Football, A Game of Inches

A game of inches.

Under Napier, we won more games than ever before, and had the most talented teams in history. Still, we won the majority of our games by the skin of our teeth.

After being gutted by injuries, graduation, NIL and the Portal, we are now losing games by the skin of our teeth.

The only criticism that I see as valid is the lack of execution. That is losing us more games than anything else. That is fixable.

I'm guessing CMD will have a couple of years to fix this and fully rebuild from the post-Napier attrition. I really hope he is successful and becomes another Robe. That would be awesome.

Can't argue. CN

I was hoping he would fix last year’s issues this past off season. We will see next year if they still aren’t fixed it has become a trend.

No way he gets another year if we see the same issues. With the new stadium coming in 2025 we have to make a splash hire if Des doesn’t work out next year.

If ya'll look at the last two entries I made in the Troy Game thread. We screwed ourselves with poor defense, costly penalties and bad offensive plays/turnovers all in the 4th quarter when we had a chance to tie or win. Usually came down to one play that either turned the tide or continued the opponents' drive. 4 games in 2022, 4 games in 2023.

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Originally Posted by CajunNation

A game of inches.

Under Napier, we won more games than ever before, and had the most talented teams in history. Still, we won the majority of our games by the skin of our teeth.

After being gutted by injuries, graduation, NIL and the Portal, we are now losing games by the skin of our teeth.

The only criticism that I see as valid is the lack of execution. That is losing us more games than anything else. That is fixable.

I'm guessing CMD will have a couple of years to fix this and fully rebuild from the post-Napier attrition. I really hope he is successful and becomes another Robe. That would be awesome.

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I won't argue with this. Either way he has to fix it and it comes down to game management in a number of games in the 4th quarter. In games decided in the 4th quarter, he is now 2-8. He's the coach, fix it.

Next week is vital to this program for two reasons. 1) You lose to ULM then it will affect your signing class beginning next month, not next year. 2) You win, at least you are bowl eligible and you still have something to sell.

Next year, I need to see the learning curve move the program in the way of wins. Nothing else needs to be said. Fix it!

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Originally Posted by UL_Cajuns

No way he gets another year if we see the same issues. With the new stadium coming in 2025 we have to make a splash hire if Des doesn’t work out next year.

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I don't know how many years he has left on his contract, but he should definitely be given a 3rd year to fix things and improve to fight for a conference championship. If he doesn't next year, we might need to make a splash with a new hire. Now, if he loses to ULM this week, all bets are off.

Regarding hiring a coach, that is as big a crap shoot as there is. We got lucky with Napier who won a lot of games by the skin of his teeth and parlayed that into the Florida gig. His success at Florida resembles Dez success here. He is on shaky ground but should get a 3rs year only because of his buy-out. But, what guarantees are there for hiring a coach. Ask Texas A&M who hired a national championship coach, or Michigan State. How many coaches did Alabama go through before they got Saban, who in his 1st year went 6-6, lost 4 straight including a loss at home to ULM and beat Colorado in a bowl game to go 7-6. How many coaches has Texas been through? They haven't won the Big 12 since 2009 and look at the money and support they have. How many schools make coaching hiring mistakes? We could have hired a name coach for $2M and had the same results, who knows? Not to mention a total change in CULTURE that Napier had established. A total restart. Des had 3 years under Napier and 2 years as HC to continue the CULTURE. Whatever changes he might have made to that may be what is costing him now. If he doesn't work out, we start with a new coach and a new Culture and will have to see how that works out. 2024 & 2025 will be interesting times for UL football.

The difference between the Florida program when Napier got there and the UL program when Desormeaux took over is this: Florida was an SEC dumpster fire and Billy had a huge culture rebuild to do to turn the Gators around. Desormeaux, even after the players who defected, was left with an on-going great culture and more than enough talent to win the SBC West.

Napier has changed the culture at Florida and has a ton of young players now being developed. He still may fail, but he will leave Florida much better off than when he arrived.
Desormeaux tried to fix what wasn't broken and as a result has gone 2-8 in one score games, mostly against inferior competition.

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Originally Posted by CajunNation

A game of inches.

Under Napier, we won more games than ever before, and had the most talented teams in history. Still, we won the majority of our games by the skin of our teeth.

After being gutted by injuries, graduation, NIL and the Portal, we are now losing games by the skin of our teeth.

The only criticism that I see as valid is the lack of execution. That is losing us more games than anything else. That is fixable.

I'm guessing CMD will have a couple of years to fix this and fully rebuild from the post-Napier attrition. I really hope he is successful and becomes another Robe. That would be awesome.

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Why do we keep making excuses when CMD was hired, one of the reasons was the players wanted to play for him and he'd stop the attrition. Every school deals with the same problems. Our coach refuses to address some of the needs through the portal. I'm sick of the excuses we made a terrible hire lets face those facts.

At least we can give DEZ credit for turning the program around, just that it's in the wrong direction.

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Originally Posted by Cajun Soldier

At least we can give DEZ credit for turning the program around, just that it's in the wrong direction.

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He may not have many victories under his belt, but the moral victories are limitless.

The University of Louisiana...the only FBS football program in America where a head coach is on "a learning curve". That is all you need to know, on multiple levels.

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Originally Posted by VObserver

The difference between the Florida program when Napier got there and the UL program when Desormeaux took over is this: Florida was an SEC dumpster fire and Billy had a huge culture rebuild to do to turn the Gators around. Desormeaux, even after the players who defected, was left with an on-going great culture and more than enough talent to win the SBC West.

Napier has changed the culture at Florida and has a ton of young players now being developed. He still may fail, but he will leave Florida much better off than when he arrived.
Desormeaux tried to fix what wasn't broken and as a result has gone 2-8 in one score games, mostly against inferior competition.

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Well, Des took over a program that lost over 43 players including some of the top talent on the roster in addition to most of the football organization from top to bottom including Nutrition, Weight and Recruiting. He had to rebuild the program from top to bottom. That's the context of your statement.

Now, we are in year two of his regime with more depth and playing many of Napier's recruits and the learning curve on both sides of the football seems to have hit a wall. Can he fix it, and will he fix it? I think most of us don't like what we see and it rear's its head almost every game. Are we sound in what we are teaching and doing on both sides of the football? People that know way more football have suggested they are concerns with this staff. Being soft isn't one of them.

Next year will be this staff's 3rd and I think we will know where we are at in the first four games. I won't take a season.