Reflection on the season

[LanderPoke]

I'm not sure about the 11-1 and access bowl talk. I never once, during the second half of the Iowa game thought we were going to come back. We got to their 35 yard line exactly twice all day. Overall, the season has to be considered a success just because we had our first back to back winning seasons in how long? The San Jose St loss puts a major damper on it though. I know, we were playing with a back up quarterback with an offense that was down right awful all year...with our starter. But Vegas still had us as a 20 point favorite with that back up.

you are thinking about this from the context of our current offense. Like, you have to imagine this year's team with an offense that isn't anemic and worthless. I know it's hard lol.


With the way our d performed all year it was absolutely possible to go 11-1. And you have to think the d would have been even better if our offense didn't go 3 and out most drives thus forcing them our there way more than they should have been. It's scary to think about, but the d would have been even better with a real offense to keep them off the field more.

And who knows how the Oregon game would have gone with a functional offense that could sustain a drive?

 

[OrediggerPoke]

We have beat both Air Force and CSU in back-back seasons. We have been competitive with Boise in back to back seasons for the first time ever. Bohl just keeps putting guys into the NFL (Brian Hill, Tanner Gentry, Chase Roullier, Jacob Hollister) and soon to be (Josh Allen, Carl Granderson, Andrew Wingard) with a few other potentials (Logan Wilson, Youhanna Ghaifan, Tyler Hall). I'd say the state of the program is as good as it has been since the 90s.

The reality is that Nick Smith won't be seeing the field next year and the young offense is bound to improve overall (minus the QB position). The defense is largely returning (let's hope that Granderson does not declare early). It's hard to complain although we have a few experts in complaining on this board.

 

[ELKMT]

Does he get full credit for Roullier and Gentry? That like saying Christensen put prosinski and Gipson into the NFL. Those players were already good and already here for him.

 

[OrediggerPoke]

Does he get full credit for Roullier and Gentry? That like saying Christensen put prosinski and Gipson into the NFL. Those players were already good and already here for him.

Yes, he helped develop these players.

As much as I did not care for DC as a coach, his staff helped Gispon become a pro with the move to safety.

 

[LanderPoke]

We have beat both Air Force and CSU in back-back seasons. We have been competitive with Boise in back to back seasons for the first time ever. Bohl just keeps putting guys into the NFL (Brian Hill, Tanner Gentry, Chase Roullier, Jacob Hollister) and soon to be (Josh Allen, Carl Granderson, Andrew Wingard) with a few other potentials (Logan Wilson, Youhanna Ghaifan, Tyler Hall). I'd say the state of the program is as good as it has been since the 90s.

The reality is that Nick Smith won't be seeing the field next year and the young offense is bound to improve overall (minus the QB position). The defense is largely returning (let's hope that Granderson does not declare early). It's hard to complain although we have a few experts in complaining on this board.

OK, be satisfied with the worst offense in college football despite having a 1st round quarterback. This should have been a special season. So much was left on the table

 

[TSpoke]

Unless VanderWaal is the 2nd coming of Josh Allen I think we’re looking at a 5-7 season next year.

I completely disagree. I think the offense will be better next year. We replaced so much on offense this year, and next year we will have everything back except for JA(big exception). Our line will be better with a year under their belt and another off-season training/practice. Our running backs and receivers will be better for the same reasons. We need to find a quarterback but he will have better weapons around him than Josh did this year. We seem to assume that players won't develop and get better as time goes on but the fact is the offensive players were very inexperienced this year.
Just like on defense, I am not taking anything away from Hazelton because what he accomplished with the turnaround from last year was amazing but with the number of young players coming back on that side of the ball we were going to be better than last year even if we kept Stanard(don't want to think about it).
I really hope one of our freshman qb's is a potential star player but I think our running game will be much improved next year and will take some weight off the passing game. We will have Overstreet who is showing some potential and we will have a deeper experienced line with another year of getting stronger.

 

[ItSucksToBeACSURam]

Unless VanderWaal is the 2nd coming of Josh Allen I think we’re looking at a 5-7 season next year.

