(01-09-2012 05:42 PM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote:  I head that Freeze wanted to coach it - but that maybe Ole Miss has requested some stipulations (like who stAte could/couldn't recruit?) that stAte wouldn't agree to. Or maybe I imagined this. Not sure.

I think most people now feel Freeze wanted to coach the game, and there are ASU fans who said they asked him at the game and he said he asked to coach the game, just not sure if Ole Miss or ASU or both stopped him from doing so.

That he did not, really hurt this ASU team. Freeze is a difference maker.

not a big deal either way to me. It definately hurt, But I now understand why Malzahn isnt retaining any staff...

(01-09-2012 12:56 PM)Nick305 Wrote:  Aplin didnt play like himself, he was very innacurate.

Losing Frampton in the 2nd Quarter, Muse before the game, and having a Jarboe playing with one arm didn't help his "accuracy".

ASU had a nice season and certainly took a big step forward as a program. No need to get down on that. They ran into a very good and seasoned NIU team that ironically lost its coach before its bowl game the prior year. NIU however prevailed in a big way over Fresno and my reason for saying this however is not to talk down ASU or the Belt but to point out that just winning the Belt and making a bowl was a big step for this program. They will learn from this and should come back stronger next year. NIU was in a similar position a few years back. A strong program isn't built over night.

I will however point out that with the ASU loss the Belt is now 0 - 3 against the MAC in the GMAC / Go Daddy Bowl the last three years. Assuming that ASU should have won this game regardless seems a little naive. Even if they were at full strength and with Freeze this would have been a tough game. NIU's senior class just closed out the winningest era in NIU history and were not going to go down easy. It would have been an uphill battle regardless and to be honest with you, Aplin did you no favors. He made some terrible throws. You can debate if his bad game was due to coaching changes or good defense all day but the better team clearly won. The game wasn't even as close as the final score considering how many FGs NIU missed.

It's fairly clear that the MAC#1 is better than the Belt #1. I do think we start winning this game soon...probably trading off wins every other year on average.

I would really like to play this game again, but they were the better team. They are a very solid team, and deserved the win.

I have several disagreements with the officiating, but I'm not sure that would have made any difference....but it sure didn't help. The coaching staff didn't seem to make any adjustments at half, but I'd imagine any adjustments were countered by NIU.
It was a tough one to lose, but we did. Oh well, I'm looking towards next year.

When I see games start off as lopsided as this one did, and then make a complete u-turn because of a questionable call (4th down fake in this case) I wonder how the game would have played out had momentum not shifted so much.

I thought the same with Clemson/West Virginia. Even though Clemson wasn't running away with it before the goal line fumble return for a TD, I felt the game would have ended within 14 pts. if not for that swing.

I expected ASU to lose. The team arrived late at every bowl event and the practices leading up to the game were described as ragged and dis-organized. Fleming leaving the morning of the game because his mother was killed just made more confident ASU was out.

Seeing players cramping early tells me not everyone followed their conditioning plan while released from campus.

If ASU had had its feces together America might have gotten the predicted shoot-out many predicted.

(01-09-2012 09:37 PM)BlueRaiderFan. Wrote:  It's fairly clear that the MAC#1 is better than the Belt #1. I do think we start winning this game soon...probably trading off wins every other year on average.

When the Vegas line has stAte favored - it isn't all that clear.

Those guys don't build beautiful hotels/casinos by offering stupid lines . . .

NIU won. stAte lost. If the game were played 10 times - NIU probably would have won 6 or 7, knowing what we know now about stAte's temp coaching.

Bottom line:

The Sun Belt is on the rise, and it is rising at a pace that will eclipse the MAC sooner than later.

(01-10-2012 12:24 AM)WinstonTheWolf Wrote:  

(01-09-2012 09:37 PM)BlueRaiderFan. Wrote:  It's fairly clear that the MAC#1 is better than the Belt #1. I do think we start winning this game soon...probably trading off wins every other year on average.

When the Vegas line has stAte favored - it isn't all that clear.

Those guys don't build beautiful hotels/casinos by offering stupid lines . . .

NIU won. stAte lost. If the game were played 10 times - NIU probably would have won 6 or 7, knowing what we know now about stAte's temp coaching.

Bottom line:

The Sun Belt is on the rise, and it is rising at a pace that will eclipse the MAC sooner than later.

