Not good
- Thread starter GoRMU
- Start date
It was not a good night for the Colonials offensively or defensively. Dukes should why they are a top team in the NEC. And maybe shown why the coaches picked them last. Still a lot of football left to play. But I see other NEC teams making improvements and can’t say the same right now for RMU.
SHU next week that just battled a very tough 5-0 Dartmouth team to the very end. It will be another tough home game for RMU.
SHU next week that just battled a very tough 5-0 Dartmouth team to the very end. It will be another tough home game for RMU.
I feel bad for the defensive coaches and players. Scott Farison has his guys prepped and playing hard every week. But you can't play as many snaps this defense has played each week and not expect to give up points.
Too many three-and-outs on offense. Too many missed opportunities. It's play-calling, it's play-execution, and it's player development and recruiting.
Walker throws a couple nice balls down the sideline and the receivers aren't big enough, tough enough or smart enough to get the inside position on the ball and make a play. Almost all of RMU's receivers are under 6-foot. Duquesne doesn't have that problem.
Tim Vecchio is a perfect slot guy, yet he's marooned on an island on the perimeter all the time.
Harrison Dreher isn't a 25-carry back. He's a 10-12 carry back who can take it to the house. Why did Cole Blake get his reps cut?
I don't even blame the line. They're freshmen. It's silly to expect them to be finished products. I blame the coaching staff for not developing and retaining guys year after year.
And for a guy who preaches discipline, Banaszak's teams sure show a lack of it on the field.
Banaszak and the entire offensive staff need to go. Either replace him with Farison and let a couple of the D guys stay or just replace the whole staff.
Absolutely no reason that two schools with so much in common should be as far apart on the football field as Duquesne and Robert Morris were tonight.
Too many three-and-outs on offense. Too many missed opportunities. It's play-calling, it's play-execution, and it's player development and recruiting.
Walker throws a couple nice balls down the sideline and the receivers aren't big enough, tough enough or smart enough to get the inside position on the ball and make a play. Almost all of RMU's receivers are under 6-foot. Duquesne doesn't have that problem.
Tim Vecchio is a perfect slot guy, yet he's marooned on an island on the perimeter all the time.
Harrison Dreher isn't a 25-carry back. He's a 10-12 carry back who can take it to the house. Why did Cole Blake get his reps cut?
I don't even blame the line. They're freshmen. It's silly to expect them to be finished products. I blame the coaching staff for not developing and retaining guys year after year.
And for a guy who preaches discipline, Banaszak's teams sure show a lack of it on the field.
Banaszak and the entire offensive staff need to go. Either replace him with Farison and let a couple of the D guys stay or just replace the whole staff.
Absolutely no reason that two schools with so much in common should be as far apart on the football field as Duquesne and Robert Morris were tonight.
If RMU does clean house, Scott Benzel should be Craig Coleman's first call. Completely turned around an awful Westminster program. His team is now one of the best in the PAC and its only loss was a 6-point defeat to the No. 12 team in the country in Week 1.
If he can do that at Westminster, I'd be curious to see what he can do with some scholarship money.
If he can do that at Westminster, I'd be curious to see what he can do with some scholarship money.
Agreed with colonialsinsider. If/when change is made, get Benny in the phone. Have a feeling he would come and be thrilled about the job.
Having him may also allow farison to stay, would be an absolute shame to him not stay.
Pretty clear something needs changed.
Having him may also allow farison to stay, would be an absolute shame to him not stay.
Pretty clear something needs changed.
Yes the offense was not good again but I can’t blame this squarely on the offense. The defense was picked apart. Each Dukes scoring drive was over 50 yards and giving up 27pts in the 2nd quarter is bad.
Like I said, it was a complete team beat down last night. Awful penalties. Dukes QB picking apart the Colonials and their WR making all the tough catches.
I saw a lot of players for the Dukes making plays that RMU tried to recruit.
It was a tough night. We will see how this staff and team responds next Saturday.
Like I said, it was a complete team beat down last night. Awful penalties. Dukes QB picking apart the Colonials and their WR making all the tough catches.
I saw a lot of players for the Dukes making plays that RMU tried to recruit.
It was a tough night. We will see how this staff and team responds next Saturday.
Any thoughts of what it is going to take for Banny to be brought back? 5 games left, I'd think they would have to win 4 of them.
Going to be tough as we have seen the rest of teams in NEC can score. I get that RMU might not the most explosive o, but need to be able to string some first downs together.
Also, random thought regarding if a change is made, wonder if Dr. Howard has someone in mind with his CFP position and I am sure he has an extensive network throughout college football. Maybe he will just leave it up to Coleman though.
Going to be tough as we have seen the rest of teams in NEC can score. I get that RMU might not the most explosive o, but need to be able to string some first downs together.
