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mugtang

The Problem with Polian

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13 hours ago, bigd said:

This, while Polian isn't my favorite, his results aren't really all that different from Ault. Ault was consistently horrible in ooc games. As long as Polian finishes with at least 7 wins this year I don't see him going anywhere.

The MWC is generally down, and certainly the west is very very down. Remember when Hawaii and Fresno were ranked and SJSU was even ranked? And he's benefitted not having to play Boise and AF the last 2 years. Also, the OOC slate is easier than it used to be under Ault. 

All of this downturn has saved Polian. And had he not had (Ault's QB) Fajardo to save his asss, he'd already be gone. 

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6 hours ago, thelawlorfaithful said:

We finished that 2012 season 1-5 after a great start. The year before we blew the conference title by blowing the last two games against La Tech and Utah State. We also choked away 2 other games against BCS schools. He was doing fine even after 2010, we just couldn't close out in the toughest games. I think that really wore on him. The Arizona game was the straw that broke the camels back.

@ Texas Tech = 1 point loss

USF (Big East) = 1 point loss

Arizona (Bowl Game) = 1 point loss

Those are the ones that drove him mad and AZ was the last straw. 

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15 minutes ago, Nevada Convert said:

@ Texas Tech = 1 point loss

USF (Big East) = 1 point loss

Arizona (Bowl Game) = 1 point loss

Those are the ones that drove him mad and AZ was the last straw. 

6 points to Boise and SDSU in overtime had to have factored in. 2012 was brutal. I'm almost certain I'd blocked it out as a coping mechanism.

We’re all sitting in the dugout. Thinking we should pitch. How you gonna throw a shutout when all you do is bitch.

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17 hours ago, thelawlorfaithful said:

It was in reference to my previous post about Polian's record in games decided by 7 points or less.

Sorry man, missed that.

I think the biggest difference between what Ault had at Nevada vs Polian is an identity.  Under Ault, even with those heartbreaking losses and under achieving vs P5 opponents, we had an identity.  We can only imagine what could have been during his last time around as HC if we had solid defenses, but Ault's offenses more often than not put so much pressure on the other team, knowing they'd have to put points on the board to beat Nevada.  Another factor that can't be overlooked was the rivalry with Vegas.  That's important to Nevada fans, and Polian losing to Vegas 2 out of 3 years is unacceptable, especially given those losses happened at Mackay.  

The thing I hear most talking to people is we no longer have any kind of identity.  We haven't put a respectable offense on the field under Polian, and while I think Boone has a done a pretty decent job with the defense, it's not one capable of really stopping a solid offense. His scheme did what it's supposed to vs Purdue, make them drive down the field and hope they make mistakes or we force a turnover.  That's Boone's defensive philosophy in a nutshell.  

I know my wife and I are happy as hell having seatbacks now, and the overall stadium improvements are a hit, but there are a few things about Polian that are really wearing on fans.  One of the biggies I hear popping up among fellow boosters is he seems to have embraced this idea that Nevada just can't be expected to compete at a higher level, which was a message we heard from him again following the Purdue loss. The lack of an identity is another one.  Then you have his almost constant berating of the refs at times, has been and still is a real sore spot with boosters.  

Knuth will be paying very close attention to attendance this season, and Polian finishing with 6 wins and a bowl birth may not be enough to keep his job.  Especially given how terrible the MWC is right now. I know people say Polian is basically putting up the same records at Ault did, but there are a couple factors that need to be taken into account when making that comparison.  During Ault's last time around he posted an 8+ win season 4 out of 9 years, and 7+ wins seven of those years.  Now it seems people are buying into Polian's crap that we can't expect a winner at Nevada, and 6 or 7 wins is the standard.  But besides all of that, Nevada needs a HC who is a real coach, not someone who has has a family name, recruiting a few good players to P5 programs, and couldn't manage to rise above a special teams coordinator position during all his years as an assistant.  There were many in the community that weren't happy with Groth's hire.  Polian isn't a bad guy.  I happen to like him personally, and he's ran a clean program and makes sure the kids get to class.  But, I believe Knuth can find the right guy, given that he's proven he knows what to look for, and talking to him on a couple occasions I had a chance to pick his brain a little as to what he looks for, and while there are core factors, what I took away from what he said is he really has an open mind when it comes to a coaching search, which could be his biggest strength in the process.

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UNLV is looking up and down, so who knows what we'll get with the last season game with them. But it's very possible we'll lose it again, and that will make it easy for Knuth to replace him even if we bowl at 6-6.  3 losses to UNLV in 4 tries should get you canned all by itself. Also, home attendance is hurting this year and if Knuth can feeł the pulse of Nevada fans, he'll know that they have given up on Po-Po.

