RaiderDoug said:

When you put up 500+ yards of offense, it's hard to say that the offense was THE problem. Yes, we stubbed our toe and didn't put the #'s on the scoreboard that the stats would indicate that we should have, but to be honest, watching that game I never felt that the offense was the limiting factor.

We need to fine tune on offense, clean and tighten it up, but it's not broken.

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Part of this is because it was pretty clear they just said F it at half time and they decided to call the plays that these guys are used to running. They still couldn’t run the ball. It was an acknowledgment that they can’t run what Mason wants to run right now. It will be interesting to see what they do rest of the way. I don’t know how much air raid stuff Bodie has in his playbook but that’s probably where they need to go for the remainder of this season if they want to have any chance at winning another game. Aside from better tackling I’m not sure what can be done with defense. We’re going to have to outscore opponents.

AustinLewis said:

FWIW, Mason wasn't the guy I would have targeted. I wanted someone from the veer and shoot / Briles / Kiffin family. Feel like that would have been similar enough schematically / personnel wise that MT would have to overhaul the roster. And, that offense is just fun to watch. Could have led to some fun with #AirRaiders (or similar) branding.

Going with a "pro-style" guy like CDM required a scheme overhaul and that extends the rebuild b/c it takes time to get those guys in & familiar with the system.

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It also doesn’t work in G5 circles unless you’re Boise and can recruit men. There’s a bit of reality slapping folks in the face right now. I personally don’t see this style working here and have said that from the beginning. But unlike basketball where I 100% knew his style wouldn’t work here I’m only about 75% confident with the football situation, because there are more dynamics at play. That said, I also want to believe Mason is different and it’s not all just catchy one liners and win the media days. I want to believe there is substance behind his persona and that he can recruit and develop the type of people needed to match his philosophy, but that’s a)going to require recruiting unlike we’ve ever seen or been able to do here and b) definitely going to take time to figure out. Time we don’t really have. And that’s kind of the issue.

This “leadership” chose a really bad time to lock themselves in a near lifetime contract with a .500 coach and it’s now a really bad time to be taking the time to change philosophy. In three or four years most of the rest of what CFB looks like for the next 50 years is going to be coming into focus if not completely set. We just don’t have time for another failed venture from M&M.

jakeboldenbrp said:

The same Mitch Stewart that had a red zone TD% of 54% last year? His offense was known for getting inside the 10 and throwing their playbook away.

It’s too early to make a call on Reeder, the offense has shown it’s capable of putting up yards. Poor execution under center and a bad pass/luck is why they didn’t score in those two drives. The run game could be better, but relative to Stewart, this offense looks way better.

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When you put up 500+ yards of offense, it's hard to say that the offense was THE problem. Yes, we stubbed our toe and didn't put the #'s on the scoreboard that the stats would indicate that we should have, but to be honest, watching that game I never felt that the offense was the limiting factor.

We need to fine tune on offense, clean and tighten it up, but it's not broken.

AustinLewis said:

FWIW, Mason wasn't the guy I would have targeted. I wanted someone from the veer and shoot / Briles / Kiffin family. Feel like that would have been similar enough schematically / personnel wise that MT would have to overhaul the roster. And, that offense is just fun to watch. Could have led to some fun with #AirRaiders (or similar) branding.

Going with a "pro-style" guy like CDM required a scheme overhaul and that extends the rebuild b/c it takes time to get those guys in & familiar with the system.

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Just a thought - it's long been said that the way for talent deficient teams to win vs higher talent was to run those spread, high tempo, get guys in space and make things happen. The smaller programs and G5 have led the way there, but it's now pretty much the defacto offense even amongst the biggest teams - Tennessee, Bama, Ohio State, Oregon.

What if we're seeing the pendulum swing back? Controlling the clock, run the ball, keep it away from those offenses. Also, maybe you portal proof yourself a little bit - if you're successful with another system, maybe your players aren't looked at as a farm team by the bigger fish?

I'm not saying we're going back to 1985 pro-style, but it's not the worst idea in the world to zig when everyone else zags.

Yeah, might be playing 4D chess here, but it is an idea that popped up to me.

sWiley said:

Both coordinators are clear downgrades. Like, CLEAR downgrades. Not even up for debate. Mitch Stewart and Scott Shafer would eat these guys for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.

