Post Game: Meltdown on the road

[NorthwestFresh]

Not blaming the refs anymore?.... :roll:

Didn't blame the refs pussy, but they definately helped liberty.

How?

And yes, you did blame the refs...a statement about they already made their minds up before the game.

You still here pussy?

I definately agree that the wreffs plaiyed a hyooge roll in the broken tibulia as welle.

 

[RobGriz]

Didn't blame the refs pussy, but they definately helped liberty.

How?

And yes, you did blame the refs...a statement about they already made their minds up before the game.

You still here pussy?

I definately agree that the wreffs plaiyed a hyooge roll in the broken tibulia as welle.

Thankfully they didn't, because unfortunately the best thing that happens for the GRIZ was Gus leaving and Challich entering the game.

 

[Sundown]

Let’s start with the obvious stuff.

1. The season isn’t over, 1-2 but 0-0 in conference. Is that a positive sign? Not sure, this wasn’t the OOC we wanted. I was hoping for 2-1 not 1-2.

2. The Griz were decimated by costly injuries. Gustafson broken fibula, Crittenden a knee injury, Rasmussen hurt, Harris a concussion. Those are some key players you just can’t replace, especially Gus and DC. Those are killer and season-changing.

3. Red zone execution was bad. A missed fieldgoal, a missed PAT, a fumble at the 2. That’s A LOT of points left off the board. The Red Zone has been the Achilles heel for the Griz this early season.

4. While the defense was fairly stout they got fooled too often. I believe that 21 of Liberty’s points came on play-fakes that fooled our safeties. Another on a bad angle by our safeties that left no one to clean up once the RB was into the open with no one to stop him.

So where do we go from here? It’s a new season, homecoming here is here and we open conference with a damn tough opponent in NAU. There’s no time to lick their wounds and moan about these last two tough losses. The Griz need to regroup and get back on track against NAU.

So let’s talk about the positive stuff first:

1. Jamaal Jones is a stud, in the face of all that happened tonight, new QB, and total change in pace – he still had a monster game. This guy is doing all he can (other are as well – he’s not the only one) and his results are one of the sole bright shining spots on offense after 3 weeks.

2. The defense gave up too much, can’t allow this many points. However they had good stretches to keep the offense in the game but just couldn’t keep up. This is the 3rd game where they’ve been on the field MUCH longer.

3. Kenny Van Ackeren and Tyrone Holmes continue to be our most steady and effective defenders. Haven’t seen the stats yet but I bet KVA may lead in tackles again. Holmes another sack and multiple pressures. They’re our best two defenders at this point, I’m glad we’ve got them both. Holmes’s late sack was incredible – wasn’t fooled by the play fake.

4. I hope we can get Harris back fast. He was the best pass defender on the field.

5. Two blocked punts, we’ve got great talent with defensive depth, Strahm and Schye.

6. There was no quit in these guys. I love the passion and fight to the end.

And the other stuff:

1. Red zone execution… that could’ve been the difference between a win and loss tonight. A fumble at the goal line... ugh. I saw on Twitter Dominck Sheldon said he thinks that was the difference between the win and loss.

2. Now we see the dropoff at QB. Chalich had some good throws… but a bunch more plays, throws, and decisions that were head scratchers. He’s not much of a running threat and when he was pressured he melted down. It’ll be interesting to see if he can get his composure back for NAU or if they give Simis a look. Outside of 3 good throws Chalich had a rough evening. I hope Simis gets a chance… this was not a good showing for Chalich.

3. The defense was caught on their heels way too much. Yes they were asked to do more than they should have, but a few too many big plays.

4. Our kicking game left 4 points off the board – 2nd game in a row where easy points were left off. Unacceptable.

5. O-line protection waned in and out. Bad snaps, bad blocking… not good enough to win the game and in need of massive improvement. Late in the game with a long shot change the OL seemed as if they couldn’t block a soul, Chalich was running and throwing for his life.

6. What happened with Counts and the rushing game? He has a big run… but then loses a fumble. Nguyen was non-existent as a rusher. This was not the best rushing D but they looked all-world against us.

7. Play count was way down – Liberty controlled the ball and the clock and won.

8. More costly drops. In a pass-heavy offense this simply cannot happen. At least 3 dropped passes in the endzone.

9. Two weeks in a row the offense hasn’t scored more than 20 points. Can’t be a fast paced team with a massive disadvantage in TOP and score this few points.

--------
No sugar coating that, this was a rough loss.

Guess where I’ll be this next Saturday? That’s right, Wa Griz, and I’m going to be ready to cheer on a win. Any fan that’s giving up should just hit the bricks and go cheer for MSU anyways.

