This season compared to the previous two downer years

[WestCoastWildcat]

I think many of us are still in a daze (happily so) over the tremendous season, 8-5 with a bowl win over a solid (if not somewhat depleted) PAC12 opponent. How could this happen coming off the summer hurricane that nearly blew up the program? How did the coaches and players manage to turn things around in a single season after 2 losing seasons? I think having a solid qb who could pass and connect with receivers who could get separation and catch was plus. The defensive turnaround was huge and the defense’s ability to create turnovers was impressive. We were just so much more effective on defense this year and we scored enough to win close games behind our defensive efforts.

Maybe the most important factor was the coaching change that brought Braun into leadership that the players and staff bought into. I just don’t think that Fitz would have been as successful this year. Braun seems to have pumped new energetic leadership into the program that had been fading under Fitz and his long-term contract. NU was fortunate that this change brought about an unexpected level of success fueled by the vigor of players and staff who were unrelenting in achieving what few thought could happen based on recent history. Congrats again to the Cats for an incredible year!

 

[zeek55]

Obviously it doesn't matter now, but Braun coming on as DC (and eventually HC) is really the biggest improvement to the team that could have happened, which would have happened if Fitz had remained HC.

Having a competent defense that grew across the season into a lockdown unit (Illinois game was more an aberration from the trend) was a huge shift.

And obviously transfers mattered, Ben Bryant's impact on this team was huge: leadership/intangibles as well as on the field as a good QB as well for the games he played.

 

[its_the_sauce]

As an added benefit, we'll get a lot of game replays on BTN in the off-season that will interest us lol.

 

[NCPurplecat]

The season was defined by a positive team culture. Team had Some luck by staying healthy not having too many injuries although QB and Coco were key ones, an overall a healthy year mentally and physically. Many players will graduate, fewer transfers than most programs and NU was playing in late December. Hope has been restored in dramatic response to the Summer. Players who had issues with NU stayed and graduated in numbers unmatched by most schools. Any year that ends better than it starts is a decent one. As long as NU stays at the top on APR, I will jeep the season tickets.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

The season was defined by a positive team culture. Team had Some luck by staying healthy not having too many injuries although QB and Coco were key ones, an overall a healthy year mentally and physically. Many players will graduate, fewer transfers than most programs and NU was playing in late December. Hope has been restored in dramatic response to the Summer. Players who had issues with NU stayed and graduated in numbers unmatched by most schools. Any year that ends better than it starts is a decent one. As long as NU stays at the top on APR, I will jeep the season tickets.

So if NU drops a spot or two in APR you will drop your season tickets?

 

[FanatiCat]

Obviously it doesn't matter now, but Braun coming on as DC (and eventually HC) is really the biggest improvement to the team that could have happened, which would have happened if Fitz had remained HC.

Having a competent defense that grew across the season into a lockdown unit (Illinois game was more an aberration from the trend) was a huge shift.

And obviously transfers mattered, Ben Bryant's impact on this team was huge: leadership/intangibles as well as on the field as a good QB as well for the games he played.

As much as I appreciate and admire Fitz, he seemed burned out. Maybe that was just in front of the media and he was still fine in day to day coaching. But to have 3 out of 4 seasons with 3 wins or less, and getting worse over those years, seems to go beyond just the coordinators and personnel. That’s why I thought it would have actually been the most helpful for Fitz and for the program to suspend him for a year, he takes a leave without any coaching duties, and then comes back.

 

[Well cataloged]

As much as I appreciate and admire Fitz, he seemed burned out. Maybe that was just in front of the media and he was still fine in day to day coaching. But to have 3 out of 4 seasons with 3 wins or less, and getting worse over those years, seems to go beyond just the coordinators and personnel. That’s why I thought it would have actually been the most helpful for Fitz and for the program to suspend him for a year, he takes a leave without any coaching duties, and then comes back.

Like most everyone else on this board, I was devastated by Fitz's firing, and especially for the lack of due process and the failure to release the investigative report that was the alleged basis for his sacking. Having said that, I saw a difference in the talent and determination of the team this year, especially on the defense. I single out Soares, Joseph (3 picks in the last two games), Brus (special teams) and Bastone and Spencer (one the defensive line, which was reported to be our greatest weakness).