Also, random thought regarding if a change is made, wonder if Dr. Howard has someone in mind with his CFP position and I am sure he has an extensive network throughout college football. Maybe he will just leave it up to Coleman though.
Going into last nights game the Dukes were giving up an average 360 yards and 25 points. We scored 7 on their 2's and 3's and had to work for it.
I really like John Banaczak but the Miller hire will be his death knell. Taking a pro-style offense and trying to implement it with our current talent is attempting to put too many square pegs into round holes. And ZERO change from week to week and expecting different results is the ultimate definition of insanity.
Many aspects got my goat last night but two just made me angry. 1). With 1:34 left in the half, down 28-7 Miller calls a couple speed outs which kill the clock. If you are going to attempt to score before half 3 yard stem speed outs are not doing it but they are saving enough time for the Dukes. Long story short is we punt and the Dukes get the ball back with just over a minute left and march the field and score on a tired defense playing without Stott. Our horribly slow offense burned 20 some seconds off the clock on a three and out. If I'm Farison I'm livid. 2). With seconds left in the game, down 51-14, against the Dukes tuition paying players, we are trying to chuck the ball down the field? For what? To pad stats? To score in order to make it a respectable 51-21? Risk an unnecessary injury? It just looks bad.
And of course you cannot blame the offensive line. How many guys from last years class (Mundy, Fennell, Rodriguez) will stick around? How about this years class? We will be back to square one. I did see Blake Chambliss in the stands. I thought wow, we sure could use a 5th year senior right about now. The Dukes oline all looked like they were 26. It must be nice to build maturity and depth.
Lastly, I watch our kids on offense and they just look miserable. They are not stupid. We live in the age of offense and most of them played in more productive and fun offenses in HS.
I really like John Banaczak but the Miller hire will be his death knell. Taking a pro-style offense and trying to implement it with our current talent is attempting to put too many square pegs into round holes. And ZERO change from week to week and expecting different results is the ultimate definition of insanity.
Many aspects got my goat last night but two just made me angry. 1). With 1:34 left in the half, down 28-7 Miller calls a couple speed outs which kill the clock. If you are going to attempt to score before half 3 yard stem speed outs are not doing it but they are saving enough time for the Dukes. Long story short is we punt and the Dukes get the ball back with just over a minute left and march the field and score on a tired defense playing without Stott. Our horribly slow offense burned 20 some seconds off the clock on a three and out. If I'm Farison I'm livid. 2). With seconds left in the game, down 51-14, against the Dukes tuition paying players, we are trying to chuck the ball down the field? For what? To pad stats? To score in order to make it a respectable 51-21? Risk an unnecessary injury? It just looks bad.
And of course you cannot blame the offensive line. How many guys from last years class (Mundy, Fennell, Rodriguez) will stick around? How about this years class? We will be back to square one. I did see Blake Chambliss in the stands. I thought wow, we sure could use a 5th year senior right about now. The Dukes oline all looked like they were 26. It must be nice to build maturity and depth.
Lastly, I watch our kids on offense and they just look miserable. They are not stupid. We live in the age of offense and most of them played in more productive and fun offenses in HS.
Comments are "are spot on". Of the 37 freshman, sophomores and juniors on the 2015 roster their are only 9 left. Tyblake didn't mention that Ramses Owens also left when Miller came in. He was "Named National Freshman of the Week by The Sports Network September 8 after his 199 yard rushing performance vs. North Dakota…Believed to be the first Colonial to win that award…also named NEC Offensive Player of the Week and NEC Rookie of the Week after that performance" Buss was also a candidate for FCS freshman of the year award. The 2015 team was much more competitive, losing to Youngstown State in overtime, with a lot of underclassmen starting including a true freshman QB. What happened is evident from the comments above! Their will be a lot of talented players leaving after this season unless there are wholesale changes in the staff. Farison has proven to be a great coach and recruiter, but his efforts have been thwarted by the other coaches not retaining and developing offensive players and the switch to a pro style offense. The offense has only scored 13 touchdowns in the last 18 games. Naming Farison as head coach now would greatly improve the morale of the team, as he is well liked by players, and would also potentially, keep some of the unhappy players from transferring if a new coach is hired outside the system.
Retention of players and player development has to be addressed by whomever the head coach is, or who he becomes. The problems run deep and are wide spread. The university invests a boatload of money on these players, particularly those with full scholarships. Why wouldn’t you be interested in knowing why athletes choose to leave? This is particularly true of fifth year guys. By that time, how much money has RMU paid for a full ride? Letting them walk away without understanding their reasoning or trying to persuade them to stay seems unproductive to me.