This really feels like 2010 to me again. If you recall, Pflugrad came in with a new offense that was focused on the hurry up. That year Pflu lost Andrew Selle and was forced to ride Roper the back up the rest of the way. The defense also got beat up badly and lost a ton of key players that season… this is looking the same way after tonight. The 2010 Griz also started 1-2 as well... I believe.

Griz need to make a run and get rolling. Can they do it? I believe so – and the only thing I can control is my support for the team – which isn’t wavering. I think there's good senior leadership and we have the right coach in place. This isn't an easy transition and fans need to realize that.

Hats off to Liberty, they’re a good squad, should hit the playoffs. They’ve got some good speed and talent, their D-end is stud.

Get home safely – get healthy – and GO GRIZ!

Thanks for the tough write-up, B.

Another down, another game. Let's pick yourselves up, Griz, and show he country what your made of.

 

[albinogriz]

Let's face it... We're a green offense without a QB to run it..... And we employ a run game which is non-existent.

Even before Brady got hurt it was evident he was not on his game once again.. This after a bye-week.
If he was our best option as Brint has said..... ???? Could be a long season.
As of right now we SUCK...!!!
Can they turn it around?? Maybe? Though it's kinda' important to have a QB and RB who can make plays..
I and most all of us expected to be better as the season progressed.. Might be a pretty bad sign... We've managed to actually get worse in all facets of the offense.
I'll be there Saturday hoping we show better but my confidence is beginning to wain.
I think it's safe to say the Stitt honeymoon is over... Time to get to work. Plenty of season left and yet so little room for error..
Go Griz!!

 

[grizindabox]

Let's face it... We're a green offense without a QB to run it..... And we employ a run game which is non-existent.

Even before Brady got hurt it was evident he was not on his game once again.. This after a bye-week.
If he was our best option as Brint has said..... ???? Could be a long season.
As of right now we SUCK...!!!
Can they turn it around?? Maybe? Though it's kinda' important to have a QB and RB who can make plays..
I and most all of us expected to be better as the season progressed.. Might be a pretty bad sign... We've managed to actually get worse in all facets of the offense.
I'll be there Saturday hoping we show better but my confidence is beginning to wain.
I think it's safe to say the Stitt honeymoon is over... Time to get to work. Plenty of season left and yet so little room for error..
Go Griz!!

Maybe so, but the root of the problem starts with the 5 big guys upfront...without much better play from them, the offense is going to have some rough times..

 

[mtgrizrule]

Have some faith people!!! Anyone who did not expect inconsistency with a 1st year offense, new qb, in a new system, with a new staff was not being realistic. Granted, the run blocking is terrible, and frustrating. That has to get better with time. However, despite that the GRIZ have been in position to win every game. Just by better capitalizing on opportunities, and stop leaving points on the field, we are not even discussing this and all is fine.

Stitt and his staff are just fine. The players have to quit the stupid mistakes and get things together. The coaches have to figure out what it will take for that to happen. Sorry, but the 2 losses are more on the players than the staff, in my opinion.

 

[grizindabox]

Have some faith people!!! Anyone who did not expect inconsistency with a 1st year offense, new qb, in a new system, with a new staff was not being realistic. Granted, the run blocking is terrible, and frustrating. That has to get better with time. However, despite that the GRIZ have been in position to win every game. Just by better capitalizing on opportunities, and stop leaving points on the field, we are not even discussing this and all is fine.

Stitt and his staff are just fine. The players have to quit the stupid mistakes and get things together. The coaches have to figure out what it will take for that to happen. Sorry, but the 2 losses are more on the players than the staff, in my opinion.

It is not only the run blocking...

 

[albinogriz]

Let's face it... We're a green offense without a QB to run it..... And we employ a run game which is non-existent.

Even before Brady got hurt it was evident he was not on his game once again.. This after a bye-week.
If he was our best option as Brint has said..... ???? Could be a long season.
As of right now we SUCK...!!!
Can they turn it around?? Maybe? Though it's kinda' important to have a QB and RB who can make plays..
I and most all of us expected to be better as the season progressed.. Might be a pretty bad sign... We've managed to actually get worse in all facets of the offense.
I'll be there Saturday hoping we show better but my confidence is beginning to wain.
I think it's safe to say the Stitt honeymoon is over... Time to get to work. Plenty of season left and yet so little room for error..
Go Griz!!

Maybe so, but the root of the problem starts with the 5 big guys upfront...without much better play from them, the offense is going to have some rough times..