Last year, we had unspeakable collapses (Duke, with the fumble at the goal line; Miami of Ohio, and god forbid, Southern Illinois). We had 18 turnovers. We had the 4th or 5th string quarterback starting at the end of the season. It was as if the team was collectively waiting for something to go wrong.

Fitz used to talk every season about how his latest team had the most talent of any he had coached. However, so many of the players I mention above got limited or no playing time. Then along comes a rookie coach who fields all these guys I'd never heard of before, and I'm saying, "What did David Braun know or see that put them on the field?"

A personal mea culpa: After agonizing over the day-to-day disclosures of the hazing scandal -- and the loss of players, present and future -- I told a good good friend, "I'll be spending my weekends raking leaves this fall. "Watching Wildcat football will only be torture." I'm delighted to say how wrong I was.

The sea change, as I expect many of you feel too, was the turn-around in the Maryland game and the revelation that Ben Bryant had special athletic talents and the will of a champion. It was so fitting that he got the MVP award in the Las Vegas Bowl after what looked like a gaming winning injury in the fourth quarter.

To keep things in perspective, I know that he got here, as did David Braun, Henning and Johnson, through the best efforts of Pat Fitzgerald.

 

[zeek55]

As much as I appreciate and admire Fitz, he seemed burned out. Maybe that was just in front of the media and he was still fine in day to day coaching. But to have 3 out of 4 seasons with 3 wins or less, and getting worse over those years, seems to go beyond just the coordinators and personnel. That’s why I thought it would have actually been the most helpful for Fitz and for the program to suspend him for a year, he takes a leave without any coaching duties, and then comes back.

It's tough because that kind of thing happens to most coaches that have long tenures. Sometimes the game just passes them in some way or they miss on a coordinator hire or both and you can go from everything being smooth to seemingly falling apart. I do think the combo of JON and Bajakian probably wore on Fitz heavily. He was probably micromanaging the defense in particular a lot more than he would have wanted last year (in the games where we saw improvement). We went from the success of 2015-2020 to 3 out of 4 years being his worst 3 years as HC including the worst year since the Dark Age.

And then it can happen as @Well cataloged writes above that perhaps Fitz was misunderstanding his own roster to an extent and who deserved more playing time. Obviously the QB situation here has been really been tough, we got 2 great QBs through transfers in Ramsey and now Bryant who had terrific years, but we've also had a lot of QBs that struggled mightily.

Braun put a fresh set of eyes on what we've had here, and that can help, but of course, in the longer term you can never count on that since the players will be Braun's own guys after a few years; which is another part of what makes it tough to stay "up" for so long as a program unless you're a football factory with top 10-20 recruiting classes where the talent can guarantee 9 or 10 wins a season regardless of the coaching.

 

[phatcat]

Sometimes, I wonder how long it will be before the two factions (pro and anti fitz) will be able to talk about issues related to NU FB without referencing him. Personally, I feel like his legacy is somewhere between Joe Paterno and Jim Tressel. But, most of all, I no longer care. The program is in a good place right now and I am enjoying it. I think Shill and Gagg are incompetent buffoons, especially Gagg, but, I'm not withholding support for the team in some sort of protest.

 

[UpsetAlert]

Sometimes, I wonder how long it will be before the two factions (pro and anti fitz) will be able to talk about issues related to NU FB without referencing him. Personally, I feel like his legacy is somewhere between Joe Paterno and Jim Tressel. But, most of all, I no longer care. The program is in a good place right now and I am enjoying it. I think Shill and Gagg are incompetent buffoons, especially Gagg, but, I'm not withholding support for the team in some sort of protest.

The anti Fitz/pro-admin viewpoint is just cringey at this point. Luckily, it’s a few internet weirdos and not at all a mainstream viewpoint amongst NU and at-large fans from what I’ve seen. Calling the tiny number of anti-Fitz people a faction is a disservice to factions.

 

[zeek55]

Sometimes, I wonder how long it will be before the two factions (pro and anti fitz) will be able to talk about issues related to NU FB without referencing him. Personally, I feel like his legacy is somewhere between Joe Paterno and Jim Tressel. But, most of all, I no longer care. The program is in a good place right now and I am enjoying it. I think Shill and Gagg are incompetent buffoons, especially Gagg, but, I'm not withholding support for the team in some sort of protest.

Braun's performance and the way the team rallied has made it extremely easy to support them (coaches and players).

