i point in that direction because i really really hate to point fingers at a player (even though i kinda did)………If i give you the benefit that the Boise line and LB’s were good, then fine…but what about previous games where the O-line tackles collapsed?……..

ahem. why point in coach smith’s direction? he is not the one playing.

Lots of negative venting on the blog tonight from lurkers who never blogged in a long time or never blogged before. Well, welcome out of the shadows. I spend a lot of time there myself. I agree with Kazz, however. You should share when it is good times and not just when it is bad.

I think the coaches and the team are doing as well as they can, given all of the changes and challenges they have faced since last January. I believe in them and point to Fresno as an example of why. That was a great win in Fresno, and it should not be forgotten in the pain that this loss caused. And that first half tonight should have ended in a 10-10 tie, and was as good a half as we have ever had at Boise, in my memory. We also were playing against one of the best defenses in the nation.

I think the problem is that we have coaches who believe in the run and shoot, fans who fell in love with Hawaii when we were good at the run and shoot, and a starting quarterback who should be running an option offense.

This blend of limited run and shoot and option offense does not yet have the big play/quick strike ability that made it possible to overcome a three touchdown deficit last year. It has shown the ability to work itself up the field with short passes and short to medium runs. However, our defense, when it doesn’t have to start on our end of the field, has proven that it can stop good teams, and win the turn over battle.

Unless we find that quick strike ability, to win games with this team, I think we must play the field position game, consistently putting the opponent in bad field position, and gradually gaining better and better field position, so that there is always the threat of a field goal and sometimes a touchdown.

We need excellent punts to pin our opponents back as far as possible, and we cannot afford to ever throw long into double and triple coverage. We have seen way too many of those this season.

Our run and shoot offense is designed to take what the defense gives us, and I think in the second half, Boise dared Ron Lee and Inoki to go long. When they bit, either Inoki and the receivers were not on the same page, or the ball was short. I felt that Ron Lee wants to believe that Inoki can execute that part of the playbook, but I don’t think that he can consistently pull off those plays.

What was needed was what we got in the first half. A relatively conservative offense that could keep the ball away from BSU, move the ball up the field with a balanced attack, and not turn the ball over. I am not sure if BSU made adjustments at the half or if we got in trouble by switching our patterns. I’m interested in what some of the sharper football minds on this blog have to say about the difference between the two halves.

And I can see why Alexander is not the #1 quarterback. It was painful watching him try to run. He can make that long pass, but has very limited mobility and no speed at all. He would need a much stronger O-line than we had by the end of the game tonight. BSU was crushing our guys backward towards the end.

Colt set the standard for the kind of quarterback that is needed to be successful with the run and shoot offense, combining mobility with accuracy and zip. Neither Funaki or Alexander appear to be able to meet that standard. Graunke apparently still has injury problems.

I support the team and the coaches, feel pride in what they were able to do in Boise, and look forward to seeing how they rise to the challenge against Nevada. See you all at the Tsaikogate!! Go WARRIORS!!!

Our defense performed well. They seemed prepared for Boise’s tricky offense. In past years, Boise’s offense left our defense flatfooted and looking quite stupid. Today’s performance was a welcomed relief.

Give credit to Boise’s coaches and players. They certainly outplayed the Warriors this afternoon.

I agree with you on mixing up our plays, direct snaps etc. How much do you think the playbook from Norm Chow or Urban Meyer will go for? haha.

wellz better get to bed. gnite

Go Warriors!

How many of you realized that Funaki was making passes into TRIPLE AND QUADRUPLE COVERAGE?

Like i said earlier, one of the other receivers should have been open unless Boise was playing with 20 men on the field….What is up with that? Not going through progressions maybe?

It wasnt just turnovers that made lose the game….quite frankly our tackles on the O-line are….well i am going to be very very nice…they are not *ahem* IDEAL.

sooner than later we need to get big, quick footed, long armed tackles to keep the pressure off.

The pressure from the outside kills us and will continue to kill us day in and day out….

Mr. Brian Smith, what the heck are you doing to address these problems that we had since LAST YEAR?

Coach Bulla…oh nevah mine. Too late to call on da Beast.

Al – you going miss ’em, but we gotcha covered. Little Tim will be there to stand-in.

Beat Nevada!