Not recognizing the talent on the squad is another issue that rings true. There is no way that Mike Lamb should not be starting on the oline. If nothing else, he brings leadership and maturity to a freshman squad. Senior leadership is desperately needed. It was evident last year that Coach Miller had issues with Lamb, and in my opinion, picked on him relentlessly. Letting Buss and Owens go are further examples of not recognizing what’s in front of you, talent wise. It would be nice to see coaches “fight” to keep their guys.
It’s such a shame because RMU is a beautiful campus and is in an area where students and athletes can thrive. Yet, as I already stated, the problems run deep, from the athletic director, to the campus police, to the coaches. I hope someone can step in and make positive changes for the athletes. They deserve it.
Not recognizing the talent on the squad is another issue that rings true. There is no way that Mike Lamb should not be starting on the oline. If nothing else, he brings leadership and maturity to a freshman squad. Senior leadership is desperately needed. It was evident last year that Coach Miller had issues with Lamb, and in my opinion, picked on him relentlessly. Letting Buss and Owens go are further examples of not recognizing what’s in front of you, talent wise. It would be nice to see coaches “fight” to keep their guys.
It’s such a shame because RMU is a beautiful campus and is in an area where students and athletes can thrive. Yet, as I already stated, the problems run deep, from the athletic director, to the campus police, to the coaches. I hope someone can step in and make positive changes for the athletes. They deserve it.
A short term solution, name farison intern. If you do that move (don't think all bad) you have be with Benny and have a plan.
It is sad what has happened to this program last few years. We are the old St. Francis.
It is sad what has happened to this program last few years. We are the old St. Francis.
Benny coach d. Him and farison crushed it, mentored by bad rad. They can do so again. I hate to sell out banny because he is a great guy, but 4 years, no improvement.
Scott Benzel would be a no brainer.
http://athletics.westminster.edu/coaches.aspx?rc=173&path=football
OC Rich DeMaio
http://athletics.westminster.edu/coaches.aspx?rc=174&path=football
Their QB has over 800 yards rushing. Seems they understand how tough it is for a defense to defend against 11 rather than 10.
And I understand it is D-III but innovation comes from bottom up in this game, not the other way around.
http://athletics.westminster.edu/coaches.aspx?rc=173&path=football
OC Rich DeMaio
http://athletics.westminster.edu/coaches.aspx?rc=174&path=football
Their QB has over 800 yards rushing. Seems they understand how tough it is for a defense to defend against 11 rather than 10.
And I understand it is D-III but innovation comes from bottom up in this game, not the other way around.
Not interviewing players to find out why they are leaving early is a great point. Companies almost always have the Human Resources interview departing employees to ascertain why they are leaving.
They too have a big investment in the employee and want to know why their invested dollars are going out the door so they can make changes to be certain their policies or personnel aren't causing employees to be unhappy and leave.
They too have a big investment in the employee and want to know why their invested dollars are going out the door so they can make changes to be certain their policies or personnel aren't causing employees to be unhappy and leave.
Innovation is the key to success. In the NEC winning a national championship is a stretch. But there is no reason they can't be top 2 to 3 year in and year out..
I have been a longtime follower of the program and this site. I believe we can all agree that change should and will happen sometime between now and the end of the season. However, I disagree with the direction you all feel the program should go. To me the answer is not a current assistant coach, a former assistant coach, or a nearly 60 year old local high school coach. I find it very disheartening that fans of this program aren't setting the bar a little higher; and that is no knock on Scott Farison, Scott Benzel or Bob Palko.
Palko has certainly had success at the high school level but is pushing 60 years old and only has 2 years of experience at the college level at Duquesne nearly 25 years ago. And how many high school coaches have had success taking over a college program? While Farison's defenses have been the strong point of the program he is responsible, at least partially, for the state of the program today. I mean he has essentially run most parts of the program whether it be from a recruiting standpoint or administratively for years. The total lack of talent and depth on the roster should not be excused from him. Benzel is a very capable coach in his 4th year at Westminster, but has never even reached the Division 3 playoffs; finishing 5th, 2nd, and 5th in the conference in his first 3 seasons.
I know we are probably thinking first of familiar faces that we know, but I certainly feel better options are out there to lead this program to the next step. The former Walton assistant experiment has been tried and has failed. Unfortunately to some, I feel it's time to completely step away from that regime. In my opinion, this staff/regime got us as far as they could up until the time scholarships were increased and the NEC became an auto-qualifier for the playoffs (yes I know the 2010 team won the conference and went to the playoffs but that was immediately after the things mentioned took place; and since then the other NEC programs have passed us by). I honestly think that A) we should set our sights higher and B) we will be very surprised at the type of candidates that will be interested in this job.
