Initially I was very hard on Moorehead

[tired]

And for good 17'n reason. He will lose the majority of the fan base, sad, but true.

Fitz, thank you, but damn son you still can't read a defense. To Shoop & the D, thanks for showing how it's done.

 

[UpTheMiddlex3Punt]

If your offense relies on a QB who can make good decisions and your QB can't make good decisions, change your play calls so the QB makes fewer decisions.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

Fitz had 2 TD ‘s dropped today... 1 resulting in INT....a 3rd TD wiped off because Guidry tripped on his own two feet... not to mention the pass before half with a phantom holding call that would have put us first and goal.

 

[Seinfeld]

Or change your QB. Either way, I’m as sick of reading posts about this being Fitz’s fault in Week 13 as I was earlier this season.

It is not a mystery to anyone as to what Fitz can do well and what he can’t at this point in his career

 

[twopack]

Moorhead has given himself a big out using the RPO by being able to shift some of the play calling results on Fitz and not on himself. He has alluded to Fitz not making correct calls in a couple of games this year. Well what is what Moorhead is being paid for if not to make the calls. He sure doesn't Coach the defense. It has taken him 13 games to realize that Fitz is not a great passer or can think quick enough on his feet. Fitz is what he is. Not great but serviceable. If he can’t make the right RPO calls, then Moorhead should just tell him the plays to run. But Moorhead does not want that monkey on his own back.

 

[Lildoggy]

AKA Mullen

 

[tired]

I also think if the plays were called in sooner and allow Fitz to look over the D, instead of looking at the sideline, that would have helped. Fitz's eyes were always moving around, whereas if they had been focused on the D for 15-20 seconds, he could have been able to read it better.

Fitz has limitation, we all know that, but Moorehead (why I have no confident in him) kept trying to fit that square peg in a round hole. Mullen was good at shaving down those edges and making it fit.

 

[BossDawg78]

I'm still on the Moorhead train, to be honest. Though I'm kinda getting fidgety and thinking about getting off at the next stop.

I just feel (and I'm probably wrong) that Moorhead doesn't have what he needs in order to run his offense properly. Having a quarterback that is notoriously inaccurate and receivers that are notoriously fat fingered seems like something that would stifle even the BEST coaches against good-to-great defenses. But then I think of Mullen and hiw he could more than likely figure out how to move the ball with this bunch. Damn I'm just so confused right now. Is it Moorhead? Or the personnel? Is Moorhead capable of orchestrating anything other than the RPO? I just don't get it, because I really, really don't think that Moorhead is simply that clueless.

 

[BrewHawk]

My quick take is that this game was "lost" by your receivers.

 

[BossDawg78]

My quick take is that this game was "lost" by your receivers.

No doubt about that. It's not the first game where they have dropped astronomically critical passes.

 

[jack daniels dog]

Our receivers are an embarrassment for an SEC squad. We would be better off with Marshall’s receivers then what we have. Plain and simple, this loss falls on them. Sorry but that’s a fact

 

[Dawg1976]

He probably doesn't have all he needs to run his offense. So......why not take some of the decision making out of the QB's hand if he has difficulty making the right decision? This question has been asked all season long and it is still a valid question. Moorhead didn't adapt as well as he should.

 

[thatsbaseball]

What are these "receivers" you speak of

 

[TBone.sixpack]

The crazy thing is if you had told me Iowa would have 199 total yards/-15 rushing and be 1 of 11 on 3rd downs I would have predicted we kicked your ***. And would have never believed Iowa scored 27 points with offensive stats like that.

It was a weird weird game. As you can read State fans are extremely disappointed in the way we lost. Lots of blame to be shared.

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

I also think if the plays were called in sooner and allow Fitz to look over the D, instead of looking at the sideline, that would have helped. Fitz's eyes were always moving around, whereas if they had been focused on the D for 15-20 seconds, he could have been able to read it better.

