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Post Game: Embarassing

Many/most of you are over-reacting...please curtail your negative comments until Hoops comes back and straightens everything out. Just relax...the Griz will be fine...RTD is alive and well.
 
BWahlberg said:
The 17 point favorites Montana Grizzlies hit the road this weekend and absolutely fell flat. They were shell shocked right away. The defense was baffled most of the game by a true freshman NAU QB and a running game that shoved the front line around. The offense looked… well… as we’ve seen. Inefficient, full of errors, and unable to execute. The running game was totally shut down and QB play wasn’t at a level that was needed to win a road game against a (previously) winless team.

The margin for error with this season and this team was slim already and now Montana has put themselves even further behind. With games against Davis, Sac, Idaho, Portland, and MSU looming – right now I see 0 wins in that slate. There’s time to correct and save this but now Montana needs to make ground against teams that are looking/playing/coaching better than they are right now.

I’m really frustrated. This was such a disappointing loss. In a week where many heavyweight teams were duking it out Montana was SUPPOSED to have a good road test but a game they should have walked away with a win. Now with this loss they’ll tumble almost all the way out of the top 25, already find themselves behind in conference standings, and have so many unanswered questions that I don’t know have a quick solution.

My observations:

- The Grizzly offensive line was dominated today. The veteran group that needed to play its best, simply didn’t. They were shoved back all day. The QB was under pressure up the middle and on the edges. The most veteran group on this offense that HAS to preform every week simply didn’t. Near end of the 1st half the OL gets blown off the ball and on a needed 3rd and 1 – Harris loses 4. Then with 6 minutes to go in the game with a shred of hope left, needing a short game, again there’s no running lanes and it’s a turnover on downs. Where does this group go from here? Can it be fixed?

- 6 years / 5 seasons and Montana just doesn’t have that solution at QB. Dalton Sneed (when healthy) was great. Beyond that it just seems the Griz have been so lost at that position. I don’t blame Vidlak or McDowell for this poor performance on offense, Vidlak flashes great potential but probably isn’t fully ready for the job. McDowell is best in the zone read (from what I’ve seen) but when the run game isn’t there… what do you do? This was a situation that we’ve been in for a few years now. How does this get fixed? NAU rolled out a freshman QB that outperformed today. How does a school like NAU do that over us? It SHOULDN’T happen. Vidlak needs to play with more urgency in the pocket.

- The pass defense had too many big shots given up and were fooled to often once again. This has happened every single week. It’s on film, in 4 weeks there’s been continual deep shots down field that have been allowed. I’m no expert, I have no idea how this can be fixed, is it possible? What can be changed to limit this?

- Trevin Gradney secures his 4th pick in 4 games, how awesome. Then… when needed, later in the game, he’s on the sideline at times. Did he get hurt? Are we just sticking with a plan for rotation? If he’s one of your leaders and studs on defense, in a game where you’re having issues with a pass offense, why is he off the field when needed?

- Credit NAU (I think) for taking Junior Bergen out of this game. This guy needs double digit touches… and I don’t think got them today.

- Montana’s special teams once again forced errors and swung points in the favor of their opponent. A blocked punt sets up a short field TD, then a missed PAT.

--------------

I don’t think I’m being too dramatic to say this is one of the worst losses under either of Hauck’s tenures. I can think of some others, 2003 NDSU, 2008 Weber, 2018 MSU. But man… this one just feels like there’s an absolute mountain of poop coming our way the rest of this season. I’m not feeling positive at all and you guys know I try to find the silver lining here.

That said… 2008 Weber State was just about as ugly and gross of loss. That team found it’s identity from that loss and went on a run. I’m going to need more convincing to think this Montana team has that type of rebound in them, but who knows.

This post is a big vent, this team needs to dig deep and find it’s real identity, is this a .500 squad or can they rally from this sh*t sandwich of a game and find a winning streak? The margin for error is even thinner and Montana now has to rebound fast. While I’m upset, disappointed, and frustrated – I’m not giving up on these guys. You’ll find me at Wa Griz this weekend, I’m not pulling any support, and I want these guys to all succeed. Where do we go from here? Fans, I know we’re all upset – let it out, lets blast this crap game into the sun and get back after it.

go griz
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Well said Brent, just not sure where we go from here other than to say Bobby and crew better have an early meeting tomorrow or if not when they get back in town this evening. Coaches need to look in a mirror before they tell the players too.
 
YttriumGriz39 said:
UM always is honest. Wtf?
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First: Bobcat fan saddened by some other Cat arrogant posts. Don't let karma happen to us, like it's happened to UM. You're an embarrassment to MSU. Be humble, thankful, respectful for f&#*'s sake! The tables can and may turn, it ain't fun! MSU deserves the criticism of handling DUIs stupidly and it could get worse quickly.

Back on topic: I know you're being sarcastic on UM being honest, but that's a huge issue with the whole trajectory of UM. The drivel that comes out of UM's comms and athletic department is pathetic and UM and Montana deserve better. Montana residents aren't that stupid, most everyone's moved on. UM bends over too far for the ancient donors - you know, the dudes who drive maroon Buicks to the Early Bird meatloaf special and say "go griz" and talk about the old days. Love them, we need these men, but they should have zero input into how UM communicates with the public. The forum post months ago titled "Pride of Montana" or whatever it was. Straight out of UM comms, trading off the past and insulting.

I doubt anyone could do better than Bodnar as prez, just my opinion. He's in a tough position and seems to be doing well shoring up a foundation of enrollment. Problem he and UM have is/are: what's UM's identity for the next 30 years? It's undefined - so people make up their own definition including - good old boys network (most accurate) or liberal alternative to MSU (UM deserves better).