That obviously helps; I don't want to imagine how any of us would be feeling if the team was 1-11 and lifeless and everyone looked defeated/dejected/checked out on the sideline.

Fitz's legacy here is secure; he's tied to 25 years where the program emerged from the Dark Ages and was rebuilt and stabilized with a solid foundation and a level of success that firmly established us in the upper echelon of the Big Ten West cohort of teams. The success of the past 16 years (especially 2012 to 2020) speaks for itself.

3 of the past 4 years were bad, but in the context of nearly 30, that's nothing. Anybody with perspective understands that.

I think within a few years, we'll just be discussing the then present/future of NU FB as what it is off of the foundation of the past near 30 years.

We're really fortunate to seem to have a competent 4th HC in a row (it's really hard to hit on 4 straight HCs for any program let alone a non-football factory) but time will tell.

 

[NUCat320]

Fitz made a terrible hire in JON, literally replacing a top ten coordinator with a bottom ten coordinator. It was not a justifiable hire on the day it was made, and it killed the program.

Fitz nailed his hires last offseason. There is nobody that could have anticipated the performance of the ten or so DL that played. Big ups to Christian Smith.

LaMarcus Hicks also appears to have brought out the best in Hollis and Johnson.

Binns with the WRs took advantage of the step-up in talent, while Foster can hang his hat on the positive development of Tyus. (No inside information, but I suspect at least one of those two will be forced to use their performance on the job search circuit.)

While the post-Hankwitz seasons had been defined by a defense that was simply confused…and an offense that consequently had to be great to win (and simply didn’t have the QB talent to make it work)…it’s fair to wonder if the program culture had suffered in recent years. Was Fitz burnt out? Had hazing escalated from “everybody in” to something more isolating and serious? The 21 and 22 teams were listless and hopeless. Was everyone rowing in the same direction?

Braun seems to say the right things, seems to have gotten the buy-in he needed. The #removethetag moment was simply beautiful, and I’m excited — even with the step up on competition — to view 19-22 as a blip. Braun has risen to the occasion.

The mannerisms, the joy of Braun on the sideline in ‘23 looked a whole lot like the young, energetic, enthusiastic leadership of Fitz circa Gator Bowl win. We seem to have lucked in to a perfect successor.

 

[Ilvolino]

The anti Fitz/pro-admin viewpoint is just cringey at this point. Luckily, it’s a few internet weirdos and not at all a mainstream viewpoint amongst NU and at-large fans from what I’ve seen. Calling the tiny number of anti-Fitz people a faction is a disservice to factions.

This is a ridiculous post. If you believe that Fitz failed the last two years with a 4-20 record and just one Big Ten win in each year that opinion does not make you pro-administration. The Administration failed in its handling of Fitz’ firing but at any other Big Ten school if the Head Coach had a 4-20 record he would and should have been fired.

 

[Eurocat]

As much as I appreciate and admire Fitz, he seemed burned out. Maybe that was just in front of the media and he was still fine in day to day coaching. But to have 3 out of 4 seasons with 3 wins or less, and getting worse over those years, seems to go beyond just the coordinators and personnel. That’s why I thought it would have actually been the most helpful for Fitz and for the program to suspend him for a year, he takes a leave without any coaching duties, and then comes back.

I disagree and have to say, at the same time, look, we will never know for sure. But I think a great deal of the turnaround was due to the D returning to amazing play. That would have happened because Braun would have been DC (just like he was for us). I think, with stability, we win Rutgers. Not sure about Duke (they were on a "high" back then). Iowa and Nebraska, dunno, maybe Iowa, that one went down to the last second.

Point being is maybe Fitz was burned out and would have screwed things up.

But maybe he had things "teed up" for a 10 win season. Just a win here and there more than coach Braun.

We will never know.

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

Obviously it doesn't matter now, but Braun coming on as DC (and eventually HC) is really the biggest improvement to the team that could have happened, which would have happened if Fitz had remained HC.

Having a competent defense that grew across the season into a lockdown unit (Illinois game was more an aberration from the trend) was a huge shift.

And obviously transfers mattered, Ben Bryant's impact on this team was huge: leadership/intangibles as well as on the field as a good QB as well for the games he played.

Agreed. Defense would have been even better with Braun at the helm full time and with Jeremiah Lewis in the secondary.

 

[NJCat]

Agreed. Defense would have been even better with Braun at the helm full time and with Jermaine Lewis in the secondary.

