Keep in mind that I'm still bitter about what BYU's team did to Chance Kretchmer and his knee - he could've been the greatest running back EVER... but no, somebody had to go and whack him in the side of the knee when he was well out of bounds. Great. He was from Nye County, too, which made him so much more intriguing to this former Pahrump resident.
So, BYU postpones the third game of our series twice. Then, we ask them repeatedly if we can postpone the game for 2008. Their response?
BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said the postponement puts the Cougars in a tight spot and that BYU might seek to recover damages from a breach of contract.
"We are disappointed to learn that Nevada, Reno has decided to drop BYU from its 2008 schedule," Holmoe said in a statement. "This puts us in a very difficult situation to find a comparable opponent for our season-opening game with such late notice."
Oh, you mean like the difficulties we had in 2003 and 2004? Personally, I'd be happy if we never played them again. Something tells me the only reason they're upset now is because our team is having a weak year; they're hoping that we'll be just as weak next year so they have a fighting chance of beating us. Well, too bad - we're going to get whipped by quality teams like Texas Tech and Missouri instead! Ha!
On an entirely unrelated note, just for the benefit of my Nebraska-rooted compatriot, they went with Bill Pulini. Looks like the Buffalo coach is still available.
Friday, November 30, 2007
I'm happy to do the RGJ's work for them.
So, let's see here... on November 7th, we pointed out that Nevada's been quite poor at second half adjustments this year. A few days ago, some people started posting links to our blog on the RGJ. Suddenly, they notice Nevada's poor second half adjustments:
But there is also firepower for those who are calling for a change. Coaching decisions have come into question, most notably the use of timeouts and play-calling in the final minutes of the Pack's 28-26 loss to Hawaii on Nov. 16. The Warriors kicked the game-winning, 45-yard field goal with 11 seconds to play.
Opponents have also apparently made better use of halftime. The Wolf Pack has outscored opponents, 194-167, in the first half, and has been outscored, 93-48, in the third quarter. Nevada has lost two games (to Northwestern and San Jose State) in which it led by 14 points at halftime.
I'm happy we could be of assistance. If the RGJ suddenly puts up a public poll asking if Ault should be fired, that'll settle it - we're giving them material!
Okay, in all seriousness, it's not like we don't respond to the RGJ from time to time, and that article that mentioned poor second half adjustments was really about Groth publicly saying that Ault wasn't going to get fired. The question, of course, has to do with her motivation - did she do it to publicly reassure Ault that he was going to go out on his own terms, or did she do it as a backhanded way of warning Ault that it's okay to blow a season once in a while but she's ultimately in control of his job? Time will tell.
But there is also firepower for those who are calling for a change. Coaching decisions have come into question, most notably the use of timeouts and play-calling in the final minutes of the Pack's 28-26 loss to Hawaii on Nov. 16. The Warriors kicked the game-winning, 45-yard field goal with 11 seconds to play.
Opponents have also apparently made better use of halftime. The Wolf Pack has outscored opponents, 194-167, in the first half, and has been outscored, 93-48, in the third quarter. Nevada has lost two games (to Northwestern and San Jose State) in which it led by 14 points at halftime.
I'm happy we could be of assistance. If the RGJ suddenly puts up a public poll asking if Ault should be fired, that'll settle it - we're giving them material!
Okay, in all seriousness, it's not like we don't respond to the RGJ from time to time, and that article that mentioned poor second half adjustments was really about Groth publicly saying that Ault wasn't going to get fired. The question, of course, has to do with her motivation - did she do it to publicly reassure Ault that he was going to go out on his own terms, or did she do it as a backhanded way of warning Ault that it's okay to blow a season once in a while but she's ultimately in control of his job? Time will tell.
To the Contrary
On November 29, 2007 8:41 PM, Bill Tomany said...
Fireing Chris Ault is not the answer. The program needs more money and more good players to compete.
I would like to see what Ault would do with this year's Boise team, if for no other reason than scientific comparison. Ditto with this year's Utah St. team.
When it comes to players and money...the players we get are a reflection on the types of kids that our coaching staff are trying to get with regards to the kids we are actually able to attract. It does come down to the coaches on that one.
Money? We've hit on this a couple of times: winning brings in people...winning consistently brings in more people. Less winning, less people. People=dollars. It's capitalism at its finest and purest! Better product leads to more people which leads to more money which leads to better product still...at least in theory. We could at least get a stadium at some point which doesn't look like it was assembled out of the remains of the Graf Zeppelin.
GO PACK!!!
GO LANCERS!!! BEAT GORMAN!!!
Fireing Chris Ault is not the answer. The program needs more money and more good players to compete.
I would like to see what Ault would do with this year's Boise team, if for no other reason than scientific comparison. Ditto with this year's Utah St. team.
When it comes to players and money...the players we get are a reflection on the types of kids that our coaching staff are trying to get with regards to the kids we are actually able to attract. It does come down to the coaches on that one.
Money? We've hit on this a couple of times: winning brings in people...winning consistently brings in more people. Less winning, less people. People=dollars. It's capitalism at its finest and purest! Better product leads to more people which leads to more money which leads to better product still...at least in theory. We could at least get a stadium at some point which doesn't look like it was assembled out of the remains of the Graf Zeppelin.
GO PACK!!!
GO LANCERS!!! BEAT GORMAN!!!
Regards from Elko!!!
On November 29, 2007, 11:10 PM Elko Pack Fan said...
Groth and Ault need to be fired now. Both are keeping NV from the next level in football. There is a large fan base that is just fed up with seeing the same mistakes year after year cost us important games. Ault has been completely outcoached. I challenge the RGJ to run a web based poll for reader to vote on it. Something needs to happen before Kap decides to transfer to a school whose coach would know how to use him. GO PACK, FIRE AULT!
I have some very strong personal feeling about some of the things that Groth is doing, which I will save for later. Some of it is very good...some of it I find to be deplorable in the worst way.
I like +.500 seasons, they are, well, a "plus." But d'ya know what I'd really like? 11-1 or 12-0, that's what I'd like and it has been proven that it is, in fact, possible, even in the wild, wild WAC (wiggy wiggy scratch yo yo bang bang)!!!
I wish the fan base was a bit larger, but it can grow. Hey, there has even been a pronounced difference under Ault; what would game days be like if we weren't 2-3 to start the year?
A reader-based poll? I love democracy! That's a really good idea. If I can figure out how to put one on here then I will...leave it open for a week or so and see how things come out. But, seeings as how it may come our a bit biased I would love to encourage the RG-J to do exactly that...after the La Tech game, after bowl selection, or after any bowl where we may happen to land.
If repetition means sincerity, then let me reiterate: if for no other reason than let the will of the Pack nation speak and the democratic process be envoked, the RG-J should post an online, reader-based poll in this matter. At the very least, why not?
GO PACK!!!
Groth and Ault need to be fired now. Both are keeping NV from the next level in football. There is a large fan base that is just fed up with seeing the same mistakes year after year cost us important games. Ault has been completely outcoached. I challenge the RGJ to run a web based poll for reader to vote on it. Something needs to happen before Kap decides to transfer to a school whose coach would know how to use him. GO PACK, FIRE AULT!
I have some very strong personal feeling about some of the things that Groth is doing, which I will save for later. Some of it is very good...some of it I find to be deplorable in the worst way.
I like +.500 seasons, they are, well, a "plus." But d'ya know what I'd really like? 11-1 or 12-0, that's what I'd like and it has been proven that it is, in fact, possible, even in the wild, wild WAC (wiggy wiggy scratch yo yo bang bang)!!!
I wish the fan base was a bit larger, but it can grow. Hey, there has even been a pronounced difference under Ault; what would game days be like if we weren't 2-3 to start the year?
A reader-based poll? I love democracy! That's a really good idea. If I can figure out how to put one on here then I will...leave it open for a week or so and see how things come out. But, seeings as how it may come our a bit biased I would love to encourage the RG-J to do exactly that...after the La Tech game, after bowl selection, or after any bowl where we may happen to land.
If repetition means sincerity, then let me reiterate: if for no other reason than let the will of the Pack nation speak and the democratic process be envoked, the RG-J should post an online, reader-based poll in this matter. At the very least, why not?
