|
Post by aztecron on Oct 20, 2014 8:27:05 GMT -8
Hawaii scored ONE fluke TD and got dominated in every other phase. They moved the ball downfield very well on that drive. They earned that TD with a well managed drive. That wouldn't have been the last play of the half - they still had more time. They just went for it all there and got the TD because our DB tried to intercept the ball rather than batting it down. They might have scored on the next play. No, we couldn't have scored two more TD's - because our drives stalled and we had to settle for FG attempts (one of which we missed). At this point it isn't about Rocky anymore. It's about Aztec football not coming close to reaching it's potential. It could be Rocky, Brady Hoke, or anyone else - this program continues to underachieve. That is disappointing. Rocky is a good, solid coach. He is likely not going anywhere until he retires. It is what it is. That's not true, we had a fourth and one early when Rocky decided to take the FG instead of going for it. And again at the end of the game we could've scored but he decided again to just run the clock out.
|
|
|
Post by aztecron on Oct 20, 2014 8:31:12 GMT -8
I was there - as I am for every home game. And I watched a team that once again showcased a very good runner, a mediocre quarterback and receivers who dropped more balls than they caught. I also saw a defense that couldn't make the first tackle, gave up some ridiculous third down conversions because of the inability of the first person to even make a stop, and a lucky break on a 102 yd runback. By the end of the game, the Hawaii defense was gassed. Hawaii was NOT the reason there was a 35+K crowd last night. A "RENEWED" SDSU football team wasn't the reason either. You gotta be a little critical of games where the opponent is so weak that a game still looks competitive. We'll see what happens the next time a little stiffer competition shows up on the other side of the ball. We're past the halfway mark in the season. We shouldn't still be talking about missed assignments and arm-tackling. But they won, and I'm glad for that. There are still many troubling areas that remain however. Given a tougher opponent, the way they played last night would've lost them a game. "and a lucky break on a 102 yd runback" This kind of comment is simply ridiculous. It wasn't a "lucky" break, they held on the play, that's why they broke it for a TD return. Lucky break, come on man!
|
|
|
Post by aztecron on Oct 20, 2014 8:34:01 GMT -8
This kind of discussion immediately after a win, which included a thoroughly dominating defensive performance by a young D, and a beat-down and physical running game by a young o-line and RBs, is becoming extremely off-putting. On the other hand, we were one Hawai'i penalty (I refer to the H. kickoff return for a TD) away from leading by only 3 points. I do not discount the many good things we saw in the game. It's the inability to finish, the failure to score the TD in the red zone and having to settle for a FG that worries me. We were forced to kick three times and made the FG twice. Erase the six points from those FGs and add three TDs, which I think we should have scored, and the final score is 35-10. 35-10 is the kind of score that, in my view, should result when we play a bad team at home. And Hawai'i is assuredly a bad team. Yes, it's easy sometimes to ignore the good and concentrate on the bad. (Although that's just exactly what coaches do and should do!) But let's not exaggerate where we are and what we have done beginning with the outstanding 2010 season. It's four years later and the program, while in some ways solidifying the gains of that great turnaround year, has not taken the next step. The next step in my mind would be an outright MWC championship, a bowl win and a Top-25 ranking. I read a lot about how great we are going to be next year because our players are still young and we have a wonderful QB redshirting this season, etc. I certainly hope all that comes to pass. Let's just not get ahead of ourselves. The next five games will indicate whether program has improved, has stayed about the same, or has regressed a bit. AzWm On the other hand, we were one Hawai'i penalty (I refer to the H. kickoff return for a TD) away from leading by only 3 points. Here we go again, without the hold there is no TD return. At no other point did we give up a long KO return Saturday night. It took a holding penalty to free up the return man to get that return.
|
|
|
Post by SD Johnny on Oct 20, 2014 8:42:31 GMT -8
If K5 get that board looking like this one and previous versions of this board I'll be there.