No doubt!! Can't believe I didn't include them above..? Everything begins with the big guys up front. Then there's the complexity of this offense... Are they being overmatched or is the genius only confusing our men in the trenches?
On a side note... Gotta' be able to snap the ball to the QB in this offense as well.. Kicking game???? UUUUGGGHHHHH :roll:

 

[66volvo]

Partial solution:

1) bench Nguyen
2) find personnel on the O-line who are willing to become junkyard dogs and BLOCK
3) consider ANYONE on the bench who can run the ball

movin' on...

 

[Griz!ron]

Maybe so, but the root of the problem starts with the 5 big guys upfront...without much better play from them, the offense is going to have some rough times..

Agreed, the other weakness is that a pass happy offense is wholly dependent on the QB play. If the QB is injured, still learning the offense, or simply has a bad day, then the whole team struggles. it is 'putting all your eggs in one basket.' When you have a Dave Dickinson, it great.

A running game or wildcat offense that can function, when needed, as more than a way to keep the defense 'honest.' Spread the responsibility around.

 

[reinell30]

Where is the 20 seconds between plays that we had the 1st game? Is Stitt hiding this until conference games begin? We ran 90+ plays against NDSU and haven't come close to that since. Last night, the hustle, uptempo was not employed at all...60 plays for the Griz offense...will the uptempo return?
The defense did very well last night again!

 

[UMGriz75]

I don't think this was a "meltdown" at all, although that being said, it puts into perspective the fact that Jordan Johnson carried the Grizzly offense over a three year period and made it look much better than it was. Not just his intelligence, but he was one tough kid who had to absorb a lot more physical abuse than a quarterback should and always came back to play.

Against Poly and Liberty, nothing happened that a little tightening up doesn't fix. Nothing happened in either game that didn't mean a win if just one or two plays had bounced differently. But, that's a long ways from a "meltdown." New coach, new plays, I'd expect the first few games to be "rough." Like tuning an engine, rotate that distributor cap the wrong way and splutter, oops, need to go the other direction. Go too far, splutter some more. Finally, you dial it in. I think that's exactly what we are seeing.

Stitt's a smart guy. He leaves that indelible impression and I don't think its faked. The team needs leadership and that is obviously still coming together. Brady Gustafson was evolving into the role. His field leadership was improving quickly with each game. With Brady now sidelined, and without a lead quarterback personality like JJ, this team's obvious leaders are Henderson and Jones and Crittenden. They're not ready yet. It's all new for them. Can Chalich physically handle the position; Simis? Tough calls to have to make just as conference play opens up.

So, this week represents the biggest challenges so far. New quarterback(s), new team leadership, all the while Stitt is trying to tighten up Nguyen and Counts ... and Sullivan. Hard to watch Poly win a game, a fluke really, on a 49 yard kick, and watch UM lose on 29 yard kicks.

It'll be a tougher week than any that Stitt has had so far. True gold does not fear the refiner's fire. We live in interesting times. Buy low, sell high.

 

[MrG]

Where is the 20 seconds between plays that we had the 1st game? Is Stitt hiding this until conference games begin? We ran 90+ plays against NDSU and haven't come close to that since. Last night, the hustle, uptempo was not employed at all...60 plays for the Griz offense...will the uptempo return?
The defense did very well last night again!

Agree. But you can't get more plays with 3 and outs.

 

[bgbigdog]

I don't think this was a "meltdown" at all... It'll be a tougher week than any that Stitt has had so far. True gold does not fear the refiner's fire. We live in interesting times. Buy low, sell high.

You may have omitted "check's in the mail", but all excellent points to which I agree. Not a melt down.

Bet Brady got the majority of the reps the last couple of weeks to help him get over the yips, so Chalich likely did as well as could be expected. No running back I've ever watched play would have luck behind this o-line, so if that isn't an off-season emphasis it could really take until 2017 to get better. How many possessions were killed because of bad snaps? If you have the opportunity, watch the game again. How many times to you see a Griz o-lineman blocking @ the second level? Though on the other hand, it's time to see if Lwood and Favors can play. Nguyen isn't the answer to any question I can find.

Griz had three explosive plays, just one resulting in a TD. Liberty had three that resulted in TD's, which was the difference in the game. Not sure Brady would have made a difference though, he wasn't making one prior to leaving.