GO PACK!!!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
RGJ Article Regarding Groth Regarding Ault
I'm going to say one thing first, and that thing is this: go McQueen!!! Not only is it the North school, and not only is it my H.S. Alma Mater, but the Daltons are really great people and from my personal experiences Ken Dalton is a great person and I wish him nothing but the best.
Okay, this should be fun; I have more windows open right now than I think I can control with my eerie mouse powers, but I'll give it a shot.
I'll admit that I use Nebraska a LOT in my posts, and with good cause: since my dear mother hails from Fremont and I still have more family back there than I can ever keep in Correspondence, I was what you may call an honorary member of the Husker nation. The Husker nation does not tolerate failure. In fact, even after two reasonably successful seasons, when my co-blogger and I traveled out for the Sept. 1 game (a whole BAG of anecdotes from that drive for a later blog...yes, we DROVE to NEBRASKA for the WEEKEND!!!), several of the very loyal and almost disturbingly courteous locals would shiver or even grimace at the mention of Callahan's name. One even said to me: "Oh, we don't talk about him." But for the sake of I-at-least-remember-this-much, let's revert back to a period I like to call...THE SOLICH YEARS...
(I will mention here that Nebraska fans can afford to be so courteous and amiable because they've been winners on a cosmic scale longer than most readers of this site have been alive, but they do pull it off to a bit of a fault.)
Well, old Frank had it pretty rough; after 2.5 national championships the Great and Vaulted Tom Osborne retired and left the team in the capable hands of our hero in this story, so to speak. His first year at the helm yielded a 9-4 overall record for a second place finish in the Big XII North (or Big 8 as my dear mother insists on referring to this very day, associated with interjections of: "Those darned Texas teams, forcing themselves in," and the like [and yes, she says "darned]), with losses as follows: @ Texas A&M, 28-21; @ Texas 20-16; @ Kansas St. 40-30; and vs. Arizona in the Holiday Bowl 23-20. They finished 19th in the AP poll and 20th in the ESPN/USA Today. It was a marginal step backward, but being out of the top 10 meant people were out for blood from the outset.
Here, http://www.huskers.com/pdf6/40266.pdf?ATCLID=2722&SPSID=8&SPID=22&DB_OEM_ID=100. This page will give you the specifics for reference for the scores of the wins.
He was given 6 years; in that time period he had one non-winning season, 7-7 in 2002, finished 4th in the North, yet still made a bowl game...losing 27-23 to Mississippi. That made a number in the Husker nation pretty mad (they dropped out of the Top 25 for the first time since the Third Kingdom in Egypt, I think). Next season: 9-3 and headed to a bowl matchup with Michigan St., but he was canned prior to that game (for the record: Bo Polini went on to lead them to a 17-3 win). Then again, they did lose bad to Texas, bad to Kansas St., and bad at Missouri for the first time since...well, a really long time).
He was damned from the start; sure, politics and a brand new AD didn't help his situation, but he was still compared to Osborne when he was definately NOT Osborne. He didn't even act like Osborne! It's a lot like Bush I getting elected at a time when people were expecting Reagan II, but G. H. W. was just not Reagan and 1992 proved that. Sure, people said the exact same thing when Osborne took over for Devaney and were likewise out for his blood, and that Osborne was cursed with that whole "He can't win the big one" hex until 1994, but that didn't matter now, they lost at Missouri, after all.
So the moral of this story is thus: the Husker Nation does not tolerate mediocrity. Salieri's corpse wouldn't even hit Iowa before the Husker Nation would fill the airwaves with rants. Nebraska has had a successful program. At what point do we stand up and say these same things?
From Dan Hinxman: the Pack is 27-21 since Ault returned in '04. 6 games over .500. Not exactly spectacular numbers here. I would like to think that we would expect better, demand better, and enforce better.
Ault has earned his due, make no mistake. I would like to see a change in the guard, as it were, to see us legitimately challenge the top of the WAC, and I would like to see a drastic reduction in the level of embarassment in our 1st games (next season does not count*).
*For the record, I lied a bit: I seemed to remember our playing Fla. St. in the first game, but it would appear that we open at home vs. Grambling, followed by a home game vs. Missouri.
GO PACK!!!
GO LANCERS!!!
Okay, this should be fun; I have more windows open right now than I think I can control with my eerie mouse powers, but I'll give it a shot.
I'll admit that I use Nebraska a LOT in my posts, and with good cause: since my dear mother hails from Fremont and I still have more family back there than I can ever keep in Correspondence, I was what you may call an honorary member of the Husker nation. The Husker nation does not tolerate failure. In fact, even after two reasonably successful seasons, when my co-blogger and I traveled out for the Sept. 1 game (a whole BAG of anecdotes from that drive for a later blog...yes, we DROVE to NEBRASKA for the WEEKEND!!!), several of the very loyal and almost disturbingly courteous locals would shiver or even grimace at the mention of Callahan's name. One even said to me: "Oh, we don't talk about him." But for the sake of I-at-least-remember-this-much, let's revert back to a period I like to call...THE SOLICH YEARS...
(I will mention here that Nebraska fans can afford to be so courteous and amiable because they've been winners on a cosmic scale longer than most readers of this site have been alive, but they do pull it off to a bit of a fault.)
Well, old Frank had it pretty rough; after 2.5 national championships the Great and Vaulted Tom Osborne retired and left the team in the capable hands of our hero in this story, so to speak. His first year at the helm yielded a 9-4 overall record for a second place finish in the Big XII North (or Big 8 as my dear mother insists on referring to this very day, associated with interjections of: "Those darned Texas teams, forcing themselves in," and the like [and yes, she says "darned]), with losses as follows: @ Texas A&M, 28-21; @ Texas 20-16; @ Kansas St. 40-30; and vs. Arizona in the Holiday Bowl 23-20. They finished 19th in the AP poll and 20th in the ESPN/USA Today. It was a marginal step backward, but being out of the top 10 meant people were out for blood from the outset.
Here, http://www.huskers.com/pdf6/40266.pdf?ATCLID=2722&SPSID=8&SPID=22&DB_OEM_ID=100. This page will give you the specifics for reference for the scores of the wins.
He was given 6 years; in that time period he had one non-winning season, 7-7 in 2002, finished 4th in the North, yet still made a bowl game...losing 27-23 to Mississippi. That made a number in the Husker nation pretty mad (they dropped out of the Top 25 for the first time since the Third Kingdom in Egypt, I think). Next season: 9-3 and headed to a bowl matchup with Michigan St., but he was canned prior to that game (for the record: Bo Polini went on to lead them to a 17-3 win). Then again, they did lose bad to Texas, bad to Kansas St., and bad at Missouri for the first time since...well, a really long time).
He was damned from the start; sure, politics and a brand new AD didn't help his situation, but he was still compared to Osborne when he was definately NOT Osborne. He didn't even act like Osborne! It's a lot like Bush I getting elected at a time when people were expecting Reagan II, but G. H. W. was just not Reagan and 1992 proved that. Sure, people said the exact same thing when Osborne took over for Devaney and were likewise out for his blood, and that Osborne was cursed with that whole "He can't win the big one" hex until 1994, but that didn't matter now, they lost at Missouri, after all.
So the moral of this story is thus: the Husker Nation does not tolerate mediocrity. Salieri's corpse wouldn't even hit Iowa before the Husker Nation would fill the airwaves with rants. Nebraska has had a successful program. At what point do we stand up and say these same things?
From Dan Hinxman: the Pack is 27-21 since Ault returned in '04. 6 games over .500. Not exactly spectacular numbers here. I would like to think that we would expect better, demand better, and enforce better.
Ault has earned his due, make no mistake. I would like to see a change in the guard, as it were, to see us legitimately challenge the top of the WAC, and I would like to see a drastic reduction in the level of embarassment in our 1st games (next season does not count*).
*For the record, I lied a bit: I seemed to remember our playing Fla. St. in the first game, but it would appear that we open at home vs. Grambling, followed by a home game vs. Missouri.
GO PACK!!!
GO LANCERS!!!
Some Casual Q & A with FCA dot ORG
a former let 2jv said...