|
|
|
Post by aztecsiggy on Oct 20, 2014 8:44:11 GMT -8
I assume you mean that only on offense? And then only the passing game. So we need to pass better to beat Nevada and Boise....is that what you mean? Please allow me....yes...better passing. Our defense is stout, our rushing is near unstoppable. And Mr Ruffin's return will go a rocky Long way towards improving that deficiency.
|
|
|
Post by AztecSports95 on Oct 20, 2014 8:46:52 GMT -8
This board is insane. Going in to the game, Rocky said this would be one of the tougher defensive lines we'll face all season. We ended up running for 283 yards and throwing for 179 yards. And we had one special teams turnover. Oh, and, we held them to 10 freaking points and 264 yards of offense. What more do you people want? A win is a win? That's a pretty good win in my book.
|
|
|
Post by sdcoug on Oct 20, 2014 8:52:23 GMT -8
This board is insane. Going in to the game, Rocky said this would be one of the tougher defensive lines we'll face all season. We ended up running for 283 yards and throwing for 179 yards. And we had one special teams turnover. Oh, and, we held them to 10 freaking points and 264 yards of offense. What more do you people want? A win is a win? That's a pretty good win in my book. +1. Their only score was a tipped pass that happened to fall into the lap of their receiver, and we ran the ball all over a decent defense. Terrific performance. Now we have 2 weeks to get healthier & prepare for a very good UNR team. Some fans always look for the negatives. Too bad.
|
|
|
Post by TruAztec on Oct 20, 2014 9:29:44 GMT -8
This board is insane. Going in to the game, Rocky said this would be one of the tougher defensive lines we'll face all season. We ended up running for 283 yards and throwing for 179 yards. And we had one special teams turnover. Oh, and, we held them to 10 freaking points and 264 yards of offense. What more do you people want? A win is a win? That's a pretty good win in my book. I am sure there are a few Alabama fans upset by their lack of defense/offense/special teams after their victory over Texas A&M too. We are obviously not Alabama but it was not like Rocky went out and said how great we are playing. He ripped a part the team in all the areas we have brought up and appears to be dedicated to fixing them. One big fix will be health. To not acknowledge that a QB with half an arm and losing our true number one WR plays a huge role in our problems would be a little insane. Not looking for excuses but it is a factor. Just like how BYU was being talked about as a possible playoff team and when their QB went down that have not won since. The UT has written many articles on this and Steve (and many others) have talked on here about how it is the coaching staffs fault that we are in this situation due to poor planning and some bad luck with recruiting and injuries. That does not change this year because we are having to play with who we have. And with we who have and in the condition we are in, we played well and won.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2014 9:32:50 GMT -8
A lot of people are stating that Hawaii got lucky on that hail mary near the end of the first half. I think the defense did an great job and Hawaii did get very lucky in order to make that reception. Edit: On further review of the play, the receiver pushed Malik Smith out of the way before the ball arrived. An obvious offensive pass interference, not called. I watched the replay as well and it sure looked to me like McGee tried to intercept the ball rather than batting it down. I'll leave it to our coaches to decide that definitively but if they see it as I did, somebody needs to have a talk with that young man.
|
|
|
Post by AzTex on Oct 20, 2014 10:16:54 GMT -8
A lot of people are stating that Hawaii got lucky on that hail mary near the end of the first half. I think the defense did an great job and Hawaii did get very lucky in order to make that reception. Edit: On further review of the play, the receiver pushed Malik Smith out of the way before the ball arrived. An obvious offensive pass interference, not called. I watched the replay as well and it sure looked to me like McGee tried to intercept the ball rather than batting it down. I'll leave it to our coaches to decide that definitively but if they see it as I did, somebody needs to have a talk with that young man. I saw that too. Hard to blame him for that kind of mistake in the heat of battle. The natural instinct is to catch the ball. I'm sure the coaches will address that when reviewing the films.
