Charlie's tenure here....

[IBulleve]

26 minutes ago, Triple B said:

School record for avg yards per game of total offense in 2017 and we're still getting nonsense like this ...

Using YPG is like using Batting Avg to determine the better hitter. 

S&P+ (Off) *Not Opponent Adjusted*

2016 - 39.7 (8th) 

2017 - 33.5 (27th)

Success RT (Off) 

2016 - 105.4 (52nd) 

2017 - 86.1 (121st)

[Calibull]

1 hour ago, USFBulls727 said:

Willie inherited nothing. He basically built from scratch when he took over for Holtz. He left Charlie a very good situation. Charlie has benefited from a very favorable schedule, which is no fault of his own....just saying he was 1-2 vs. FBS teams who had winning records in 2017. He'll have a few such opponents in the coming weeks. We'll see what that looks like.

I don't think I have to name the big wins CJL had here. Charlie may go on to do the same, but there just isn't much to go on yet. Not sure why anybody would be sold on him at this point. It's just a fact that he's beaten a collection of bad teams (not in a very impressive fashion this year), and has done so-so against average to good teams. I'm still waiting to see how things unfold this year, and I' still have hope that he can get us a CC finally. Also not sure why anybody would want him fired. Nothing wrong with a 16-2 record, albeit one without a signature victory (3-4 GT? 7-6 Temple last year?) And as I mentioned before, his only two losses here could have easily been wins. Let's see what he's able to do with in the last six games this year where the schedule won't be quite as easy...

Or it was that anemic offense he tried to run for two years.  Like I said... in comparison to who?  Willie... I'm willing to bet another coach would have been able to generate more than 7 offensive touchdowns in a season.  

[USFBulls727]

1 hour ago, Calibull said:

Or it was that anemic offense he tried to run for two years.  Like I said... in comparison to who?  Willie... I'm willing to bet another coach would have been able to generate more than 7 offensive touchdowns in a season.  

The OP wasn't really comparing him to anybody, it was just focusing on Strong, and his 16-2 record.

As far as CWT, it was 1.5 years that he had an anemic offense. They turned it around midway through year two, and were pretty much outstanding on that side of the ball the rest of the way. As far as whether or not somebody could have matched the 7 offensive TDs in year one..probably, but the team probably would have sucked no matter who the coach was. There simply wasn't much to work with. Willie recruited well, eventually went with an offense that worked, and turned it around. He left the program FAR better off than when he arrived, and that benefited Charlie greatly.

[bullsbucsfan426]

In fairness to CCS this is an exceptionally young team and this is Charlie's MO-he has never blown teams out, just won. I remember everyone on this board complaining back in 2012 when Louisville just kept winning, heck B.J. Daniels rallied back the team in the 4th quarter-only for USF to lose at the end. We complained that we lost those games, while CCS"s teams just won. They kept winning-all the way to beating on Florida in the Sugar Bowl in a 10-2 season. 

The team is not good enough yet to win the conference. That said, if Boyce coming back this week or next to help plug the hole in the middle of the line, I think we will see the team get much better defensively as he will likely command a double team. The OL will eventually turn the corner. While Houston and UCF are truly dangerous teams I'd argue Cincy and Temple are toss ups-Cincy has faced a similarly weak record, and if our run defense improves they will struggle mightily, and Temple has been up and down all year. Both are cold weather games, though, and that could cause problems. 

Whether we beat UCF and Houston depends on how well our offensive line plays. I understand Mayes has been injured which is why they shifted him over to TE, but they should look for ways to incorporate that six man front going forward anyway. Ed Oliver will command a triple team and given how much teams like to load the box against us, Salomon, McCants, and Wilcox could see single coverage. I think it's beyond a shadow of a doubt that we won't throw to the RB. 

[Orlando Bull]

Off the board for 1 day and it comes to this... A few points

- Our defense is the reason for our 2 losses - this may be true, but, you can't say that without giving them HUGE props for some of our wins this year. Offense has given zero margin of error in the 4th quarter of GT, Ill, and Tulsa, they got it done and got the ball back to the offense.

- Talent - Skill players are good. If I could have Q back, I'd take him in a heartbeat over BB. Not that BB is bad, but, anything was going to be a huge drop off from Q. Trench play is bad (young). People watch the ball and think about how much talent we have. There are at least 6-7 other guys on the field that have to do their job for each play to be successful. If you're not watching the blocking (both at the line and WRs on offense), you're missing a very good part of the game.

- CCS never blows anyone out, it's his nature... except for 2013 when he had 42, 37, 72, 21, 27, and 43 point victories. It's possible that we as fans have a slightly inflated sense of where our team is. Honestly, I think it's mostly on the defensive side of the ball. I think CCS and OCSG somewhat game plan to slow the game down on offense so that the defense isn't on the field like they were in the CWT days.

