UB Fan Stampede: Post season, and post baby, edition

I was getting ready to run this when my wife went into labor. Seems like a good post to kick out now that I am getting back to the site.

Here is UB Nations position by position report card

Follow the jump for details

1) Quarterbacks

2010 (D): Last year was true definition of a solid F. I will give a grade of a D. No doubt about it, Chazz was an upgrade over last year but Chazz does not have an FBS QB arm. I just did not understand why Chazz did not run more. It was a shame to see Chazz have such a weak outing in his final game. The wind played havoc with Chazz’s delivery. It became obvious that someone else should have been under center this past Friday. With teams having to respect Bo, the WR’s should have had better lanes for the ball to be delivered to. That did not happen. The grade also is low because this will be the third season that a new QB will start the season.

BRJACR (C-): The Chazz-periment gets a D+/C-. He was supposed to be a difference maker, a B+/A- caliber quarterback. He provided nothing more than what I believe we would have seen if Zordich was under center all year. But the fanfare he got when he came in, the expectations should have been higher.
Now, UB is entering year three under Coach Quinn still looking for a quarterback. There has been alot of call for Zordich as the season wound down, me included. But we didnt get to see Zordich much. Im wondering if somebody behind Zordich (Licata) has shown enough in practice this year that the coaches feel will be the answer next year, the spring camp should bring some clarity to the situation. UB needs to find its Dysert, or LeFavour, or its Willy, and it needs to be somebody who chose to come to UB, not a temporary band aid.

ChiTown(C+): For the actually quarterback play itself, i would say a B-, but the handling of the QBs by the coaching staff was not good. There was no reason to play Chazz that last couple games. Let Zordich play, and get some good experience against the bottom of the MAC teams. Chazz was not as good as we may of thought, but I think he played fairly well, all things considered. His OLine was on and off all year, which was probably why Chazz was on and off all year. At times he looked great, other times he looked flat our terrible. Chazz is a class act though, and I wish em nothing but the best going forward. Next year, it is Zordichs job to lose. We have a ton of depth at QB, with a couple highly rated recruits coming in.

2) Halfbacks

2010 (A): How do you not give Bo an A. Especially that besides Neutz that there really was not a pass threat. Bo owns the season standard for most carries (306), rushing yards (1,439), all-purpose yards (1,760) and 100-yard games (eight). What more can you ask for out of your running back. Bo is ranked 13th in the nation. Can you imagine if we had a passing threat that kept the safeties and Line Backers honest?

BRJACR (B): B, only because B stands for BO. One of the few bright spots of this season is watching him play. The kid never quits and is absolutely fearless. I would have given the backs an A, had it not been for the fact that we very rarely get to see anything from the other backs on the roster, and thats not the back's faults.Going forward, the one thing that will be interesting is how Potts figures into the line up.

ChiTown(A): Only reason this is not a A+ is because I would have liked to see more Gill mixed in there, but I am not going to complain. What can you say about Branden Oliver? He worked on and off the field the way that every player in blue should have worked. He fought for every one of those record breaking yards, and I couldn't be happier for him. For him to do this as a sophomore is exciting, as he will have a chance to be one of the best backs in the country his junior and senior year. Next year, it will be more of the same for Oliver, but it will be interesting to see how we incorporate Gill and Potts (considering he will be eligible).

3) Receivers

2010 (D): How much of this is the QB vs. the wide receivers. I will have to give a grade of D. It did hurt when Neutz went down but keep in mind that he was averaging just under 5 catches per game. Losing the top WR in Marcus Rivers this year. Also losing our third highest WR (if you take Bo out of the mix) with Ed Young who I really believed squandered away a great opportunity during his time at UB. Who has to step up next year, Fred Lee. It is time for Fred to be a threat on the opposite side of the field from Neutz to help take away double teaming. Devon Hughes, I am really hoping can take a large step forward and be a contributor. This may be a weak point for the team next year if no one steps up to take some heat off of Neutz.

BRJACR (C): A solid C. For everything that Neutz did up to when he got hurt, it was offset by the play of the seniors receivers. The drops, the lollygagging, never coming back for the ball when Chazz was in trouble, and the fact that they werent difference makers was just too much. Plus you have the tightends that seemingly are forgotten in this offensive scheme.

I think there is an opportunity here for a freshman to come in and play right away. For sure, 1 or 2 quality depth players should be added in recruiting.

ChiTown(B+): Alex Neutz has proven he can be a legit number 1 receiver. The wrist injury is unfortunate, but he will be able to come back strong next year and prove to be one of the best receivers in the MAC. Rivers and Jackson had unspectacular senior year, but they played solid all year long. Ed Young had his up and down moments, but really fought hard the whole season to leave on a positive note. Going forward, we have some talented young guys in Fred Lee, Devon Hughes and Cordero Dixon. The skill at this position is set.

