MIKE FORD - MORE CARRIES?!?!

[BJ]

So you guys want to talk about stats, so let's talk about stats.

THIS YEAR(YPC):

Ford 4.2   Plancher 4.8   Lamar 5.0

So Ford's the worst, right?  Well, lets take a look at the game-by-game from games that actually matter.  In other words, let's take out the stat-padding that Mo' and Lamar had where Mike did not

FSU:  Ford 3.0   Plancher 2.8   Lamar --0.5

CUSE:  Ford 5.2   Plancher 2.1   Lamar did not play

CINCI:  Ford 3.3   Plancher 5.3   Lamar 5.7 (29 of his 34 yards came on one play)

It really seems hard to say that Mike is performing the worst of our backs.  It's pretty clear to me that Lamar is our worst RB who happened to have a single 29 yard run (on top of his stat-padding games) to make his stats look somewhat comparable.

So let's take a little look at last year, shall we?  Since this is a comparison, I've only listed games both played

KANSAS:  Ford 3.0 (1 carry for 3 yards)  Plancher  2.5

NC STATE:  Ford 5.8   Plancher 5.7

PITT: Ford 5.2   Plancher 2.3

CUSE: Ford 4.6   Plancher 4.4

RUTGERS: Ford  2.0 (1 carry for 2 yards)  Plancher  1.4

Now, finally, let's take a look at Mike Ford in games where he has 10 carries to see what those games look like, just for ***** and giggles:

'07 AUBURN: 21 for 74  3.5  1 TD

'07 CUSE:  28 for 134  4.8  2 TD

'07 UL:  24 for 140  5.8  2 TD

'07 PITT:  16 for 63  3.9  2 TD

'08 TENN-MARTIN:  15 for 61  4.1  2 TD

'08 FIU:  14 for 24   1.7  2 TD  

'08 NC STATE:  11 for 64  5.8  1 TD

'08 PITT:  14 for 73  5.2

'08 CUSE:  11 for 51  4.6

'08 WVU:  14 for 64  4.4

'09 CUSE:  13 for 68  5.2  2 TD

Oh, and by the way '08 PITT and '08 WVU were the only games we have ever lost where Ford has gotten 10 carries or more. And in those games we lost despite his good play, not because of his bad play.

In 2007, we had our 3-game losing steak getting Mike 4, 7, and 7 carries.  We then gave him 28, 24, and 16 carries in the next three games to finish out the regular season and he performed amazingly, and we won all three games.

In 2008, similar story.  We consistently gave Mike the ball 10+ times (with the exception of UCF which he didnt play, and Kansas where he got one carry. Wasn't he injured that game?).  We won every game except against Pitt (Where Mike had 5.3 YPC).  Then, he doesn't get the ball anymore with the exception of the regular season finale against WVU, and we lose 4 of those 5 games (Mike getting 5, 0, and 1 carries in our three game losing streak)

CALL ME CRAZY, BUT I SEE A PATTERN!

[usfsig]

^^^

:clap

[WWMJD]

And there's a reason he was kicked out on his ass by Bama.  That same reason has cost him two games this alone.

You are mixing two arguments.  One is that one RB should get more carries.  I think a valid argument can be made for this point.  The other is that Mike Ford should be the one getting all the carries.

Limited playbook, out of shape, can't block (and please remember how important away-from-the-ball play is for an RB in our system), undependable because of academic and disciplinary issues.  He is not an every down back.

I love to watch the guy run and he has a huge amount of natural ability, but people here have developed what can only be described as an obsession with him, one that is not consistent with what he brings to the table.

[RichmondBull]

So you guys want to talk about stats, so let's talk about stats.

THIS YEAR(YPC):

Ford 4.2   Plancher 4.8   Lamar 5.0

So Ford's the worst, right?  Well, lets take a look at the game-by-game from games that actually matter.  In other words, let's take out the stat-padding that Mo' and Lamar had where Mike did not

FSU:  Ford 3.0   Plancher 2.8   Lamar --0.5

CUSE:  Ford 5.2   Plancher 2.1   Lamar did not play

CINCI:  Ford 3.3   Plancher 5.3   Lamar 5.7 (29 of his 34 yards came on one play)

It really seems hard to say that Mike is performing the worst of our backs.  It's pretty clear to me that Lamar is our worst RB who happened to have a single 29 yard run (on top of his stat-padding games) to make his stats look somewhat comparable.