It appears that Chan Gailey is also available now too. Why not the former offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys?I think the attitude of the AD at Nevada needs to change, in order to change the tradition. First, why only allow tailgating a couple of hours before the game? Why not all morining? Second, get rid of the track already-- move it to the practice fields. Third, and this goes more towards the facilities at Nevada in general, spectators should enter the stands at the top, and work towards the bottom as the ticket-prices/seat-locations improve.My 3-cents. Keep up the good work~
Thank you very much for your kind words!
To be honest we are always out tailgating 4-5 hours before kickoff, even for the afternoon games.
The track is really in lousy condition and I'm not sure that it's even used anymore except casually.
Since Mackay, for all its charm, is designed as more of a glorified high school stadium there's really no way around the current setup. I've been a proponent of building a new stadium off the freeway on Wells where there's ample room for parking and facility AND it advertises itself AAANNNDDD has much easier access without causing the "charming" traffic debacles we have now. But we need the cash to do that and haven't we determined that there are better ways to spend that dinheiro?
I think a LOT of Groth's attitude needs to change; she's making some real strides in reducing the level of overall beligerence, but is sacrificing a LOT of what unique traditions we have developed, and I don't mean "The Ref Beats His Wife" chant. First and foremost they (athletics) are tinkering around with the marching band far more than they should be allowed, but that's a story for another day.
I'll have a blog on the Groth article in the RG-J later this eveing.
Thanks again!!!
It appears that Chan Gailey is also available now too. Why not the former offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys?I think the attitude of the AD at Nevada needs to change, in order to change the tradition. First, why only allow tailgating a couple of hours before the game? Why not all morining? Second, get rid of the track already-- move it to the practice fields. Third, and this goes more towards the facilities at Nevada in general, spectators should enter the stands at the top, and work towards the bottom as the ticket-prices/seat-locations improve.My 3-cents. Keep up the good work~
Thank you very much for your kind words!
To be honest we are always out tailgating 4-5 hours before kickoff, even for the afternoon games.
The track is really in lousy condition and I'm not sure that it's even used anymore except casually.
Since Mackay, for all its charm, is designed as more of a glorified high school stadium there's really no way around the current setup. I've been a proponent of building a new stadium off the freeway on Wells where there's ample room for parking and facility AND it advertises itself AAANNNDDD has much easier access without causing the "charming" traffic debacles we have now. But we need the cash to do that and haven't we determined that there are better ways to spend that dinheiro?
I think a LOT of Groth's attitude needs to change; she's making some real strides in reducing the level of overall beligerence, but is sacrificing a LOT of what unique traditions we have developed, and I don't mean "The Ref Beats His Wife" chant. First and foremost they (athletics) are tinkering around with the marching band far more than they should be allowed, but that's a story for another day.
I'll have a blog on the Groth article in the RG-J later this eveing.
Thanks again!!!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
What are our options?
Found this article on ESPN.com about the Nebraska coaching job. Take a look at the options that people think they're seriously looking at:
"Sources told ESPN.com's Pat Forde on Wednesday that Nebraska has narrowed its search to two candidates: Turner Gill, head coach at Buffalo, and Bo Pelini, the defensive coordinator at LSU."
Bo Pelini's pedigree is obvious - LSU's defense is pretty good. Buffalo, meanwhile, is traditionally abysmally bad; their best season before this year (5-7, 5-3 MAC) was in 1996, when they were still in I-AA (they went 8-3 that year). Even by I-AA standards, however, they've always been pretty bad, so to actually win any games out there is quite incredible.
Here's the thing:
If I said, "Hey, we're going to replace a Hall of Fame coach with either the defensive coordinator of LSU or the University of Buffalo's head coach," what are you going to say?
Ault may be losing his touch, and it's certainly time for retirement, but I don't think he's going anywhere without his consent...
"Sources told ESPN.com's Pat Forde on Wednesday that Nebraska has narrowed its search to two candidates: Turner Gill, head coach at Buffalo, and Bo Pelini, the defensive coordinator at LSU."
Bo Pelini's pedigree is obvious - LSU's defense is pretty good. Buffalo, meanwhile, is traditionally abysmally bad; their best season before this year (5-7, 5-3 MAC) was in 1996, when they were still in I-AA (they went 8-3 that year). Even by I-AA standards, however, they've always been pretty bad, so to actually win any games out there is quite incredible.
Here's the thing:
If I said, "Hey, we're going to replace a Hall of Fame coach with either the defensive coordinator of LSU or the University of Buffalo's head coach," what are you going to say?
Ault may be losing his touch, and it's certainly time for retirement, but I don't think he's going anywhere without his consent...
Quick SJSU Note
I also can't find details per se on the SJSU game, but one thing that sticks out to me were the personal fouls; I know we had at LEAST two, and I remember the last one quite vividly: SJSU was just about at the very edge of their kicker's range and Paul Pratt forced the ball carrier out of bounds shy of the first down...and wrentched his facemask. Not only was it late in the game, but it was a stupid mistake that late with the game on the line. Pratt made at least one great defensive play that game, but he made far more dumb mistakes.
I, too, feel that this is represents a lack in discipline and is a reflection on coaching. I can see something like that happening with a young player in the first game, somewhat, but in game 11 it is unconscionable.
I, too, feel that this is represents a lack in discipline and is a reflection on coaching. I can see something like that happening with a young player in the first game, somewhat, but in game 11 it is unconscionable.
Second Stat: Penalties
As good ol' Dan Hinxman of the RGJ has already noted, our football team has been suffering from some bad penalties. As a season wears on, penalties usually go down - not to zero, mind you, but to a nice, low number. One item mentioned by Dan is that Nevada's team under Ault has been traditionally quite disciplined. To quote:
"It has shown an uncanny knack for poorly timed mistakes and penalties, at times an uncharacteristic lack of discipline (usually a strength of Chris Ault-coached teams) and, not surprisingly, a penchant for wildly inconsistent play."
I found that statement interesting, so that's my statistic for today.
Interestingly, the results are somewhat mixed. In 2006, Nevada was tied for 109th in "most penalties received" with 55. In 2005, we were tied for 71st with 73, still well below half of the rest of Div I-A. In 2004, his first year, we were tied for 19th with 92, which was worse than 2003, in which we were tied for 48th with 86. This year, we're tied for 44th with 78, meaning that we're on pace for slightly fewer penalties than we received in 2003. Remember that, in this instance, you want to be in last place in this category - the fewer penalties you suffer, the better.
So, a quick perusal of the numbers reveals that some of Ault's teams have been disciplined, and that, as Ault has coached over the years, his teams do get more disciplined... up until this year.
Let's take a closer look at this year. If Ault's players are listening to him, following his coaching, then penalties should go down as the year progresses. Are they? Let's find out. This, of course, calls for more box score hunting.
Sep 1st, @ NEB
12 penalties, 86 yards
Sep 8th, @ NW
7 penalties, 60 yards
Sep 15th, Nicholls State
11 penalties, 94 yards
Sep 29th, UNLV
4 penalties, 40 yards
NOTE: This is the first game this season that we receive fewer penalties than our opponent.
Oct 6th, FRES
7 penalties, 65 yards
Oct 14th, @BSU
5 penalties, 25 yards
Oct 20th, @USU
4 penalties, 23 yards
Oct 27th, ID
8 penalties, 66 yards
Nov 2nd, @NMSU
10 penalties, 83 yards
Nov 16th, Hawaii
2 penalties, 7 yards
(Seriously, that's what ESPN's box score is reporting. I don't believe it, either.)
ESPN has no box score for the San Jose State game, so we'll leave that alone. Besides, leaving this on the Hawaii game makes it a little more compelling - our team was disciplined, it was poised, it fought hard, it played well... and it still lost, all because Ault doesn't know how to grind out a clock.
Don't worry, I'm not bitter about that. Really, I'm not. *grin*
So, what can we conclude by looking at the numbers? Ultimately, not much - there's no clear progression that penalties are decreasing. If they are, it's not by much. The Idaho and New Mexico State games were huge steps backwards on that front.
I'll admit, the evidence here is not as damning as I thought it would be when I started this post. However, it's still not great for him, either - this team's discipline has been all over the map, and Ault clearly went through an adjustment year when he came back. The lone bit of good news is that, as young players go through his program and his teams become more senior-laden, penalties go down to where they belong... which makes sense. Motivation and discipline are his strengths. He's just a lousy game day tactician. However, it would seem that, at least this year, his ability to maintain discipline is slipping, in much the same way that his game-day tactical decisions are slipping.