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The same Mitch Stewart that had a red zone TD% of 54% last year? His offense was known for getting inside the 10 and throwing their playbook away.

It’s too early to make a call on Reeder, the offense has shown it’s capable of putting up yards. Poor execution under center and a bad pass/luck is why they didn’t score in those two drives. The run game could be better, but relative to Stewart, this offense looks way better.

AustinLewis said:

I'm not sure why the struggles against Ole Miss & WKU (and presumably Duke / Memphis) are a surprise to folks.

It's two P5 programs (Ole Miss / Duke), one of the better G5 programs, and a conference rival that's had MT's number for a bit. The season opening stretch was going to be ugly with Stock or without Stock. With Mason or without Mason. There are few coaches that could have navigated the first 5 games & come out 3-2. Sure, the competitor in every coach wants to win every game, but the reality is, the first 5 games are hard.

I'm not cutting CDM slack either. Defense (injuries or no injuries) needs to play better. Offense needs to take advantage of trips inside the redzone.

There is a reason there was a job opening. The program wasn't in good shape (you can blame Stock, Massaro, McPhee or the easter bunny for that), but this is a rebuild complete with a scheme overhaul on both sides of the ball. It's a process & it's going to take time. You're probably looking at 2026 before we see what a CDM MT FB team looks like.

That's because MT Is/was behind. Facilities. NIL funding. And they're not going to catch up in 9 months b/c of a coaching hire (unless, of course, Nick Saban suddenly decided he wanted to live in the Boro).

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FWIW, Mason wasn't the guy I would have targeted. I wanted someone from the veer and shoot / Briles / Kiffin family. Feel like that would have been similar enough schematically / personnel wise that MT would have to overhaul the roster. And, that offense is just fun to watch. Could have led to some fun with #AirRaiders (or similar) branding.

Going with a "pro-style" guy like CDM required a scheme overhaul and that extends the rebuild b/c it takes time to get those guys in & familiar with the system.

FranklinRaider315 said:

I’m not buying anymore talk. Talk is cheap. This defense couldn’t stop Tennessee Tech. Last night’s game was, for all practical purposes, over at halftime. Definitely by the 3rd Qtr. It was like watching the Bowling Green Beatdown from 10 years ago all over again. The conference schedule will not be kind to this football team. The Memphis game will be even uglier.

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I'm not sure why the struggles against Ole Miss & WKU (and presumably Duke / Memphis) are a surprise to folks.

It's two P5 programs (Ole Miss / Duke), one of the better G5 programs, and a conference rival that's had MT's number for a bit. The season opening stretch was going to be ugly with Stock or without Stock. With Mason or without Mason. There are few coaches that could have navigated the first 5 games & come out 3-2. Sure, the competitor in every coach wants to win every game, but the reality is, the first 5 games are hard.

I'm not cutting CDM slack either. Defense (injuries or no injuries) needs to play better. Offense needs to take advantage of trips inside the redzone.

There is a reason there was a job opening. The program wasn't in good shape (you can blame Stock, Massaro, McPhee or the easter bunny for that), but this is a rebuild complete with a scheme overhaul on both sides of the ball. It's a process & it's going to take time. You're probably looking at 2026 before we see what a CDM MT FB team looks like.

That's because MT Is/was behind. Facilities. NIL funding. And they're not going to catch up in 9 months b/c of a coaching hire (unless, of course, Nick Saban suddenly decided he wanted to live in the Boro).

FranklinRaider315 said:

I’m not buying anymore talk. Talk is cheap. This defense couldn’t stop Tennessee Tech. Last night’s game was, for all practical purposes, over at halftime. Definitely by the 3rd Qtr. It was like watching the Bowling Green Beatdown from 10 years ago all over again. The conference schedule will not be kind to this football team. The Memphis game will be even uglier.

Why the same people who make the decisions for this Athletic Dept. are still employed after 20 years is beyond my comprehension.

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I said before we only got rid of a third of our problem. Until the other two are gone they will continue to make bad decisions.

Brew_Raider said:

I rewatched most of the game last night.

It seemed like we stayed in a base 4 down, off man coverage most of the game. We did very little zone (ineffective) and just a few blitzes.

It was clear our DL was unable to consistently sustain pressure, so it was easy pitch and catch for WKU. Then, with a missed tackle in man, it was big gain after big gain.

Why did we not adjust from off to press man? Why the lack of zone blitzes? Why the lack of blitzing in general?

