Ah, there are none so blind as those who will not see. All you have to do is read through the multitude of posts explaining why we're in the position we're in. I, too, question the coaching but it's not entirely coaching.
Go back and watch the defense when they were fresh and the defensive QB, Wartman-White, was on the field. As this post began, it was about the LBers. We are thin at LB and we lost the defensive signal caller. Between losing the leader on defense and with the offense going 3 and out for almost the entire last 3 quarters, the defense wore down-- and that would be the case for any defense in the Country. You ask about how the sanctions had anything to do with that-- well, we recruited very small classes in 2011, 2012 and 2013. With only the 2014 class and last year providing us with bigger numbers. Also, keep in mind, we were not recruiting the best talent through those 3 years-- hell, once the (dreaded word, excuse to some) "sanctions" hit, we had to take whoever was willing to come, not the elite talent we would hope for. We got 3 LB recruits in 2014 (Cabinda, Reeder and Farmer- who has been moved back to safety); and 3 last year (Cooper, Bowen and Kelly- who has already been dismissed from the team). The harsh reality is, we have very little experience and depth and as it stands, we'll probably be starting a sophomore, a RS freshman and possibly a true freshman. To suggest the sanctions have nothing to do with it is a gross misstatement. Here's another "fact", not exuse, and it's not sanction realted...Ben Klein has not been able to return from injury, there's another upperclassman who is unable to help.
Back to the offense, I'm not sure it's all on the line, either. Hack did not perform well, there's no other way to say it. Was that because the coaches didn't put him in a position to succeed? I think the answer is, partly, yes however, Hack was responsible for a number of the sacks and it seemed to me he over and under threw receivers throughout the game.
Steve Jones, during the pregame show, pointed out that we have 78 players on scholarship. Of those 78, 39 are rs freshmen or true freshmen. Why are we so bottom heavy with younger players? Well, the answer is...it's coming...wait for it... you're not going to like it... it's because of the... oh, it's so hard to say this to you... it's the sanctions.
If you can't understand that we're not going to do well with this many young players, I'm not sure you'll understand anything else I've said.
One last thought-- I agree, the offensive play calling left a lot to be desired, but it wasn't just the coaching that cost us that game. I'd also point out, a good number of the players who helped us attain a lot of those recruiting rankings are no longer on the team, having left early, transferred, or graduated.