Fitz has limitation, we all know that, but Moorehead (why I have no confident in him) kept trying to fit that square peg in a round hole. Mullen was good at shaving down those edges and making it fit.

Absolutely. Waiting until last second really gives him zero time to read defenses. I hate the constant check sideline. We killed a lot of time every snap every game looking to the sideline

 

[WutheringDawg]

If I understand correctly, There are two different sets of reads. The check with me stuff comes from fitz’s limitations when reading the defense. I think the premise is that the play is called in and the the QB identifies the coverage and runs the play without the second look back (this is the usually with 10 sec. on the playclock and results in the frantic snaps). Getting a QB that is more comfortable in the role (not saying dan Marino, but a guy who has played the position for his entire career) might help address that particular pre-snap issue.

The second set is where I really put more blame on Fitz because this is his bread and butter. The read option should be second nature by now, and just about every run is a read in 2018. But Fitz has regressed/retreated to keeping almost every time. It’s basically a play action run at this point.

I’m cautiously optimistic that we will see significant “unclogging” next season, regardless of who the QB is because they will be more comfortable reading defenses and handing the ball off.

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

On the receivers for drops, qb for interceptions and fumble, line for whiffed blocks. Coach for putting them in bad position with plays called and lack of preparation on offense. We haven’t looked tough or prepared all season on offense. Constantly sputtering

 

[BrewHawk]

The crazy thing is if you had told me Iowa would have 199 total yards/-15 rushing and be 1 of 11 on 3rd downs I would have predicted we kicked your ***. And would have never believed Iowa scored 27 points with offensive stats like that.

It was a weird weird game. As you can read State fans are extremely disappointed in the way we lost. Lots of blame to be shared.

Understood. I will say that there are a lot of games we've won where the (superior) opponent walks away shaking their head about how they ever lost the game.

Hidden yardage (typically with punting/special teams), playing clean and not committing penalties typically bodes well for us. We get in trouble when we face an opponent who can play as clean as we do (Northwestern usually).

Needless to say, your DL is beastly and Abrams will be a good pro as well. Moorehead ripped Iowa a new one when he was at PSU a couple years ago, so he's not inept. You guys just need to have more of a consistent passing threat and you will be damn salty.

Also gotta learn to play with discipline as well, which will come if the staff is invested in such a thing.

 

[TBone.sixpack]

Yessir. I have no issues with Iowa. I thought you guys played a pretty clean game. I do feel the refs overlooked some things but that didn’t cost us the game by any stretch. Just another annoying stat column.

Congrats again on the victory and best of luck next year.

 

[BrewHawk]

Yessir. I have no issues with Iowa. I thought you guys played a pretty clean game. I do feel the refs overlooked some things but that didn’t cost us the game by any stretch. Just another annoying stat column.

Congrats again on the victory and best of luck next year.

Thanks! I also saw a few things where I thought we might have earned a flag, especially the hit on Hill. Hard to make coaching transitions and everyone wants to win now, but be patient because I think Moorehead and Shoop are a good pair and your future should be bright in the coming seasons.

 

[Seinfeld]

Not to split hairs, but there’s a difference between a disciplined team not making stupid penalties and a team not committing any penalties at all. There is no team on earth that can play flawless football for 60 minutes. Just officiating crews that refuse to make calls

That said, MSU did almost nothing to earn the win today, so congrats for the win and happy new year

 

[MSUDawgFan86]

Or change your QB. Either way, I’m as sick of reading posts about this being Fitz’s fault in Week 13 as I was earlier this season.

It is not a mystery to anyone as to what Fitz can do well and what he can’t at this point in his career

So he doesn’t pass well. You want to change to the triple option for the bowl game? Because they tried to help him with some passes today and he threw a screen pass that got intercepted.

 

[Clarence Boddicker]

Yessir. I have no issues with Iowa. I thought you guys played a pretty clean game. I do feel the refs overlooked some things but that didn’t cost us the game by any stretch. Just another annoying stat column.

