Kirk Ciarrocca is (objectively) a Great hire

[DJ Spanky]

too early given the record is the same as last year no? I will agree the offense looks better but you're also dealing with an older set of kids too.

let's not beat the meat yet, let's see how we look at year end. I'll be the first to post 'I was wrong' should he be smashing success

Last year, we only scored over 30 points once, against Wagner (66). Our next highest point total was 24 against Indiana. Against BC, we won 22-21 mainly on being better conditioned than them. We beat Temple 16-14 without scoring an offensive TD. This year we've already won 2 games while scoring over 30 points. And those games were solid wins, nothing close about them. For the first time in almost a decade we actually have a functional offense.

 

[ashokan]

GW looks more polished this year for whatever reason.
Don't know if its just reps, maturing or coaching
Maybe he saw Ash's vids for $300

https://www.championshipproductions.com/cgi-bin/champ/p/Football/Rutgers-Football-Drills-and-Techniques-Series_FD-05124.html

 

[RUBOB72]

We may not score 30 pts every game but Kirk C . Is an above average OC who also is a developer of young QB’s .

 

[TheKnightclub]

I'm not sure I agree GW looks polished at all but I definitely agree this was a good hire and that KC is doing a good job. I'm excited to see what he comes up with moving forward.

 

[RUBOB72]

Definitely Gavin is more polished and last season is something to be taken for what it was a fiasco at times. The staff has been retooled and in the areas where we needed better coaching. Key is staying as healthy as possible . People doubted Schiano first time. People still want him to fail . He has also changed over the past 2 years and he has said so. Going to be tougher still next year with our 4 new teams all in top 10-12 nationally.

 

[DJ Spanky]

People doubted Schiano first time. People still want him to fail

Sadly that is very true. And they call themselves fans.

 

[RUBOB72]

That in itself is a sad commentary about Rutgers “ fans”… though other teams bitch about coaching and players here it is different?

 

[TheKnightclub]

I'm not sure being a fan demands blind allegiance. opposing opinions are what fuel sports TV and radio shows, not to mention BBQ and bar banter. It's part of fan culture.

 

[BROTHERSKINNY]

Good hire !

Good hire? How about outstanding ****ing hire!!!

 

[colbert17]

Some of the people that post here need to do some serious self reflection.

 

[colbert17]

Can the people who have been critical of KC tell me who were some of the "home run" hires that we passed on? I confess that I didn't follow that process closely so for my own education who were some of these people? Proven OCs who had a history of QB development only please.

 

[RUTGERS95]

GW looks more polished this year for whatever reason.
Don't know if its just reps, maturing or coaching
Maybe he saw Ash's vids for $300

https://www.championshipproductions.com/cgi-bin/champ/p/Football/Rutgers-Football-Drills-and-Techniques-Series_FD-05124.html

hahahaha well played

 

[RUTGERS95]

I'm not sure being a fan demands blind allegiance. opposing opinions are what fuel sports TV and radio shows, not to mention BBQ and bar banter. It's part of fan culture.

just remember when greg said, 'if you don't support me, you're not a rutgers fan'

I support my school, no coach is my school. We are NOT Penn State!

 

[Shelby65]

The optimism and love for KC, Wimsatt and Schiano is astonishing. We have the same record after 3 games that we did the last two years .

Yes, the team has won the first three this more convincingly but isn’t it premature to expect much more ?

Let’s win a game we didn’t expect to before celebrating our improvement and bowl expectations.

 

[newwavedave1]

We may not score 30 pts every game but Kirk C . Is an above average OC who also is a developer of young QB’s .

Well said. Solid hire. Recruiting is now the key.

 

[read option]

I'm not sure I agree GW looks polished at all but I definitely agree this was a good hire and that KC is doing a good job. I'm excited to see what he comes up with moving forward.

