Football Drives the Bus

[captaincoyote]

Like it or not, and with few exceptions, the football team drives public interest in and alumni support of the athletics program for almost all major colleges and universities. For the entire time I have been a student-athlete at USD and now alumnus/fan, our football team has had only one inspiring season. Coincidentally, it felt like the tailgating scene improved significantly that season. Other than that, the fall season has always been boring and disappointing for men's athletics. It is very difficult to bring casual fans back into the fold come winter.

The time has come for a complete overhaul. If we ever want to have a complete athletics program, we need to at least have a consistently decent football team. Nelson's program is not working and never will. I hope Herbster and crew recognize all this.

As fans and mostly alumni, leadership needs to hear our discontent, and we need to voice it in a respectable manner. I don't have the connections, but those of us that do and care about USD sports, need to step up and rally the troops. This needs to happen and I will for sure answer the call. GO YOTES!

[goyotes24]

The program is obviously not where we anticipated it would be at this time from when Nielson took over. However, what does a complete overhaul look like? If we do a complete overhaul, are we ready for another (at least) three years of futility?

[Yotes]

It would take massive booster support to can Bob this year. We are talking about a million dollar buyout. Maybe after next season when things hit rock bottom and the buyout is a year shorter.

On that rock bottom thought: We are worse in years 3 and 4 under Bob than we were in year 1 and Joe's last year. That comes with Bob having two of the best QBs in program history and facing no unusual adversity. Is there any way things could improve next season? I'm sure we will have more roster attrition and there's no way the offense can stay on it's current level without Simmons.

I hope we can find a way to can Bob because we are going to suck either way and these facility improvements seem squandered if they don't improve the program at all.

[Yote 53]

A program turnaround is doable but it will require a 100% commitment to prioritize and focus on defense. We need good coaching on defense and defensive players need to be a priority in recruiting. Our bad defense has always held this program back.

Losing Simmons isn't going to be an issue, we've got talent in reserve. One thing USD has pretty much always been able to come up with are good QBs, from Noah Shepherd, Dante Warren, Chris Streveler, etc, and on down the line.

Need to focus on defense and O-line.

[usdguy99]

In regards to a complete overhaul, some of the money issues with buying Bob out lie solely on the shoulders of Herbster. Why the five year extension? I believe there are many of us on this board, and fans/alums in general, are shaking our heads at this. Herbster could not have seen this bus wreck coming, but he is the owner of the bus company...like it or not.

[Yotes]

Nov 3, 2019 11:16:59 GMT -6 usdguy99 said:

In regards to a complete overhaul, some of the money issues with buying Bob out lie solely on the shoulders of Herbster. Why the five year extension? I believe there are many of us on this board, and fans/alums in general, are shaking our heads at this. Herbster could not have seen this bus wreck coming, but he is the owner of the bus company...like it or not.

I openly questioned it this summer. Should have been in a holding pattern at best by giving just a 1 year extension instead of renewing for 5 years. The valid point of recruiting was brought up, but we didn't protect ourselves well enough.

[elcoyote]

Nov 3, 2019 8:35:19 GMT -6 goyotes24 said:

The program is obviously not where we anticipated it would be at this time from when Nielson took over. However, what does a complete overhaul look like? If we do a complete overhaul, are we ready for another (at least) three years of futility?

Are we ready for four more years of futility and then make a change? In my mind the evidence is glaring that this program can't be fixed under the current leadership. The culture comes from the top down and somewhere along the line there's been a total disconnect. This team doesn't play with any sense of discipline and "Bob" has done nothing that I can see to energize the fan base or promote a program that's been riddled with bad losses and unfulfilled potential. I honestly think that the talent is in place, but he's lost control. I don't have any answers as to what can or will be done, if anything, by our administration. I don't know if the true believers still have faith in him, but no one I talk to does. There needs to be a change and the sooner the better. 

[golfingyote]

Nov 3, 2019 10:00:58 GMT -6 Yote 53 said:

A program turnaround is doable but it will require a 100% commitment to prioritize and focus on defense. We need good coaching on defense and defensive players need to be a priority in recruiting. Our bad defense has always held this program back.

Losing Simmons isn't going to be an issue, we've got talent in reserve. One thing USD has pretty much always been able to come up with are good QBs, from Noah Shepherd, Dante Warren, Chris Streveler, etc, and on down the line.

Need to focus on defense and O-line.

