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RUSTON, (Nov. 15, 2022) – Louisiana Tech head coach*Sonny Cumbie*and select players spoke with the media on Tuesday in advance of Tech's matchup at Charlotte*on Saturday.
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Discuss it here.
Very interesting press conference yesterday.
Basically said we have a mentally weak team and he shouldered the blame for it.
I found it kind a refreshing, since it was very evident the past two years this team was anything but strong-willed under Skip...
Not surprising since we have a mentally weak coach in charge.
"I am so wasted!" Coach Crummy
I also appreciate that Sonny does the local radio interviews every week. Early on, it would be an assistant or something, but as the season started to tank, he started showing up every week. Every week on Fletch, he shoulders the blame for the performance. He needs to figure out how to fix it, but it is refreshing after what Skip's MO was.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dwayne From Minden
Skippy would have done exactly the opposite. He would have had assistants take over almost all of his media responsibilities.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnnylightnin
It is the way Tech has lost and not just the number of losses that has Cumbie concerned. As are most of us. Cumbie knows this can't happen next year.
While I think Coach Cumbie was just an interim HC at TT, this if I'm not mistaken is his first "full time he's in charge" HC position. He didn't walk into a situation that he probably thought he was walking into. I'm convinced he found a program in a lot worse condition than was evident on the surface. So couple the fact that this is his first rodeo with a program that was in the tank and you have the makings of a real struggle to right the ship. I'm hugely disappointed that we've not seen more progress this year. That is concerning. But at least we have a coach that is willing to stand up and take the slings and arrows and be honest and say he's responsible. SH NEVER would have done that and been serious. Coach Cumbie is believable. I think he's being honest and doing the best he can with the hand he was dealt. SH was an apparent master at hiding the rot that he had created.Quote:
Originally Posted by dawg80
:icon_roll:
He's got at least 3 years total.Quote:
Originally Posted by FriscoDawg
There was no indication the program was in shambles last year. Tech nearly beat Miss St, SMU, and NC State. The gripe was that they would have if there was a competent coach who didn’t blow it in the end. The record doesn’t really reflect the talent that was on last year’s team.
Every QB on the roster wasn’t here last year. This is the absolute least talented defense I’ve ever seen in Ruston, and it isn’t close.Quote:
Originally Posted by T1
Cumbie brought in a bunch of transfers to fill the needs. QB has been decent. It’s hard to tell if the bad defense is due to talent or scheme. At times they do very well, but then give up a huge play. This may be a coaching issue.Quote:
Originally Posted by SicemDawgz
The scheme isn't all the way installed yet, and that is probably due to the lack of depth and talent. Think of where the Tech defense would be without the two transfers that came from SFA.Quote:
Originally Posted by T1
Also think of where the defense could have been without injuries. Cedric Woods finally played for the first time this year at UTSA. Tyler Grubbs will probably not play again this year after getting hurt against UTEP. And numerous other players have been in and out with injuries. The lack of depth and injury revolving door have definitely caused the defense to significantly underperform expectations.
We also have as many injuries this year as Holtz had graduates that first season. Hard to be a good, cohesive unit when we are barely 2 deep across most of the roster.
This next game is going to say a lot about Cumbie’s ability to put an edge on the Dawg’s as in to sharpen a dull knife. Everyone knows what a pitiful performance in every way last Saturday was coaching included, so if after that this team doesn’t bounce back in a huge way I think it’s going to speak very poorly of coach’s own grit and his motivation skills. I get it that talent and depth wise we may be weak, but even lesser skilled guys can play their asses off and not be boneheads on the field.
Go Dawgs, finish strong
Cumbie taking responsibility for being bad will get just as tired and old as Holtz "we competed" and "gotta do better" comments and his constant deflection of blame if there are not improvements.
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:Quote:
Originally Posted by dawg80
For starters, we lost 3 defensive lineman to the portal after spring practice, all of whom ended up at Texas State. The late departures are what hurt us the most, as Cumbie had little time to replace them. At times this year, because of injury and the late portal departures, we've been without 8 who were expected to start on defense coming out of the spring. 9 if you include Cedric Woods.Quote:
Originally Posted by FriscoDawg
And Frisco, you are correct about the defensive scheme. It's not completely installed. That's been clear if you listen to the coach's shows on Monday nights where members of the defensive staff have been interviewed.
