Could this be the Yote's problem

[michiganmike]

I mentioned this article in an earlier blog this year. At the time, some doubted its validity.Well here it is from the orignal source. I was at the Montana game when I first read this. This is the interview in which Glenn states that he wanted Wes to be head coach but the University did not. Keep in mind that Wes was our offensive coordinator last year, so the past two years of end of game offensive collapses fall squarely on his shoulder. Glenn was on the orignal search committee and became the head coach. He has never criticized his OC but he has critiized player performance even to the point of "feeling sorry for Wes". Read the article and judge for yourself. Maybe we fired the wrong coach last year.

missoulian.com/sports/college/montana/football/um-vs-south-dakota-swan-songs-win-out-over-retirement/article_9fca877e-f31d-11e1-a836-0019bb2963f4.html

August 30, 2012 10:25 pm • By FRITZ NEIGHBOR of the Missoulian
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Joe Glenn’s pick to take over the football program at his college alma mater was clear: offensive coordinator Wesley Beschorner.
He may not have a presidential-sounding name but Beschorner does own 33 passing records at the University of South Dakota, which visits Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday to take on the Montana Grizzlies.
Glenn, who played for USD and earned his master’s degree there in 1975, thought the Coyotes had their man to replace Ed Meierkort, who was fired after a 6-5 season.
The brass didn’t agree.
“They felt they’d like Wesley to see a different style of leadership,” said Glenn. “And they told me they weren’t going to hire him yet, and asked me to do it.
“And I said, ‘No, I’m trying to get Wesley this job.’ ”
A couple weeks later Glenn had the job.
“I had to talk to Wesley first,” he said. “I wanted to make sure he knew I didn’t submarine him. And he said, ‘Shoot, coach, I’d love to coach with you.’ ”
This is how Joe and Michelle Glenn moved back to Vermillion, S.D.
“I loved this place as a student and athlete and as a young coach,” said Glenn, who guided the USD running backs in 1974. “So did my wife.”
Glenn is 63 years old as he heads into another season opener. It’ll be his 25th as a head coach. He’s not sure how long he’ll last, but he’s confident that Beschorner – now the associate head coach – will be ready when the time comes.
“We haven’t set a time table,” he said. “I’m enjoying it; I feel great. Michelle and I are real, real happy to be here. Love the people and love the school.
“And maybe we can go out on a better note.”
Glenn’s three-year, 39-6, national-title-winning stay as Montana’s head coach led to a move into the Bowl Subdivision with Wyoming in 2003. It was in Laramie that his winning percentage took a hit: The Cowboys were 30-41 over six seasons when he was fired in 2008.
Retirement seemed to suit Glenn, who was in Missoula last summer to play in a celebrity golf tournament.
The event was to benefit the Griz; now Glenn will try to beat them. Not that he wanted this game, which came about after he was hired.
“The AD said, ‘Hey, Joe, what do you think of playing Montana?’ ” Glenn remembered. “I said, ‘I don’t want to play Montana, but it’d be a great game.
“It’d be a great measuring stick. We’re moving into the Missouri Valley football conference and this will be a game that no matter what happens, we’ll get better because of it.”
The difference is that at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Glenn will be on the west sideline.
“It’s absolutely surreal for me,” he said. “It’s going to be just crazy for me, the emotions, but fortunately I don’t have to play. It’s going to be about the kids playing.”
It still seems likely the reception will be warm for both Glenn and Mick Delaney, who came out of his short-lived retirement to take over the Griz at age 69.
“I’m glad that he and I, at this juncture, get a swan song so to speak,” Glenn said. “I have nothing but admiration and respect for the guy. I’m glad that he gets to become a head coach again before he hangs up his hat.”
And before Glenn hangs up his

[yoteforever]

I am not a writer and often have a hard time collecting my thoughts and putting them out there in a manner that is easy to understand. To start with, for those that know me, I am as a die hard Coyote as there is. I love USD, I love Vermillion, and I love Coyote athletics. Last year when this all came to a head, I took a position that seemed not the popular one and that was to let Ed continue coaching. By then a lot of people on this board took a position that Ed was not the man for the job, they were pissed because we had some frustrating road losses, and some took the stance that Ed's antics had worn people thin.

