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Realistic Expectations...

L

LawPoke

Well-known member
So if someone told you - before the season started that we would be going to Fart Colons to play our way into a bowl, what would you have said?

Given the fact that our beloved Pokes have only been to 1 bowl in the past upmteen years and after having watched them in the Spring Game, I would have said, "Sign me up!" Sure I want them to win every game. Sure I want to win the league. But was it realistic? Nope.

Think of the fact that we have true freshmen contributing every down - and contributing well. Think of the fact that we finally have a QB that can move and throw.

I know there is frustration with the playcalling, etc. - but at some point, DC had to realize that he had a choice: (1) play TCU straight up and get his QB killed; or (2) scheme TCU with an eye toward a bowl game. Beating TCU would be great - but a bowl would be awesome. More practices with a young, young squad. Recruiting. Recruiting. Recruiting. He recruited this class based on what? Give him something to sell and the sky is the limit.

I can hear the living room visit now:

DC: In our first year, we took a team that was beaten down and took them to a bowl...and we did it with Freshmen. We played the likes of Texas, TCU and Utah. We will play Texas, Nebraska, Boise, TCU, BYU, Utah, Mizzou, Oregon while you are here. So if you want to play and win in a program with every opportunity to become the next Utah or TCU - come on up to Laramie.
 
I can honestly say I predicted 3 wins this season. I felt I was being realistic, especially since implementing a completely new offensive system while also having a brand new coach IS going to be painful regardless. From what I remember people predicting on this board, GWG, and the MWC board, I think there was a general consensus that Wyoming was going to land on 2-3 wins for this year.

Somehow, despite this, I see a LOT of whining from the "fans" of the Brown and Gold. I have a feeling that if we lose to CSU on Friday, several people will be calling for Christensen's head. In Denver Post this morning, they already talked about how CSU's motivated to ruin Wyoming's bowl bid so they do have something left to play for. If anybody expects to see the same lack of effort that CSU showed last night against New Mexico, they'll be sorely disappointed. They'll come out firing on all cylinders, and I hope Pokes will be expecting that. If I were Christensen, I'd look up some of the trashtalk from CSU fans from this season (including just in the past couple of days) about how the Wyoming game will be a cakewalk.
 
Excellent thoughts from both of you. I wish all our fans could be like this. I am so, so sick of hearing people complaining about everything with Wyoming athletics, yet at the beginning of the season if you had said to them, that we have to beat CSU in the Fort with a chance to go bowling EVERYONE would have taken it in a split second.

We were picked last. Optimistically, I had us pegged for 4 wins against one of the toughest schedules in Wyoming's history. They have already exceeded my expectations. We're never going to build a successful program if we have people looking to criticize every decision at every turn. There are highs and lows when rebuilding your program, if you can't handle the lows, you shouldn't be a part of it.
 
Realistically, we've beaten the teams we were supposed to beat, and lost to the teams we were supposed to lose to. I think SDSU was a game we were probably predicted to lose to in the preseason, but won. The Colorado game.. coulda gone either way. They're not a good Big 12 team, but they're not the worst either.. I would have predicted loss in that game to start the season. I think we've exceeded expectations, which is a good sign.
 
It just disturbs me to see this section of Wyoming "fans" who have adopted this permanent, cynical, pessimistic outlook on everything involved with UW athletics. It is certainly more prevalent on the other board than here. I don't think there are that many of them, but they are good at making their voice heard.

Everyone has the right to criticize as a fan, but there are a lot of people, who ONLY criticize. They think they are entitled to some special opinion or right to criticize everything because they attend every home game and are a part of CJC.

I get the impression they would rather the specific head coach (be it football or bball) fail so they can be right about it, and tell everyone how they saw it coming and told you so, rather than have him succeed, which would make them wrong.
 
calpoke25 said:
It just disturbs me to see this section of Wyoming "fans" who have adopted this permanent, cynical, pessimistic outlook on everything involved with UW athletics. It is certainly more prevalent on the other board than here. I don't think there are that many of them, but they are good at making their voice heard.