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1 hour ago, PackBaller said:

 

  One of the biggies I hear popping up among fellow boosters is he seems to have embraced this idea that Nevada just can't be expected to compete at a higher level, which was a message we heard from him again following the Purdue loss.

This woe-is-us talking point of his is grating and pathetic. There is no doubt reasonable Nevada fans understand the cards are stacked against the program but constantly reminding the public of this is defeatist and counterproductive. Polian, in his own words, stated he thought the program was ready to take a step forward and move up from 6-6 type seasons.  Yet here we are, making excuses for a road loss to a bad Purdue team and whining about playing the worst team in the country the following week. Leaders don't create excuses for future failures, they set expectations and try to exceed them with passion and hard work. I don't think Polian understands how to lead a program like Nevada. The fans are already tuning out as evidenced by the paltry attendance in the season ticket donor sections.

"You pukin morons are just plain too dumb."

-bluerules008 aka jibscout aka Hal "Mosquito Man" Newman

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1 hour ago, battle.borne said:

This woe-is-us talking point of his is grating and pathetic. There is no doubt reasonable Nevada fans understand the cards are stacked against the program but constantly reminding the public of this is defeatist and counterproductive. Polian, in his own words, stated he thought the program was ready to take a step forward and move up from 6-6 type seasons.  Yet here we are, making excuses for a road loss to a bad Purdue team and whining about playing the worst team in the country the following week. Leaders don't create excuses for future failures, they set expectations and try to exceed them with passion and hard work. I don't think Polian understands how to lead a program like Nevada. The fans are already tuning out as evidenced by the paltry attendance in the season ticket donor sections.

Sounds like we're talking to a lot of the same people.  I agree that the vast majority of fans have realistic expectations, and we're not suddenly going to become BCS/P5 world beaters like BSU.  Even though the program is criticized for our lowly budget (and rightfully so), and our facilities still have a long way to go, we also have a lot going for us. I'm glad so much investment has gone into academics, infrastructure, and culture.  It still amazes me how much the University has transformed since I graduated (1997), and we're seeing an explosion of growth in enrollment.  Not just from within Nevada, but we are experiencing an increasing number of students from other states, especially California. 

With the renovation of the Lombardi Center to, among other things, provide a dedicated practice facility for Men's and Women's basketball, will put us on a more competitive footing for recruiting.  The indoor practice facility for FB is closer than many believe, as there's money sitting on the sidelines waiting for a little more certainty (drives me crazy) as to where the program is headed. This is where Knuth has just been killing it as of late. He's put together a fantastic team who are making the greatest effort we've seen of tapping into the community.  I believe their efforts will begin to snowball, but many of those who can make the biggest difference (big donor money) are also the ones who want to be reassured there's a comprehensive plan in place.  I don't want to offend anyone, but Groth simply did not have a good relationship with many of the boosters, and there were a number of larger donors who held back because they didn't see any meaningful commitment from her for growing and advancing athletics.  Nevada is ripe for a lot more improvements to athletics, and the money is out there.  Knuth is aware of this, and while he's saying all the right things publicly, I think he's paying extra close attention to the FB program right now, as he's in a position to more closely turn his focus in that direction.  With the opportunities for the athletics department to ride the coat tails of all the explosive growth happening at the University, and we can't afford to have FB barely treading water, with a HC who believes Nevada can't compete vs bad to mediocre P5 teams. I agree with something I read in the RGJ, that Purdue would probably be a middle MWC team.

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I'm just very happy that we have Musselman now. If football was in its current state, and we only had a Carter led basketball program to look forward to I think I would literally go insane.

It appears that MW schools just don't know how to hire football coaches.

I'm still waiting for this season to play out before judging Polian too harshly.

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3 hours ago, PackBaller said:

with a HC who believes Nevada can't compete vs bad to mediocre P5 teams. I agree with something I read in the RGJ, that Purdue would probably be a middle MWC team.

There is no doubt Purdue would be lucky to win 4 MW games. Nevada really regressed against a BAD Purdue program that isn't going to win more than 2 B1G games.

"You pukin morons are just plain too dumb."

-bluerules008 aka jibscout aka Hal "Mosquito Man" Newman

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2 hours ago, TheDoggFather said:

You people...do you KNOW who is FATHER is ?!?!?!

Cary Groth knew, which is why we have him :rolleyes:

thelawlorfaithful, on 31 Dec 2012 - 04:01 AM, said:One of the rules I live by: never underestimate a man in a dandy looking sweater

 

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