My personal beliefs were that Ed had done an admirable job, had recruited a higher level of talent than we were ever used to, and had a record in the Dome that I don't anyone could match. If he is responsible for late season losses on the road, then he is responsible for a win over Big 10 Minnesota. We have players in the NFL, and other than one here and there, we never have been able to say that on a regular basis. Ed was popular with donors which became unpopular on this board. But I made a statement then, and I'll say it again, that is extremely important for coaching staffs to be in contact with donors because the truth of the matter is we really don't have a high number of what I would refer to as generous donors. I don't live in vermillion so I don't know about rumors I heard about his personal life or how he lived. But I will say this, Ed loved USD, and although he made errors, I always felt the good outweighed the bad. We can debate that till the cows come home, but it's how I personally feel.

Now all of that being said, our AD made a decision to change paths. That meant Ed was released and the search for a new coach began. That search led to the hire of Joe Glenn. Two things are critically important to know and understand at this juncture in time. The first is that there IS NOT a greater Coyote than Joe Glenn. Joe Glenn epitomizes what loyalty and conviction represent. There is nothing phony about the man. What you see is what you get. The second thing that everybody needs to understand is that without a doubt Joe was hired to groom Wesley. Anybody that doesn't think this is true doesn't have a feel for the program. And while maybe there is some question as to whether Wesley can be a head coach, or even a OC, there is not a finer young man out there that I would prefer my son to play for. Wesley is 100% Coyote. I believe in my heart Wesley is capable, and I also believe in my heart that Joe Glenn will be a great tutor for Wesley.

I personally am having a hard time dealing with these losses. But at the end of the day, I think the plan Sayler put into place is sound and has a lot of merit to it. When you combine that with my personal belief that Joe Glenn didn't forget how to coach, then you have to focus on the big picture, and ask yourself do I believe this will work? I do. I support this particular staff because of the incredible amount of integrity they have. Sometimes teams are snake bit. This team appears to be snake bit. I don't know if we will win another game, and right now, to me that isn't the most important thing. What matters to me most is that we defend what we have, and support them with all the personal investment (time and money) that we can afford. Sometimes things happen for a reason. I certainly would prefer we be 4-3 right now, but we aren't. So ask yourself this. Am I really a true Coyote fan? If so, head to SF. You never know what can happen in college football.

But I beg and plead that we quit talking about firing coaches right now. It's destructive and serves no purpose. Our guys can go one of two ways. We can pack the tent and go home and right off this season, or we can come back twice as hard, giving twice as much, and see just what he hell happens. I am bummed out right now about our record, but as disappointed as I am, there isn't a day on earth I wouldn't rather be a Coyote than a Bunny, or a Bison, or any other damned mascot that's out there.

HAIL SOUTH DAKOTA

[michiganmike]

YOTEFOREVER, I applaud your loyalty as well as your words. I think pretty much everybody that writes on these boards feels the same as you. That's why some us believe hanging on to a change for the sake of loyalty has historically not been a good path. In any endeavor, success gets rewarded. In business we dont' say "here's the job new manager at the end of the year, if we don't see some positive measurable changes, its OK. You hire the people you need and we'll check back in 3 years". In fact if things are getting worse we look to find a way to stop that and often times it means admitting a mistake, cut our losses and move in a different direction as quickly as possible. I for one don't see that happening. Sports are an important part of this institution as with any. Freshman enrollments have been tracked to sporting successes. University teams shape the opinions of outsiders about who we are. I'm not one to sit on the sidelines and say oh well, lets just give it time. My point is we fired Ed last year because the team stumbled badly at the end of the season. We changed nothing about the offense because we kept Wes, and whatever we did with the defense has made it worse. You can view were we stand in stats for the MVP at www.mvc.org/football/stats/confldrs.htm . It isn't pretty.

[sd4life]

I could argue that Ed turned a lot of donors away. And I must say, the fact that the only job he could get is at the high school level says a lot.

And I do agree that Glenn is here to groom Wes, but IMHO, I'm not sure if Wes is the answer.

[#1CoyoteFan (Admin)]

I agree that Wes is not the longterm answer either and I wonder if he should even be the OC after this season, along with Petrino as the DC.

[yoteforever]

Let me throw something out. I'm not arguing with anyone on here, each argument has its own merit. But what if at the end of the year Sayler asks Glenn if Wes is the man, and wants a candid answer, and that answer is yes, then what?

The other thing I would put on the table is do we have the talent to succeed? If not, then is all this talk about coaching merited? I really don't know if the talent is there. I assumed we had enough to finish middle of the pck this year, but maybe we don't. I seriously don't know.

