bleu wrote:kdawg32086 wrote:Cactus Jack wrote:Oregon's run is over, my friend!
After tonight, I completely agree with you... :/ If I was Rob Mullens, I would probably fire Helfrich tomorrow, make Hoke the interim HC for the remainder of the season and go after someone like Herman, Miles, Dan Mullen, PJ Fleck, Bryan Harsin, etc.
What is going on with Oregon? Is it coaching or what? I haven't caught a single one of their games this season, but I was shocked to see how the game turned out tonight. What is your honest analysis of their demise?
From my armchair AD viewpoint, I think it comes down to coaching. In hindsight, they shouldn't have passed on Chris Peterson when Chip left, in favor of keeping Helfrich to preserve "The Oregon Way." Although to be fair, Chip passed on Tony Brooks-James, Charles Nelson, Devon Allen, and Kani Benoit as recruits...and that just looks dumb in hindsight.
Specifically, though, it's a defensive coaching problem which has morphed into an offensive coaching problem with Lubick calling plays. Helf is such a nice guy, to the point where he is too nice and too loyal to the existing coaches. That's why he promoted Pellum to DC when Alliotti retired instead of going and getting someone like Todd Orlando or Dave Aranda. And then he passed on Mike Nolan as a DC candidate in favor of Hoke because Hoke wouldn't replace any of the assistant coaches and Nolan had wanted to replace John Neal. To be fair though, Neal is probably the best defensive assistant on the team. Pellum's guys consistently look awful and Aiken, for all of his credentials, has had his d-line underperformed a lot. Not to mention with Hoke as the DC...this is his first time ever being a DC.
On the offensive side of the ball, Lubick is struggling mightily as an OC and it shows in his playcalling. Yost as the QB coach was solid, but in doing that we now havea new OC and a new DC who are calling plays for the first time in their careers. It's not something you typically want to see with the pedigree that Oregon has built over the last decade.
I personally think than Dan Mullen from Mississippi State would be the perfect replacement, although I think they would try to poach Rich Rod from Arizona first.
Helfrich and Mora are probably the two coaches in the conference who should be replaced by their respective schools following the season.