GW has two more years of eligibility after this season. Where he is now is just the tip of the iceberg on his potential.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

It’s pretty amusing that the same posters (one in particular) who ripped us last year for anemic offense vs Temple and what quickly proved to be a terrible BC team, are now labeling this year’s offense to date as “the same” based on the matching 3-0 record through 3 games.

We didn’t score more than 22 offensive points against an FBS opponent all season last year (we had a pick 6 in the Indiana game).

Of course our production so far has been an improvement. How can anyone say otherwise? As a team we rank 19th nationally right now in rushing yards per game and we’re also one of only 18 other teams who haven’t thrown a pick yet. Clearly we were worse last year Offensively against the same level (or arguably weaker) earlier competition. That’s true even if things get ugly Saturday on the road against the number 2 team in the country. What am I missing here?

 

[RUTGERS95]

It’s pretty amusing that the same posters (one in particular) who ripped us last year for anemic offense vs Temple and what quickly proved to be a terrible BC team, are now labeling this year’s offense to date as “the same” based on the matching 3-0 record through 3 games.

We didn’t score more than 22 offensive points against an FBS opponent all season last year (we had a pick 6 in the Indiana game).

Of course our production so far has been an improvement. How can anyone say otherwise? As a team we rank 19th nationally right now in rushing yards per game and we’re also one of only 18 other teams who haven’t thrown a pick yet. Clearly we were worse last year Offensively against the same level (or arguably weaker) earlier competition. That’s true even if things get ugly Saturday on the road against the number 2 team in the country. What am I missing here?

we have more turnovers in first 3 games this year and our D is playing much better which obviously is a big bonus in the overall equation. In the addition from this year vs last year, the score in 2 games jumped in short period of play, it wasn't methodical. Kirk is better, the O is better and the kids are older/more mature so it's not just the OC. the O is absolutely better, play calling for the most part is better and selection is good (except for when we go conservative) but but but, let's not book tickets for the Rose Bowl. If we only win 1 more game this year, what will people say then. We are expected to win 4 with possible 5.

 

[BROTHERSKINNY]

BTW- I was an early cheerleader for Gleeson and really hoped he would succeed here. Unfortunately it did not work out for Rutgers or him. The post Mortem on the Gleeson is I think surace at Princeton and Gundy at okie st. Had tight control over the offenses in their respective programs.

 

[Shelby65]

It’s pretty amusing that the same posters (one in particular) who ripped us last year for anemic offense vs Temple and what quickly proved to be a terrible BC team, are now labeling this year’s offense to date as “the same” based on the matching 3-0 record through 3 games.

We didn’t score more than 22 offensive points against an FBS opponent all season last year (we had a pick 6 in the Indiana game).

Of course our production so far has been an improvement. How can anyone say otherwise? As a team we rank 19th nationally right now in rushing yards per game and we’re also one of only 18 other teams who haven’t thrown a pick yet. Clearly we were worse last year Offensively against the same level (or arguably weaker) earlier competition. That’s true even if things get ugly Saturday on the road against the number 2 team in the country. What am I missing here?

You are missing that three games don’t prove anything. Too many variables: all home games, better D which gives the O more plays, turmoil at Northwestern, etc.

There are some promising positives but also troubling negatives on offense. It’s just too early to know whether the offense will be better against better opponents.

At this point, There’s only 1 sure win left, no probable wins and 2-3 toss ups. Revisit this in a month .

 

[Plum Street]

You are missing that three games don’t prove anything. Too many variables: all home games, better D which gives the O more plays, turmoil at Northwestern, etc.

There are some promising positives but also troubling negatives on offense. It’s just too early to know whether the offense will be better against better opponents.

At this point, There’s only 1 sure win left, no probable wins and 2-3 toss ups. Revisit this in a month .

I think this is fair

 

[Knight Owl]

BTW- I was an early cheerleader for Gleeson and really hoped he would succeed here. Unfortunately it did not work out for Rutgers or him. The post Mortem on the Gleeson is I think surace at Princeton and Gundy at okie st. Had tight control over the offenses in their respective programs.