Coincidence? I think not...
"It has shown an uncanny knack for poorly timed mistakes and penalties, at times an uncharacteristic lack of discipline (usually a strength of Chris Ault-coached teams) and, not surprisingly, a penchant for wildly inconsistent play."
I found that statement interesting, so that's my statistic for today.
Interestingly, the results are somewhat mixed. In 2006, Nevada was tied for 109th in "most penalties received" with 55. In 2005, we were tied for 71st with 73, still well below half of the rest of Div I-A. In 2004, his first year, we were tied for 19th with 92, which was worse than 2003, in which we were tied for 48th with 86. This year, we're tied for 44th with 78, meaning that we're on pace for slightly fewer penalties than we received in 2003. Remember that, in this instance, you want to be in last place in this category - the fewer penalties you suffer, the better.
So, a quick perusal of the numbers reveals that some of Ault's teams have been disciplined, and that, as Ault has coached over the years, his teams do get more disciplined... up until this year.
Let's take a closer look at this year. If Ault's players are listening to him, following his coaching, then penalties should go down as the year progresses. Are they? Let's find out. This, of course, calls for more box score hunting.
Sep 1st, @ NEB
12 penalties, 86 yards
Sep 8th, @ NW
7 penalties, 60 yards
Sep 15th, Nicholls State
11 penalties, 94 yards
Sep 29th, UNLV
4 penalties, 40 yards
NOTE: This is the first game this season that we receive fewer penalties than our opponent.
Oct 6th, FRES
7 penalties, 65 yards
Oct 14th, @BSU
5 penalties, 25 yards
Oct 20th, @USU
4 penalties, 23 yards
Oct 27th, ID
8 penalties, 66 yards
Nov 2nd, @NMSU
10 penalties, 83 yards
Nov 16th, Hawaii
2 penalties, 7 yards
(Seriously, that's what ESPN's box score is reporting. I don't believe it, either.)
ESPN has no box score for the San Jose State game, so we'll leave that alone. Besides, leaving this on the Hawaii game makes it a little more compelling - our team was disciplined, it was poised, it fought hard, it played well... and it still lost, all because Ault doesn't know how to grind out a clock.
Don't worry, I'm not bitter about that. Really, I'm not. *grin*
So, what can we conclude by looking at the numbers? Ultimately, not much - there's no clear progression that penalties are decreasing. If they are, it's not by much. The Idaho and New Mexico State games were huge steps backwards on that front.
I'll admit, the evidence here is not as damning as I thought it would be when I started this post. However, it's still not great for him, either - this team's discipline has been all over the map, and Ault clearly went through an adjustment year when he came back. The lone bit of good news is that, as young players go through his program and his teams become more senior-laden, penalties go down to where they belong... which makes sense. Motivation and discipline are his strengths. He's just a lousy game day tactician. However, it would seem that, at least this year, his ability to maintain discipline is slipping, in much the same way that his game-day tactical decisions are slipping.
Coincidence? I think not...
The Successor Is... (cont.)
This is my reply to my compatriot's two posts on the subject, as well as to the comments we're starting to get here:
First, I'd like to thank everyone for showing up. It's great to know that people are finding us! That's awesome. Please feel free to comment anytime you'd like.
Second, Nevada is a program with some pretty serious limitations compared to a lot of places in the country. As my compatriot pointed out, Ault is considered "overpaid" by some in Reno, even though he's one of the cheapest coaches in the country. Our stadium only seated over 30,000 on paper. To put these numbers in perspective, let's compare our facilities, straight numbers, against the Pac-10:
FOOTBALL STADIUMS
Arizona Stadium - University of Arizona, capacity 56,000
Autzen Stadium - University of Oregon, capacity 54,000
Husky Stadium - University of Washington, capacity 72,500
Los Angeles Coliseum - University of Southern California, capacity 92,000
Martin Stadium - Washington State University, capacity 35,117
Memorial Stadium - University of California, capacity 75,662
Reser Stadium - Oregon State University, capacity 46,200
Rose Bowl - UCLA, capacity 91,136
Stanford Stadium - Stanford University, capacity 50,000
Sun Devil Stadium - Arizona State University, capacity 73,000
Now, where does our Mackay Stadium fit with this crowd? It doesn't. Our top capacity is "officially" 32,000, and, now that we're counting tickets correctly, it's much more likely that our stadium tops out in the 25,000-27,500 range. The good news in all of this is that our fellow WAC members don't have much bigger stadiums. Bronco Stadium tops out at 30,000, though there's a planned expansion to 50,000 in the works. Fresno State's Bulldog Stadium currently seats 41,000. Aloha Stadium and its 50,000 seats is just depressing, but one must remember that the UH is the only game in town out there.
Okay, so our stadium seats fewer people. So what? Well, simply put, more seats means more butts that can sit in those seats, which means more money. Unfortunately, our football team has not been drawing consistently enough for the athletic department to consider another expansion, which is understandable - when the team isn't very good, people aren't going to show up. Unlike Nebraska, we don't have 40+ years of nationally renown tradition to generate decades of sellouts. We're a small school that had some good fortune in I-AA, something which few outside of the area are even aware of, or, for that matter, care about. Worse yet, it's been at least a decade since the I-AA days, and though the football program is trending in the right direction, it's taking a long time to get there.
This brings me to why, if we get a "big name" coach, it's going to have to be someone with a severely damaged reputation. What this means is that we're not going to get Houston Nutt - Arkansas may have been stupid enough to let him go, but it doesn't mean he's going to show up here. Chances are, if we get a "big name", it'd be someone like Franchione... and, based on that guy's highly opportunistic history, I think we can do without him. He seems to have a little too much Dennis Erickson in him for my taste.
What's much more likely is that, when Ault is replaced, his replacement will come from one of three places:
1. A promising assistant coach from a larger program looking to get established. Tormey fit this mold, and, though he wasn't a great coach, he wasn't a terrible one. The problem with this type is that they tend to be young and ambitious, meaning they lack experience and, if they're remotely promising, they'll move on up to the next challenge. Still, if they are good, and they stick around for a few years, they can turn a program around.
2. A promising assistant coach from within the program. Tisdel and Horton fit this mold. History has shown this is probably not the way to go.
3. An older coach looking for a nice place to retire that's quiet and low pressure. San Jose State's Dick Tomey would fit in this role, as would June Jones. Frankly, we could do worse. They tend to have a little more lasting power than the type 1's, though their time is limited due to various biological concerns.
In light of Nevada's history with promoting from its own ranks, and since our program under the latest incarnation of Ault has not been good enough to avoid rocking the boat, I suspect we're much more likely to go with a type 1. After all, going with another old face won't seem like enough of a departure from where we're currently at, and Groth seems to know how to keep young talent around (see Mark Fox).
First, I'd like to thank everyone for showing up. It's great to know that people are finding us! That's awesome. Please feel free to comment anytime you'd like.
Second, Nevada is a program with some pretty serious limitations compared to a lot of places in the country. As my compatriot pointed out, Ault is considered "overpaid" by some in Reno, even though he's one of the cheapest coaches in the country. Our stadium only seated over 30,000 on paper. To put these numbers in perspective, let's compare our facilities, straight numbers, against the Pac-10:
FOOTBALL STADIUMS
Arizona Stadium - University of Arizona, capacity 56,000
Autzen Stadium - University of Oregon, capacity 54,000
Husky Stadium - University of Washington, capacity 72,500
Los Angeles Coliseum - University of Southern California, capacity 92,000
Martin Stadium - Washington State University, capacity 35,117
Memorial Stadium - University of California, capacity 75,662
Reser Stadium - Oregon State University, capacity 46,200
Rose Bowl - UCLA, capacity 91,136
Stanford Stadium - Stanford University, capacity 50,000
Sun Devil Stadium - Arizona State University, capacity 73,000
Now, where does our Mackay Stadium fit with this crowd? It doesn't. Our top capacity is "officially" 32,000, and, now that we're counting tickets correctly, it's much more likely that our stadium tops out in the 25,000-27,500 range. The good news in all of this is that our fellow WAC members don't have much bigger stadiums. Bronco Stadium tops out at 30,000, though there's a planned expansion to 50,000 in the works. Fresno State's Bulldog Stadium currently seats 41,000. Aloha Stadium and its 50,000 seats is just depressing, but one must remember that the UH is the only game in town out there.
