While I was a fan of a well-run wishbone and later, the speed option, I wouldn't call it crowd-pleasing, not universally, at least. People still complained that we never passed it, and if you've ever talked to a girl about football -- no disrespect to our gender counterparts of superior intelligence -- chicks dig the long ball.

So... serious question... Grobe was in year 7. He was .500. He had no MACC. He was reaching the end of his second full recruiting cycle. In 2000, we gacked away two games against teams we should have beaten 8 of 10 times in Akron and Miami, and we let an average Marshall team sneak away with the East. We missed our window, then he was out the door. No doubt, people were mostly happy with the direction of the program, but were you as loud then about NO MACC? Why or why not?

I definitely was not implying Herd was "average" in general, but they were average that season. I believe they were 6-6 or 7-5 going into the MAC title game. That was Leftwich's first year as a starter, and he was good, but hadn't yet established dominance. Good for them for stepping up and beating a favored WMU team. I agree, those were some great teams, and most years they were just better. but 2000 was their down year, just after Chad P graduated.

Brinker was awesome, then he had brain surgery. unfortunate for Knorr as his presence might have provided some stability while he ... uh... learned to coach.

We were poised to compete for a MAC title the next year... but it would have gone through Huntington against a much better Herd team. No Brinker. No guarantees.

I agree that Grobe was dynamic in some ways, and we had a system that was designed to make us competitive with what we had as we tried to build a program. but still very flawed. More frustrating sometimes than the inability to come back was how we would jump out to two- or three-score leads, but once the defenses caught up to what we were doing, we were dead in the water. We didn't adjust. and we certainly couldn't throw when there was any suspicion we might throw. Frankly it was just baffling to me how some teams looked like a deer in the headlights (Kansas State 97, EMU, pick a year, BG multiple times) trying to stop the option and others seemed to know everything we were going to do before we did it and completely smother it (Marshall 97, wisconsin 98, and several Miami teams)

I agree completely that Grobe inherited a very different situation... I hold him in the highest regard for bringing OHIO Football back from the dead. But by year 6 & 7, was it acceptable that Marshall was "just better" but not acceptable now that Toledo, NIU and those CMU teams were just better? All programs with far more tradition/history better facilities, more fertile recruiting ground? Do you see where I'm going? If we get healthy, we could go 10-2 or 11-1 and meet Toledo in the MAC title game. If we lose, I'm going to be PISSED! But after I cool down, I'll have to admit that Toledo was better because right now I think they're better and not much will change between now and December. Will that be evidence of coaching incompetence? If we go 9-3 and don't win the East, will that be?

Funny, L.C.

The point is correct that if Grobe had tailed off significantly for a prolonged period as a result of not reacting to circumstances and/or being boringly conservatively predictable, then I'd've been displeased.

Yes, DFC, we shall see how the rest of this year goes. After redhawk comes the heart of the schedule, of course.

Unlike some folks, I remember when the annual crushing of the Redchicken wasn't nearly so annual, and it was ugly for a long, long time.

Regardless of what people think about Coach Solich's ability to adjust mid-game, his conservatism, or just his old-fashioned work ethic, I for one recognize that Coach has built a PROGRAM, and not just a team, or a stepping stone to a job he really wants.

I'm glad he's here, and I do not miss, for one second, any of the Grobe years.

I enjoyed them then, but it was apparent it was unsustainable.

Whomever follows Coach Solich won't have nearly as much to do as Coach Solich did when he got here.

Peace,
-john

I guess Akron took it personally that they couldn't get in the endzone last week. They put 40 on EMU in the first half, double what LSU managed against EMU a week ago. Meanwhile BG has about 700 yards offense and 63 points so far against U.Mass.