The O line has actually been remarkably good when you factor in the youth and lack of experience. This group is actually one of the positives that they will essentially be in tact next year.

Defense is a total disaster and it starts up front. Our D line has never been up to standard with the rest of the teams at the top of the league. We’ve had some great playmakers on the edge but never had the athleticism and depth across the entire d line. I think we have the talent at the linebacker and secondary levels but the effort and scheme are seriously lacking. We don’t fly to the ball as a unit and we are very unsure/undisciplined in pass coverage. How many guys weren’t running hard after the ball on the 4th and 5 that went 50 yards yesterday? Completely unacceptable- everyone assuming someone else would make the play. That play summed up our entire defense....greenfield getting pressure, no one else near the qb, wide open crossing route, almost untouched for 45 yac on a crossing route. Feels like the same crap different year/week at this point.

[Yote 53]

Nov 3, 2019 11:16:59 GMT -6 usdguy99 said:

In regards to a complete overhaul, some of the money issues with buying Bob out lie solely on the shoulders of Herbster. Why the five year extension? I believe there are many of us on this board, and fans/alums in general, are shaking our heads at this. Herbster could not have seen this bus wreck coming, but he is the owner of the bus company...like it or not.

You're barking up the wrong tree here. Dave has been responsible for hiring far more coaching hits than misses. WBB, MBB, Volleyball, etc.

Nobody could have seen this coming as Bob was the reigning Valley coach of the year and there was collective praise for USD being able to land him. Now, the 5 year extension, I don't know, I think that was done to show program stability and to push the window far enough out that Bob could take full advantage of the facility upgrades.

I still think Bob can turn it around but he is going to need to make the tough decisions about overhauling this staff, who clearly are not up to the task.

[bobo]

Yote 53, you are spot on with your post. 100% agree with your comment that Coach Nielsen can get this turned around, but there are a few things that have to happen for this to be feasible:

1- get rid of the defensive coordinator and the defensive back coach. All the issues I see are schematic and lack of communication between players and coaches. Too much confusion on formation and route combinations. Either it is not being coached or they are just letting it happen. Quick fix!! There are some very talented and sound defensive coaches out there, find one that has a sound system that can combat spread teams and power run teams without confusion.

2- the offense is and will always be fine, may have a bad day here and there, but it has a plan and seems to adjust to in game situations and puts alot of stress on opposing defenses. Plus there is an abundance of talent at WR, RB, and OL. It's a QB friendly offense, so they will always be able to recruit a very good QB.

3- last and most important, the coaches (Nielsen included) need to hold the players accountable for effort!! Plain and Simple. If it's happening on game day, it's happening off the field too. Undisciplined and lack of effort, especially on defense.

[sdyotefan]

Football is number one with me as a spectator sport then basketball, etc. So this season is very disappointing!! I don't think the whole program is in chaos. I agree with Yote 53 on the O line (and this is an area where we've been lacking for years so that corner has been turned). With some exceptions regarding turn overs especially, the offensive unit is very solid! Unfortunately the FB team has had too many bone headed penalties and the unsportsmanlike penalty on our own PAT is the worst example this year and that really hurt regarding field position. Fourth and goal from the 2 and we're in position to make a tackle but the attempted tackle was too high on a strong RB who powers in. Unfortunately that happens--all D1 teams have scholarship players. So some times just a few key plays make a huge difference in a L vs a W. If we'd won yesterday and beat YSU at home next week (not easy) we'd be 5-5 and the board would be a lot calmer and with the chance of upsetting a high ranked team in at least one of our last games. I believe the defensive scheme is bad overall and that's on the D coach and ultimately Bob. So either the D coach has to change/simplify the scheme or he has to be replaced. Is Bob too nice? Is he tough enough with his coaches and players? I don't know. I can tell he's intense, committed and has a high FB IQ. I don't think he's a RAH RAH coach like Joe was and I think some of that is helpful for coaches that have that in their personality. But it's up to players too ALSO add that element to the team and I see very litle of that enthusiasm with this team. Emotion in sports is very important! A team also needs discipline to eliminate stupid penalties, foolish turnovers, etc. So I think the problems are very apparent and hopefully SERIOUS steps are being taken to make the appropriate changes!!!

[Yote 53]

As to the topic "Football Drives the Bus", it is such a true statement. People in this state flocking to SDSU because of the visibility of football. It sucks because the rest of the athletic programs at USD are doing really well and are in as good as or better position than the SDSU teams. But because we can't get this football program elevated USD is perceived as the "weak" school.