When you lose three in a row against the MAC, they're better. As far as Vegas, they are good, but when it comes to the Sun Belt, they aren't so good (relatively speaking). I'm not saying ASU wasn't as good or maybe even better, who knows? NIU won and looked better to me. If ASU could have kept their coach, I think they might win this one, but we will never know. Until our champ starts beating the MAC champ, the MAC is a bit better in my book. We are getting close. I think in another 2-3 years our top will be right there with them, but as it stands now it looks like our #1 would be #2 in the MAC most years.

(01-09-2012 12:33 PM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  

(01-09-2012 12:02 PM)HILTOPWKU Wrote:  Every bowl team that lost a coach, lost their bowl game.

As has been pointed out... That's life as a mid Major something NIU had to deal with last season.. And Toledo, who won their game BTW, had to deal with it this season

"A few days after accepting the invitation to the 2011 Military Bowl, coach Tim Beckman left Toledo to become the coach for Illinois, leaving offensive coordinator Matt Campbell to coach the Rockets in the bowl game"

Well at least Toledo still had their OC to coach the bowl game. ASU lost the head coach, and BOTH of their coordinators. Offensive AND the Defensive. Hell, ASU ended up using a couple of high school coaches and a couple of grad assistants as fill ins for the bowl game.

(01-09-2012 10:28 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  I expected ASU to lose. The team arrived late at every bowl event and the practices leading up to the game were described as ragged and dis-organized. Fleming leaving the morning of the game because his mother was killed just made more confident ASU was out.

Seeing players cramping early tells me not everyone followed their conditioning plan while released from campus.

If ASU had had its feces together America might have gotten the predicted shoot-out many predicted.

It is a shame that those in a position to do so,decided not to do everything to insure that the players had the best chance to be successful in this game. It would have been the right thing to do.

Botton line is they did not represent ASU, the SBC or themselves as well as they could have.

(01-09-2012 10:28 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  I expected ASU to lose. The team arrived late at every bowl event and the practices leading up to the game were described as ragged and dis-organized. Fleming leaving the morning of the game because his mother was killed just made more confident ASU was out.

Seeing players cramping early tells me not everyone followed their conditioning plan while released from campus.

If ASU had had its feces together America might have gotten the predicted shoot-out many predicted.

Looks like ASU did a great job of shooting themself in the foot.
Maybe they SHOULD apologize for a shoddy approach to the game. Reflects on them and the conference.

(01-10-2012 12:54 PM)MG61 Wrote:  

(01-09-2012 10:28 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  I expected ASU to lose. The team arrived late at every bowl event and the practices leading up to the game were described as ragged and dis-organized. Fleming leaving the morning of the game because his mother was killed just made more confident ASU was out.

Seeing players cramping early tells me not everyone followed their conditioning plan while released from campus.

If ASU had had its feces together America might have gotten the predicted shoot-out many predicted.

Looks like ASU did a great job of shooting themself in the foot.
Maybe they SHOULD apologize for a shoddy approach to the game. Reflects on them and the conference.

stAte had a great regular season, but when it was time to perform before a national audience as the conference champion . . stAte laid a turd and tarnished that great season . . made my school look bad on national TV and made my conference look weak on national TV . . not what should have been . . truly sad !!

Go stAte . . Go SBC !!

(01-10-2012 01:16 PM)ManzanoWolf Wrote:  

(01-10-2012 12:54 PM)MG61 Wrote:  

(01-09-2012 10:28 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  I expected ASU to lose. The team arrived late at every bowl event and the practices leading up to the game were described as ragged and dis-organized. Fleming leaving the morning of the game because his mother was killed just made more confident ASU was out.

Seeing players cramping early tells me not everyone followed their conditioning plan while released from campus.

If ASU had had its feces together America might have gotten the predicted shoot-out many predicted.

Looks like ASU did a great job of shooting themself in the foot.
Maybe they SHOULD apologize for a shoddy approach to the game. Reflects on them and the conference.

stAte had a great regular season, but when it was time to perform before a national audience as the conference champion . . stAte laid a turd and tarnished that great season . . made my school look bad on national TV and made my conference look weak on national TV . . not what should have been . . truly sad !!

Go stAte . . Go SBC !!

If it's any solace to you, ASU didn't look any worse than MT did last year in Mobile.

However, I take that bowl game over a 2-win season any time.

Make it to a bowl game and you've been successful, in my book. We haven't gotten to the Southern Miss standard of constant winning seasons yet (everyone probably except for Troy).