[yoteforever]

Oct 15, 2012 18:01:01 GMT -6 #1CoyoteFan (Admin) said:

I agree that Wes is not the longterm answer either and I wonder if he should even be the OC after this season, along with Petrino as the DC.

Again, not to argue, but that's a strong statement. What do you base it on? It's easy to say get the ball to Powell, but JVM is struggling getting it into anyone's hands anywhere on the field. I'm not against the young man, he is just struggling. Then when he tries to make a play to win a game he puts the ball on the turf.

[redwhiteandyote]

I would agree with the talent point. If you don't have the horses, you can't get much done.

I look at the offensive line first of all. Those guys are really struggling, but if the options at 2nd or 3rd string aren't much better, then there's nothing you can do.

[#1CoyoteFan (Admin)]

Oct 15, 2012 19:34:09 GMT -6 yoteforever said:

Oct 15, 2012 18:01:01 GMT -6 #1CoyoteFan (Admin) said:

I agree that Wes is not the longterm answer either and I wonder if he should even be the OC after this season, along with Petrino as the DC.

Again, not to argue, but that's a strong statement. What do you base it on? It's easy to say get the ball to Powell, but JVM is struggling getting it into anyone's hands anywhere on the field. I'm not against the young man, he is just struggling. Then when he tries to make a play to win a game he puts the ball on the turf.

I agree it is tough..but take a page from the Vikings playbook. Christian Ponder can't throw it down the field...but Percy Harvin still catches about 10 passes a game. Bubble screens, short passing routes...simple things like that.

It just seems like Wes is predictable for the last few years and doesn't really have any creativity to the offense. Simple things like finding ways to get Powell the ball are not hard.

I thought Wes was a good coach at first...especially against Minnesota...but he has never progressed from that moment and has only gotten worse. His play calling kept Minnesota off balance. Remember Dante's bootleg? Minnesota never saw that coming and no one in the stadium did either I bet.

Since then, it has become simple like he is using that as his mark right now. I think Wes is a great guy, but his plays are simplistic and there is a huge lack of intermediate routes.

Find Will a way to get the ball. Arizona as two crappy quarterbacks but finds a way to get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald. Force it if you have to a bit. Remember the Randy Ratio? If Mike Tice would have shut his stupid mouth, it was happening alreadya nd they were finding ways to get him the ball.

Good coaches find a way to get their receivers the ball. It's how the game works. There has been a complete lack of getting Will Powell the ball in the last two years and it is one of the most disappointing parts of the team.

There is a lack of talent, but there is also a lack of development in the offense since the Minnesota game. Time to spice it up.

If Glenn were to say he is the right man for the job after he is gone, i would be disappointed in Glenn...but he wouldn't be the first coach in the history of football to pick a successor who was not good. Bill Parcells comes to mind.

[canislatrans]

If you look at the roster, of the 22 starters there are about 6 Seniors, and a number of Freshmen (some true Freshmen). This is a young team, and with youth in the O-line and at NT, a key to the 3-4 D line, you would expect some of the issues this team has experienced.
The question is will the youth through experience prove to be MVC-caliber talent. I'm patient enough and still have confidence in our coaches, to see this develop the only way it can, through time and hard-work. There have been some promising efforts from guys like Terry, Iddings, Lage, Reeves. I am not a coach, so I can't tell you which O-linemen are progressing individually, but the running game has shown some improvement.
The flip side of a young, inexperienced team this year is next year(s) you have some of the same players with playing experience. And who knows, we may have a few Marlettes, who blossom as upper class men.

[sdyotefan]

I agree with canislatrans. We've really been in every game except Northwestern. Sure it is the pits to lose close games but considering the team's youth and mistakes I'd say our talent level is ok and just more game experience is necessary. More creativity on O I also agree is necessary. The D just can't give up big plays at the end of games (like the 60 yd TD pass against MSU). Sometimes it's ok to play a prevent D. Also the O can't turn the ball over in those end of game situations. Let the coachs have more time and as fans we need to focus on supporting the Yotes! When a team is down that is when fan support is needed the most!! GO USD!!!

[yotemeal]

It's not my intention to downplay the business of college athletics, the importance of winning, and how special it is for these young men (and coaches) to represent the University of South Dakota. However, I am attempting to see the glass half full, because we have a lot of season left to show some guts and pride.