|
|
|
Post by aztech on Oct 20, 2014 10:47:17 GMT -8
I watched the replay as well and it sure looked to me like McGee tried to intercept the ball rather than batting it down. I'll leave it to our coaches to decide that definitively but if they see it as I did, somebody needs to have a talk with that young man. I saw that too. Hard to blame him for that kind of mistake in the heat of battle. The natural instinct is to catch the ball. I'm sure the coaches will address that when reviewing the films. If I'm not mistaken you should try to intercept the Hail Mary when it's not 4th down with some time left. That's why only WRs should be back there to defend. I think Hawaii had a few seconds remaining to have another shot at it and that's when DBs are put in there to swat it away.
|
|
|
Post by sdcoug on Oct 20, 2014 10:55:42 GMT -8
I saw that too. Hard to blame him for that kind of mistake in the heat of battle. The natural instinct is to catch the ball. I'm sure the coaches will address that when reviewing the films. If I'm not mistaken you should try to intercept the Hail Mary when it's not 4th down with some time left. That's why only WRs should be back there to defend. I think Hawaii had a few seconds remaining to have another shot at it and that's when DBs are put in there to swat it away. Good point. Definitely a situation which called for an interception, but the one thing you don't want to do under any situation is tip the ball. A for effort; D for execution. Unfortunate. As for WR's, this wasn't a situation where they HAD to throw it deep. They could have thrown it over the middle for a quick slant & got in FG situation (clock stops/spike/FG), so don't want a WR put in that situation. Plus, which WR would you want to actually catch the ball in that situation? I think some of our DB's have shown better hands at times.
|
|
|
Post by AzTex on Oct 20, 2014 11:09:49 GMT -8
I saw that too. Hard to blame him for that kind of mistake in the heat of battle. The natural instinct is to catch the ball. I'm sure the coaches will address that when reviewing the films. If I'm not mistaken you should try to intercept the Hail Mary when it's not 4th down with some time left. That's why only WRs should be back there to defend. I think Hawaii had a few seconds remaining to have another shot at it and that's when DBs are put in there to swat it away. I can't, and won't, criticize the kid for trying to catch the ball. We can sit behind our keyboards and calmly consider and discuss the various strategies. He had to make a decision in a fraction of a second. He probably didn't have time to think, only react. Who knows where the ball ends up if he tries to bat it down. And as the title of this tread says ...
|
|
|
Post by bearfoot on Oct 20, 2014 11:10:44 GMT -8
We won!!! PantherGuy must be PISSED. No, I would have been pissed if we lost. Hell, my Panthers have been playing great the last two weeks, I'm a happy guy! 66-14 combined score over their last two games. Panther football is BACK, baby! I just wish that Aztec football could get similar results when the Aztecs play bad teams, that's all. This isn't the NFL. In college a 10 point win is a close game, and this was a close game on the field. We didn't put the game away until late in the 4th quarter. I'm sorry if my hopes and dreams for this program aren't being met. I want nothing for this program but to dominate this conference and get an invite to a better one. We aren't dominating this conference, and at this point we've got very little hope for an invite to one of the 12's. That leaves me disappointed. I love Aztec football, and I'm old enough to remember when this program was the Boise State of the 70's. We've underachieved from the 80's to now. Even with 4 straight Bowl appearances this program isn't achieving what it could have if the school administration had made the right decisions rather than a bunch of bad ones since 1980. I'm frustrated that we've had all sorts of potential that hasn't been met. Aren't all of you? Aren't we on the same side? I'm pretty sure we are. FYI, the last four games, Highlanders 4 - 0, scored 167, given up ZERO.