4) Offensive Line

2010 (B): I am probably going to get killed for this, but I will give this squad a B. Nice holes were opened for Bo. Time was available for Chazz to make a read and fire (which usually means he made his read, danced around, spun out and ran to the sidelines, and then threw a pass he should not have!) I have no issues with the line.

BRJARC (C):
Another C, possibly B-. Your running back doesnt break the record of the best running back ever to play at UB without the OLine doing something to help out. Pass protection was inconsistent all year, hence the C.
They have some pretty good depth at this position, but you can always use more quality depth in the trenches.

ChiTown(B-): Run blocking, often times, was pretty good. The line was able to open up decent sized holes for Oliver (not that he needs very big holes). The pass blocking on the other hand was rough once again. At times, it looked very good, but the majority of the time Chazz was not given the time needed to get the ball where it needed to be. I definitely saw improvement from last season, to this season regarding the OLine. They are a fairly young group, and should be stronger next year.

5) Defensive Backs

2010 (C): Considering what left the program last year I thought that teams would have a field day throwing the ball all over the place. UB ended up ranked 41st with a completion percentage of 59% (320/189).

What I really liked was the total yards of only 201 per game. For that I will give an A. What I hated was the average of 12.93 per completion and gave up 25 TD’s. Where I really believed this unit needed to do was step up on some long third downs (and especially the fourth down drives against Ball State) where the squad did not close the door and force a punt or field goal. Overall I will give this unit a C. Probably higher grade than what is on paper with the expectations that went into the season.

BRJACR (D): D. It was a struggle. I dont believe that is a talent issue, because these guys were some of the highest rated recruits in their respective classes. I think it was more of an experience issue and working together.
Next year, my expectation is they will gell, the talent is there, now just doing it. They could use a little help to, which Ill get to.

ChiTown(C+): They probably played like more of a C, but I cut them a little break considering how young the group is. Cortney Lester and Najja Johnson, as expected, were extremely inconsistent all year long. They made some great plays, and then made some mind boggling plays that were really inexcusable. Najja Johnson deserves sole recognition though because he seemed to really get better every game. Going forward, he could really be a shutdown corner for the next few years. He has the skillset, and work ethic to do so. Okoye Houston showed flashes at times, but again made to many mistakes. Carlos Lammons was a disappointment, and I expect to see him take a step up next year.

7) Linebackers

2010 (C): As much as Skinner was a pleasant surprise, I thought Mack really did not take the next step forward. I was disappointed to see that Mack had a couple games where he was totally taken out of games. It is a shame that the hardest hitter on the D was a DB in Copeland. Fred Branch had a nice senior season but overall I was not impressed with this unit. Couple of nice plays throughout the year but overall was not a difference maker. If this team is going to have success next season, the linebackers will have to step up with forcing more takeaways, pressure on QB, and making plays at the line of scrimmage. For the most part this unit was totally forgettable besides a couple of plays by Mack. With the talent this unit has, should have been more of a disruptive force. Overall a C

BRJACR (C+ For both LB and DL): C+/B-. They were better than average for the most part. They kept UB in games while the offense did whatever they were doing, but there was also times when they needed to make a stand and they didnt. And the problem I spoke of in the defensive backs, is the front seven could not generate any kind of consistent pass rush. When your defensive backs are as green as they were, they have to get pressure on the QB. Even the most experienced defensive back can only cover any receiver so long before somebody comes open, and if the QB has all day to wait in the pocket for that to happen, its a no win situation.
They did improve as the year went on with their run defense. One of the things I see, beyond the missed tackles, and the delay in support from the "green" defensive backs, is the front seven just taking the wrong path of attack getting to the ball carrier. trying to go inside of a block instead of going outside and stringing the play out and waiting for support to come.
Moving forward, Always need to add quality depth. And I know it sounds like I was brutal on the defense, but I expect the defense to come together nicely next year and be the B+/A- caliber defense. Just get me some pass rush.

ChiTown(B+): Lee Skinner, Khalil Mack, Fred Branch, Jaleel Verser, Scott Pettigrew and even Khari Brown all played really good all season. Skinner proved to be one of our best pure tacklers, as a freshman. Mack proved to be one of the best linebackers in the country. Branch had an outstanding senior season, along with Verser. Pettigrew fought back from his injuries and played at a high level this season. Khari Brown, a true freshman, played good when he was on the field, and seemed to be making a lot of plays on special teams as well.

8) Defensive Line

2010 (D): Overall I will give the Line a solid D. Colby Way took advantage of his playing time and was the sixth highest tackler. Richie Smith gave what he had. Means did not take his play to the next level. 2.5 sacks and a nice interceptions for a TD but overall was not a difference maker. Again he can be but the "man" on the line, but it did not materialize. Should have had a much better season.