Palko has certainly had success at the high school level but is pushing 60 years old and only has 2 years of experience at the college level at Duquesne nearly 25 years ago. And how many high school coaches have had success taking over a college program? While Farison's defenses have been the strong point of the program he is responsible, at least partially, for the state of the program today. I mean he has essentially run most parts of the program whether it be from a recruiting standpoint or administratively for years. The total lack of talent and depth on the roster should not be excused from him. Benzel is a very capable coach in his 4th year at Westminster, but has never even reached the Division 3 playoffs; finishing 5th, 2nd, and 5th in the conference in his first 3 seasons.
I know we are probably thinking first of familiar faces that we know, but I certainly feel better options are out there to lead this program to the next step. The former Walton assistant experiment has been tried and has failed. Unfortunately to some, I feel it's time to completely step away from that regime. In my opinion, this staff/regime got us as far as they could up until the time scholarships were increased and the NEC became an auto-qualifier for the playoffs (yes I know the 2010 team won the conference and went to the playoffs but that was immediately after the things mentioned took place; and since then the other NEC programs have passed us by). I honestly think that A) we should set our sights higher and B) we will be very surprised at the type of candidates that will be interested in this job.
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I have great respect for Coach Banaszak and I hope the Colonials win all of their remaining games this season and he is retained. I believe the administration likes and respects Banaszak.
Realistically, the RMU administration extended Banaszak's contract for only one year, according to reports, at the end of last season. That would indicate that the program needs to show considerable improvement this season for him to be retained. It would seem nearly impossible to be successful on the FCS level with an all freshmen offensive line. I am not pointing the finger at the O-line, but it may be emblematic of the issues; so the writing seemed to be on the wall when the starting line-ups were announced prior to the first game of the season.
If there is a coaching change, I would expect the administration to do a major search, open to all qualified candidates. Farison and Benzel will have an opportunity for consideration, but there will be many highly qualified coaches interested in the position, such as FBS and FCS assistants, successful D-II coaches, unemployed former FBS head coaches and others with impressive credentials. There are only a few hundred FBS and FCS head coaching positions available in the Country, so each one is highly coveted.
There is always a concern of losing players when coaching changes take place at any school. Hopefully, the search process is done quickly. Players will be lost, but usually not as many as feared. When a new coach is hired, he comes in full of vigor and excitement that inspires the players to stay and to also pick up some good recruits even though he is getting a late start.
Banaszak has tried to build the program the right way, bringing in good kids, nearly all directly out of high school. Unfortunately, he just has not been successful in retaining enough of his players to move the program forward.
Realistically, the RMU administration extended Banaszak's contract for only one year, according to reports, at the end of last season. That would indicate that the program needs to show considerable improvement this season for him to be retained. It would seem nearly impossible to be successful on the FCS level with an all freshmen offensive line. I am not pointing the finger at the O-line, but it may be emblematic of the issues; so the writing seemed to be on the wall when the starting line-ups were announced prior to the first game of the season.
If there is a coaching change, I would expect the administration to do a major search, open to all qualified candidates. Farison and Benzel will have an opportunity for consideration, but there will be many highly qualified coaches interested in the position, such as FBS and FCS assistants, successful D-II coaches, unemployed former FBS head coaches and others with impressive credentials. There are only a few hundred FBS and FCS head coaching positions available in the Country, so each one is highly coveted.
There is always a concern of losing players when coaching changes take place at any school. Hopefully, the search process is done quickly. Players will be lost, but usually not as many as feared. When a new coach is hired, he comes in full of vigor and excitement that inspires the players to stay and to also pick up some good recruits even though he is getting a late start.
Banaszak has tried to build the program the right way, bringing in good kids, nearly all directly out of high school. Unfortunately, he just has not been successful in retaining enough of his players to move the program forward.
I say blow the whole thing up, completely new coaching staff, new system, sweep it all out and start from scratch. It'll take a couple years to bring in the players the new staff wants, but it seems to me that Banaszak et al just isn't getting it done. He's not owed the right to leave on his terms like Walton did. No disrespect to the man. But it's not working anymore. Five straight losses to Duquesne is enough. I realize that winning the NEC should be the priority, but Duquesne is the most important game of the year for RMU. They're our rival, 17 miles between the schools. Losing five straight is bad enough, but also getting blown out too? Unsat. Sweep out the stables, power wash them and start all over.
Agreed with all the sentiments regarding Coach Banaszak.
I should preface all of this, I do not know much about D2 football. Seems there are 168 teams in D2. I have always thought the PSAC was a pretty darn good conference though.
I did a quick search on D2 stats, total offense and total defense. There are 3 "regional" teams that are in the top 50 for both.
