Iraq2xVeteran said:

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Elko started 7-1 (5-0 SEC) before losing 4 of his last 5 games, including 3 consecutive losses to end the season. Our only win in that span was over New Mexico State, and we have lost 4 consecutive games to Power 4 opponents since a 38-23 win over LSU on 10/26. Dating back to a 42-30 road loss at LSU on 11/25/2023, we have lost 4 consecutive November SEC games and 2 bowl games for 6 consecutive losses to Power 4 opponents in November or later. We have not won a Power 4 game in November or later since a 51-10 home win over Mississippi State on 11/11/2023 and a bowl game since a 41-27 win over North Carolina in the 2021 Orange Bowl on 1/2/2021.

Losses to 9-4 (5-3 SEC) South Carolina and 13-2 (7-1 SEC) CFP semifinalist Texas were understandable, but a loss at 5-7 (2-6 SEC) Auburn was inexcusable. If we had beaten Auburn, we would have finished 9-3 (6-2 SEC) regular season record and reached the SEC Championship Game for the first time. Yes, Texas would have probably beaten us again, but we might have even won it to finish 10-4 (6-2 SEC).

An 8-4 regular season finish with at least one November SEC win and a subsequent bowl win for a 9-4 finish will be a much better finish than ending last season with 4 consecutive losses to Power 4 opponents. This is my minimum expectation for Elko's 2nd year.

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Thank you for your rational take on things.
I agree our Nov. Have been awful, mostly we are already coming in with 2-3 losses and Nov just is a Hydrogen bomb on our season. It's often due to injuries, lack of depth, and just overall not matching with the talent around us. Playing games v LSU, Texas, Bama, Ole Miss, AU (in some cases) later in the year when we are beat up and worn down (not saying they aren't) has been awful for us.

I also just think the team mentality under Jimbo was so far off - last time we actually saw any toughness or grit was when Elko was here under Jimbo. I think there are things behind the scenes he had to correct in Year 1 that paid dividends early on - and will continue to with a good culture: accountability weigh room disciplines, depth, relationships.. I expect that with an older team this year, those culture issues cleaned up, we can see us keep building this year. and can result in some November surprises for us - in a good way!

seebond said:

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Iraq2xVeteran said:

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Elko started 7-1 (5-0 SEC) before losing 4 of his last 5 games, including 3 consecutive losses to end the season. Our only win in that span was over New Mexico State, and we have lost 4 consecutive games to Power 4 opponents since a 38-23 win over LSU on 10/26. Dating back to a 42-30 road loss at LSU on 11/25/2023, we have lost 4 consecutive November SEC games and 2 bowl games for 6 consecutive losses to Power 4 opponents in November or later. We have not won a Power 4 game in November or later since a 51-10 home win over Mississippi State on 11/11/2023 and a bowl game since a 41-27 win over North Carolina in the 2021 Orange Bowl on 1/2/2021.

Losses to 9-4 (5-3 SEC) South Carolina and 13-2 (7-1 SEC) CFP semifinalist Texas were understandable, but a loss at 5-7 (2-6 SEC) Auburn was inexcusable. If we had beaten Auburn, we would have finished 9-3 (6-2 SEC) regular season record and reached the SEC Championship Game for the first time. Yes, Texas would have probably beaten us again, but we might have even won it to finish 10-4 (6-2 SEC).

An 8-4 regular season finish with at least one November SEC win and a subsequent bowl win for a 9-4 finish will be a much better finish than ending last season with 4 consecutive losses to Power 4 opponents. This is my minimum expectation for Elko's 2nd year.

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Thank you for your rational take on things.
I agree our Nov. Have been awful, mostly we are already coming in with 2-3 losses and Nov just is a Hydrogen bomb on our season. It's often due to injuries, lack of depth, and just overall not matching with the talent around us. Playing games v LSU, Texas, Bama, Ole Miss, AU (in some cases) later in the year when we are beat up and worn down (not saying they aren't) has been awful for us.

I also just think the team mentality under Jimbo was so far off - last time we actually saw any toughness or grit was when Elko was here under Jimbo. I think there are things behind the scenes he had to correct in Year 1 that paid dividends early on - and will continue to with a good culture: accountability weigh room disciplines, depth, relationships.. I expect that with an older team this year, those culture issues cleaned up, we can see us keep building this year. and can result in some November surprises for us - in a good way!

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Every program has injuries going into NOV. In some cases we have had a bunch, but mostly its just average. Same exact thing can be said about *insert SEC program*

Too big to fail


?????

Until we start putting 10+ players into the NFL draft each year, with consistency….we're still not gonna be there.

The coach we're looking for is the guy who can get us to THAT metric as soon as reasonably possible.

cs69ag said:

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People seem to keep forgetting that Klein's O led the SEC in scoring in SEC games last year.

