Jump to content
Buffalo Bulls - UB Fan Forum

Going forward with expected same coaching staff and seniors and Paterson gone


markchicago

Recommended Posts

Let’s celebrate good years and interest in UB football. We are obviously hungry to improve and sustain success!  Here are a few areas for attention: better 2nd half adjustments in tight games; find a field goal kicker; continue to improve secondary play.  I believe we are good with running backs- Marks,Cook and McDuffie; good at quarterback with Vantrese; some fast receivers and portions of good offensive and defensive lines returning.  I am grateful for the thrill of cheering on OUR team and hopeful for the future.

WHAT DO YOU THINK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually like Leipold. I just don't understand his coordinators and their playcalling. We've been watching Koetelnicki make horrible calls for years and in that Championship game I lost my voice screaming at the tv every time Borland decided to rush nobody on 3rd and long for Ball State. Can Lance please hold someone accountable for yet another let down? Or is he going to continue treating this like a D3 team where your buddies from the bar get to hold their assistant positions for years without any repercussions for bad performance?

I'm happy we went 5-0 and got an undeserved top-25 ranking thanks to 1 phenomenal day by Patterson, but we beat schools that were a combined 6-18 (and none of them even had to play a nonconference game). We were a decent MAC team and that's all. We need some changes after this latest installment of the "Lance Leipold Letdown" show and I hope he finally pulls the trigger. Otherwise, I'm joining the bandwagon that him leaving is actually not a bad thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, UBigbobby said:

Hopefully someone hires away Leipold.  Michigan enjoys collapsing in big games.  Maybe he can replace Harbaugh.

If the option is to "get a new coach because Leipold doesn't perform well in big games"  or "keep Leipold and the success we have had, overall, since his arrival", I would 100% prefer the latter.   

The four F's guy, if I recall correctly, did poorly at recruiting -- I don't want to go back to that. 

 

As far as the first poster and finding a field goal kicker -- McNaulty is 0 for 2 this year.  I would project, based on his kickoffs and PATs that he is a competent field goal kicker and will demonstrate that next year.  PK is almost at the very bottom of the list, in my opinion, of challenges for next year.

 

Next year there should be an open QB competition, with Vantrease as the favorite.  If he performs equal to or better than the competition in the spring and summer, he should start.  Otherwise, if someone really outperforms him, then it is their job.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, UB92 said:

... Next year there should be an open QB competition ...

I feel there should always be open competition at every position. 
(never mind, I guess you’re saying next year’s QB1 is not written in ink, and we should expect another OR battle on the depth chart.)

 

12 minutes ago, UB92 said:

... If he performs equal to or better than the competition in the spring and summer, he should start. ...

While I like when seniors are rewarded for hard work, I also feel that if an underclassman is equal to a senior, then the youngster should get the experience for the future.

(subtle difference, but a senior should be better.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, 121Merrimac said:

I feel there should always be open competition at every position. 
(never mind, I guess you’re saying next year’s QB1 is not written in ink, and we should expect another OR battle on the depth chart.)

 

While I like when seniors are rewarded for hard work, I also feel that if an underclassman is equal to a senior, then the youngster should get the experience for the future.

(subtle difference, but a senior should be better.)

I guess my point is, if they both perform equal (underclassman vs. senior), the senior is battle-tested/experienced, so it makes sense to go with the known (as opposed to the hope that the lights won't be too big for the underclassman).  After all, this was not a 1 win team.   I am talking specifically about QB here since it is the most important position on the field.

We know Vantrease is a competent MAC QB.  We really know nothing else about the rest of the QBs, other than a little about Myers from last year.   But that's several months away.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, UB92 said:

I guess my point is, if they both perform equal (underclassman vs. senior), the senior is battle-tested/experienced, so it makes sense to go with the known (as opposed to the hope that the lights won't be too big for the underclassman). ...

Agreed, experience is very important.  I was considering that as one of the attributes already used to determine equivalency.  If it is used as a tie breaker, I’d say they were never tied to begin with.  Either way, I think we end up with the same starter. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, UBigbobby said:

Hopefully someone hires away Leipold.  Michigan enjoys collapsing in big games.  Maybe he can replace Harbaugh.