They are:
Bowie State:
Total Offense Rank 1
Total Defense Rank 20
IUP:
Total O Rank 4
Total D Rank 29
(New HC this year, former D coordinator I believe)
Ship:
Total O Rank 15
Total D Rank 6
(Appears HC is a Ship grad)
I know a lot more goes into this just a couple rankings, these teams are doing very well on both sides of the ball.
I should preface all of this, I do not know much about D2 football. Seems there are 168 teams in D2. I have always thought the PSAC was a pretty darn good conference though.
I did a quick search on D2 stats, total offense and total defense. There are 3 "regional" teams that are in the top 50 for both.
They are:
Bowie State:
Total Offense Rank 1
Total Defense Rank 20
IUP:
Total O Rank 4
Total D Rank 29
(New HC this year, former D coordinator I believe)
Ship:
Total O Rank 15
Total D Rank 6
(Appears HC is a Ship grad)
I know a lot more goes into this just a couple rankings, these teams are doing very well on both sides of the ball.
The blame doesn't lie with either Banazak or Farison. They brought the team to 4 and 7 in 2015 from a one only win 2014 season. The players exiting began in 2016 with the hiring of Coach Miller. Ramses Owens was the starter through spring ball and summer camp, and scheduled to start the first game after a highly successful 2014 and 2015 season. Not only did he not start, he did not play, and promptly left the team. Kyle Buss was treated in the same manner, and left after a couple games. Others offensive players followed after the season either do to the pro style offense, or the way they were treated. I would doubt that the offensive linemen who started last year as freshman, and were replaced this year by freshman, will all be here next season. If they were good enough to start last year but not good enough to play this year, given the offensive line problems, something is desperately wrong with the system. Farison recruited many of the players that excelled on offense on the 2015 team. I believe he was not in charge of recruiting subsequent to the 2015 season, and the the deterioration in our offense. Farison is well liked by the players, is a good motivator and developed excellent defensive players, many who will be leaving after this season.
I want to see this team go in a completely different direction in terms of a system. Run the wishbone. Run a triple option. Run a West Coast offense. Run something our opponents don't normally see. Adopt something innovative, unconventional. Something that will put a spark into this program.
For one thing, I think everyone agrees we are not writing this team off.
Whoever comes in next year will have a chance to win and compete right away. The talent is there.
RMU will be a highly sought after position. Location, can win immediately, campus, new arena, the Western PA, Eastern Ohio, and Columbus areas are a hot bed for talent, and the NEC is not overpowering.
I would hate to see Fairison go. I also believe Benzel would be an excellent choice. But there will be some dynamite canidates for all the reasons I listed above. And as much as I really like Banaczak, as others mentioned, this needs to happen fast for retention and recruiting.
At the end of the day the school and these kids deserve better.
Whoever comes in next year will have a chance to win and compete right away. The talent is there.
RMU will be a highly sought after position. Location, can win immediately, campus, new arena, the Western PA, Eastern Ohio, and Columbus areas are a hot bed for talent, and the NEC is not overpowering.
I would hate to see Fairison go. I also believe Benzel would be an excellent choice. But there will be some dynamite canidates for all the reasons I listed above. And as much as I really like Banaczak, as others mentioned, this needs to happen fast for retention and recruiting.
At the end of the day the school and these kids deserve better.
This is a tough topic especially when you have a team that stills battles and a staff that wants nothing more than turning this program around.
I think we all fall into the trap of saying blow it up and all will be well. Hell, I think like that myself. But then I think, what are some fixable issues? Is there something here and there that is minor that can lead to more success of the field?
The 1st thing I would focus on are practices. Are the players getting the most of each practice? Is the limited time the staff has being used efficiently? I was at previous practices in camp and everything is done by the scoreboard with set times for each station or drill. When that horn goes off…move on. Maybe that is something to adjust? More time together as an offense and defense focusing on situations, blitzes…etc. But you can’t just line up and smash heads for 90 minutes without expecting injuries.
The hardest thing is a self-evaluation and making changes. You don’t want to disrupt schedules but sometimes small changes can equal bigger results.
RMU has 5 games left. And this Saturday’s home game against SHU is their best bet to get their 1st NEC win. But SHU is still a tough team with veteran players.
I don’t see the any changes being made (if any) until after the season is over. The athletic department is focused on the new arena and it seems to be behind schedule already.
I think we all fall into the trap of saying blow it up and all will be well. Hell, I think like that myself. But then I think, what are some fixable issues? Is there something here and there that is minor that can lead to more success of the field?
The 1st thing I would focus on are practices. Are the players getting the most of each practice? Is the limited time the staff has being used efficiently? I was at previous practices in camp and everything is done by the scoreboard with set times for each station or drill. When that horn goes off…move on. Maybe that is something to adjust? More time together as an offense and defense focusing on situations, blitzes…etc. But you can’t just line up and smash heads for 90 minutes without expecting injuries.
