Midwestern Hawk

I disagree, not sure if it was always this way with Danny but our offense is not a championship offense. We can argue as to why that is, but way too many gadget plays all season. 41 carries for 270 yards in the game vs MSU, 6.2 yards per carry. If we were averaging 10 yards a carry would we have just run the ball? Right now we have 14 TD passes on the season... 9 for Tommy 2 for Quincy 2 for Brock 1 for Richter I'll take heat for this, but when has that happened at Alabama under Saban? It's indicative of the entire offense. One of Tommy TD passes was a gadget play too. The 4th and 2 play is at about the 57 second mark....with that play call we deserved to lose. https://missouristatebears.com/watch/?Archive=1772&type=Archive If you watch the play Belquist was going to throw it to Quincy. ......and then maybe Quincy was going to lateral it to Waletzko?

I agree with this for the most part. There is a time and a place for everything and 4th and 2 and 3rd and 1 and 4th and 1 is not the place for "tricks" when we can run the ball very effectively and/or we have the lead. In a much different way, our offense is just as predictable now as it was under Rudolph, just in a completely different way scheme-wise. 2 formation shifts, then a back comes in motion across faking the jet sweep and we throw a 4 yard crosser or hit the motion back in the flat. At some point all the motion just causes motion penalties and the defense no longer cares because we always end up in the same sets.

I agree, just hard because we have likely reached the ceiling under Bubba. Everything goes our way, and we are 8-3 and make the playoffs. Rash of injuries or things don't go our way and its 4-7 to 6-5.

It's all on the coaches. After the play call on 4th and 2, Holinka should have kicked Danny and Bubba in the nuts. Do you realize how few "winning" football teams would make that call with the lead, on the road, averaging 6 yards a carry? NONE. The answer is teams that win consistently don't rely on BS. They had to TRY and lose that game.

Not if NDSU chooses to run a "trick play" on 4th and 2 with a 2 score lead. The more I watch it, the worse it looks. I'm not sure if Otis and Belquist were sure it was a pitch or a handoff. Kind of like going for it on 4th and 1 at your own 20 with the lead in the 3rd qtr or coming out of the half and calling timeout before a play is run.

This is 100% on the coaches. Anyone with a grain of football knowledge, knows it.

The team never got its mojo back after the exposure @NDSU.

This is a football truth...actually a truth in life. At times our offense is like watching a circus. Football at this level is 90+% coaching.

The 4th and 2 call is a summary of the UND program. The pieces are there to be a great team(5-0 in MVFC), but the mindset, game management and discipline is not. The talent will never be in Grand Forks which is good enough to make up for the lacking in those 3 areas. On the 4th and 2 , UND not only snapped it to a RB to hand off/pitch(were they sure)? but the starting QB(Tommy) was not on the field to handle the ball either.

I for one am not blaming Otis . He fumbled. It happens. He should have NEVER been put in the position to muff the exchange on the the 4th and 2. That is 100% on Bubba and the staff and everyone surrounding the team, including staff and players can figure that out. Like I said earlier you can watch D1 college football for the next 20 years and that move combined with the 4th and 1 call vs NDSU will always be as bad of coaching/game management as one will EVER see. As for the Otis situation, with how that game ended yesterday, I doubt that situation will get better over the next 3 weeks.

Yep. It was the same "football brainfart" thinking which went for it on 4th and 1 at our own 20 vs NDSU with the lead. In the football world both those coaching decisions just scream total incompetence. I would love to see us win out and finish 6-5. I just can't imagine there is not some serious morale problems on that team at the moment.

Imagine being up 28-17 vs Missouri State with under 7 minutes in the 4th qtr in a must win for your team's playoff hopes. Your offense is running for over 6 yard per carry. It's 4th and 2 at the MSU 29 yard line. Instead of just handing off the ball to Otis Weah or having Quincy Vaughn keep the ball and likely run for the first down, at the last moment QV steps to the side and the ball is snapped directly to Otis who turns to run to the right on outside zone play. Instead of running for the first down, he is supposed to hand the ball off to Belquist on a reverse to the left. The exchange between Otis and Belquist is very bad to say the least and the ball is turned over to MSU at the MSU 37. Did I mention we had a 2 score lead? Did I mention we were averaging over 6 yards per carry? Did I mention we direct snapped it to someone who I don't think has EVER taken a direct snap for the Hawks in a game and assumed he would cleanly hand it off to a WR about 7 yards deep in the backfield on a 4th and 2? That is how good teams lose football games to lesser teams.

The big problem is the tendency to lose games which should/could be won. UND was good enough to win all 4 MVFC games lost this season. In each loss, there are some "duh" coaching moments in each game.

May lose quite a few.... Maag, Waletzko, Canady, Turner, Larson, Krzanowski, Galvin, Holm, Morrison have all started all season. Haas was injured in the first game. A few may have come back but many either can't or likely won't. Definitely some holes to fill.

You are right. It wasn't great. The defense did give up almost a third of MSU total yardage on those las t2 drives. Just seemed like a total collapse, at least it did over the radio.

IMO there was likely an incredible let down after the botched 4th down trick play. Not defending porous defense, just stating a likely scenario. Probably an even bigger let down after the later fumble on 3rd down. I can't imagine there isn't some serious heated conversations happening between the staff. At some point folks internally will have to start asking WTF is going on.

I agree, if they ask tough questions they lose access. Might have been the end of an era today.

If Tom Miller is on here, how about a point blank question asking how many practices and team meetings Otis has been late or missed completely. Just ask around a bit. Will be interesting to see how they manage this going forward.

Quite an accomplishment to average 6.2 yards per carry on 41 carries and lose the game.

Hard to practice it much when Otis is not at practice or is late. I can't imagine that wasn't rolling around in the minds of most of the players....and then the fumble.

Don't forget the end of the half vs WIU. In a close game that bungled disaster could have been the difference. Sometimes, its like watching a mediocre middle school staff manage the game and situational football.

4D chess.

Coaching....

2 of the losses(NDSU & MSU) include 2 of the 10 worst coaching calls in all of 2021 college football.

It will be interesting to see what comes next. If the coaches are blamed(the 4th and 2) or if its Otis. Either way I would say the chances of losing out are 50/50.