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Probably because of the backups. Injuries across the defense meant Mason / Stewart probably didn't feel comfortable playing man with guys they didn't think could stand up to it.

BigBlueBrad said:

I felt the same way you did about the quality of the conference. However, I really do feel conferences like ours should have some bit of regionality to them. Having teams in our conference that we can drive to easily is appealing. I like the idea of going to Jacksonville State later this year and Kennesaw State next year. The basketball tournament was in Huntsville last year.

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Yeah that is how I’m starting to feel. I didn’t like the idea of playing teams that no one will know because the name doesn’t reflect location. However, the more I thought about it, the more I’ve changed that opinion. More of our fans will care about playing Jacksonville St than North Texas when we become more familiar with them. Murray St for MBB, most fans couldn’t tell you where they are outside our fan base. Same with Belmont, but our fans know because we have a history and they are easy to travel to. Now SHSU isn’t the same because they are far away. I do like them though.

Sommy said:

CUSA has the worst teams in it by far, so any opportunity to bolt and leave some of these schools behind, then I’m all for it.

I prefer a conference that has some recognizable names, so I think we can line up (in terms of market) with NT, Tulsa, UTSA. Sorry, but being lumped in with SHSU, Kennesaw State, Jax State, it’s truly embarrassing. If they add Tarleton State, OMG. Do you think anyone outside of those markets even know where those schools are?

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We are one of the reasons this conference is such a shit hole. We have no room to talk. When it comes to the two core sports this university is a dumpster fire and has been for seven or eight years.

What makes any of you think any other conference would want this train wreck? We’re here with these other schools for a reason. We’re here because we are just like the schools that we are casting stones at.

FWIW, it usually takes about 3 years to build it.

TrueBlueFB_23 said:

Offensively it’s a huge combination of play calling/package & personnel decisions on big plays & inside red zone & OL (injuries & not the depth you want). We started out the game really moving the ball 1st drive then they start rotating guys in & out & im thinking nobody is tired yet. Why ever would O Kelley & H Willis come off the field except just as needed & quickly back on. Scrap all these packages that aren’t working & play your best O skill guys because with this defense, the O has to score a lot & keep our defense off field and with breaks. Stop forcing run when it isn’t there. Yes one would think you run from the 1 yard line, but if you get stuffed up the middle with your QB, be a little creative and not run back up the middle on 2nd down (yes he slipped but still). Then you decide to keep trying & on 4th you hand of to RB yo go airborne up the gut against a WKU team that is loaded in box and just stopped your arse 3 straight times. Get in the spread if you must run & run the QB behind a TE around the end. All he needs is a seam/opening to hit & punch it in. Vattiato did it behind Wills multiple times. Other options but for God’s sakes force the D to spread out. This staff seems to be forcing an identity instead of coaching what the players are best suited for. It’s a real head scratcher. Some local Boro OCs could run the offense better right now. They stated preseason they wanted to rotate a lot of guys….a great question for media would be why???? I mean if you needed to & could without drop off I guess keeping fresh guys might make sense but we ain’t running an up tempo air raid here folks. They don’t need a break every other play. Other teams don’t do this. Teams think we are running when Willis comes out & it is stupid. Our tendencies have been picked up in the stands so you think coaches don’t see this? They probably think we are stupid but hey gift to them. Willis can do both so stop it for crying out loud! Our best offense is from a spread so be stubborn or win games.

Have the coaches not picked up that play calls with Willis in motion worked well vs Ole Miss? Just decided not to attack our rival WKU with that? Targeting Willis opens up Kelly & vice versa. Miles Butler good hands too. With Frank out we really messed up this game offensively.

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I kinda have the same line of thought :

Why is MT not basing out of 11 personnel with a couple of 12 / 21 personnel packages?

But the problem for those of us not in the meeting rooms, practice, weight room, etc is that there is a LOT of things we don't know. Do guys not know the playbook? Are they only good a specific things so they have to find ways to scheme for their limited abilities?

And what kind of tempo do they lift / practice at?

It's 2024. There are ways of practicing tempo (and getting guys more reps) that even pro-style teams do.

TrueBlueFB_23 said:

Defensively, OUT were arguably the 2 best LBers (with speed & tackle production from last year), 2 starting corners, and starting safety. If you don’t think that hurts any team, you don’t know football. That is catastrophic unless you have great depth. Still it just adds to defensive struggles and this is why we haven’t seen the opposing teams punters at all the last 2 games.

