Well today was frustrating....

[PrideandDream]

Just digesting things. But two stats that get me are 125 rushing and 9 of 21 passing.

We arne't going to beat many people with 125 rushing. Period.

And when you are completing only 40% of your passes....well that ain't helping

The fact we had to throw 21 times tells us a lot. We are going to have to run and drive the ball and go for it on 4th down to make this thing work. That was clear today. And mostly because there is little creativity here in this offense. We aren't running much option. The one pitch today was horrific. We are no better on the edge in any way so far this season. Little misdirection or short passing game that is effective either.

Mark it down, the Air Force game is going to showcase the difference between where we could be with an under center option offense and where we are with this shotgun power run offense.

Air Force 73 runs for 400 yards. 2 passes. Leading rusher? Fullback Michel 33 for 148.

Michel leads AF in rushing yards and as a team they have 5 ball carriers with over 100 yards on the season. We have two. Daily and Reed. Reed on the year is 33 for 153 which is what Michel had last night.

I was pretty happy to be wrong last week and the 1st half of today. But after these last 2 quarters I'm back in serious doubt that this thing works. Let's hope I'm wrong but we are 4 games in and seeing a really mixed bag of results and most importantly not getting any more creative.

PD

[Knight95]

I personally like the offense ... Daily is a monster but doesn't always make the best decision.

I think they look or try to look a bit like the Wake Forest Offense that hung 70 on us.

I don't know a thing about Xs Os or any technical language here but the fullback dive always seems to work when Daily is running forward with the FB as he hands it off. Bit of data guy and that play alone has averaged 4 yards per carry. Not sure why they went away from it. Also where was Reed, Riely?

Mixed results? Yeah I agree. When Thatcher calls conservative Daily and Reed accounted for 58% of our offensive plays, and we lost. In both wins? More even distribution, Daily and Reed only account for 33% of offensive plays

[PrideandDream]

Well bottom line is we are playing to win. If we are trying to be Wake well we aren't even close to hangin 70 on anyone.

[Mastergate]

After 1st series didn't run offense like previous week didn't use all their personal went back to if not working we'll keep doing it anyway Syracuse D picked up on this and the rest is history

[WrekDivr]

Today was a clear tale of two halves: we moved and possessed the ball (24 min TOP) and led the game. In the third quarter, we went 3 and out every series except for a penalty. Not sure what changed, but what a difference. We have 6 quarters now where the O absolutely shined and 6 quarters (ULM +2H today) where it disappeared. Wish I could figure out the difference.

[palidog]

Could it be we were playing a top 30 program today with better athletes and a defensive coach who tweaked things at halftime? Syracuse is faster, bigger and stronger than army. They recruit in a different bucket. It showed.

[Boris23]

Just digesting things. But two stats that get me are 125 rushing and 9 of 21 passing.

We arne't going to beat many people with 125 rushing. Period.

And when you are completing only 40% of your passes....well that ain't helping

The fact we had to throw 21 times tells us a lot. We are going to have to run and drive the ball and go for it on 4th down to make this thing work. That was clear today. And mostly because there is little creativity here in this offense. We aren't running much option. The one pitch today was horrific. We are no better on the edge in any way so far this season. Little misdirection or short passing game that is effective either.

Mark it down, the Air Force game is going to showcase the difference between where we could be with an under center option offense and where we are with this shotgun power run offense.

Air Force 73 runs for 400 yards. 2 passes. Leading rusher? Fullback Michel 33 for 148.

Michel leads AF in rushing yards and as a team they have 5 ball carriers with over 100 yards on the season. We have two. Daily and Reed. Reed on the year is 33 for 153 which is what Michel had last night.

I was pretty happy to be wrong last week and the 1st half of today. But after these last 2 quarters I'm back in serious doubt that this thing works. Let's hope I'm wrong but we are 4 games in and seeing a really mixed bag of results and most importantly not getting any more creative.

PD

I felt that I should wait to see the outcome of the Syracuse game to assess the season to date and Army's new offense and was heartened by Army's play in the first half. I have never been wholly convinced that Coach Monken is or ever will be an elite, upper echelon Division I coach as opposed to being an exceptional administrator, organizer and, for the most part, a solid recruiter.

He is handicapped, I subjectively believe, by never having served as an offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach or as a play-caller at any level, despite being familially well-connected. He has not compensated for this lack by seeking the services of offensive coordinators of proven success at substantial Division 1 programs but instead had the service of Brent Davis who coached the offensive line and was offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern and VMI prior to eventually serving in the same category at Army. Coach Davis, although already flawed, was less successful as coordinator of the triple option when he and Coach Monken started to move away from the triple option with the quarterback under center and the rotation of three legitimate fullbacks to what amounted to a double option emphasizing a mid-line quarterback-fullback mesh, and then to a pro-set offense. When Saga Tuitele departed, Army lost its last professional interior offensive line coach, and the output of the running game correspondingly continued to decline. The idea that a Division II coach with a thin coaching pedigree at the Division I coaching level, who has never set foot, as a competitor, on a Division I playing field can schematically compensate for the lack of a ground based offensive repertoire whose interior blocking schemes should be installed by a veteran offensive line coach and executed by an Army offensive line that has weight and good talent, is farfetched. The fact that Coach Calhoun of the the Air Force Academy has endorsed Coach Monken's shift away from the triple option on the dubious claim that it is rendered inoperable due to the virtual banning of the "cut block" I find highly suspect and professionally self-serving, given his own successful approach to a ground based offense that has not utilized the cut-block. The Cadet offense resembled Brent Davis' offense in the second half of the Syracuse game because the same mistakes were being made based upon the same ego and career -driven professional ineptitude in judgement and intellectual dishonesty that marked the latter stage of the Monken-Davis tenure. These inept decisions on the offensive side and certain areas of play-calling inconsistency by the defensive coordinators handicapped Army's defense and accounted for the unit's tiring and the inconsistent performance of the Army secondary in the second half.

