vs. Akron (10/9)

[Falconfreak90]

Akron sacks McDonald we’ll punt it away in the middle of the 3rd quarter.

It’s clear the Zips want this one more. Kinda embarrassing.

This right here. They simply wanted it more. What made me mad was watching our players jaw with them when trailing. that s**t needs to stop.

[roguewarrior]

Akron sacks McDonald we’ll punt it away in the middle of the 3rd quarter.

It’s clear the Zips want this one more. Kinda embarrassing.

This right here. They simply wanted it more. What made me mad was watching our players jaw with them when trailing. that s**t needs to stop.

The mark of selfish, no character players. Makes my blood boil. I saw it a Tennessee. A parent said “coach isn’t going to like that”…. I said coach ain’t going to do a thing. And they don’t.

Edit: we don’t have many, but a few will bring you down.

[Flipper]

Preach one thing...do another. Next to impossible to maintain credibility when you're doing that.

[Schadenfreude]

Well.

That was fugly.

We knew the road to becoming competitive again was not going to be a straight line, but I sure didn't see this coming.

This is the series really sticks with me:

Couldn’t punch it in 4 times.

Yeah I blame that on play-calling. O-Line was gassed and still called power runs up the middle.

I think I know what Loeffler was thinking at the time. At the time, the Falcons were just rolling the Zips. Loeffler saw a chance to urge his offensive line to go mano a mano against the worst defense in the country, and get something out of it either way. If the Falcons could muscle it in: Great! Seven points. Plus it would be a victory for that line, which has struggled so much. If not, it would show how much work our linemen still have to do in the weight room this summer.

It made sense to me at the time.

What Loeffler didn't count on -- and what I didn't count on either -- was Akron suddenly figuring out how to play football. I bet Loeffler is kicking himself right now for not once calling a misdirection in this series. If he had, maybe we get those points, and maybe this game turns out differently. Just as the players are learning the importance of concentration on every series, maybe there is a lesson here for Loeffler, too.

Obviously, this game didn't come down to that series. A lot went wrong. The defense didn't prep for the new Zip quarterback in the second half, and he found a way to throw the ball on us more effectively than anyone else has this season. This wasn't McDonald's best game. Receivers had drops. Etc.

I think this staff is pretty smart, and they will learn from this game, as will the players.

But, man, that game was a real bummer.

[Flipper]

Loefffler is stubborn...slow to adjust and prone to weird lapses in judgement. i wanted him to succeed here....but I don't think it's going to happen

[Beaker]

I had voiced my extreme reservation at how big the oddsmakers had favored us in this one. This team is showing some serious schizophrenia. They demonstrate there's ability there, then show they don't know how to harness and apply it. It's a frustrating experience as a fan, because we all want to see the sure and steady upward trajectory without the dips we saw this week, but that's not the reality. This team is like a stock market index. They shoot upward one day and put visions of lofty heights in your head, then come back and crush you the next day. I'll refer to them as the S&P - Super and Poor. You don't know what you will get from one week to the next or even from one quarter to the next within the same game.

If you wager on these games, it seems like only safe bet for this team this year is to go opposite of what Vegas thinks. I can't imagine us being favored on a betting line again this season.

[Hockey John]

I had voiced my extreme reservation at how big the oddsmakers had favored us in this one. This team is showing some serious schizophrenia. They demonstrate there's ability there, then show they don't know how to harness and apply it. It's a frustrating experience as a fan, because we all want to see the sure and steady upward trajectory without the dips we saw this week, but that's not the reality. This team is like a stock market index. They shoot upward one day and put visions of lofty heights in your head, then come back and crush you the next day. I'll refer to them as the S&P - Super and Poor. You don't know what you will get from one week to the next or even from one quarter to the next within the same game.

If you wager on these games, it seems like only safe bet for this team this year is to go opposite of what Vegas thinks. I can't imagine us being favored on a betting line again this season.

For what it is worth, until Saturday, BG was the only team to 100% beat the spread.

[Antimob]

Here comes the mob again. Parents in the stands whining about playing time and talk of going to the portal is not the answer. It is amateur high school crap far worse than competitive players.

Calm down. We will win when we have better/older players like every team in America. If everyone quit when things were tough the 2001 team would have never happened. Most of those guys played on bad teams and didn't get it rolling until their junior & senior years.

Complaining and quitting. That's the solution to everything these days. Work harder, get better, follow a process, delay gratification? That's for suckers. How sad.

[roguewarrior]

Here comes the mob again. Parents in the stands whining about playing time and talk of going to the portal is not the answer. It is amateur high school crap far worse than competitive players.