Congrats again on the victory and best of luck next year.

Me either. I really admire the way they play. Very well coached and had some men as well. Only thing they are missing is some high level skill talent. Ferentz needs to hire a few recruiters.

 

[BrewHawk]

Me either. I really admire the way they play. Very well coached and had some men as well. Only thing they are missing is some high level skill talent. Ferentz needs to hire a few recruiters.

We've always been light on playmakers. About our only shortcoming.

Thanks for the kind words.

 

[Shamoan]

Nick threw a 50-50 ball on a 7 yard screen. His decision making has been really bad. When the d player and rb/slot are chest to chest, don't 17ing throw the ball anywhere other than at someone's feet

 

[SaintsDoc]

That's exactly right. Nobody would have sat Fitz his senior year. He was stuck with a running QB with poor decision skills. I like Fitz as well but has no touch throwing the ball under pressure; even on the last drive he was throwing fastballs. Hopefully, JoMo will be like Herman and Saban with their teams having marked improvement in year two.

 

[dogmatic]

I really want to believe Moorhead was seeing things in practice all year that led him to continue the approach as he did. I don't want to believe he's the Joe Lee Dunn of offense, continuing to run a system designed for players of one caliber and staffed by players of another.

 

[Dawgzilla]

Fitz had 2 TD ‘s dropped today... 1 resulting in INT....a 3rd TD wiped off because Guidry tripped on his own two feet... not to mention the pass before half with a phantom holding call that would have put us first and goal.

Wasn't a phantom. It was a completely unnecessary hold by Champion after Fitz had already rolled out of the pocket.

 

[Dawgzilla]

Moorhead has given himself a big out using the RPO by being able to shift some of the play calling results on Fitz and not on himself. He has alluded to Fitz not making correct calls in a couple of games this year. Well what is what Moorhead is being paid for if not to make the calls. He sure doesn't Coach the defense. It has taken him 13 games to realize that Fitz is not a great passer or can think quick enough on his feet. Fitz is what he is. Not great but serviceable. If he can’t make the right RPO calls, then Moorhead should just tell him the plays to run. But Moorhead does not want that monkey on his own back.

Wow. So Moorhead is running the most popular wrinkle in college football not because it is effective, but just so he can blame his QB when the plays don't work.

 

[johnson86-1]

My quick take is that this game was "lost" by your receivers.

Are you talking about our downfield blockers? I'm not sure how many time our RBs got into the second level for them to matter. And I'm not sure what else they could do to contribute.**

 

[johnson86-1]

I really want to believe Moorhead was seeing things in practice all year that led him to continue the approach as he did. I don't want to believe he's the Joe Lee Dunn of offense, continuing to run a system designed for players of one caliber and staffed by players of another.

I really think most offensive coaches are like that.

If you made Mullen the head coach of Washington State this year, you would have seen him calling basically the tyler russel version of his offense, and it would have been pretty mediocre if not bad. When Bert came to Arky with a team still staffed for Petrino's system, he didn't really change his offense. He sucked while he got players that were a better fit. Chad Morris didn't continue to run a version of Bert's offense while he gets players in (granted they were going to suck regardless, so not sure it would ahve been worth doing even if he could).

I'm annoyed that Moorhead couldn't adjust and at least have a package of run plays that didn't rely on Fitz to make a read, but to just handoff, if nothing else in the redzone. Just that might have been enough to swing a couple of games. But in general, if your QB can't make reads and isn't a great passer, and your receivers suck, you are going to have a limited offense. Moorhead's poor adjustment this year doesn't mean that much going forward, provided he can find a QB that fits better. It means he's not an offensive genius, but he doesn't need to be an offensive genius if his system works. He just has to be able to get the right players and implement his system (which granted the lack of discipline and execution does haev me a little worried on that last part).

 

[engie]

I really think most offensive coaches are like that.

