Game

[kyyote]

We are wearing them down and are starting to impose our will.    I picked UTEP 42 to 17.  Just as I thought it would go, so far.  lol  Actually, I think it took a quarter to figure out who was doing what.  We got it now.  Players are starting to show coaches game play.

[Chanson]

Not.
I thought we were going to see a little game control after the end of the 1st half. I was very wrong. It's going to be another long season especially after an FCS school man handles us.

[SisyphusMiner]

Well ain't that a kick in the crotch.

I will not judge Dimel on anything more that the progress these players and the team as a whole show through the season.
Kug's comments about a dumpster fire were less descriptive than predictive as it turns out.

[Colominer]

 When they announced the two starting o-linemen were out for the season I cringed, thinking this might be the result. I don't know what they can do from here, but I'll be hoping Dimel can find a spark.

 We're back to UTEP's traditional football slogan: Just wait for basketball season!

[kyyote]

I am so tired.

[Austintacious]

List some positives, too.  That's what the team needs to build on.   

[Minermojo]

When they announced the two starting o-linemen were out for the season I cringed, thinking this might be the result. I don't know what they can do from here, but I'll be hoping Dimel can find a spark.

 We're back to UTEP's traditional football slogan: Just wait for basketball season!

No. What came to mind while watching the game was that video of that guy who yelled out, "Oh no, we suck again".

I was not at all impressed by anyone. To the Nau coaches I tip my hat to them. I think that they wanted to keep it low score as that receiver of theirs could have had multiple touchdowns as he was always way ahead of the secondary...easy TDs. They just didn't continue the long passes which would have insulted us so much more.

I'm so depressed with the state of our football team and I'm not expecting a win against enemas u.

[liebestraum]

I had expected a better UTEP team, but NAU - FCS or not - has a good team.  (Did anyone happen to notice Kansas was beaten by Nichols State - another FCS team?)

Things really looked disjointed, with the exception of the two drives at the end of the first half.  To be honest, we got some good yardage on series because of pass interference calls.  Other times, the QB overthrew, passed poorly, or our WRs dropped catchable balls.

Here’s what I’m going to hope happens:  the team will eventually get its shit together and maybe win a couple games at the end of the year.  I’m going with the “new coaches, new routine” mantra.  I’m also going to have a some adult beverages this long weekend.

lieb

[kyyote]

OK.  There are players and coaches. Both teams have players and coaches.  Is/Was the problem that our players on scholarship that we spent money recruiting not as good as the players playing for NAU?

OR... is it coaching?

Because the other team kicked ass and seemed to be able to just push us, out run us, out hit us, and out fucking play us and I don't understand how players the same size or bigger, faster, with access to some fine facilities, supposedly somewhat creamy of the crop athletes just get their asses kicked unless they don't care.  And if that is the fucking problem send them all back to where they came from and get some players that care.  Supposedly you can coach people to be better.


Having said that, someone explain how in the fuck it is that having had all damned spring and summer to figure it out they don't know who is supposed to be on the field for the first plays?  How is it that they just looked confucking fused?  How is it that we start the fucking season not having a quarterback and looking for one against a FCS team while they are eating our lunch and taking our movie money from us in front of our parents and we just turn it over while they laugh at us.

I mean each fucking player, I want to ask them, "Did you just get your ass kicked?  Why?  Because they other guy was just better than you or because the coaches fucked things up?"  Coaches can just shut the fuck up.  Nothing.  Not a fucking thing can they say that is not the same worthless coaching crap.  I am so fucking tired of being disgusted by our football team.  It just doesn't make sense.  I don't want to hear about the other eight grade team being a pretty good eight grade team.  Our players are SUPPOSED TO BE BETTER!!!  OUR COACHES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE BETTER!!  But our players got their assed handed to them in a disgustingly pitiful manner and the superior coaching leaves one wondering how much money our coaches made yesterday than the NAU coaches made.  I am so fucking pissed off to have to start another season of football with the team showing this side of our great school. 

