Manic Monday

'13 Football Non-Revenue40

Here’s a chance to discuss whatever you want now that the emotions of Saturday have subsided.

Just a few thoughts I had yesterday:

– I want to point out a couple of coaching decisions from yesterday that simply reinforces my frustration at most coaches.

1. The pooch punt by Thomas from the 36 on 4th and short. You have a kicker with a leg who can nail from that distance and he has the QB punt it?? I’m no football coach (but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express) and I know if you’re playing to win that’s a colossally stupid decision. Your choices are:

A) Go for it.
B) Kick a FG.
C) Use your punter to try and pin it in the 10 and play for field position. (Which is still the wrong decision since this isn’t playing to win)
D) A or B.

2. Wake just gave up the TD with less than a minute to go in the first half. How many times do we see coaches just kneel it and go into the locker room with their teams tails between their legs? Did Grobe? No. He took a chance, one with almost no downside, and ended up reversing the momentum they just lost and his team knew they were going to win heading into halftime. Wonder what was going through State players minds at halftime? Jinx is on again?

– I know we’re short on personnel due to injuries and the talent level is putrid thanks to TOB but is Wake Forest so much better in that department?

– The same terrible habits surfaced Saturday that have been there since Amato.

– It’s a long freaking way to a division title when you continue to play down to your opponents.

– Sure glad we don’t want to test ourselves on the road with a non-conference game in September.

Just a few thoughts I had so what are you thinking?

EXTRA:

Want to give everyone a heads up on the continued resurgence of the State volleyball program. Good job ladies.

GoPack.com
Volleyball Wins First ACC Meeting Against Syracuse, 3-1

The NC State women’s volleyball team collected its second ACC road win of the weekend with a 3-1 victory against Syracuse Sunday afternoon inside the Women’s Building. The Wolfpack dominated the first two sets, winning 25-11 and 25-17, respectively, before dropping the third set, 25-20. State responded to win the fourth set, 25-18.

The Wolfpack (12-4, 3-1 ACC) got off to a great start in the opening minutes of the match, jumping out to a 3-0 advantage before the Orange (5-11, 0-4 ACC) scored their first point. State led the entire set, but Syracuse tied the score at seven after a kill by Nicolette Serratore. Junior Alesha Wilson answered with a kill to give NC State the lead, 8-7.

[snip]

NC State will return to action at home on Friday, Oct. 11 when it hosts Wake Forest inside Reynolds Coliseum. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. and the match will be streamed live on GoPack.com.

About 1.21 Jigawatts

Class of '98, Mechanical Engineer, State fan since arriving on campus and it's been a painful ride ever since. I live by the Law of NC State Fandom, "For every Elation there is an equal and opposite Frustration."

'13 Football Non-Revenue

40 Responses to Manic Monday

  1. Clarksa 10/07/2013 at 10:53 AM #

    1) absolutely should have gone for it
    2) if you didn’t know Wake would score a TD before the half, you don’t watch NC State sports.

    We still had plenty of talent to win that game…the offense just seemed to be in a rut with the play calling (helllooo bubble screen to Underwood that didn’t work)…I felt the same way during the Richmond game.

    As far as the schedule, I think Debbie inherited a mess and the late decision to go back to 8 conference games just screwed us this year…

  2. PoppaJohn 10/07/2013 at 10:59 AM #

    “It’s a long freaking way to a division title when you continue to play down to your opponents.”

    Right there! That says it all.

    Coach, welcome to what a whole week feels like after you and your team embarrassed yourselves. I hope you hate it.

  3. tjfoose1 10/07/2013 at 11:07 AM #

    NC State is not winning the division this season regardless of how they played Saturday. If they won 91-0, my opinion does not change.

    To me, the Atlantic Title is starting to look like the Winston Cup.

  4. Wulfpack 10/07/2013 at 11:14 AM #

    I said it in the game blog and I will repeat: you can’t expect to be a top program when you lose to teams like Wake. You just make it an uphill battle. We’ve got to consistenty beat the Wakes, Dukes, Marylands, Virginias to get to where we want to go. Forget Clemson, FSU, Miami. Take care of those first, and that is not what we do. But it is typical Pack – play very well against third ranked Clemson and then lay an egg against 203rd ranked Wake. It is maddening. No consistency.

  5. tjfoose1 10/07/2013 at 11:31 AM #

    Premature whining. Give the coaches a little bit of time before breaking out the bitch and moan brigade.