Jeremiah Lewis would have been even better.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

This is a ridiculous post. If you believe that Fitz failed the last two years with a 4-20 record and just one Big Ten win in each year that opinion does not make you pro-administration. The Administration failed in its handling of Fitz’ firing but at any other Big Ten school if the Head Coach had a 4-20 record he would and should have been fired.

Then fire him after last year for performance. With it looking like some coaches that were part of the “culture” are being retained or at minimum being considered for retention it suddenly smacks of an inconsistent ulterior motive.

Don’t underestimate the unification of the players to show these idiot Administrators that they weren’t the Devil incarnate. They had a very public situation that resulted in a common goal. It could have went either way, and it’s a credit to Braun and leadership of the players, especially guys like Mangieri that the train advances down the track.

 

[TerraCat]

Fitz alway found a way to lose games we absolutely should have won. Southern Illinois, New Hampshire, Miami, Akron, Duke et. al. Even during seasons we were winning B1G West championships.

I believe and hope that the days of these mind boggling losses are gone. Fitz’s stubbornness was the source of his greatness and his Achilles heal. Here’s hoping that this year was not beginners luck, but the start of a creative and winning football culture!

 

[Well cataloged]

Like most everyone else on this board, I was devastated by Fitz's firing, and especially for the lack of due process and the failure to release the investigative report that was the alleged basis for his sacking. Having said that, I saw a difference in the talent and determination of the team this year, especially on the defense. I single out Soares, Joseph (3 picks in the last two games), Brus (special teams) and Bastone and Spencer (one the defensive line, which was reported to be our greatest weakness).

Last year, we had unspeakable collapses (Duke, with the fumble at the goal line; Miami of Ohio, and god forbid, Southern Illinois). We had 18 turnovers. We had the 4th or 5th string quarterback starting at the end of the season. It was as if the team was collectively waiting for something to go wrong.

Fitz used to talk every season about how his latest team had the most talent of any he had coached. However, so many of the players I mention above got limited or no playing time. Then along comes a rookie coach who fields all these guys I'd never heard of before, and I'm saying, "What did David Braun know or see that put them on the field?"

A personal mea culpa: After agonizing over the day-to-day disclosures of the hazing scandal -- and the loss of players, present and future -- I told a good good friend, "I'll be spending my weekends raking leaves this fall. "Watching Wildcat football will only be torture." I'm delighted to say how wrong I was.

The sea change, as I expect many of you feel too, was the turn-around in the Maryland game and the revelation that Ben Bryant had special athletic talents and the will of a champion. It was so fitting that he got the MVP award in the Las Vegas Bowl after what looked like a gaming winning injury in the fourth quarter.

To keep things in perspective, I know that he got here, as did David Braun, Henning and Johnson, through the best efforts of Pat Fitzgerald.

CORRECTION: Meant to say the turn-around in the Minnesota game. Well cataloged.

 

[IGNORE2]

Then fire him after last year for performance. With it looking like some coaches that were part of the “culture” are being retained or at minimum being considered for retention it suddenly smacks of an inconsistent ulterior motive.

Don’t underestimate the unification of the players to show these idiot Administrators that they weren’t the Devil incarnate. They had a very public situation that resulted in a common goal. It could have went either way, and it’s a credit to Braun and leadership of the players, especially guys like Mangieri that the train advances down the track.

Yes - fire him for performance. We have established Gagg sucks schill.

But at the same time, unbecoming behavior was occurring right under PF’s obstinate nose. Either he turned a blind eye or was not as in touch with HIS program. Zero tolerance, said PF. Well, zero tolerance works up the chain of command too.

If Gagg had fired him on performance, the same folks around here would be taking the same positions only PFs reputation would be far less tarnished and he would be remembered for anything but scandal in the program.

And for the due process crowd, PF best go through discovery and all the way to verdict as any settlement will cloud his ‘innocence’ as defense often settles nuisance lawsuits for a variety of reasons. Only way to shut the folks on my side of the fence is a public trial on the merits. Hell, I might go watch - probably be quite interesting.

 

[FanatiCat]

Yes - fire him for performance. We have established Gagg sucks schill.

But at the same time, unbecoming behavior was occurring right under PF’s obstinate nose. Either he turned a blind eye or was not as in touch with HIS program. Zero tolerance, said PF. Well, zero tolerance works up the chain of command too.