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Klein's O was actually tied for 5th in points per SEC game. Unless Klein's engineering those Bryce Anderson pick-6s, he's got room to improve

Elko needs a 2012 or 2020 year, this year.

Paul Pierce Ag said:

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cs69ag said:

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People seem to keep forgetting that Klein's O led the SEC in scoring in SEC games last year.

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Klein's O was actually tied for 5th in points per SEC game. Unless Klein's engineering those Bryce Anderson pick-6s, he's got room to improve

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So tied for 5th out of 16 with our workhorse RB out for the most significant 30% of that run + multiple starting OL out longer than that, with a backup qb he was developing an offense around on the fly, who is also a qb the loudest on this board don't have confidence in.

Damn, seems like Klein did a bangup job if we're going to dog him for 5th in conference game points scored after 1 year of an entirely new staff.

Points count but only to the extent they produce wins. I think it's fair to look at the tailspin at the end of the season.

I do believe Elko is doing the right things the right way. But our fan base only has a two-year honeymoon period.

Bunk Moreland said:

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Paul Pierce Ag said:

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cs69ag said:

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People seem to keep forgetting that Klein's O led the SEC in scoring in SEC games last year.

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Klein's O was actually tied for 5th in points per SEC game. Unless Klein's engineering those Bryce Anderson pick-6s, he's got room to improve

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So tied for 5th out of 16 with our workhorse RB out for the most significant 30% of that run + multiple starting OL out longer than that, with a backup qb he was developing an offense around on the fly, who is also a qb the loudest on this board don't have confidence in.

Damn, seems like Klein did a bangup job if we're going to dog him for 5th in conference game points scored after 1 year of an entirely new staff.

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Read into it whatever you like, I never said either way.

We need to deal in facts, not delusions of grandeur.

Aggie Dad 26 said:

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seebond said:

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Iraq2xVeteran said:

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Elko started 7-1 (5-0 SEC) before losing 4 of his last 5 games, including 3 consecutive losses to end the season. Our only win in that span was over New Mexico State, and we have lost 4 consecutive games to Power 4 opponents since a 38-23 win over LSU on 10/26. Dating back to a 42-30 road loss at LSU on 11/25/2023, we have lost 4 consecutive November SEC games and 2 bowl games for 6 consecutive losses to Power 4 opponents in November or later. We have not won a Power 4 game in November or later since a 51-10 home win over Mississippi State on 11/11/2023 and a bowl game since a 41-27 win over North Carolina in the 2021 Orange Bowl on 1/2/2021.

Losses to 9-4 (5-3 SEC) South Carolina and 13-2 (7-1 SEC) CFP semifinalist Texas were understandable, but a loss at 5-7 (2-6 SEC) Auburn was inexcusable. If we had beaten Auburn, we would have finished 9-3 (6-2 SEC) regular season record and reached the SEC Championship Game for the first time. Yes, Texas would have probably beaten us again, but we might have even won it to finish 10-4 (6-2 SEC).

An 8-4 regular season finish with at least one November SEC win and a subsequent bowl win for a 9-4 finish will be a much better finish than ending last season with 4 consecutive losses to Power 4 opponents. This is my minimum expectation for Elko's 2nd year.

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Thank you for your rational take on things.
I agree our Nov. Have been awful, mostly we are already coming in with 2-3 losses and Nov just is a Hydrogen bomb on our season. It's often due to injuries, lack of depth, and just overall not matching with the talent around us. Playing games v LSU, Texas, Bama, Ole Miss, AU (in some cases) later in the year when we are beat up and worn down (not saying they aren't) has been awful for us.

I also just think the team mentality under Jimbo was so far off - last time we actually saw any toughness or grit was when Elko was here under Jimbo. I think there are things behind the scenes he had to correct in Year 1 that paid dividends early on - and will continue to with a good culture: accountability weigh room disciplines, depth, relationships.. I expect that with an older team this year, those culture issues cleaned up, we can see us keep building this year. and can result in some November surprises for us - in a good way!

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Every program has injuries going into NOV. In some cases, we have had a bunch, but mostly its just average. Same exact thing can be said about *insert SEC program*

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Of course.. We all know that. But it seems like our injuries to OL, or RB, or LB or wherever always seem to be at a crucial position where we don't have a lot of depth and leaves us extremely vulnerable.
Injuries are not an excuse, but the depth was missing and exposed.
Really hard to build and retain depth in the NIL age. Which is why I think that keeping as many guys as we did this ofseason is so crucial.
EDIT: ".... and that speaks to the culture Elko is building."

As we win more, retention is easier especially if we reach the playoffs. The grass is always greener in a winning program…

It seems in the Jimbo era, the goal of at least the offense was not to put players in positions to succeed, but to rely on their raw talent.

Thus, when we had an injury to a talented player, we cratered as the backup was not as talented and his job wasn't set up for him to succeed. Particularly at QB.