Having stated the above; however, I believe that the season can well be salvaged. Army's first half performance, even allowing for Syracuse over confidence and indolence, was just fine; the Army line is good and team speed is adequate. The question is whether the coaches, Coach Monken in particular, can revert to the style of play that bought him to the bowl victory over the University of Houston; after which this gradual decline began.

[gabn92]

I came away with mixed feelings after the game. I went into the game thinking Army could easily be blown out...hoping for an upset of course, but very aware that this new offensive system is still a work in progress and it could be ugly.

On the one hand, there was of course disappointment. To be leading at halftime and for the offensive line to dominate Syracuse D line like the did on the opening drive showed that we have a lot of potential. The Army D was doing a great job of frustrating a good Syracuse offense for most of the 1st half. Then, to be so flat and ineffective in the 2nd half was frustrating. I'm guessing Syracuse made some adjustments and we just didn't have the answers.

On the other hand, was hope. Army did not get blown out. This was a good Syracuse team that Army hung with and had a chance at the upset win. We kept it closer to Syracuse on the road than Purdue was able to do at home...that says something about where this team is already in it's development with the new system.

So, on the whole, I think this game shows we have potential with this offense, even as there is still more progress needed before it really starts to click. The D is good enough to keep us in most games. Those 2 things tell me that Army will have a chance to win every remaining game except LSU. BC, Troy and Coastal are not as good as they've been in the past. All 3 are home games and all are winnable if Army doesn't beat themselves.

The bye week couldn't come at a better time. Perfect time to regroup, focus on BC, get healthy...and hopefully get Robinson into the game. Beat BC!

[wpgrad]

For the life of me I don’t know how you go from 17 play kick ass opening drive to the ship&show we saw the rest of the day. You cant tell me Syracuse adjusted that much from series 1 to series 2

[PrideandDream]

I came away with mixed feelings after the game. I went into the game thinking Army could easily be blown out...hoping for an upset of course, but very aware that this new offensive system is still a work in progress and it could be ugly.

On the one hand, there was of course disappointment. To be leading at halftime and for the offensive line to dominate Syracuse D line like the did on the opening drive showed that we have a lot of potential. The Army D was doing a great job of frustrating a good Syracuse offense for most of the 1st half. Then, to be so flat and ineffective in the 2nd half was frustrating. I'm guessing Syracuse made some adjustments and we just didn't have the answers.

On the other hand, was hope. Army did not get blown out. This was a good Syracuse team that Army hung with and had a chance at the upset win. We kept it closer to Syracuse on the road than Purdue was able to do at home...that says something about where this team is already in it's development with the new system.

So, on the whole, I think this game shows we have potential with this offense, even as there is still more progress needed before it really starts to click. The D is good enough to keep us in most games. Those 2 things tell me that Army will have a chance to win every remaining game except LSU. BC, Troy and Coastal are not as good as they've been in the past. All 3 are home games and all are winnable if Army doesn't beat themselves.

The bye week couldn't come at a better time. Perfect time to regroup, focus on BC, get healthy...and hopefully get Robinson into the game. Beat BC!

I can appreciate where you are coming from. And maybe we continue to get better.

I guess my issue is this, this is year 10 for Monken. This isn't a rebuild of a whole program. He has had years to put things together how he wants them. He had some great early success. And yet a couple of years in the past few but still a far cry from where we had been under previous coaches. My expectation is to win on Saturday's. Regardless of opponent. That would include LSU. We have shown we are capable of being in it to the last snap. So we can't back down from that standard.

The ultimate issue for me is why isn't Air Force changing due to rules? They seem to be clicking right along. Under center, running the fullback, and continuing with enough creativity, misdirection, and high level of execution that is needed to run the flex bone. And yes that is what they currently run a vast majority of the time. Watch the film. If we go 6-6 and they win 9 or 10 games and the CIC there will be a serious need for answers. Remember we changed the offense to account for the blocking rules supposedly. So we should see marked improvement from last year. So far I don't see it. Tougher schedule? Sure but then I would expect that we don't get beat in the tougher games by 2 or 3 scores. Yesterday is a two score loss and without the last TD a 3 score loss. Our offense did little in the 2nd half to keep it close. So not sure where the advantage of this scheme is. The bigger picture is UTSA is now 1-3 and maybe not what they have been. We beat them by 1 score. ULM is 2-1 but barely beat Lamar and is probably not good either. So even with a weak first 3 games we don't see anything overly impressive.

Maybe this changes in two weeks. I sure hope so my marker now is the end of season record. We will have to be remarkably more competitive and win more games before I am a believer. I still believe AF and Navy will be very telling one way or the other on how this whole thing plays out.

Frustrating.

PD