Everyone says we were a better team in 2016 and cites offensive numbers, but, there is a whole other side to that equation and CCS has improved our defense by instilling somewhat complementary football. I am not sold that we have the talent that everyone thinks, and I am not sold on Gilbert, but, I think CCS is getting it done. We're winning games. The offense could be better. I really don't think the defense has the talent to be better. So, the offense may be held back a little bit just trying to keep the other team off the field, this could be intentional.

[usfgrad84]

One aspect I have not seen discussed here has been the exceptionally poor play of special teams under strong. 

How many kicks have we had blocked in the last year and a half?  Giving up big yardage on kickoffs. Recall how UCF scored the winning TD?

I have no problem with our offensive production. I feel Gilbert lacks imagination, but seems to get things done. 

My one criticism of Strong's teams here is we never seem ready to play to start the games. In any facet of the game. Between slow starts in a majority of the games since he has been here, poor special teamz and the enormous # of penalties (mostly mental errors), I question the attention to detail the staff pays. 

We have played a lot of freshmen so I think we are well poised to remain at the top of the conference. Just not sure we can get over the hump. 

 

 

[Calibull]

13 hours ago, USFBulls727 said:

The OP wasn't really comparing him to anybody, it was just focusing on Strong, and his 16-2 record.

As far as CWT, it was 1.5 years that he had an anemic offense. They turned it around midway through year two, and were pretty much outstanding on that side of the ball the rest of the way. As far as whether or not somebody could have matched the 7 offensive TDs in year one..probably, but the team probably would have sucked no matter who the coach was. There simply wasn't much to work with. Willie recruited well, eventually went with an offense that worked, and turned it around. He left the program FAR better off than when he arrived, and that benefited Charlie greatly.

No... We sucked that 2-10 season... but our offense also sucked that 4-8 season, or are you forgetting that season.  Marlon Mack was the offense.... we still ran that West Coast offense Taggarts second year.  That was Flowers freshman year when we lost to Maryland and Taggart burned his redshirt.  So no, we didn't run that other offense until Flowers Soph year, Taggarts third season... when we went 8-5.  So no... not 1.5... it was 2! And the only reason he changed it was because the players begged him to basically. 

[Corey lea]

9 hours ago, Orlando Bull said:

Off the board for 1 day and it comes to this... A few points

- Our defense is the reason for our 2 losses - this may be true, but, you can't say that without giving them HUGE props for some of our wins this year. Offense has given zero margin of error in the 4th quarter of GT, Ill, and Tulsa, they got it done and got the ball back to the offense.

- Talent - Skill players are good. If I could have Q back, I'd take him in a heartbeat over BB. Not that BB is bad, but, anything was going to be a huge drop off from Q. Trench play is bad (young). People watch the ball and think about how much talent we have. There are at least 6-7 other guys on the field that have to do their job for each play to be successful. If you're not watching the blocking (both at the line and WRs on offense), you're missing a very good part of the game.

- CCS never blows anyone out, it's his nature... except for 2013 when he had 42, 37, 72, 21, 27, and 43 point victories. It's possible that we as fans have a slightly inflated sense of where our team is. Honestly, I think it's mostly on the defensive side of the ball. I think CCS and OCSG somewhat game plan to slow the game down on offense so that the defense isn't on the field like they were in the CWT days.

Everyone says we were a better team in 2016 and cites offensive numbers, but, there is a whole other side to that equation and CCS has improved our defense by instilling somewhat complementary football. I am not sold that we have the talent that everyone thinks, and I am not sold on Gilbert, but, I think CCS is getting it done. We're winning games. The offense could be better. I really don't think the defense has the talent to be better. So, the offense may be held back a little bit just trying to keep the other team off the field, this could be intentional.

Spot on

[Triple B]

17 hours ago, Triple B said:

School record for avg yards per game of total offense in 2017 and we're still getting nonsense like this ...

 

17 hours ago, IBulleve said:

Using YPG is like using Batting Avg to determine the better hitter.

2016 - 39.7 (8th) 

2017 - 33.5 (27th)

Success RT (Off) 

2016 - 105.4 (52nd) 

2017 - 86.1 (121st)

Just supports the old adage that you can almost always find numbers to support both sides of an argument if you look hard enough. The only numbers that really count, though, say he's 16-2, and and arguments can made that neither of those losses can be pinned on the offense.

[USFBulls727]

31 minutes ago, Calibull said:

No... We sucked that 2-10 season... but our offense also sucked that 4-8 season, or are you forgetting that season.  Marlon Mack was the offense.... we still ran that West Coast offense Taggarts second year.  That was Flowers freshman year when we lost to Maryland and Taggart burned his redshirt.  So no, we didn't run that other offense until Flowers Soph year, Taggarts third season... when we went 8-5.  So no... not 1.5... it was 2! And the only reason he changed it was because the players begged him to basically. 

Yes, actually I did forget the 4-8 season. He sucked for 2.5 seasons, because we got off to a slow start in year three. It was the Syracuse game midway through year three where the change was made, and he never went back. Whatever his reason for changing, he did, and it worked. He also recruited his *** off here.