Everyone has the right to criticize as a fan, but there are a lot of people, who ONLY criticize. They think they are entitled to some special opinion or right to criticize everything because they attend every home game and are a part of CJC.

I get the impression they would rather the specific head coach (be it football or bball) fail so they can be right about it, and tell everyone how they saw it coming and told you so, rather than have him succeed, which would make them wrong.
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I think every fanbase has a certain percentage that feels that way. There are TCU fans that are whining about their "fumble problems" (we should all be so lucky).

However, I do think that the fans have jumped ship on this season. I don't honestly know why, but I suspect that the BYU game is the primary factor. The humiliation of suffering the worst home loss in the history of War Memorial (I think that's correct), and having it happen at the hands of BYU no less, put a huge damper on things.

The loss at CU was horrible as well. CU is a terrible football team and they shut us out.

I am not saying that fans should feel this way (I, for one, think Glenn left a program in pretty weak shape competitively), but I am just trying to understand why there is such a lack of enthusiasm for a team that has a chance at a bowl berth (hardly an annual occurrence this decade).

I think the CSU game is huge for this program and for DC. Getting to a bowl game in his first year will create solid momentum to assist recruiting and I think it will pull alot of the fans back in and build excitement for next year.
 
I was expecting 4-5 wins. But now that they're at 5 wins, I'd be damn disappointed if they didn't get to 6 wins.
 
calpoke25 said:
Excellent thoughts from both of you. I wish all our fans could be like this. I am so, so sick of hearing people complaining about everything with Wyoming athletics, yet at the beginning of the season if you had said to them, that we have to beat CSU in the Fort with a chance to go bowling EVERYONE would have taken it in a split second.

We were picked last. Optimistically, I had us pegged for 4 wins against one of the toughest schedules in Wyoming's history. They have already exceeded my expectations. We're never going to build a successful program if we have people looking to criticize every decision at every turn. There are highs and lows when rebuilding your program, if you can't handle the lows, you shouldn't be a part of it.
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As for the negative fans - the Pokes lost 45-10, so I would hope there would be more than a few pissed off fans. Unfortunately, there's always the very few fans out there who either writes off the head coach, or says that Wyoming should drop down to D-II, or whatever - I just wonder how much is just emotional reaction that they're throwing out there. But yes, I know what you're thinking of. Frankly, I'd stop watching the games if it was so hard to find joy in watching the Cowboys.
 
if you wouldve told me that we have a chance to go 6-6 beat CSU and get in a winnable bowl game i would say that is a succesful first season for DC and the Pokes and we have a bright future and we are headed the right way as is SDSU and where NM UNLV and CSU are not
 
NowherePoke said:
The loss at CU was horrible as well. CU is a terrible football team and they shut us out.
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CU is NOT a horrible team. They're a very talented team that's poorly coached and underperforming. They were one play from beating #12 Oklahoma State on the road on Thursday night, they beat Texas A&M, they were in the West Virginia game for a long time, and they beat #17 (at the time) Kansas.

When they played us, they had their backs up against the wall because of the two previous losses, but got lucky from the start with the fumble that turned into a touchdown. Pokes were in a bad situation being almost expected to win that game. In the end it came out to be a positive, though, as it meant ACS took over the starting job at QB.
 
I believe I picked us to win 4, so I'm happy with the overall outcome of the season so far. However, the HUGE losses (especially to BYU) really make it hard on us fans. Losing I can handle, but blowout really piss me off.

With that said, I will be extremely disappointed if we don't get the boot back on Friday.
 
I am pleased with what Wyoming has done this year . If you step back and look at our schedule and really think about it and what we have done if we end up winning over our rival on Friday and going to a bowl game you have to be pleased with the direction we are going.

4 of our losses have been to top 25 teams . 2 of those are to 2 of the top 4 teams in the country and in my opinion the 2 most complete teams in the country . I believe Air Force is close to a top 25 team and we hung in the game with them . We can get to 6 wins with a bunch of freshman starting and playing this year with a whole new offensive scheme .