The difference between other teams and us was that their schemas were made to help all their players succeed, talented as well as not quite as talented.

Time will tell if Elko's regime is different

Paul Pierce Ag said:

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It seems in the Jimbo era, the goal of at least the offense was not to put players in positions to succeed, but to rely on their raw talent.

Thus, when we had an injury to a talented player, we cratered as the backup was not as talented and his job wasn't set up for him to succeed. Particularly at QB.

Time will tell if Elko's regime is different

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Another way of saying that is Jimbo took credit for recruiting but did not properly address wtf losses where his recruiting failed to produce wins.

I'll note that the board went ape **** on Mond for being a mediocre (and political) qb while he turned out Fisher's best outcome. Mond was not a Fisher recruit which is a continuing problem at Texas A&M. I have no clue if Klein has the horsepower to fix that, but the results so far are distressing regarding development and retention in offensive skill positions. Not helped by notably green OL performance (my opinion on both btw.)

Whatever else happens, this must be our template:

(nb all rewards cumulative)
No playoffs, no SECCG championship: no contract extensions
[Maybe: win division, raise base pay 5%)
SEC champs and/or playoff bid: one-year extension, raise base pay (10%)
Win at-large game OR first-round bye: add'l 5% base increase
Round of Eight win: add'l 5% base increase.
Round of Four win: add'l 5% base increase plus second one-year extension
Natty: statue, pay meets highest-paid coach in FBS plus 2-5%, rolling three-year extension (so long as the two-year winning average exceeds 8 wins/season).

No more Jimbos! Especially if BK is on the hot seat at LSU and we end up Doing Something this year. Not falling for that sh%t again. If they wanna leave, let 'em leave.

I believe in Elko b/c of the complete change in culture. All the players seem really bought in and focused 100% on competing in the Fall. Everyone is dialed in and committed to the team. No one's getting in trouble. It's so refreshing.

greg.w.h said:

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As we win more, retention is easier especially if we reach the playoffs. The grass is always greener in a winning program…

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And yet Jimbo's retention sucked. We had juniors declare and go undrafted.
Yes, winning solves a lot but we also have been crap at development. If we were pumping out Juniors into the NFL, then we would be alright with that.
Ideally, that would translate into wins.

I believe Elko will maintain a winning record. Not sure I have a ton of confidence past that. I have seen several coaches that come here, recruit well, have perceived momentum and finish with 8 wins or less every year. Hard to believe there will be a change to this pattern until it is seen.

aggie-1997 said:

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I believe Elko will maintain a winning record. Not sure I have a ton of confidence past that. I have seen several coaches that come here, recruit well, have perceived momentum and finish with 8 wins or less every year. Hard to believe there will be a change to this pattern until it is seen.

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That is fair and understandable - especially given our history.
If we can take a NC winning coach in Jimbo and have him flame out, anyone can!

That said, I think that Elko still has a lot to prove in coaching circles AND he has the analytical mind to see and address these problem areas with NIL, portal - even scheme. I am likely too hopeful and too optimistic, but I just see a path forward under Elko, a true identity to this team and program he's building, and I am buying IN!

Watch the space when we win 10 games this year - we're blowing up.

TBD (since 1939)

Leander - Ag said:

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TBD (since 1939)

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Technically 2012.. But considering that is over a decade ago, it might as well be 1939...

Heard it all before. Gets old after a while. I'll believe it when I see it.

We were 63rd in total defense last year, losing to SC and Auburn. That's why I don't believe in him.

Logos Stick said:

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We were 63rd in total defense last year, losing to SC and Auburn. That's why I don't believe in him.

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63rd with Elko being hands off and giving Bateman a chance.
That ship has sailed, and we are about to see an Elko defense flying around Kyle this year.

8-4 forever until actually proven otherwise

Preseason hype is BS

seebond said:

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Logos Stick said:

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We were 63rd in total defense last year, losing to SC and Auburn. That's why I don't believe in him.

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63rd with Elko being hands off and giving Bateman a chance.
That ship has sailed, and we are about to see an Elko defense flying around Kyle this year.

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I remember when I had your enthusiasm. How new to this are you?

Aggie Dad 26 said:

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seebond said:

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Logos Stick said:

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We were 63rd in total defense last year, losing to SC and Auburn. That's why I don't believe in him.

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63rd with Elko being hands off and giving Bateman a chance.
That ship has sailed, and we are about to see an Elko defense flying around Kyle this year.

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I remember when I had your enthusiasm. How new to this are you?

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35 years.
Same story, I know. But the ending will change one of these years!
EDIT: This is nothing new, just the annual routine - Every July the hope and optimism builds

Elko will be rightfully judged after this season. He's done some really good things and a few that make you scratch your head. One thing is for certain, we dodged a huge bullet with Stoops as this would have been his retirement gig.