Bulldogs Fall in Heartbreaker to Mustangs - latechsports.com

[PawDawg]

Football is blocking and tackling. In the SMU game the Dawgs did a piss poor job of tackling!!!

...but they looked very strong and well conditioned while missing tackles.

[SicemDawgz]

Embrace the suck!!!

[FriscoDog]

Joe Aillet won 9 conference championships in 27 years. That's a .3333 title winning percentage, or 1 title every 3 years.
Maxie Lambright won 7 conference titles in 12 years. That's a .5833 title winning percentage, or more than 1 title every 2 years.
Skip Holtz has no conference championships in 8 years.

So does that mean Holtz will have the indoor practice facility named after him?

ETA.. there is no sarcasm emoji.. need one badly..

[Champ967]

Joe Aillet won 9 conference championships in 27 years. That's a .3333 title winning percentage, or 1 title every 3 years.
Maxie Lambright won 7 conference titles in 12 years. That's a .5833 title winning percentage, or more than 1 title every 2 years.
Skip Holtz has no conference championships in 8 years.

Not to pile on, but ...

Even Jack Bicknell III won us a conference championship.

[DallasDog]

Not to pile on, but ...

Even Jack Bicknell III won us a conference championship.

Pretty sure Billy Brewer and A.L. Williams won conference titles while they were here as well. They only coached a combined 6-7 years between the two of them. Throw in Dykes 3 seasons and basically in the same amount of time 9 years three different coaches won conference titles. That’s also with none of them being at Tech long enough to recruit a full class from freshman to graduates.

While Holtz has had the same amount of time and his system, and his guys etc almost that whole time and has 0.

[SicemDawgz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V2R--mJ5uQ

The final drive by SMU. Literally giving them 10-15 yards per attempt. The friggin QB was able to run for almost 20 yards on one play!! Even though it doesn't matter now, there was an obvious hold on number 75 who was holding Grubbs. He literally almost pulled him to the ground from behind with a ref standing right there looking at him. Doesn't really matter though, would have just made for a longer TD on the next play.
I don't know how the players still play for Holtz. How do you go an give your all every day in practice, knowing that this bonehead is going to cost you the W despite your best efforts?

[HogDawg]

Not to pile on, but ...

Even Jack Bicknell III won us a conference championship.

True. The 2001 WAC title. Our first year in the WAC. Bicknell coached Tech 2 years (1999 & 2000) when Tech was an Independent.

[glm47]

To anyone that follows the program, it was not a heartbreaker. It was expected.

[HogDawg]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V2R--mJ5uQ

The final drive by SMU. Literally giving them 10-15 yards per attempt. The friggin QB was able to run for almost 20 yards on one play!! Even though it doesn't matter now, there was an obvious hold on number 75 who was holding Grubbs. He literally almost pulled him to the ground from behind with a ref standing right there looking at him. Doesn't really matter though, would have just made for a longer TD on the next play.
I don't know how the players still play for Holtz. How do you go an give your all every day in practice, knowing that this bonehead is going to cost you the W despite your best efforts?

Tech's DEFENSE lost that game when SMU had the ball at Tech's 47-yd line with only 13 seconds left in the game. They let SMU throw ANOTHER pass underneath the coverage for ANOTHER 1st down, and the clock subsequently stopped with only 6 seconds remaining. SMU then had the ball on Tech's 33-yd line for that last Hail Mary pass into the end zone.

That play that was snapped with only 13 seconds left decided the game. How so many LA Tech defenders in blue jersey's can be waaaay too deep and not even in the same zip code as an SMU receiver is truly inexplicable. If a Hollywood producer tried to coordinate that last drive ON PURPOSE, he couldn't do it. Somebody would screw it up.

LA Tech's OFFENSE is good. They are averaging 38.7 pts per game. There's really nothing more we can ask of Austin Kendall and this Tech offense. But the damn DEFENSE has got to get their crap together. Our DB's have to quit finding a hole to climb into and hiding when the opposition is driving for a winning score.

[PawDawg]

To anyone that follows the program, it was not a heartbreaker. It was expected.

Exactly

[Bone_afide_Dawg]

Tech's DEFENSE lost that game when SMU had the ball at Tech's 47-yd line with only 13 seconds left in the game. They let SMU throw ANOTHER pass underneath the coverage for ANOTHER 1st down, and the clock subsequently stopped with only 6 seconds remaining. SMU then had the ball on Tech's 33-yd line for that last Hail Mary pass into the end zone.

