships, because he's not committed to doing what it takes to get there. He's committed to running a clean program and staying loyal to his boys which is both admirable and frustrating.
This was true before the WMU loss.
I'll tell you why I think you're wrong. It's not one game. It's 3 years plus + game.
For the last three years, our offense has been ranked #10, #12 and #13 in the Big Ten. That's 3rd to last, 3rd to last and next to last.
Is this for real or am I getting punked?Why wait? Art Briles is bored at home!
Hypothetical universe. Jim Phillips demands that Pat fire some assistants. Pat resigns rather than be pressured to part with his soulmate, Adam Cushing.
Names that have been whispered among NU boosters I know?
Bob Stitt. Would not sell tickets, but his name comes up a lot in idle talk...... Ken Niumatalolo, a Mormon, turned down BYU, so I doubt he would leave Navy for NU..... Among MAC coaches (a frequent NU poaching ground), Illinois native P.J. Fleck would undoubtedly depart for a higher profile job at his soonest opportunity. How will Lance Leipold do in year 2 at Buffalo? Rod Carey has NIU pointed in the wrong direction, with fewer wins and more losses in each of the last three seasons...... If I had a vote, it would be for Fleck because the guy can recruit a hen to a fox's lair. You have to be able to recruit really well given the limited recruit pool at NU. Failing that, you have to be one helluva tactician like Stitt or a motivator like Leipold or a guy with a "system" like Niumatalolo.
Bob Stitt. Won't sell tickets is an understatement? 95% of our fans and players/recruits won't even know who he is? Has he ever even been an Assistant in D1? Lance Leipold? Either those boosters are watching too many short features on ESPN or they are smoking the pipe. Winning in D3 is quite a bit different than winning in D1. Guys in their 50's having getting their first P5 snot with little to no experience at D1 even as an Assistant will not happen. Might be good coaches throughout their career at their level, but that ship has sailed.
Niumatalolo works great for where he is at. Hard to prepare for his O unless you see it EVERY year. Nice guy, seems to do things the right way, but his best bet is to stay where he is at. Fleck at least has shown the ability to recruit ( for a MAC level) and turn a program around. He will get his shot after this season. Purdue? He will likely be able to turn a program to a potentially mid tier P5. Compete with Urban, Harballs, Dantonio, I very much doubt it. I only bring them up because you hammer on Fitz for his record against them. If you or any booster think Fleck gets us to titles in the B1G at NU, I can't help you.
I heard/read about a new rec and athletics complex - where are they putting it and do you guys know details about practice facilities? In any case, as I said before, I think Big 10 titles are unrealistic goals. Unless we drastically drop our admissions standards (or have we already?) which I am strongly against.
That's not a straw man. It is a legitimate question. Agreed that you never said you could make a better choice so it would appear that the man of straw has been set up; yet a straw man deliberately takes one away from a solid point. His question is the point.
Broadcast? I was at the game supporting the NU football team. Where were you?
Working (from the 2nd half on) roughly 1,000 miles away.
Enjoy the experience. I really miss living in the area.
The funny thing is I don't think a B1G title is out of reach, especially since the conference is now split into two divisions - winning the west is very achievable in any given year and then we'd just need to pull an upset (or what would be considered an upset in most years) to take out the East Division champs.
I don't think that requires us to modify our academic standards, and I don't think *most* NU fans would advocate for such changes...but I do think it requires us to have a wholesale upgrade in coaching talent. Right now Fitz is basically trying to win at the highest level with one hand tied behind his back, and it isn't going to happen.
Are you familiar with "The Problem of Fitz?" The "Fake by the Lake?" These are weighty issues that Wildcat Nation has been grappling with for some time now.
Pat Fitzgerald, for all his flaws, barring some really unforeseen craziness going down, likely has the HC job at NU for as long as he wants it. Please note that while he was my favorite college player of all time, and while his name/number is my posting handle, I have been very open about my feelings that Fitz leaves a lot to be desired as far as Xs and Os, and that his loyalty to his assistants is a weakness, and that NU might be better served with a different HC. That said, we may as well just resign ourselves to it, because it's not going to change.
And if you might say, "Well, no! That's unacceptable!" I ask, what exactly can we do, or even better, what are *you* willing to do, to get a message across that we do not accept it?
And if you might say, "Well, no! That's unacceptable!" I ask, what exactly can we do, or even better, what are *you* willing to do, to get a message across that we do not accept it?
"Admirable and frustrating" should be the team slogan.
Don't think that there is much that any of us can do in getting Fitz to move on but just maybe when Phillips moves up to Big Ten commissioner there might be a chance. Fitz for AD could work. After all it is said that he's the face of the university and I would agree with that. He has the personality and the energy to glad hand with the "big boy" donors and sell the university and it's athletic programs. Otherwise might as well settle for a good season every 4 or 5 years, maybe a bowl win every ten or so years and assistant coaches who are at best mediocre but and not coveted by other programs. Maybe Dave Wannstedt would be interested.
Wasn't Stanford pretty highly ranked last year? Maybe not top 5 when we beat them but much more importantly they were in the mix and highly ranked at the end of the year. Based on what you saw with LSU, do you really feel they will be there late in the year?
These are names mentioned by NU boosters. Whether they know who would be on Jim's short list, I don't know.
I do know that football is receiving the best real estate on a landlocked campus and Fitzgerald will eventually have to decide if he values his everlasting loyalty to certain assistants more than he values his own job. He had better hope for 8-4 and that will take a superior effort that would actually warrant his return in 2017.
I think Stanford was in the top 25 but definitely not top 5 when we played them. Fitzgerald has only beaten one team that was in the top 5 at the time we played them and that was SEVEN years ago.
That's not surprising. We aren't good enough to be beating Top 5 teams except once in a blue moon.
Fitzgerald has shown that is exactly the best that he can do. He has been more consistent than Walker or Barnett but do you know who Fitz really reminds me of?
Fitz is our Glen Mason.
If we are not going to loosen admissions standards for football even more than they are already, then we must spend more money on good assistants.
I feel like we already dropped our pants on football admissions so much below our regular students that it hardly matters if we drop to Big Ten standards. We can continue to recruit only high character athletes. Nobody said that we would have to recruit the lowest common denominator in academics and character.
I have heard that admissions is a lot easier on football than it used to be. What is the point in establishing these arbitrary benchmarks just to handicap our recruiters, who are already doing an excellent job of avoiding bad character kids?
Glen Mason had the best overall record at Minnesota since Murray Warmath despite playing off campus in that awful dome. His successor Tim Brewster put the program in the tank despite having a new stadium to dangle in front of recruits. Just sayin'
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