I'm not qualified to judge our coaching staff, but I do, from time to time, share your criticisms. What I do know is that we've consistently found ourselves in positions to win football games this season. This board rightfully has high expectations, but it's easy to forget what this team amounted to "on paper" heading into the season. We lost a ton of seniors from what was only a mediocre team to begin with. Moreover, we entered the best FCS league in the country, one poised for an extraordinarily competitive conference race. While it was painful and frustrating to watch us piss away all three of our MVFC games to date, it could easily be argued we're about where we should be.

We are absolutely in these conference games. We've found ourselves tied or leading in the second half of all three. That wouldn't be true if we didn't have some quality in our talent and coaching ranks. There are many areas ripe for improvement, but despite those glaring weaknesses, we've shown we belong in this conference.

[Deleted]

Oct 16, 2012 5:17:18 GMT -6 canislatrans said:

If you look at the roster, of the 22 starters there are about 6 Seniors, and a number of Freshmen (some true Freshmen). This is a young team, and with youth in the O-line and at NT, a key to the 3-4 D line, you would expect some of the issues this team has experienced.
The question is will the youth through experience prove to be MVC-caliber talent. I'm patient enough and still have confidence in our coaches, to see this develop the only way it can, through time and hard-work. There have been some promising efforts from guys like Terry, Iddings, Lage, Reeves. I am not a coach, so I can't tell you which O-linemen are progressing individually, but the running game has shown some improvement.
The flip side of a young, inexperienced team this year is next year(s) you have some of the same players with playing experience. And who knows, we may have a few Marlettes, who blossom as upper class men.

Considering nearly 22 players graduated last season, and inexperienced team is about all you can expect Coach Glenn to put on the field. I dont think Glenn is big on JUCO's unless they fit a particular need and I dont know if they did recruit that many but that was probably the quick fix to the problem. With the inexperience there have been issues but I see a very competitive Coyote team down the road. Even on Nov 17, some Jack fans like myself could be surprised.
One coaching change often sets a program back and with each change made in haste, a program can be destroyed. So said my friend FO.

[yotefan]

Definitely frustrating to watch the loss on Saturday, but I don't think anyone needs to be fired. Wes, Petrino, Glenn, etc.. not a single one. Do these coaches and players have things to work on this week and the rest of the season to get better? Yes, and the same can be said about me and how I carry out my job. The same can be said about any one of us on this board as employees, people, friends, and as Coyote fans.

Can you imagine a message board devoted to critiquing the outcome of your work week with folks second guessing decisions you made when most have no idea why you made the decision you did or the thought that went in to that decision? It would get damn old in a hurry.

Don't bother following up with some idiotic reply about that's the nature of college football, sports, etc... and you put yourself out there...blah, blah, blah, either because I'm not buying it. We're talking about people here that love the same school we do and want to see USD succeed as much anyone on this board. Let's treat them with some civility and give them some support.

What I think this team needs is a change of perspective. Football is supposed to be fun and the last time I have seen guys in Coyote uniforms really having fun on the side-lines was at Minnesota. Time to get focused, work even harder and get a plan together, but for crying out loud, let's play loose and have some fun. It's not like we have anything to lose or there is a play-off spot at stake.

We have the talent to play with anyone in the Valley. Anyone who has watched this team this year knows that. If they don't see it, they haven't been paying attention or they don't know a thing about football. The bottom-line has always been putting together a complete game and we haven't done it yet. When we do, and I believe it will happen yet this season, watch out. I still believe in this team, this staff, and our fans.

[michiganmike]

This has been a great dialogue.
We all want to see the yotes do better. We all recognize they have issues. Sure we have a lot of new starters but plenty of them played last year. We do have talent. A head coach manages his coaching staff and his coordinators are his generals. They plan their strategy and then put it into play. if its not working they make adjustments always trying to gain the advantage over the competition. Miercourt always struck me as a people pleaser who wanted to be liked. He left the day to day to his coordinators but he did a nice job of recruiting. He has a couple pro players and some all americans to his credit. He wasnt figuring on being canned so he would have continued his recruiting trend. I've heard a lot of talk that we need to recruit more locally. Well OK, but realistically its a numbers game. The bigger the talent pool the better the chance for improving the player quality. With Joe gone will we still get players from Florida and Illinois? I don't know but I'm certain if we insist on building with a local base it will be harder to compete. Look at North Dakota's and State's roster. They are all over the place. Anyway, with 11 players playing at once, coaching in football is always going to be key more so than any other sport. I hope the next 5 games give us something to get excited about..., afterall, we all knew we had these changes coming and none of us expected what has happened. If the remaining 5 go like the first 7 then I think the administration has to make a hard decision.