I agree zero tolerance works up the chain of command but it does not have to mean firing, and with no evidence that he actually knew, just “should have known.” One year suspension from the university without pay, that’s what I still think would have been the appropriate punishment. But I think some people wanted him fired for performance, and some in the administration wanted him gone because they didn’t like that he was “bigger than them.” Add a few players with an axe to grind, and some media who were not that sympathetic to Fitz, perhaps because he kind of snubbed the media the last few years.

 

[NUCat320]

I agree zero tolerance works up the chain of command but it does not have to mean firing, and with no evidence that he actually knew, just “should have known.” One year suspension from the university without pay, that’s what I still think would have been the appropriate punishment. But I think some people wanted him fired for performance, and some in the administration wanted him gone because they didn’t like that he was “bigger than them.” Add a few players with an axe to grind, and some media who were not that sympathetic to Fitz, perhaps because he kind of snubbed the media the last few years.

I agree that a July through December suspension would have been appropriate. Also, I don’t think there would have been a mass uprising had it been four games.

Where the university, in coordination with Fitz, erred was:
- hiding the details of the hazing (“sexualized” or a similar word did not appear)
- trying to bury the story on a Friday
- offering no comment when presented with the opportunity to by the Daily
- giving a toothless non-suspension
- letting Fitz deny responsibility or accountability in his only published quotes: “I was disappointed when I learned” should have been “I should have known”

This was a classic case, like always, of the cover-up being worse than the crime. The story will always come out and, in this case, the sensationalized quotes in the Daily’s story led the conversation.

Had there been a press conference with the investigators and a contrite Fitzgerald and Gragg, I think Fitz is the head coach today. Everyone erred in trying to hide it, and the noodle-armed backup quarterback won the war.

But also, I think NU is at least as well off with Braun in charge, and perhaps better off. I don’t think Fitz’s team would have won 8 games this season.

 

[IGNORE2]

I agree zero tolerance works up the chain of command but it does not have to mean firing, and with no evidence that he actually knew, just “should have known.” One year suspension from the university without pay, that’s what I still think would have been the appropriate punishment. But I think some people wanted him fired for performance, and some in the administration wanted him gone because they didn’t like that he was “bigger than them.” Add a few players with an axe to grind, and some media who were not that sympathetic to Fitz, perhaps because he kind of snubbed the media the last few years.

Can’t disagree. Anyone who has worked into high success knows competence is but a factor. Luck and relationships. PF got in with luck. Became unfireable through competence and relationships. Then stopped playing the game which opened the door for the growth of opposition leading to his dismissal.

If he wins games (through better coaching system and strategy), treats the media and the fans like he used to, maybe simply developed a relationship w Gagg and schill like the one he built early with their predecessors - probably gets that suspension.

He paved his own road up and then down the hilltop.

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

Jeremiah Lewis would have been even better.

You’re so witty.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

I agree that a July through December suspension would have been appropriate. Also, I don’t think there would have been a mass uprising had it been four games.

Where the university, in coordination with Fitz, erred was:
- hiding the details of the hazing (“sexualized” or a similar word did not appear)
- trying to bury the story on a Friday
- offering no comment when presented with the opportunity to by the Daily
- giving a toothless non-suspension
- letting Fitz deny responsibility or accountability in his only published quotes: “I was disappointed when I learned” should have been “I should have known”

This was a classic case, like always, of the cover-up being worse than the crime. The story will always come out and, in this case, the sensationalized quotes in the Daily’s story led the conversation.

Had there been a press conference with the investigators and a contrite Fitzgerald and Gragg, I think Fitz is the head coach today. Everyone erred in trying to hide it, and the noodle-armed backup quarterback won the war.

But also, I think NU is at least as well off with Braun in charge, and perhaps better off. I don’t think Fitz’s team would have won 8 games this season.

Fire Schill, fire Gragg. Buffoons that panicked in the face of public outrage.

 

[phatcat]

Fire Schill, fire Gragg. Buffoons that panicked in the face of public outrage.

I betcha they had Pat Ryan's permission

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

I betcha they had Pat Ryan's permission

I’ll take that bet.

 

[IGNORE2]

I’ll take that bet.

Someone call Pat and ask. I’m sure they had Smithee’s.

