Times: USF Bulls football coach Skip Holtz says team did poor job learning from mistakes

[Bull-by-Marriage]

December 6, 2011

USF Bulls football coach Skip Holtz says team did poor job learning from mistakes

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer

TAMPA - When Skip Holtz looks back on a frustrating, disappointing 5-7 season, he can't help but notice the way players didn't learn from each other's mistakes, especially when it came to avoiding turnovers late in close games.

"We can't have everybody make the same mistake and then go, 'Okay, now I get it,' " Holtz said Sunday. "(Freshman receiver) Andre (Davis) made it (against Louisville). Let's all learn from Andre's mistake. It's like, 'Your brother just burned his hand sticking it on the stove. It's hot. Don't you do the same thing.' We've got to do a better job as coaches."

One costly mistake in Thursday's season-ending loss to West Virginia was when QB B.J. Daniels lost a fumble with 3:02 left in a tie game, setting up the Mountaineers' winning field goal as time expired. Daniels has been criticized for running with the ball away from his body, but Holtz said perhaps the repercussions of this mistake will carry more weight toward correcting it.

"It is something we've talked about, pointed out, something we've addressed," Holtz said. "Maybe it takes something like that to say, 'Wow, all right, what they're saying is true. Eventually it's going to cost us a game.' "

In hindsight, with West Virginia out of timeouts, USF could have simply called three running plays to run off the clock and taken a reasonable field-goal attempt with a chance to win.

"Hindsight, looking back, yeah, I wish I would have gotten two backs and two tight ends and just ran the ball into the line three times and kicked the field goal," Holtz said. "At the same point in time, we put the ball in our best offensive player's hands for the way he was playing. … Believe me, I've second-guessed and questioned every call, defense, everything else you make as you go back and watch the film."

Asked if he'll put together a reel of the Bulls' late-game mistakes that have cost them so many fourth-quarter leads, Holtz said there would be a lot of such review in the offseason.

"They will see them. We'll probably watch the last 10 minutes of about 10 football games, all offseason," Holtz said. "We need to understand what you have to do to win. I don't know everything we're going to do to get that point across, to teach it. We definitely have some great teaching moments from this season."

Link

I must be reading a COMPLETELY different article than the rest of you. Team? Where did he blame anything on the team let alone say the word? I've hi-lited the comments where he takes/puts the blame on himself and his staff. Of course the entire staff needs to improve, but where did he "throw players under the bus"? Some of you seem to be reading what you want to read, as opposed to what's actually written. As for giving the ball to "our best offensive player" he wouldv'e caught hell for not giving the ball to BJ.

[usf97]

What is frustrating....for some I would imagine....is if Holtz is truely 2nd guessing decisions in some of the games.....then why didn't he do something different the next game? If he is 2nd guessing....then why is he doing the exact same thing the next game?

[SANJAY]

The teaching this year did not take as evidenced by a secondary that still could not run a cover 3 in the 11th game of the year. And the coach says they ran it about 30+ percent of the defensive snaps.

[Dogma]

December 6, 2011

USF Bulls football coach Skip Holtz says team did poor job learning from mistakes

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer

TAMPA - When Skip Holtz looks back on a frustrating, disappointing 5-7 season, he can't help but notice the way players didn't learn from each other's mistakes, especially when it came to avoiding turnovers late in close games.

"We can't have everybody make the same mistake and then go, 'Okay, now I get it,' " Holtz said Sunday. "(Freshman receiver) Andre (Davis) made it (against Louisville). Let's all learn from Andre's mistake. It's like, 'Your brother just burned his hand sticking it on the stove. It's hot. Don't you do the same thing.' We've got to do a better job as coaches."

One costly mistake in Thursday's season-ending loss to West Virginia was when QB B.J. Daniels lost a fumble with 3:02 left in a tie game, setting up the Mountaineers' winning field goal as time expired. Daniels has been criticized for running with the ball away from his body, but Holtz said perhaps the repercussions of this mistake will carry more weight toward correcting it.

"It is something we've talked about, pointed out, something we've addressed," Holtz said. "Maybe it takes something like that to say, 'Wow, all right, what they're saying is true. Eventually it's going to cost us a game.' "

In hindsight, with West Virginia out of timeouts, USF could have simply called three running plays to run off the clock and taken a reasonable field-goal attempt with a chance to win.

"Hindsight, looking back, yeah, I wish I would have gotten two backs and two tight ends and just ran the ball into the line three times and kicked the field goal," Holtz said. "At the same point in time, we put the ball in our best offensive player's hands for the way he was playing. … Believe me, I've second-guessed and questioned every call, defense, everything else you make as you go back and watch the film."

Asked if he'll put together a reel of the Bulls' late-game mistakes that have cost them so many fourth-quarter leads, Holtz said there would be a lot of such review in the offseason.

"They will see them. We'll probably watch the last 10 minutes of about 10 football games, all offseason," Holtz said. "We need to understand what you have to do to win. I don't know everything we're going to do to get that point across, to teach it. We definitely have some great teaching moments from this season."

Link

I must be reading a COMPLETELY different article than the rest of you. Team? Where did he blame anything on the team let alone say the word? I've hi-lited the comments where he takes/puts the blame on himself and his staff. Of course the entire staff needs to improve, but where did he "throw players under the bus"? Some of you seem to be reading what you want to read, as opposed to what's actually written. As for giving the ball to "our best offensive player" he wouldv'e caught hell for not giving the ball to BJ.

Agree with you there.

People here seem to have either read a different edited story, or are completely ignoring certain portions of it.

