In my opinion, I don't hold Dino's first two seasons against him. Shafer constructed an awful roster. Dungey got hurt. Twice. One of those seasons, we were bowl caliber but the season sunk because we had zero quality depth behind Eric.
The biggest issue I have was passing the baton after Eric graduated, from the terrific 10-3 2018 season. Dino really needed to connect on DeVito being a quality replacement, or Chance Amie being a dual threat in the Dungey mold. We went 0-2 for various reasons, which lead to another 5 win season [yes, I know we beat WF on the final play, and could have lost the game]. But better QB play could have gotten that team to a bowl. We didn't have it, so we didn't get there - and momentum was squandered.
I'm not of the mindset that last year "doesn't count," but the OL injuries were absurd and couldn't be overcome, and Tommy again didn't show the chops. Disaster season, in every respect.
Post QB-swap this year, we seem to be headed in the correct direction. Whereas we were a poor defensive team under Dino the first couple of years, he made a home run hire in Tony White and shored that up. 3-3-5 is also a good "system" for us to run, given our traditional difficulty recruiting impact DL. I think the jury is still out on Gilbert, but I like what we're doing offensively now with Shrader / Tucker. I'm also pleased that we were able to go toe-to-toe with the best team in the conference [WF] and teams littered with 4- and 5-star recruits in FSU and Clemson. Losing those games were gut punches; going 0-3 might sink the season with respect to bowl eligibility.
Which means that it all comes down to Saturday. Need to win against a BC team decimated by injuries, at home, and get closer to the goal.
Then, we get a much needed bye week -- where the team can rest up, recuperate, hopefully get some guys back on the field who've been hindered by nagging injuries, and spend an extra week preparing for the next opponent. Louisville is good, but not unbeatable -- not given how we're playing now. Ditto NC State. Have to find a way to get another win from those last three games.
Moving forward, we seem to be positioned well. Hopefully, Tucker gets #44 -- that would generate a lot of enthusiasm amongst the fan base. And if we scrap our way to a bowl, we'll see a lot of momentum -- both on the recruiting trail as we finish up this class, but also with class of 2023 recruits. And the team itself will have a lot of excitement, coming back with Shrader / Tucker. And I'm also hearing that Lamson is impressing the coaching staff, so the long-term future looks bright beyond Shrader.
As long as we've got those Shrader / Tucker, we can play with just about anybody. Perhaps not the truly elite teams, but those two are going to give us a helluva advantage over peer programs. I can't see us not getting to 7 wins the next two seasons with them as the nucleus of the offense. Stringing together multiple bowl seasons would go a long way toward righting the ship, and getting the fans back on-board.
Dino still has flaws. Most coaches who haven't ascended to elite programs do. And some changes need to be made -- he needs someone to help him do better with game management, and we've got to get ST figured out. But much as how Dino was perceived as being lousy defensively and then bolstering the staff to get that sorted out, it will be incumbent on him to make those adjustments and improve the staff in both of those domains.
Not an insurmountable task.
But it all comes down to getting a win against BC on Saturday. If we do, then excitement continues to build. We're practically in November, and football is fun again. We have something to play for, and players that are exciting as hell to watch. Tucker is producing a record shattering season. A bowl this year is within reach.
