GDT: SDSU v SIU

[darkerstill]

Re: GDT: SDSU v SIU

Your BTW post is the best point I've seen about the game yesterday. I was excited to O'Brien come in the game. But cheering when a player who has given 5 years to SDSU goes to the bench. We're better then that.

Were they cheering that Crawford was being benched or because O'Brien was coming in? I think the latter.

O'Brien can make throws on the field that Crawford can't. Period. In his first drive alone he made 3-4 of them. He can stare down receivers all he wants...when the ball gets there a second faster than Crawford's, it makes no difference.

[RabbitObsessed]

Re: GDT: SDSU v SIU

Geez. You are forever altering the terms of your proposition.

Mere moments ago, you were insisting that O'Brien was better than Crawford because he was statistically better.

Now, suddenly, the statistics aren't as relevant as the 'improvement' from the first game? That O'Brien's 'improvement' makes him 'better', even though he's statistically the -same- quarterback as Crawford? (BTW: you do know that Youngstown State's defense is better than UNI's, right?)

And then, to top it off, you say, essentially, "it doesn't really matter"?

What next?

I never said he was statistically better. I said in those areas he had better statistics. Which is true.

[jackdaniel]

Re: GDT: SDSU v SIU

Side tracking a bit bringing up the Neb vs Oklahoma game, but it relates to our game with SIU somewhat.Can you win a big game with a poor offense & a really good defensive effort?Yes ,Neb. did that last night.Low scoring struggle , but the diff between our game & thiers was Nebraska's offense scored enough to stay ahead, but more importantly didn't give points away to Oklahoma with poor play.
Forgive my poor memory , but late in the 3rd quater or early fourth, the play by play guy mentioned that taking off the total of yards gained at that point(128) a 63 yard play,Neb had only 65 yards on 42 play's or something in that ballpark.Less than one & a half yards a play.Yet the defense kept them ahead the whole game at 10-3 I believe.Yes it can be done to win with minimal offense & a great defense, but i wouldn't count on it happening all the time.Sorry for the thread drift.

[JackFan96]

Re: GDT: SDSU v SIU

A large part of me believes it doesn't really matter who is quarterback if we can't diversify the offense. Good teams will shut us down if all we do is hand off into the line and throw three to 12-yard passes. Those options are not difficult for very good teams to stop. There has to be a threat of some sort. Either Crawford or O'Brien has to be able to have the ability to open things up. That's on the coaches.

I can't express how unhappy I was with how flat and unprepared we were yesterday. It's on everybody. How you can't get up for the biggest game in program history and the chance to claim a playoff game AT HOME is very, very sad. I did not thing this team needed a lot of motivating, but they did yesterday. Stig should have ripped some ass yesterday...plain and simple. Or some coach certainly should have.

As for the fans, there should have been more...but those there certainly weren't given anything to cheer for. You have to start fired up, but that doesn't last when you witness mistake after mistake after mistake. Is boooking better than indifference?

[zooropa]

Re: GDT: SDSU v SIU

I did not thing this team needed a lot of motivating, but they did yesterday.

Yeah, but you know, SDSU played 'turrible' against Cal Poly at home last year too. With a fair bit on the line (not as much as today, mind you).

In fact, SDSU had two 'brain fart' games last year: Iowa State and Cal Poly.

Only one 'brain fart' game this year (assuming the team comes out against the U of M ready to play--and takes care of business at WIU) is an improvement. And maybe next year -no- brain fart games.

[Kemo]

Re: GDT: SDSU v SIU

A large part of me believes it doesn't really matter who is quarterback if we can't diversify the offense. Good teams will shut us down if all we do is hand off into the line and throw three to 12-yard passes. Those options are not difficult for very good teams to stop. There has to be a threat of some sort. Either Crawford or O'Brien has to be able to have the ability to open things up. That's on the coaches.

I have to agree with this when pertaining to our play calling when the quarterback is under center. When we run Ace or I Formation, the defense knows exactly what we are doing (either a straight ahead run or a 3 step drop pass). I am all for call control and commitment to the run, but you can do this without being vanilla about it. Where are the counters, play action, bootlegs, traps, zone stretches, and draws out of these under center formations? The opposing linebackers know almost from the instant of the snap whether to be coming up to stop the run or dropping back in their zone, and we provide no reason for them to think twice about what to do.

[Nidaros]

Re: GDT: SDSU v SIU

I have to agree with this when pertaining to or play calling when the quarterback is under center. When we run Ace or I Formation, the defense knows exactly what we are doing (either a straight ahead run or a 3 step drop pass). I am all for call control and commitment to the run, but you can do this without being vanilla about it. Where are the counters, play action, bootlegs, traps, zone stretches, and draws out of these under center formations? The opposing linebackers know almost from the instant of the snap whether to be coming up to stop the run or dropping back in their zone, and we provide no reason for them to think twice about what to do.