So let's take a little look at last year, shall we?  Since this is a comparison, I've only listed games both played

KANSAS:  Ford 3.0 (1 carry for 3 yards)  Plancher  2.5

NC STATE:  Ford 5.8   Plancher 5.7

PITT: Ford 5.2   Plancher 2.3

CUSE: Ford 4.6   Plancher 4.4

RUTGERS: Ford  2.0 (1 carry for 2 yards)  Plancher  1.4

Now, finally, let's take a look at Mike Ford in games where he has 10 carries to see what those games look like, just for ***** and giggles:

'07 AUBURN: 21 for 74  3.5  1 TD

'07 CUSE:  28 for 134  4.8  2 TD

'07 UL:  24 for 140  5.8  2 TD

'07 PITT:  16 for 63  3.9  2 TD

'08 TENN-MARTIN:  15 for 61  4.1  2 TD

'08 FIU:  14 for 24   1.7  2 TD  

'08 NC STATE:  11 for 64  5.8  1 TD

'08 PITT:  14 for 73  5.2

'08 CUSE:  11 for 51  4.6

'08 WVU:  14 for 64  4.4

'09 CUSE:  13 for 68  5.2  2 TD

Oh, and by the way '08 PITT and '08 WVU were the only games we have ever lost where Ford has gotten 10 carries or more. And in those games we lost despite his good play, not because of his bad play.

In 2007, we had our 3-game losing steak getting Mike 4, 7, and 7 carries.  We then gave him 28, 24, and 16 carries in the next three games to finish out the regular season and he performed amazingly, and we won all three games.

In 2008, similar story.  We consistently gave Mike the ball 10+ times (with the exception of UCF which he didnt play, and Kansas where he got one carry. Wasn't he injured that game?).  We won every game except against Pitt (Where Mike had 5.3 YPC).  Then, he doesn't get the ball anymore with the exception of the regular season finale against WVU, and we lose 4 of those 5 games (Mike getting 5, 0, and 1 carries in our three game losing streak)

CALL ME CRAZY, BUT I SEE A PATTERN!

Well stated!

Don't forget last year's Pitt loss where we decided to feature Mike in the 4th quarter after struggling on offense the whole game.  And what happened on that drive?  Oh yeah, we went down the field with Ford and took the lead.

[RichmondBull]

And there's a reason he was kicked out on his *** by Bama.  That same reason has cost him two games this alone.

You are mixing two arguments.  One is that one RB should get more carries.  I think a valid argument can be made for this point.  The other is that Mike Ford should be the one getting all the carries.

Limited playbook, out of shape, can't block (and please remember how important away-from-the-ball play is for an RB in our system), undependable because of academic and disciplinary issues.  He is not an every down back.

I love to watch the guy run and he has a huge amount of natural ability, but people here have developed what can only be described as an obsession with him, one that is not consistent with what he brings to the table.

How is he not an every down back?  Because our genius coaches say so?

[Supersurch]

Yawn.

I bet anything this will be the first topic of the 2010 season.  I can't wait.  It's sending chills down my spine.

[Blackice12]

The reason Ford is not an every down back is because he does not run for 10 yards every time he gets the ball. I know that is unrealistic but there has to be something less ridiculous than to understand why he is not the primary back.

There is a possibility to use the same logic to understand why Kelly was not the lead blocker during the Cincinnati game, instead USF used D. Murray. (Quite baffled by that too)

[WWMJD]

Also, Plancher has touched the ball more 10 or more times in a game only TWICE in his career:

12 carries, 6.5 YPC, 2 TD

18 carries, 6.4 YPC, 2 TD

Two garbage games against bad teams.  But you know what?  If Ford didn't have so many academic and disciplinary problems, he would have been in those games and we wouldn't have to imagine what could have been.

Would I love to see a more focused ground attack?  YES.  But Plancher has been deprived of consistent carries even more than Ford, and doesn't have Ford's laundry list of shortcomings.

[usfsig]

What is  it with this Plancher ***** that you have?

[WWMJD]

And there's a reason he was kicked out on his *** by Bama.  That same reason has cost him two games this alone.

You are mixing two arguments.  One is that one RB should get more carries.  I think a valid argument can be made for this point.  The other is that Mike Ford should be the one getting all the carries.

Limited playbook, out of shape, can't block (and please remember how important away-from-the-ball play is for an RB in our system), undependable because of academic and disciplinary issues.  He is not an every down back.

I love to watch the guy run and he has a huge amount of natural ability, but people here have developed what can only be described as an obsession with him, one that is not consistent with what he brings to the table.

How is he not an every down back?  Because our genius coaches say so?

I cannot spell it out for you any more clearly than I have in my previous posts.  Highlighted above.

I have my problems with Leavitt, Franks, and the various others that have a hand in the pot on offense, but they are not blind nor completely insane.  If Ford could fix his problems (and they are all very fixable) then maybe he would be the monster that we know is locked inside of him.  Until then, we have to realize that the RB position at USF involves probably 80% of plays without the ball in their hands.  Until that changes, Ford is not the guy.