[Chanson]

Damn, KY. Sip a Brandy & a make a cigar. I wouldn't get too uptight.
I'll admit I got caught up in the hype as well & to watch that 2nd half at home was painful. Also, our 1st throw (Metz) was an interception. A Sr should know fucking better.
Now that I have vented, this is our 1st year & kids are running left instead of right. I'll admit our massive defensive line was beat by some smaller, but smarter kids crawled under my skin.
Anyway, we do have talent & we do have good coaching. It just didn't come together on day one. While I dont see it coming against UNLV or Tenn, I still think we can get 3-4 games.

[kyyote]

Chanson, that was after the drinks and smokes.  I am just so fucking tired of the same old thing.  A senior quarterback that has shown in his career that he is not exactly we didn't have to spend a penny recruiting him.  Number one spot on the team and we have a kid that medically the coaches should be held responsible for when his is addle brained.  And his backup has never played a down.  Maybe just maybe that should have been addressed.  Who was the genius that landed the NAU quarterback.  NO ONE!  He landed himself!  But we can't find a quarterback!  So are our linemen big but just too stupid?  How does that work?  Too stupid to coach or coaches just too stupid to coach?  You see, I just don't understand!  They had months to show them what direction.  The same amount of time NAU had and their guys knew which way to go but ours are confused!  So, we have talent and coaching.  Really?  Then why the FUCK did it not come together?  That coming together or lack thereof is the unanswered question.  We have talent.  NAU had more?  Smarter?  So we spend money and search the land from coast to coast to find player that NAU can beat just hanging around.  How about our fucking AD just firing all and hiring NAU coaches and scholarship the damned players.  If I had a Corvette that was losing races to VW Beetles I don't want to hear that the VW is pretty fast!  Or that after months of preparation the engine has a miss or something.  There is no fucking excuse!  No reason that anyone has ever given that makes sense. 

[Austintacious]

Check out this article from El Paso Times:

UTEP football has a ways to go as it climbs out of the rubble after Northern Arizona loss

https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/sports/college/utep/2018/09/03/utep-football-has-ways-go-climbs-out-rubble-after-loss-northern-arizona/1181710002/

[SisyphusMiner]

In basketball we always talk about freshmen adjusting the the speed of the game, and the size of the opposing players.  It's true in football as well.  I think it's fair to say that Kug left us with an absolutely bare cupboard on the lines, and injuries did not help.  Without a line, you have nothing.  So we'd better pray for a really fast learning curve for the freshmen, and an O-line coach that can teach technique really well.  Otherwise we are going to be getting a good look at our 3rd and 4th string QBs.

Do we have a single receiver with quickness and hands?

[Minermojo]

That was a good post Ky. You mirrored my feeling perfectly. How is that Nau who is out in the forest somewhere could get a QB like theirs and we can't get anyone. What the heck is wrong. Let me ask that again, WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG! It needed to be shouted out. Their receiver was twice as fast and twice as good as our secondary. Their QB was running circles around the defense. I just don't get it. I get so frustrated and really Ps'ed off at our football teams year in and out. This was a D1AA football team that showed us how the game is played. Maybe we should have gone for their coach instead of Dimel.

Maybe I should just give up on UTEP sports, I don't know, I'm really depressed about our situation every year. What's laughable is that the AD and coach want our presence and our money for inferior quality sports.

[liebestraum]

NAU made the FCS playoffs last year.  They are a good team.  Nichols State beat Kansas.  Nichols State was in the FCS playoffs last year.

Surely some of you know one reason FCS teams get good players is FBS transfers.  An FBS player can transfer to an FCS school and play immediately.  Lord knows, it happens with Sam Houston State.  This past year, SHSU picked up a 4-star OL from Ohio State who got fed up with his lack of playing time.  I don’t know how true this may be for NAU, but it would not surprise me if some of their players came from FCS programs - possibly even from ASU or Arizona. And those players want to transfer to winning FCS programs.  If UTEP gets FBS transfers, they need to sit out a year and it seems we may have some of those.  So, yeah.  We have to wait until next year.

Again, I’m disappointed UTEP lost, but they played a good FCS program and not, for example Incarnate Word.  And I’m as puzzled as anyone as to why the team seemed so out of synch, even with new coaches.  But I want to see how this season plays out.  At least we didn’t have a reprise of the Tommy Hudspeth “era” (an opening 83-6 loss to Utah).  Frankly, I’m more upset with the shade of orange on our uniforms.  If they had been all orange, I’d have thought we’d stolen Tennessee’s practice unis.

lieb