 

[Hkjb]

I've been firmly in the anti administration/pro Fitz faction all along. But with the benefit of some distance from the immediate aftermath of the scandal - and seeing what Braun has done - I would not go back to Fitz today if I it were up to me.

The performance of the prior two years is part of the reason. The defensiveness and stonewalling when it came to questions about the coaching (e.g. blaming losses on lack of 'execution'). The foot dragging on making changes even long after flaws of JON and Bajakian were apparent.

The JON hire alone is a case study in unhealthy ego. Fitz was willing to walk away from the defensive principles that Hank put in place, which suggests that Fitz didn't really grasp how important Hank was to the program. Truly crapped the bed. I question whether Fitz was as 'hungry' as a coach in the past few years as he was in the early days.

As much as Fitz got the Braun hire right, there were limits to Fitz' ability to put fresh eyes on the program. We now have a young, Hank-like coach in charge who won't hesitate to make changes - but who still values continuity and the core values that Fitz and Walker put in place. With the benefits of hindsight - I wouldn't change a thing, (aside from the President and the AD.)

 

[gocatsgo2003]

I've been firmly in the anti administration/pro Fitz faction all along. But with the benefit of some distance from the immediate aftermath of the scandal - and seeing what Braun has done - I would not go back to Fitz today if I it were up to me.

The performance of the prior two years is part of the reason. The defensiveness and stonewalling when it came to questions about the coaching (e.g. blaming losses on lack of 'execution'). The foot dragging on making changes even long after flaws of JON and Bajakian were apparent.

The JON hire alone is a case study in unhealthy ego. Fitz was willing to walk away from the defensive principles that Hank put in place, which suggests that Fitz didn't really grasp how important Hank was to the program. Truly crapped the bed. I question whether Fitz was as 'hungry' as a coach in the past few years as he was in the early days.

As much as Fitz got the Braun hire right, there were limits to Fitz' ability to put fresh eyes on the program. We now have a young, Hank-like coach in charge who won't hesitate to make changes - but who still values continuity and the core values that Fitz and Walker put in place. With the benefits of hindsight - I wouldn't change a thing, (aside from the President and the AD.)

Might be the most armchairest armchair psychology I’ve seen in a while. Well done.

 

[stpaulcat]

The season was defined by a positive team culture. Team had Some luck by staying healthy not having too many injuries although QB and Coco were key ones, an overall a healthy year mentally and physically. Many players will graduate, fewer transfers than most programs and NU was playing in late December. Hope has been restored in dramatic response to the Summer. Players who had issues with NU stayed and graduated in numbers unmatched by most schools. Any year that ends better than it starts is a decent one. As long as NU stays at the top on APR, I will jeep the season tickets.

And I may buy a jeep to come to games nest year.

 

[Sheffielder]

The funny thing about college football...anyone from fans to "analysts" - are usually wrong when it comes to guessing what's going to happen, or what would hypothetically happen. So let's agree this is an exercise in futility

I would argue the figures who were key to this season's success were Braun, Bryant, and our receivers. They were here with or without Fitz. While I think Fitz was always a terrible gameday coach, the results would have been roughly the same with him in place. Maybe we would have lost to Minnnesota (or Maryland) but beaten Iowa (or Nebraska)...I think the final record would have been within one win/loss of where we landed...still a winning record, including a bowl win (probably).

Big difference in our faces right now: recruiting. I think we'd have a better class if Fitz had stayed in place.

I don't think Fitz was suffering from burnout...I think he was suffering from a bad case of unchecked power and a lack of humility. To his credit, he was showing signs of change by releasing some coaches and seeing the obvious need to hit the Portal...the 1-11 season was clearly a wake up call.

And...not to rip this scab off, but hazing happened, and it was almost definitely facilitated by several players we were rooting for all season, right under Fitz's nose. Did he know the specifics? Eh...maybe not, but if he did, he was nose blind to the definition of hazing and incorrectly wrote it off as knuckleheads doing a little harmless horsing around. It was almost definitely no worse than what's happening in any other football locker room in America at any level, but Fitz was pretty vocal about "zero tolerance," and those words mean something. I would agree he was mistreated in his dismissal and deserved a better ending, but I also think time heals all wounds, and it's not hard to see a future where he eventually gets a hero's welcome back (albeit not on the payroll) - probably post-Gragg/Schill, but it will happen.

