CollegeSportsUnfiltered.com

admin (289)

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Registered: 2017-08-24

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Typical, depressing season

The Eagles lost to UAB and NT in embarrassing fashion, and really just pissed away their two SEC games in the exact same way, and yet there's just enough success there to keep people with low ambiTTTion levels happy, and just enough to tease the rest of us. Even as we "succeeded," interest, as measured by attendance, revenue, or traffic on this site, has been in a steady nosedive from week to week. I don't think this is sustainable at all. In fact, in an overall sense, I think this is the worst season since 2014. It would take 9 wins or a victory over a P5 bowl opponent to even make me think about changing that assessment.

Meanwhile, the administration will be talking about the Big Boy Mowers Hearts of Palm Bowl or whatever, and you have players saying shit like "we're kind of back on top" and "I throw a lot of interceptions but I throw a lot of touchdowns, too."

Add it all up, and Hopson has to go, or at least made aware that seasons like this are not acceptable.

Black Diamond Reb (418)

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From: Palmers Crossing, Mississippi

Registered: 2017-08-25

Posts: 1,302

Re: Typical, depressing season

Hopson has to be made aware that seasons like this are not acceptable.

8-5 with a win in the Poydras Bowl and hot dog profits at a reported all time high. Gobbler and Bunny Rabbit aren't going anywhere.

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"I don't think being in the 6th best conference is too bad."
"Look for Crickets Robertson to be one of the first 64 players chosen in the draft."
"Went to Starkville and came within one bad throw of taking the series."

admin (289)

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Registered: 2017-08-24

Posts: 2,244

Re: Typical, depressing season

Hopson has to be made aware that seasons like this are not acceptable.

8-5 with a win in the Poydras Bowl and hot dog profits at a reported all time high. Gobbler and Bunny Rabbit aren't going anywhere.

That part about hot dog profits may have been true of game 1, but I doubt they turned a profit on anything last Saturday. That's the only thing that might heat up Hop's seat. I agree with you that there's zero ambition for any better on-field result among USM's leadership.

Black Diamond Reb (418)

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From: Palmers Crossing, Mississippi

Registered: 2017-08-25

Posts: 1,302

Re: Typical, depressing season

That part about hot dog profits may have been true of game 1, but I doubt they turned a profit on anything last Saturday.

Reported profits, not actual. No different than reporting an attendance of 20K Saturday. All a shell game.

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"I don't think being in the 6th best conference is too bad."
"Look for Crickets Robertson to be one of the first 64 players chosen in the draft."
"Went to Starkville and came within one bad throw of taking the series."

Black Diamond Reb (418)

Member

From: Palmers Crossing, Mississippi

Registered: 2017-08-25

Posts: 1,302

Re: Typical, depressing season

Next season should really excite the fan base with only one real game and a home slate of Jackson State, LaMo, and some SUNWACers. Giblet may have to boil a few more Bar S Bars to keep up with demand.

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"I don't think being in the 6th best conference is too bad."
"Look for Crickets Robertson to be one of the first 64 players chosen in the draft."
"Went to Starkville and came within one bad throw of taking the series."

southern miss slacker (304)

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Registered: 2017-08-28

Posts: 1,455

Re: Typical, depressing season

what is our schedule next year? I can't seem to find a full one. that Atlanta Mafia site has us with 2 home games to start and then 5 away games in a row, that can't be right, can it?

B&GBU (259)

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Registered: 2017-08-27

Posts: 676

Re: Typical, depressing season

But what's really important is the new women's volleyball arena project.

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"Did you ever consider that the next level would be a lower one?"

beagle (173)

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From: Cloverleaf Mall parking lot

Registered: 2017-08-25

Posts: 1,260

Re: Typical, depressing season

You get what you pay for. We’re totally broke. We hired a bunch of SWAC coaches that no one wanted because that’s all we could afford.

Could be worse. We could paying Hopson 1 million+ like Wilson at UTSA and get the same results. And it’s probably easier to win at UTSA too.

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"We played 12 SEC games when I was here, and 14 of those were on the road!"

- PW Underwood (RIP)

admin (289)

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Registered: 2017-08-24

Posts: 2,244

Re: Typical, depressing season

You get what you pay for. We’re totally broke. We hired a bunch of SWAC coaches that no one wanted because that’s all we could afford.

Could be worse. We could paying Hopson 1 million+ like Wilson at UTSA and get the same results. And it’s probably easier to win at UTSA too.

Well, we need to work on the expectations part. Hop might get hurt feelings, as might Keon, but painting this season as a success isn't a good thing. Not letting the team go to a bowl game would send a message. There are probably other ways to send a message, too. Show an assistant or two the door maybe.

beagle (173)

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From: Cloverleaf Mall parking lot

Registered: 2017-08-25

Posts: 1,260

Re: Typical, depressing season

Not saying this is a successful season. Just that you get what you pay for. We have one of the lowest paid staffs in football. Most people had us winning only 6-7 this year anyways. I’m not a Hopson guy, but we aren’t in a position to fire coaches that are taking us to bowl games.

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"We played 12 SEC games when I was here, and 14 of those were on the road!"

- PW Underwood (RIP)

Ace Barker (260)

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From: Bougherville SC

Registered: 2017-08-25

Posts: 554

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Re: Typical, depressing season

what is our schedule next year? I can't seem to find a full one. that Atlanta Mafia site has us with 2 home games to start and then 5 away games in a row, that can't be right, can it?

It's not "write" on the dates because they haven't been released. The opponents are correct except for the East opponents which the conference hasn't released yet.

