Tight Games Problem

[Turbine]

... Just stick with 1 qb though.

Totally agree.

Totally understood.

[ULtramaga]

Had Napier, his staff, and the departed players stayed, Louisiana might have gone undefeated. Coaching is not the only issue, but it is a big one.

We needed to hire the next Napier. Did we do that? Our on-field performance speaks to that. Losing games we should have won, getting slapped around by USM and Rice, these are indicators that we hired a caretaker, a placeholder, a guy who has "strong ties to the program."

I'd rather be ranked in the Top 25 than have a 6-7 record and be talking about what we are talking about in this thread.

[UL_Cajuns]

Had Napier, his staff, and the departed players stayed, Louisiana might have gone undefeated. Coaching is not the only issue, but it is a big one.

We needed to hire the next Napier. Did we do that? Our on-field performance speaks to that. Losing games we should have won, getting slapped around by USM and Rice, these are indicators that we hired a caretaker, a placeholder, a guy who has "strong ties to the program."

I'd rather be ranked in the Top 25 than have a 6-7 record and be talking about what we are talking about in this thread.

Good point. We would be in the Cotton Bowl if that would have happened. No doubt. Hoping Des has learned a lot this year as did Napier his first year as HC. There is hope with Des’ first recruiting class and who we have returning.

[fanof71]

Had Napier, his staff, and the departed players stayed, Louisiana might have gone undefeated. Coaching is not the only issue, but it is a big one.

We needed to hire the next Napier. Did we do that? Our on-field performance speaks to that. Losing games we should have won, getting slapped around by USM and Rice, these are indicators that we hired a caretaker, a placeholder, a guy who has "strong ties to the program."

I'd rather be ranked in the Top 25 than have a 6-7 record and be talking about what we are talking about in this thread.

So, you've coached a football team?

[moorecajun]

Had Napier, his staff, and the departed players stayed, Louisiana might have gone undefeated. Coaching is not the only issue, but it is a big one.

We needed to hire the next Napier. Did we do that? Our on-field performance speaks to that. Losing games we should have won, getting slapped around by USM and Rice, these are indicators that we hired a caretaker, a placeholder, a guy who has "strong ties to the program."

I'd rather be ranked in the Top 25 than have a 6-7 record and be talking about what we are talking about in this thread.

nm

[WestUCajun]

Had Napier, his staff, and the departed players stayed, Louisiana might have gone undefeated. Coaching is not the only issue, but it is a big one.

We needed to hire the next Napier. Did we do that? Our on-field performance speaks to that. Losing games we should have won, getting slapped around by USM and Rice, these are indicators that we hired a caretaker, a placeholder, a guy who has "strong ties to the program."

I'd rather be ranked in the Top 25 than have a 6-7 record and be talking about what we are talking about in this thread.

So would you have hired Willie Fritz? 2-10 Last year. Cotton Bowl this year. Would you have considered him a "placeholder" after his 2021 season.

[Cajunsmike]

So would you have hired Willie Fritz? 2-10 Last year. Cotton Bowl this year. Would you have considered him a "placeholder" after his 2021 season.

Tulane had several heartbreaking losses last year. Ball bounced their way this year. Pratt is also an outstanding college quarterback. They also found a running game with a back who will likely be drafted. Can we get the bounces next season that did not go our way? Time will tell.

[CajunEXPRESS]

So would you have hired Willie Fritz? 2-10 Last year. Cotton Bowl this year. Would you have considered him a "placeholder" after his 2021 season.

Willy Fritz by definition can’t ever be a placeholder at tulame. He built the program.

[BabbForHeisman]

We were a few bounces away from being 8-4 this year AND last year.

[ULGrad@HOU]

In looking back over the season, I realized that all six of our victories were double digit wins. Three of our losses (USA, Troy, and Houston) were lost by the opponent scoring in the final seconds. The ULM game went down to the wire while the Rice and USM games were within one possession in the fourth quarter. This concerns me going forward. You are not going to blow out all your opponents and you have to be the team that executes the best in the fourth quarter to have a truly successful season. How do we get back to being the team that usually did so from 2019 to 2021? Perhaps it is as simple as not putting your defense in a position to have to make the final stop. More effective offense earlier in the game may result in a fresher unit at that stage. I wonder if a "special" back can be that difference maker despite our OL concerns. In 2021, Emani Bailey was that guy late in the season. He seemed to pick up the key first downs which kept the offense on the field. I am hoping Elijah Bill Davis can be that guy. Relying on a pure freshman to be that much of a difference maker is wishful thinking and not realistic. What do the rest of you think needs to occur for us to start being able to pull out the close games again?

I would say you are correct in that we did not have that special back and it (he) was sorely missed. We need a RB that can make someone miss, and break a tackle.

[JMV JustMyView]

I would say you are correct in that we did not have that special back and it (he) was sorely missed. We need a RB that can make someone miss, and break a tackle.

And we need lineman who can help spring a RB.