Week 4: @South Carolina (9/23)

[HogDawg]

This game feels like last years Arkansas game.

Wow. You made that comment at 3:29 PM CST during the game. And as it turned out, it was JUST LIKE the Arkansas game. A one-point loss.

[HogDawg]

Oh yeah. This reeks of K-State 2015.

There it is! Posted at 3:53 PM CST yesterday. Bingo!

[HogDawg]

we've gotta win this. I really don't care much about c-usa... We should always dominate that. These kinds of games are the ones that really matter for our program. Come on, dawgs!

^^^truth!!

[techman05]

I am proud of our players. They play hard no matter what offensive or defensive set the coaches call in. I too am tired of depending on conference play to get to 8 wins and a sense of accomplishment. It's time for us to demand that conference championships are within reach every year and we have to get it. Non conference P5 wins are slipping away due to a couple of bad calls and a few bad play calls. I hate waiting til week 5-6 to "find out what we are made of".

[HogDawg]

Coulda won that if we get the QB on the ground on third down.

^^^THIS.

[HogDawg]

Here's that pass them into FG range.Attachment 14158

I don't know that we gave him 10 seconds, so much as the refs gave him 10 seconds

Why in the world was our middle LB just standing there, and not RUSHING the QB?? That's horrible play in the last minute. That Tech LB should have been charged the price of a game ticket, because all he did was WATCH.

[HogDawg]

Exactly. That IS NOT THE TIME TO SPY THE QB, it is the time to PRESSURE THE QB INTO A HURRIED/POOR DECISION!

BINGO! And so many people, just don't get it.

[HogDawg]

1-10.

Losses to NC State (2013 - 1st game of Holtz era), Oklahoma (2014 season opener), Auburn (2014), MS State (2015, 2017), TX Tech (2016).

Very close losses to Kansas (2013, 13-10), Kansas State (39-33 in 3OT), Arkansas (2016, 21-20), and South Carolina (2017, 17-16)

Beat Illinois in Heart of Dallas Bowl in 2014.

Wow. That's just not an acceptable record. There are at least 4 games that LA Tech should have won.

Speaking "unemotionally" for a second......I think LA Tech fans really need to consider whether our football program may have already peaked under Holtz. For some, this record may be okay. For others, it may not be okay. But we shouldn't be afraid to ask the tough questions....

1) Is this as good as it gets?
2) Is our fan base going to be satisfied with simply being a perennial CUSA title contender (even though we still haven't won one yet.)?
3) Could a younger, more aggressive coach make LA Tech more competitive, and lead Tech to some wins over P5's, including a win at LSU next year?
4) And what would a win next year in Baton Rouge do for our football program?


I know coaches with 9-4 & 9-5 seasons don't get fired. And I'm not calling for that. But, I'm truly starting to believe, if we ever want to move to the next level, Holtz may need to go. But, for some folks --many folks-- a "move to the next level" may not be worth the risk.

[PawDawg]

Would we have had time for one more play if our returner had quickly taken a knee? I noticed we had 2-3 seconds left when the returner got the ball. If so, would you have done so?

Apparently our COYHCSH called on them to try the return rather than the downing/hail mary. I really didn't have a preference, but notice the slow start of the clock after the ball was touched by USC on our last kick.

[BruceWillisDawg]

1/6 TDs in red zone 16%. Need to be at least 50%. Below avg run game killing us especially when it counts most.

[DD Dawg]

It's so easy to second guess. Had we not pulled last week's game out, there would have been second guessing of play calls. When we got into guaranteed field goal range, we ran the ball 3 straight times. The players were not able to execute well enough on those three to get a first down to kill the clock all the way down. If you throw on one of those plays 2 of the 3 things that can happen are bad, an incomplete pass to stop the clock or an interception. This is the type of game is one that we need to win to finally reach that 10 win regular season plateau. We played well enough to win, but had mistakes throughout the game the kept us from having a two possession lead in the 4th. We had the breaks turnovers and missed fg by SC, but we weren't able to make the plays needed to win. I'm sick to my stomach, but that is a team loss. Offense could have converted the fumble into points, defense was a second away from making a sack and interception, but weren't able to. We had a lead in an SEC stadium with under a minute, at some point it's on the players to make a play. If we don't get the two big sacks on D in the 4th last week, we are having this convo then as well.

. Very well put! I totally agree

[DD Dawg]

Regarding clock management by the score keepers...only four seconds ran off when we kicked off to them after our last score. That was BS. When they kicked the winning FG 3 seconds ran off which is typical.

Clock starts when return team touches the ball

[DD Dawg]

Wow. That's just not an acceptable record. There are at least 4 games that LA Tech should have won.

Speaking "unemotionally" for a second......I think LA Tech fans really need to consider whether our football program may have already peaked under Holtz. For some, this record may be okay. For others, it may not be okay. But we shouldn't be afraid to ask the tough questions....

1) Is this as good as it gets?
2) Is our fan base going to be satisfied with simply being a perennial CUSA title contender (even though we still haven't won one yet.)?
3) Could a younger, more aggressive coach make LA Tech more competitive, and lead Tech to some wins over P5's, including a win at LSU next year?
4) And what would a win next year in Baton Rouge do for our football program?


I know coaches with 9-4 & 9-5 seasons don't get fired. And I'm not calling for that. But, I'm truly starting to believe, if we ever want to move to the next level, Holtz may need to go. But, for some folks --many folks-- a "move to the next level" may not be worth the risk.

Nebraska felt that way at one time! I'm sure they'd prefer to have their 9 win coaches back!

[HogDawg]

Nebraska felt that way at one time! I'm sure they'd prefer to have their 9 win coaches back!

Exactly. That's why I said "for some folks --many folks-- a "move to the next level" may not be worth the risk."

[dawg80]

It is a legit question. And yes!!! you run the risk of trading a consistent 9-game winner and bowl-winner for a string of 4-8 seasons. Seen it happen many, many times. But, nothing worth having ever comes easy. There are always risks.

Perhaps a better approach is to play both ends against the middle. What does Tech Football, Coach Holtz, need to elevate our program past the 9-win plateau? Don't get a new HC and lose all that Holtz brings to the table. Instead, help him enhance Tech football. New coordinators? Will facility improvements allow us to start winning some recruiting battles we are now losing? I don't know. But if yes, exactly what type of improvements will provide the best ROI?