Why do we play differently on the Road?

[Who'sYourData?]

The effort was there.  We got beaten by a better, stronger, more experienced team.  Had when been able to score early, we probably would have made a game of it.  Once they got up, we had to start taking more chances and the game got a lot more difficult.

Look at it this way, we beat them at our place worse than they beat us at their place.  

[Economics_Nerd82]

Do we play any worse on the road than any other middle level school? Do we play any worse than say Cinci or Pitt?

[ChiTownBull]

I'm fairly certain everyone of us realized how tough this stretch of the schedule would be. that we lost can't be that big of a surprise. It's not like we lost to UConn for crying out loud.

I think we all understand we are not a top 10 team, but I think many (myself included) were disappointed with the effort tonight.  

Agreed, I don't think the loss was totally unexpected - but the perceived effort by the coach's and players didn't seem up to par with expectations.

[MikeG]

then perhaps expectations were out of line with reality

[aly20xx]

i dont think they were unrealistic

[Who'sYourData?]

Why was it perceived there was a lack of effort?  

The only lack of effort I saw was possibly by the receivers, who alligator-armed several reception attempts.  Ponton and Grothe did everything possible.  The defense played great very well, especially early on.  The problem was a failure of the offense to cash in on the plentiful early opportunities.  That falls on the offensive line and the receivers.  Much of damage was done through LT, where the missing Thed Watson was clearly evident.  No lack of effort there, just lack of talent and/or experience.

As far as the coaches, the game plan was there.  Unless you wanted Jim Leavitt to play LT, you can't run any offense if you can't block anyone.

Now, if you want to talk about WRs, then I'll agree.  I don't know if it reflects on Lawrence Dawsey, but that was a terrible performance.  To they extent that if they even made half the plays they could have, we probably score in the 20s, I agree that was disappointing.

[usfgrad84]

I think the game was a true measure of where we are against the better competition.  Learning to win against top competition is a learning process.  Right now, no one on this team has been involved in a winning effort in a big game against a top team.  Sure, we caught UL by surprise last year.  This year they were prepared for us.  Sometime soon we will get over the hump, win a game in a meaningful situation and the players  will understand the mental preparation and the full 60 minute, all out effort it takes to not only compete against a top ten team like this, but to win.  I think we have the talent level to compete, but it's also about mental prepearation and a full 60 minute, all out effort.  It's an experience factor.

That's why you see us not come back against KU and RU.  Randolph short arms the pass in the KU game and AMP Hill drops the ball against RU (lack of the win at all costs for 60 minutes attitude you see from the best teams).   That's why you see ND win in the last minute a few weeks ago in the last few seconds.  Why you see LSU come back to win vs Ole Miss in the last minute and why you see the Gators beat S Carolina last week.  It's not a fluke that the top teams win the majority of the important games .  They understand that to be the best you go all out and do whatever it takes to win for every second of the game until the gun goes off.  It's an attititude and it's what they mean by saying you have to learn how to win.  The guys that played the year we won 3 2bl OT games understood that.  Learning to win at the highest level is definitely a learned process.  Be patient.  It's coming soon.

[Joe]

I just think many have to sit back and relax, we weren't going to stop making the same mistakes that have plagued us this season because it was a top 10 team.

Maybe it was the fact that the schedule was very soft for our 1st 10 games, but some on here just got delusional expectations of where this team should be. Yes, we beat UL last year, but do you honestly believe that if we replayed them the next week we would have done the same thing?

USF has come a LONG way in football, gone are the days where we're a creampuff that loses by 50 at the opponent's venue. However, we're not there when it comes to being a great BCS caliber school. It takes time and patience.

[Triple B]

What was a crucial time in that game, although early, was the drive from our own 1 down to the L'ville 6 yd line and came away nothing (should have taken a couple of false start penalties and moved Delbert back farther)..... That had to be deflating. It was for me.  :-/

[E.T.]

We played Great at UNC ...

We were outplayed against a Top 10 team.

I am seriously disappointed in our effort. It's one of those games, and yes we seem to have them away. But the loss to Cincy isn't that shocking now ... they played very well and just didn't put it all together until our game.

Regarding our youth ... here we are in year 10 and maybe the youngest team we ever fielded except year 1. Each year we recruit better and these younger guys are starting for upper classmen. We always have upper classmen transfering or just leaving. Our first Big East class will have a great SR class.

Beat the 'neers !

Go BULLS !!!