I could do the most embarrassing losses of the Barnett & Walker polls if there’s any interest…
Most embarrassing loss of the Fitz Era?
- Thread starter CatManTrue
- Start date
The Akron loss was my vote as well.
Illinois State is leading the poll and was in my top 3… maybe my #2.
It sucked hard but they actually dominated the game.
The Akron loss just hit harder for some reason - Thorson won the Big Ten West as a 5th year senior but he and the entire team just absolutely threw that one away.
Looking back, the most painful was to New Hampshire in 2006 - probably because I attended it in person and expected us to dominate behind Sutton and Nick Roach, only to watch Chip Kelly’s 5-5 squad dominate Fitz in his rookie year.
I clearly should have included that one instead of the 2014 blowout to Iowa (shockingly still at ZERO VOTES despite it being Fitz’s ugliest loss to his top rival). It sure sucked seeing a 5th year Siemian & JJTBC plus a pretty talented team get wrecked like that.
Sure keeping this thread alive Jeff. You must have close to half the posts.
And, yet, I only had one single vote.
50 have voted - it is quite cathartic to do so, isn’t it?
I plan on flying back for a game. It may be homecoming vs Iowa, or another.
I can get some better Matt O’Dwyer stories for you out of Stevenson now that I know you’ve met my fellow Patriot once.
Hope to see you and other True Wildcats at a tailgate
Ran into Matt a couple times through a mutual acquaintance ( another former OL) and he’s an engaging fellow. Nasty on the field, exactly how I like my OL. Still looks like a guy you would never mess with!And, yet, I only had one single vote.
50 have voted - it is quite cathartic to do so, isn’t it?
I plan on flying back for a game. It may be homecoming vs Iowa, or another.
I can get some better Matt O’Dwyer stories for you out of Stevenson now that I know you’ve met my fellow Patriot once.
Hope to see you and other True Wildcats at a tailgate
Agreed! We talked about him at the tailgate before the awful MSU debacle in 2021.
It is a Small world! There’s another OL from his era whose wife is a teacher at Stevenson. Not sure if it’s the other fellow you’re referring too… but we bonded our fondness over my freshman math teacher who was an incredible man but unfortunately an Indiana fan and alum.
Look forward to catching up if I can get back to Evanston this fall. Maybe I’ll finally get that flight from @xxxbobxxx
More bad losses than there should have been...
One of the prime examples of coaching malfeasance.
Army's secondary was awful, so the game plan was to run the ball? (Esp as Army's D had plenty of practice facing a running QB.)
And then in usual Fitz-turtling fashion, agonizingly slow to make the appropriate adjustments in play-calling/personnel.
Game would have been different if Fitz hadn't taken points off the board
One area where Fitz won't be Dantonio 2.0 is on trick plays/2 pt conversions.
Dantonio was the master at it, whereas Fitz's teams repeatedly failed to execute.
One of the prime examples of coaching malfeasance.
Army's secondary was awful, so the game plan was to run the ball? (Esp as Army's D had plenty of practice facing a running QB.)
And then in usual Fitz-turtling fashion, agonizingly slow to make the appropriate adjustments in play-calling/personnel.
Game would have been different if Fitz hadn't taken points off the board
One area where Fitz won't be Dantonio 2.0 is on trick plays/2 pt conversions.
Dantonio was the master at it, whereas Fitz's teams repeatedly failed to execute.
I’m not clear what identity Fitz is going for in East Lansing.
MSU fans seem pretty resigned to their fates. Apparently their defensive line looks woefully weak by B1G standards and he didn’t land any impact players there, or at QB.
Hopefully we’re one of his embarrassing losses at MSU. Notre Dame will roll them over…
BGJ = Big Game James?
Not even close. Fitz rarely had the team prepared to play in “big games”, if ever.
His record against “the big three of the B1G” is pretty pathetic considering how down they were while he was HC.
Braun has avoided any majorly embarrassing losses over 3 seasons. Fitz seemed to have an average of 3 per year
Having teams unprepared against top programs is something BGJ and Fitz both share, albeit a bit more excusable for Fitz (altho the manner of losses against middling at best UM teams were real doozies).
Both are "CEO"/face of the program type HCs who aren't particularly good at hiring coordinators (both having hired buddies who flopped), suck at identifying and developing QBs (usually going hand in hand with their picks at OC), have trouble fielding good O-lines (notwithstanding having a complete stud on the line every once in a while), have trouble recruiting/keeping receivers due to a very conservative approach to passing (among all the other issues on O) where it was more horizontal than vertical, both poor at game management, etc.
And oh, both have huge egos and like playing the victim...
Report coming out of Steelers rookie camp is that McCarthy is deprogramming Allar of all the things he learned at PSU.
Both are "CEO"/face of the program type HCs who aren't particularly good at hiring coordinators (both having hired buddies who flopped), suck at identifying and developing QBs (usually going hand in hand with their picks at OC), have trouble fielding good O-lines (notwithstanding having a complete stud on the line every once in a while), have trouble recruiting/keeping receivers due to a very conservative approach to passing (among all the other issues on O) where it was more horizontal than vertical, both poor at game management, etc.
And oh, both have huge egos and like playing the victim...
Report coming out of Steelers rookie camp is that McCarthy is deprogramming Allar of all the things he learned at PSU.
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Let’s not forget, Fitz had some pretty bad OC’s except Dunbar.
Surprisingly, everyone forgot the Duke game at Ryan, where points were taken off the board
Surprisingly, everyone forgot the Duke game at Ryan, where points were taken off the board
Fitz never had Dunbar, Garrick McGee was the OC in 2006 and 2007 before McCall.