Ace...

southern miss slacker (304)

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Registered: 2017-08-28

Posts: 1,455

Re: Typical, depressing season

If he loses the last 2 games and it's another 7-6 season and then he does the same or worse next year maybe you will see a flame under his seat. same as what happened to bower when the crowd kept dwindling. the 4 years fedora was here saw a major spike in attendance simply because he was so charismatic and full of energy and the offense was so much fun to watch. hop is about as low key and boring of a coach as you could get. I don't think we've run even 1 trick play the last 2 years. except for that 2pt conversion last week that was called back due to a penalty.  the offense is very vanilla. same as bower's offense was. Watching a Hop press conference puts me to sleep. and you can see that the fans pick up on that and are not attending. I don't think anyone has even addressed the horrible attendance. and when you keep ignoring something like that it's just going to get worse. it's just human nature. there is no excitement even when they are winning. so nobody is going to show up. you have to dish out something more than vannila even when you win. you have to give the fans something more than that. put some chocolate syrup and some sprinkles on it. maybe a little whip cream.

Ace Barker (260)

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From: Bougherville SC

Registered: 2017-08-25

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Re: Typical, depressing season

I will stand behind Coach Hopson and the team. I hope he and the staff have a good year in recruiting and transferring that talent to the field in 2018.

Yes, I know it's a rah rah post but for now to quote some old drag racers, "Run whatcha brung."

Ace...

southern miss slacker (304)

Member

Registered: 2017-08-28

Posts: 1,455

Re: Typical, depressing season

what is our schedule next year? I can't seem to find a full one. that Atlanta Mafia site has us with 2 home games to start and then 5 away games in a row, that can't be right, can it?

It's not "write" on the dates because they haven't been released. The opponents are correct except for the East opponents which the conference hasn't released yet.

Ace...

thanks.

CajunEagle (44)

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Registered: 2017-08-25

Posts: 100

Re: Typical, depressing season

You got my attention when I read the thread title as, "Tropical Depression Season".  Then saw it was the same ole bull jive.  Oh well !

Nugget's Ghostbuster (1627)

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From: U.S. Department of Interior

Registered: 2017-08-25

Posts: 5,767

Re: Typical, depressing season

Totally get it. Also realize this has happened to us in our best seasons under EVERY coach, with the exception of 1999. It also happens to EVERY program.

USM
1990- Lose to a 4-7 UGA, 5-6 MS State and bowl game against 7-5 NC State
1992- Lose to a 5-6 Northern Ill and a 2-8-1 VT team. Cost us at least the Indy Bowl bid.
1996 - Lose to 7-5 Houston cost us a bowl bid
1997 - Could argue our best team, lost to a 4-7 Bama team by two touchdowns
2000 - Got our ass handed to us by Louisville, Cinci and gave one away to ECU.
2004 - Horrid loss to Cal(finished 8-6), 4-9 Bama and got shut out by Utah
2010 - Embarrassed by USC, lost to 6-6 ECU, 4-8 UAB and 7-6 Loserville
2011 - UAB and Marshall

We finish 2017 strong and expectations will be 10 + wins for 2018. Cant do anything about the schedule but we will finish with double digit wins next season. Hop is a solid recruiter. The more his program starts to buy in, the more wins we will get and we will be back to the respect we deserved in the late 90's.

Last edited by Nugget's Ghostbuster (2017-11-20 15:39:41)

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"There was a great deal of character on that field today. They are for real, no doubt about it. This was no fluke." - Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

admin (289)

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Registered: 2017-08-24

Posts: 2,244

Re: Typical, depressing season

I will stand behind Coach Hopson and the team. I hope he and the staff have a good year in recruiting and transferring that talent to the field in 2018.

Yes, I know it's a rah rah post but for now to quote some old drag racers, "Run whatcha brung."

Ace...

I definitely stand behind the team as a whole, and that includes Hopson. I said he'd win 8 this year, and he may yet, so maybe I should shut up.

I think we're getting close to the point where this won't be sustainable. Like, if "we" were already "poor" when the  stadium was 60% full, and TV was a seven-figure deal, what are "we" now? The decline must at least be arrested, or we'll have to face the inevitable.

"If" that happens, I expect a similar result to what happened in Birmingham: a last-minute fundraising push will save us, for a while, as an FBS program.

Why wait, though? Everyone knows what kind of wins it takes to fill M.M. Roberts, and what kind of a coach it takes to get there. If Aubrey Lucas can fire Jim Carmody over such things, is firing Hopson (or at least not extending his contract) that implausible?

Black Diamond Reb (418)

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From: Palmers Crossing, Mississippi

Registered: 2017-08-25

Posts: 1,302

Re: Typical, depressing season

Is firing Hopson implausible?

Yes

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"I don't think being in the 6th best conference is too bad."
"Look for Crickets Robertson to be one of the first 64 players chosen in the draft."
"Went to Starkville and came within one bad throw of taking the series."

99beers (303)

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From: Uranus

Registered: 2017-08-25

Posts: 1,365

Re: Typical, depressing season

I think Hop is nicer (read suckass) than carmody.

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Georgia Tech SwagFag can eat zombie feces...loser. #PoundSand

TheChosenOne (295)

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Registered: 2017-08-26

Posts: 749

Re: Typical, depressing season

Before the season begun many expected 6-7 wins anything more would be GREAT. Have 7 wins and now everyone bitching. 2017 definitely could be better but in grand scheme the W / L  column is high water mark from expectations.

Edit- if you aren’t attending games shut the hell up regarding attendance; you are part of the problem. Those living 3+ hours away have legitimate reason

Last edited by TheChosenOne (2017-11-20 17:48:33)