Chill the Hell Out
Guys, I know it sucks that we are 5-2, but seriously, everybody just needs to take a deep breath.
No one is getting fired. This is a very good staff that has tried to make it work with some broken pieces this year. How many people here predicted 8-4 before the season? A lot.
Does no one remember how bad things were during the Rodriguez years? Stop calling this the worst you've ever seen.
Seriously, calm the fuck down.
I will concede this: if Chris Balas was right about Brandon Peters (that he's proven to be a massive bust), then we're fucked. Otherwise, relax.
October 22nd, 2017 at 10:14 AM ^
Y'all be trippin'.
October 22nd, 2017 at 10:14 AM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 10:40 AM ^
There's a difference between a player stating wins don't matter and fans realizing that the 8-9 win season that many were predicting before the season is probably going to happen.
October 22nd, 2017 at 10:43 AM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 11:03 AM ^
stop using youth as an excuse. It's tiring. Sparty wasn't a bunch of 5th year seniors. More like freshmen and walk ons and a 2nd year QB. Our second year QB is third on the depth chart behind two middling QBs.
October 22nd, 2017 at 11:14 AM ^
True. We are barely younger than them, by only a few spots if I recall correctly.
October 22nd, 2017 at 11:16 AM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 11:38 AM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 11:50 AM ^
When they have Michigan repeatingly throwing the ball in the monsoon? Yes.
October 22nd, 2017 at 11:54 AM ^
What was the score before the monsoon? Who decided to go air-raid during the monsoon? FAIL
October 22nd, 2017 at 12:25 PM ^
the "The Monsoon Prevented our Guaranteed Glorious Comeback" crowd need new material.
October 22nd, 2017 at 12:08 PM ^
In the end, everything gets pinned on the staff. It's a results oriented world. Accountibility. Fair or unfair. And considering all the dollar dollar bills that they get paid to win, it's really not that unfair of a setup frankly.
October 22nd, 2017 at 12:17 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 1:24 PM ^
Really, you can't give MSU credit yet? This fanbase amazes me.
October 22nd, 2017 at 2:55 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 5:06 PM ^
Incorrect, we didn't beat ourselves with penalties. That was the refs! Though they really should consider calling holding once in a while on other teams.
October 22nd, 2017 at 4:38 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 6:08 PM ^
They did look bad vs us in some ways. But another way of looking at it was this: they had a game plan to put up points before the monsoon. Creative packages and playcalls, mostly stout defense (helped by our fumble). then in the second half they had the right plan. Load the box and let us self destruct. Take no chances on offense. I'd say overall their plan worked perfectly, while we looked like fools. Give credit where credit is due.
October 22nd, 2017 at 4:25 PM ^
So, if OSU and PSU kill them, will that make our lose go away? Or, will there be an asterisk in the standings next to our game?*
*UM is really the better team even though they lost.
October 22nd, 2017 at 12:37 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 2:40 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 4:13 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 5:05 PM ^
yup, the denial of this concept on this board runs deep.
October 22nd, 2017 at 5:53 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 6:04 PM ^
Your face is a fucking tool.
October 22nd, 2017 at 4:21 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 5:04 PM ^
Oh I'm sorry...I didn't notice McDoom standing in the endzone on his drop. I thought he was on the 30 yardline, down 4 points.
October 22nd, 2017 at 4:21 PM ^
I think, more than losing to PSU, the loss to Sparty is what bothers most. They were a younger team (yes, check the starting rosters) who was a tire fire last year. We thought that sad chapter of losing to them was behind us. We win that game, and last night's game was an aberration.
October 22nd, 2017 at 5:02 PM ^
I mostly agree with this. The offense has been piss poor in other games but we found a way to win.
October 22nd, 2017 at 8:11 PM ^
One of the ways we found to win was by not going net -5 in the turnover battle.
October 22nd, 2017 at 11:37 AM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 12:56 PM ^
Do you really want to go pass-first with this QB, pass protection and WR corps?
You can criticize some of the coaching last night for sure (why play action on 4th and 11?), but I don't think there are any easy answers to this team's problems. It's not that good of a team in general. I do think it will be better in a year's time, when the guys are more experienced, we get Black back, etc., but for now we have to just scrape by.
PSU has a good offensive system, but they didn't just win because of scheming. They're a better team, period. Having the best player in the country at RB and a QB with pinpoint accuracy on 30-yard passes makes life much easier.
