New Mexico Bowl- Colorado State vs Marshall

[SleepingGiantFan]

18 minutes ago, AKram said:

2013 finished 3rd with a 13-0 loss to eventual Mtn Div winner USU

2014 finished 2nd w/ only league losses to Boise and AF

I'd say those years we competed. We all try to ignore the Fairchild years and even the last couple Lubick ones. 

But anytime at team finishes in the top three in the division, I'd call that being a part of the fight.

Fairchild was a good OC but clearly out of his element as a HC and to CSU's credit, you didn't wait a year too long to can him like SDSU has typically done with its coaches. Then you made a good hire in replacing him. However, it seems to me Bobo is probably the most overcompensated coach in the MWC in getting paid just $150K less than the highest paid guy yet considering how much he inherited from McElwain, really not performing any better than Matt Wells or Bob Davie.

[Spot50B]

2 minutes ago, AKram said:

2013 finished 3rd with a 13-0 loss to eventual Mtn Div winner USU

2014 finished 2nd w/ only league losses to Boise and AF

I'd say those years we competed. We all try to ignore the Fairchild years and even the last couple Lubick ones. 

But anytime at team finishes in the top three in the division, I'd call that being a part of the fight.

In 2013, Colorado State went 8-6 and finished 3rd in the division.  They were probably the 5th best team in the conference.  Right in the middle

In 2014, Colorado State finished 2nd in the division.  This team was probably the most competitive team you've had in the past several years and I think you could make a case for being the #3 team in the league behind Boise and Air Force that year.  I would personally put you at #5 also behind San Diego State and Fresno that year (but you did not play them so it is sort of moot).  I guess my feeling is that the game against the division champ (Boise) was a complete mismatch and CSU was never in position to ever play for the conference crown that year so I never considered them to be a top MWC that was "in the mix" for a championship.

[Spot50B]

I think it is also important to recognize that we carry a bias based upon the limited way we view other teams.  I'm a Boise State fan.  I watch every Boise State game and a few other MWC games every week.  I personally think Bobo's teams are more talented than McElwain's teams.  That is partly because McElwain's teams were straight up garbage against Boise State and Bobo has played us tough.  I saw them as soft and pretty ready to fold as soon as they got hit in the mouth.  If Bobo can ever get his D figured out and get a team to play for four quarters, CSU has the potential to be pretty good.  I thought McElwain was kind of a fraud who had one lucky year when the MWC was down and the schedule was favorable.

[Spot50B]

46 minutes ago, AKram said:

But anytime at team finishes in the top three in the division, I'd call that being a part of the fight.

UNLV finished 3rd in their division this year (same as CSU).  Do you think they were "in the mix" and "part of the fight" for the MWC crown?

[IanforHeisman]

CSU was in the mix this year.

[Wyobraska]

20 minutes ago, IanforHeisman said:

CSU was in the mix this year.

In all honesty they should have won the Boise and Wyoming games and then would have finished 1st in the Mountain Division.  I still don't know how they lost those.  

[Headbutt]

1 hour ago, SleepingGiantsFan said:

Fairchild was a good OC but clearly out of his element as a HC and to CSU's credit, you didn't wait a year too long to can him like SDSU has typically done with its coaches. Then you made a good hire in replacing him. However, it seems to me Bobo is probably the most overcompensated coach in the MWC in getting paid just $150K less than the highest paid guy yet considering how much he inherited from McElwain, really not performing any better than Matt Wells or Bob Davie.

He inherited a terrible defense from McElwain.  He brought in his guy to fix it, who promptly left after one year.  Left late enough in the process that he was basically stuck with ME.  Still a ton of work to do there, but a good DC should help.  I think Bobo is trying to recruit well on that side of the ball, but he's whiffing a lot.

I'd be tempted to give him a bit of a pass tonight since he was working with the same crap D we've had all season, and game prep and coaching for the O-line was left to a grad assistant (it showed).  I honestly thought the GA did a pretty good job for a GA, but that line couldn't stop anyone.  I decided not to give him a pass though just because of the playcalling.  To be fair, we don't know if Nick made some of those bad decisions or if they came in from the sideline, but it still falls on Bobo either way.  The thing that bothers me the most is that we've slept through every third quarter this season.

[IanforHeisman]

9 minutes ago, Wyobraska said:

In all honesty they should have won the Boise and Wyoming games and then would have finished 1st in the Mountain Division.  I still don't know how they lost those.  

Agreed. They waxed us so bad I turned the game off and I never do that.

[RogueStout]

19 hours ago, LoboMan59 said:

 

And just for my Rams brethren, I’ll be in my Lobo football gear, cheering along side my CSU brothers and sisters... and my good bud GoState, who’s in town for the game. 

Seems like a good dude. I’d throw a few beers back with him.

[Castle Ram]

10 hours ago, Wyobraska said:

In all honesty they should have won the Boise and Wyoming games and then would have finished 1st in the Mountain Division.  I still don't know how they lost those.  

