This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

2330859 said:

After witnessing our performance in Corrupt Arena, I am a believer in this UL Team. We have several quality wins, and quite frankly we are still showing improvement. Beating UVA there so convincingly should get some media attention in the polls.

Click to expand...

We looked like against EKU we had hit a wall, but since we have seen needed growth from James Scott, an all-floor game from Edwards that really wasn't expected and tremendous high level play from Chucky Hepburn. Getting Traore's unique skill set back was the cherry on top in Charlottesville.

There is still potential for Rooth's to give us more production which is important because those minutes and Traore's come at the expense of Waterman who clearly has his limitations. I probably expend more negative energy cushing at the television on Waterman than anyone sense Chane Behanen's fumbling the ball out of bounds from point blank range for the two months pre-BET back in the Championship Year.

rh62531 said:

I want to grade season as an A-, but early season poor decisions put outcome in a "cast". Having Riley return points and kickoffs was fools gold. The ankle injury he incurred severely restricted his abilities, and hurt his grades by NFL scouts. He never recovered from it. The other questionable decision was Ron English. It got to the point(again) that Jeff had to get more involved. He did so the year prior. English is easy to scout and any changes he makes are well known.

Click to expand...

Riley didn't get hurt returning a punt against Ga Tech; he got hurt on that spectacular play on the RPO that Puryear recovered for a TD. It only looked like because he did return a punt later in the game and it was his last rep until the Miami game. But you are right in saying the timing of Riley's injury severely hamstrung the season because it came in the fateful four game ND, SMU, UVa and Miami stretch where we went 1-3 and doomed our Conference title chances. It also coincided with Thornton playing with an oven mitt until late in the season.

I think the defensive issues stemmed in part from our trouble handling RPO QBs. First half of the schedule was littered with those offenses right up to Castellanos with BC; it had the look of figuring it out but truth be told the Stanford, Pitt and UK offenses were stark contrasts to Ga Tech, ND, SMU and Miami's. Clemson is the biggest defensive outlier of the season because they came into that game running up big offensive numbers and we shut them down. We went two deep at safety going into that game and it choked off those big plays deep.

I always qualify my statements here by saying I'm no closer to the inner sanctum of the program than anybody else here, but getting Khalib Perry and Darius Thomas tells me that somebody from among Antonio Watts, Stanquan Clark and/or TJ Quinn, not to mention TJ Capers is heading out. A senior-to-be who was starting in the Playoffs doesn't just hit the road to platoon or get second team reps.

Of course we brought in Tamarion McDonald and Wesley Walker last year to compete for the slot manned by Antonio Watts and Ben Perry and they all stuck with Walker sent packing and heading to Michigan. I think there is merit to Antonio or Stanquan sliding into the middle, but I'm still a little skeptical of the numbers but willingly concede it's the type of problem you want to have as a football program.

While it is true that Walz doesn't really use/recruit a true center position, he's had some pretty good bigs. Fuehring, Hines-Allen, Engstler, Dixon, Shook and to some degree, Cochran. His best teams are based on good guard play.

Smithereen said:

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

Click to expand...

TheRealVille said:

I really hope so, but how can we really know with most of these transfers? I count 19 so far but only a handful are from power 5 schools.

The stats and measurements look good, but some of these schools are not exactly near the ACC level. SEMO, Southern U, and Abilene Christian?

I do like what we have coming back though. Louisville should have several pre season all ACC offensive players with Brown, Watson, Lacey and Bell.

Miller Moss may be the top transfer QB in the ACC, so offense is looking very strong. It's the defense we all know that is suspect, and transfers from small schools will be making up the difference from this past season.

I wouldn't say powerhouse just yet, but we're on the right trajectory that's for sure.

Click to expand...

Players get drafted from the lower divisions too. You never know the reason they are there. Grades, talent, lack of exposure, played at a small school. I think this staff has done pretty good in evaluating talent. At this point I’m more worried about scheme on the defensive side.