I completely disagree. I think the offense will be better next year. We replaced so much on offense this year, and next year we will have everything back except for JA(big exception). Our line will be better with a year under their belt and another off-season training/practice. Our running backs and receivers will be better for the same reasons. We need to find a quarterback but he will have better weapons around him than Josh did this year. We seem to assume that players won't develop and get better as time goes on but the fact is the offensive players were very inexperienced this year.
Just like on defense, I am not taking anything away from Hazelton because what he accomplished with the turnaround from last year was amazing but with the number of young players coming back on that side of the ball we were going to be better than last year even if we kept Stanard(don't want to think about it).
I really hope one of our freshman qb's is a potential star player but I think our running game will be much improved next year and will take some weight off the passing game. We will have Overstreet who is showing some potential and we will have a deeper experienced line with another year of getting stronger.

Wont we have Theo Dawson next season as well?

 

[Cheywypoke]

Unless VanderWaal is the 2nd coming of Josh Allen I think we’re looking at a 5-7 season next year.

I'm hearing rumblings that VanderWaal could be better than Josh.....

 

[Adv8RU12]

Unless VanderWaal is the 2nd coming of Josh Allen I think we’re looking at a 5-7 season next year.

I'm hearing rumblings that VanderWaal could be better than Josh.....

Still 1) he will need someone(s) that can get open and catch the ball (currently getting better at that) and 2) get some protection for time to throw (not getting better at that)

 

[wyoair]

Unless VanderWaal is the 2nd coming of Josh Allen I think we’re looking at a 5-7 season next year.

I completely disagree. I think the offense will be better next year. We replaced so much on offense this year, and next year we will have everything back except for JA(big exception). Our line will be better with a year under their belt and another off-season training/practice. Our running backs and receivers will be better for the same reasons. We need to find a quarterback but he will have better weapons around him than Josh did this year. We seem to assume that players won't develop and get better as time goes on but the fact is the offensive players were very inexperienced this year.
Just like on defense, I am not taking anything away from Hazelton because what he accomplished with the turnaround from last year was amazing but with the number of young players coming back on that side of the ball we were going to be better than last year even if we kept Stanard(don't want to think about it).
I really hope one of our freshman qb's is a potential star player but I think our running game will be much improved next year and will take some weight off the passing game. We will have Overstreet who is showing some potential and we will have a deeper experienced line with another year of getting stronger.

Wont we have Theo Dawson next season as well?

He graduated in May of 2016 so he started his mission during the summer I presume. So he will likely be done with his mission in the summer of 2018 and ready for fall camp? If I'm wrong please correct me.

 

[SDPokeFan]

Pretty easy to predict the bowl outcome if Josh doesn't play. We get shut out.

Like we have exactly once this decade which such stud qbs as Colby Kirkegaard, Cameron Coffman, and Nick Smith?

fwiw I though Cam was a decent QB. But maybe a couple years has made me remember him better.

Could add Josh Thompson to that list, but I only remember him starting one game. Air Force I believe it was

Wasn't his name Jason Thompson?

 

[SDPokeFan]

Pretty easy to predict the bowl outcome if Josh doesn't play. We get shut out.

Like we have exactly once this decade which such stud qbs as Colby Kirkegaard, Cameron Coffman, and Nick Smith?

Those offenses had running games, and as bad as they were, were not as bad as this year's offense, which is all-time putrid.

 

[OrediggerPoke]

Pretty easy to predict the bowl outcome if Josh doesn't play. We get shut out.

Like we have exactly once this decade which such stud qbs as Colby Kirkegaard, Cameron Coffman, and Nick Smith?

fwiw I though Cam was a decent QB. But maybe a couple years has made me remember him better.

Could add Josh Thompson to that list, but I only remember him starting one game. Air Force I believe it was

Wasn't his name Jason Thompson?

Yes. And he never played for Bohl as he left town with Christensen to Utah.

 

[wyoair]

Pretty easy to predict the bowl outcome if Josh doesn't play. We get shut out.

Like we have exactly once this decade which such stud qbs as Colby Kirkegaard, Cameron Coffman, and Nick Smith?

fwiw I though Cam was a decent QB. But maybe a couple years has made me remember him better.

Could add Josh Thompson to that list, but I only remember him starting one game. Air Force I believe it was

Wasn't his name Jason Thompson?

Yes. And he never played for Bohl as he left town with Christensen to Utah.

And ended up finishing as a safety.

 

[wyokoke]

Pretty easy to predict the bowl outcome if Josh doesn't play. We get shut out.

Like we have exactly once this decade which such stud qbs as Colby Kirkegaard, Cameron Coffman, and Nick Smith?

Those offenses had running games, and as bad as they were, were not as bad as this year's offense, which is all-time putrid.

