Backup QB

[apaladin]

So for now I’ll say the sky is not falling (let’s check back on that in 3 weeks). I think the seasons are just changing and Furman is letting the void left by Woffy be filled by Mercer. That doesn’t change what the team needs to do this year. Use the bye week to figure out what’s has worked (bc there have been highlights this year) and what hasn’t worked. Then go win some SoCon games. I don’t want to image a world where Mercer, VMI, and ETSU are the top SoCon teams. That sort of internal upheaval is what keeps us as a 1 bid league.

Furman's FCS Massey rankings under CCH, sequentially by year -

25, 25, 33, 51, 52

It's essentially unheard of for a staff to trend negatively like that, and then turn things around. Just doesn't happen. I was hoping (against reality) that the Spring was a fluke and things would go back in the right direction. But now it's a fact that CCH has not turned things around, and is basically in the same territory now as Fowler (interesting that offense was the biggest weakness for both HCs).

So we have slowly gotten worse. Makes you think CBF’s players were better than the current ones.

[youwouldno]

As bad as Furman appears to be, there is a good chance we win the rest of our regular season games! Our competition just isn’t very good. Then we will almost certainly lose honorably to some less selective school and their cheating refs in the playoffs, but that’s OK.

Actually the chance the Paladins win out is less than 1%.

Accomplishing that still wouldn't make the Paladins a great team of course (as you explained), but it would require a level of play significantly better than what has been seen in 2021 to date.

[apaladin]

Not so fast. We’re going through the same thing with our local HS. When you watch the game you can see that we are awful. You can start to lose hope. But we will probably run the table in our region because it is so bad. Then all is forgotten. We lose in the playoffs, blame the ref’s and everybody’s happy.

As bad as Furman appears to be, there is a good chance we win the rest of our regular season games! Our competition just isn’t very good. Then we will almost certainly lose honorably to some less selective school and their cheating refs in the playoffs, but that’s OK.

There’s a good chance we win the rest of our league games? You need to explain this. Chattanooga could have, should have beat Kentucky. ETSU beat an SEC team by 20. Samford scores points by the boatload. Regardless of how bad Wofford and Citadel are we have shown no ability to beat them lately. Remember Citadel was 1-9 and beat us by 3 TD’s. Let’s face reality. I am hoping to finish 4-4 in the SoCon and that would be quite an accomplishment for this team but probably too optimistic.

[Furmanoid]

But Chat didn’t beat Kentucky. They blew it. ETSU beat an honorary member of the SEC that Newberry might beat. Every SoCon team is fully capable of playing down to our level and losing! So we have a good chance in every game. I’m thinking a 30-40% chance is good. I’m not saying we’re good. The most likely outcome is that we beat Wofford, Citadel, WCU and VMI. That’s enough to justify the status quo.

[youwouldno]

The most likely outcome is that we beat Wofford, Citadel, WCU and VMI. That’s enough to justify the status quo.

But what is the status quo? Where within FCS 'should' Furman fit? Being around #25 a few years ago? Not a national contender but towards the top of the (weak) SoCon? Or being outside the top 50 and closer to non-scholarship FCS?

[apaladin]

I no longer think you can classify the SoCon as weak. It’s getting better, at least a few teams. Unfortunately FU is not getting better.

[apaladin]

But Chat didn’t beat Kentucky. They blew it. ETSU beat an honorary member of the SEC that Newberry might beat. Every SoCon team is fully capable of playing down to our level and losing! So we have a good chance in every game. I’m thinking a 30-40% chance is good. I’m not saying we’re good. The most likely outcome is that we beat Wofford, Citadel, WCU and VMI. That’s enough to justify the status quo.

Chattanooga played Kentucky toe to toe. We looked like a hs team against NC State. Vandy still had 95 schollies and beat Colorado St on the road. Could FU go to Nashville and beat Vandy by 20? No. Saying we likely beat anyone is a stretch. We haven’t won at WC since 2006. We’ve scored 17 total ponts against Citadel the last 2 games. I hope we at least beat WC and Citadel but certainly not expectng to.