They need to flip a switch and make some changes & also hope to get some defensive guys back quick.

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This is why the defensive struggles don't surprise me. Injuries to key players are going to affect any defense. It's also one reason that TTU got back in the game.

I felt the same way you did about the quality of the conference. However, I really do feel conferences like ours should have some bit of regionality to them. Having teams in our conference that we can drive to easily is appealing. I like the idea of going to Jacksonville State later this year and Kennesaw State next year. The basketball tournament was in Huntsville last year.

ewglenn said:

I was hoping for more in the WKU game but I’m not shocked either. They are one a good program that is consistent. I made my pick that we would win but that was totally a heart and not a head pick. I expected to be 1-4 after the first five games with a few beat downs along the way. We match up much better against Duke. Memphis will be ugly. The offense was moving the ball but we need to figure out how to punch it into the end zone. We could/should have easily had 35 points tonight.

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Offensively it’s a huge combination of play calling/package & personnel decisions on big plays & inside red zone & OL (injuries & not the depth you want). We started out the game really moving the ball 1st drive then they start rotating guys in & out & im thinking nobody is tired yet. Why ever would O Kelley & H Willis come off the field except just as needed & quickly back on. Scrap all these packages that aren’t working & play your best O skill guys because with this defense, the O has to score a lot & keep our defense off field and with breaks. Stop forcing run when it isn’t there. Yes one would think you run from the 1 yard line, but if you get stuffed up the middle with your QB, be a little creative and not run back up the middle on 2nd down (yes he slipped but still). Then you decide to keep trying & on 4th you hand of to RB yo go airborne up the gut against a WKU team that is loaded in box and just stopped your arse 3 straight times. Get in the spread if you must run & run the QB behind a TE around the end. All he needs is a seam/opening to hit & punch it in. Vattiato did it behind Wills multiple times. Other options but for God’s sakes force the D to spread out. This staff seems to be forcing an identity instead of coaching what the players are best suited for. It’s a real head scratcher. Some local Boro OCs could run the offense better right now. They stated preseason they wanted to rotate a lot of guys….a great question for media would be why???? I mean if you needed to & could without drop off I guess keeping fresh guys might make sense but we ain’t running an up tempo air raid here folks. They don’t need a break every other play. Other teams don’t do this. Teams think we are running when Willis comes out & it is stupid. Our tendencies have been picked up in the stands so you think coaches don’t see this? They probably think we are stupid but hey gift to them. Willis can do both so stop it for crying out loud! Our best offense is from a spread so be stubborn or win games.

Have the coaches not picked up that play calls with Willis in motion worked well vs Ole Miss? Just decided not to attack our rival WKU with that? Targeting Willis opens up Kelly & vice versa. Miles Butler good hands too. With Frank out we really messed up this game offensively.

Defensively, OUT were arguably the 2 best LBers (with speed & tackle production from last year), 2 starting corners, and starting safety. If you don’t think that hurts any team, you don’t know football. That is catastrophic unless you have great depth. Still it just adds to defensive struggles and this is why we haven’t seen the opposing teams punters at all the last 2 games.

They need to flip a switch and make some changes & also hope to get some defensive guys back quick.

MTFAN61 said:

Did a little follow-up on Kirston. Comes from very athletic family. Mother played college basketball at Duke. Older sister Payton (according to a 2022 publication) was a high school All-American & #8 recruit in the country. Originally signed with Louisville before transferring to Oklahoma presently. Even as a freshman in high school Kirston was the 5th ranked statistical 3 point shooter in the state at 40% from long range averaging around 14 ppg.
Even though I really wanted a "big" with Boldyreva moving on it looks like Kirston is the real deal & comes with a great family pedigree.

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Yeah shooting is what she’s known for right now. Always good to have those athletic genes too

MTFAN61 said:

Did a little follow-up on Kirston. Comes from very athletic family. Mother played college basketball at Duke. Older sister Payton (according to a 2022 publication) was a high school All-American & #8 recruit in the country. Originally signed with Louisville before transferring to Oklahoma presently. Even as a freshman in high school Kirston was the 5th ranked statistical 3 point shooter in the state at 40% from long range averaging around 14 ppg.
Even though I really wanted a "big" with Boldyreva moving on it looks like Kirston is the real deal & comes with a great family pedigree.