Lol what. 
 

sorry but this is a terrible take. Yes leipold has struggled in MAC championships, but he’s built a SUSTAINED winning program, something we could only dream about a few years back. In the past wed have to catch lightning in a bottle or strike gold on an under-recruited player, and would consider a winning season a resounding success. Leipold has turned winning seasons into the EXPECTATION, and you want to throw it away because they lost against Ball State. In my opinion the silver lining to losing is that we’ll get to keep him and not lose him to a bigger program/conference 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, UB05 said:

Lol what. 
 

sorry but this is a terrible take. Yes leipold has struggled in MAC championships, but he’s built a SUSTAINED winning program, something we could only dream about a few years back. In the past wed have to catch lightning in a bottle or strike gold on an under-recruited player, and would consider a winning season a resounding success. Leipold has turned winning seasons into the EXPECTATION, and you want to throw it away because they lost against Ball State. In my opinion the silver lining to losing is that we’ll get to keep him and not lose him to a bigger program/conference 

Sustained winning should be expected,  considering the amount of $$ that has been put into the football program over the last few years. Comparing previous teams/regimes to this is not nearly equal comparison.  This team has a fieldhouse, new locker rooms, training and rehab facilities, nutrition bar and more. These items would've aided past staffs/teams to recruit at a higher level as well as perform and produce more wins. Don't forget that when making your take above.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, skrabukes said:

Sustained winning should be expected,  considering the amount of $$ that has been put into the football program over the last few years. Comparing previous teams/regimes to this is not nearly equal comparison.  This team has a fieldhouse, new locker rooms, training and rehab facilities, nutrition bar and more. These items would've aided past staffs/teams to recruit at a higher level as well as perform and produce more wins. Don't forget that when making your take above.

The improvements are great. The vast majority also took place after leipold’s teams had already been recruited and developed. Which rookies/ 2021 recruits that the fieldhouse helped bring in have made an impact on the team’s performance? just curious. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, UB65Son said:

I thought I read that this year does not count against a players eligibility. That  it is up to player/school if they want to come back. Can someone please clear this up for me. Thanks

From what I understand this is correct. Technically the whole team can be back. I

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, promotherobot said:

We're never going to get into the CFP so if Leipold can keep us bowl eligible most years, I can live with that. Maybe he'll eventually learn how to win a postseason game.

You also need to consider the league we are in. I would rather be a contender every year and keep getting really good recruits and dominating versus the rest of the league. Every team seems to be good for 2 year then complete crap for several years. Ball State hadn't won the championship since 1996! That's typical MAC. We need to dominate for a few more years and move on ala Marshall when they left the MAC. It would have been great to have a championship this year, but honestly, the player choked. They got punched and didn't react well. As for play calling, maybe a few suspect calls, but if Marks makes the catch, it's an easy TD. That was 100% the right play call, but coaches can't catch balls. Hold players accountable as much as the coaches. Did the OL underperform or was Ball State that much better than what Patterson played so far? VanTrease played out of his mind and should be commended. Nunn had two really bad drops that would have been potential game changers. Shit happens, I was as pissed off as anyone, just ask my wife. Let's hope everyone learns from this and brings their A game to the Bowl game and beat Marshall. That will be a solid program win. That's my opinion on the subject.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If Lance doesn't get an offer, and stays put, I'm fine with it.  He's built a solid program and staff here and seems to do a good job with recruiting.  You look at some of the other MAC teams after they lose coaches.  They tend to go in the crapper for a couple years.  We don't need that.  

Maybe the players should stop reading social media and press clippings during the season.  I don't know if the players gave the proper respect to Ball State and how formidable they would be.  They all see Heisman Trophy and Top O-line rankings, etc..  I mean gimme a break, the UB line is not better than Alabama or Notre Dame in the real world.  We played some horrendous defense this season in NIU, Bowling Green, Kent St and Akron.  And Miami dropped at least two, maybe three sure-fire TD bombs that would've change that game.  We're fortunate the Ohio game was cancelled but that could have been a loss.  

Just beat Marshall and let's move on and continue to get better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, promotherobot said:

We're never going to get into the CFP so if Leipold can keep us bowl eligible most years, I can live with that. Maybe he'll eventually learn how to win a postseason game.