Not for a second can I argue with you. Something tells me between his stops at UND and SIU, Dale Lennon accumulated a four drawer file of SDSU play strategy, but according to the quote in the Argus, even Lennon was surprised with our level of play. Scotty Kwas interviewed Coach Stig during half as Coach was coming back from the dressing room, and about all coach could say was the quality of play was embarrassing. I too was embarrassed. Scotty Kwas was the on the field reporter for WNAX.

[joeboo22]

Re: GDT: SDSU v SIU

First of all I don't cheer the benching of a guy, though I did think the move was needed.... I do think you have to understand a couple of things with that move
1) back up QB's are always very popular
2) TOB is loved because of his big play ability
3) we were getting pounded and the fans wanted something to change....

second of all I don't give a rats @ss about stats.... there is that saying "stats don't lie" I'm a baseball guy and I here it all the time, but my response to it is, "they don't always tell the truth either" but I'll respond like this some of Crawfords throws including the big play were passes thrown behind the reciever.... that play was like 30 yards in the stats but was a 7 yard pass play....

I look at the game and at QB I look at 3 things, 1 how the team around them responds and it seemed as if the team was quicker, and sharper under TOB, 2 I look at how the offense flows, and it seems to flow better with TOB, and 3 I look at leadership/QB smartness, and early on in the season I thought Crawford had this but as of late I don't see a difference or if anything TOB is better at it....

Crawford before his injury had the ability to go deep, now it wasn't the prettiest deep ball ever, but it got the job done, since coming back it just isn't there....

[launcher46]

Re: GDT: SDSU v SIU

I am shocked that some people on here think that there is no difference between Crawford and TOB. In my opinion, TOB needs to start from this point going forward because he gives the team the best chance to win against Minnesota or a team like Montana in the playoffs. I don't need to look at any statistics to form this opinion, the eye ball test is enough. Over the past two years I have seen that TOB has the confidence, talent, tools, and upside necessary to beat a team like Minnesota. I have simply not seen that out of Crawford. The ball gets out of his hand faster, the ball gets to receivers faster, and he does not stare down receivers to the extent that Crawford does.

The players on the sidelines and on the field seemed energized by the presence of TOB in the game. Coach Stig is incredibly loyal and it is great that he is that way. But, I know in this situation he will make the right decision and be responsible to the other 100 guys on the team. TOB is talented enough to play with the type of players Minnesota has. We know what Crawford brings to the table against the Gophers good and bad... TOB has the natural ability to just get hot and throw for five touchdowns. We don't know how high his upside can be.

[JackFan96]

Re: GDT: SDSU v SIU

I was stunned -- really stunned -- that Stig put O'Brien in. I didn't have a problem with it, but I was surprised. We looked better when he came in, but...it has to be understood that he came in when we were, what? 24 points down or more? Defenses play differently when it's 31-3 than when it's 0-0. I think that's a fair point to make.

Best quote about statistics I've ever heard: "Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is interesting, but what they conceal is vital."

[SturgisJeff]

Re: GDT: SDSU v SIU

FWIW. On WNAX when Obrien came in even the announcers were saying on some of the passes that he threw that if it was Crawford the pass would have been picked off. They commented on the fact that OBrien passes with more on the ball not allowing the defensive back time to step in for a chance at the pick. These were the same out passes that Crawford was throwing that did get picked, the TD. Just saying.

[SturgisJeff]

Re: GDT: SDSU v SIU

That being said, Everyone step back, take a deep breath and forget this debacle. There are two more games to play and let the coaches decide who plays. They are a team and not finger pointing at each other as to who lost the game. The TEAM lost the game. We are a team on this board who supports SDSU Athletics. Lets act like it and keep it friendly and not point fingers at ourselves as to who is right and who is wrong. We are friends here and let's keep it that way.

[JackFan96]

Re: GDT: SDSU v SIU

Couple of things:

1. We need to put this one in the past. Hope it can be done.
2. My two cents is O'Brien needs to start.
3. We got taken to the woodshed yesterday, and we need to give credit where credit is due. We were outcoached and outplayed...and it wasn't even close.
4. We can now stop talking about the prospect of a home playoff game.

[zooropa]

Re: GDT: SDSU v SIU

"Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is interesting, but what they conceal is vital."

True, but the kind of differences some have asserted (e.g. 'they can't stack the box with TOB') must show up in the stats to be valid.

'can't stack the box' = more rushing yards per attempt, yet the difference between yards per attempt under TOB & Crawford is negligible.

Whether it's Crawford or TOB (or Whittier or Mondol) the Jacks are going to be running a Gerber strained carrots offense this year, and the results have been pretty consistent regardless of QB.

[RabbitObsessed]

Re: GDT: SDSU v SIU

Keep fighting the good fight, Zoo.