Calm down. We will win when we have better/older players like every team in America. If everyone quit when things were tough the 2001 team would have never happened. Most of those guys played on bad teams and didn't get it rolling until their junior & senior years.

Complaining and quitting. That's the solution to everything these days. Work harder, get better, follow a process, delay gratification? That's for suckers. How sad.

By that logic, no coach should ever be let go. Everyone loves the portal until their players hit it.

[It's the Journey...]

What happened to all the "development" that took place last season? We were 0-5, but supposedly learned to much. What a load of crap. By this time the team is Loeffler's. He has driven many away from the Jinks' years, and event some of his own have left or entered the portal. But we will hear about how young we are and why that is will not be addressed. We will also hear about how the week of practice was bad, but why this is will not be addressed. There is no accountability for this team, or it seems the coaching staff. We are 23 games into the Loeffler era and he has won 5 (22%). As a comparison, after 23 games Jinks had won 6 games (26%). Jinks would coach 8 more games in his time here and win 1 more for a record of 7-24 (23%). There are 6 more games this season and I don't see any that are winnable. We may have a chance in the second game of the 2022 season when we host Eastern Kentucky. It is time to use the same measuring stick across coaches.

[Flipper]

We'll win when we get a better coach....These are his players and his culture. If it's not working...and clearly it isn't...who else do you blame?

[Schadenfreude]

We are 23 games into the Loeffler era and he has won 5 (22%). As a comparison, after 23 games Jinks had won 6 games (26%).

The difference is the trajectory. Jinks had the program nosediving. Loeffler is getting this program back off the ground.

The loss to Akron was a bad loss, no question. But progress isn't always a straight line. The team was so bad last year that two wins this season does represent progress. It is about what I expected. Next year, with a stronger offensive line and more experience all around, perhaps we can go for .500 and maybe (with some breaks) even a bowl game. The year after that, we will be playing for a division title. That's the schedule, and we are on schedule.

I wouldn't rule out getting another win or two this year. It won't be easy, but if this team can continue to improve as it has already done this season, it is within reach.

[BillyLP]

We are 23 games into the Loeffler era and he has won 5 (22%). As a comparison, after 23 games Jinks had won 6 games (26%).

The difference is the trajectory. Jinks had the program nosediving. Loeffler is getting this program back off the ground.

The loss to Akron was a bad loss, no question. But progress isn't always a straight line. The team was so bad last year that two wins this season does represent progress. It is about what I expected. Next year, with a stronger offensive line and more experience all around, perhaps we can go for .500 and maybe (with some breaks) even a bowl game. The year after that, we will be playing for a division title. That's the schedule, and we are on schedule.

I wouldn't rule out getting another win or two this year. It won't be easy, but if this team can continue to improve as it has already done this season, it is within reach.

I generally agree with this. If they can do a 3-9 or 4-8, I think it's a win of a year and we can look forward to a solid 6-6 team or better next season. The team is, without question, better than last year. More disciplined, much better defense, marginally better offense, and solid special teams, but the kids need to see winning as part of the reward for sticking it out, not just improvement. If they finish 2-10, some of the the players who were all in after the Minnesota game will be heading elsewhere.

[pdt1081]

We are 23 games into the Loeffler era and he has won 5 (22%). As a comparison, after 23 games Jinks had won 6 games (26%).

The difference is the trajectory. Jinks had the program nosediving. Loeffler is getting this program back off the ground.

The loss to Akron was a bad loss, no question. But progress isn't always a straight line. The team was so bad last year that two wins this season does represent progress. It is about what I expected. Next year, with a stronger offensive line and more experience all around, perhaps we can go for .500 and maybe (with some breaks) even a bowl game. The year after that, we will be playing for a division title. That's the schedule, and we are on schedule.

I wouldn't rule out getting another win or two this year. It won't be easy, but if this team can continue to improve as it has already done this season, it is within reach.

This forum went from "We can beat anybody left on the schedule," to "Fire the coach" in a matter of 20 minutes.

[Flipper]

In the desert...you could go from drinking from a pond to "s**t...this is sand" in seconds. It's called a mirage.

Sure we could win a few more this year...maybe all of them..it's not like the MAC is a decent conference...but we could also lose them. From my perspective...it almost doesn't matter. Looking at the trajectory of the program, Loeffler's insistence on running an offense that was dated 10 years ago and his in game decisions...it's hard to see us becoming the power we were under Clawson.

FWIW...I was one oft he few people on here who was always in Clawson'c corner...even when we were losing big...because I could see what he was trying to do. I don't get the same sense of direction from Loeffler