Can the Cajuns' offense ever get its groove back?

[CajunSaint08]

Then you need to go back and read my post in this thread. Again, how do you account for his performances against McNeese State and South Alabama when he did execute well and was functional in the offense? Did you and others ever consider that defensive coordinators have enough film on him to scheme against what his and our offensive weaknesses are now? Haven't you noticed that we were shut down completely on the edges offensively the last three games and exposed our weaknesses at tackle? I agree Jennings hasn't adjusted well, but nor has the football staff either. Did we not go through this last year as well? The answer to that question tells me where we begin to answer the questions of the offensive's ineffectiveness and difficulty in making adjustments or changes. That's where I begin before I get to Jennings.

Great. So you are basing Jennings above average performance for two games against a high school team with a losing record and a sunbelt opponent (whom we face just about every year and should know their game plan) who is 3-3 on the year (0-3 in conference). Granted that high school team beat us soundly last time we played them years ago, but really? That is what you are basing Jennings execution soundness on and grasp of the offense? You can't make adjustments or changes if the starting QB only knows about a handful of plays. What are you going to adjust to? If you call a play from page two of the playbook, he wouldn't know what you are talking about.

[ManAboutTown]

I've never heard a coach denigrate opposition coaches or players. They all comment on how talented and well coached the opposition is.

It's one thing to make obligatory statements; it's quite another to back up the comments with actual examples. I don't here SBC coaches constantly saying how talented NMSU or Texas St teams are. Another example is how App St is always referred to as a well coached team. It's said all the time among SBC interviews.

[CajunEXPRESS]

I've never heard a team not extolled by It's opponent including NMSU. Hud said as much publicly.

[CajunT]

Great. So you are basing Jennings above average performance for two games against a high school team with a losing record and a sunbelt opponent (whom we face just about every year and should know their game plan) who is 3-3 on the year (0-3 in conference). Granted that high school team beat us soundly last time we played them years ago, but really? That is what you are basing Jennings execution soundness on and grasp of the offense? You can't make adjustments or changes if the starting QB only knows about a handful of plays. What are you going to adjust to? If you call a play from page two of the playbook, he wouldn't know what you are talking about.

Yes, I'm basing Jennings performance on his games against McNeese State which is no better or worse than the New Mexico St. team we lost to and South Alabama which has beaten Miss. St. and San Diego St. He was perfectly adequate in both performances and managed the play book with no problems.

Where did you hear the starting QB didn't know the plays? Coach Hudspeth said he was simplifying the play book because we were not executing well. That contradicts everything I've heard from this staff when I was told Jennings knew more of the play book than Davis after the first week of fall practice. That is what I was told when I attended practice the first few weeks of fall and it came straight from them. So if that is what someone has said or what you have heard, it completely contradicts what the staff has stated since Jennings arrived on campus and what Hudspeth has stated about his preparations for games to the media.

BTW, do you actually believe that UL's playbook is more difficult than LSU's with a former Pro-Offensive Coordinator?

[MetryCajun]

Isn't talent evaluation and acquisition part of the head coaches job? If he's not getting talent AND not doing anything with what he gets, he is by definition not a good coach. Or at the very least not coaching well now.

ALL teams in our conference will have holes at positions from a talent standpoint. As Basinbear points out, it's hard to tell with us where the talent is off or the technique (coaching). Which means we are doing both badly. Which all goes to the coach. And he makes 1 million a year to do it.

Have you read my other post? Yes he is responsible for the players recruited. Imho, he has done a poor job and should be criticized. I would assume if we had a bunch of athletes they would at least get sniffs from the NFL. How many NFL players do we have even counting practice squads? How many future NFL players are on the team now? McGuire. Maybe 2-3 others? The way I see it we have a fair amount of solid players but very few difference makers. Anyway, we are a bad football team and it does not look like HUD has any answers to turn it around this year.

[CharlieK]

Have you read my other post? Yes he is responsible for the players recruited. Imho, he has done a poor job and should be criticized. I would assume if we had a bunch of athletes they would at least get sniffs from the NFL. How many NFL players do we have even counting practice squads? How many future NFL players are on the team now? McGuire. Maybe 2-3 others? The way I see it we have a fair amount of solid players but very few difference makers. Anyway, we are a bad football team and it does not look like HUD has any answers to turn it around this year.

It was more a comment on those (including he high school coaches you quoted) who said "he is a good coach". In high school, you coach who shows up (mostly, I'm looking at you Evangel).....but in college it takes more. Picked yours to quote as it was the last one I saw that implied it was a talent problem and not a coaching problem. I think the talent problem is why we don't compete with P5s. The fundamental and schematic coaching problem is why we don't compete with our peers. Both are on the head coach.