The hardest thing is a self-evaluation and making changes. You don’t want to disrupt schedules but sometimes small changes can equal bigger results.
RMU has 5 games left. And this Saturday’s home game against SHU is their best bet to get their 1st NEC win. But SHU is still a tough team with veteran players.
I don’t see the any changes being made (if any) until after the season is over. The athletic department is focused on the new arena and it seems to be behind schedule already.
irish_buffalo, I do agree we are all writing this team off. What I do not agree with is you saying that whoever comes in next will have a chance to win and compete right away and that "the talent is there." What leads you to say that? It has been 4 years under this staff with zero improvement (and I would argue longer since Walton was never involved in recruiting as he was in Puerto Rico during the offseason, so Banaszak, Farison, Richardson, and company have been recruiting "their guys" for longer than 4 years).
I have read on this site for many years now how "we are good" and "we have all this talent." The fact of the matter is we aren't and we don't. To me that is the issue, they are not getting talented players. For example, after watching the game Saturday how many of the starting 22 for RMU do you would have started that game if they were wearing a Duquesne jersey? It's one thing to be a fan, but another thing to be delusional. This is Division 1 football and far to often I get the feeling we treat this program like it's a high school program.
I have read on this site for many years now how "we are good" and "we have all this talent." The fact of the matter is we aren't and we don't. To me that is the issue, they are not getting talented players. For example, after watching the game Saturday how many of the starting 22 for RMU do you would have started that game if they were wearing a Duquesne jersey? It's one thing to be a fan, but another thing to be delusional. This is Division 1 football and far to often I get the feeling we treat this program like it's a high school program.
I do not believe this will be a highly sought after position because we are in the lower ranks of Division 1AA. If we want to get to the ultimate goal of winning a national championship. We got a ton of work to do. We cannot even come close to matching up with teams such as James Madison, North Dakota State, Youngstown, etc. I dont know how the rest of you on this forum think it is possible to compete at that level. Winning in a poor NEC conference is not good enough to me.
I think football will hold a fairly high level of priority with the administration and not be overlooked because of the new arena.
The President is a football guy, also sitting on the CFP Committee. This can't be setting well with him.
Some coaching changes will probably be made and some kids may transfer but at the end of the day it's not due to the lack of ability or effort by the coaches or players. Really good coaches and players fail and have issues. Sometimes a new message, delivery or a change of scenery goes a long way.
However it would be nice to see some growth, development and longevity with players sticking around.
The President is a football guy, also sitting on the CFP Committee. This can't be setting well with him.
Some coaching changes will probably be made and some kids may transfer but at the end of the day it's not due to the lack of ability or effort by the coaches or players. Really good coaches and players fail and have issues. Sometimes a new message, delivery or a change of scenery goes a long way.
However it would be nice to see some growth, development and longevity with players sticking around.
Ahhhh long time listener first time caller. Welcome.
Go back and re-read what I posted. I am not writing this team off. Key word = "not". Especially the kids.
For starters we have numerous kids who received FBS offers. Defensively it is tough to see because the offense is so abysmal. Being on the field all game makes it tough. Any shlub who ever played knows that. And if you want to cite Duquesne many of the kids on this RMU team were offered by the Dukes as well. Talent is not the issue and squandering it has been documented throughout this thread so I will not revisit. But I doubt I'll change your mind and you won't be changing mine so we will just have to disagree. I think we have talent. You think they are not talented. Kudos.
And it is not treated as a HS program but rather a PRO program. But I'll save everyone from my Pro. vs. College dissertation for another day.
I FIRMLY believe we can win right away. I'm not saying we will win a league championship but we can compete for one. A change in pace and positivity and you will be amazed at what can happen. We will have MANY qualified candidates, also for the reasons I listed above.
The team was competitive in 2015, i.e. overtime loss to Youngstown State, playing South Dakota State close in the first half, until our true freshman quarterback got injured and couldn't play the second half, losing to Duquesne by only 16 to 7. The change that initiated the downturn and continues today was the hiring of the present offensive coordinator and going to a pro style offense in 2016.
There's really nothing to say. We aren't good point blank. I am a Native of Moon, and I really just want to see a winner in my home town. We're like the Browns of CFB. Always getting our hopes up, just to be let down again, and again, and again. Sorry for the pessimism. Just frustrated.
irish_buffalo, my apologies for initially mis-reading your post. How you are not writing this team off is beyond me. Sure they might win another game, but what have you seen that leads you to believe they are going anywhere this year? And when I said in my post that we treat this program like a high school program, I was not talking about how it is run internally by the coaching staff. I am talking about the comments I see on this board; and yours stating that you are not writing off this team, "especially the kids" is exactly what I am talking about. While I will never say something negative about an individual player within a college program, we need to realize that these are 18-22 year old adults playing division 1 football. Also, my question in my previous post was not how many RMU players got offered by Duquesne. The question was if they did go to Duquesne how many would have actually been on the field Saturday night. I'll assume you are a parent of a current player and give you the benefit of the doubt though.
