For all the knock on Baer, his defense looked much more effective when Stanton started....
I strongly disagree. Baer's defense looked horrid against a pathetic, one dimensional, BYU offense when Johnny started that game. BYU was starting a 5th string true freshman, Joe Critchlow, at QB and had to run the ball. Basic game plan for any competent DC would be to stop BYU's best player, Canada, and force BYU to beat you through the air. Instead of following that simple plan, Baer allowed Canada to look like a Heisman contender giving him 213 yds while averaging 8.5 yards per carry and a TD plus let Kafentzis carry the ball 10 times for 53 yards and a TD. BYU scored 31 points, in our crib, which was their 2nd highest point total of the season with a one dimensional offense which ended up ranked 118th in the nation in Total Offense. He allowed a BYU rushing offense that ended up 104th in the nation to mash us for 265 yds at 6.3 yds per carry. That was one of the worst jobs by a DC at the D1 level I've EVER seen and I've seen a lot. It was the final nail in Baer's coffin at UNLV to me.
For all the knock on Baer......
I don't think he is good fit opposite of a feast or famine style offensive scheme but he produced when we played using more traditional paced scheme.....
An offense that averaged a total of 69 plays per game, with 44 rushing attempts and only 25 passing attempts per game, is nowhere close to a "feast or famine style offensive scheme". That's particularly true when that specific offense was 18th in the nation in rushing offense and 37th in the nation in Time of Possession. Think about that Time of Possession ranking. We only averaged 69 plays a game but the defense allowed 73.2 plays per game for 6.3 yards per play. That's just astonishing for an offense that isn't a triple option running attack. The fact is that, in this day of fast paced offensive schemes, we ran a slower than usual scheme in an effort to save the defense from wearing down. We did it all season long. Even then, Baer's defense ended up 113th in the nation in total defense going primarily against terrible to average offenses, e.g., SJSU 120th, BYU 118th, Idaho 104th, NM 99th, Fresno 72nd, USU 68th, NV 67th, SDSU 64th, HI 63rd and then there was Howard, a Mid Eastern Atlantic Conference team who scored 43 points in our own crib and made us the laughing stock of the nation.
Never have I been more disappointed by the performance of an experienced DC at the D1 level. I can't think of anyone who has done worse over a two year span in the history of D1 football.
I wish Baer the best of luck at Montana. I really do. He's a good man. And I thank God he's not our DC any more.
