USF playing well in close games

[gobulls83]

Here's a note from Greg Auman's Twitter:

<i>USF has won 3 straight by combined 12 points. Closest margin ever for 3-game Bulls streak; old mark 18 pts in '08 vs. UCF, Kansas & FIU.</i>

I thought Skip Holtz was a very good coach even before USF hired him, so I don't know if "improve" is the correct adjective for what has happened. But overall I think the coaching has been way better in the past three games than in the first half of the season. Better decision-making with the ball in pressure situations, more emphasis on running the ball and not expecting BJ Daniels to win the game, because he has demonstrated that he can't do it consistently.

I think penalties is overrated as a stat, but it's impossible not to notice the improvement in that area this season, and that is going to have an impact on close games if it is going to have an impact at all. The defense has only bent and allowed a lot of big plays, but they've stepped up in some big time situations.

[tau.reanb]

Two words: better coaching. 

[gobulls83]

Two words: better coaching. 

This is a stupid comment.

If you read the first post, you know USF won three straight games by a combined 18 points in 2008 under Leavitt. USF won three by a combined 12 this year. Hardly a huge difference. And how do you explain the poor, poor, poor play to start the year and the conference schedule? The answer is, you don't have to explain it, because there's no reason to turn this into that stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid argument.

Did I mention how ******* stupid and tired this argument is?

[MMW]

I wonder why you brought it up then.  This team is better coached. 

[gobulls83]

I wonder why you brought it up then.  This team is better coached. 

I said nothing about any coach other than Skip Holtz.

I said USF played like crap at the start of the year, now USF has won three very close games, and it's awesome.

[lmiusf]

Three words: MUCH better coaching.

[TheBullies]

xept I think CJL would've given us a better chance at UF.

Though I think we'd have dropped at least 2 of the last 3.

When we needed to make a name, that was fine... but now we need to win conference games.

[gobulls83]

If you want to go complain about Leavitt's performance in past years, there's a whole forum for you to go whine in.

Isn't anyone else impressed by the turnaround Holtz has made within this single season? This team looked like **** in the first half of the season, and in my opinion Skip Holtz looked outmatched by other coaches. But now, in hindsight, I'm willing to believe it was just some sort of feeling out process between him and the players. The team that has pulled out these close wins looks like a totally different team that went up to Gainesville or that got beaten soundly by West Virginia.

Many people here, including me, doubted USF would even be going bowling a month ago. Now they've put together a pretty impressive three-game stretch.

[USF_Grouper]

If you want to go complain about Leavitt's performance in past years, there's a whole forum for you to go whine in.

I hope that isn't what that forum is for, and I hope we don't get to the point where we have to referred to Leavitt as "the previous coach who shall go unnamed".  I would think general discussion and comparison of improvement or regression between previous coach and current coach should be open and really create interesting dialog.  I mean we have routinely compared play calling under new offensive coordinators to that of previous coordinators.

My opinion is the team we have out on the field is just not as good as previous USF teams.  They aren't nearly as  deep at key positions (secondary, receivers) and our QB play has been awful.  Still, our coaching seems to be much improved.  Play calling is creating and interesting.  We seem better prepared.  But the most drastic change is discipline.  We seem to take far fewer silly penalties, we seem to avoid burning all our timeouts before the end of first quarter because of confusion in substitutions, and our players look more professional.

[gobulls83]

If you want to go complain about Leavitt's performance in past years, there's a whole forum for you to go whine in.

I hope that isn't what that forum is for, and I hope we don't get to the point where we have to referred to Leavitt as "the previous coach who shall go unnamed".  I would think general discussion and comparison of improvement or regression between previous coach and current coach should be open and really create interesting dialog.  I mean we have routinely compared play calling under new offensive coordinators to that of previous coordinators.

The problem is, as is made evident in my first post, USF also won close games under Leavitt, even in a similar three-game streak, so it's not a valid point. It's senseless finger-pointing for no particular reason. That'll be the last I say on it.