That play that was snapped with only 13 seconds left decided the game. How so many LA Tech defenders in blue jersey's can be waaaay too deep and not even in the same zip code as an SMU receiver is truly inexplicable. If a Hollywood producer tried to coordinate that last drive ON PURPOSE, he couldn't do it. Somebody would screw it up.

LA Tech's OFFENSE is good. They are averaging 38.7 pts per game. There's really nothing more we can ask of Austin Kendall and this Tech offense. But the damn DEFENSE has got to get their crap together. Our DB's have to quit finding a hole to climb into and hiding when the opposition is driving for a winning score.

I know you’re thinking it, you’re just not expressing it. Forever and ever regardless of the specifics, Holtz has always coached and taught towards playing things safe. QBs don’t run, when they do they slide 5 yards before contact, we don’t throw anywhere near coverage, we rarely if ever play man-to-man on the line on 3rd downs etc... So, therefore in a prevent defense, Tech isn’t playing defense at all because there are too many things that could go wrong. They might interfere with a receiver and end up giving extra penalty yards or the worst thing of all, they might get beaten deep for a TD. So what do the players do when they’re coached scared, they play back, they give room and they don’t hit anyone. In SMU’s last possession, I don’t recall a single Tech player hitting a single ball carrier/receiver. Tech was essentially not on the field because Holtz didn’t want them involved. His strategy was to see if SMU could execute a game winning possession against themselves and the clock.

[Blue Dawg]

To anyone that follows the program, it was not a heartbreaker. It was expected.

We need to donate a thesaurus to the SID's office. "Heartbreaker" is used at least 5 times a week.

Or, yknow, simply ask our teams to stop being a national embarassment.

[HogDawg]

In SMU’s last possession, I don’t recall a single Tech player hitting a single ball carrier/receiver. Tech was essentially not on the field because Holtz didn’t want them involved. His strategy was to see if SMU could execute a game winning possession against themselves and the clock.

Very astute observation.

Also, I will say "Prevent" Defenses were born in the old days back when 80% of the offensive plays were run plays. In today's world of passing the ball 50 times a game (SMU passed it 48 times), resorting to a prevent defense is a horrible idea.

[LEEDAWG]

I was curious about Lou Holtz's championship resume as a coach. Found he won conference championships at William & Mary, NC State, and Arkansas. Also had the National Championship at Notre Dame. None of that matters regarding Skip, but it did lead me to Lou Holtz quotes. There are so many great ones. Here are a few that I find quite interesting considering our series of unfortunate events.....

"A lifetime contract for a coach means if you're ahead in the third quarter and moving the ball, they can't fire you." Lou Holtz

"You've got to have great athletes to win, I don't care who the coach is. You can't win without good athletes but you can lose with them. This is where coaching makes the difference" Lou Holtz

"Coaching is nothing more than eliminating mistakes before you get fired." - Lou Holtz.

"In the successful organization, no detail is too small to escape close attention." - Lou Holtz.

"On this team, we're all united in a common goal: to keep my job." - Lou Holtz.


And a few I just really like......
"Don't tell your problems to people: eighty percent don't care; and the other twenty percent are glad you have them." - Lou Holtz.
"No one has ever drowned in sweat." - Lou Holtz.

"If he's got golf clubs in his truck or a camper in his driveway, I don't hire him." - Lou Holtz.

[Rama Jama]

I know you’re thinking it, you’re just not expressing it. Forever and ever regardless of the specifics, Holtz has always coached and taught towards playing things safe. QBs don’t run, when they do they slide 5 yards before contact, we don’t throw anywhere near coverage, we rarely if ever play man-to-man on the line on 3rd downs etc... So, therefore in a prevent defense, Tech isn’t playing defense at all because there are too many things that could go wrong. They might interfere with a receiver and end up giving extra penalty yards or the worst thing of all, they might get beaten deep for a TD. So what do the players do when they’re coached scared, they play back, they give room and they don’t hit anyone. In SMU’s last possession, I don’t recall a single Tech player hitting a single ball carrier/receiver. Tech was essentially not on the field because Holtz didn’t want them involved. His strategy was to see if SMU could execute a game winning possession against themselves and the clock.

Great assessment. Should be pinned to top of the thread.

There is an element of fear (usually) within Holtz’s 4th quarter strategy.

But! In this case, with 2:13 to go, we throw a skinny slant for a 1st down. ‘Gutsy call” as the tv crew stated. 1:45, Marcus Williams fights into the end zone only to have it called back due to (blatant) holding by #68. Assuming we make the PAT, the score would be 41-33, out of reach, we win. We go on to burn clock, make a 47 yard FG. So (anyone) how is this Holtz’ fault?

What, specifically, would anyone do differently to win that game?