Your last sentence is 100% correct.

[zephyr]

I think the athletes are in place. Talent development is the issue. Again, every coach that gets interviewed references UL's talent. They can't all be wrong.

He was referencing the OL and QB which I agree with him on. We don't have the proper makeup for our OL to deal with a lot of the smaller and quicker defenses we've been playing. Our OL need to drop 20-30 pounds each to make them more agile for a zone blocking scheme. God forbid, our tackles need to lose that much just to handle the outside pass rush.

We have some athletes at QB but do we have talented QB's? I'm not so sure.

[Boomer]

Not at all Boomer. Just about every team, especially losing teams, can point to players that didn't QUALIFY and dream about what might have been.

If this happens, if that happens, bla,bla,bla. Another thing to remember recruiting analysis is at best an educated guess. Maybe none of these guys ever make a difference even if they did QUALIFY.

Maybe I'm missing your obvious point. Why don't you spell it out. I thought your point was we'd be much better with players who never QUALIFIED.

Finally, it was Hud who gambled on non QUALIFIERS, he needed a back up plan.

---Instead of going into the obvious--I'll from now on for your continued following of me just post the obvious---You're wrong again!!!

[zephyr]

Yes, I'm basing Jennings performance on his games against McNeese State which is no better or worse than the New Mexico St. team we lost to and South Alabama which has beaten Miss. St. and San Diego St. He was perfectly adequate in both performances and managed the play book with no problems.

Where did you hear the starting QB didn't know the plays? Coach Hudspeth said he was simplifying the play book because we were not executing well. That contradicts everything I've heard from this staff when I was told Jennings knew more of the play book than Davis after the first week of fall practice. That is what I was told when I attended practice the first few weeks of fall and it came straight from them. So if that is what someone has said or what you have heard, it completely contradicts what the staff has stated since Jennings arrived on campus and what Hudspeth has stated about his preparations for games to the media.

BTW, do you actually believe that UL's playbook is more difficult than LSU's with a former Pro-Offensive Coordinator?

I saw some highlights of Jennings time in BR and they showed some really nice bombs he threw downfield. I'd like to know why we can't incorporate more of that with playaction on this team? People are going man on us and there has to be some deeper routes we can target. I know that the OL sucks but we had success against Tulane and USA. He obviously has the arm

[Turbine]

I saw some highlights of Jennings time in BR and they showed some really nice bombs he threw downfield. I'd like to know why we can't incorporate more of that with playaction on this team? People are going man on us and there has to be some deeper routes we can target. I know that the OL sucks but we had success against Tulane and USA. He obviously has the arm

He hasn't thrown the same since he got the wind knocked out of him.

[CajunNation]

The hardest thing for this university to recruit are offensive lineman. There are very few in the immediate area to get and the there are not enough in the rest of the state to go around.

We have had some of the best skill people in the country for a G5, and we still can't beat a P5 and we suck again......because our OL is outmanned.

[Just1More]

Great. So you are basing Jennings above average performance for two games against a high school team with a losing record and a sunbelt opponent (whom we face just about every year and should know their game plan) who is 3-3 on the year (0-3 in conference). Granted that high school team beat us soundly last time we played them years ago, but really? That is what you are basing Jennings execution soundness on and grasp of the offense? You can't make adjustments or changes if the starting QB only knows about a handful of plays. What are you going to adjust to? If you call a play from page two of the playbook, he wouldn't know what you are talking about.

No... he's countering your claims that Jennings doesn't know the offense (but 5 plays). If he can execute them against inferior opponents... because our OL can block against inferior DLs... then Jennings isn't exactly the whole issue. He doesn't do well when the play is busted. And if you actually take the time to go and watch where he's fallen apart... it's on busted plays. Hud didn't limit playbook because Jennings didn't understand the basics of the plays. He limited it because Jennings has a habit of trying to make a meal out of a ____ sandwich. It is Hud and the staff's job to design the entire meal and get the table set where our offense has the jump on the opposing defense... instead of us always having to depend on a skill player to bale us out.

Neither T nor I are blown away by Jennings. Don't get that twisted into this discussion. The issue is with the entire offense right now... and no QB can make this offense look good until the coaches realize how to teach how the play actually works to your advantage. Most defenses figure us out in about in one or two series. If they aren't inferior talentwise... we start getting punked. And it isn't just our QB. The QB looks the worst because he usually has his hands on the ball when the ____ show begins. Go watch the replays of the games and watch our other players... one by one... and then watch the opposing defenses. Have you ever seen defenses have so much fun? Go watch and come back and report. I'd like for you to try to pass the ball in the middle of a ____ storm and see how well you do.