ADVERTISEMENT

FOOTBALL Question

Tyler Pellom

Blue Raider Fan
Staff
Apr 3, 2020
383
364
63
I’m relatively new to following the MT program, so I want to lean on those of you who have followed for a long time.

My question: what do you think the level of the MT program is before you consider coaching?

I see some of you saying Stock is a below average coach - I disagree but that’s not the point of my question - what would this program look like with a net-average coach?

What does this program look like with a great coach? Would this program hold a great coach back, or would it accentuate said coach’s strengths?

What does it look like with a bad coach? Would this program elevate a bad coach in a way other CUSA programs wouldn’t?

I just want to get a feeling of what you all think this program should be - and what it can be.
 
With great coaches, we are a stepping stone program. See Boise State for the perfect example. A great coach doesn’t choke at every opportunity to succeed.

A bad coach, see multiple losing seasons in a row (i.e. the last 3 years of Andy Mac & his famous Slappey comment).

Stock is not a bad coach. He is a mediocre coach. On average he will beat bad G5 teams, occasionally knock off a decent G5 team & will sneak up in down P5 schools from time to time. He will not win a championship when given the opportunity and has shown no ability to build on opportunities for success.

In 15 years, if Stock had essentially the same numbers, but had 2 or 3 SB/CUSA championships and a few more division titles with it, I would not complain at all. However, no coach deserves 15 years at an FBS school with no conference titles or 1 division in year 13. IMO, a coach needs to have at least 1 division title in his first 5 years (or get national notoriety by being ranked if our division had a juggernaut).

If I was AD, I would have extended Stock after 2009, but fired him after 2012.

Edited to specifically address your first question. We are pretending to be FBS. Either put resources into the program to build it, demand more from the HC or drop back to FCS. We are a mediocre G5 program with mediocre coach and no incentive/drive for more. A new coach could excite the fan base and with success, more fans and money for facility improvements.
 
Last edited:
If you want to truly answer your own question about whether Stock is a below average coach or not go do a little research. Here's your homework. Go look at what Stockstill's record is against teams that finish the season with a winning record. Then look at what Stockstill's record is against teams that finish the season .500 or below.

See, here's the thing young grasshopper. Approaching 15 years worth of data points. Most schools never have this much data to make assessments and decisions. Stockstill has coached almost 200 games at MT. The results speak for themselves, but beyond that we see a couple of other key and significant red flags.

1) Attendance. The fans will speak and tell you. When an entire fanbase is essentially unified in the same direction there isn't much room for debate. Hell, even as bad as we got with Andy McCollum (multiple losing seasons, being punished for APR violations, etc.) there were still people that fought to keep him at MT. That's not even happening here with Stock, because the level of apathy that has set in is program destroying. And soul crushing too.

2) There is no energy in the program. CRS does not sell the program. And frankly it might be good now that he doesn't, because if he did at this point he would be under delivering. There is not other way to put it than there is no energy in the program. It's like football on a ventilator. MT needs someone who can reinvigorate the student body, the alumni, and the casual fence sitters. Stock is monotone, coach speak. Says the same thing everytime, everyday.

3. He doesn't emphasize program building. If there isn't a single other indicator that encapsulates it all it's this one. Stockstill has no vision for making MT a championship destination. Games like Vandy, Army, wkcc, bowl games they are just the next game on the schedule to him. There's nothing special about them. Can't get too high. Can't get oo low. Ho hum. He's intent to live Groundhog Day. Same thing over and over and produce the same results. He doesn't change or evolve to make MT better. This is what separated Kermit from Rick. Kermit believed MT could be a premier basketball program, but he knew he needed evolve to make it happen. And he did. Rick will never change. He can go 0-10 this year and he will do the same thing next year. So, when you ask what does a great program look like it looks like the football version of Kermit's run from 2012 to 2018. And Kermit did it in spite of the lack of leadership from the top. There is no doubt Cope and Murphy Center are key cogs in our current failures.

A great program requires change. A complete house cleaning ala Memphis as Franklin Raider pointed out. MT has so many things going for it if we had the right people pulling the right levers. I believe MT could be Boise. But that's of course the best case most unlikely scenario. I say that because if a school like Boise can do it anyone can. It just just takes leadership. Boise may not have the pro competition to deal with fan support, but they don't even come close to having the amount of talent in their own back yard to pull from. Boise or not, MT can definitely be better than this. There is no reason why MT couldn't do what Memphis is doing now or even further deliver the consistency of a school like Cincinnati. Or App State. That's what we should be striving to achieve. I don't see MT striving to achieve those types of goals. I don't really see MT striving to achieve much of anything. When you sit back and look at where we are right now, "the program" and the university are doing nothing but going through the motions.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tyler Pellom
There is no reason MT can't break into the top 25 like ASU or Troy but Stockstill couldn't even manage a winning season in his 14th year.

Clearly McPhee doesn't want a top 25 football program (all he cares about is the APR) or MT would have a coach trying to get it there.
 
Stock is a good man. I'm thankful for what he has done for us. First bowl game. Out of APR he'll. Runs a clean respectable program. Doesn't out up with troublemakers and makes well rounded men from boys. But that is where it stops.

With a school our size, in our area (in the south near major recruiting fires in a major metro area) there is no reason we shouldn't win 9-10 games every year. I don't believe in consistency with staff as Massaro does. Not in a G5 school. If your coaches get poached, it means something is being done right. I have no problem hiring a new coach every 3-5 years. Do that enough and you'll have young energetic guys at your door waiting to be hired.

And that is the next part. We could be so much more with energy. It just isn't Stock's personality to be a row the boat guy. G5s need that. We need someone jumping around and screaming. Getting players hyped, fans hyped, the community hyped. Etc.

I truly think if we got some energy injected and started to consistently win, meaning 2-3 years of double digit wins we would easily have 20k in stands every game. But more needs to change than just coaching for that to happen. Like bot laying eggs on national TV, especially bowl games. We also should be playing a Tennessee school every year. FCS, G5, P5, someone every year thst is local and thrash the hell.out of them. Period. Do thst and local fans will notice.

If we had all the pieces together, we should be consistent 10 game winning seasons and ranked every year. Yes it would be 23-25. So what. It still is a ranking. All that can be accomplished here but not without a top down house cleaning.
 
I'll try to be brief (something, as long time readers are aware of, I have a hard time with). I appreciate the good Stock had done and don't doubt he is a high character guy. But;

I've only been around Stock a couple of times at functions. Clearly he is an introvert and is not comfortable being around people he does not know. Obviously he is not a dynamic speaker. Damn hard for that kind of a person to build a program. (Players may love him because he is a different person when you get to be comfortable with each other)

Stock is not a public "butt chewer" which may be another reason players like him but this lack of fire drives fans mad when he just shakes his head and/or walks the sideline after a bone-headed play.

There is a reason Stock was a long-time assistant before his good friend hired him at MT. If others saw his potential as a HC he would have been hired long before Massaro and McPhee pulled the trigger.
 
At best, you can call Stock a mediocre coach. We all know his overall record hovers around .500. To be honest, and no pun intended, but I don't put much Stock in his conference record considering how many are bottom feeder programs. I just went back and pulled his head to head record against team that either matter locally (WKU/Vandy/Memphis) and teams that are essentially trying to keep up with. The numbers speak for themselves.

WKU: 6-6
Vandy: 0-4 (outscored 127-50)
Memphis: 4-2
Troy: 1-6 (he lost his first 6 games to Troy)
Marshall: 4-3
UAB: 3-2
Bowl Record: 2-6

If my math is correct, that is a combined record of 20-29. How do you defend that?
 
ADVERTISEMENT