(07-29-2015 09:17 AM)Hail Southern Wrote:  Crazy. Do you remember the coach's explanation? Anything short of "I'm secretly a big UNI fan and couldn't bear seeing us win" would be a terrible explanation.

What I've heard are two things, playing the odds and his inexperience as a head coach.
What the players say is that he gave up on them. An 11-2 team that up until that point had only lost a close conference game and a game that put fear into A&M.

(07-29-2015 11:09 AM)Scrotumus Wrote:  Bad decision at the time and it certainly hasn't stood the test of time...

I have a couple of buddies who are ex UNI players who were texting me with glee when that happened.

Not the cap'n & doosh1b?

(07-29-2015 12:17 PM)CatMom Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 09:17 AM)Hail Southern Wrote:  Crazy. Do you remember the coach's explanation? Anything short of "I'm secretly a big UNI fan and couldn't bear seeing us win" would be a terrible explanation.

What I've heard are two things, playing the odds and his inexperience as a head coach.
What the players say is that he gave up on them. An 11-2 team that up until that point had only lost a close conference game and a game that put fear into A&M.

No, it wasn't his inexperience at head coach and he only kinda said he was playing the odds.

He said Nealy wasn't playing the 2 minute offense well in practice, so he decided to take it to OT as he liked the odds there.

EDIT: That's what made the refusal to even RUN a play or two even more infuriating. I guarantee you he could have ran a draw to Sherman for 20 yards. They were playing REALLY scared of Nealy at that point.

(07-29-2015 08:35 PM)TheRevSWT Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 12:17 PM)CatMom Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 09:17 AM)Hail Southern Wrote:  Crazy. Do you remember the coach's explanation? Anything short of "I'm secretly a big UNI fan and couldn't bear seeing us win" would be a terrible explanation.

What I've heard are two things, playing the odds and his inexperience as a head coach.
What the players say is that he gave up on them. An 11-2 team that up until that point had only lost a close conference game and a game that put fear into A&M.

No, it wasn't his inexperience at head coach and he only kinda said he was playing the odds.

He said Nealy wasn't playing the 2 minute offense well in practice, so he decided to take it to OT as he liked the odds there.

EDIT: That's what made the refusal to even RUN a play or two even more infuriating. I guarantee you he could have ran a draw to Sherman for 20 yards. They were playing REALLY scared of Nealy at that point.

As expected, terrible explanation on many levels. I don't see how any player could respect the guy after that. I'm sure there were other factors, but I'm guessing that played a role in your 2006 nose-dive.

Obviously a very timid, conservative decision. Throw some short, safe passes. Or who knows, you may bust a long run. At least try. I couldn't believe what I was watching. I still remember the look on the face of one fan in particular.

(07-30-2015 09:41 AM)Hail Southern Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 08:35 PM)TheRevSWT Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 12:17 PM)CatMom Wrote:  

(07-29-2015 09:17 AM)Hail Southern Wrote:  Crazy. Do you remember the coach's explanation? Anything short of "I'm secretly a big UNI fan and couldn't bear seeing us win" would be a terrible explanation.

What I've heard are two things, playing the odds and his inexperience as a head coach.
What the players say is that he gave up on them. An 11-2 team that up until that point had only lost a close conference game and a game that put fear into A&M.

No, it wasn't his inexperience at head coach and he only kinda said he was playing the odds.

He said Nealy wasn't playing the 2 minute offense well in practice, so he decided to take it to OT as he liked the odds there.

EDIT: That's what made the refusal to even RUN a play or two even more infuriating. I guarantee you he could have ran a draw to Sherman for 20 yards. They were playing REALLY scared of Nealy at that point.

As expected, terrible explanation on many levels. I don't see how any player could respect the guy after that. I'm sure there were other factors, but I'm guessing that played a role in your 2006 nose-dive.

Partially but we did lose 29 seniors from that team

As far as buying out a return to Texas State in 2005, App did that for money reasons as this was right before the championships and increased attendance. Also, Northwestern State bought out their return trip to Boone that same year. App only had 4 regular season home games and 7 road games (including at Kansas and LSU) that season.

(07-30-2015 04:04 PM)T-Dog Wrote:  As far as buying out a return to Texas State in 2005, App did that for money reasons as this was right before the championships and increased attendance. Also, Northwestern State bought out their return trip to Boone that same year. App only had 4 regular season home games and 7 road games (including at Kansas and LSU) that season.

Yeah, someone (way back then) said it was because App was scared... I just laughed that one off.

Not because we had no chance or anything, just one team buying another out due to fear was... well, laughable.

(07-30-2015 09:41 AM)Hail Southern Wrote:  As expected, terrible explanation on many levels. I don't see how any player could respect the guy after that. I'm sure there were other factors, but I'm guessing that played a role in your 2006 nose-dive.

I think the fact that we lost our own "all everything" Nealy, and stud lineman Fred Evans (still kicking in the NFL!) that year, among like... EVERYBODY else on the team due to graduation was what killed our next year.

Bailiff built that team for that run... He just came up short.

(07-30-2015 05:35 PM)TheRevSWT Wrote:  

(07-30-2015 04:04 PM)T-Dog Wrote:  As far as buying out a return to Texas State in 2005, App did that for money reasons as this was right before the championships and increased attendance. Also, Northwestern State bought out their return trip to Boone that same year. App only had 4 regular season home games and 7 road games (including at Kansas and LSU) that season.

Yeah, someone (way back then) said it was because App was scared... I just laughed that one off.

Not because we had no chance or anything, just one team buying another out due to fear was... well, laughable.

Don't tell NDSU fans that about us buying out the game with them in 2011.

Good Lord that was just like gas poured on a fire when we got matched up in the playoffs that year. They were a bit pumped up.

(07-31-2015 07:00 AM)eaglewraith Wrote:  Don't tell NDSU fans that about us buying out the game with them in 2011.

Good Lord that was just like gas poured on a fire when we got matched up in the playoffs that year. They were a bit pumped up.

It's fun for smack talk (I mean, come on... that's like a gimme), but ANYONE that truly believes a team is avoiding them because they are scared is just... well, they need professional help.

(07-31-2015 07:38 AM)TheRevSWT Wrote:  

(07-31-2015 07:00 AM)eaglewraith Wrote:  Don't tell NDSU fans that about us buying out the game with them in 2011.

Good Lord that was just like gas poured on a fire when we got matched up in the playoffs that year. They were a bit pumped up.

It's fun for smack talk (I mean, come on... that's like a gimme), but ANYONE that truly believes a team is avoiding them because they are scared is just... well, they need professional help.

We walked into a viper's nest because of it.

On a sidenote, I do believe NDSU fans need professional help, but that's another story.