Will be interesting to see what they do with Bobby. Was a risky/ballsy decision to bring him back. Likely some short term benefit, but doesn't do well with the press, and (my opinion) set his son up for a future of ridicule forcing him to be the record tackler for UM, too much favoritism, etc.. Robby would have been just fine as an outstanding FCS player without that burden on his shoulders. Hope he does great coaching and has a great career, he deserves it. Haslam/Bodnar allowing Bobby to do that with Robby showed very poor leadership, definitely hurt recruiting and pissed off player, parents and fans.

Don't let UM be called HauckU - it's UM and even Cat fans can see the institution deserves better.

Strapping on my criticism protection helmet....
 
markson161 said:
Fahque said:
https://youtu.be/2PaJlnZ74lw?si=CjAXFhm17LrEjuaK
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If Bobby would only get as fired up and upset on the field as he does in the press conference.
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One thing you can count on from week to week is Hauck acting like a dick to the press.
 
Just saw Skyline's tweet that we are 13-13 on the road since Hauck came back.

I had no idea it was that bad.
 
noncasualobserver said:
YttriumGriz39 said:
UM always is honest. Wtf?
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The forum post months ago titled "Pride of Montana" or whatever it was. Straight out of UM comms, trading off the past and insulting.
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You don’t have a fucking clue
 
Lots of disparate reasons given here today for the struggles you guys are having. Qb, play calling, etc. I've had the thought that we have 3 qbs who would start for you but I'm not sure that's true, the more i think about it. I think maybe your qbs and skill guys are fine. Your fronts simply aren't good enough consistently to compete with the top of the league. Recruiting and time are the only fixes. Just one guy's opinion.
 
There was a whole lot of downward momentum before Hauck came back. That kind of momentum is tough to stop. It can be seen in our enrollment numbers as well. Bodner has a tough job as does Hauck in turning that around. It is very possible neither will make it to see the end and a return to prior success. Athletic programs are cyclic. The good programs can slow the frequency and make the good times last longer before the inevitable down turn and can make the down turn less deep. We are clearly on a down turn and I absolutely believe we have not yet seen the nadir. If you are a fan of UM you are just going to have to ride the wave and stay hopeful. Could be awhile.
 
For all your sakes, it’s time to temper your expectations of the program going forward this season. No need for ulcers or heart palpitations you don’t already have. This one is over.
 
markson161 said:
Fahque said:
https://youtu.be/2PaJlnZ74lw?si=CjAXFhm17LrEjuaK
Click to expand...

If Bobby would only get as fired up and upset on the field as he does in the press conference.
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Bobby said NAU "Found a way to win"...as if it were a close game. NAU soundly beat the Griz and the game wasn't as close as the score.
 
I don’t know where this assumption came from that UM was going to be all that and a bag of chips this fall? At what point in the off-season did someone think… this team will be better than last year? There were no major changes, you lost talent, and your OC is about as complacent as can be. I’m not even trying to be a D*ck im just genuinely curious if someone could tell me when they had this thought during the off-season of “we are going to dominate the BSC” and why.

Yea, this may not be UM’s decade. This isn’t a boast. I get it’s cyclical, but what about this year screamed domination for some? I’m truly curious.
 
NorthernCat said:
Lots of disparate reasons given here today for the struggles you guys are having. Qb, play calling, etc. I've had the thought that we have 3 qbs who would start for you but I'm not sure that's true, the more i think about it. I think maybe your qbs and skill guys are fine. Your fronts simply aren't good enough consistently to compete with the top of the league. Recruiting and time are the only fixes. Just one guy's opinion.
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You dont have a single QB that can last a entire year.
 
NDSUSR said:
NorthernCat said:
Lots of disparate reasons given here today for the struggles you guys are having. Qb, play calling, etc. I've had the thought that we have 3 qbs who would start for you but I'm not sure that's true, the more i think about it. I think maybe your qbs and skill guys are fine. Your fronts simply aren't good enough consistently to compete with the top of the league. Recruiting and time are the only fixes. Just one guy's opinion.
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You dont have a single QB that can last a entire year.
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:lol: This is perfect.
 
I just don’t understand how we can be having any of these discussions without Hoops here to tell us we’re wrong. After all, he played the game and most of you don’t have the ability to recognize RTD.
 
CatsRback said:
I don’t know where this assumption came from that UM was going to be all that and a bag of chips this fall? At what point in the off-season did someone think… this team will be better than last year? There were no major changes, you lost talent, and your OC is about as complacent as can be. I’m not even trying to be a D*ck im just genuinely curious if someone could tell me when they had this thought during the off-season of “we are going to dominate the BSC” and why.

Yea, this may not be UM’s decade. This isn’t a boast. I get it’s cyclical, but what about this year screamed domination for some? I’m truly curious.
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I don't recall anyone thinking we would dominate the conference. But we have a favorable conference schedule and seemed to be set up well to have most of our hard games at home. The season isn't over yet dude. It's one bad game.
 
CatsRback said:
I don’t know where this assumption came from that UM was going to be all that and a bag of chips this fall? At what point in the off-season did someone think… this team will be better than last year? There were no major changes, you lost talent, and your OC is about as complacent as can be. I’m not even trying to be a D*ck im just genuinely curious if someone could tell me when they had this thought during the off-season of “we are going to dominate the BSC” and why.

Yea, this may not be UM’s decade. This isn’t a boast. I get it’s cyclical, but what about this year screamed domination for some? I’m truly curious.
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Watch the offense line, it looks like they quit on their coach. There is something more to this issue.
 
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