Fair. But still, haven't been shut out since a top 5 TCU team with ACS playing. Including with this all time putrid offense and Nick Smith

 

[fromolwyoming]

Pretty easy to predict the bowl outcome if Josh doesn't play. We get shut out.

Like we have exactly once this decade which such stud qbs as Colby Kirkegaard, Cameron Coffman, and Nick Smith?

Those offenses had running games, and as bad as they were, were not as bad as this year's offense, which is all-time putrid.

Fair. But still, haven't been shut out since a top 5 TCU team with ACS playing. Including with this all time putrid offense and Nick Smith

While true, barely being able to move the ball on crappy defenses (SJSU was torched all season long, for example) really doesn't help anything. That includes when Josh Allen was out there.

 

[wyokoke]

Pretty easy to predict the bowl outcome if Josh doesn't play. We get shut out.

Like we have exactly once this decade which such stud qbs as Colby Kirkegaard, Cameron Coffman, and Nick Smith?

Those offenses had running games, and as bad as they were, were not as bad as this year's offense, which is all-time putrid.

Fair. But still, haven't been shut out since a top 5 TCU team with ACS playing. Including with this all time putrid offense and Nick Smith

While true, barely being able to move the ball on crappy defenses (SJSU was torched all season long, for example) really doesn't help anything. That includes when Josh Allen was out there.

Completely agree. Just think saying we'll definitively get shut out when Josh doesn't play is pretty dumb. I mean Smith is only averaging around 10 points less than Josh. Which sure is significant but it's not like we were a powerhouse offense with him either

 

[bladerunnr]

I'm glad everyone's giving Bohl a pass. If he had put this team in the conference that had BYU, Utah, and Boise state, we would not have been 7-5. He's never had to play TCU, and Boise state is on a downward trend since Peterson left. We only beat one team with a winning record (csewe). I don't say we should get rid of him, but I'm not ready to anoint him as the next Vince Lombardi. This team won a number of close games that could have gone the other way. We've had some of the worst losses in school history with Bohl. I think next year without Allen will be very interesting.

I will take a pass on this year's bowl game. Hey JC in the Rock, you wanted the Nick Smith era to start. You happy now?

 

[poke_addict]

I'm glad everyone's giving Bohl a pass. If he had put this team in the conference that had BYU, Utah, and Boise state, we would not have been 7-5. He's never had to play TCU, and Boise state is on a downward trend since Peterson left. We only beat one team with a winning record (csewe). I don't say we should get rid of him, but I'm not ready to anoint him as the next Vince Lombardi. This team won a number of close games that could have gone the other way. We've had some of the worst losses in school history with Bohl. I think next year without Allen will be very interesting.

I will take a pass on this year's bowl game. Hey JC in the Rock, you wanted the Nick Smith era to start. You happy now?

Haven't seen anyone on here compare Bohl to Lombardi. We also lost some close games that could have gone the other way.

 

[Brown and Gold]

I think that if Josh Allen had not been injured, we'd be 9-3 and there'd be a great push to see an Allen/Rosen showdown in Arizona in a bowl. Having said that, we lost two easily winnable games due to this injury and it makes us feel like this year was worse than last. The difference this year was focused on Allen and the QB position but the true difference wasn't Allen, it was Brian Hill......

Our defense played well and was way better than last year. Brian Hill made our opponents play run first and that allowed for Josh Allen to emerge as a force. As last year progressed, our team went to Allen as our first option and defense's focused then on Allen and guess what, he struggled in every game from New Mexico on.

Same thing this year, teams focus on Allen and not the run....they know we can't run the ball and it is easy to stop Josh. Brian Hill brought fear into opponents minds and when Josh Allen became the man.....we lost our mojo....

Now.... before you get off base, go back and look at Allen's stats from New Mexico on...... Losing Hill as our go-to was our downfall and losing him to the NFL was the death of Josh Allen as a huge impact player. Hill would have changed everything and we'd maybe be 10-2 now.

I see this year as progress because I think that the Allen injury screwed us. Yeah we should be able to beat SJSU with me at QB but with Allen, we beat both SJSU and Fresno State easily in my opinion. I see us as a 9-3 team really. Anytime you lose big time players, it's tough, especially when you lose your QB or RB early to the NFL. For us, it's worse than other schools because we don't have four star kids just glad to wait for a shot. In BB when we lost Nance, Adams wasn't the same and it seems like we may never recover but we have. In FB, it was hard to replace Brett Smith but we did. Who will be the next stud for us? I doubt the sky is falling.