Where we went wrong on offense this season

[Gibbon7 0]

If we would have played to KF's strengths, and called the zone read and had designed QB draw plays and bootleg option pass plays where he could tuck and run if necessary, we would have another dimension to our offense for defenses to worry about. He should have been getting 12-15 carries a game either by design or by cutting and running when the receivers were covered. I think Loeffler is trying to turn him into something that he is not comfortable at doiong and that has been a bad idea.

KF should have been given more running plays the first 4 games.....that is where we screwed up IMHO. Right now we are too easy to defend.

[NoALtiger 3,667]

The coaches are stubborn and trying to prove a point with the whole "Keihl is a passer" bit. It has blown up in their faces in a big, big way. Good call guys.

[Gibbon7 0]

The coaches are stubborn and trying to prove a point with the whole "Keihl is a passer" bit. It has blown up in their faces in a big, big way. Good call guys.

The play against MSU at the 5, where we ran the jet sweep to McCalebb and there were 4 defenders watiing on the right side of the line to tackle him for aloss, KF could have faked the handoff and walked into the endzone. He has been handcuffed by not being coached to run when the opportunity is there. Maybe they are too worried about getting him injured, but without him running we are not the offense we could be right now...not by a longshot.

[ellitor 31,807]

Where we went wrong is when Chizik changed his team identity after week 2 by forcing Gus to stop the no huddle. To help the D. Yes we were winning ugly but we were winning and strongly competing.

[AUinMS 0]

I have always felt that a good coach is one that can take any 11 players and develop a scheme to fit their strengths. I don't see the current offensive coaching staff doing that. They are trying to make the players fit the system rather than the other way around.

[Wrights_Mill_Road 2]

If we had let him run, we would be 5-0.

not really

[penguin149 368]

AUinMS...I agree completely. A good coach develops and uses the players he has. We could start a AU basketball discussion on this as well, but I digress.

This staff's use of KF reminds me of 1998 when CTB and crew tried to make Ben Leard into Dameyon (sp) Craig #2. And we all know what happened with CTB mid-way through that season. Turns out that Ben was a pretty good (not great) QB when Noel Mazzone structured an offense around his strengths. Lit up LSU & UGA in 1999 & won the SECW in 2000.

[AuburnGrad97 37]

Kiehl Frazier was the #1 or #2 (depending on service) DUAL-THREAT Qb in the country coming out of HS. We recruited him for his ability to get out of the pocket, and make throws on the run, or tuck the ball and plow up field. Our current OC is asking him to be Tom Brady. Anybody seen Tom run the ball too much???

Loeffler (I'm not calling him coach anymore, because I hope to see he is gone come Monday) is not utilizing our talent. We have an All-American FB that sits on the sidelines for 60% of the game. They say this is because of "situations" or "personnel groupings", keeping him on the sidelines. I say this is bullsh--t. We have a mobile QB that sees the field and makes better throws when getting out of the pocket, and Loeffler wants him to go against his every instinct and stay in the pocket. Loeffler runs the sames plays, over and over again, many times even when the defense calls a timeout because they see something they need to adjust to, and he still friggin' runs that same play!!! To quote Ron Burgundy, that is Busch! That is just Busch League!!

If Chizik doesn't correct the mistake he made hiring Loeffler, and I mean IMMEDIATELY, this entire coaching staff is in jeopardy. 3-9 is a distinct possibility right now, and for the money these guys make, that is UNACCEPTABLE.

[autigeremt 6,130]

We hired an unproven OC. That is where it all started. How many proven OC's would have taken a job where his assistants were picked for him already? When CGM came in he had two guys who came from a power spread offense at OK State, so Gus was comfortable with it. This is a mess that only a good OC can fix.

[PigskinPat 2,284]

We hired an unproven OC. That is where it all started. How many proven OC's would have taken a job where his assistants were picked for him already? When CGM came in he had two guys who came from a power spread offense at OK State, so Gus was comfortable with it. This is a mess that only a good OC can fix.

I don't mean this sarcastically, but we also hired an unproven HC and that might be where it really all started.

[AU64 10,122]

We hired an unproven OC. That is where it all started. How many proven OC's would have taken a job where his assistants were picked for him already? When CGM came in he had two guys who came from a power spread offense at OK State, so Gus was comfortable with it. This is a mess that only a good OC can fix.

I don't mean this sarcastically, but we also hired an unproven HC and that might be where it really all started.

Can't agree with this....schools hire "unproven" HCs all the time...I mean everyone is unproven at some point in their career....and hard as it might be to accept, AU is not every coach's dream job.

I have to wonder if Chiz did not hear all the buzz about running back U and "running down hill" etc and try to go back to the old days of grind it out football like most people posting on the AU blogs talk about. Look around...how many schools are successful with that offense? You must have a QB that can run your system and at the moment we don't have that. It might just be that the OC and Chiz stayed with the idea of pro-style offense too long... even though it was apparent that it ain't working. IMO we went wrong by changing the offense without the players to make it successful.

[IronMan70 3,271]

The fact that the Head Coach is telling us that he will be looking for an offensive identity with the OC this week, tells you all you need to know about the problem. We went thru Spring practice, Summer workouts, Fall camp and are about to play the 6th game of the season and the HC is looking for an offensive identity ? It is hard to even know how to respond to that.

clue: we have 3 RBs that are averaging 5 yards a carry, we have an All American blocking FB who rides the pine, we have an athletic QB who can sprint out and move the pocket with an option pass or run, we have a young O line that can run block straight ahead effectively, we have a FB that can pass block and help the O line. Take a guess about our identity.

[PigskinPat 2,284]

The fact that the Head Coach is telling us that he will be looking for an offensive identity with the OC this week, tells you all you need to know about the problem. We went thru Spring practice, Summer workouts, Fall camp and are about to play the 6th game of the season and the HC is looking for an offensive identity ? It is hard to even know how to respond to that.

clue: we have 3 RBs that are averaging 5 yards a carry, we have an All American blocking FB who rides the pine, we have an athletic QB who can sprint out and move the pocket with an option pass or run, we have a young O line that can run block straight ahead effectively, we have a FB that can pass block and help the O line. Take a guess about our identity.

I agree. How in the world that beast of a player Prosch isn't playing WAY more than what he does is bewildering to me. That kid is a freak and needs to see the field a majority of the offensive snaps.

[BoKnowsAUFamily 0]

The problem with the offense is the same as it was when we went to the Franklin system. We made a whole sale change, we needed a hybrid type offense to ease into it.