my two cents

[kcsu]

Game one is in the books and after watching it again here are my two cents.

I have been able to attend some practices this year and i knew that we had talent on O but was concerned about the D. Not from an overall talent standpoint but from a lack of cohesion. Lots of new faces and losing our leadership on both sides of the ball really showed in some of the stuff I saw but especially so on D. Tennesse was as bad an opening game as we could have had. Away, hostile crowd and a really good team that plays an aggressive D and a run the ball down your throat O. Tough match up is an understatement. Wish we could have started with UConn, but it is what it is.

Overall, I thought the kids played pretty well considering. The D has a long way to go and as I posted a few times LB is a weak spot for us. Combine that with a lack of a true pass rusher on the edge and we have some issues. Going forward we are going to have to take chances on D if we are to beat the better teams on the schedule.

I like how Steve and the O performed and combined with the fact that Nixon is our best coach we are going to score points. We have enough talent to play with every team we face but will need breaks in order to win against the elite the schedule. If we can stay healthy i see this being a 7 win team. Should be a good ride and the program is in very good shape going forward. Lots to be happy about I believe we put a beating on UConn as I don't think they can stop us.

Get out and support these guys as they are all really solid and Fran is the real deal. Last point. I don't know if E is a good coach but boy is he a good person. I'm pulling for him as I really like him and so do the kids.

Stay positive Rome wasn't built in a day.

Go Orange!!!

 

[upperdeck]

I dont know that they want to put the DBs on an island
They dont trust the Lbs
And they don't have a single DE that can win on the edge

That leads to vanilla D and hope they other team makes mistakes

Tenn QB made some bad throws, none hurt him. He fumbled just like we did but we didnt return it. He made a throw that got deflected all over and we didnt catch it.

We compounded issues with missed tackles .

Playing vanilla might win 5-6 games. But it won't beat the 3-4 better teams on our schedule.

We made all the key mistakes in the game and still could have been one score down late in 4th.

They need to build on that, and UConn is tough enough they better have their attention turned on,

 

[hoopsupstate]

Wildhack said in the preseason that in order to keep Fran, the fans need to show up. They better show up Saturday. It’s not Labor Day weekend and no State Fair!

 

[FrancoPizza]

Wildhack said in the preseason that in order to keep Fran, the fans need to show up. They better show up Saturday. It’s not Labor Day weekend and no State Fair!

Then Wildhack is delusional. The fans only show if we start winning consistently.

 

[Archimedes]

Get out and support these guys as they are all really solid and Fran is the real deal. Last point. I don't know if E is a good coach but boy is he a good person. I'm pulling for him as I really like him and so do the kids.

I know a guy on the A&M staff from when E-Rob was there and he said the exact same thing. The kids loved him. E-Rob did a lot to hold together the locker room the year Jimbo got canned. It's also fair to say that E-Rob's views on the importance of faith and DART are a 100% match with Fran. It's a bottom line business. I get it. His defense will either produce or it won't. But he brings a lot to the table.

 

[tbonezone]

Wildhack said in the preseason that in order to keep Fran, the fans need to show up.

you got it backwards. fran needs to show up to keep the fans. if you build it they will come. if you can't...well hang a shingle.

 

[kcsu]

Then Wildhack is delusional. The fans only show if we start winning consistently.

That's BS. Guy won 10 games last year. He deserves a packed house Saturday

 

[Goin' Deep]

I know a guy on the A&M staff from when E-Rob was there and he said the exact same thing. The kids loved him. E-Rob did a lot to hold together the locker room the year Jimbo got canned. It's also fair to say that E-Rob's views on the importance of faith and DART are a 100% match with Fran. It's a bottom line business. I get it. His defense will either produce or it won't. But he brings a lot to the table.

Respectfully, If we wanted a minister or counselor, we have the right man. We haven't seen a defensive coordinator as of yet...I want to, I hope we see one soon...

 

[JKinUtah]

I know a guy on the A&M staff from when E-Rob was there and he said the exact same thing. The kids loved him. E-Rob did a lot to hold together the locker room the year Jimbo got canned. It's also fair to say that E-Rob's views on the importance of faith and DART are a 100% match with Fran. It's a bottom line business. I get it. His defense will either produce or it won't. But he brings a lot to the table.

Bless his heart.

Is that how you do it?

 

[DoctorBombay]

That's BS. Guy won 10 games last year. He deserves a packed house Saturday

 

[FrancoPizza]

That's BS. Guy won 10 games last year. He deserves a packed house Saturday

what he deserves vs what he’ll get. We should have an uptick based on last season and history but it won’t be sustained if we have a 6-6 year.

 

[GoSU96]

Then Wildhack is delusional. The fans only show if we start winning consistently.

What do you call 10-3?

 

[hoopsupstate]

If you want to be able to pay Fran, you better fill the Dome in order to pay the man. I’m not sure why 10 wins wouldn’t represent winning to fans.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I think EROB stinks. People are talking about what the defense lost from last year when guess what the defense still stunk. Why would the defense be better this year?
I’m sure he’s a great guy but so were plenty of coaches that fan bases including this one wanted canned for 100 years. Not the way it works.

