A Sea Of Red

The inaugural FBS season for the Flames is now in the books. Bring your thoughts on the season as a whole here. Keep the NSU game discussion in the other thread.

This feels like “Typical Liberty” to me. At the beginning of the year had you said they’d finish 6-6 people would be thrilled. But upon further review it feels sorta hollow

278 days until we host Syracuse!

Congrats to the team and coaches! Good year when initially we were favored to win 2 games per the odds makers. Only the 9th team in FBS history to finish with 6 wins in inaugural season. Go Flames!!

Purple Haize wrote:This feels like “Typical Liberty” to me. At the beginning of the year had you said they’d finish 6-6 people would be thrilled. But upon further review it feels sorta hollow

Accurate.

I was thinking they would win 4 games, but felt good about them winning 8 after a few games. Definitely something to build on, but changes need to be made.

Purple Haize wrote:This feels like “Typical Liberty” to me. At the beginning of the year had you said they’d finish 6-6 people would be thrilled. But upon further review it feels sorta hollow

Yep

I really wish I could feel happy about this year but it just feels like much of the same. Kudos to the coaching staff for getting some very good talent to come here but you have to coach them up when they're here and I just feel like that isn't happening at a very high level.

Unfortunately nothing will change except for maybe a few minor coaching staff adjustments because that is the Turner Gill way.

Should have finished 8-4.

Purple Haize wrote:This feels like “Typical Liberty” to me. At the beginning of the year had you said they’d finish 6-6 people would be thrilled. But upon further review it feels sorta hollow

I understand the feeling. I was an optimist and predicted a 7-win season, so you'd think I'd feel good about getting close. They won one game I didn't expect them to win (Troy) but lost two games I thought they'd win (NMSU the first time, UMass). The defense was simply awful most of the season and probably cost them those two wins, and Buckshot's decision-making and accuracy got worse as the season wore on. The running game is a bright spot - Hixson, Matthews, Pickett and Boyd all had their moments, and we have Joshua Mack eligible in 2019.

The good news is that the stage didn't feel too big for us. The Virginia game made me believe that we can hold our own against ACC competition, and we'll have plenty of opportunities to demonstrate that in the years ahead. The only question that looms over all of this is, "Is our coaching up to the challenge?"

I thought we could win 7 as well, but I predicted 6-6. We won two games I thought we wouldn't Troy & New Mexico, but then we lost 2 that I predicted we would win @NMSU & @UMASS. Yes, we should've won 8 this year but I am pleased with a 6-6 record. How could I not be since that was my prediction and since we doubled the average prediction of what the college football experts thought. I am proud of how our guys didn't give up on the season and I appreciate how Gill gave the seniors opportunities today to make plays.

Do changes need to happen? YES. At the very least, We need a new defensive staff.

Can't wait to see how this recruiting weekend went and to see what fruit comes from it.

Once again, 1 win away from postseason play

I had us at 4 wins, 5 max. Did we exceed expectations? Yes...barely, but yes.

As for the coach situation, I maintain the same stance i have had all season. If I'm ADIM, I tell Coach Gill that if there are not substantive changes on the defensive cosching staff (and i don't mean shifting titles around), ypu will be terminated (yes with one year apparently left on his contract), then give him until the CFP semifinals to make that happen (and to minimize potential recruiting collateral damage)

This post doesn't point to us being something we are not, but I think it does tell how well our season went as a first year FBS team.

Only 68 teams had a better record than we did this year in FBS. 13 had the same record and 48 teams had a worse record than we did.

I know some have pointed to the fact that we only beat 1 FBS team with a winning record and that is true. However, we can't underestimate the success of our first FBS season. We are only the 9th team to be able to transition from FCS to FBS and win atleast 6 games. Again, we also doubled the win total of the average win prediction from the college football expert magazines.

Am I okay with 6-6 going forward? No, because as many of our Forum Family have mentioned, "we should've gone 8-4" and I completely agree with you. Since, we believe that 8-4 was more than just doable this year then the coming years our team should progress and our recruiting of higher talented players should increase. With this said, let us enjoy the exceeded expectations of 2018 and look forward to a brighter future for Flames football as changes will need to be made for this to happen.

Thanks to coach Gill and company for providing us an entertaining and successful first year FBS transition.

We are only the 9th team to be able to transition from FCS to FBS and win atleast 6 games.

Serious question - for the other 8 teams, how many FCS wins did they have?

Good question. That would be interesting to know.

