My Obervations

[FurmAlum]

I went to Pinehurst to play golf this weekend and missed the Chatty game. I watched the replay Sunday night and it made me sick to my stomach.

I don't know that much about football but I do know that it doesn't matter what schemes you have and what plays you call, when you get whipped at the line of scrimmage things aren't going to be good. That was the case when we had the ball. FuBear, Jackal, do you agree?

On the other hand, that was not the case when Chatty had it. We more than held our own and pretty much looked like we knew what we were doing.

At the end of the season the offense, including the coaches, needs to be evaluated. Under no circumstances should any coach be replaced in the middle of a season. That is bush league.

I am hoping we can win our last 3 games.

[palafan]

Come to a game.

[FurmanATT]

I covered the PC game Saturday. I have a column dropping on the Laurens County site (LaurensCountySports.com) that begins with "Fridays are Saturdays, Saturdays are Mondays and Sundays are always the same."
By the time I finished writing it, I had decided to turn the line above into a song.
Anyway, the point is that Fridays have been really exciting at the high school games, Saturdays have been rough (oh, boy, you think it's been a bit rough at Furman, go experience PC football right now) and with the exception of Coastal Carolina and Newberry, just about every football fan base in the state is disgruntled.
My thoughts can't help but turn to basketball.
The bleak road is the Bleekrode, and as Bleekrode goes, opposite go the Paladins.
I hope that changes the rest of the year. -- MD

[The Jackal]

A positive going forward.

The result of this play wasn't great, but check out the offensive line. No one gets near Jace Wilson. UTC lead the SoCon in sacks and has the league's top sack leader.

Furman will return 4 starters off this unit next year, and I assume Wyatt Hughes, who plays a bunch and has started a few games, will slide over and take over for Clark Daniel at RG.

[FU3]

I believe the consensus is that talent really isn’t the issue.

[apaladin]

CCH said on his FU Football Monday show that he doesn’t think he has seen a more talented team ever in the SoCon than UTC with the possible exception of the Randy Moss Marshall team in ‘92. I did not get that feeling at all. Anyone else?

[fupaladin01]

CCH said on his FU Football Monday show that he doesn’t think he has seen a more talented team ever in the SoCon than UTC with the possible exception of the Randy Moss Marshall team in ‘92. I did not get that feeling at all. Anyone else?

Sure didn't

[FUBeAR]

CCH said on his FU Football Monday show that he doesn’t think he has seen a more talented team ever in the SoCon than UTC with the possible exception of the Randy Moss Marshall team in ‘92. I did not get that feeling at all. Anyone else?

Just for the sake of accuracy…and cuz FUBeAR looked it up. I believe he said the ‘96 Marshall Team. Moss was a Freshman on that Team. He caught 9 passes for 220 yards and 4 TD in the Championship Game when they defeated Montana by 3 scores. They were 15-0 /8-0 and not really challenged by any of their opponents, including 2 pastings of FU (54-0 in the Playoffs). Looks like 15 Players on that Team played some NFL ball.

So…no, I didn’t see an NFL Hall of Famer on the field for Chatt…though they did have 1 on the sidelines. And, I doubt 15 Players on that roster will make it to the NFL. But - the Mocs are VERY, VERY good. Their Players will receive many post-season accolades at the conference & likely on the national level. They have a few weak spots that arose during their losses to APSU & VMI, but they either have to choose to expose those weaknesses on their own or their opponent has to force them to make that/those choice/choices.

So, maybe not as many top-tier talents as the blunderin’ turd compiled back in the day, but as a Team, with their experience-level, they CAN be better than the sum of their parts…maybe not ‘96 Marshall good, but in that solar system.

[Furmanoid]

So that’s a “no”.

[gofurman]

CCH said on his FU Football Monday show that he doesn’t think he has seen a more talented team ever in the SoCon than UTC with the possible exception of the Randy Moss Marshall team in ‘92. I did not get that feeling at all. Anyone else?

WOW. WOW. WOW. With the POSSIBLE EXCEPTION of the Marshall Team that went undefeated and CRUSHED us 54-0???? He really shouldn’t say that. Now if UTC Loses earlyIn playoffs (or has a SoCon loss - oh wait, they DO !!!!) CCH looks like he can’t evaluate talent. I mean CMON. FUBeAR said that team had FIFTEEN guys get a look by the NFL!!! FIFTEEN. hell , that’s probably more than USC and Georgia Tech put together. That’s a serious misjudge of talent.

