I will always be passionate about college football. It is my favorite thing to watch and cheer for. Grew up in Tucson so the Arizona Wildcats will always have a special place in my heart! How do we make it better in Tucson? How do we have the team we all seem to want? I do not believe in settleing for anything less than the best you can get. This year we were not hopeful for a good or great year after a 3-9 2016 season. Then we get an enthusiastic young team in September, Tate in October, and a little dissappointment so far in November. Now what? I still love this team, but it is clear some things need to change. If we do not coach and recruit better, we will continue to be a little below or a little above average with the occasional 10-win season and maybe a PAC 12 south title. However, if we want to win the PAC 12 and compete with the teams in the North something has to give.
I do not have all the answers on how to make us better, but some things are glaring. Consider the following and decide for yourself…
This season we have given up less than 300 yards just once. UTEP
· 300 plus yards 3 times
· 400 plus yards 2 times
· 500 plus yards 3 times
· 600 plus yards 2 times (Almost 3 times as Oregon was 12 yards shy of 600)
We have given up 30 or more points 7 times… 40 or more 3 times winning 4 out of the total 7 games. We have given up over 400 yards a total of the same seven times. Under RR we have never really had a good defense let alone great. Most games we win we simply have to run our score up and do so in some sort of shootout.
· Coaching, players or both?
Offense does not get off the hook either. We are too predictable at times. RR style of fast does not help the defense that is not very good to begin with. We go away from things that work like using the TE. And in a game where we have to throw more we can’t make the catches we need to!
· Again, coaching, players or both?
I tend to be more defensive minded and RR seems to be more offensive minded. Decide for yourself which is better. I did not write this to get in an argument about RR or if he is the right guy. Just like players you want a coaching staff who wants to be here. Maybe better pay would attract better assistants? Maybe that has nothing to do with it at all. I do not have all the answers, but what I do know is I have seen better football at Arizona, so it is not like it can’t be done. Knowing the mistakes and correcting them are two different things. You do have to identify them first, but knowing how to correct them is up for debate in my opinion with this group. Discipline starts with coaching and it was lacking last night. The coaches do not drop passes and get unwarranted penalties, but they do set the table in many ways.
I do not have all the answers on how to make us better, but some things are glaring. Consider the following and decide for yourself…
This season we have given up less than 300 yards just once. UTEP
· 300 plus yards 3 times
· 400 plus yards 2 times
· 500 plus yards 3 times
· 600 plus yards 2 times (Almost 3 times as Oregon was 12 yards shy of 600)
We have given up 30 or more points 7 times… 40 or more 3 times winning 4 out of the total 7 games. We have given up over 400 yards a total of the same seven times. Under RR we have never really had a good defense let alone great. Most games we win we simply have to run our score up and do so in some sort of shootout.
· Coaching, players or both?
Offense does not get off the hook either. We are too predictable at times. RR style of fast does not help the defense that is not very good to begin with. We go away from things that work like using the TE. And in a game where we have to throw more we can’t make the catches we need to!
· Again, coaching, players or both?
I tend to be more defensive minded and RR seems to be more offensive minded. Decide for yourself which is better. I did not write this to get in an argument about RR or if he is the right guy. Just like players you want a coaching staff who wants to be here. Maybe better pay would attract better assistants? Maybe that has nothing to do with it at all. I do not have all the answers, but what I do know is I have seen better football at Arizona, so it is not like it can’t be done. Knowing the mistakes and correcting them are two different things. You do have to identify them first, but knowing how to correct them is up for debate in my opinion with this group. Discipline starts with coaching and it was lacking last night. The coaches do not drop passes and get unwarranted penalties, but they do set the table in many ways.
