Magnanimous

This is the best season recap video I’ve come across:

IMG_2136.mov

Last play of the game IMG_2122.mov

IMG_2119.mov

I was fortunate enough to attend the championship game, so here’s some sights and sounds from the “cheap seats,” but a little different perspective than what you saw on TV. IMG_2107.mov

Just don’t use the same sculptor who made D’wyane Wade’s statue…

“A win today will make me happy until a loss tomorrow.”

Agree. Nebraska had a unique setup that led to their success in terms of talent pool and style of play that both no longer exist. Both programs are walking through purgatory for decades with the only hope being delusional, over-compensating fan bases. But to your point, we just need to bring in a better coach and a few better players and we’re right back in it. We also can get them from our backyard, unlike Nebraska. Nebraska’s luck may change some now with NIL and the transfer portal, but until they can execute with it that program is finished as a blue blood. More P4 schools are committed a to football than basketball, which is why it’s been frustrating with us actually trying in basketball and having nothing to show for it in 25 years. This isn’t complicated.

The fact that he was hired 11 months ago and I still can’t pronounce his name is a major red flag.

Not only do I not think this hire will work out, but I think we’ll forget this guy was ever our coach within two years of him leaving. This whole program currently feels like a screensaver, waiting for the next and more serious hire to come along.

If IUFB can win the NC in year 2 then IUBB can make the NCAAT in year 2. This wait and see approach needs to stop with these guys.

This guy feels like an AAU dad coach.

Defending national champion.

In the worst case scenario (vacated wins, which won’t happen because this is a nonsense story anyway), couldn’t we just say “no, we’re keeping them”? What are they going to do?

The bulk of our OL returning is huge. My statement is very much TBD, but Hoover is more of a gunslinger than Mendoza is, and if we have a third receiving option beyond Marsh and Becker, I think we’ll air it out a bit more this year (on the condition that Hoover cuts down his picks…). Mendoza could thread a needle, but he also only had one game over 300 yards (and one 299 yard game). I think Hoover will have 4-5 games over 300 yards, we have a great receiving duo (at minimum a duo), and our running game shouldn’t miss a beat (although Black’s pass blocking will be hard to emulate). More than anything, our coaches now have some “toys” to play with on O this year. My biggest concern for our defense will be the secondary. Our pass rush and run defense should be just as good, if not better. Overall, I expect us to be favored in every game this year.

At least for me, update the box means build an extension to bring back a mega version of The Irish Lion that is open for 10 hours on game days. Soda bread and yard beers.

And I think we’re going to be better next year (at least on offense).

The CFP selection was a beauty pageant until it expanded to 12 teams. Everything before that was mythical. Between us and 2024 Ohio State (who went 14-2…), we are the most legit national champion ever!

That’s fair. Levron’s productivity gets overshadowed by Randel El’s running ability and not playing in the NFL, whereas Howard was second in rushing yards his rookie season. I also forget that Howard only played 9 games for us. He was a workhorse though in the short time he was here.

I think Tracy would have had to add 15-20 pounds.

A little offseason discussion, what would your all-IUFB team be for players from 2000-present? Some of these are pretty obvious, but here’s mine (using the AP All-American roster format): QB - Fernando Mendoza RB 1 - Tevin Coleman RB 2 - Jordan Howard WR 1 - James Hardy WR 2 - Elijah Sarratt WR 3 - Omar Cooper TE - Riley Nowakowski OL - Carter Smith OL - Rodger Saffold OL - Pat Coogan OL - Dan Feeney OL - Jason Spriggs DL - Mikail Kamara DL - Greg Middleton DL - Tyrique Tucker DL - CJ West LB - Aiden Fisher LB - Micah McFadden LB - Tegray Scales CB - D’Angelo Ponds CB - Tracy Porter S - Louis Moore S - Jamar Johnson K - Nico Radicic P - Mitch McCarthy Returner - Marcus Thigpen 5 Honorable Mention Offense - Antwaan Randle El, Charlie Becker, Courtney Roby, Kurtis Rourke, Levron Williams 5 Honorable Mention Defense (this was a little harder to come up with, but these guys were all memorable to me) - Matt Mayberry, Isaiah Jones, Marcelino Ball (when healthy), Darius Latham, Tiawan Mullen

Hey, I’m still watching our championship game.

Think Hoover gets 4 TDs this game. Have a hunch that Cig may want him to gun for Joe Burrow’s stats this season to shut up at least part of the whole 2019 LSU narrative.