Jonathan Carone wrote:

We are only the 9th team to be able to transition from FCS to FBS and win atleast 6 games.

Serious question - for the other 8 teams, how many FCS wins did they have?

So, I didn't look at all the other 8 but 6 of them went like this:

1. App. St. 7-5 and 1-1 vs FCS *with the one FCS loss coming to good ole LU!
2. Georgia Southern 9-2 and 1-0 vs FCS
3. ODU 8-4 and 6-0 vs FCS
4. Texas San Antonio 8-4 and 3-0 vs FCS
5. Western Kentucky 7-5 and 5-0 vs FCS
6. Idaho 6-5 and 3-1 vs FCS

The most recent transition teams(AppSt. & Ga.So) limited their FCS opponents to 1 & 2. The other 4 had any where from 3 to 6.

Gill stated that he’s happy where the program is at, defense and all. Possible repetition of disappointments and an unexpected win from a team we shouldn’t have beaten next season? Guaranteed.

So have only two teams ever won six FBS games in their first season? That’s kinda crazy, especially given how close we were to doing it.

cruzan_flame13 wrote:Gill stated that he’s happy where the program is at, defense and all. Possible repetition of disappointments and an unexpected win from a team we shouldn’t have beaten next season? Guaranteed.

I do hope Ian requires him to fire Wimbo. The only defensive people I could see Ian allowing Gill to keep would be Vantz and Aaron Wilkins. But this above quote is concerning.

Bookbinder isn’t going anywhere unless it’s by choice.

The real question this off season is the status of Gill’s contract. If he indeed only has one year left you HAVE to extend him for at least 2 more years (3 total). It’s shooting yourself in the foot to have a lame duck coach. It makes it near impossible to get good talent to come play for you if there’s not even a possibility of you being around to play for

Purple Haize wrote:The real question this off season is the status of Gill’s contract. If he indeed only has one year left you HAVE to extend him for at least 2 more years (3 total). It’s shooting yourself in the foot to have a lame duck coach. It makes it near impossible to get good talent to come play for you if there’s not even a possibility of you being around to play for

Who knows when that’ll be announced. McCaw is very silent about these things and who knows if he has all the authority to do what is best for the program. The fact that Gill and most of the staff was still here for this season makes it seem like he doesn’t have that much. Those who are making the decision will only see the 6-6 and not the yardage that the defense allowed in games that the opponents weren’t even good(plus other things). Like I mentioned before, we shouldn’t use the “if it’s Christian then it should be better” motto. Clearly we do not apply that well with football. The other programs are striving to improve or to be challenged by big schools. That’s how they receive commitments quickly. I’m sorry, but our coach and staff are not that good or at least together. I rather McCaw go somewhere else where he can use his talent 100% of the time; wish it was us though.

FlamesHighontheTide wrote:
Only 68 teams had a better record than we did this year in FBS.

ONLY 68!!!!

I’m less concerned about the overall record than about how that record came together.

alabama24 wrote:I’m less concerned about the overall record than about how that record came together.

This is what I’ve said for a few years.

Record wise a very impressive year.
Congratulations! The team fought through some very tight games.

The eye test is another value we have been addressing.
Our future schedules do not give us the umph to bring in a valued coach.
We can go 10-2 like Fresno and Boise and be lucky to scratch the top 25. Certainly not the same level as USC and Notre Dame.
I see mediocrity being our standard. I do hope I am wrong.
Given we will most likely retain our coaching as it is unless Gill announces next year is his last as he waants to retire.
Our kids, to include seniors. Our seniors and juniors lack some of the fundamentals of the game and the ability to read the developments is frightening. I understand talent level difference but that is no excuse for what is missing. This is due to either poor recruiting and/or a lack of coaching up. Either one does not bode well if that tract continues. Can we really pull in top rated talent? Many lower rated players below 4 stars turn out to be strong gamers. <---- strong fundamental coaching can certainly improve this success rate.
Granted, poor play calls and decisions are a part of the game. This can be very subjective but when there are a few per game to be noted questions need to be asked.

I stand with a few others, fun to travel gto Army, Virginia, and Auburn as opposed to the vaunted BS (Big South) opponents. Fun to watch us compete and win 6 regardless of how it unfolded.
The nuts and bolts of how we got there
Ian set us up for a difficult transiition. Is the expectation to build a few recruiting classes before change? Are we still pushing for a conference and holding for that day? The queations can go on and on.
I wish for a change now but I have no choice but to trust the procees and show up next year ready to beat the orange.