Gleeson loved running east-west and it drove Schiano nuts.

 

[DJ Spanky]

Gleeson loved running east-west and it drove Schiano nuts.

Among other things. Let's not forget him running Wimsatt directly into the line again Temple, causing us to lose him for a few games due to injury.

 

[Plum Street]

Kirk c is/was a good hire for this program at this time . The 99 yard drive he called against schiano in 2022 was one of the greatest drives we have ever seen.
KC provides steady leadership and experience as we try to become a respectable program. He can get us there . I am not sure he is the guy that will get us beyond that.
Let’s be honest , there were reasons why we had to give him a 500k raise to leave minnesota. There were also reasons why Minnesota was not going to give him a 500k raise.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

In the addition from this year vs last year, the score in 2 games jumped in short period of play, it wasn't methodical.

Huh? Did you forget that we were LOSING the entire BC game outside of the last 2:43. Temple also was winning until our pick 6 midway through the second half. We never led in either game by more than 6 points (and that was for all of 40 seconds). We otherwise never led in either game by more than a FG.

We led the NW game comfortably the entire way through.

We methodically built a 13-0 lead over Temple in the first half of the game - it would’ve been more if not for an unforced fumble at the Temple 6 yard line. Yes - we chose to play conservative to just maintain that lead in the 3rd quarter but calling the game a nail biter but for block scoring at the end is a major stretch. Temple pulled within 6 for a grand total of 3 minutes (and it wasn’t even that long because quickly moved the chains into FG range) and then blew the game open.

We built a 21-3 halftime lead against VTech. The score stayed that way until the 3:39 mark of Q3 when they pulled within 11 and then they pulled within 5, but that lasted once again a total of 3:37 at which point we again blew the game open.

Seems to me we held a comfortable lead the majority of all 3 games. What am I missing?

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

You are missing that three games don’t prove anything. Too many variables: all home games, better D which gives the O more plays, turmoil at Northwestern, etc.

There are some promising positives but also troubling negatives on offense. It’s just too early to know whether the offense will be better against better opponents.

At this point, There’s only 1 sure win left, no probable wins and 2-3 toss ups. Revisit this in a month .

I’m not missing anything. Not one person said these games mean we’ll beat the better teams on the remainder of our schedule.

Folks are saying we’ve showed clear improvement from last year because in apples to apples comparison against the same level (actually worse last year) competition, we’ve performed better. That’s true even if it still doesn’t translate into wins against better teams. Only you are saying you think our offense is the same as last year. Nobody else.

 

[ashokan]

hahahaha well playedI

I couldn't believe that stuff even existed lol

 

[NickRU714]

While the offense does appear to be improved (many key metrics are improved such as ypg, ppg, plays per game) and I liked OC KC's early direction of the offense: passing on 1st down, going for it on 4th - I'm back to wait and see mode.

We've played arguably the 3 worst teams on our schedule (not including Wagner).
Yes we've won the past 3 games but not sure how sustainable it is to win with minimal passing once we play better teams.
Perhaps we open up the offense when we need to - but I'm not sure it's just a switch that can be flipped and all of a sudden we can throw when we need to.
Hopefully this is just HC Schiano and OC KC playing it "safe" in the early games.

Some troubling tendencies (to me):
Pass Play Percentage: 34.01% (#129 out of 133)
Only WV, Navy, Army and Airforce have called less pass plays relative to rushing plays than us.
https://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/stat/passing-play-pct

Passing Yards Percentage: 39.17% (#128 out of 133)
https://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/stat/passing-yards-pct


Hopefully the heavily run based offense is just a factor of opponents and the scheme opens up.
Although, I would have liked to give the the passing offense more plays to work out the kinks against the bad teams on the schedule before diving into conference play.

