If we improved our win total from last year? Meaning we win 5 games instead of the 4 games last year ? and we beat Reno, in Reno to conclude the season !!! Would people be able to accept that kind of slow growth ? Knowing that next year, we look like that will be a year we should definitely look a lot better/deeper on paper and should contend for a bowl game ??
Would this be an acceptable season?
- Thread starter rebelwithacause
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"acceptable" is a tough term to describe with this team, this year.
I think 5 wins may be as good as we can expect given a promising, though inexperienced QB and more importantly a brand new defense (in terms of players). Sure they may surprise us and get 6+, but that seems unlikely.
Then there are other factors. We can't afford to fire Sanchez. He is a huge part of the record fundraising. We aren't exactly built for a new coach to come in and do well, yet.
This should be a bowl year, maybe. It is still only year three coming from Rock bottom. Long ago I convinced myself that Sanchez should have 5 years, like the good ole days. Mostly because he would be starting from scratch.
I think 5 wins may be as good as we can expect given a promising, though inexperienced QB and more importantly a brand new defense (in terms of players). Sure they may surprise us and get 6+, but that seems unlikely.
Then there are other factors. We can't afford to fire Sanchez. He is a huge part of the record fundraising. We aren't exactly built for a new coach to come in and do well, yet.
This should be a bowl year, maybe. It is still only year three coming from Rock bottom. Long ago I convinced myself that Sanchez should have 5 years, like the good ole days. Mostly because he would be starting from scratch.
Yes. However, if we end up at 5 wins, you know this team will beat themselves up for losing that first game.
Where things are right now, Sanchez should be allowed to play out his contract regardless of record.
The jump from high school to college football took a learning curve & its hard to see another coach stepping into the UNLV football situation with more effort and passion to improve the program.
There is room to improve as far as overall depth & locking in more Nevadans.
Sanchez is the best fit for UNLV right now & he was the obvious hire the minute Hauck was let go.
As a fan, the pressure should always remain but talk of a new coach should be muted at least until the end of next season.
The jump from high school to college football took a learning curve & its hard to see another coach stepping into the UNLV football situation with more effort and passion to improve the program.
There is room to improve as far as overall depth & locking in more Nevadans.
Sanchez is the best fit for UNLV right now & he was the obvious hire the minute Hauck was let go.
As a fan, the pressure should always remain but talk of a new coach should be muted at least until the end of next season.
I've been adamant about that. UNLV cannot fire Sanchez at any time in the near future. UNLV isn't a school that can snatch up whoever they want. Plus you just have to let Sanchez' kids grow a little bit and see what he can do with them. I think it's extremely shortsighted to even consider it.
Yes that would be acceptable to me. Keep improving year to year. But it's gonna take a lot of growth on the part of this defense and I'm not so sure they can. Have to wait and see
Absolutely. After the Howard game I thought a 1-11 season was a real possibility. I still view SJSU as the only sure fire win on the schedule so I'd be happy if we closed the season strong and won 3 of the 5 tossup games (USU, Fresno, Hawaii, UNM, UNR). Going from 2 to 3 to 4 to 5 wins over the past 4 seasons would be a win in my book. Nobody was going to turn this thing around overnight. I'm okay with slow growth as long as we keep taking small steps forward.
The good thing about this season is we should improve as the year goes on, as long as we stay relatively healthy. Everyone is pretty established on offense, so as Armani gets more comfortable, the offense should continue to improve. We have depth at most positions as well which also helps a lot. For instance, it sucks to lose C. Williams, though we have a lot of other guys that can come in and due well, so it won't be a huge blow. Due to injuries and QB inconsistently, we seemingly have gotten worse on offense as the year as gone the past few years. We are much better equipped this season.
Defense should also improve with many first time starters. We don't have the depth on that side of the ball, so we are more susceptible there.
So finishing strong is a real possibility this season.
Defense should also improve with many first time starters. We don't have the depth on that side of the ball, so we are more susceptible there.
So finishing strong is a real possibility this season.
