What did we learn today

To be honest with you, I am so frustrated and dejected after today’s game that I started to question everything. Imagine, Liberty beat Troy who beat us. We are 0-6 and we don’t seem to get out of our own way. We continue to pile on the penalties on every crucial moment of the game including in OT. Our players beat themselves all the time. Our special teams are anything but special. We do not have a kicker. We just replaced our punter. We can never go after a punt or block a kick, and every time we make a positive play on special teams, it is negated by a STUPID penalty. When you see this in six games, doesn’t that make you question the decision making and the ability of these coaches to fix the mistakes! Just an honest question.
Remember these players are the same players we had on the team last year.  Bad habits are hard to break and lack of speed on both O and D turn us into what we are.  Look for faster players and more diciplined players to be recruited in the future.  You can't coach speed, it's genetic. Why do you think we get beat so often in the passing game.  Lack of speed!!!!

 
I spent 20 minutes this morning trying to convince myself to become an LSU fan. It would be so easy. I’ve lived in Louisiana for 10+ years, everyone I know is an LSU Super-fans andantes are alumni, I would be included in casual conversations, I could go to home games, I could feel winning again, I would have something common with my neighbors. 

But it I just can’t. The thought makes me so sick I’d rather just not watch football. Maybe I like the whoa is me attitude and I certainly look terrible in purple so this program is stuck with me. 

 
Playing not to lose is not being aggressive- ultra conservitive playcalling, eating up the clock, not calling plays to get first downs or score but to secure the ball first and foremost. Often, it works but not with our undisciplined defense. 
I actually know what people mean when they say this, but I want to point out that in both cases you are playing to win, they are just different strategies that can fulfill the same goal.

 
I love Adrian Martinez's arm and accuracy. I think the true freshman is already ahead of Taylor and Tommy in that regard. 

Like both of them, he's got a little too much playground ball in him, so he makes too many risky decisions, often at the worst time. 

Taylor Martinez got a little better with his decision making over the years. Tommy really didn't. 

So with just a little improvement, Adrian Martinez will be better than the #1 and #2 career Total Offense Leaders at Nebraska. 

With a better defense, those stats will feel a lot more meaningful.

 
I actually know what people mean when they say this, but I want to point out that in both cases you are playing to win, they are just different strategies that can fulfill the same goal.


The best coaches in football get stuck in the same place. Do you keep running the offense that has been working for you all game, or ensure you kill as much of the clock as possible?

And when there's more than 2:00, killing the clock means getting a first down. 

I think too many coaches are too conservative on those last possessions, especially when the defense is spying on your featured running back and even the jet sweep guy who's been dekeing all game. I love the naked bootleg plays, but you hardly ever see them. 

But if you throw the ball and it happens to be incomplete, you never hear the end of it.

 
Let us face it, Frost has a hard time calling the plays he wants because he does not trust that the players can execute correctly. He implied that in his press conference. I am sure he wanted to go for a first down and kill the clock but decided to play conservatively. When your team commits so many penalties, it is hard to trust that they can get a first down without holding or doing something dumb that will move us back more. Having said that, we should have been able to stop a ONE DIMENSIONAL team when we pin them on their own 1yard line. Not being able to do that falls on the players and more importantly on Chinanderla, who has yet to explain himself for a very poor performance the last five minutes of the game. I hope Frost holds him accountable.

 
Let us face it, Frost has a hard time calling the plays he wants because he does not trust that the players can execute correctly. He implied that in his press conference. I am sure he wanted to go for a first down and kill the clock but decided to play conservatively. When your team commits so many penalties, it is hard to trust that they can get a first down without holding or doing something dumb that will move us back more. Having said that, we should have been able to stop a ONE DIMENSIONAL team when we pin them on their own 1yard line. Not being able to do that falls on the players and more importantly on Chinanderla, who has yet to explain himself for a very poor performance the last five minutes of the game. I hope Frost holds him accountable.
It's very clear that Frost doesn't trust most of the players to execute.  That makes it very difficult on a play caller.  I am sure Frost is having issues trusting the defense.

 
Hopefully, he gets better since he is just a freshman, but Adrian reminds me too much of Tommie Armstrong and Taylor Martinez.   Tommie and Taylor never got that much better.  Adrian does not have great pocket awareness, is not accurate on a lot of easy passes, and turns the ball over too much.  He might will the team to a few victories almost on his own, but he might cost us just as many.  
We make our QBs bigger than they are. I think Adrian's a great mobile QB, so-so pocket passer. He makes plays and finishes drives much better when he moves and is a threat to run. He's a heck of a lot like TMart. I think I'd prefer to have both Ozigbo and Washington in the backfield at the same time running our spread offense....Washington as a wingback or lining up on the line and Ozigbo a threat to go up the middle. With our lousy line I'd be okay with two blockers spreading out wide forcing the D to follow them.
 

