App vs USM Game Thread

[MJ1988]

For those of you who refuse to question this coaching staff. Steve Brown said in the post game interviews, this game "looked like spring practice". Is that what we should expect?

[JonW]

Again, third game into his second season. I'm not questioning the coaching staff yet.

[AppGrad78]

I'm just as disappointed as the next person about our kicking game, but we were breaking in a new holder. These things take time to mesh.

[appst89]

I deleted several posts that multiple posters complained about. We already have threads open for pissing contests.

[APPARJ]

I'm just as disappointed as the next person about our kicking game, but we were breaking in a new holder. These things take time to mesh.

Didn't see it (listened on radio) but there was a very interesting point called out on the post-game show. It seems as tho Matics doesn't move to kick the ball until the ball has been placed on the ground. Of course, normally a kicker moves to kick once the ball leaves the longsnapper and the holder is in the process of setting the ball up to be kicked.

Again, I didn't SEE it but if it is true that Matics didn't move to kick until the ball was in place, it makes perfect sense as to why two kicks (especially a freaking PAT) were blocked tonight.

[AppFan11]

Overall... what a pisser. Even with the mistakes, this was a winnable game. And its because of the mistakes that we should all know how much potential this team has. Make know mistake that USM defense is for real and we had 455 total yds v like 325 for them. I thought our defensive play calling was pretty good and we really stopped their run. We did make some mistakes in the secondary but they also made some good plays. Offensive play calling was "protective" particularly in the first half. Yes I know we wanted to establish the run and we did (like 192 vs 61) but the middle was open all second half. we very much under-utilized our receivers. But finally with about 6 mins. to go we start to open it up. USM could not stop it. One can only imagine what the score would have been if we opened it up say mid third quarter or so. Then you have the whole Lamb starting thing... which was probably cause for the conservative play calling. Overall not a bad start but he made plenty of mistakes... which is what you would expect from a freshman qb. Grade time : defense B Offense B- coaching (game coaching) C+.
This was a game we should have one by double digits... Hate losing winnable games.

[Appersrule]

USM defense is NOT for "real". They are a very bad football team who tried to give us a game and we wouldn't take it. They have won 2 of their last 24 football games. End of story. They will finish with 2-3 wins.

[APPARJ]

It is very disappointing to see so many spastic people on this board talking so negatively about the team. This team could've folded at 14-0 and chalked it up to being an OOC on the road. But this App State team literally fought (especially the defense) to the last second of this game. How in the WORLD can that be overlooked?

Say what you want about coaches, penalties, decision making, play calling etc... Unless the team and coaches hold a press conference to say otherwise, I believe this team refused to give up on this game and played hard to the very end. That said:

I hate that we left points on the field.

I hate that Cox fumbled on the 6.

I hate that Matics struggled immensely.

I hate most of all that we lost a very winnable game.

[diehardapp18]

the final outcome was really disappointing. headed into this season i had us winning 7 games, with this game and the GaSo game penciled as wins. Well we lost tonight and GaSo is rolling, so now it looks like we'll do good to win 4-5 games.

But anyways the good news is that we certainly weren't outplayed tonight. Our defense was pretty solid and the offense moved the ball all night, did we EVER go three and out? We put up 450+ yards on an FBS defense. Not to mention our QB was a freshman and aside of a few freshman mistakes he was lights out, especially when we really needed him. He was tremendous on third downs and had that huge conversion on fourth down late in the game. He led two big drives. Really think we could have our next star QB on our hands in Lamb.

Upshaw had a rough outing which was interesting because Cox had a lot of success. Cox had 120 yards and even Lamb himself had 40 yards on the ground which was very promising. Our running game is set for years to come.

We have a pretty solid WR corp, although they would be elite with Price. I'm not worried about receivers going forwards though.... Barbour, Lewis, Meadors, Armstrong.... all these guys our freshmen.

But I want to give Lamb some more praise. He completed 28 passes tonight to ELEVEN different receivers, that is so impressive. His eyes down field are great, he's showing a lot of potential as a decision maker (despite throwing 2 INTs tonight).

We lost this game primarily because of two reasons: kicking and mental, pre-snap errors. So many false starts and delay of games, and that safety blitz on So Miss third and long on their winning score??? What was that about? I know this is a YOUNG coaching staff and young team, but these errors are still way too prevalent for an FBS football team.....

ALSO somewhat like last year the team struggled to finish especially in the first three quarters. Again we very rarely go three and out, we normally put some big plays together every time we have the ball. But TOO many times we drive into opponent's territory and come away empty handed. Another sign of a young team... but I expect these issues to be fixed in a few weeks. It's not like I don't have faith in Satt and co or anything, but I do want to see improvements

Final outcome was extremely disappointing, but I saw plenty of things I liked tonight. Really the game went as I expected.... except the final score. There's no doubt who the better team was.

[ASU_BrewCrew]

For those of you who refuse to question this coaching staff. Steve Brown said in the post game interviews, this game "looked like spring practice". Is that what we should expect?