    If you expected NC State to be a top program in game 5 of 2013, you’re a fool. If you thought any game this year, outside of La Tech or CMU, should be a gimmie win, you’re a fool.

    “I know we’re short on personnel due to injuries and the talent level is putrid thanks to TOB but is Wake Forest so much better in that department?”

    Its called match-ups. You don’t compare talent of overall rosters. Amato had loads of talent for years, but he had only one O-line.

    You subtract one of three players – Price, Campanaro, or #50 – Wake doesn’t win. Each of those players were difference makers because of injuries and match-up issues.

  6. vtpackfan 10/07/2013 at 11:34 AM #

    With Thomas at QB and without Smith, Dayes and Valdes-Scantling on offense we are essentially CAA material. We would have to depend on our defense to win games in the Colonial and Saturdays performance wouldn’t get it done.

    In college ball these days any offense can and should find the weakest link on their opponent and exploit even if it’s only one player out of eleven. Grobe understands this- it’s called who the heck in Red & White wants to play the Mike LB position? Unfortunately TOB didn’t go find a successor to Nate Irving and Terrell Manning at this critical position (so critical that we would line up Irving and Manning there).

    It was Noel out of Spring, Sallahuddin after Fall camp, then Pittman and Salahuddin, and by the second half Saturday back to Noel. No one is settling in and it wouldn’t surprise me much to see Drew Davis in there when Cato-Bishop heals up at DE.

  7. Greywolf 10/07/2013 at 11:37 AM #

    Sometimes you eat the bear and some times the bear eats you. Wake had some nice schemes and executed them well. We weren’t prepared for the splits in their OL. Their defense played over it’s head.

    This State team is the same team that was judged to be weak and in a rebuild mode before the season started, That was before we lost our starting QB, LT and a whole bunch of other starters and back-ups. Not many teams could take those hits and do as well as State has done.

    Yes there were plays called that I don’t understand but I have come to the place where if I don’t understand something, it doesn’t mean it was wrong. Had we scored the plays I ‘didn’t understand’ would disappear.

    B. Kick a field goal. A 53 yard FG is not automatic. If we miss it, Wake has a short field to work from. Sade was short on a number of KO’s. Hard to imagine but maybe something was going on with his leg we didn’t know about.

    Grobe said that Wake almost took a knee at the end of the first half. I don’t think it would have made any difference in the outcome of the game if they did.

    I’m more interested in seeing what the coaches and team do this coming Saturday than I am what they did or didn’t do last Saturday.

  8. tjfoose1 10/07/2013 at 11:39 AM #

    ” TOB didn’t go find a successor to Nate Irving and Terrell Manning at this critical position”

    Caldwell is developing, though he did make one helluva bonehead play Saturday.

  9. tjfoose1 10/07/2013 at 11:46 AM #

    … and Grobe having his boys come out in wide splits to help neutralize the front 4 also didn’t help. Bunting did the same thing with a similar game plan against the Mario & Lawson crew with equally effective results.

  10. Greywolf 10/07/2013 at 11:52 AM #

    Giglio talks about the “Clemson” effect in this article. We will be subject to the Clemson effect this Saturday as well.

    http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/10/06/4369990/late-hits-jim-grobe-can-coach.html#.UlLVmb7D_mQ

  11. TLeo 10/07/2013 at 12:03 PM #

    Even with the rebuilding year, the schedule seemed to be very favorable for a decent year (not great)and this staff seemed to have the energy sorely lacking from the last one. I thought this staff could motivate and get them ready to play but apparently not. Not giving up on them, but it was very disappointing to see this team once again revert to the stupid penalties and poor execution against a very bad Wake team.
    The talent margin is so thin we can not afford all these stupid mistakes so they have to come out prepared each week or it really will be a miserable season.

  12. Khan 10/07/2013 at 12:08 PM #

    I am now banned from issuing any further guarantees until 2015.

    Disappointing effort against a really, really bad team. Not surprising, but disappointing.

  13. Wulfpack 10/07/2013 at 12:14 PM #

    Never thought either of those, Foose. Just stating the obvious. A ways to go.

  14. vtpackfan 10/07/2013 at 12:49 PM #

    ^foose^

    Naturally agree with your assessment of MLB Caldwell. He has been one of the most pleasant surprised so far along with the DE Mike Rose.

