TJRanger175

I have been looking for a better view of that play in particular as well. I was listening to one of the podcast guys (Zac or Justin maybe?) and they were talking about when they took another look into the footage there were a couple of things that stood out. One- it looked like the receivers on the right side were running a pick/rub route combo and then could not get pass their defenders. Based on what you just said, that makes sense- despite the errant throw. Two- the TE and Tank were pretty wide open on the play. It does look like the play was a good one, but the execution was not good at all.

Dude is an absolute beast. All indications are that he is an outstanding person as well. I am going to sit back and enjoy watching him for the next few years.

Possibly my favorite part. No participation trophies.

Valid points

I understand how you can be frustrated. This is a new system that is completely different from anything he has ever run- HS and college. I know plenty of people in the real world that say they have 25 years of experience, when in reality they only have one year of experience repeated 25 times because there was never really any growth. Bo is in the same boat- never improved because his deficiencies were never addressed. He is finally getting quality coaching by two people that are known for developing QB's. Now if he is still making fundamental mistakes on a consistent basis when we are deep in the SEC portion of the schedule, I will be a little less optimistic.

I think we will see a lot of adjustments based on this game. I don't think anyone knew how good Hunter was going to be. When worm gets back this is going to be a 3-headed dragon in the running game. It looks to me that all 3 running backs can catch out of the backfield. It also looks like the TE position is in good hands. I would not be surprised to see a power running game where Auburn tries to get 40-45 touches (ground and air) to the running backs coupled with a quick passing game that is focused on 3 & 5 step drops with the running backs and TE's as outlets. This would almost neutralize the deficiencies of the O-Line and take some of the pressure off of the inexperienced WR Corp. Of course, this is all conjecture.

I think there were some growing mistakes for him, but nothing that cannot be corrected. He is remarkably improved in almost every area. The decisions he is being asked to make in this system is complete opposite of what he was being asked to do his first two years (where everything was pre-designated). He will make mistakes. He will learn. We will be stronger for it- mainly because after playing cupcakes for the first two weeks where everything AU did worked, the coaches now have a better understanding of what the team is good at and not good at.

I think a lot of people are discounting the possibility that in this offense there are multiple options that a receiver can run based on what the defense presents coverage wise. From my understanding there have been multiple instances where Bo and the receivers have not been on the same page. Bo would make the correct read and the WR would not. One instance occurred when Bo almost threw a Pick-6 against PSU. I believe it was Justin Hokanson who stated that once the play was over the offensive coaching staff ran over to the receiver to reprimand him for running the wrong route. Pretty plausible considering the receivers have not really had any coverage reading responsibility in years. I am positive that if this is the case, it is easy to correct.

Quite a lot of emotional responses still going on. Here is an unpopular opinion- I would council patience. I think the model that is being built right now is not something that is going to be built in a season, though we will see continual improvements this year. I think the saying goes something like, "Most people overestimate what can be achieved in a year and underestimate what can be achieved in three years". In order to build a strong culture, we also have to take into account that a certain amount of "deprogramming" has to occur. We still have quite a few players that have bad habits, but I think the majority of them are "getting it". It is a complete 180 from what we have seen the past decade. The model that Coach Harsin introduced is quite like "The Process" used by Saban. It is based off of an approach called, "Built for Life" and was heavily developed by Chris Peterson. The approach is to build men, and then win a few football games on the way. Here are some of the building blocks: The thought process is it is very hard to have good habits in one thing not translate into having good habits in other things. Conversely, having bad habits in something will probably translate into not having good habits in other things. The approach (trying to be careful not calling it a process) is designed to build Men that will make an impact on not only the team and the game, but for their careers, their families, and their communities. It is standards based with high expectations and clearly defined ways of doing things. It is a very hard approach for college athletes to go through, but the understanding is that they will not do it alone. There is a ton of team building activities that take place (such as the "Tiger Olympics") that are designed to bring everyone together. Unity and building people up is a big focus. Some of the other main themes are Deliberate Practice, Accountability & Discipline, and High Standards. Its all about High Integrity, High Productivity, Low Ego. The culture he’s set on creating is one where mistakes are accepted, effort is rewarded and belief in the possible is paramount. All of the fundamentals and techniques for playing all of the positions are clearly defined and refined. The principles of the program are laid out in a similar way as John Wooden's Pyramid of Success. The focus is on making small improvements every single day because those small improvements over time will stack on to each other in order to make massive improvements in longer time frames. The philosophy is taught so that players understand that adversity will happen and the individual and the unit will have to figure out how to intelligently respond when it happens.

"IF"...

What I would hope to see if Auburn falls behind- They don't give up... they keep fighting until the end. PSU may very well beat Auburn, but if State does win the game I hope they have to go through hell to get the win. While I care about a win, I recognize that it is not something in my control (I had to make the decision to not stake my emotional wellbeing on the actions of 18-22 year old's). If they show they care enough to fight until the end and show improvements on the areas they needed to improve... if they do that, then we know they are heading in the right direction.

First time poster, long time lurker. I visited the Penn State campus when I was living in Central PA a couple of years ago. My in-laws (both Golden Eagle) stated that it was the most beautiful campus they have ever been to. I loved my time in PA- the people are great. Strong values and great families. Still have a lot of friends up there. I remember the Capital One Bowl game when they had Larry Johnson (2003)... the PSU fans were some of the nicest I ever met from an opposing team (in case you wondered- I believe Wisconsin fans were the worst I ever encountered). Now if you will allow me to geek out: I did see an article that had Beaver Stadium as being the 3rd loudest stadium (by decibel count) in the country. It was just behind Autzen Stadium in Oregon. The number one spot went to Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. Source: https://fanbuzz.com/college-football/loudest-college-football-stadiums/ Another article had Beaver stadium measured at 122 Decibels Tiger Stadium comes in at 130 Decibels As a point of reference, a thunder clap comes in at 120 decibels. 130 decibels is the same as a Military jet aircraft take-off from aircraft carrier with afterburner at 50 ft. At 150 Db, your ears rupture. Beaver stadium will be loud, but will not be as loud as an Auburn/ LSU game (Earthquake game, anyone?)