2021 ttun Shenanigans, Arguments, Surrender Cobras, Feckless Marmots, and Quitty Cowards

[sparcboxbuck]

Bowman's completion % was high but his TD/INT ratio is not very great at all.

He also didn't really throw the ball downfield a whole lot at Texas Tech.

So another captain checkdown who might be able to beat lower level teams if the WRs can step up and do a lot of work after the catch and the running game happens to work.

If you count INTs as completed (to someone) passes, that helps too.

 

[LordJeffBuck]

Bowman's completion % was high but his TD/INT ratio is not very great at all.

He also didn't really throw the ball downfield a whole lot at Texas Tech.

So another captain checkdown who might be able to beat lower level teams if the WRs can step up and do a lot of work after the catch and the running game happens to work.

Don't worry, Bowman will throw for 400+ yards and 5 TDs against Western Michigan and immediately become the September Heisman front-runner.

 

[LordJeffBuck]

Harbaugh is 49-22 after his first 6 (.690).... Michigan going 7-5 this year doesn’t have to be “acceptable,” but it also doesn’t necessarily mean you burn the program and ... fire your head coach when that happens.

Earle Bruce was 75-22-0 (.773) after his first 8 years, with a winning record against Michigan (5-4) and in bowl games (5-3). He went 6-4-1 in year 9 and was promptly fired. And that was 34 years ago, when the stakes weren't nearly so high as they are today.

If Harbaugh goes 7-5 and retains his job, then it's basically an admission that Michigan is a third-tier program with no hope of competing on the national stage.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

Earle Bruce was 75-22-0 (.773) after his first 8 years, with a winning record against Michigan (5-4) and in bowl games (5-3). He went 6-4-1 in year 9 and was promptly fired. And that was 34 years ago, when the stakes weren't nearly so high as they are today.

If Harbaugh goes 7-5 and retains his job, then it's basically an admission that Michigan is a third-tier program with no hope of competing on the national stage.

But Bruce had also been consistently out-recruited by his rival and his recruiting had gone from good to mediocre by the end.

oh... wait...

 

[Zurp]

Earle Bruce was 75-22-0 (.773) after his first 8 years, with a winning record against Michigan (5-4) and in bowl games (5-3). He went 6-4-1 in year 9 and was promptly fired. And that was 34 years ago, when the stakes weren't nearly so high as they are today.

If Harbaugh goes 7-5 and retains his job, then it's basically an admission that Michigan is a third-tier program with no hope of competing on the national stage.

It's almost as though 9-3 was just good enough to not get fired. My memory of 1987 was that as soon as the Buckeyes lost to Iowa, for their 4th loss of the season, they fired him. Maybe that's not quite right, though.

I think M*ch*gan just has a lower standard that Ohio State does. In the past 9 years, they've lost 3 or fewer games 3 times. All other years (including 2020, when they only played 6 games), they lost at least 4 games. And going back to 2001, they've lost 4 or more games 12 times.
So when M*ch*gan loses 4 or more games, it's, "Meh, that's just like 60% of our seasons, lately. Carry on!"
When Ohio State loses 4 or more games, it's, "Stop paying this guy, and find me someone who can't handle being in cold weather!"

 

[Thump]

Hill, Shibley Named Michigan's Big Ten Medal of Honor Recipients

Spoiler

Shibley transferred to Notre Dame in February.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

It's almost as though 9-3 was just good enough to not get fired. My memory of 1987 was that as soon as the Buckeyes lost to Iowa, for their 4th loss of the season, they fired him. Maybe that's not quite right, though.

I think M*ch*gan just has a lower standard that Ohio State does. In the past 9 years, they've lost 3 or fewer games 3 times. All other years (including 2020, when they only played 6 games), they lost at least 4 games. And going back to 2001, they've lost 4 or more games 12 times.
So when M*ch*gan loses 4 or more games, it's, "Meh, that's just like 60% of our seasons, lately. Carry on!"
When Ohio State loses 4 or more games, it's, "Stop paying this guy, and find me someone who can't handle being in cold weather!"

The bolded is 100% correct. They fired him immediately after the Iowa loss (Chris Spielman's last play in the 'Shoe; he got dragged into the end-zone by the Iowa Tight End on 4th and (I think) 29).

The band, members of whom had been bad mouthing him all season (I know because one of them was in two of my Electrical Engineering classes) went to go play at his house to show their support for him. The players had headbands made up that said "Earle". They kept them out of sight until the toin coss up at the Pig House in The Whore. Then they all put the head bands on and lined up shoulder to shoulder. It was an inspiring sight, to see them show support for their coach. It was even more inspiring to see them go out and beat TTUN that day, something that the people who fired Earle had assumed was an impossibility.

Some of us were, nevertheless, glad to see him go. We will remember him as a Buckeye, with respect. But it was time. He was not living up to The Ohio State Standard. That's how it goes.