I like several of the assistant coaches and I think they have a great future in football. However, SS does not get the respect from the players like you need to be a successful head coach and have a sustainable program. Want to ask how I'm such an expert on this, I personally know players that have been around him and played there since he has been back. Mark it down,(9/20/14) this coaching staff will be short lived. There will not be contract extensions unless the new AD hire is blinded or pressured by BOD. Not blaming this loss totally on this staff, but players respond to certain coaches and it's evident this is not the future of App State football. I hear many of you talking about you have to give him time to get his full recruiting class (2-3 years) before we start judging or calling for heads. Guess what? GA South has a brand new coach (Willie Fritz) and zero; let me say again zero recruits are his and look what they are doing. Hmmm....think about it. Sat is a very good offensive coordinator. Sometimes we have to come to reality and admit that we are not management material and accept what we are good at.

[AppDawg]

What I saw tonight was growing pains of a very young football team. It may just be me, but I do beleive this team has a little more grit/moxie than last years. May be the eternal optimist in me, but I think we will be better in the long run due to tonight. Where I am going with that is say we pull out the W, are all mistakes highlighted as much and carry as much weight in the film room and practice?

One positive, I am very proud of our D! Aside from really the 1st series and 1 untimely penalty, I thought they left their hearts on the field. I am happy to see consistency carry over week to week in our run D especially as that was a glaring weakness last year. Thursday night will be a true test though.

[AppDawg]

For those of you who refuse to question this coaching staff. Steve Brown said in the post game interviews, this game "looked like spring practice". Is that what we should expect?

I like several of the assistant coaches and I think they have a great future in football. However, SS does not get the respect from the players like you need to be a successful head coach and have a sustainable program. Want to ask how I'm such an expert on this, I personally know players that have been around him and played there since he has been back. Mark it down,(9/20/14) this coaching staff will be short lived. There will not be contract extensions unless the new AD hire is blinded or pressured by BOD. Not blaming this loss totally on this staff, but players respond to certain coaches and it's evident this is not the future of App State football. I hear many of you talking about you have to give him time to get his full recruiting class (2-3 years) before we start judging or calling for heads. Guess what? GA South has a brand new coach (Willie Fritz) and zero; let me say again zero recruits are his and look what they are doing. Hmmm....think about it. Sat is a very good offensive coordinator. Sometimes we have to come to reality and admit that we are not management material and accept what we are good at.

I hear what your saying, but I do think GaSo's early success is largely a product of their tricked up offense. Do they deserve kudos? Certainly. But I would rather build a solid foundation for long-term success rather than the short-term gain. Look no further than Ga Tech to see that they had near immediate success when paul johnson took the helm, yet several years later they struggle to be middle of the pack ACC. All it took was the conference gaining experience defending the triple option.

[APPARJ]

For those of you who refuse to question this coaching staff. Steve Brown said in the post game interviews, this game "looked like spring practice". Is that what we should expect?

I like several of the assistant coaches and I think they have a great future in football. However, SS does not get the respect from the players like you need to be a successful head coach and have a sustainable program. Want to ask how I'm such an expert on this, I personally know players that have been around him and played there since he has been back. Mark it down,(9/20/14) this coaching staff will be short lived. There will not be contract extensions unless the new AD hire is blinded or pressured by BOD. Not blaming this loss totally on this staff, but players respond to certain coaches and it's evident this is not the future of App State football. I hear many of you talking about you have to give him time to get his full recruiting class (2-3 years) before we start judging or calling for heads. Guess what? GA South has a brand new coach (Willie Fritz) and zero; let me say again zero recruits are his and look what they are doing. Hmmm....think about it. Sat is a very good offensive coordinator. Sometimes we have to come to reality and admit that we are not management material and accept what we are good at.

I hear what your saying, but I do think GaSo's early success is largely a product of their tricked up offense. Do they deserve kudos? Certainly. But I would rather build a solid foundation for long-term success rather than the short-term gain. Look no further than Ga Tech to see that they had near immediate success when paul johnson took the helm, yet several years later they struggle to be middle of the pack ACC. All it took was the conference gaining experience defending the triple option.

IMO - GaSo is in a better position to be successful in the Sun Belt faster than us. Not an excuse. Just based on their existing personnel vs. ours. They are closer to where they want to be than we are currently.

[firemoose]

For those of you who refuse to question this coaching staff. Steve Brown said in the post game interviews, this game "looked like spring practice". Is that what we should expect?

I like several of the assistant coaches and I think they have a great future in football. However, SS does not get the respect from the players like you need to be a successful head coach and have a sustainable program. Want to ask how I'm such an expert on this, I personally know players that have been around him and played there since he has been back. Mark it down,(9/20/14) this coaching staff will be short lived. There will not be contract extensions unless the new AD hire is blinded or pressured by BOD. Not blaming this loss totally on this staff, but players respond to certain coaches and it's evident this is not the future of App State football. I hear many of you talking about you have to give him time to get his full recruiting class (2-3 years) before we start judging or calling for heads. Guess what? GA South has a brand new coach (Willie Fritz) and zero; let me say again zero recruits are his and look what they are doing. Hmmm....think about it. Sat is a very good offensive coordinator. Sometimes we have to come to reality and admit that we are not management material and accept what we are good at.