5 wins would be progress record-wise from last year, so it should be acceptable. However, I think, as usual, the UNR game is a big deal. If we go up to Reno and get our 5th win bringing the cannon home, that'd be a lot more acceptable than if we were sitting at 5 wins and lose the cannon and a shot at bowl eligibility in the last week.
Either way, the fire Sanchez crowd is out of touch. I still believe that talent/depth-wise, we're better off now than we were when Sanchez took over. There's definitely some things to question about the current staff, but Sanchez is going to at minimum get his 5 years, and he probably should given that he's been a big part of the fundraising. He's also a "Vegas guy" and it would probably burn some bridges if he got canned early.
It looks like the practice facility will likely break ground in December, so that's on the way and should help instantly. If 3 years from now, Sanchez isn't getting it done, we'll be looking at top-notch facilities and a brand new stadium to help lure better coaching prospects here than what we're used to. Who knows if the $$$ would be there at that point, but I think the practice facility/stadium at least get our foot in the door with better candidates.
Either way, the fire Sanchez crowd is out of touch. I still believe that talent/depth-wise, we're better off now than we were when Sanchez took over. There's definitely some things to question about the current staff, but Sanchez is going to at minimum get his 5 years, and he probably should given that he's been a big part of the fundraising. He's also a "Vegas guy" and it would probably burn some bridges if he got canned early.
It looks like the practice facility will likely break ground in December, so that's on the way and should help instantly. If 3 years from now, Sanchez isn't getting it done, we'll be looking at top-notch facilities and a brand new stadium to help lure better coaching prospects here than what we're used to. Who knows if the $$$ would be there at that point, but I think the practice facility/stadium at least get our foot in the door with better candidates.
With UNLV football, I don't think there is such a thing as a sure fire win. If the boys show up expecting a sure fire win, Howard can happen.
Short answer yes!!
Long answer is everyone was counting on a win against Howard to count towards 6 wins. We lost to Howard, but if we get 5 wins(I think they will) that means we won that one more toss up game that we would have needed had we beaten Howard to make it to a bowl game. As bad as the loss to Howard was, I think it is easier to correct than not being able to put conference teams away when we should have. CTS pointed out on The RebZone that late in the Idaho game they were able to go on a long sustained drive and run the ball when Idaho knew they would. We haven't been able to do things like that consistently before and especially on the road. That is the kind of progress we need to see to always be winning 6+ games.
Long answer is everyone was counting on a win against Howard to count towards 6 wins. We lost to Howard, but if we get 5 wins(I think they will) that means we won that one more toss up game that we would have needed had we beaten Howard to make it to a bowl game. As bad as the loss to Howard was, I think it is easier to correct than not being able to put conference teams away when we should have. CTS pointed out on The RebZone that late in the Idaho game they were able to go on a long sustained drive and run the ball when Idaho knew they would. We haven't been able to do things like that consistently before and especially on the road. That is the kind of progress we need to see to always be winning 6+ games.
Of the 5 tossup games, I have us winning 4 right now with USU being a loss. UNM, Fresno, UNR and Hawaii aren't showing me much right now. Of those 4 I think Hawaii is the toughest test. USU is a possible to me if I see continued improvement in the secondary. Idaho had a couple of more scores if 2 throws were more accurate. Good INT by Chauncey. We at least had breaks go our way. Sid Acosta could be back in game 4. That would help AR a bunch.
I like what I see from Rodgers!! He has a lot of talent!! He is going to have a hell of a career. I do think UNLV will beat SJSU at home. Then two big games against SDSU and at Air Force. I think this team can contend for a bowl. I wish the bye week was later in the year!
My tossup games have now become USU and maybe AF. UNM not showing much in the loss to NMSU. UNR will start a freashmen this week, so we'll see how that works out Fresno is a win IMHO and Hawaii will be the tougher game of those 4. We'll will see. Howard could have killed their confidence and they did not let that happen. Big step. If Howard was a wake up call they needed to get their heads back in the game, then I'm glad it was the first game.
I really liked the play calling against Idaho. They really did open it up. If you have the offensive weapons then use them damn it!!