I’m not sure his defense can stop anyone, Saturday will tell us everything we need to know. I don’t want to hear about talent if this defense can’t hold UCONN in check. Not looking for anything crazy just competence versus an average team at best.

Other than Nixon, mora will also be the best coach from schematic outlook on the field

 

[IthacaBarrel]

As far as Fran, is what it is. I see a Marrone 2011/2012 type of scenario. teams wins 4-5 games this year and the fans sour on him. Fran wins 8-9 next year and looks for greener pastures. That’s the gig, don’t blame him one bit or the fans TBH

 

[FrancoPizza]

What do you call 10-3?

Consistent means more than one season. Each one of our 10 win seasons this century turned out to be a blip followed by significant regression. That’s just the facts.

 

[JimBoston]

Last year was a historic season with the addition of McCourt, a top P2 starting QB. That does not happen very often if at all. The issue Fran has is HS recruiting vs transfer portal. He is doing well with HS recruiting, but he needs to balance that with the transfer portal to fill immediate needs like LB. My expectations for this season is 5 or 6 wins due to the roster losses and the difficult schedule.

 

[Rufus_13th]

Then Wildhack is delusional. The fans only show if we start winning consistently.

3 Bowl games in a row coming off a 10 win season and a Top 20 Ranking. Ya'll better show up.

 

[kirbivore]

I think EROB stinks. People are talking about what the defense lost from last year when guess what the defense still stunk. Why would the defense be better this year?
I’m sure he’s a great guy but so were plenty of coaches that fan bases including this one wanted canned for 100 years. Not the way it works.

I’m not sure his defense can stop anyone, Saturday will tell us everything we need to know. I don’t want to hear about talent if this defense can’t hold UCONN in check. Not looking for anything crazy just competence versus an average team at best.

Other than Nixon, mora will also be the best coach from schematic outlook on the field

 

[FrancoPizza]

3 Bowl games in a row coming off a 10 win season and a Top 20 Ranking. Ya'll better show up.

Bowl games don’t mean much these days in the playoff era when half the players typically sit out. Just the way it is and how the average football fan views it.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Last year was a historic season with the addition of McCourt, a top P2 starting QB. That does not happen very often if at all. The issue Fran has is HS recruiting vs transfer portal. He is doing well with HS recruiting, but he needs to balance that with the transfer portal to fill immediate needs like LB. My expectations for this season is 5 or 6 wins due to the roster losses and the difficult schedule.

Many of us were screaming for portal help, and some were satisfied with the results. I wasn’t - particularly on the defensive side of the ball. I hope Fran isn’t thinking like Dabo when it comes to this. Or maybe he believes HS has to be where his bread is buttered because of our limited NIL support relative to the factory schools.

 

[Rufus_13th]

Bowl games don’t mean much these days in the playoff era when half the players typically sit out. Just the way it is and how the average football fan views it.

Ugh sigh...

Who sat out last year? And what about my 2nd part?

Look, you don't need to make up excuse after excuse. Just say you don't want to go. Or stop with them and buck up and support this squad that's giving so much back to the community.

 

[JRHEETER]

Many of us were screaming for portal help, and some were satisfied with the results. I wasn’t - particularly on the defensive side of the ball. I hope Fran isn’t thinking like Dabo when it comes to this. Or maybe he believes HS has to be where his bread is buttered because of our limited NIL support relative to the factory schools.

Dabo still has not really used the portal and his team looks pretty good.

This is a bridge year to 2026.

Yes, Fran wants to go out and win as much as possible. But if we are being realistic we need this season to fully develop his players.

He put the proof out in 2024 that he could win.

Now he is doing his job recruiting and building this team.

Lets see how this team progresses as the season goes on and our student athletes get more comfortable with playing D1 football on Saturdays.

 

[Nicknack]

Bowl games don’t mean much these days in the playoff era when half the players typically sit out. Just the way it is and how the average football fan views it.

Maybe, but they represent the kind of season you had. If we go to a bowl this year, that would signify that the team did a pretty good job navigating this tough schedule. I would be excited about that and would give me more hope that Fran is truly building something here that will be sustained.

 

[JRHEETER]

Bowl games don’t mean much these days in the playoff era when half the players typically sit out. Just the way it is and how the average football fan views it.

While this may be true. The bowl game still, from a finical stand point for the athletic department is significant.

It also generally comes with some great rewards for the student athletes. For example, last seasons Holiday Bowl was tough on the fans to get there, however, the rewards the student athlete got for being selected to the Holiday Bowl were significant. This certainly helps with recruiting.

It also is something you can hang in your rafters to show that you have had a line of success. Again, another great recruiting piece.

While it may not be significant for the fans and draw a ton of eye balls, there are a lot of other benefits for the student athletes. Including the ones who sit out.