Sure the Colorado and BYU losses were bad because we didn't score but that's what you get with a lot of young and growing talent ...ups and downs. Next year we should be much improved with everyone in the second year of this system which will put us ahead in every facet of the program from practice on up. I bet we will see more plays in the playbook for the bowl game (assuming we make it)and for next year as well.

We owe CSU so lets get the boot back and go to a bowl game. Wyoming has done a good job this year with what they had to work with so lets finish it off on a high note!

Go Cowboys!!!
 
evilpoke said:
As for the negative fans - the Pokes lost 45-10, so I would hope there would be more than a few pissed off fans. Unfortunately, there's always the very few fans out there who either writes off the head coach, or says that Wyoming should drop down to D-II, or whatever - I just wonder how much is just emotional reaction that they're throwing out there. But yes, I know what you're thinking of. Frankly, I'd stop watching the games if it was so hard to find joy in watching the Cowboys.
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Sure people should be pissed off. I don't expect everyone to fall into step and in complete unison with one another. And certainly some of it is just raw emotion after a game.

But there is a fraction of fans out there who do nothing but complain, criticize and nitpick everything they can. They never acknowledge any progress. Never give the coach or players any credit. Never have anything positive to say about anything.

Like I said, if i didn't know any better, I'd say they would be happier to see a coach fail so they could tell everyone how right they were and how they told you so, rather than that person succeed.

Oh well, fuck it lets go get the boot.
 
On another note, I wouldn't consider the CU loss a "bad" loss. It was first road game of the year with a team that is still unproven and extremely young. CU isn't good, but they still have Big 12 talent and played some tough teams, (Texas, OSU) close while winning some others, (Kansas, A&M).

I would say the only "bad" loss was BYU.
 
i think we all are pretty much in agreement that 6 wins was probably as good as anyone could have expected 7 if they win a bowl game, or even coming down to the last game. but at this point i do feel like others that i would be extremely disappointed if we lose and stay home. i would still call the season an improvement but be disappointed. as far as fan support, yes i think getting humiliated by byu has something to do with it, your talking hundreds of dollars (tickets, gas, food) and all day or more if roads get closed before you get home, thats a big commitment that only feels worth it if we feel like we may make a difference. 15 or 30 k wont matter if we are getting blown out, but if its close we feel like it was worth being there. i also think some fans are saving time off from work and funds in case we do get a bowl game, so support there will be huge. DC put in a clock counting down this game so lets hope it paid off, get the boot, get a bowl, GREAT FIRST SEASON FOR DC. take another step forward next year making the extra play or 2 vs AFA or Utah.
 
Asmodeanreborn said:
NowherePoke said:
The loss at CU was horrible as well. CU is a terrible football team and they shut us out.
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CU is NOT a horrible team. They're a very talented team that's poorly coached and underperforming. They were one play from beating #12 Oklahoma State on the road on Thursday night, they beat Texas A&M, they were in the West Virginia game for a long time, and they beat #17 (at the time) Kansas.

When they played us, they had their backs up against the wall because of the two previous losses, but got lucky from the start with the fumble that turned into a touchdown. Pokes were in a bad situation being almost expected to win that game. In the end it came out to be a positive, though, as it meant ACS took over the starting job at QB.
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I think the bolded part sums it up pretty well. We obviously have different definitions of horrible, but a 3-8 team playing in the Big 12 north (the weakest division of any AQ league) that is poorly coached and underperforming fits the bill in my book.

Even CSU beat CU and they can't beat UNM. A close loss would have been one thing, but we were totally dominated. Our offense never even seriously threatened the CU defense that has given up 30+ points on 7 occasions and gave up 54 to Toledo the week prior to our game.

There is no excuse for that performance and I hope our team feels the same way.

We have a very similar situation coming up this week. CSU is a bad football team. Period. The Pokes need to win this week, no excuses. Yes, CSU will be very motivated as it will be their last game, senior day, etc. However, there are still a horrible football team.
 
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