October 22nd, 2017 at 12:09 PM ^
One thing that is hilarious about this Board is that there were a lot of people saying before the season that the # of starters gone was as overblown stat because new starters were in the rotation last year and got snaps. And that had some truth in it. But now those same people are citing the # of starters gone as an excuse for the performance now that it has turned sour. I mean, I get it, lots of rah rah support the team types. But pick a position and stick to it rather than flipping your argument when the outcome doesnt support your original perspective.
October 22nd, 2017 at 12:57 PM ^
That's just being a fan.
Nebraska fans thought Tanner Lee would be a Heisman contender.
October 22nd, 2017 at 2:48 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 4:32 PM ^
Yes, what happens on a football message board is a well constructed implementation of the scientific method by rational and objective fans. Definitely it is that, and not a glorified screaming contest between rah rah harbaugh uber alles types, and glass half empty chicken littles.
October 22nd, 2017 at 5:01 PM ^
I'm a scientific chicken
October 22nd, 2017 at 3:34 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 5:00 PM ^
Welcome to the board. Yes, this is infuriating. :-)
October 22nd, 2017 at 12:52 PM ^
Well, a lot of fans exhibit no patience and that is particularly so, I suspect, with fans active on a site such as this.
The anger exhibited after every loss ... Are we expected to be perenially undefeated? Some people on here need to get a grip.
This is a young, inexperienced team - playing its backup QB - with some holes, that has struggled in every game this season. They will likely continue to do so as they grow and mature and as they continue to win a few more games.
Anyone who has really watched our games this year was delusional if they thought that this is a championship/playoff caliber team. The defense, up until this game, has played really well against somewhat typical average college offenses. Yet, this was the first time this season that they played against a really talented diversified offense that was not so predictable.
Hopefully, the team will improve as the season progresses. I plan to watch and enjoy it, unburdened with anger resulting from lack of fulfillment of (my) unrealistic expectations.
They played a great team in Penn State. Give them some credit. They have talent and experience and were well prepared and well coached. Congratulations to them.
Now, time to regroup, get better, and to continue to recruit well.
October 22nd, 2017 at 4:45 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 4:59 PM ^
I don't want to be dispassionate. Hence, fandom.
October 22nd, 2017 at 11:08 AM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 12:16 PM ^
You think that a team with a first year starter at QB, a freshman LT, a freshman C making line calls, JBB at RT, no Mo Hurst etc is going to have 1 or 2 losses against a schedule with @OSU, @ND, @MSU, WI, PSU plus 8 other games to avoid an upset in? That was plausible before the season when we thought we'd have a 5th year Speight going from servicable to good and that ND/MSU were programs in trouble. It's an exceedingly optimistic take at this point.
October 22nd, 2017 at 2:04 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 2:44 PM ^
Those are two differnent things. Yeah, the team will be better overall, sure. But that's not what you said, you said 1 or 2 losses next year. So you take what projects to be an 8-4 team this year, flips MSU/OSU to road games, and get WI/PSU at home. Add Nebraska and @NW which should still be wins. And you substitute a mediocre FL team on a neutral site to @ND. So we're better, but with a tougher schedule. Are they are going to win every single home game and 1 or 2 out of @MSU, @ND and @OSU. Possible, but unlikely. Pretty long history of not doing that well under 1st year QBs.
October 22nd, 2017 at 2:48 PM ^
October 22nd, 2017 at 4:16 PM ^
Lol. OK. Let's see:
1)We still had 3 losses
2)Lentz, Stenavich, Baas, and Long were all 1st or 2nd team all B1G. Versus a line for 2018 of something like....Filiaga-Bredeson-Ruiz-Onwenu-JBB.
2)Avant, Breaston, and Braylon as returning proven junior/senior WRs. Shit, they probably had 2000 yards combined in 2003 from returing starters. Also, Massaquoi. Mike Hart.
3)Chad Henne was a top 10 recruit nationally. If Peters were as good as freshman Henne he'd be playing in front of O'Korn already.
4)PSU, OSU and MSU were all down at that time and finished .500 or worse in the conference that year. The ND team we lost to went 6-6. The schedule will be harder in 2018.
Again, we are talking about seasons with 1 or 2 losses as you've said. In the last 30 years, we've not returned our primary starting QB in 13 of 30 seasons. The # of times we had fewer than 3 losses: 0 for 13. In the seasons where we returned our starter the # of seasons with fewer than 3 losses: 8 of 17. I don't know what else to tell you except that the history of first year QBs not resulting in CFP/BCS/NY6 type seasons is pretty clear.
October 22nd, 2017 at 6:02 PM ^
Brutal analysis.
Edit: and I mean that as a compliment. Thorough yet disheartening. A harsh truth if you will
October 22nd, 2017 at 6:11 PM ^