 

[EvanstonCat]

The funny thing about college football...anyone from fans to "analysts" - are usually wrong when it comes to guessing what's going to happen, or what would hypothetically happen. So let's agree this is an exercise in futility

I would argue the figures who were key to this season's success were Braun, Bryant, and our receivers. They were here with or without Fitz. While I think Fitz was always a terrible gameday coach, the results would have been roughly the same with him in place. Maybe we would have lost to Minnnesota (or Maryland) but beaten Iowa (or Nebraska)...I think the final record would have been within one win/loss of where we landed...still a winning record, including a bowl win (probably).

Big difference in our faces right now: recruiting. I think we'd have a better class if Fitz had stayed in place.

I don't think Fitz was suffering from burnout...I think he was suffering from a bad case of unchecked power and a lack of humility. To his credit, he was showing signs of change by releasing some coaches and seeing the obvious need to hit the Portal...the 1-11 season was clearly a wake up call.

And...not to rib this scab off, but hazing happened, and it was almost definitely facilitated by several players we were rooting for all season, right under Fitz's nose. Did he know the specifics? Eh...maybe not, but if he did, he was nose blind to the definition of hazing and incorrectly wrote it off as knuckleheads doing a little harmless horsing around. It was almost definitely no worse than what's happening in any other football locker room in America at any level, but Fitz was pretty vocal about "zero tolerance," and those words mean something. I would agree he was mistreated in his dismissal and deserved a better ending, but I also think time heals all wounds, and it's not hard to see a future where he eventually gets a hero's welcome back (albeit not on the payroll) - probably post-Gragg/Schill, but it will happen.

We will never know. I for one don’t think there was a chance in hell that Fitz takes a team that won 1 game last year and replicates what Braun did. The heart in the two teams was night and day. Somebody said it best - it was NDSU culture that we saw here.

But, again, we will never know.

 

[phatcat]

The funny thing about college football...anyone from fans to "analysts" - are usually wrong when it comes to guessing what's going to happen, or what would hypothetically happen. So let's agree this is an exercise in futility

I would argue the figures who were key to this season's success were Braun, Bryant, and our receivers. They were here with or without Fitz. While I think Fitz was always a terrible gameday coach, the results would have been roughly the same with him in place. Maybe we would have lost to Minnnesota (or Maryland) but beaten Iowa (or Nebraska)...I think the final record would have been within one win/loss of where we landed...still a winning record, including a bowl win (probably).

Big difference in our faces right now: recruiting. I think we'd have a better class if Fitz had stayed in place.

I don't think Fitz was suffering from burnout...I think he was suffering from a bad case of unchecked power and a lack of humility. To his credit, he was showing signs of change by releasing some coaches and seeing the obvious need to hit the Portal...the 1-11 season was clearly a wake up call.

And...not to rib this scab off, but hazing happened, and it was almost definitely facilitated by several players we were rooting for all season, right under Fitz's nose. Did he know the specifics? Eh...maybe not, but if he did, he was nose blind to the definition of hazing and incorrectly wrote it off as knuckleheads doing a little harmless horsing around. It was almost definitely no worse than what's happening in any other football locker room in America at any level, but Fitz was pretty vocal about "zero tolerance," and those words mean something. I would agree he was mistreated in his dismissal and deserved a better ending, but I also think time heals all wounds, and it's not hard to see a future where he eventually gets a hero's welcome back (albeit not on the payroll) - probably post-Gragg/Schill, but it will happen.

Lawsuit(s) and its/there eventual settlement will put a damper on the hero's welcome.

 

[zeek55]

The funny thing about college football...anyone from fans to "analysts" - are usually wrong when it comes to guessing what's going to happen, or what would hypothetically happen. So let's agree this is an exercise in futility

I would argue the figures who were key to this season's success were Braun, Bryant, and our receivers. They were here with or without Fitz. While I think Fitz was always a terrible gameday coach, the results would have been roughly the same with him in place. Maybe we would have lost to Minnnesota (or Maryland) but beaten Iowa (or Nebraska)...I think the final record would have been within one win/loss of where we landed...still a winning record, including a bowl win (probably).

Big difference in our faces right now: recruiting. I think we'd have a better class if Fitz had stayed in place.

I don't think Fitz was suffering from burnout...I think he was suffering from a bad case of unchecked power and a lack of humility. To his credit, he was showing signs of change by releasing some coaches and seeing the obvious need to hit the Portal...the 1-11 season was clearly a wake up call.