Bahamas Bowl excepted.  I agree with your opener about bowl eligibility (plus a few MAC Championships thrown in for good measure!).

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, UBinMD said:

You also need to consider the league we are in. I would rather be a contender every year and keep getting really good recruits and dominating versus the rest of the league. Every team seems to be good for 2 year then complete crap for several years. Ball State hadn't won the championship since 1996! That's typical MAC. We need to dominate for a few more years and move on ala Marshall when they left the MAC. It would have been great to have a championship this year, but honestly, the player choked. They got punched and didn't react well. As for play calling, maybe a few suspect calls, but if Marks makes the catch, it's an easy TD. That was 100% the right play call, but coaches can't catch balls. Hold players accountable as much as the coaches. Did the OL underperform or was Ball State that much better than what Patterson played so far? VanTrease played out of his mind and should be commended. Nunn had two really bad drops that would have been potential game changers. Shit happens, I was as pissed off as anyone, just ask my wife. Let's hope everyone learns from this and brings their A game to the Bowl game and beat Marshall. That will be a solid program win. That's my opinion on the subject.

I saw on Twitter where marks manned-up and said he should have caught it, but lost it in the lights.  I'm guessing he isn't the first to have that experience.  He also ran for almost 100 and a TD.  I'm thinking he gets a pass for the drop.  Play calling was indeed suspect.  So is hitting your head against a wall.  Just ask Patterson.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, verandaman said:

I saw on Twitter where marks manned-up and said he should have caught it, but lost it in the lights.  I'm guessing he isn't the first to have that experience.  He also ran for almost 100 and a TD.  I'm thinking he gets a pass for the drop.  Play calling was indeed suspect.  So is hitting your head against a wall.  Just ask Patterson.

it was obvious right after the drop that he lost it in the lights.  That is what happens when you play a game in a TV studio (if anyone has been to Ford Field and did not get the feel that it was a TV studio has never been inside a TV studio) and not a stadium.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/20/2020 at 8:55 PM, UBinMD said:

You also need to consider the league we are in. I would rather be a contender every year and keep getting really good recruits and dominating versus the rest of the league. Every team seems to be good for 2 year then complete crap for several years. Ball State hadn't won the championship since 1996! That's typical MAC. We need to dominate for a few more years and move on ala Marshall when they left the MAC.

We have a single championship (that came 12 years ago). What do you mean by "keep dominating". What about this program (football and/or athletics as a whole) still has people thinking we are building towards an exist of the MAC?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Jeseph said:

We have a single championship (that came 12 years ago). What do you mean by "keep dominating". What about this program (football and/or athletics as a whole) still has people thinking we are building towards an exist of the MAC?

You are right, we don't have the championships to show, but we have the most MAC wins since 2017 and have been to the championship game 2 of the last three years, I believe most program fan bases would be very happy with those results and we have another solid recruiting class, possibly our best ever, coming in and we have a lot of production coming back. I think the future is bright. Look at programs like Akron or Eastern Michigan over the years. They are just happy to have football. They have been Division 1 a lot longer than us and have been in the MAC a lot longer than us, but they are still bottom dwellers. Northern Illinois had some good years and the Fleck years at Western Michigan. I just want to keep building on what we have. You have to remember that Buffalo is still learning how to win. Once you get that and build the confidence, sky is the limit. Perhaps dominate was too strong a word I would rather be where we are than any other MAC program.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do MAC football championships matter? Basketball championships matter because it means we get to the big dance...in football it is very debatable.

What matters far more in football IMO is players that are drafted or at least get to and play in the NFL. We currently have one household name and a few other rostered players. If Patterson can become a solid NFL player, that would go a much longer way towards recruiting and legacy than would beating Ball State last week.

We have also won our bowl games the past two seasons...I would argue bowl wins are also more valuable than MAC championships. Our ceiling and what I feel our aim should be in football is akin Boise State....a program that general college football fans recognize, that is consistently at the top of their conference, usually on the fringe of being ranked and one that produces a few NFL players every few years.

We are not going to be a Big Ten program, we are not switching conferences...it is just the way it is. We need to make the most of where we are in the grand scheme. We can have a lot of fun being a big dog in a small pond.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...