[Davemeister]

Don't think Wofford or The Citadel are capable of beating Furman, but rest assured FU is capable of losing to both of them. We won't beat anybody with the O we saw last Saturday.

[Furmanoid]

The most likely outcome is that we beat Wofford, Citadel, WCU and VMI. That’s enough to justify the status quo.

But what is the status quo? Where within FCS 'should' Furman fit? Being around #25 a few years ago? Not a national contender but towards the top of the (weak) SoCon? Or being outside the top 50 and closer to non-scholarship FCS?

It appears that the people in charge are pretty OK with middle of a weak conference and the hope of occasional forays into the top of the conference. That’s where we’ve been for awhile and there never seems to be much appetite for big changes.

[youwouldno]

It appears that the people in charge are pretty OK with middle of a weak conference and the hope of occasional forays into the top of the conference. That’s where we’ve been for awhile and there never seems to be much appetite for big changes.

I'm not sure if they are OK with it, so much as unable to figure out how to fix it. I like JD but the extension for CCH this summer was a mistake, and now the University is boxed in until the extension runs out. I don't think that extension was signed with the intention of the Paladins being outside the top 50 in FCS.

I do think after CCH's contract is up that the next coach will be a non-Paladin. It's not going to be easy to get it right.

[AstroDin]

Can’t be skeptical anymore, huh? Just saying that we have a guy who was heralded as a genius because he won so many games at where? Maryville. Coaching that worked there clearly does not work in the SoCon. That is settled science. So I see no reason to believe that quarterback play that wins there is A LOCK to work in the SoCon. Maybe, maybe not. But he’s just gonna sit behind Wilson anyway, right?

I will only say this once—who all do you think reads these boards? Recruits do.

[The Jackal]

It appears that the people in charge are pretty OK with middle of a weak conference and the hope of occasional forays into the top of the conference. That’s where we’ve been for awhile and there never seems to be much appetite for big changes.

I'm not sure if they are OK with it, so much as unable to figure out how to fix it. I like JD but the extension for CCH this summer was a mistake, and now the University is boxed in until the extension runs out. I don't think that extension was signed with the intention of the Paladins being outside the top 50 in FCS.

I do think after CCH's contract is up that the next coach will be a non-Paladin. It's not going to be easy to get it right.

I'll say this. I don't know Hendrix personally, but I think he's a good representation for Furman University and the type of coach that I would want to play for.

[gman84]

I know the current trend for this program is not favorable....I also remember a time when Bobby Johnson had a downward trend in '98. Then he had a heck of a run in 99, 00 & 01. This season isn't over yet.

[The Jackal]

I know the current trend for this program is not favorable....I also remember a time when Bobby Johnson had a downward trend in '98. Then he had a heck of a run in 99, 00 & 01. This season isn't over yet.

Bobby Johnson didn't finish higher than 3rd in SoCon play his first 5 seasons, including a 6th place finish the season before Furman went on a torrid pace and won 30 games in three seasons.

Things are never as bad or as good as you might think they are.

[youwouldno]

Bobby Johnson - Furman Massey rank sequentially by year (1994-2001)

48, 32, 12, 32, 12, 29, 45, 5, 8, 2

There's no comparison to CCH (25, 25, 33, 51, 52). Sure, Johnson had a few 'down years', but he finished in the top 15 in two of his first five years and had shown the ability to build a successful team. CCH did best with Fowler's players and has been sliding ever since.

I haven't seen anyone question whether CCH is a great person and representative for Furman. But typically college coaches, particularly in football and basketball, are expected to succeed on the field as well. It's the same story as with Lamb and Fowler, including all the excuses that get cooked up to justify the game results.

The simple fact is that CCH is not going to make the Paladins nationally relevant again. Maybe it's an impossible task. But he has proven he can't do it, whereas there is still a chance someone else could. And in any case, CCH still has the rest of his contract to engineer an unprecedented turnaround in his program.