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Can the offense be salvaged?

Duff Man

Club Member
Club Member
Junta Member
I'm really starting to wonder if there is much hope for that side of the ball. Something is very off and it is not just personnel issues. The one thing I cannot get past is an overall lack of identity in year four. If someone were to ask you what style of offensive football we play, would you have a ready-made answer? I mean, I go to all the home games and I watch all the road games on television, but I am at a loss most of the time as to what we're trying to do. If you cannot adopt a coherent offensive strategy, there is not much hope.

Breaking it down by position, here are my thoughts:

QB-At this juncture, I don't think anyone can say they're comfortable with Cody as the starting QB. I honestly cannot say that he does any one thing well. He is short, he is slow, he has a weak arm, and he lacks pocket presence. He is probably our best option, but that is the entire problem. He really locks on McKnight and looks like a freshman out there. You have to be able to check off your primary receiver from time to time. The vertical passing game is non-existent, which allows teams to crowd the line of scrimmage. I think we're going to see quite a few INTs come conference play.

RB-The one bright spot of this offense IMO. We have some players here that all add a unique element. The problem is the coaches cannot seem to get a reliable rotation going. Some of that has been injuries, but it also seems our coaches struggle with getting the right personnel enough touches. Sumler getting anything more than 3-4 carries a game is a detriment. Speedy and Scott both need to get the bulk of the carries and the coaches have to figure out how to utilize Lockridge better. How are these guys go to gain any type of comfort with this offense and their role in it if the coaches continue to haphazardly substitute them? We have talent here, there is no excuse for improperly utilizing that talent.

WR-It has been beaten to death on this board, but starting McKnight and Espinoza as wideouts is laughable. They are both better suited for the slot and I'm not even sure Espinoza should be on the field at all. Hopefully Simas gets healed in a hurry because we need him badly. I think we're all at a loss about the lack of playing time for Simmons, Wright, and others. Yesterday was a good chance to get those guys some good live action in the second half. The coaches have not been reluctant to take the baptism by fire approach to other positions, so why are they reluctant in this case? We need to be able to stretch the field at times.

TE-I like Geer and Deehan, but I am wondering if we're being forced to keep tight ends for pass protection. I honestly did not look closely enough yesterday, but it would not surprise me if we basically see a six man line for the rest of the season. I also wonder how realistic it is to expect major production from this group because I'm not sure you can trust Cody to make the right reads or the right throws to get the ball to the tight ends. You have to be able to look off the safeties, along with being able to progress through the reads as tight ends are rarely the primary receivers, and Cody really struggles with both aspects.

OL-Very disappointing to see us getting pushed around by opposing defensive lines on a regular basis. Solder plays very well on one play and then looks slow the very next play. Miller is a nice leader, but you can tell he is still trying to get by on size alone most of the time. I think he will be a fine player in time. The interior line just seems jumbled with no consistent push. All the guys they have played there look a step slow. The snapping issues appear to have returned as well. This group personifies the entire offense. Some players with nice potential, but they do not work well as a group.

Thoughts?
 
Good observations. I agree with pretty much everything, although I don't have a problem with McKnight starting, he is far from the most athletic but runs crisp routes, catches almost everything and just overall produces. At least we have a vastly improved talent to call upon in the WR core now with Simas back. One positive I felt was that the game plan was exactly what they had been telling us they were aiming for. I also think Kiesau is starting to find his groove. Lots of power running with play action passing mixed in. Granted it was far from perfect, but Wyo actually has a pretty stout D, and we were without Scott. Cody's performance is very concerning. I'm hoping he can improve, he has been better in the past with a similar offense.
 
You are spot on.... This offense does not worry anyone.

The problems are 100% QB and WR. You have a QB that has 0% chance of beating you down field with his arm.

WR that have a 0% chance of beating anyone off the line and out working the DB's for any ball that is close.

Because of these two huge problems, everyone throws 9 in the box, forcing us to keep TE in to block and the OL looks confused every other snap on who they should be blocking.