I hear what your saying, but I do think GaSo's early success is largely a product of their tricked up offense. Do they deserve kudos? Certainly. But I would rather build a solid foundation for long-term success rather than the short-term gain. Look no further than Ga Tech to see that they had near immediate success when paul johnson took the helm, yet several years later they struggle to be middle of the pack ACC. All it took was the conference gaining experience defending the triple option.

IMO - GaSo is in a better position to be successful in the Sun Belt faster than us. Not an excuse. Just based on their existing personnel vs. ours. They are closer to where they want to be than we are currently.

As APPARJ said: Ga Sou has 59 Jr's and Sr's on their roster. App has 73 Fr and So's. Don't care whether one likes the staff or not. The only way to overcome that difference is experience.

[moehler]

well it didn't take long for someone to call for SS head, no offense, but I totally disagree, we got players starting who really aren't FBS talent, but SS has no choice but to put them in the game. Don't get me wrong, Im not happy with 12 penalties, that shows a lack of discipline and I put the blame squarely on the coaching staff, like his players, SS and his staff needs to grow up quick, and improve their coaching techniques, but Im certainly 100% in the camp that they deserve alteast a couple more years to put on the field a competitive FBS program. As far as being envious of GS, I wouldn't be so quick to fall in love with their new head coach, this year they brought in 6, I repeat 6 JUCO to play for them, they are also a senior dominated team. They have put togeather a team to win now, we will see how this works for them in a couple of years. One more thing, you might not like SS coaching, but him and his staff are hell of recruiters, number one class, by Rivals, in the SBC this year. Be patent.

[App91]

well it didn't take long for someone to call for SS head, no offense, but I totally disagree, we got players starting who really aren't FBS talent, but SS has no choice but to put them in the game. Don't get me wrong, Im not happy with 12 penalties, that shows a lack of discipline and I put the blame squarely on the coaching staff, like his players, SS and his staff needs to grow up quick, and improve their coaching techniques, but Im certainly 100% in the camp that they deserve alteast a couple more years to put on the field a competitive FBS program. As far as being envious of GS, I wouldn't be so quick to fall in love with their new head coach, this year they brought in 6, I repeat 6 JUCO to play for them, they are also a senior dominated team. They have put togeather a team to win now, we will see how this works for them in a couple of years. One more thing, you might not like SS coaching, but him and his staff are hell of recruiters, number one class, by Rivals, in the SBC this year. Be patent.

Say what you will, GS will roll us thursday. They are so much further ahead. I am not sure we could compete in the SoCon this year. SS has been terrible so far. The excuse of shirting players will work this year but he better produce next or his first HC job will be short lived! Can we win another game this year should be the concern

[GoApps70]

Georgia Southern is a rivalry game. Anything can happen in those.
Personally think having an off week hurts us most of the time unless
we have some key players to heal. I don't like red shirting any players
unless they need more development or to learn the system better before
they play.

[asu66]

For those of you who refuse to question this coaching staff. Steve Brown said in the post game interviews, this game "looked like spring practice". Is that what we should expect?

I like several of the assistant coaches and I think they have a great future in football. However, SS does not get the respect from the players like you need to be a successful head coach and have a sustainable program. Want to ask how I'm such an expert on this, I personally know players that have been around him and played there since he has been back. Mark it down,(9/20/14) this coaching staff will be short lived. There will not be contract extensions unless the new AD hire is blinded or pressured by BOD. Not blaming this loss totally on this staff, but players respond to certain coaches and it's evident this is not the future of App State football. I hear many of you talking about you have to give him time to get his full recruiting class (2-3 years) before we start judging or calling for heads. Guess what? GA South has a brand new coach (Willie Fritz) and zero; let me say again zero recruits are his and look what they are doing. Hmmm....think about it. Sat is a very good offensive coordinator. Sometimes we have to come to reality and admit that we are not management material and accept what we are good at.

Nice endorsement for the new AD to become an instant hatchet man. Are you putting up the $1.5 mil to buy up all the contracts? The athletic department certainly doesn't have it and Chancellor Everts doesn't either. Even if she did, I guarantee you that she wouldn't spend it there.

[asu66]

I'm just as disappointed as the next person about our kicking game, but we were breaking in a new holder. These things take time to mesh.

Didn't see it (listened on radio) but there was a very interesting point called out on the post-game show. It seems as tho Matics doesn't move to kick the ball until the ball has been placed on the ground. Of course, normally a kicker moves to kick once the ball leaves the longsnapper and the holder is in the process of setting the ball up to be kicked.

Again, I didn't SEE it but if it is true that Matics didn't move to kick until the ball was in place, it makes perfect sense as to why two kicks (especially a freaking PAT) were blocked tonight.

FGs and PATs weren't Zack notautoMatics only issues last night. He couldn't get KOs into the endzone. Two (if you count the on-side kick) went out-of-bounds. The "new holder" can't be an excuse for the KO meltdown. I believe that's the weakest performance I've ever seen for an ASU kicker. The kid just never got it going...period.

[luvyosef]

As long as Taylor is the QB, I still like our chances in Statesboro.