[wintheday]

The blame for the losses ultimately falls to one man, Bob Nielson. He is the person in charge of operations, staff, and his players. I compare these last two seasons as being analogous to Gene Chizik's stint at Auburn. Caught lightning in a bottle with Cam Newton (Chris Streveler) and has not shown the ability to build a program at the Division 1 level. It is not about the games that we win, it is about the way we lose games. Undisciplined play, unsportsmanlike penalties with seemingly zero repercussions to the players that are straight up losing these games. I do not know how you can look at it as anything but a losing culture. I do not care how much you talk about building a culture, show us results. Plitzuweit does it for WBB (better than any coach I have ever seen) and shows us the results. We have talent on this football team to beat teams like Western Illinois and a budget that is vastly larger... but even with that we are lightyears away from touching the teams up north. I think we will see a similar move like SIU last year where the entire defensive staff was canned. Something drastic has to change within the next season to show changes are being made. We literally just lost to an 0-8 football team that has not been competitive all year and are in year 4 of the Nielson era. It is time to stop making excuses for the failures and demand results.

As for blaming Herbster, I think it is a major mistake to not question the extension and place blame for it on him. I do not care about the successes in other sports. Bottom line is the header, "Football drives the Bus." Every success is magnified and any failure is also magnified on a much larger scale than any other sport. The extension made zero sense at the time. We were coming off of a 4 (!!!) win season and sustained a major regression from the year before. If it ultimately leads to large buyout from firing Nielson, then Herbster deserves even more heat. However, I do not think that it is even close to feasible until after next season (and still probably not then). This is not how you want to open a new addition, and move forward, however four more years of this football only places us further from our goals.

I do not think this program is any closer to achieving our goals (win 7 games, make the playoffs, beat the bunnies) than we were in Joe Glenn's last year.

[easmus]

I’d like to believe the OL is better and improving. The offense has been spotty at times but isn’t the main problem. They’ve been over recruiting OL recently and need to do that with DL IMO.

I fear firing the entire defensive staff only creates more instability. Remember these assistants are only on 1 year deals. If you fire the DC after 1 season, how hard does it make it to hire a new guy and convince him to move his family only for him to be fired after 1 year? You become Cleveland constantly cycling through coaches. I don’t know what the answer is. They have got to get this team disciplined and under control. That is job #1. Stop beating yourselves.

[easmus]

Nov 3, 2019 17:19:43 GMT -6 wintheday said:

The blame for the losses ultimately falls to one man, Bob Nielson. He is the person in charge of operations, staff, and his players. I compare these last two seasons as being analogous to Gene Chizik's stint at Auburn. Caught lightning in a bottle with Cam Newton (Chris Streveler) and has not shown the ability to build a program at the Division 1 level. It is not about the games that we win, it is about the way we lose games. Undisciplined play, unsportsmanlike penalties with seemingly zero repercussions to the players that are straight up losing these games. I do not know how you can look at it as anything but a losing culture. I do not care how much you talk about building a culture, show us results. Plitzuweit does it for WBB (better than any coach I have ever seen) and shows us the results. We have talent on this football team to beat teams like Western Illinois and a budget that is vastly larger... but even with that we are lightyears away from touching the teams up north. I think we will see a similar move like SIU last year where the entire defensive staff was canned. Something drastic has to change within the next season to show changes are being made. We literally just lost to an 0-8 football team that has not been competitive all year and are in year 4 of the Nielson era. It is time to stop making excuses for the failures and demand results.

As for blaming Herbster, I think it is a major mistake to not question the extension and place blame for it on him. I do not care about the successes in other sports. Bottom line is the header, "Football drives the Bus." Every success is magnified and any failure is also magnified on a much larger scale than any other sport. The extension made zero sense at the time. We were coming off of a 4 (!!!) win season and sustained a major regression from the year before. If it ultimately leads to large buyout from firing Nielson, then Herbster deserves even more heat. However, I do not think that it is even close to feasible until after next season (and still probably not then). This is not how you want to open a new addition, and move forward, however four more years of this football only places us further from our goals.

I do not think this program is any closer to achieving our goals (win 7 games, make the playoffs, beat the bunnies) than we were in Joe Glenn's last year.

Chizik is an ok comparison, except I don’t believe Chizik won at lower levels like Bob. Certainly can’t disagree about only having success here the one year with the best player in the FCS.