I think we lost because we couldn’t stop the run and we had a pick and punt block that led to 14 points for Rutgers. Rutgers had the ball for 35 minutes and we didn’t force any turnovers or enough negative plays. Guidry the Gawd’s defense was horrible, but I don’t think he’s a horrible coordinator. He was handicapped by personnel - injuries, opt outs, and lack of depth. LT and our safeties being out was definitely a factor in not being able to stop the run. We basically had no DL aside from Bain.
Should we be able to beat a 6-6 Rutgers team? Yes, of course. Does that fall on Mario? Yes. The game was very frustrating to watch. I wouldn’t say the game didn’t matter either, although I personally didn’t really care if we were 7-6 or 8-5 or 9-4 this year. It’s all just different degrees of irrelevance. What is more important to me is laying a foundation to have a deep, talented, and experienced team that can compete for things that matter starting next year and in the coming years (along with improving the football operation so we don’t end up in the AAC).
Jury is still out on that from my perspective. I’m not giving Mario unlimited rope, but we’ve been wandering the wilderness for 20 years and I have the patience to let him work towards a sustainable fix at this point. I also understand why some are losing or have lost patience with him, but many of you guys never wanted him from the jump.