I joined this board a while back but only sporadically browse and post on this site.
I came to the realization today that I post more here after debacles like last night. And it really was a disastrous performance. There is no polishing that terd.
However, to state the obvious, part of the reason why a loss like that stings so much (or for many fans, why numbness has set in) is because it’s been too many years of getting Lucy and Charlie Brown’d by this program.
If we want to try to be objective though (admittedly a bit of an incoherent and tall task as a fan), this group of players is not like the one on past squads.
What our eyeballs saw through much of the first half of the season was different.
This team is different. Last night’s loss has fucc all to do with past seasons.
It is not last year’s team. It is not the 2020 Manny Diaz team. It is not the 2017 Richt season. It is not the 2013 Al Golden canes. It is not the 2009 Randy Shannon team.
A fluke team does not beat the ****t out of and pound its biggest rivals into submission, it does not beat a talented, fundamentally sound and well coached Notre Dame, it does not completely embarrass a playoff bound USF (Golesh is bound for a big time program).
Truly, they were dominating performances and yet often, the box score didn’t reflect that. Limit the sloppiness, the penalties, the extreme conservative play at times, and how much more impressive would those victories have been? Even the game against USF that finished with a lopsided score got sloppy as **** in the third quarter.
I am unsure if the staff will fix things but I remain confident the team will be alright against ACC play if we stay healthy. There isn’t a coaching staff and team like Louisville’s on the remaining schedule.
Yesterday, our defense had its worst performance of the season by far and still played well. Adjustments were made. Critical stops were had. And they kept us in the game despite all of the turnovers.
This is the best defensive unit to come through this program in decades and will continue imposing itself against the weaker half of our schedule.
A few things caught up to us last night in our first dog fight of the season.
1) Penalties. We thoroughly outclassed our opponents in the other games to the point the penalties didn’t cost us. This issue has never been fixed and it finally bit us in the *** in a close game against a good team.
2) Our predictability on offense. Yes, the identity the program had forged this season is punching you in the mouth and running it right down your throat even if you knew what was coming. It has been great to see at times. Few better feelings in football than dominating the trenches. Against the noles, we opened it up more because as Dawson said, they mostly took away the run game (we still went into a shell in the 4th).
There is not enough variety in our run concepts and designs. We mix in a little creativity (like a screen with our OL stampeding down the field or the run TD by Toney) but we don’t mix it up enough.
We have the tanks to run it inside with fletcher and Brown, but we also have enough athleticism on offense to keep defenses honest by stretching the field more and running outside the tackles. Is it any wonder why an athletic RB like Lyle struggles in this offense?
3) It is hard to win football games against good teams. Louisville is solid. They may end up in the playoff. They’re talented and evidently, Brohm and his staff are a competent bunch. They outplayed and outschemed us. Our opponents studied us and tore apart our playstyle and gameplan. They were prepared and ran circles around our staff and players.
4)Carson was rattled and had a terrible game. But it’s lazy to pin it all on him, given what we know of his skillset. There were several factors taken together that gave us our first L.
Carson played pretty well prior to the game against Louisville. Our offensive staff have to maximize his strengths and paper over his obvious weaknesses with more variance and creativity.
Pressure was getting home on Beck in obvious passing downs. But we often put ourselves in less than ideal downs and distances due to self-inflicted reasons (penalties and repeatedly ineffective runs up the gut on early downs).
We didn’t adjust schematically to this reality.
Carson is a proven effective QB and a high IQ performer when either 1) he has time in the pocket and/or 2) the run game is effective.
This means we have to be more imaginative on offense. We are a talented and stout unit upfront. One game doesn’t change that but football is still a tactics and numbers game.
Unless you’re 2 and 3 deep with overwhelming talent then it’s not just about the Jimmies and the Joes. It’s also about the X’s and O’s (and even with elite talent all over the roster, the 2002-2005 Canes teams underscore the importance of coaching).
You have to be able to respect intelligent and talented opposition and make necessary adjustments.
We are not the Canes from when Mario was here as a player. We’re not so much more talented to think we can just always bully another team into submission when it’s a dog fight. The thing I don’t understand is Mario himself has said we’re not close to where we need to be yet talent wise, so why spite your nose and insist on playing like we are?
I sometimes wonder if Mario’s hubris with the team’s 5-0 run this season means micromanager Mario is back. Hope this loss humbled him, as I thought the bravado from him lately wasn’t earned yet given the totality of his coaching career at Miami ( if Dawson has actually been given completely free reign then he is a mediocre coordinator).
While I think we’ll be fine against the remaining schedule, the only way we’ll be a real threat among the top ranked teams this year is if what needs to be fixed gets fixed. And if not entirely fixed (any team has its weaknesses) then at least show you have a Plan B in tight games.
This team is on the precipice of being special. I give Mario credit for putting this team together. It’ll also be his and his staff’s responsibility if we underachieve this year.
TLDR just please make the necessary adjustments.
Please own your mistakes, not just in front
of the microphones, but also in the meeting rooms.
P.S. I ******* hate this conference.