ChiTown(B-): Steven Means had a bit of a slump this season. Maybe we were expecting too much out of him, but he seemed to be negated most of the time. Especially considering Mack got most of the attention, Means had a lot of opportunities to make plays. What really saves this unit is the performance of Colby Way and Wyatt Cahill. Way played outstanding all year, and is someone who is going to be a fixture in this lineup for the next couple years. Cahill was a nice juco recruit who made an immediate impact. Richie Smith had a good senior year, and is another kid who has been nothing but a class act during his time at UB. With that said, I expected bigger things from the OLine, especially Means, which is why the unit only recieved a B-.

9) Special Teams

2010 (F): Absolutely brutal. The worst grade I can give is an F. I wish that I could give worse. Some of the lowlights are kicking the ball out of bounds on kick offs, missing PAT, shanking field goal attempts, big yards gained on kickoff returns, having no plan for a starter to get injured, wrong kicker on the field for kicks, and etc. No going to say more other than this was the a car wreck this year. Oh yeah, out senior punter was good. Who is going to punt next year?

BRJACR (D): I dont think there needs to be much explanation here. UB was always on the short end of the stick when it came to the field position battle. And thats one are where Special Teams can actually help, and they dont. This would have been an F if it wasnt for the fact that Clarke took over the kicker position and looks fully capable of handling that position.
Going forward, I seriously want UB to find a dedicated Special Teams coach. When special teams cost you games, I think its time for that. And of course, the punter position will have to be addressed.

ChiTown(B-): B-. The only reason this rating is not higher is because the special teams cost us at least 2 wins. The Peter Fardon experiment proved to be a failure. With that said, Jacob Schum had the best punting year for UB since we won the MAC title. He had length, and more importantly a lot of hang time on his kicks. Patrick Clarke is ready to take over as the main kicker for UB. He has all the tools of a great kicker, and did a pretty good job at kickoffs for a true freshman. He needs to keep the kicks in-bounds, but overall he did great. Our return game was pretty good all season, untill Jackson went out with the injury and we couldn't find someone to catch a punt. B- is a tough rating, but there are a lot of positives going forward.

10) Coaching

2010 (F): I just have no other options than an F. Besides Bo, show me a player on this team that really took a large step forward. Who else on this team was a pleasant surprise. Besides Neutz, Mack, and Means who had some high expectations, who else really stepped up and made a name for themselves. N. Johnson and Way had a decent season but not one else really opened up eyes. It comes down to terrible play calling for the second straight season on offense. Biggest example was from the Bowling Green game. It is a third and 1 going against the wind. UB calls a WR quick strike that sails five yards behind the receiver and we are forced to punt. Pound the ball for a first down. It is almost the coaches ego always gets in the way. This coaching staff when they arrived at UB watched Gill’s last season games all on tape. They sat around laughed and made fun of the coaches for how bad they coached. Really? If a new coaching staff came in and watched the last two seasons and had to grade the coaches, could anyone really give anything else besides an F? How is your ego now Coaches? Still want to put the past regimes film on and laugh at them. On defense, we have talent. I did not see the talent married with coaching, infused with a solid game plan, and ramped up with excitement . From my opinion, this coaching staff is letting down these players. They are not making the players better, no energy or riling up the team. Watch the side line last year against Temple as the biggest example and look at the sidelines of each team starting the second half on Friday. BGSU was into the game and looked like the walking dead on the UB side line. The D coaches also sending in terrible calls to not put the players in the best opportunity to succeed. The coaching for special teams for the second straight year is a disaster. Blow that up and start from scratch.

BRJACR (D-): This could be a Stampede all by itself. I would have to say 3 wins gets a D-. For the tenure, incomplete. I have yet to call for anybodies head. But next year is put up or shut up for me. With most of your starters returning, there are no excuses, not even the QB situation (your own doing), that will be good enough if UB doesnt ,at least, get to November and still be solidly in the equation for the division race, with a .500 finish or better (which means possible bowl game). All things considered, I dont think that is too much to expect.

ChiTown(D+): You gotta wonder how all the positions got at least an average grade, yet we still sucked. It is the coaching. Our playcalling all season was mind boggling. Our gameplans were questionable. The depth chart decisions were questioned all season, yet he never seemed to make a change. At some point, you have to realize you are not winning. Something is not right. The personell out there was the same, the play calling was the same. You cant all of a sudden become a good team, doing the same thing that is losing you game after game. Going forward, we have a lot of young talent who now have a year or two under their belt. If Quinn wants to keep his job, and any kind of fan base, he has to step his game up. He is off to a good start with recruiting, as he has a good class (on paper) coming in. This staff has one more year to turn things around, or his seat is going to be too hot to handle.