|
|
|
Post by bearfoot on Oct 20, 2014 11:18:01 GMT -8
Erik, you seem hell-bend on extracting any/every possible negative angle, why? Almost seems like you hoped the Aztecs would have lost last night just to prove a point... Not at all, but giving Rocky Long credit for those 5,000 people who showed up just to see their kids perform at halftime is silly. That would be like crediting him for the SkyShow attendance bump. I'm just being real here. But the Aztecs DID win, and they DID occasionally get their passing game together. They just could have and should have done even better. Offensively the team was very inconsistent. This team still lacks that go for the jugular attitude and/or the confidence that they can dominate other teams. I know this program can be better than this. I BELIEVE in this program. Again, we are all on the same side - or we're supposed to be. Attacking other Aztec fans who are passionate about (and in support of the growth of) the program makes no sense. You can disagree with other Aztec fans, but attacking them for expecting more from this program? Shouldn't we all support each other in our desire to see this program become all it can be? We may disagree on the best way to get there, but we all agree that we want it to get there. Right? OK, lets forget about those 5000. That means there were still just at 30K in the house. Previous teams/coaches/Ath Admins would have felt blessed to have 30K for Hawaii on a non Sky Show game. 30,000 is a really good crowd, and to me what was significant, was that the last two crowds have been about the same. Compare it to the last 6-8 years.
|
|
|
Post by aztech on Oct 20, 2014 11:21:41 GMT -8
If I'm not mistaken you should try to intercept the Hail Mary when it's not 4th down with some time left. That's why only WRs should be back there to defend. I think Hawaii had a few seconds remaining to have another shot at it and that's when DBs are put in there to swat it away. I can't, and won't, criticize the kid for trying to catch the ball. We can sit behind our keyboards and calmly consider and discuss the various strategies. He had to make a decision in a fraction of a second. He probably didn't have time to think, only react. Who knows where the ball ends up if he tries to bat it down. And as the title of this tread says ... All I'm saying is he did what he was supposed to do under the circumstances.
|
|
|
Post by bearfoot on Oct 20, 2014 11:23:05 GMT -8
I've been watching the Aztecs since the early 80's. The last few Aztec teams have been the toughest in 30 years (consistent from season to season). Offensively and defensively. I think San Diego State needs this type of coach. Seconded! Thirded
|
|
|
Post by bearfoot on Oct 20, 2014 11:28:50 GMT -8
At this point it isn't about Rocky anymore. It's about Aztec football not coming close to reaching it's potential. It could be Rocky, Brady Hoke, or anyone else - this program continues to underachieve. That is disappointing. Your consistently adamant position that this team should be much better is absurd. Most of us thought before the season that given the minimal experience of so many of our starters and our lack of depth at QB that this would be basically a repeat of 2013, which despite injuries to four key starters it is shaping up to be. So I just totally fail to understand your weekly need to begin threads of complaint. At least this isn't a "Shall we fire Rocky" poll. I know, I know those polls are not really "Fire Rocky" polls, but I think most understand what I mean.
|
|
|
Post by bearfoot on Oct 20, 2014 11:34:16 GMT -8
But I want a national championship and a P5 invite NAOW! Nobody expects a National Championship in football for SDSU. But a Top 25 finish sure would be nice. Especially if it became the norm, rather than a once in a lifetime occurrence. A Top 25 finish would likely fasttrack us for a P5 invite. One step at a time. All I would like to see first is a 9 win regular season, followed by a 10 win regular season. Once we get there we're on the brink of that Top 25 finish (and 10 wins may just get us there). One step (forward) at a time. The way the payouts are going, there will not be any non B5 teams in the top 25 . . . . . . . . ever. Top 25 comes after admittance to a B5
|
|
|
Post by AzTex on Oct 20, 2014 11:38:27 GMT -8
I can't, and won't, criticize the kid for trying to catch the ball. We can sit behind our keyboards and calmly consider and discuss the various strategies. He had to make a decision in a fraction of a second. He probably didn't have time to think, only react. Who knows where the ball ends up if he tries to bat it down. And as the title of this tread says ... All I'm saying is he did what he was supposed to do under the circumstances. Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you were criticizing the player. You and I are in agreement that he did not make a mistake, just turned in to an unfortunate result.
|
|