Okay, so our stadium seats fewer people. So what? Well, simply put, more seats means more butts that can sit in those seats, which means more money. Unfortunately, our football team has not been drawing consistently enough for the athletic department to consider another expansion, which is understandable - when the team isn't very good, people aren't going to show up. Unlike Nebraska, we don't have 40+ years of nationally renown tradition to generate decades of sellouts. We're a small school that had some good fortune in I-AA, something which few outside of the area are even aware of, or, for that matter, care about. Worse yet, it's been at least a decade since the I-AA days, and though the football program is trending in the right direction, it's taking a long time to get there.
This brings me to why, if we get a "big name" coach, it's going to have to be someone with a severely damaged reputation. What this means is that we're not going to get Houston Nutt - Arkansas may have been stupid enough to let him go, but it doesn't mean he's going to show up here. Chances are, if we get a "big name", it'd be someone like Franchione... and, based on that guy's highly opportunistic history, I think we can do without him. He seems to have a little too much Dennis Erickson in him for my taste.
What's much more likely is that, when Ault is replaced, his replacement will come from one of three places:
1. A promising assistant coach from a larger program looking to get established. Tormey fit this mold, and, though he wasn't a great coach, he wasn't a terrible one. The problem with this type is that they tend to be young and ambitious, meaning they lack experience and, if they're remotely promising, they'll move on up to the next challenge. Still, if they are good, and they stick around for a few years, they can turn a program around.
2. A promising assistant coach from within the program. Tisdel and Horton fit this mold. History has shown this is probably not the way to go.
3. An older coach looking for a nice place to retire that's quiet and low pressure. San Jose State's Dick Tomey would fit in this role, as would June Jones. Frankly, we could do worse. They tend to have a little more lasting power than the type 1's, though their time is limited due to various biological concerns.
In light of Nevada's history with promoting from its own ranks, and since our program under the latest incarnation of Ault has not been good enough to avoid rocking the boat, I suspect we're much more likely to go with a type 1. After all, going with another old face won't seem like enough of a departure from where we're currently at, and Groth seems to know how to keep young talent around (see Mark Fox).
On November 28, 2007 8:58 AM "a former elt 2jv"asked...
I seem to recall that when Chris Ault fired Tormey, that Steve Spurier was also available. What about Bill Callahan?
I'll be honest, I'm personally biased against Callahan. My mother's family is from Nebraska so I grew up with the Huskers as my second favorite team. I'm also not too big on the Raiders (forgive me). From what I've seen of him...he can make some adjustments, but I'm not sure how well he leads teams. Considering what's been happening in Oakland I'll give him the benefit of the doubt there since I'm pretty sure that the higherups in that organization have something to do with it. But at Nebraska, he's got some splendid athletes on that team but my gut tells me that he's not a terribly good motivator. Not to mention his demeanor through his tenure there has been less than cordial. Nebraska bases a LOT on their tradition, right from the top of the school down to the general admission gamers, and snubbing that the way he has takes away a huge part of the motivating factor at a school like that. I hate to say it, but that could be a plus here where the traditions aren't as set in stone and aren't treated as a religion by more than a few hundred fans. There is a chance that he could do some good things here, but does Nevada have the kind of dough to snag him? And again, I'm not a big personal fan of the guy, but that's my problem not the school's.
I have a feeling that the Pack can't offer a guy like Steve Spurier enough to even consider the job. For the kind of money he's used to getting I'm not sure if we could even get him here to do a clinic.
I said in a previous post that we have some good donors, but when you look in the stands in a mid-season game against Idaho and we are barely able to clear a 5-digit attendance, well, it shows that there's just not a great amount of passion in the community at large and that translates into dollars. With the basketball team's success, too, what "at large" support there is tends to go in that direction. I suppose that's not a fair comarison, come to think about it: if we had a 30K seat basketball arena, would we still bring in more than 12-13K for bigger games? It's unfortunate, and I bet that if we were to cough up the cash to get a "name" coach it would probably pay dividends, but that requries a TON of capital.
http://www.dopke.com/Archives_Pages/Coaching_Changes/DIACoachesComp2006.htm
Here's a webpage what gives 101 of the D-1A head coaches salaries. Ault ranks 81st. Chris Petersen at Boise St. makes $640K and is ranked 63rd as a second year coach overall. Boise has passionate fans and they put what they can into the coffers. Even Mike Sanford at UNLV is 74th at $435K. Considering that Ault came into the third stint with a raise over what Tormey was making and has been bumped since then, it tells me that we just aren't able to put the money into it that even Baylor can (Guy Morriss, #34, $1,144,236).
So I guess my point is: I wish we could go pie-in-the-sky over the next guy, but it ain't gonna happen.
GO PACK, BEAT CAL!!!
I seem to recall that when Chris Ault fired Tormey, that Steve Spurier was also available. What about Bill Callahan?
I'll be honest, I'm personally biased against Callahan. My mother's family is from Nebraska so I grew up with the Huskers as my second favorite team. I'm also not too big on the Raiders (forgive me). From what I've seen of him...he can make some adjustments, but I'm not sure how well he leads teams. Considering what's been happening in Oakland I'll give him the benefit of the doubt there since I'm pretty sure that the higherups in that organization have something to do with it. But at Nebraska, he's got some splendid athletes on that team but my gut tells me that he's not a terribly good motivator. Not to mention his demeanor through his tenure there has been less than cordial. Nebraska bases a LOT on their tradition, right from the top of the school down to the general admission gamers, and snubbing that the way he has takes away a huge part of the motivating factor at a school like that. I hate to say it, but that could be a plus here where the traditions aren't as set in stone and aren't treated as a religion by more than a few hundred fans. There is a chance that he could do some good things here, but does Nevada have the kind of dough to snag him? And again, I'm not a big personal fan of the guy, but that's my problem not the school's.
I have a feeling that the Pack can't offer a guy like Steve Spurier enough to even consider the job. For the kind of money he's used to getting I'm not sure if we could even get him here to do a clinic.
I said in a previous post that we have some good donors, but when you look in the stands in a mid-season game against Idaho and we are barely able to clear a 5-digit attendance, well, it shows that there's just not a great amount of passion in the community at large and that translates into dollars. With the basketball team's success, too, what "at large" support there is tends to go in that direction. I suppose that's not a fair comarison, come to think about it: if we had a 30K seat basketball arena, would we still bring in more than 12-13K for bigger games? It's unfortunate, and I bet that if we were to cough up the cash to get a "name" coach it would probably pay dividends, but that requries a TON of capital.
http://www.dopke.com/Archives_Pages/Coaching_Changes/DIACoachesComp2006.htm
Here's a webpage what gives 101 of the D-1A head coaches salaries. Ault ranks 81st. Chris Petersen at Boise St. makes $640K and is ranked 63rd as a second year coach overall. Boise has passionate fans and they put what they can into the coffers. Even Mike Sanford at UNLV is 74th at $435K. Considering that Ault came into the third stint with a raise over what Tormey was making and has been bumped since then, it tells me that we just aren't able to put the money into it that even Baylor can (Guy Morriss, #34, $1,144,236).
So I guess my point is: I wish we could go pie-in-the-sky over the next guy, but it ain't gonna happen.
GO PACK, BEAT CAL!!!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The Successor Is...Commentary Blog
On November 27, 2007 7:08 PM "Kevin L." asked:
Now that the firings have begun across the counrty, who do you think we should be thinking about as Ault's sucessor? Maybe a hard-on-his-luck guy with a good recent record like Dennis Franchione?