If the defense does not need to worry about getting beat on a play longer than 10 yards, this is going to be a very long season for the offense.
 
Yesterday was a good chance to get those guys some good live action in the second half.

This.

There was no reason to not get then some touches in the 4th qtr.

Espy and McKnight might work against Wyoming but lets see how they fare against WV and UT.
 
Short answer: No, for the reasons you stated.

Long Answer: This offens is going to be bent over repeatedly in the next 9 games.

Scoring points in garbage time against Toledo, and against Wyoming is like bragging that you have the best Yugo at a car show.
 
Outstanding post :thumbsup:

As for the wr position, hawk is clueless. I don't know what it will take but simas,simmons and wright need to get the bulk of the playing time along with mcknight.

The OL is playing poorly, the OL coach sure raved about these guys,especially solder but nobody should be suprised that the hype hasn't met the field.
 
I'm really starting to wonder if there is much hope for that side of the ball. Something is very off and it is not just personnel issues. The one thing I cannot get past is an overall lack of identity in year four. If someone were to ask you what style of offensive football we play, would you have a ready-made answer? I mean, I go to all the home games and I watch all the road games on television, but I am at a loss most of the time as to what we're trying to do. If you cannot adopt a coherent offensive strategy, there is not much hope.

Breaking it down by position, here are my thoughts:

QB-At this juncture, I don't think anyone can say they're comfortable with Cody as the starting QB. I honestly cannot say that he does any one thing well. He is short, he is slow, he has a weak arm, and he lacks pocket presence. He is probably our best option, but that is the entire problem. He really locks on McKnight and looks like a freshman out there. You have to be able to check off your primary receiver from time to time. The vertical passing game is non-existent, which allows teams to crowd the line of scrimmage. I think we're going to see quite a few INTs come conference play. I agree with this....all of it. The shame of it is, he is a junior he is still having the same issues I saw in him as a freshman. He is near fanatical in his efforts to get the ball to McKnight and will pay dearly for this in conference play just as you have said. Worst of all we have one more year of him as starter after this.

RB-The one bright spot of this offense IMO. We have some players here that all add a unique element. The problem is the coaches cannot seem to get a reliable rotation going. Some of that has been injuries, but it also seems our coaches struggle with getting the right personnel enough touches. Sumler getting anything more than 3-4 carries a game is a detriment. Speedy and Scott both need to get the bulk of the carries and the coaches have to figure out how to utilize Lockridge better. How are these guys go to gain any type of comfort with this offense and their role in it if the coaches continue to haphazardly substitute them? We have talent here, there is no excuse for improperly utilizing that talent. Like this too. I hate to see Sumler in every third and long, it makes us woefully predictable.

WR-It has been beaten to death on this board, but starting McKnight and Espinoza as wideouts is laughable. They are both better suited for the slot and I'm not even sure Espinoza should be on the field at all. Hopefully Simas gets healed in a hurry because we need him badly. I think we're all at a loss about the lack of playing time for Simmons, Wright, and others. Yesterday was a good chance to get those guys some good live action in the second half. The coaches have not been reluctant to take the baptism by fire approach to other positions, so why are they reluctant in this case? We need to be able to stretch the field at times. I keep saying this, they are in their for Cody's sake. They are the two receivers he is most comfortable with and Coach will do anything to help keep him propped up thereby justifying his status as starting QB. I don't think he can even really get the ball to the other receivers because he can't fixate his attention on them like he does Scotty and Espy.