Look I'm sure they are all good young men, but the results are just not there on the field. If there was as much talent as you claim there is, they would be a little more competitive week in and week out regardless of the coaching staff. Over the last four years we are a combined 9-30. Two of those wins came against lower level Division 2 schools, one was against an FCS team in it's first year of existence, and the other 6 were against FCS teams with a combined 13-46 record. I mean come on, let's call a spade a spade here.
jnbxu, you continually bring up Mike Miller as being the problem yet the team has won 4 games in his year and a half compared to the 5 wins in the two seasons under Darrin Hicks; that is such a steep drop off. Also Hicks' offenses were ranked 119 and 117 in terms of total yards per game in his two seasons. Last year the offense was ranked 122 and this year 121 under Miller; not that big of a difference. Look the offense has been pathetic under both of these coaches and affirms my point that the talent pool is shallow and it doesn't matter who coaches them. Again, I will assume you are either Darrin Hicks or one of the players/a parent of one of the players spurned by this offensive staff and I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.
Look I'm sure they are all good young men, but the results are just not there on the field. If there was as much talent as you claim there is, they would be a little more competitive week in and week out regardless of the coaching staff. Over the last four years we are a combined 9-30. Two of those wins came against lower level Division 2 schools, one was against an FCS team in it's first year of existence, and the other 6 were against FCS teams with a combined 13-46 record. I mean come on, let's call a spade a spade here.
jnbxu, you continually bring up Mike Miller as being the problem yet the team has won 4 games in his year and a half compared to the 5 wins in the two seasons under Darrin Hicks; that is such a steep drop off. Also Hicks' offenses were ranked 119 and 117 in terms of total yards per game in his two seasons. Last year the offense was ranked 122 and this year 121 under Miller; not that big of a difference. Look the offense has been pathetic under both of these coaches and affirms my point that the talent pool is shallow and it doesn't matter who coaches them. Again, I will assume you are either Darrin Hicks or one of the players/a parent of one of the players spurned by this offensive staff and I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.
You ASSume an awful lot. My kids are not old enough to be RMU student athletes but someday, maybe. And I highly doubt Darrin Hicks is trolling this site to badmouth the current OC. Maybe we could assume that you are Mike Miller? Or a relative? Or a sheepherder? 
Calling a spade a spade? Ok, they are bad. So you agree, regardless of who has been the OC they are bad. The difference lies in talent, retention and development of that talent, and so on. You believe we have not had any talent and I will argue we have and currently do. Stanford, Wollett, Richards, Smeirga could all start for the Dukes. On offense it is difficult to see anyone's talent because the philosophy and play calling are so abysmal.
Calling a spade a spade? Ok, they are bad. So you agree, regardless of who has been the OC they are bad. The difference lies in talent, retention and development of that talent, and so on. You believe we have not had any talent and I will argue we have and currently do. Stanford, Wollett, Richards, Smeirga could all start for the Dukes. On offense it is difficult to see anyone's talent because the philosophy and play calling are so abysmal.
I agree 100%. I thought the play calling under Hicks was as bad, as is the present play calling. It takes too long to get the play in. The opposing coaches will be yelling to their defense what to cover, as we very seldom snap the ball on the first claps. At ETSU, most of the sacks came after the original play was changed, or an audible was called at the line of scrimmage. The offensive line seems to be improving but you can't take 18 year olds, no matter how talented, and expect them to excel against men 3 to 5 years older.You ASSume an awful lot. My kids are not old enough to be RMU student athletes but someday, maybe. And I highly doubt Darrin Hicks is trolling this site to badmouth the current OC. Maybe we could assume that you are Mike Miller? Or a relative? Or a sheepherder?
Calling a spade a spade? Ok, they are bad. So you agree, regardless of who has been the OC they are bad. The difference lies in talent, retention and development of that talent, and so on. You believe we have not had any talent and I will argue we have and currently do. Stanford, Wollett, Richards, Smeirga could all start for the Dukes. On offense it is difficult to see anyone's talent because the philosophy and play calling are so abysmal.