Damn good question...damn good. There are, of course, several questions we need to ask ourselves first and foremost:
1.) What do we expect his role to be? There are a number of great "down on their luck" types out there and they could be just what we need to drive some spark into our team and bring along some fresh thinking. The question is, how long do we expect him to be around? Mike Price ended up in El Paso in '04 and remains there, which is great in my opinion. Then there are the Dennis Ericksons of the world (I really expected him to at least wait an obligatory two seasons before jumping ship at Idaho). I guess it boils down to how much the school is willing to pay and how "down on luck" the coach thinks he is; chances are that he won't be around very long, but it could be just enough to get us over that hump and set the stage for the next guy. Ditto for a Sonny Lubick who could potentially look for a job for a couple years before he's ready to hang up his hat for good.
A big problem that arises from this, though, is recruiting: a LOT of kids are looking for stability, and while a Dennis Franchione type could be a real draw (and high schoolers and JCs signing letters of intent may or may not think about the possibility of a coach leaving), if he were to leave after one, two, or three seasons (before he can really establish a program as "his") then that could potentially hurt our recruiting for the next guy.
I probably shouldn't even mention it but I will anyway because it's funny as golly dang dern heck: Robinson really didn't do much to help UNLV out for all his name was worth.
2.) How much would we be willing to pay? We have some great donors and alumni, but let's face it, we just don't have the numbers that places like 'Bama have so we can't reach deep enough to compete with many other schools (especially now that we have a basketball team worthy of some of that attention). But you can also look at some other places and the successes they've had (Boise comes to mind) by promoting from within. Which begs another question...
3.) How much are we wanting to change? To be honest, Ault's system looks pretty good, and the premise of this blog boils down to Ault's coaching, per se, is what's in question here.
Take a trip back with me! When Ault first came on I felt (and hoped) down deep that he'd try to bring back Chris Klenakis...and he did. When he did I felt, along with a number of others, that he was going to be the future (I hate to say Tisdell style, but...Tisdell style!). Klenakis has been running our offense and it has been pretty solid except for a number of details which I feel are really on Ault's shoulders (cough cough, mental game; QBs having to run to the sidelines nearly every play to get Ault's call; the list goes on). And Klenakis has plenty of experience as well. I really don't want to speculate much farther on him since I really don't know his personality at all, but he does seem as legit a choice to me as anyone else. Then again if a coach is "let go" or even retires under less than auspicious circumstances one of his assistants is not normally handed that position on a velvet pillow (just ask Bo Polini).
The questions really go on an on, but my cat's litter box is telling me to stop here (gotta get there before the dog eats out of it). I hope that this at least helps the blogoshpere in some small way!
GO WOLF PACK!!!
Now that the firings have begun across the counrty, who do you think we should be thinking about as Ault's sucessor? Maybe a hard-on-his-luck guy with a good recent record like Dennis Franchione?
Damn good question...damn good. There are, of course, several questions we need to ask ourselves first and foremost:
1.) What do we expect his role to be? There are a number of great "down on their luck" types out there and they could be just what we need to drive some spark into our team and bring along some fresh thinking. The question is, how long do we expect him to be around? Mike Price ended up in El Paso in '04 and remains there, which is great in my opinion. Then there are the Dennis Ericksons of the world (I really expected him to at least wait an obligatory two seasons before jumping ship at Idaho). I guess it boils down to how much the school is willing to pay and how "down on luck" the coach thinks he is; chances are that he won't be around very long, but it could be just enough to get us over that hump and set the stage for the next guy. Ditto for a Sonny Lubick who could potentially look for a job for a couple years before he's ready to hang up his hat for good.
A big problem that arises from this, though, is recruiting: a LOT of kids are looking for stability, and while a Dennis Franchione type could be a real draw (and high schoolers and JCs signing letters of intent may or may not think about the possibility of a coach leaving), if he were to leave after one, two, or three seasons (before he can really establish a program as "his") then that could potentially hurt our recruiting for the next guy.
I probably shouldn't even mention it but I will anyway because it's funny as golly dang dern heck: Robinson really didn't do much to help UNLV out for all his name was worth.
2.) How much would we be willing to pay? We have some great donors and alumni, but let's face it, we just don't have the numbers that places like 'Bama have so we can't reach deep enough to compete with many other schools (especially now that we have a basketball team worthy of some of that attention). But you can also look at some other places and the successes they've had (Boise comes to mind) by promoting from within. Which begs another question...
3.) How much are we wanting to change? To be honest, Ault's system looks pretty good, and the premise of this blog boils down to Ault's coaching, per se, is what's in question here.
Take a trip back with me! When Ault first came on I felt (and hoped) down deep that he'd try to bring back Chris Klenakis...and he did. When he did I felt, along with a number of others, that he was going to be the future (I hate to say Tisdell style, but...Tisdell style!). Klenakis has been running our offense and it has been pretty solid except for a number of details which I feel are really on Ault's shoulders (cough cough, mental game; QBs having to run to the sidelines nearly every play to get Ault's call; the list goes on). And Klenakis has plenty of experience as well. I really don't want to speculate much farther on him since I really don't know his personality at all, but he does seem as legit a choice to me as anyone else. Then again if a coach is "let go" or even retires under less than auspicious circumstances one of his assistants is not normally handed that position on a velvet pillow (just ask Bo Polini).
The questions really go on an on, but my cat's litter box is telling me to stop here (gotta get there before the dog eats out of it). I hope that this at least helps the blogoshpere in some small way!
GO WOLF PACK!!!
Monday, November 26, 2007
A quick roundup
Sorry about taking so long to post - been rather busy as of late, what with Thanksgiving and all. "Thankfully", I have a rather nasty flu at the moment, though, so I have nothing but time... so let's get to it.
First, remember what I said about second half adjustments? Guess how the game against San Jose State went?
November 24, @SJSU
1st Half:
SJSU: 10
NEV: 24
Margin: NEV +14
2nd Half:
SJSU: 17
NEV: 0
Margin: SJSU +17
Final score: SJSU 27, Nevada 24
That's right - we scored all of our points in the first half. SJSU adjusted, shut down our offense, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Meanwhile, even the RGJ is starting to get frisky, which almost never happens. The latest article by Dan Hinxman, Mistakes catching up with Nevada, notes how Nevada has lately been plagued with untimely mistakes, bad penalties, and the like. A fine example of bad decision making, of course, was the Hawaii game, in which Ault decided to randomly call time outs at the end. Unfortunately, my attempts at finding the article on that on the RGJ are pretty much for naught - I'll have to find that later.
Anyways, my eyes are starting to hurt, so... go Wolf Pack!
First, remember what I said about second half adjustments? Guess how the game against San Jose State went?
November 24, @SJSU
1st Half:
SJSU: 10
NEV: 24
Margin: NEV +14
2nd Half:
SJSU: 17
NEV: 0
Margin: SJSU +17
Final score: SJSU 27, Nevada 24
That's right - we scored all of our points in the first half. SJSU adjusted, shut down our offense, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Meanwhile, even the RGJ is starting to get frisky, which almost never happens. The latest article by Dan Hinxman, Mistakes catching up with Nevada, notes how Nevada has lately been plagued with untimely mistakes, bad penalties, and the like. A fine example of bad decision making, of course, was the Hawaii game, in which Ault decided to randomly call time outs at the end. Unfortunately, my attempts at finding the article on that on the RGJ are pretty much for naught - I'll have to find that later.
Anyways, my eyes are starting to hurt, so... go Wolf Pack!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Short Comment Regarding "First Stat"
I must point out the necessity of using terms such as "decent" and "better than previous coaches." Let's do a little comparison, shall we? I know, comparisons don't really prove anything, we are who we are, and they are who they are after all. But let's indulge just a bit in order to promote some thought.
The beloved Wolf Pack didn't have a whole lot of success through, oh, the first 70 years or so; at least no sustained success. Even the "powerhouse" years of the late 40's (believe it or not the Wolf Pack were legit condenders back then) only lasted two seasons.
Not to sound cliche or anything, but let's take a little historical look at those snow dodgers from up North, Boise State. They had a great record as a junior college. Not really sure who they were playing back then, but they were a junior college from 1933-1967 when they amassed a 199-61-9 record for a .757 percentage. Good for them! By 1978 they were in the Big Sky (in the division which I will refer to as "1-AA"), and had a fantastic D-II run in the '70's (come home from 'Nam, play for the Broncs...with dozens of 29-year-old vets on scholarship, how can you lose? kidding, of course). Then the Reagan years weren't really kind to the Broncs (not to say that they weren't competitive), but, personally, I remember the '90's, where they had some good years, and some really, really bad years. Point being that they were good enough to make a stink, but they were kinda out of the way.
