positives

[SisyphusMiner]

OK time to put on the orange colored glasses and look at the positives.

1.  I think we have a serviceable QB.  Possibly the best since the Price era?  It's been a long drought.
2.  The O-line can pass block.  Granted they can't run block, but at least our QB might finish out the season.
3.  We have a couple serviceable receivers.  No future NFL players here, but a couple that can catch a ball that hits their hands.
4.  We made it to our big payout game so it is possible we could discuss letting someone go at the end of the season.
5.  Special teams so far has been a huge improvement -- easily the most improved squad.

other possible positives.
If we can be a little less predictable on our play calling Hankins looks like he can be good.
Corners made open field tackles in game 1.  Sure they got humiliated by UT, but I don't think they've seen that kind of speed.  They might be oK in CUSA play.
Fewer penalties?


I do have to mention that every facet of game management by offensive coaching staff is still as abominable as ever.  Going back to firing people, I would start with Senter and then find a new AD that has the ability to evaluate the coaching staffs and let him make the decision.  Then hire the entire coaching staff from NDSU

[UTEPDefense]

I think our defense has shown a potential to be improved against the run(I'm not saying good, but improved).

I really think that Justin Prince is a good player, but he has been a disappointment in the first two games.  Hopefully he is just getting back up to speed after missing most of last season.  Our secondary really needs him to get back to being a quality player again.

Our CB's have also been a disappointment thus far.  Caldwell was out for the first game and Barnes is clearly adjusting to D1.  Lowe did have the big interception in game 1 and we were just completely outclassed in game 2, but overall I expected to see better CB play than we have thus far.

Dimel needs to put his "years of experience" that he always talks about to use and come up with some different concepts that could help our running game.  Just add a fly sweep motion or just try something different.  The concern is that teams appear to know over 75% of the time when Dimel is going to run and they stuff the box.  Dimel needs to identify(ask for help if needed) and see what other teams are keying so easily(personnel, formations, down & distance tendencies, etc.)  Dimel loves to say that he is multiple in his sets, but when the other team can tell what is coming based on your multiple sets and personnel changes, then that does no good.

We also desperately need a RB with enough speed to break a long one.  At this moment it looks like Eldridge might be the only hope on the current roster for that. 

I do see some possible hope this year as well, but we really need a good performance this Saturday to keep that belief.

[SisyphusMiner]

Dimel needs to put his "years of experience" that he always talks about to use and come up with some different concepts that could help our running game.  Just add a fly sweep motion or just try something different.  The concern is that teams appear to know over 75% of the time when Dimel is going to run and they stuff the box.  Dimel needs to identify(ask for help if needed) and see what other teams are keying so easily(personnel, formations, down & distance tendencies, etc.)  Dimel loves to say that he is multiple in his sets, but when the other team can tell what is coming based on your multiple sets and personnel changes, then that does no good.

UTEPD -- You know a lot more than I do about how to read offenses, etc, so please school me.  But it seems to me that it's pretty simple.  1 and 10 is a running down.  Any down and short are running downs.  The only passing downs are 2nd and 3rd and 5 or more yards.  I don't know much but what if sometimes we did a play action and then hit a TE on an out?  Have we thrown a pass to a TE yet?  Do we have any that can catch?

[UTEPDefense]

Good call on the TE.  I don't believe that we have completed a pass to a TE yet this year.  That might be mostly due to Thompson being our main TE and his role has been solely used as a blocker.  We did have a TE running wide open for what would have been an easy 40 yard TD on one play against SFA, but Hardison just didn't see him and threw to a contested Cowing on the other side of the field.  That will happen, but hopefully Hardison and staff see that on film and learn from it.

As for the running struggles, you are correct as well.  Against SFA, we wasted a lot of 1st and 2nd downs and it probably doesn't take much investigation to see when we are going to run.  But I also just feel like Dimel is doing something that tips the defense as well, so they are confident enough to stack the box on certain plays.  For instance Tupou only seems to come in on running plays(maybe that changes now that McKee is hurt), sometimes Fields position standing next to the QB in shotgun has been a half step different on the plays that he is getting the ball.  As you also mentioned, maybe Dimel needs to stop calling plays at the line of scrimmage and giving teams such a long time to react and adjust their call. 

I think Dimel would be better off running more sets that could be either be pass or run, as opposed thinking that he is doing something creative by running a power running set on one down and then a wide passing set on the next down.  Those drastic formation changes aren't that creative when you are running predictable plays out of them.  Dimel also needs to just adopt the approach of spreading out the defense a little more, instead of packing it in and pounding into a stacked front(Kugler style).  There is a reason why almost every other college team is running that type of offense.

I won't totally blame Dimel for his play calling in the UT game, because our WR's were getting no separation and our O-line could get no push in run blocking.  There just isn't much that a playcaller can do in those situations.  Our best(and probably only) offensive success in that game came from play action.  But there wasn't much that could be done to make the results of that game drastically different.

Overall though, there are definitely some issues that need to be fixed in the current run game approach and it is Dimel's job to fix it.

[SisyphusMiner]

I think Dimel would be better off running more sets that could be either be pass or run, as opposed thinking that he is doing something creative by running a power running set on one down and then a wide passing set on the next down.

This would be a huge improvement in my mind.  I thought that he was bringing something similar to the Oregon read option where the play could be just about anything from the same formation.  But alas, no.  Does he think anyone is fooled by the Wildcat?  I think Senter should tell him he is fired next time he calls it