TE-I like Geer and Deehan, but I am wondering if we're being forced to keep tight ends for pass protection. I honestly did not look closely enough yesterday, but it would not surprise me if we basically see a six man line for the rest of the season. I also wonder how realistic it is to expect major production from this group because I'm not sure you can trust Cody to make the right reads or the right throws to get the ball to the tight ends. You have to be able to look off the safeties, along with being able to progress through the reads as tight ends are rarely the primary receivers, and Cody really struggles with both aspects. Yep

OL-Very disappointing to see us getting pushed around by opposing defensive lines on a regular basis. Solder plays very well on one play and then looks slow the very next play. Miller is a nice leader, but you can tell he is still trying to get by on size alone most of the time. I think he will be a fine player in time. The interior line just seems jumbled with no consistent push. All the guys they have played there look a step slow. The snapping issues appear to have returned as well. This group personifies the entire offense. Some players with nice potential, but they do not work well as a group. No idea why these guys aren't more of a force. This is a mystery to me. Size, strength, pedigree it's all there they just aren't getting it done as well as expected. I don't buy into the youth issue either. As another thread pointed out there are some schools doing quite well right now that are very young.

Thoughts?

And those are my thoughts
 
The offense is really bad. Talent is obviously an issue but its not the whole issue.

When you struggle to move the ball against CSU, Toledo, and Wyoming, there is a problem. I know we won yesterday, but it still didn't look very good.
 
One place to start...it has been said over and over by many at all buffs....put the best palyers on the field and LEAVE THEM THERE...give up the wholesale substitutions....SIMPLIFY...

When a team starts running the draw it is a sign the O-Line is getting its ass beat
 
I don't think the talent is as bad as their coaching and lack of experience. I think Cody played better, maybe more within himself, as a RS Freshman.
 
Yeah, Cody did look good as a Freshman. Not sure what the hell happened after that. Actually, right now I'd love to see the RS-Freshman Cody Hawkins again.
 
Yeah, Cody did look good as a Freshman. Not sure what the hell happened after that. Actually, right now I'd love to see the RS-Freshman Cody Hawkins again.
he did. He got shellacked at the end of last year and hasn't been the same since. I was hoping he would return to form with a decent Oline... but its so damn inconsistent I don't think he will ever get better.
 
I hate to say it, but I don't think this offense has a chance this year. I don't buy the nepotism arguments, and I do think Cody is the best we have. But, he's just not good enough to make defenses worry. I think we are limited to timing routes because Cody either can't make the reads or the line doesn't give him enough time to make the reads. Therefore, we are limited to using the WRs that the coaches know will get to the right spot at the right time.

I don't buy the argument that they are out there to "prop" up Cody b/c he's the coaches son. I think they are out there to prop up the best QB we have on the roster because they are the ones that will run the routes our QB can throw correctly. Simas was limited in his playing time yesterday. But, in the few plays he was out there, he missed at least one, if not two, routes. He also completely failed to block on another play, but that's beside the point.

I do, however, wish the coaches could come up with a more creative way to use our speedier WRs without asking Cody to do things he's not capable of doing. Right now when Simmons and/or Simas come in, it's completely telegraphed that they are going to run a fly or a post, they get double covered, and Cody throws it up for grabs. As much as I used to hate the bubble screens, we actually have players that could make them work now. How about putting both Simmons and Simas on the field at the same time and doing some medium range crossing routes that throw off the double teams?

I've never coached offense for a D1 team before, so clearly there's something I'm missing, but I feel like we could find ways to get these guys on the field without putting Cody in a bad spot or completely telegraphing what we're going to do.
 
I hate to say it, but I don't think this offense has a chance this year. I don't buy the nepotism arguments, and I do think Cody is the best we have.


I think you're probably right about this. The problem is why is Cody still the best we have in year 4? If Cody's not the worst starting QB in the Big 12, he's gotta be in the bottom 2 or 3.

Dan is probably sincere when he says he has no problem starting someone else if someone better comes along. I don't doubt that. The problem, I think, is that even if that's true, the very *threat* of nepotism is enough to keep a lot of big time recruits away. And you can bet your sweet ass that there are 118 D-1 coaches out there using that against Hawkins on every visit to a QB's living room.

Signing your own son really has to be one of dumbest things a college coach can do, for these exact reasons. I guess the exception would be if you're absolutely 100% sure that the kid belongs at whatever level you coach at.
 
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