True but there has been something missing that beginning next year we can figure out.  new QB new DC and coaches, if Bobo fails the next two years we will know 

[Castle Ram]

10 hours ago, Headbutt said:

He inherited a terrible defense from McElwain.  He brought in his guy to fix it, who promptly left after one year.  Left late enough in the process that he was basically stuck with ME.  Still a ton of work to do there, but a good DC should help.  I think Bobo is trying to recruit well on that side of the ball, but he's whiffing a lot.

I'd be tempted to give him a bit of a pass tonight since he was working with the same crap D we've had all season, and game prep and coaching for the O-line was left to a grad assistant (it showed).  I honestly thought the GA did a pretty good job for a GA, but that line couldn't stop anyone.  I decided not to give him a pass though just because of the playcalling.  To be fair, we don't know if Nick made some of those bad decisions or if they came in from the sideline, but it still falls on Bobo either way.  The thing that bothers me the most is that we've slept through every third quarter this season.

 it was a bad setup for the Rams this bowl game.  NS looked the same to me as his entire career, just good enough to get you beat.  consistently the worst deep thrower I have ever seen @ CSU.  The defense played much better the second half with Josh Watson back.  New QB, new coaches, new recruits, new players, I am excited for 2018. 

[Castle Ram]

13 hours ago, Lobo Amor said:

Well at least the game was exciting there towards the end.

Who do you have coming back? I know you guys have had good recruiting classes, so who do we need to know about?

Collin Hill redshirt sophomore QB who beat out Nick Stevens last year until he tore his ACL. wrs Prentis Williams, Bisi Johnson, Jackson  rbs Mathews Kinsey Boddie add enough skill positions that I'm not worried about the offense.

Defense returns future NFL LB Josh Watson and a bunch of freshman and sophomores who played this year.  the biggest improvement will be a new DC and two other def coaches.  the unit will be improved

CSU will win 8-10 games next year and compete with Boise for the MWC MTN .  I think Boise wins with CSU second 

[AKram]

11 hours ago, Spot50B said:

UNLV finished 3rd in their division this year (same as CSU).  Do you think they were "in the mix" and "part of the fight" for the MWC crown?

Sure. They beat Fresno (overall division winner) and I have no explanation for the Nevada game. Win that, they are bowling at 5-3. Any time a team is competitive (see San Jose St. for the opposite) you are "in the mix." If the eventual division winner can't just come into your game and expect a win, that, to me, is in it. I'm optimistically hopeful that with a new DC CSU will be competitive next year. It's what the conference needs for overall status. However, knowing the glaring holes our defense has right now and the changes that need to be made, I'm thinking next year we might go 6-6 and limp into a bowl game. 

[SleepingGiantFan]

13 hours ago, Headbutt said:

He inherited a terrible defense from McElwain.  He brought in his guy to fix it, who promptly left after one year.  Left late enough in the process that he was basically stuck with ME.  Still a ton of work to do there, but a good DC should help.  I think Bobo is trying to recruit well on that side of the ball, but he's whiffing a lot.

I'd be tempted to give him a bit of a pass tonight since he was working with the same crap D we've had all season, and game prep and coaching for the O-line was left to a grad assistant (it showed).  I honestly thought the GA did a pretty good job for a GA, but that line couldn't stop anyone.  I decided not to give him a pass though just because of the playcalling.  To be fair, we don't know if Nick made some of those bad decisions or if they came in from the sideline, but it still falls on Bobo either way.  The thing that bothers me the most is that we've slept through every third quarter this season.

Checking CSU's ppg average, on defense it went down for five consecutive years before Bobo then increased each of his first two years before declining a bit in 2017. Didn't I hear your DC English announced his retirement before the NM Bowl? At least statistically it doesn't look like he was as bad as some of you thought and checking my Phil Steele's it looks like you're the antithesis of Boise in returning almost no starters on that side of the ball.

As to Stevens, he's always looked like an above average QB to me. However, I'll grant you having Gallup to throw to sure hasn't hurt. That guy's been terrific and should be good enough to be an NFL starter if not eventually All-Pro.

Anyway, I'm not at all sold on Bobo. He's 0-3 against CU, who you guys used to beat half the time, and he's just 6-9 in games decided by a TD or less. Those kinds of stats sure don't warrant a contract extension so hopefully his buyout is minimal.

Finally, if you're wondering, I've begun to take more interest in CSU. The MWC Mountain division generally doesn't interest me too much but along with BYU and some combination of AFA, UNLV and Fresno State, I see you guys as being SDSU's best chance of comprising part of an 8-school western division of the AAC if the B12 poaches a couple of the current AAC schools.

[Rev McQuervo]

That was a painful game to watch.

Still can't believe Bobo got an extension as your staff didn't do your team any favors yesterday, completely outcoached/schemed.