Which means when CCH says (as he did ) we have enough talent to win the SoCon…. You have to wonder if the statement is worth anything ???

That statement undermines the ability to evaluate talent in a big way. No way was that UTC team in the same zip code as that Marshall team. that statement is just too much.

Our scores UTC 13-3
Marshall 54-0.
Yeah, they are similar .

[FU3]

From my perspective CCH and his staff have done a very good job in recruiting.They have expanded the footprint in areas like Texas and done a great job in the newer social media aspect that drives much of modern recruiting.What we lack is an identity on O and the ability schematically to exploit our good opponents weaknesses.The other major problem is at the QB position where I think recruiting criticism may be warranted. We bring in guys almost every year with what appears to be dissimilar skill sets and try to stick them into whatever O we have decided on for the coming season.Decide on an O and recruit to it. Let’s bring in a new O coordinator and put GQ back in the role he was successful in during the first year of this staff.

[Furmanoid]

I’m not saying our guys are terrible, but I am curious about something. How do we know we are recruiting well and have a very talented team? When I watch these games, I just don’t see it. Where does that impression come from? It looks to me like our offensive guys are just getting beat by the guys across from them. They don’t open holes. They don’t get open. They can’t get to the edge, etc. If they really are so talented and failing so miserably, doesn’t that mean that our coaches, especially our OL expert, are just awful? I’m not sure I want to believe that. We get new players, but the coaches ain’t going anywhere. I’d rather believe in a talent deficit.

[Roundball]

CCH said on his FU Football Monday show that he doesn’t think he has seen a more talented team ever in the SoCon than UTC with the possible exception of the Randy Moss Marshall team in ‘92. I did not get that feeling at all. Anyone else?

There are no current SoCon teams that are as nearly as talented as the ones in the 80’s and 90’s. Not even close.

[FUBeAR]

CCH said on his FU Football Monday show that he doesn’t think he has seen a more talented team ever in the SoCon than UTC with the possible exception of the Randy Moss Marshall team in ‘92. I did not get that feeling at all. Anyone else?

WOW. WOW. WOW. With the POSSIBLE EXCEPTION of the Marshall Team that went undefeated and CRUSHED us 54-0???? He really shouldn’t say that. Now if UTC Loses earlyIn playoffs (or has a SoCon loss - oh wait, they DO !!!!) CCH looks like he can’t evaluate talent. I mean CMON. FUBeAR said that team had FIFTEEN guys get a look by the NFL!!! FIFTEEN. hell , that’s probably more than USC and Georgia Tech put together. That’s a serious misjudge of talent.

Which means when CCH says (as he did ) we have enough talent to win the SoCon…. You have to wonder if the statement is worth anything ???

That statement undermines the ability to evaluate talent in a big way. No way was that UTC team in the same zip code as that Marshall team. that statement is just too much.

Our scores UTC 13-3
Marshall 54-0.
Yeah, they are similar .

[gofurman]

From my perspective CCH and his staff have done a very good job in recruiting. They have expanded the footprint in areas like Texas and done a great job in the newer social media aspect that drives much of modern recruiting.What we lack is an identity on O and the ability schematically to exploit our good opponents weaknesses.The other major problem is at the QB position where I think recruiting criticism may be warranted. We bring in guys almost every year with what appears to be dissimilar skill sets and try to stick them into whatever O we have decided on for the coming season.Decide on an O and recruit to it. Let’s bring in a new O coordinator and put GQ back in the role he was successful in during the first year of this staff.

This is actually a VERY important question. I would far rather prefer to think we can recruit to the level we need and that we are just misusing that talent (the Defense gives me hope that we can recruit to the level we need)... Because if we can get the right guys then we just need to find the right schemes and play callers etc.

However, if we cannot get the right guys through our academic standards (and I worry sometimes that is the case.. and that there are just too many Football schools - both FCS and new FBS like Wofford and Mercer and Charlotte and App and Coastal) then we are dead.. caput.. over. If the talent is unavailable (academics) or too diluted (too many programs nearby ) then we really just have no chance going forward.

Do most people here think we have the ability to get the right / level talent?

One thing we know is that the new rules have eliminated the Ingle Martins and Forciers ... which hurts a Furman