Jolt forward a few years and a couple of recruiting classes and Boise St. has morphed into a truly spectacular program. Now I will admit that they have something extra going for them that we in Northern Nevada are sorely lacking, and that is that it's not just, oh, 5-9,000 people who are behind them, it's the entire community, in similar fashion to Nebraska, but on a much smaller scale. But they were able to overcome a number of obstacles (how do you convince recruits to go to Boise over Cal or Oregon State or Hawai'i or Wyoming?) yet they came through in a big way (hopefully not the Tarkanian way).
Now where was I...oh, cliche comparisons, right. In short, the point is that if Boise of all places can do it, why the hell can't we? Not even one "freak" 11-1 year? We've had some down times but by now we should be over the hump where in reality we really are the best the WAC has to offer...if your name doesn't begin with Boise, Fresno, or Hawa. In other words, the best of the middleground. Yeah, we shared the conference in 2005 thanks to a titanic meltdown by Fresno State, but were we really on par with Boise that year? Really? Mathematically yes, realistically...not quite (49-14 on Oct. 29 of that year).
The goal of this rant? Being in the top half of the conference is great, but from where I'm seated Ault doesn't really push the envelope. Not on the field, not in the conference, possibly at his desk, but Boise of all places has proven that it's not only possible to separate yourself from the bitter IPA of mediocrity, but to consistently taste the sweet nectar of mead as offered to the Thor of football...some guy named Lee?
SO WHY CAN'T WE DO IT!!!
The beloved Wolf Pack didn't have a whole lot of success through, oh, the first 70 years or so; at least no sustained success. Even the "powerhouse" years of the late 40's (believe it or not the Wolf Pack were legit condenders back then) only lasted two seasons.
Not to sound cliche or anything, but let's take a little historical look at those snow dodgers from up North, Boise State. They had a great record as a junior college. Not really sure who they were playing back then, but they were a junior college from 1933-1967 when they amassed a 199-61-9 record for a .757 percentage. Good for them! By 1978 they were in the Big Sky (in the division which I will refer to as "1-AA"), and had a fantastic D-II run in the '70's (come home from 'Nam, play for the Broncs...with dozens of 29-year-old vets on scholarship, how can you lose? kidding, of course). Then the Reagan years weren't really kind to the Broncs (not to say that they weren't competitive), but, personally, I remember the '90's, where they had some good years, and some really, really bad years. Point being that they were good enough to make a stink, but they were kinda out of the way.
Jolt forward a few years and a couple of recruiting classes and Boise St. has morphed into a truly spectacular program. Now I will admit that they have something extra going for them that we in Northern Nevada are sorely lacking, and that is that it's not just, oh, 5-9,000 people who are behind them, it's the entire community, in similar fashion to Nebraska, but on a much smaller scale. But they were able to overcome a number of obstacles (how do you convince recruits to go to Boise over Cal or Oregon State or Hawai'i or Wyoming?) yet they came through in a big way (hopefully not the Tarkanian way).
Now where was I...oh, cliche comparisons, right. In short, the point is that if Boise of all places can do it, why the hell can't we? Not even one "freak" 11-1 year? We've had some down times but by now we should be over the hump where in reality we really are the best the WAC has to offer...if your name doesn't begin with Boise, Fresno, or Hawa. In other words, the best of the middleground. Yeah, we shared the conference in 2005 thanks to a titanic meltdown by Fresno State, but were we really on par with Boise that year? Really? Mathematically yes, realistically...not quite (49-14 on Oct. 29 of that year).
The goal of this rant? Being in the top half of the conference is great, but from where I'm seated Ault doesn't really push the envelope. Not on the field, not in the conference, possibly at his desk, but Boise of all places has proven that it's not only possible to separate yourself from the bitter IPA of mediocrity, but to consistently taste the sweet nectar of mead as offered to the Thor of football...some guy named Lee?
SO WHY CAN'T WE DO IT!!!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
First stat: Second-half adjustments
When determining the efficacy of a coach, you have to know how a coach can affect a college game and program. They can do so by:
1. Recruiting players - Ault has been decent at this.
2. Keeping players out of trouble - Ault has been better than previous coaches at this.
3. Managing players during games - I'm referring to making adjustments to opposing coaches' schemes, making sure the team is prepared enough to avoid penalties or costly mistakes, that sort of thing.
Ault is great at #1 and #2 - better, in fact, than any other coach that Nevada has had. If those were the only things needed to create a great football program, this blog wouldn't even exist. Unfortunately, his decisions on the sidelines are a weakness... and I can prove it.
You can tell a coach is a good sideline coach by observing the following:
1. Does the team do better in the second half than the first half? Usually, if they are, that means that the coach is adjusting to what the other team is doing better than the other team is adjusting to what the coach is doing.
2. How many penalties does the team experience? A lightly penalized team is usually a well prepared team.
3. How many big plays occur, either for or against the team? If the team has many big plays for it, that's a sign of great execution and preparation. If the team consistently is the victim of big plays, that's a sign of lousy execution and poor preparation.
Today, I'm going to focus on second half adjustments - I'm starting here because, near as I can tell, Ault doesn't adjust to anything anymore. It's rather disconcerting.
Before I proceed, I'm going to lay out a few ground rules. First, in blowout games, it's not uncommon for the team on the receiving end of the blowout to have a better second half than the first - that's a byproduct of both sides throwing their scrubs out there. Consequently, I'm going to include margin of victory at halftime and at the end of the game when I outline Ault's performance here. Secondly, I'm pulling all of my stats from the same source - ESPN.com. Finally, I'm going to post first half and second half scores - note that the second half scores will be the points scored in only the second half, not the total score. This lets us see whether the opposing team gained or lost victory margin over the course of the game.
So, how has Ault been doing this year? Let's take a look:
September 1st, @ Nebraska
1st Half:
NEB: 21
NEV: 10
Margin: NEB +11
2nd Half:
NEB: 31
NEV: 0
Margin: NEB +31
September 8th, @ Northwestern
1st Half:
NW: 10
NEV: 24
Margin: NEV +14
2nd Half:
NW: 26
NEV: 7
Margin: NW +19
September 15th, Nicholls State
1st Half:
NICH: 10
NEV: 31
Margin: NEV +21
2nd Half:
NICH: 7
NEV: 21
Margin: NEV +14
September 29th, UNLV
1st Half:
UNLV: 3
NEV: 10
Margin: NEV +7
2nd Half:
UNLV: 17
NEV: 17
Margin: 0
October 6th, Fresno State
1st Half:
FRES: 28
NEV: 13
Margin: FRES +15
2nd Half:
FRES: 21
NEV: 28
Margin: NEV +7
October 14th, @ Boise State
1st Half:
BSU: 28
NEV: 21
Margin: BSU +7
2nd Half:
BSU: 16
NEV: 23
Margin: NEV +7
Note: BSU won in 3OT by 2.
October 20th, @ Utah State
1st Half:
USU: 21
NEV: 14
Margin: USU +7
2nd Half:
USU: 7
NEV: 17
Margin: NEV +10
October 27th, Idaho
1st Half:
ID: 7
NEV: 17
Margin: NEV +10
2nd Half:
ID: 14
NEV: 20
Margin: NEV +6
So, to recap:
Of the eight games already played this year, only three of them led to us having higher margins in the second half than the first half - Boise State, Fresno State, and Utah State. The Boise State game was definitely an astounding performance by our team and our coaching staff, so I'm going to give kudos on that one. The Fresno State game, however, was out of control by the end of the third quarter - Fresno State tacked on an additional seven points to their margin by the end of the third quarter, meaning that we got our +7 margin for the half in the fourth quarter when the game was well out of our hands. The Utah State game, though, is a little harder to categorize. Our margin did improve well enough to win the game, which was good - that said, coming out that flat against them in the first half was pretty discouraging.
The key to note here is that, in a majority of our games, our team has consistently done poorer in the second half than the first half. This is a sign that our opponents are adjusting to us better than we're adjusting to them, which, in turn, is a reflection of the coaching.