- It is way too easy to name certain players and say they can play for the Dukes or SFU or YSU. It is how the rest of the team performs, are they executing the offense the way it is designed? Every offense is basically a good offense if you execute, all 11 players on the same page doing their job. If you are not in the film room seeing how the review goes, a missed block here, the back ran to the wrong hole here, the receiver zigged when he should've zagged. all lead to plays that look bad or poor play calling when in reality it was not a bad play call, just poorly executed. The other thing and note that I am a SHU fan, NEC kids are generally waterfall kids. Not big enough for Penn State or grades not good enough for Pitt, Not fast enough for YSU, sure RMU will take him, SHU will take him, SFU will take him. Pretty much all of the NEC recruiting classes are filled late December into January February right before signing day. And the NEC team takes/gets these kids because no one else did. Or no one else offered. Back to the execution, if the offense is not being executed is it being explained properly by the coaches, does the talent match the style? Are the kids bright enough and have enough desire to learn from their mistakes, you may think yes but that is not always the case and it is a difficult job for the coach to get everyone on the same page. Is their senior leadership on the team? the kind to hold kids accountable if the coaches are not? No leadership than no improvement. It can't all be the coaches fault.
I am on the side that there talent on this team, but a lot of it is Freshman and Sophomores. So maybe only a couple of them would start of the Dukes now, but if they are developed properly, they very well might be able to.
I am also on the side the coaching makes a huge difference. You can look at many and see quick turnarounds due to superior coaching. UCF with Frost, Brohm at Purdue just a couple that I thought of quickly.
In my opinion, and again I think banny is a great guy, probably a pretty good special teams/position coach, the bottom line is the staff is not getting it done. You can say the players are not good enough, well coaches fault in recruiting. Can say the players don't stick around (most players go-to a school based on the coach, they loose that relationship, they leave). Players not running plays right, either wrong players being recruited or not be instructed properly, or not adapting system to players.
Another factor in my mind is, with the new area, and the talk of switching conferences, it is important to have a credible football team. That has not been the case for years.
To me, a change needs made, a new culture needs to be brought in, and that decision should be made as soon as possible due to recruiting. Holy Cross just let their HC go. Give Farison the intern, only fair thing to do in my mind. If they win some games and admin goes in another direction, at least it is a feather in his cap for his resume.
Though to say, but, but that is how I feel.
I am also on the side the coaching makes a huge difference. You can look at many and see quick turnarounds due to superior coaching. UCF with Frost, Brohm at Purdue just a couple that I thought of quickly.
In my opinion, and again I think banny is a great guy, probably a pretty good special teams/position coach, the bottom line is the staff is not getting it done. You can say the players are not good enough, well coaches fault in recruiting. Can say the players don't stick around (most players go-to a school based on the coach, they loose that relationship, they leave). Players not running plays right, either wrong players being recruited or not be instructed properly, or not adapting system to players.
Another factor in my mind is, with the new area, and the talk of switching conferences, it is important to have a credible football team. That has not been the case for years.
To me, a change needs made, a new culture needs to be brought in, and that decision should be made as soon as possible due to recruiting. Holy Cross just let their HC go. Give Farison the intern, only fair thing to do in my mind. If they win some games and admin goes in another direction, at least it is a feather in his cap for his resume.
Though to say, but, but that is how I feel.
Obviously, Pres. Howard won't say anything publicly about this, but for those of you who are close to the campus and the program, has he been making any noise? This has to irritate him. Also, it seems to me that RMU has treated the football team as kind of an object that shows the world that 'We have a football team, so we're a real university.' I still think it's time for a change. The Walton-Banaszak era has to end. Complete overhaul. Just me.
I have to believe Dr. Howard will take the high road and at this point make a move at seasons end. Someone mentioned firing Banaczak now and handing the keys to Farison for the remainder of the season but I'm unsure that would help as long as Miller is still running the offense. Farison's duties would increase is all. And it is too late to overhaul our offense so we are stuck like chuck for the rest of the way.
It's a shame because I really like John Banaczak. I believe he genuinely cares. If he is let go I wish he could stick around in some capacity, perhaps just to yell at the officials.
Same can be said of the defense. I just have always liked Farison's philosophy. I hope that if RMU makes a move, whoever the new guy is, that he sees Farison's worth but that does not happen often. Regardless Farison will wind up somewhere. He is way too talented a coach not to.
It's a shame because I really like John Banaczak. I believe he genuinely cares. If he is let go I wish he could stick around in some capacity, perhaps just to yell at the officials.
Same can be said of the defense. I just have always liked Farison's philosophy. I hope that if RMU makes a move, whoever the new guy is, that he sees Farison's worth but that does not happen often. Regardless Farison will wind up somewhere. He is way too talented a coach not to.
Irish, that was me, and you are probably right. I just think you need to make a change to try to get momentum turned.
Agree with Miller, would have to get rid of both. Make the change now. Can't be worse.
Agree with Miller, would have to get rid of both. Make the change now. Can't be worse.