[Headbutt]

7 hours ago, SleepingGiantsFan said:

Checking CSU's ppg average, on defense it went down for five consecutive years before Bobo then increased each of his first two years before declining a bit in 2017. Didn't I hear your DC English announced his retirement before the NM Bowl? At least statistically it doesn't look like he was as bad as some of you thought and checking my Phil Steele's it looks like you're the antithesis of Boise in returning almost no starters on that side of the ball.

As to Stevens, he's always looked like an above average QB to me. However, I'll grant you having Gallup to throw to sure hasn't hurt. That guy's been terrific and should be good enough to be an NFL starter if not eventually All-Pro.

Anyway, I'm not at all sold on Bobo. He's 0-3 against CU, who you guys used to beat half the time, and he's just 6-9 in games decided by a TD or less. Those kinds of stats sure don't warrant a contract extension so hopefully his buyout is minimal.

Finally, if you're wondering, I've begun to take more interest in CSU. The MWC Mountain division generally doesn't interest me too much but along with BYU and some combination of AFA, UNLV and Fresno State, I see you guys as being SDSU's best chance of comprising part of an 8-school western division of the AAC if the B12 poaches a couple of the current AAC schools.

Those statistics surprise me, but I'm not questioning you.  Maybe it's just been more of a case of the timing of defensive breakdowns.  It was certainly the defense that cost us this season.  Maybe I'll graph the explosive plays against us over three years when I'm sitting home bored on Christmas week.

As for Bobo, we'll see.  Three years should be enough time to have figured out the big picture stuff a little better.  McElwain was smart enough to see what the new challenge looked like and very soon after appointed Tim Skipper as associate HC to help him with that.  I don't know for sure if Bobo will ever get to be the solid HC we need or not, but if he can bring in competent coordinators on both sides of the ball, guys he can trust to really be successful with their guys, he's got a chance to put a little more study into the things the HC does and spend less time as an OC and a DC overseer.  Bobo reportedly really tried to sink himself into the D as well as the O this year.  He's got to learn to be a CEO and let his managers manage.

A new league.  We'll see.  I'm thinking pipe dream, but not as big a pipe dream as going P5.  I don't care if CSU stays G5 if we can get paid right to do so.  New league, whatever, just get some cash rolling so we can keep up with the COA and maybe buy a few good recruits.

[renoskier]

7 hours ago, SleepingGiantsFan said:

Checking CSU's ppg average, on defense it went down for five consecutive years before Bobo then increased each of his first two years before declining a bit in 2017. Didn't I hear your DC English announced his retirement before the NM Bowl? At least statistically it doesn't look like he was as bad as some of you thought and checking my Phil Steele's it looks like you're the antithesis of Boise in returning almost no starters on that side of the ball.

As to Stevens, he's always looked like an above average QB to me. However, I'll grant you having Gallup to throw to sure hasn't hurt. That guy's been terrific and should be good enough to be an NFL starter if not eventually All-Pro.

Anyway, I'm not at all sold on Bobo. He's 0-3 against CU, who you guys used to beat half the time, and he's just 6-9 in games decided by a TD or less. Those kinds of stats sure don't warrant a contract extension so hopefully his buyout is minimal.

Finally, if you're wondering, I've begun to take more interest in CSU. The MWC Mountain division generally doesn't interest me too much but along with BYU and some combination of AFA, UNLV and Fresno State, I see you guys as being SDSU's best chance of comprising part of an 8-school western division of the AAC if the B12 poaches a couple of the current AAC schools.

WTF?!!!! 65-22-2....you suck at math.

Ralphie in the off season.

[pokebball]

21 hours ago, Wyobraska said:

In all honesty they should have won the Boise and Wyoming games and then would have finished 1st in the Mountain Division.  I still don't know how they lost those.  

They were way ahead in the Boise game and melted.  The Wyo game was never more than a score difference.  Wyoming succeeded in moving the ball their last possession which they hadn't been able to do for most of the game.  But the score was at a place where either team could take it.  I don't think the Wyo game was a headscratcher.  The Boise game, most definitely.

[pokebball]

10 hours ago, Castle Ram said:

Collin Hill redshirt sophomore QB who beat out Nick Stevens last year until he tore his ACL. wrs Prentis Williams, Bisi Johnson, Jackson  rbs Mathews Kinsey Boddie add enough skill positions that I'm not worried about the offense.

Defense returns future NFL LB Josh Watson and a bunch of freshman and sophomores who played this year.  the biggest improvement will be a new DC and two other def coaches.  the unit will be improved

CSU will win 8-10 games next year and compete with Boise for the MWC MTN .  I think Boise wins with CSU second 

I was not at all impressed with Hill in the Wyo game last year.

[Headbutt]

36 minutes ago, pokebball said:

They were way ahead in the Boise game and melted.  The Wyo game was never more than a score difference.  Wyoming succeeded in moving the ball their last possession which they hadn't been able to do for most of the game.  But the score was at a place where either team could take it.  I don't think the Wyo game was a headscratcher.  The Boise game, most definitely.

The play calling in the Wyoming game was the head scratcher, not the fact that Wyo took control when it was there for the taking.