1. Recruiting players - Ault has been decent at this.
2. Keeping players out of trouble - Ault has been better than previous coaches at this.
3. Managing players during games - I'm referring to making adjustments to opposing coaches' schemes, making sure the team is prepared enough to avoid penalties or costly mistakes, that sort of thing.
Ault is great at #1 and #2 - better, in fact, than any other coach that Nevada has had. If those were the only things needed to create a great football program, this blog wouldn't even exist. Unfortunately, his decisions on the sidelines are a weakness... and I can prove it.
You can tell a coach is a good sideline coach by observing the following:
1. Does the team do better in the second half than the first half? Usually, if they are, that means that the coach is adjusting to what the other team is doing better than the other team is adjusting to what the coach is doing.
2. How many penalties does the team experience? A lightly penalized team is usually a well prepared team.
3. How many big plays occur, either for or against the team? If the team has many big plays for it, that's a sign of great execution and preparation. If the team consistently is the victim of big plays, that's a sign of lousy execution and poor preparation.
Today, I'm going to focus on second half adjustments - I'm starting here because, near as I can tell, Ault doesn't adjust to anything anymore. It's rather disconcerting.
Before I proceed, I'm going to lay out a few ground rules. First, in blowout games, it's not uncommon for the team on the receiving end of the blowout to have a better second half than the first - that's a byproduct of both sides throwing their scrubs out there. Consequently, I'm going to include margin of victory at halftime and at the end of the game when I outline Ault's performance here. Secondly, I'm pulling all of my stats from the same source - ESPN.com. Finally, I'm going to post first half and second half scores - note that the second half scores will be the points scored in only the second half, not the total score. This lets us see whether the opposing team gained or lost victory margin over the course of the game.
So, how has Ault been doing this year? Let's take a look:
September 1st, @ Nebraska
1st Half:
NEB: 21
NEV: 10
Margin: NEB +11
2nd Half:
NEB: 31
NEV: 0
Margin: NEB +31
September 8th, @ Northwestern
1st Half:
NW: 10
NEV: 24
Margin: NEV +14
2nd Half:
NW: 26
NEV: 7
Margin: NW +19
September 15th, Nicholls State
1st Half:
NICH: 10
NEV: 31
Margin: NEV +21
2nd Half:
NICH: 7
NEV: 21
Margin: NEV +14
September 29th, UNLV
1st Half:
UNLV: 3
NEV: 10
Margin: NEV +7
2nd Half:
UNLV: 17
NEV: 17
Margin: 0
October 6th, Fresno State
1st Half:
FRES: 28
NEV: 13
Margin: FRES +15
2nd Half:
FRES: 21
NEV: 28
Margin: NEV +7
October 14th, @ Boise State
1st Half:
BSU: 28
NEV: 21
Margin: BSU +7
2nd Half:
BSU: 16
NEV: 23
Margin: NEV +7
Note: BSU won in 3OT by 2.
October 20th, @ Utah State
1st Half:
USU: 21
NEV: 14
Margin: USU +7
2nd Half:
USU: 7
NEV: 17
Margin: NEV +10
October 27th, Idaho
1st Half:
ID: 7
NEV: 17
Margin: NEV +10
2nd Half:
ID: 14
NEV: 20
Margin: NEV +6
So, to recap:
Of the eight games already played this year, only three of them led to us having higher margins in the second half than the first half - Boise State, Fresno State, and Utah State. The Boise State game was definitely an astounding performance by our team and our coaching staff, so I'm going to give kudos on that one. The Fresno State game, however, was out of control by the end of the third quarter - Fresno State tacked on an additional seven points to their margin by the end of the third quarter, meaning that we got our +7 margin for the half in the fourth quarter when the game was well out of our hands. The Utah State game, though, is a little harder to categorize. Our margin did improve well enough to win the game, which was good - that said, coming out that flat against them in the first half was pretty discouraging.
The key to note here is that, in a majority of our games, our team has consistently done poorer in the second half than the first half. This is a sign that our opponents are adjusting to us better than we're adjusting to them, which, in turn, is a reflection of the coaching.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Why fire Chris Ault?
Hi - my name is David Colborne. I'm a friend of "fire chris ault" and will be a regular contributor to this blog.
So, why do I want Chris Ault fired? To be honest, I really don't - I'd rather he leave of his own volition. That said, I'd also rather he left sooner than later. As much service and good as he's done for the football team over the years, he's earned the right to leave honorably.
Which brings us to the crux of the problem: Why on God's Green Earth would any self-respecting Nevada fan want Chris Ault to leave? He's the best football coach that Nevada has ever had. He's in the College Hall of Fame. When he left, he was succeeded with a series of extremely mediocre coaches, like Jeff Tisdel and Chris Tormey, each of whom led the program in the wrong direction. Since Ault took the reins for a third time, Nevada has begun to shine as a perennial bowl program, consistently staying in the upper third of the WAC for the past four years.
Therein lies the problem.
Ault was a great coach in the '80s. He is still a good coach now. However, he is not the coach that will bring Nevada to that next level - for better or worse, he will not be the coach that puts Nevada in the same breath as Utah, Boise State, or Hawaii. Our defenses have been consistently lackluster in his tenure. Our offenses, though flashy, tend to be error-prone. Most importantly, he's not a good game coach. He's amazing at recruiting, and he's wonderful at motivating people, but his tactical skills just aren't there.
More on this later.
So, why do I want Chris Ault fired? To be honest, I really don't - I'd rather he leave of his own volition. That said, I'd also rather he left sooner than later. As much service and good as he's done for the football team over the years, he's earned the right to leave honorably.
Which brings us to the crux of the problem: Why on God's Green Earth would any self-respecting Nevada fan want Chris Ault to leave? He's the best football coach that Nevada has ever had. He's in the College Hall of Fame. When he left, he was succeeded with a series of extremely mediocre coaches, like Jeff Tisdel and Chris Tormey, each of whom led the program in the wrong direction. Since Ault took the reins for a third time, Nevada has begun to shine as a perennial bowl program, consistently staying in the upper third of the WAC for the past four years.
Therein lies the problem.
Ault was a great coach in the '80s. He is still a good coach now. However, he is not the coach that will bring Nevada to that next level - for better or worse, he will not be the coach that puts Nevada in the same breath as Utah, Boise State, or Hawaii. Our defenses have been consistently lackluster in his tenure. Our offenses, though flashy, tend to be error-prone. Most importantly, he's not a good game coach. He's amazing at recruiting, and he's wonderful at motivating people, but his tactical skills just aren't there.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Welcome, friends!
I would personally like to thank you for visiting our humble site, and hope you return many, many times in the future (i.e. as long as it takes).
Like many people, we grew up with the Aulternator. Not only was he synonymous with Wolf Pack football, but his image was also as burned into our brains as Dick Bryan, Sally Ride, the "Where's the Beef" lady, Atari's Pitfall, or Ronald Reagan. He served a noble purpose, one greater than you or I, and his service to Reno, Northern Nevada, and the whole Battle Born state cannot be overstated.
But has this U. S. Grant or "Fightin'" Joe Hooker turned into a George McClellan? or, maybe, an Ambrose Burnside?
There will be plenty of fodder on here, and I sincerely hope that we, in return, receive plenty of replies. Some people may sometimes feel that we are somewhat misguided. Again, we invite all to reply their feelings and beliefs, passionate as they are, on what would be best for the future of Wolf Packdom...
...we believe the future is not in the present.
Like many people, we grew up with the Aulternator. Not only was he synonymous with Wolf Pack football, but his image was also as burned into our brains as Dick Bryan, Sally Ride, the "Where's the Beef" lady, Atari's Pitfall, or Ronald Reagan. He served a noble purpose, one greater than you or I, and his service to Reno, Northern Nevada, and the whole Battle Born state cannot be overstated.
But has this U. S. Grant or "Fightin'" Joe Hooker turned into a George McClellan? or, maybe, an Ambrose Burnside?
There will be plenty of fodder on here, and I sincerely hope that we, in return, receive plenty of replies. Some people may sometimes feel that we are somewhat misguided. Again, we invite all to reply their feelings and beliefs, passionate as they are, on what would be best for the future of Wolf Packdom...
...we believe the future is not in the present.
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