It's a complicated system. They've been installing it step by step. That's one of the reasons the SFA transfers have excelled. They've been in this system for multiple years and have the 1,000 plus reps in each aspect of the system to not only run it but teach it to others. They have a much better understanding of what they're trying to accomplish on each play.
The same could be said about certain aspects of our offense. From the stands against MTSU it was obvious that most of the offensive lineman have lost weight since the summer. Carson Bruno mentioned on Bleed Tech Blue radio last Tuesday that the lineman are on a nutrition plan that's had a real impact on each of them and that the weight loss isn't due to the grind of the season.
At most programs true freshman go onto a nutrition plan when they first his campus. That hasn't been true of Tech until this year. That lack of a nutrition program in the past has been used against Tech in recruiting. Unfortunately, our upperclassmen are having to go through it for the first time.
So if you take a step back it's not complicated to see why we are where we are right now record wise.
At the start of the season my head said 4-8, but my heart said 6-6. Under the circumstances, anything more than that was just wishful thinking.
Wouldn’t we love to know the reason for the player departures after spring especially when you’d think those players would’ve had a fair chance to get a fresh start for themselves under a new coaching staff… curious.
Don’t beat me up for mentioning, but does anyone else wonder about the effects of “different” strength & conditioning scheme?
It has invaded my mind a few times this season. ???
What do you think the effects are?Quote:
Originally Posted by OLDBLUE
I do not doubt what you are saying about the complicated system, but we have way too many missed tackles not related to the system. And I hope we get that fourth win tomorrow.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Historian
A 3-9 finish? What are you smoking?Quote:
Originally Posted by T1
Plus we lost to a team with no QB.Quote:
Originally Posted by HogDawg
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Historian
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE:
I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that installing such a complicated "Defensive scheme" is foolish in and of itself. Why would any coach saddle your defense with such a complicated and complex system, especially when your defense is manned by a bunch of transfer portal vagabonds who CAN'T SIMPLY TACKLE anyway?
LA Tech's defense is currently ranked #126 (out of 131 FBS schools) in TOTAL DEFENSE in the nation. Obviously "complicated" isn't helping.
https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/...ent/team/22/p3
KISS Method. Keep it simple stupid.
Remind me again when those three games happened? Oh, that's right...on and before October 2.Quote:
Originally Posted by T1
The program was not in shambles up to the North Carolina State game. But the clock fiasco at the end of that game broke the spirit of the team after the Mississippi State and SMU finishes. Tech was 2-2 going into Raleigh and limped home the rest of the year at 1-7. Skippy's house of cards finally collapsed after losing to the Wolfpack.
I guess I get the idea of it being a “thing” to have a new system that may or may not really be complicated… But we’re not talking about 8 year olds just learning to play the game. We’re talking about athletes who have probably been playing the game since they were 8. Surely in all that time they’ve learned something about position play and the fundamentals football.
Just play the game with passion and intelligence and I think the outcome will be better.
I know this… in my high school sophomore year we lost a championship 52-0. Ouch, right!!! Well, the next year the coaches installed a whole new offense and defense and the result was we won the championship beating the same school 12-6. So, obviously players who care, pay attention and apply themselves can adjust to change and make it work.
That’s what I think too. The team was very talented. The QB getting hurt didn’t help either though.Quote:
Originally Posted by FriscoDawg
How dare you! :shocked2:Quote:
Originally Posted by Bone_afide_Dawg
We are La Tech and such truisms don't apply here.
Cumbie done fine. Holtz built a finesse program and we were a soft football team the last two years. Gonna take some time to change that. I'm not a fan of the defensive scheme but the injuries made a huge impact considering the lack of experience.
I feel like we're headed in the right direction but it's gonna take time.
I can see you are a member of the Champ110 Eternal Optimist Club.Quote:
Originally Posted by veerbone
That's fine, we need some of that around here too.
