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November/Post Bye Woes

deacdixieboy

deacdixieboy

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I want to seriously discuss this. What is the problem? It has become a pattern that feels even more pronounced this year. Usually depth is a bit of an issue because injuries have piled up. That is not the case. All of a sudden our O looks pedestrian, our D can’t force a turnover, and we can’t win.
Is it simply the inability of our coaches to adapt as the season progresses and other teams gain more film on us? I’m truly curious what people think because this has to be fixed going forward.
 
Since 2018, our record in November/December is 8-14. This team can’t finish at all.
 
I’d guess 75% or the answer is as simple as the schedule — the best teams we’ve played the last handful of years have been in November. Our much weaker non-conference is earlier. When we’ve played Clemson earlier, we’ve still lost. 15% depth (which did finally show up yesterday, with all of our injuries concentrated on defense, and the secondary in particular), 10% whatever else.
 
The in-game decisions on key plays is where the close games have been lost. Going for it/not going for it on 4th down, punting or kicking a field goal, short kickoffs, running the ball when it's not there, and especially not making changes to adapt to what is there or not there
 
It would be interesting to see an analysis with respect to SOS and other pertinent factors. My gut tells me it's the combination of the opponents and our depth or lack thereof.

Making an absolute bone-headed decision not to go up by 4 last night and force your opponent to change their gameplan doesn't help matters either.**

** I like Clawson and think he's a great fit for Wake. However, I think his in-game decisions are, at times, more than inexplicable and would rate that aspect at about a C+.
 
BoDeac said:
The in-game decisions on key plays is where the close games have been lost. Going for it/not going for it on 4th down, punting or kicking a field goal, short kickoffs, running the ball when it's not there, and especially not making changes to adapt to what is there or not there
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What I couldn't understand was why we were squib kicking with the wind???? You mean to tell me Mora hasn't got the leg strength to kick into the end zone with a pretty strong wind? Seems like every team we play has a kickoff guy that one can kick the ball into the end zone if there is no wind or with a tail wind or at least kick it very high giving their coverage team time to get downfield. When Mora does try to kick a normal kick off its a lot lower trajectory and our guys don't have much time to get down field. I mean I know its great and all to have a guy that can punt and kick tying up only one scholarship, but we need a guy that can freaking kickoff well even if that's all he does.
 
TheAbster said:
It would be interesting to see an analysis with respect to SOS and other pertinent factors. My gut tells me it's the combination of the opponents and our depth or lack thereof.

Making an absolute bone-headed decision not to go up by 4 last night and force your opponent to change their gameplan doesn't help matters either.**

** I like Clawson and think he's a great fit for Wake. However, I think his in-game decisions are, at times, more than inexplicable and would rate that aspect at about a C+.
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I think naturally most teams record in November is going to be worse than it is in September, nothing earth shattering there, but we need to be better than we typically are.
 
liveanddiedeac said:
What I couldn't understand was why we were squib kicking with the wind???? You mean to tell me Mora hasn't got the leg strength to kick into the end zone with a pretty strong wind? Seems like every team we play has a kickoff guy that one can kick the ball into the end zone if there is no wind or with a tail wind or at least kick it very high giving their coverage team time to get downfield. When Mora does try to kick a normal kick off its a lot lower trajectory and our guys don't have much time to get down field. I mean I know its great and all to have a guy that can punt and kick tying up only one scholarship, but we need a guy that can freaking kickoff well even if that's all he does.
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I'll never understand not giving a scholly to a kicker who can kick it into the end zone. It bit us in the ass yet again last night.

Clawson said as much that it played into his decision not to kick the FG to "only" go up by 4 points in what he had thought "was a TD game" and because we didn't have a kicker who could kick it into the end zone and it would then give the goats a short field.

Unfortunately, it turns out that he was wrong with the D not giving up a goat TD at all in the 4th Q.

Edit: Doooh! :(
 
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Agree 100% about the need to have a decent kicker to give our guys a chance to pin them back, or just take the touch back. Not sure why WF can't seem to find one. Additionally, Dennis is a decent FG kicker and has not been utilized
 
If we're going to continue without a kicker who can kick it into the endzone, just kick the damn ball out of bounds every time and give up the 10 extra yards.
 
I mean I think they only got the ball past the 30 yard line one time I'm not really seeing what the big deal is about the squib kicks last night
 
morrison2951 said:
I'll never understand not giving a scholly to a kicker who can kick it into the end zone. It bit us in the ass yet again last night.

Clawson said as much that it played into his decision not to kick the FG to "only" go up by 4 points in what he had thought "was a TD game" and because we didn't have a kicker who could kick it into the end zone and it would then give the goats a short field.

Unfortunately, it turns out that he was wrong with the D not giving up a goat TD at all in the 4th Q.

Edit: Doooh! :(
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Okay. Can we please stop right here and understand just how dumb this is at face value?!? Hey Dave.... guess what? If you go up by FOUR POINTS, it IS A DAMN TOUCHDOWN GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jesus, why is this so hard to comprehend??
 
No idea.

I screamed my lungs out to take the points to go up by 4.

Apparently, I was not heard. :(
 
morrison2951 said:
No idea.

I screamed my lungs out to take the points to go up by 4.

Apparently, I was not heard. :(
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You absolutely have to play the odds there and tell your defense to go win the damn game!! He's overthinking things IMHO. Way overthinking things!
 
I don't know if this describes Clawson but a slavish devotion to "analytics" is not okay with me. Momentum, game flow, etc. matters a hell of a lot and sometimes you have to get away from the tech-bro algorithms when calling plays.
 
this, not clawson going for it, cost wake the game

  • 2nd & 8 at UNC 41​

    (4:20 - 4th) Sam Hartman pass intercepted
 
a lot of you seem to be forgetting the wake defense forced a punt after the failed fourth and goal
 
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