2330859 said:

I believe that Bailey is just like most every other college player in America; simply making a decision that best suits his own future……whatever that might be. It’s the environment that we live in today, and whether it’s funny, ironic or foolish to fans like those on this site, Harrison gave this University a gift by playing in the Bowl game and will be self-rewarded by transferring to a place that will gladly take advantage of his talents.

Could he have competed for a starting role next year at UL? I still believe that he could, despite his decision to go elsewhere, as any reasonable person would agree that his chances to start elsewhere would be better than staying at UL and battling Moss for playing time.

Click to expand...

This is a smart way to handle the portal by Brohm and Bailey. As program you have to help players and as player you want to be in program that helps you reach your goals.

Brohm hates this but has shown flexibility with Bailey and Lacey.

There's just not enough minutes for all the guards. If Walz plays Berry more, that's less time for Curry. Same with Arenas or Roberts or Williams.

Walz's biggest problem in my opinion is his frontline. Cochran and Harris are average at best and they're both head and shoulders better than any other front court player. Walz has no answer for when they get into foul trouble.

He has to go with 3 or 4 guards when he needs scoring if either Cochran or Harris is in foul trouble. That's not conducive to winning basketball against the better teams.

I think fans are really starting to question Walz's inability to recruit better front court players. He has a couple of newcomers that don't see the court over Instabullaguoglu and Juffurmans and that tells me they shouldn't have been recruited to play here.

This for me is easily Walz least talented team in a long while if not for his entire career at UofL. He has his work cut out for him if he's going to get this team to the NCAA tournament.

I hope I'm wrong and they turn a corner, but that game against WF was hard to watch. Walz's teams used to obliterate teams like WF, not struggle to beat them.

TopCatCal said:

A conference (The SEC) which has won 13 out of the last 18 national championships & you think that Texas or any other team is going to come in to that league and dominate. If you believe that, then I've got a statue in New York harbor that I would like to sell you. Dominate?. They didn't even win the league championship this season. Remember Georgia beat them not once but twice.

Click to expand...

It is a stupid argument. What is the point? Who cares? Look at the NFL does anyone care the NFC North is the best conference? Hell no, only in college sports do fans pound their chest about their conference dominance.

Look at who is dominating the SEC, Georgia and Alabama especially the last 10 years. It is not the conference it is specific teams that go on runs. Was the SEC really down this year or was it Georgia and Alabama being were down?

College football has been rigged since the beginning. Power ratings i.e talent will always prop up the SEC and other brands in other conferences. They will always have the most talent.

Texas will win in SEC because they have all the resources and more to always have a great roster and great coaching. The teams that make it in the playoffs from the SEC will have the weakest SOS. This year 2 of the 3 had the weakest SOS in the SEC.

Oregon is a good example they have all the resources they need. They will compete every year. It has nothing to do with how good or bad the Big Ten is or isn’t.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

Rollem Cards said:

Login to view embedded media

Click to expand...

That's a fantastic movie.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

I really hope so, but how can we really know with most of these transfers? I count 19 so far but only a handful are from power 5 schools.

The stats and measurements look good, but some of these schools are not exactly near the ACC level. SEMO, Southern U, and Abilene Christian?

I do like what we have coming back though. Louisville should have several pre season all ACC offensive players with Brown, Watson, Lacey and Bell.

Miller Moss may be the top transfer QB in the ACC, so offense is looking very strong. It's the defense we all know that is suspect, and transfers from small schools will be making up the difference from this past season.

I wouldn't say powerhouse just yet, but we're on the right trajectory that's for sure.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

TopCatCal said:

A conference (The SEC) which has won 13 out of the last 18 national championships & you think that Texas or any other team is going to come in to that league and dominate. If you believe that, then I've got a statue in New York harbor that I would like to sell you. Dominate?. They didn't even win the league championship this season. Remember Georgia beat them not once but twice.

Click to expand...

Not me. I think you meant to respond to someone else. Or perhaps you missed the question mark at the end of my post.

Nobody dominates in $EC FB, although the Bear and Nick Saban have come close at times. That is my take based on 60 years of following the sport.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.

This is premium content. Please subscribe to view.