 

[AZDoc]

I think part of the issue is the backup QB doesn't get many reps in practice. That should help both these guys this week. Secondly, Barry sanders led the league in negative runs all the time with his dance moves, but ended up with plenty of big runs as well. That's why his AVERAGE is 5 ypc for a career. It's called an average for a reason. Now I'm not saying that Nguyen is Sanders obviously, nor do I think he has big play speed, but that's how football goes...1 yard, loss 2, 37 yard run. That's 12 ypc. The answer to all the questions is O line and ball security (including catching the effin thing).

 

[Griz2k]

One thing that I thought was a real issue was the time it takes for the offense to take the field on possession changes. How many times did they stand in a huddle on the sidelines and then have to rush out and snap the ball in a hurry? Why don't they huddle and talk during the punt so they're not so rushed on the change of possession?

 

[grzz]

I'm worried about Chalich. I know there are Griz fans who think he'll be Montana's starter before the season is over. However, he lost the starting job at Idaho after being sacked 30 times in just seven games in 2013. That should concern anyone. The intentional grounding calls, bad snap exchanges, scrambling for negative yards tonight are all things he did at Idaho, as well.
It wasn't all Chalich's fault. The o-line sucked. But Josh McCain, who replaced Chalich was sacked six times in 8 games. Hopefully Chalich improves, but his college record hasn't been great.

I think Simis won the #2 job in camp but they wanted the #2 who would be coming off the bench cold to have had some experience. I think we should give Simis a week of practice and go with him, his mobility could help limit the blitzing opposing defenses are utilizing due to our lack of a run game.

If Chalich took so many sacks at Idaho, the last thing he needs is to play behind this offensive line.

 

[Yukon]

I'm worried about Chalich. I know there are Griz fans who think he'll be Montana's starter before the season is over. However, he lost the starting job at Idaho after being sacked 30 times in just seven games in 2013. That should concern anyone. The intentional grounding calls, bad snap exchanges, scrambling for negative yards tonight are all things he did at Idaho, as well.
It wasn't all Chalich's fault. The o-line sucked. But Josh McCain, who replaced Chalich was sacked six times in 8 games. Hopefully Chalich improves, but his college record hasn't been great.

I think Simis won the #2 job in camp but they wanted the #2 who would be coming off the bench cold to have had some experience. I think we should give Simis a week of practice and go with him, his mobility could help limit the blitzing opposing defenses are utilizing due to our lack of a run game.

If Chalich took so many sacks at Idaho, the last thing he needs is to play behind this offensive line.

Having a mobile QB will change things. NAU now has to guess what QB we use. All the tape they have is from Gus. Will be interesting.

 

[Umista]

MISTAKES, NOT MELTED DOWN CHEESE SANDWICHES.

We all were over rating our team after our amazing win against North Dakota. Me included. The real facts are hard to beleive. Truth is we played way over our head and are now playing to a new normal. We are learning a new unique offense with guys that were not recruited to play in. An ex Griz coach after hearing about Stitts hire mentioned to me that he figured it would take a couple of years to get this type of offense rolling. That damn ND game had me thinking of a championship same as many Griz fans.

Looking over our players we have some very good ones. All of us thought we had way to many QBs trying out for the head job. Turns out none were really destined to be the excellent type of quick read and toss types that Stitt needs. Gus was the best and I think with time he would be very good. We will wait and watch and hope another young gun can come in and play up to Stitt's model. Can't gage yeaterday's performance of Chad but we must hope he catches on as we move forward.

I was wanting to see Logwood but it was just as well he never carried the ball because no holes were available. Perhaps next week. Note on special teams our returner caught the ball and did not let it roll for 20+ yards so we are improving in some areas. Liders punts were decent. Still fouled up with FGs and extra points from last years same old group. Center snaps should and will improve.

To enable outside runs and pass plays our receiver blocking must improve. We had some sucess but real yards need to be punched up the gut for 3-4 yards a carry to allow all of the other runs and passes to be effective. It is coming and we must relax and enjoy what we have in the meantime. Ouch. That is not the Griz way.

 

[HookedonGriz]

Where is the 20 seconds between plays that we had the 1st game? Is Stitt hiding this until conference games begin? We ran 90+ plays against NDSU and haven't come close to that since. Last night, the hustle, uptempo was not employed at all...60 plays for the Griz offense...will the uptempo return?
The defense did very well last night again!

That's not entirely true......they ran 92 plays against BOTH NDSU and Cal Poly. They only ran 74 against Liberty. There are a number of factors here, mainly being:

- inability to convert 3rd downs and also 3 and outs
- Liberty putting together some sustained clock-eating drives, which kept the Griz O off the field
- Liberty TOP was 36 mins vs the Griz 24
- not many good opportunities to go for it on 4th down due to poor field position or long yardage