 
We make our QBs bigger than they are. I think Adrian's a great mobile QB, so-so pocket passer. He makes plays and finishes drives much better when he moves and is a threat to run. He's a heck of a lot like TMart. I think I'd prefer to have both Ozigbo and Washington in the backfield at the same time running our spread offense....Washington as a wingback or lining up on the line and Ozigbo a threat to go up the middle. With our lousy line I'd be okay with two blockers spreading out wide forcing the D to follow them.
 
This is one area I hope Frost changes as it relates to scheme.  Against some of the B1G teams (top 5-6) there is nothing wrong with having a lead blocker (Oz) and Washington in the backfield.  (not to pigeon hole Oz as a lead blocker)  Spread the D out through motioning one out.  Add the element of the D having to cue on two backs in an option or dive.  I'd also like a set of plays that we could use in short yardage where the QB lines up under center.  Even use it on 1st and 10 to keep the D honest.  

I also haven't seen any of the concentrated effort to spread out the D like was seen at UCF.  The whole "go where they aren't" philosophy.  Frustrating that so many times this year, it appears that we are playing checkers while opposing teams are playing chess.  Like @huskerfan74 said, it could very well be that Frost can't use 100% of the play book.  I think that might be true with a combination of questionable OL play, no receiver not named JD or Stan really stepping up and limited TE involvement.....

I'd like more accountability from the staff. I'm tired of the 1 more play, 1 less penalty etc..A little responsibility for allowing a 1 dimensional team to drive 99 yards...With Mo on the sidelines.........(Saw that series we ran a 3-3-5 so that might be the reason) But if an inside LB is coming out, it's not gonna be Mo...

It's just frustrating as I, like most, thought that the mere presence of Frost was worth "X" number of wins....I didn't think we were this completely void of talent or so undisciplined as to lead or close to leading the most penalties per game.  Throw in 6 games with no real punt return and blocks in the back......

 
This is one area I hope Frost changes as it relates to scheme.  Against some of the B1G teams (top 5-6) there is nothing wrong with having a lead blocker (Oz) and Washington in the backfield.  (not to pigeon hole Oz as a lead blocker)  Spread the D out through motioning one out.  Add the element of the D having to cue on two backs in an option or dive.  I'd also like a set of plays that we could use in short yardage where the QB lines up under center.  Even use it on 1st and 10 to keep the D honest.  

I also haven't seen any of the concentrated effort to spread out the D like was seen at UCF.  The whole "go where they aren't" philosophy.  Frustrating that so many times this year, it appears that we are playing checkers while opposing teams are playing chess.  Like @huskerfan74 said, it could very well be that Frost can't use 100% of the play book.  I think that might be true with a combination of questionable OL play, no receiver not named JD or Stan really stepping up and limited TE involvement.....

I'd like more accountability from the staff. I'm tired of the 1 more play, 1 less penalty etc..A little responsibility for allowing a 1 dimensional team to drive 99 yards...With Mo on the sidelines.........(Saw that series we ran a 3-3-5 so that might be the reason) But if an inside LB is coming out, it's not gonna be Mo...

It's just frustrating as I, like most, thought that the mere presence of Frost was worth "X" number of wins....I didn't think we were this completely void of talent or so undisciplined as to lead or close to leading the most penalties per game.  Throw in 6 games with no real punt return and blocks in the back......
If Mo is weaker than Young in pass coverage, than Mo is the LB to take out.  I know Young is not a good LB, Barry's strength at LB is being a run stuffer.

 
As far as Martinez goes, when he makes good confident throws his mechanics are way ahead of where T. Martinez and Armstrong were as freshman.  He has his issues, but the mechanics are pretty solid and Frost is pretty proven at grooming QB's so he is the least of my worries right now. We just have to find a way to not lose one.

It would be nice if we had some playmaking coming from players outside of the aformentioned group. Where is M. Williams? Where is Jaron Woodyard? These guys were supposed to be speedy weapons coming out of juco and they have given us ziltch(playmaking wise).

 
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If Mo is weaker than Young in pass coverage, than Mo is the LB to take out.  I know Young is not a good LB, Barry's strength at LB is being a run stuffer.


Young actually had a really good day in pass coverage yesterday.  He was credited with two pass break ups and had really good coverage several other times.  Not sure if there was a pass completion when he was targeted.

 
It would be nice if we had some playmaking coming from players outside of the aformentioned group. Where is M. Williams? Where is Jaron Woodyard? These guys were supposed to be speedy weapons coming out of juco and they have given us ziltch(playmaking wise).
Frost has alluded to them getting closer every day learning the playbook, running good routes and perimeter blocking.

 
Young actually had a really good day in pass coverage yesterday.  He was credited with two pass break ups and had really good coverage several other times.  Not sure if there was a pass completion when he was targeted.
Then it would make sense for him to be the ILB that stays in the nickel coverage at the end of the game.  I agree that Young wasn't the problem yesterday.  The secondary was atrocious.

 
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