If you made Mullen the head coach of Washington State this year, you would have seen him calling basically the tyler russel version of his offense, and it would have been pretty mediocre if not bad. When Bert came to Arky with a team still staffed for Petrino's system, he didn't really change his offense. He sucked while he got players that were a better fit. Chad Morris didn't continue to run a version of Bert's offense while he gets players in (granted they were going to suck regardless, so not sure it would ahve been worth doing even if he could).

I'm annoyed that Moorhead couldn't adjust and at least have a package of run plays that didn't rely on Fitz to make a read, but to just handoff, if nothing else in the redzone. Just that might have been enough to swing a couple of games. But in general, if your QB can't make reads and isn't a great passer, and your receivers suck, you are going to have a limited offense. Moorhead's poor adjustment this year doesn't mean that much going forward, provided he can find a QB that fits better. It means he's not an offensive genius, but he doesn't need to be an offensive genius if his system works. He just has to be able to get the right players and implement his system (which granted the lack of discipline and execution does haev me a little worried on that last part).

This is well said.

You can't see it on TV, but inside the stadium, we had more receivers wide open with me yelling at the field than in any season I can remember. In all the years we've complained about them being blanketed, we had guys wide open in space all season. Fitz just rarely saw them or anticipated them coming open. It's a snowball effect. Fitz frustrated because Moorhead doesn't trust him. Moorhead frustrated because he can't trust him. Receivers frustrated because they've been open the last 5 pass plays without a look. Then go mental when a duck is thrown 10mph harder than it should be(by a frustrated QB) actually comes their way for a drop. Was just a bad overall fit in year one that doesn't make or break anything going forward. Creates a little doubt and skepticism, sure. That's fair.

All we've established is Moorhead isn't a transcendent coach that can go win with anybody. There aren't many of those guys out there. If he can win big with "his guys", that will be good enough for me. I expect one more year of transition(a bowl season) and to be full go by year 3.

ETA: This season was Mullen 2012. With a better defense. Very comparable overall. Square peg, round hole.

 

[maroonmania]

Understood. I will say that there are a lot of games we've won where the (superior) opponent walks away shaking their head about how they ever lost the game.

Hidden yardage (typically with punting/special teams), playing clean and not committing penalties typically bodes well for us. We get in trouble when we face an opponent who can play as clean as we do (Northwestern usually).

Needless to say, your DL is beastly and Abrams will be a good pro as well. Moorehead ripped Iowa a new one when he was at PSU a couple years ago, so he's not inept. You guys just need to have more of a consistent passing threat and you will be damn salty.

Also gotta learn to play with discipline as well, which will come if the staff is invested in such a thing.

No doubt you guys had the more disciplined team on the field and played a cleaner game other than the 2 turnovers early in the third quarter that let us get back in the lead. As far as the officiating I had no major complaint other than we had a lot of marginal judgement calls that DID get called on us where you had none. It is extremely rare to go an entire game and nothing get called on you because there are marginal violations all the time. Refs were definitely in your corner. But the only true "black and white" call to me missed on Iowa that hurt us was your last TD. You can't have WRs downfield blocking prior to a pass being thrown beyond the LOS and that is what Iowa did. Maybe the route was run too deep but the player that caught the ball was a full yard beyond the LOS when he caught it and Iowa's wideouts had immediately run down and engaged our DBs in blocking right at the snap. There was a pretty blatant hold by one WR also on the play but holds are judgment calls as well so my focus was on the illegal play. That play should have been penalized and brought back. But congrats on the win, you guys made the plays you had to make to win and we did not, couldn't even catch a late go ahead TD that hit our WR right in the chest.

 

[maroonmania]

Nick threw a 50-50 ball on a 7 yard screen. His decision making has been really bad. When the d player and rb/slot are chest to chest, don't 17ing throw the ball anywhere other than at someone's feet

Or just take off and run. He certainly has no problem wanting to do that in every other situation. If the screen pass isn't there just take off. Not that it matters any more since Fitz is gone now.