But maybe the move would be to adapt to the players we have than trying to force a square in a round holeQuote:
Originally Posted by veerbone
There’s not a system out there that would work with the players we have. It ain’t exes and ohs as much as Jimmy and JoesQuote:
Originally Posted by thewyldman
It isn't just foolish, it is incompetence. This isn't the NFL where you have players under contract (control). You have had the spring, pre-season and now 11 effing games and we still haven't installed the defense? Give me a break! Meanwhile we just lost to Charlotte and FIU (they were the laughingstock of football very recently) in the same season. This is absolutely ridiculous. Cumbie needs to figure a lot of this stuff out.Quote:
Originally Posted by HogDawg
You are seeing something I am not seeing, that's for sure. I saw a team that didn't get better as the season went on. I do not see the right direction at all. Please tell me what you saw on the field that was going in the right direction.Quote:
Originally Posted by veerbone
Yeah with the current transfer system you can't spend years installing the perfect systemQuote:
Originally Posted by Bulldog Tom
Well, you can if you are one of the haves and not a have not. They can recruit players who fit their system away from other schools. Basically, G5 programs are auditions for the big time.Quote:
Originally Posted by thewyldman
Running game got slightly better.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bulldog Tom
Just as the have-nots would pick up JUCOs, the haves pick us... but we should be able to grab some of the have's that are dropped.Quote:
Originally Posted by techman05
Negative deviations in speed, endurance, etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by DawgBark
I suspect most of the defense - if not all - has been installed. With the exception of the SFA dbs and a handful of other players, no one on that side of the ball - mainly because of injuries - has had enough reps in the entire system to make a major impact.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bulldog Tom
That's been true about every new system we've installed throughout the I-A era. It's just this staff has been honest and upfront about where we are as a program.
And the reality is some on our defense who have had to play major roles were slated to be 3rd teamers coming out of the spring. Not nearly ready to get large numbers of snaps at this level. We can go simple with the defense all we want, but at times we've simply gotten crushed at the line of scrimmage.
Also, it's clear it's never been about this season. This has always been a major rebuild.
Would they have liked to get to a bowl game? Absolutely! And I think it's clear that would have happened had McNeil not gotten hurt. The Rice, Charlotte, and FIU games would have been similar to MTSU if he would have been on the field for 4 quarters in each of those games.
UAB is 5-6 and is playing for bowl eligibility, they should be motivated and bringing their "A" game. I want to see the Dawgs show up and match their intensity. That will be a reflection on coaching and where this team is mentally, which stems from the top: coaching and team leaders.
Who would that be? Smoke can't catch consistently, Grubbs is out, both senior QB's are gone, Hebert is used sparingly, Lyddy has a LONG way to go.Quote:
Originally Posted by dawg80
Who? (serious question)
Exactly...who? Which points to one of many problems plaguing this team.Quote:
Originally Posted by Amos Moses
UAB will win by three touchdowns. That’s best case scenario for us. Worst case scenario is a score similar to UTSA score. I hope that SC is out hitting the recruiting trail hard to try and infuse some talent into this program. I don’t care about a star rating, give me a mentally tough kid that wants to be here and is coachable.
Correct me if I am wrong but doesn't UAB also have a first-year coach.Quote:
Originally Posted by SicemDawgz
I hope the Dawgs do better than at least a 3-touchdown defeat. And on par with the UTSA result? Sheeesh! If that happens Coach Crummy should be fired immediately afterwards. This is effing UAB, they are 5-6, they are just another CUSA team (worse FBS conference). No way should Tech EVER lose to a conference foe by 6 touchdowns or such nonsense....NEVER!
What good are good recruits if the coaching staff is a joke? Crummy has to step up and show me something. This is his last chance this year. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I expect to see the Dawgs standing toe-to-toe with UAB and battling into the 4th quarter, at least. Winning? Yeah...why not? Might need a couple of breaks, but heck! Give yourself a chance.
UAB-LSU would’ve been closer if UAB’s QB could hit the side of a barn. I think Tech will be lucky to stay within 4 TD’s.Quote:
Originally Posted by SicemDawgz
Et tu Brute...Quote:
Originally Posted by glm47
Go Dawgs, shock the world! Hell, shock our own fans! :shocked2:
This team has digressed as the year went on. UAB will kill us. I’m hoping that SC can bring in some talent on the defensive side of the ball with this class, or next year will be about the same as this year. Our defense is as bad as I’ve seen in Ruston in the last 20 years.Quote:
Originally Posted by dawg80
Well fortunately for UAB they will only have to throw the ball because their running backs will be so tired from running the ball up and down the field against us. They run for an average of 229 yards per game (10th in the nation).Quote:
Originally Posted by glm47
Our rush defense allows 228.4 yards per game. We have move up to 130th though, long live Colorado.
You see one thing that is lacking in our extremely complicated defensive scheme is the ability to tackle. Maybe we will implement that part of the defense for next season. :shocked2:
Go Dawgs!!