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Also from "Sports in Kansas" report. Additional info on Kirston's high school career.
Freshman year: 14.1 ppg, 42% from 3.
Sophomore year: 17.1 ppg, 43.6% from 3
State quarterfinals victory: 28 points
State final victory: 27 points
Named Kansas 4A Player of the year

Junior year: Kansas 1st team All-State

jakeboldenbrp said:

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Was leaked during the football game yesterday but can confirm Kirston Verhulst verbally commits to the Lady Raiders!

5’8” PG from Bishop Miege in De Soto, KS. Averaged 14.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, and 1.4 apg her junior season.

That totals 4 signees in the class of ‘25, and should be a full roster not accounting for potential transfers.

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Did a little follow-up on Kirston. Comes from very athletic family. Mother played college basketball at Duke. Older sister Payton (according to a 2022 publication) was a high school All-American & #8 recruit in the country. Originally signed with Louisville before transferring to Oklahoma presently. Even as a freshman in high school Kirston was the 5th ranked statistical 3 point shooter in the state at 40% from long range averaging around 14 ppg.
Even though I really wanted a "big" with Boldyreva moving on it looks like Kirston is the real deal & comes with a great family pedigree.

CUSA has the worst teams in it by far, so any opportunity to bolt and leave some of these schools behind, then I’m all for it.

I prefer a conference that has some recognizable names, so I think we can line up (in terms of market) with NT, Tulsa, UTSA. Sorry, but being lumped in with SHSU, Kennesaw State, Jax State, it’s truly embarrassing. If they add Tarleton State, OMG. Do you think anyone outside of those markets even know where those schools are?

Line: DUKE -13.5
Over/Under: 54.5

ewglenn said:

This should tell us how bad our defense actually is. 26 points in 3 straight games. We do matchup a lot better against them though. Going to be a tough one to win but probably a better shot than the following week.

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And you are going to see that. Oh and also how bad our offense is. This is the worst team we’ve had since 2-10. We may not get to 2 this year.

55-13

Really wanted a big. 6' 4" or better with Boldyreva leaving. Hoped for Jenna McClendon. Based on coaches play time philosophy we're going to have plenty of guards learning from the bench next year.

I rewatched most of the game last night.

It seemed like we stayed in a base 4 down, off man coverage most of the game. We did very little zone (ineffective) and just a few blitzes.

It was clear our DL was unable to consistently sustain pressure, so it was easy pitch and catch for WKU. Then, with a missed tackle in man, it was big gain after big gain.

Why did we not adjust from off to press man? Why the lack of zone blitzes? Why the lack of blitzing in general?

If they are just eating us up passing, then you have to adjust and we didn’t. Given CDM’s background, I expected the scheme and adjustments to be further along.

Also noticed a few upperclassmen that were lost a few times. I’m not calling out by name, but we had some guys that should be more aware costing us big time.

I’m curious if we see any improvements in this area. Talent is what it is this year. But adjustments and coaching points should improve.

jakeboldenbrp said:

Correction, COVID throws a wrench in my logic.

Since Nas, Jalynn, and CAB started their college careers in ‘21 they revert back to the original rule of 5 years to play 4 season. So you’re correct, all 5 will be out of eligibility after this season.

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You had me questioning my sanity for a moment lol. Was trying to think if they somehow got an exemption......

Assuming MT has 1 more open spot, taking a 2nd PG makes more sense. Not sure how much of a PG she is averaging 1.4 APG though

jakeboldenbrp said:

Im not an expert on this, but I believe only 2 will run out of eligibility after this season — Arike and Grannum.

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Correction, COVID throws a wrench in my logic.

Since Nas, Jalynn, and CAB started their college careers in ‘21 they revert back to the original rule of 5 years to play 4 season. So you’re correct, all 5 will be out of eligibility after this season.

MidTennFootball said:

Am I missing something? 4 signees but Middle has 5 seniors.....

I'm never gonna doubt this staff in it's ability to scout & develop, but taking a 2nd pg raises a bunch of questions, not the least of which is what happens at Center when Boldyreva graduates? Unless Mason just makes a big jump, puts some pressure to find a starter in the portal, which is really tough at the 5

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Im not an expert on this, but I believe only 2 will run out of eligibility after this season — Arike and Grannum.