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Lester's coaching record with Wassink playing: 12 -5

With Wassink out: 1-5

It is a shame this injury occurred TWICE.

...and your opponent...and your preparation...and your defense...and your playmakers...

(11-06-2018 01:08 PM)uclabruin Wrote:  Lester's coaching record with Wassink playing: 12 -5

With Wassink out: 1-5

It is a shame this injury occurred TWICE.

I would say with Wassink we beat NIU & CMU (definitely) last year. Not Toledo.

This year? Maybe the Toledo game would have gone differently, but that was really on the defensive gameplan in my mind. The Ohio game? I hope we didn't lose our minds in the first half because of a lack of confidence in Eleby.

Let's see what happens at Ball State. Their team has seriously derailed the last three games. Maybe we're talented enough to overpower them regardless of shaky QB play, but they've also stuck with Notre Dame. Are they smart enough to challenge Eleby or will they stick with their vanilla plan on defense?

I do hope though that people realize Eleby performing so well against Toledo was a bit of a fluke, and people who were already insinuating that Wassink might be benched were way off the mark. Toledo had zero prep for him, Eleby was playing on pure adrenaline, and Toledo didn't appear to try to test him as a young player. Ohio tested him and exposed that he still has much to learn before reaching the clear potential he has.

Wasn't the excuse last year that we had an inexperienced QB?

Aaron Rodgers could have been our QB the last two games and we would have still gotten blown out. Our defense didn't even prevent resistance against Toledo or Ohio's offense, and our special teams were very bad too. Our offense wasn't even bad against Toledo.

I think if you lose your starting qb, it makes a hell of a difference. And based on the record, it looks like a solid point

(11-06-2018 02:13 PM)uclabruin Wrote:  I think if you lose your starting qb, it makes a hell of a difference. And based on the record, it looks like a solid point

Don't you think context is key? It coincidentally happened that we had much more difficult conference games both years after he went down than before.

(11-06-2018 02:46 PM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  

(11-06-2018 02:13 PM)uclabruin Wrote:  I think if you lose your starting qb, it makes a hell of a difference. And based on the record, it looks like a solid point

Don't you think context is key? It coincidentally happened that we had much more difficult conference games both years after he went down than before.

It's the same context that we were up 28-14 in the 4Q against CMU when Wassink got knocked out of the game. Sure didn't feel like we lost because of Goddard, but hey that's just me I guess.

I think Wassink got hurt before that in the EMU game

(11-06-2018 03:55 PM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  I think Wassink got hurt before that in the EMU game

Right. It took Bono two quarters to figure out we couldn’t complete a pass downfield.

(11-06-2018 03:51 PM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  It's the same context that we were up 28-14 in the 4Q against CMU when Wassink got knocked out of the game. Sure didn't feel like we lost because of Goddard, but hey that's just me I guess.

IIRC, Wassink went out in the EMU game. He never played in the Central game last year...

(11-06-2018 03:55 PM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  I think Wassink got hurt before that in the EMU game

True (oops), but actually kinda proves my point even further.

What would 2016 look like if Terrell goes down? What happens if Terrell takes a season ended before the CMU game that year?

PJ would still be here trying to sell 7 win seasons to the boosters as he worked to find the next WMU QB. Look at Minnesota... no QB no success.

(11-06-2018 09:14 PM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  

(11-06-2018 03:55 PM)wmubroncopilot Wrote:  I think Wassink got hurt before that in the EMU game

True (oops), but actually kinda proves my point even further.

Ahh, no. Not at all.

If we lost to UT and Ohio by like 7-10 points, then we can ponder the "what if's" of QB. But the margin was so wide, the errors so widespread, safe to say the L's would've happened no matter who was behind center.

(11-07-2018 08:07 AM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  If we lost to UT and Ohio by like 7-10 points, then we can ponder the "what if's" of QB. But the margin was so wide, the errors so widespread, safe to say the L's would've happened no matter who was behind center.

Maybe for Toledo, though. Go back and look at the drive charts. We had momentum heading into halftime as we found our footing. Then Toledo comes out and scores, then we fumble, they score, we get a three and out, then we trade scoring drives.

If we had two touchdowns to start the second half (and not let Toledo have easy 37 and 39-yard scoring drives on a turnover and blown drive), you're looking at a score of 44-38 heading into the fourth quarter. The defense did get two stops at the end of the third and start of the fourth quarter.

Would Wassink have won that game? I'd say probably not, but it's intriguing. Had Wassink gotten us another touchdown in the first half, it could have been us leading 45-44 into halftime with momentum.

Sometimes a little change can dramatically change the course of the game. I really do hope though that it wasn't a lack of confidence in Eleby that started our downward spiral. We're talented enough to win with Eleby if we play our game.

It's all conjecture, obviously.

But if we skid to 6-6 and sit home for the holidays, I really don't want to hear Lester in post-season pressers pointing exclusively to Wassink's injury as the crux of 2018's issues.

It's part of it, sure. But there are larger, more overarching issues in play here that have little to do with the QB position. The injury card - valid as it was - was used in 2017.

(11-06-2018 01:08 PM)uclabruin Wrote:  Lester's coaching record with Wassink playing: 12 -5

With Wassink out: 1-5

It is a shame this injury occurred TWICE.

I remember with the Washington Redskins won the Super Bowl with Mark Rypien at QB. Rypien would not have started for most D-I college teams, but with the Redskins outrageously good O-line, RB's and receivers, let-alone defense, he was fine. The key was he did not make many mistakes and knew he didn't have to win the game by himself. He was serviceable.

An outstanding QB helps, but more is needed for a championship team. Football is not hoops where one player may turn a team into a championship contender.

Dilfer also won a Superbowl, just because the defense was good. But that's a rarity.

Nick Foles
Russell Wilson
Joe Flacco
Brad Johnson

Look at last year's final four teams... Tom Brady (the exception), Blake Bortles, Case Keenum, and Nick Foles.