    Bonehead move on my part-I meant to call attention to the Will backer instead. The weak side LB gets overlooked unless a big play maker like Irving and Manning are there (I remember Irving switched to Middle when Manning went in took over at Will).

  15. vapackfan 10/07/2013 at 1:08 PM #

    Yeah, the pooch punt was a head scratcher. This loss will look a lot worse later in the year when wake is struggling. Not sure what to make of State losing to a below average wake team.

  16. Wufpacker 10/07/2013 at 1:09 PM #

    It was a road loss, in an environment where we historically have had a LOT of trouble (understatement of the year?); by a team/program that was AT BEST in severe need of talent when the season began; and with a first year coaching staff.

    That was BEFORE the #1 signal caller, and others, went down to injury, further hampering talent/depth.

    I hate losing, ever. But I’m not sure I understand why so many seem to think of this as a WTF loss.

    There’s gonna be a lot of red-clad folks on ledges over the next 7-8 weeks I’m afraid.

  17. SaccoV 10/07/2013 at 1:35 PM #

    Looking forward to seeing this team next year. Lots of Freshmen getting quality playing time, and hopefully Jacoby Brissett has the skills a Florida QB should have. This year is going to be tough, but maybe some key wins against the Asterisk and the Jolly Rogerers might cheer me up a bit more than this loss put me down. At least, I hope those can!!

  18. JohnGalt78 10/07/2013 at 2:00 PM #

    Beat the Cheats…best I’m hoping for this year…

  19. ryebread 10/07/2013 at 2:07 PM #

    I’d predicted 7-5 with losses to Clemson and Wake. We’re still on schedule according to what I thought, and that was before our starting QB went down.

  20. coach13 10/07/2013 at 2:49 PM #

    Coaching does matter. Grobe was better Saturday and geez almighty do they get up for State. Our D coordinator never figured anyhting out far as I could tell. Thomas looked like a sub-par back-up game manager Saturday. That’s not a shot, it’s just what he is.

    I got a little delusional thinking our coaching was so much better we might could compensate lack of depth and talent with great coaching. Alas we have years to go before this staff gets this program where we think it should be. Let’s just hope we can get a bowl and keep UNX out of one this year.

  21. TheCOWDOG 10/07/2013 at 2:57 PM #

    It wasn’t a pooch, for chrissakes. It was a designed quick kick on 4th down.

    I had absolutely no problem with the play, at that point and time in the game.

    53 yard field goal attempts…on the road…? That’s reserved for a little later in the game.

  22. tjfoose1 10/07/2013 at 3:15 PM #

    In the coaching critiques, I think some of you are overlooking several critical plays on both sides of the ball in which the right calls were made and players were in the right position… but the execution didn’t follow.

    Weird shiat happens at Wake. If this were 2015 I might be more critical, but with it only game 5 and first road game with this bunch. I’ll just smh and chalk it up to Wake having powerful poultry.

    Side note: Grobe rarely gets out coached. If matchup advantages can be found, he finds them.

  23. tjfoose1 10/07/2013 at 4:44 PM #

    Four new bowls coming (Bahamas, Alabama, Florida) for the non-majors, plus a replacement bowl pairing the ACC and Big 10 in Detroit. Bleh.

    Link

  24. Go Army 89 10/07/2013 at 5:06 PM #

    Wake aint’ Fake. Grobe smacks the other NC teams that take him lightly. We have no reason to take Wake lightly b/c they usually kill us in WS. But, I kinda get it. We are usually coming off a better looking weekend than them. They are never picked to do well; they are not a rival that boils our blood like the Cheaters or Pie-rats; they are the friendly neighbor, so who cares; on paper we are supposed to have more depth. They are Switzerland. Our guys our NEVER jacked up to play them and they are ALWAYS ready for us. Near zero coaching turnover helps them, too. MAYBE DD is the guy to take us to a higher level of recruiting and execution, but right now he is no different, than Sheridan, O’Cain, Chuck & TOB. Losers at Wake.

  25. Greywolf 10/07/2013 at 5:29 PM #

    Mr. DOG,

    Ease up, man. Most of these folks never seen a quick kick before.

    53 yard FG? isn’t that a gimme?

    We’re on Caldwell like stink on shit. He was going all out, one of the few who were. Plus it looked like he got blocked into the kicker. Couldn’t see a replay so I don’t know.

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