The season once promising is teetering on the brink of oblivion. 5 straight losses, 6 of the last 7 and uninspired disasterous loss to a bad Penn State team. And please save your comments that Penn State is top 50 in the NET...they are likely the 2nd worst team in the league so I want to shut down any shill talk about ooh they beat Virginia tech. If our expectations have dropped this low, then we truly have reached a new reality. This was a brutal loss and a damning indictment of this coaching staff and its decision making with its rotations and lineups and in their job in trying to push the right buttons. Quite telling some no name coach from nowhere had his team running circles around Rutgers for most of the night. Its not all on Pike. Obviously these players do not care. They did not seem to grasp the importance of this game until the last 10 minutes. You cannot just decide to play at a certain point. I have seen this trend before this season. Team would play uninspired for a stretch and then turn it on. We gave them credit for that. Ultimately we should have been worried. People wanted to give this team credit for Wisconsin..um sorry the signs were there. Its not a case of the shots will fall, I kept hearing like every blog and writer talk about oh we fixed the D and now we just have to make shots. PLEASE STOP STICKING YOUR HEAD IN THE SAND. There are SO MANY things wrong with this team its like whack a mole..one thing will look better one game and then another will be a disaster. Tonight the defense was absolutely piss poor in the first half and so was the effort.
In the first 4 years of Pikiell, we were climbing up the hill. It was a pleasure to watch. We hit the peak earlier this season at 6-0 and ranked 11 but it looks like we are on our way down. I am being objective here. The effort and strategy the past 7 games has been downright dreadful. In the aftermath of tonights loss RU is now 3-6 in league, 7-6 overall and their back is against the wall. Almost no margin of error and there are tough games ahead. RU would need a complete reversal and I am not sure they are capable of it. I give this team NO credit for a late ill fated rally tonight which seemed pretty feeble in the end. Do not forget Pikiell's brainfart of having Myles Johnson out during that key stretch where Harper and Geo got us back in striking range. On the defensive side, RU could not make one stop..not one. Cliff was abused and Myles was on the bench. Its one example of many of Pike just struggling to find the right answers. Another of which is an outright constant subbing and bizarre combinations. Less is more with this team. The Jacob Young benching is interesting and worthy of its own thread. I may actually agree with Pike here and it might be a way to get RU back to where they once were.
So right now I see a team with no hunger. They reached their pinnacle, got caught up in their plaudits and have now watched success pass them by. Just because you get there means nothing. They could not handle success and forget about all the things that got them there. Its truly a shame because its very difficult for me to do these recaps. Its always been about "getting there" and I do not think this program is working upwards anymore. I am not sure they can push the hill back up right now. Unfortunately I have lost my faith. It pains me to say this but we are in precarious position right now. RU is facing almost must win situations in their next 2 or that is it. This program will have to prove EVERYTHING to me at this point. Let's see them to do it. They certainly didnt show it tonight against the 2nd worst team in the league. Now I am being asked to show faith against much better teams. Rutgers, I am begging you to prove me wrong. Regain my faith or just become another mediocre bunch that passed through the RAC. Your move
In the first 4 years of Pikiell, we were climbing up the hill. It was a pleasure to watch. We hit the peak earlier this season at 6-0 and ranked 11 but it looks like we are on our way down. I am being objective here. The effort and strategy the past 7 games has been downright dreadful. In the aftermath of tonights loss RU is now 3-6 in league, 7-6 overall and their back is against the wall. Almost no margin of error and there are tough games ahead. RU would need a complete reversal and I am not sure they are capable of it. I give this team NO credit for a late ill fated rally tonight which seemed pretty feeble in the end. Do not forget Pikiell's brainfart of having Myles Johnson out during that key stretch where Harper and Geo got us back in striking range. On the defensive side, RU could not make one stop..not one. Cliff was abused and Myles was on the bench. Its one example of many of Pike just struggling to find the right answers. Another of which is an outright constant subbing and bizarre combinations. Less is more with this team. The Jacob Young benching is interesting and worthy of its own thread. I may actually agree with Pike here and it might be a way to get RU back to where they once were.
So right now I see a team with no hunger. They reached their pinnacle, got caught up in their plaudits and have now watched success pass them by. Just because you get there means nothing. They could not handle success and forget about all the things that got them there. Its truly a shame because its very difficult for me to do these recaps. Its always been about "getting there" and I do not think this program is working upwards anymore. I am not sure they can push the hill back up right now. Unfortunately I have lost my faith. It pains me to say this but we are in precarious position right now. RU is facing almost must win situations in their next 2 or that is it. This program will have to prove EVERYTHING to me at this point. Let's see them to do it. They certainly didnt show it tonight against the 2nd worst team in the league. Now I am being asked to show faith against much better teams. Rutgers, I am begging you to prove me wrong. Regain my faith or just become another mediocre bunch that passed through the RAC. Your move