And...not to rib this scab off, but hazing happened, and it was almost definitely facilitated by several players we were rooting for all season, right under Fitz's nose. Did he know the specifics? Eh...maybe not, but if he did, he was nose blind to the definition of hazing and incorrectly wrote it off as knuckleheads doing a little harmless horsing around. It was almost definitely no worse than what's happening in any other football locker room in America at any level, but Fitz was pretty vocal about "zero tolerance," and those words mean something. I would agree he was mistreated in his dismissal and deserved a better ending, but I also think time heals all wounds, and it's not hard to see a future where he eventually gets a hero's welcome back (albeit not on the payroll) - probably post-Gragg/Schill, but it will happen.

The point that @EvanstonCat is making (a good one I might add) is that this team was lightning in a bottle.

We all watched the previous 2 years and saw blowout after blowout.

Yes, Braun as DC as well as the other staff additions would have made huge changes to the culture here to get us back to the pre-2021 ways. Those 3 games against Wisconsin/Illinois/Minnesota that we lost by 101 points last year, I feel confident Fitz would have put up much better showings and maybe won some or all 3.

But this team came together because of the adversity that it faced: all the stuff over the offseason wasn't just directed at Fitz, it was directed at the rest of the staff and the players on the team as well.

This was truly an "us against the world" kind of team that wanted to prove itself and worked relentlessly (and improved across the season) to become the kind of team that all NU fans/alums should be proud of....

They wanted to win for each other and for the coaches; it's tough to re-create what happened this past offseason and how that motivation mattered. You look at Bryant's play down the stretch of the bowl game, and that's a guy that looked like nothing was going to stop him from taking the field again.

It's really rare for a team to jump from 1 win to 8 wins (including a quality bowl win); the way things have to come together is almost impossible to recreate.

We've had teams like that before: 2018 and 2020 are great examples where the team just had this will to win that's such a big intangible when you're trying to win close/tough games against Wisconsin or Iowa to stay on track to win the division, but our fans had higher expectations for those teams than this one... (that's the major difference).

I was hopeful that with these staff changes we'd see 4-5 wins and get back to a bowl game if we snuck in on APR before the offseason got turned upside down. But the actual results go far beyond that.

 

[Ilvolino]

Yes, this was truly an amazing season and as others have commented if Bryant was not injured we would have beaten Nebraska and Iowa but we should just celebrate this season

 

[NUCat320]

Bryant didn’t just “get hurt”. He was violently slammed to the turf on a long-developing goal line play against a defensive line that a substandard OL couldn’t handle. It was a Bajakian-Anderson special, two guys who hadn’t earned their jobs back but for Fitz’s fear of change.


There’s no chance a Fitz team wins the Minnesota game. There’s little chance a Fitz team wins the Illinois game. (Fitz would have definitely kneeled instead of getting the single best drive of the season.)


Again, I’m really excited that Braun brings everything to the table that Fitz brought a decade ago. As improbable as it seemed a year ago, and especially six months ago, it looks like a good time to be an NU football fan.

I’m excited for Fitz’s return and his statue unveiling. I hope it’s Braun who leads the call for it — two decades from now, after he’s broken Fitz’s records.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Bryant didn’t just “get hurt”. He was violently slammed to the turf on a long-developing goal line play against a defensive line that a substandard OL couldn’t handle. It was a Bajakian-Anderson special, two guys who hadn’t earned their jobs back but for Fitz’s fear of change.


There’s no chance a Fitz team wins the Minnesota game. There’s little chance a Fitz team wins the Illinois game. (Fitz would have definitely kneeled instead of getting the single best drive of the season.)


Again, I’m really excited that Braun brings everything to the table that Fitz brought a decade ago. As improbable as it seemed a year ago, and especially six months ago, it looks like a good time to be an NU football fan.

I’m excited for Fitz’s return and his statue unveiling. I hope it’s Braun who leads the call for it — two decades from now, after he’s broken Fitz’s records.

I’ll take some of what you are having.

 

[Hkjb]

Might be the most armchairest armchair psychology I’ve seen in a while. Well done.

Guilty as charged

 

[IGNORE2]

I’ll take some of what you are having.

Good idea. It’s like Narcan for purple koolaid. Welcome back to the real world!