[TrujilloBull2013]

i'll take full responsibility and admit i didn't read the article and took someone's evaluation of it. thanks hbryan. haha! jk

i didnt read the article in most part because Skip's excuses mean little to me anymore. one week it was humidity, the next week it was something else, and now finally after 12 games "we didn't learn from mistakes." i'm not out for Skip's head and i think he can get us where we need to go as a program, he's done a solid job recruiting during a down year, but at the end of the day i need to see results on the field. talk is cheap, excuses are cheaper.

[BDYZR]

i'll take full responsibility and admit i didn't read the article and took someone's evaluation of it. thanks hbryan. haha! jk

i didnt read the article in most part because Skip's excuses mean little to me anymore. one week it was humidity, the next week it was something else, and now finally after 12 games "we didn't learn from mistakes." i'm not out for Skip's head and i think he can get us where we need to go as a program, he's done a solid job recruiting during a down year, but at the end of the day i need to see results on the field. talk is cheap, excuses are cheaper.

Speaking of lessons...

[TrujilloBull2013]

i'll take full responsibility and admit i didn't read the article and took someone's evaluation of it. thanks hbryan. haha! jk

i didnt read the article in most part because Skip's excuses mean little to me anymore. one week it was humidity, the next week it was something else, and now finally after 12 games "we didn't learn from mistakes." i'm not out for Skip's head and i think he can get us where we need to go as a program, he's done a solid job recruiting during a down year, but at the end of the day i need to see results on the field. talk is cheap, excuses are cheaper.

Speaking of lessons...

i'm putting this one on "the team"

[smazza]

as a coach of kids 6-17(20 years) and mentor to young men and women(30 years) i know a thing or two about teaching and learning

if kids arent learning

1.they are lacking something upstairs(this is almost never the case)

2.teachers arent doing their jobs of teaching so kids can understand

[hbryan]

December 6, 2011

USF Bulls football coach Skip Holtz says team did poor job learning from mistakes

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer

TAMPA - When Skip Holtz looks back on a frustrating, disappointing 5-7 season, he can't help but notice the way players didn't learn from each other's mistakes, especially when it came to avoiding turnovers late in close games.

"We can't have everybody make the same mistake and then go, 'Okay, now I get it,' " Holtz said Sunday. "(Freshman receiver) Andre (Davis) made it (against Louisville). Let's all learn from Andre's mistake. It's like, 'Your brother just burned his hand sticking it on the stove. It's hot. Don't you do the same thing.' We've got to do a better job as coaches."

One costly mistake in Thursday's season-ending loss to West Virginia was when QB B.J. Daniels lost a fumble with 3:02 left in a tie game, setting up the Mountaineers' winning field goal as time expired. Daniels has been criticized for running with the ball away from his body, but Holtz said perhaps the repercussions of this mistake will carry more weight toward correcting it.

"It is something we've talked about, pointed out, something we've addressed," Holtz said. "Maybe it takes something like that to say, 'Wow, all right, what they're saying is true. Eventually it's going to cost us a game.' "

In hindsight, with West Virginia out of timeouts, USF could have simply called three running plays to run off the clock and taken a reasonable field-goal attempt with a chance to win.

"Hindsight, looking back, yeah, I wish I would have gotten two backs and two tight ends and just ran the ball into the line three times and kicked the field goal," Holtz said. "At the same point in time, we put the ball in our best offensive player's hands for the way he was playing. … Believe me, I've second-guessed and questioned every call, defense, everything else you make as you go back and watch the film."

Asked if he'll put together a reel of the Bulls' late-game mistakes that have cost them so many fourth-quarter leads, Holtz said there would be a lot of such review in the offseason.

"They will see them. We'll probably watch the last 10 minutes of about 10 football games, all offseason," Holtz said. "We need to understand what you have to do to win. I don't know everything we're going to do to get that point across, to teach it. We definitely have some great teaching moments from this season."

Link

I must be reading a COMPLETELY different article than the rest of you. Team? Where did he blame anything on the team let alone say the word? I've hi-lited the comments where he takes/puts the blame on himself and his staff. Of course the entire staff needs to improve, but where did he "throw players under the bus"? Some of you seem to be reading what you want to read, as opposed to what's actually written. As for giving the ball to "our best offensive player" he wouldv'e caught hell for not giving the ball to BJ.

Yeah, you are. You highlighted things where he talks about coaches teaching players not to make mistakes. I had already mentioned that he only looks at things as a "well in hindsight we would have changed things". That is not taking responsibility for the problems that the coaching staff had throughout the season and in nearly every loss this season. Reread my list and tell me where he addresses it. If you read the arcticle and not snippets, he and his coaching staff only take responsiblity for not teaching the players well enough to not make mistakes on the field........fumbles, interceptions, break down in coverage.

Now I realize you are the original USF SUPERFAN and that you'll cleat anyone who says anything you deem to be contrary to super fandom. Just be forewarned, I'll cleat you right back because I am not a Bull by marriage, I'm the real darn thing.

[Bull-by-Marriage]

bryan. You should put down the defensive shield and read what the others in this post have said. Namely, that they didn't read the article, they went on the assumption that you had read and comprehended the article. I don't doubt that you read it. The comprehending part not a chance in hell. As for reading the whole article, I went to the link thinking that there may well have been more, but to my dismay there wasn't. Please point the rest of us to it, so we can "read" that part as well. I never mentioned you in particular, but given your very personal response, I think that it's safe to say that you feel attacked. Sorry, didn't mean to do that. The truth hurts tho. No one on this board is 100% happy with how the coaches and players (The team) performed this past year. There are plenty of things to find fault with, but in this instance the issues you brought up aren't found in this particular article. I am so NOT the original USFSuperfan. There are MANY fans on this board alone that go to more away games, and give more money than I have, or most likely ever will. Do I support the University the best as I can, yes. I'm glad and somewhat envious that you're a real bull, I went into the USAF and didn't go back to school when I got out.