UL struggling in second half

[NewsCopy]

UL struggling in second half

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[KACajun]

"I don't know," UL coach Rickey Bustle said of last week's second-half struggles. "I wish I did know, and we wouldn't be doing it. I wish there was some magic word or something you could do."


This statement sounds like a coach defeated, our athletes deserve better.

[CajunRage]

One coaching staff makes adjustments at half and the other doesn't.

[Turbine]

It looks like the team is playing hard (very hard) but if you are getting beat in the second half and were not in the first is it possible stamina is an issue?

[Just1More]

Bustle is a likeable "good ole boy". But, following a second half collapse, especially late in the season, with 2 games left that can decide between a winning or losing season, he has to take 100% of the blame. He cannot say "I don't know what happened". The players cannot be questioning themselves at this point, and if the coach doesn't convince them that he led them down the wrong path in that second half, they will not come back out fighting in the next contest.

The UL head coach has to say "I let these guys down. I let you guys down. I failed to make adjustments to counter the things MT began doing in the second half. We had success in the first half and we let it lull us into a false sense of competitiveness. It is one thing to attempt the same things over and over, given it had succeeded the first couple of times... but once you see your opponent make adjustments in order to counter you... and he succeeds... we coaches have to make our adjustments. I personally guarantee you that against ULM and Troy you will see things you've never seen at UL. We're going to put on a show. No more Mr. Conservative out of me and this staff. We are going to go wild at home in Cajun Field. We may not win... but you will see some of the most inspired football you will ever see in your life."

In a nutshell, we do not have dominating talent on the field. Our coaching staffs have to use creativity to win... even against the SBC. They also have to run at a much higher risk tempo and be exceptionally aggressive from start to finish.

There is one single mindset I'd like to see a future UL coach maintain. UL is always an underdog. We should always play like we are overmatched. You do not play "basic football" when you historically cannot talent up and overcome .500 ball. You don't look back on an "almost year" as a barometer. We have to play high risk football. Has our low conference foe W/L records not taught us this yet?

Our next coach needs to be a name brand guy that can help turn the tide on top recruiting talent. He also has to be a gunslinger that throws away the conservative approach to football. We need an up and coming college football coach who isn't a "made man", but is highly talked about as the next "great coach". He needs to have earned that title from being a no hold barred kind of coach that has taken inferior or equal talent... and still defeated his opposition.

[Cover2]

It's a possiblilty. Could be overwork from the first part of the season, coupled with poor conditioning in the preseason, that leads to a sufficient lack of energy in the second half of the game. I think the mental aspect of having lost so many games in the second half has begun to wear on them, almost to the point that they expect to struggle after halftime -- other teams pick up on this, and feed off of that fear. I guess that would be stamina too -- mental stamina.

[KACajun]

_ It's a possiblilty. Could be overwork from the first part of the season, coupled with poor conditioning in the preseason, that leads to a sufficient lack of energy in the second half of the game. I think the mental aspect of having lost so many games in the second half has begun to wear on them, almost to the point that they expect to struggle after halftime -- other teams pick up on this, and feed off of that fear. I guess that would be stamina too -- mental stamina. _

Or we could simply listen to our coach..."I don't know? I wish I did know, and I wouldn’t be doing it." A rare moment of honesty.

[Just1More]

_ It's a possiblilty. Could be overwork from the first part of the season, coupled with poor conditioning in the preseason, that leads to a sufficient lack of energy in the second half of the game. I think the mental aspect of having lost so many games in the second half has begun to wear on them, almost to the point that they expect to struggle after halftime -- other teams pick up on this, and feed off of that fear. I guess that would be stamina too -- mental stamina. _

Your potential explanation does not exempt the coach or his staff from responsibility to "adjust". I don't care what causes second half breakdowns... coaches need to make adjustments. If you credit opposing coaches for picking up on our fatigue then you have to credit our coaches for not picking up on it. Either way... coach is to blame for the second half collapse.

[Turbine]

I know a couple years back Howard Schnellenberger was losing to UL at UL at halftime.

He picked up on his players fatigue and made the move (at half time) to give his starting QB an I.V.

The QB then proceeded to come out in the 2nd half and beat UL.