 

[LovelandBuckeye]

If Harbaugh goes 7-5 and retains his job, then it's basically an admission that Michigan is a third-tier program with

 

[Zurp]

Some of us were, nevertheless, glad to see him go. We will remember him as a Buckeye, with respect. But it was time. He was not living up to The Ohio State Standard. That's how it goes.

Agreed. He went 9-3 every year except 3. 11-1 one year, 10-3 another year, and 6-4-1 his last year. Cooper came in and, after a few years, lost fewer than 4 games most of the time. A few years, his teams only lost 2 games (the last two). He slipped back for 2 years and was let go.

 

[Oh8ch]

Agreed. He went 9-3 every year except 3. 11-1 one year, 10-3 another year, and 6-4-1 his last year. Cooper came in and, after a few years, lost fewer than 4 games most of the time. A few years, his teams only lost 2 games (the last two). He slipped back for 2 years and was let go.

And of course both Cooper and Bruce are in the CFB HOF.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

And of course both Cooper and Bruce are in the CFB HOF.

Good enough for Ohio State

Good enough for the Hall of Fame

---------------------------------------

Good enough for the Hall of Fame

Maybe good enough for Ohio State

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

But Bruce had also been consistently out-recruited by his rival and his recruiting had gone from good to mediocre by the end.

oh... wait...

As someone who was there, the movement to let Earl go had been building for some time. The final year record was just the excuse. Earl's a great guy, and a legend, and he knew how to beat Michigan. That being said, the program on-field and in recruiting had been spiraling down for a few years. It went from just missing a NC in 79 to being pre-season #1 with the nation's top recruiting class the next year to a succession of 9-3 years and stagnant recruiting. I think the true turning point was '84 when Earl had a team stocked with future NFL starters, multiple pro-bowl picks and (to date) one NFL HoF pick, and he lost 2 games and then was embarrassed by a mediocre USC team in the Rose Bowl. I think after that, the program was broken.

 

[cincibuck]

The bolded is 100% correct. They fired him immediately after the Iowa loss (Chris Spielman's last play in the 'Shoe; he got dragged into the end-zone by the Iowa Tight End on 4th and (I think) 29).

The band, members of whom had been bad mouthing him all season (I know because one of them was in two of my Electrical Engineering classes) went to go play at his house to show their support for him. The players had headbands made up that said "Earle". They kept them out of sight until the toin coss up at the Pig House in The Whore. Then they all put the head bands on and lined up shoulder to shoulder. It was an inspiring sight, to see them show support for their coach. It was even more inspiring to see them go out and beat TTUN that day, something that the people who fired Earle had assumed was an impossibility.

Some of us were, nevertheless, glad to see him go. We will remember him as a Buckeye, with respect. But it was time. He was not living up to The Ohio State Standard. That's how it goes.

Woody had a two rough stretches. The first from 1951 to 1954 and then between 1961 and 1968. (helped in no small measure by his war with the faculty council that came out in the open at the end of the 61 season.) He survived because he had national championships and near misses in between.

After his initial seasons, Earl was letting the program slip. He had one run at an NC, a game he might have won had USC been forced to pee in cups prior to the game. I don't know why, but Earl and the basketball coach got into a pissing contest with Cincinnati and the Cincinnati media resulting in Michigan, Notre Dame, USC, UCLA, and Kentucky poaching the best talent out of Southwest Ohio.

The first thing Cooper did when he became the coach was to come down to Cincinnati and begin to patch things up by kissing a lot of ass. The results were immediate and much of the poaching stopped.

 

[Oh8ch]

As long as we are telling the Earl Bruce story -

After the 1986 season Bruce was offered and had accepted the HC job at Arizona (OSU declined to counter the AZ offer despite pleadings from AD Rick Bay) However, at the last minute he changed his mind and decided to stay.

When Bruce was fired Bay quit in protest over what he felt was unfair treatment.

Finally, the Earl story would not be complete without touching on his sartorial splendor.

The way he dressed was part of what alienated the powers that be. He started wearing a suit and fedora (the transition was almost comical to be frank) later in his career, but I still believe his early sweatshirts contributed some small part to his demise.

 

[Thump]

As someone who was there, the movement to let Earl go had been building for some time. The final year record was just the excuse. Earl's a great guy, and a legend, and he knew how to beat Michigan. That being said, the program on-field and in recruiting had been spiraling down for a few years. It went from just missing a NC in 79 to being pre-season #1 with the nation's top recruiting class the next year to a succession of 9-3 years and stagnant recruiting. I think the true turning point was '84 when Earl had a team stocked with future NFL starters, multiple pro-bowl picks and (to date) one NFL HoF pick, and he lost 2 games and then was embarrassed by a mediocre USC team in the Rose Bowl. I think after that, the program was broken.

It’s “Earle” you nimwit!