Dawson is what prevented us from a title. We probably need a new OC

[CityboyCanes4life82]

This is what frustrates me more than anything with Dawson. He just doesn’t have a good feel for in-game flow, especially when it comes to sticking with the run. We’ll run the ball and pick up two yards, and instead of staying patient, he immediately abandons it. Run it again. If you get three more yards, now you’re in third and five. That’s a manageable down where the defense actually has to respect both the run and the pass.

Instead, what we keep seeing is a two-yard run followed by some forced pass or gimmick play, and now we’re sitting in third and eight or third and nine. That puts the offense behind the chains and makes everything harder than it needs to be. It’s not about being flashy, it’s about staying on schedule. That lack of in-game management is a big reason why I’m starting to think it might be time to move on at OC.

 

[mosthated305]

Also, the lack of true RPO in 2026 is crazy.

IU just won the national title essentially running nothing but RPO.

Every other team has it as an important part of the offense.

And we rarely ever run it. The play is either a predetermined run or pass.

Which is weird because we ran it a ton with Cam last year.

 

[SinisterCane]

Lmao!

There’s a lot of ***gots to fire and roast after this game.

He’s not one of them.

On the Beck interception, two guys were open underneath and there was as zero pressure since they rushed three and kept a pseudo spy there.

If Beck doesn’t go for it all there, it’s another 1st down.

Dawson’s predictable play called had a scoreless at half

 

[Brandinho]

I’m indifferent on him at this point.

Keep him, that’s fine but I also wouldn’t mind some fresh blood.

It is a careful what you wish for situation tho.

 

[SinisterCane]

Dawson was awful in the first half . There’s no denying that. But he put us in position to win. Too many paper cuts to ourselves , our flaws did us in

This is my problem with Dawson is that he always seems to be a counter puncher

 

[Sabetta]

Dawson cost us this game IMO.
He went back to pre SMU run game.
He did nothing to hold the edges early on. They crashed and made easy work of our run game.
Then he woke up, and we started rolling.
He clearly never trusted Beck.
Fletch missed massive holes in the first drive.
But he sucked in the first half.

 

[Ghandi]

Dawson’s predictable play called had a scoreless at half

How many missed blocking assignments did Miami have in the first half?

How many drops did Miami have in the 1st half?

How many poorly thrown balls did Miami have in the 1st half?

 

[SinisterCane]

Indiana didn’t have a better team than Miami. They just had better in game coaching.

 

[SinisterCane]

How many missed blocking assignments did Miami have in the first half?

How many drops did Miami have in the 1st half?

How many poorly thrown balls did Miami have in the 1st half?

How many times did we keep running up into a loaded box of defenders?

How many tunnel screens did we run?

 

[TboneJones]

Dawson is too slow on the in game adjustments. He’s good with halftime adjustments.

 

[JayCane20]

Predictable play calling did us no favors

We ran RPO and we were baited into running into a 5-6 man box and couldn’t do it early on.

That’s not predictable. That’s not playing good enough to win a championship. It was the OL and TE. Mainly 52 and 63/78.

I’m very concerned about what this OL looks like next year. It won’t be a weakness like it was most of the last 2 decades but without drastic improvement of what’s returning or some portal influx… it’s far from championship caliber with Samson and McCoy. They’ll play good and sometimes even great only to resort back to a lapse resulting in a penalty or MA. 2-3-4 times per game from those 2 splitting reps.

 

[Santana Sosa]

Our first run to the outside went for 70 yards.

The second Fletcher TD, he bounced outside of the blocking. There was money to be made on the outside this game.

 

[CanesFan93]

This is what frustrates me more than anything with Dawson. He just doesn’t have a good feel for in-game flow, especially when it comes to sticking with the run. We’ll run the ball and pick up two yards, and instead of staying patient, he immediately abandons it. Run it again. If you get three more yards, now you’re in third and five. That’s a manageable down where the defense actually has to respect both the run and the pass.

Instead, what we keep seeing is a two-yard run followed by some forced pass or gimmick play, and now we’re sitting in third and eight or third and nine. That puts the offense behind the chains and makes everything harder than it needs to be. It’s not about being flashy, it’s about staying on schedule. That lack of in-game management is a big reason why I’m starting to think it might be time to move on at OC.

Yup, Indiana was constantly in 3rd & 5 or fewer doing this.

 

[Ghandi]

How many times did we keep running up into a loaded box of defenders?

How many tunnel screens did we run?

Miami has been doing that all season and in the playoffs.

It didn’t matter then and it didn’t matter in the second half.

What could have changed between the the 1H and 2H? Could player be execution been a key component?

 

[mossmadness]

Which is weird because we ran it a ton with Cam last year.

The first year under him I wanted to put my head through a wall.

We faked RPO all year. We weren’t actually running it, as whether it was going to be a run or pass had been called. But we faked RPO so defenses actually thought the play was reading a defender and the call was determined by that. It’s like we were faking being a modern offense.

 

[aelmiami]

If the game is 60 minutes why did Dawson waste 30 of them?

I’m not saying he didn’t. But an argument based on only the first is dumb as ****. It’s cherry picking to fit a point. He should absolutely get **** for the first half. But nothing for the second half?

 

[JustAFanHTX]

My issue with Dawson

- offense schemes up the slot unbelievable, but is not creative for our outside receivers. Unless they can just out match guys and create separation in their own they’re almost useless. We barely do anything to get our outside guys schemed open.

- just because we want to play a certain way, doesn’t mean you can’t use tempo early on. The creativity and tempo he used second half shoulda been used in the 2nd/3rd drive of game

Not fair.. Jacolby George was ALWAYS open. Other guys got open. Our best wideouts this season couldn’t get Seperation. But they were alone the guys who we could depend on. Gotta bite the bullet. The scheme always looks better with better talent for sure, he could have done a better job. Not his best first half but he had to reset.

 

[OldhamA]

I’m not saying he didn’t. But an argument based on only the first is dumb as ****. It’s cherry picking to fit a point. He should absolutely get **** for the first half. But nothing for the second half?

How about based on the other Playoff games? Or the SMU game? Or the Louisville game?

He pulled his head out of his **** down the stretch in November / December, then crawled right back up it for the Playoffs.

Our D played lights out for a month to keep us in games - just long enough for the O to finally start moving the ball and scoring points in the 4Q.

 

[dookie blaylock]

We had the number 1 offense with Dawson and Ward. If he can get even get Ward-lite production out of Mensah, we will be right back in contention.

cam has said that he would get a play called in by dawson, look at the guys in the huddle, say “**** that” and pick his own play during games on multiple occasions. dawson’s scheme and plays may be great, but cam constantly audibled because he had a better feel for the game.

 

[OldhamA]

The second Fletcher TD, he bounced outside of the blocking. There was money to be made on the outside this game.

Yep, they were just crashing inside all game.

A few outside zone / stretch plays to Pringle would have popped big I think.