 

[tomatocan]

and sometimes while on the phone, long distance ?

You on the line, Mel?

 

[tomatocan]

Can the people who have been critical of KC tell me who were some of the "home run" hires that we passed on? I confess that I didn't follow that process closely so for my own education who were some of these people? Proven OCs who had a history of QB development only please.

You're going to hear crickets.

 

[Shelby65]

You on the line, Mel?

Only after midnight.

 

[Shelby65]

You're going to hear crickets.

Who’s been critical of KC ? Use of the playbook, or the play page as it were, is the HC’s call. And it’s too early to expect significant QB development.

 

[RUTGERS95]

I couldn't believe that stuff even existed lol

classic find, great job

 

[RUTGERS95]

While the offense does appear to be improved (many key metrics are improved such as ypg, ppg, plays per game) and I liked OC KC's early direction of the offense: passing on 1st down, going for it on 4th - I'm back to wait and see mode.

We've played arguably the 3 worst teams on our schedule (not including Wagner).
Yes we've won the past 3 games but not sure how sustainable it is to win with minimal passing once we play better teams.
Perhaps we open up the offense when we need to - but I'm not sure it's just a switch that can be flipped and all of a sudden we can throw when we need to.
Hopefully this is just HC Schiano and OC KC playing it "safe" in the early games.

Some troubling tendencies (to me):
Pass Play Percentage: 34.01% (#129 out of 133)
Only WV, Navy, Army and Airforce have called less pass plays relative to rushing plays than us.
https://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/stat/passing-play-pct

Passing Yards Percentage: 39.17% (#128 out of 133)
https://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/stat/passing-yards-pct


Hopefully the heavily run based offense is just a factor of opponents and the scheme opens up.
Although, I would have liked to give the the passing offense more plays to work out the kinks against the bad teams on the schedule before diving into conference play.

as evidenced in this thread, people will view the data, results, and particular things in their own biased vantage. Few will really be objective here. A big does of reality is about to hit many

 

[Rufaninga]

Looks good 3 games in
Hope to say the same 10 games in

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Who’s been critical of KC ? Use of the playbook, or the play page as it were, is the HC’s call. And it’s too early to expect significant QB development.

Cool. Because I don’t plan to start a tracker for OCs. The one for 2019 RU coach prospects is now active. It’s up and running for your reference to cite an alternative shining star who would clearly be knocking it out of the park at RU compared to where we currently are in the rebuild. Objectively speaking, we seem to be pretty well placed right now. That’s true even if we still take some lumps against the top teams this year.

 

[LotusAggressor]

GW looks more polished this year for whatever reason.
Don't know if its just reps, maturing or coaching
Maybe he saw Ash's vids for $300

https://www.championshipproductions.com/cgi-bin/champ/p/Football/Rutgers-Football-Drills-and-Techniques-Series_FD-05124.html

Those can't be real videos.

 

[SleepingGiantIsAwake]

GW looks more polished this year for whatever reason.
Don't know if its just reps, maturing or coaching
Maybe he saw Ash's vids for $300

https://www.championshipproductions.com/cgi-bin/champ/p/Football/Rutgers-Football-Drills-and-Techniques-Series_FD-05124.html

LOL

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

You're going to hear crickets.

Yup - crickets. That’s why I started the coach tracker. Not to pick on Plum (he’s not one of the extemists on either end). But the point is - if you doubt Kirk / GS can get us to “the next level”. Who among the realistic choices is showing the alternative - and why?

 

[rutgersguy1]

Yup - crickets. That’s why I started the coach tracker. Not to pick on Plum (he’s not one of the extemists on either end). But the point is - if you doubt Kirk / GS can get us to “the next level”. Who among the realistic choices is showing the alternative - and why?

Offense is definitely improved over last year but just how much we'll find out now as we go through the conference schedule. I say all the time for us or anyone, conference play is the biggest thing because the majority of your schedule (75% in our case) is coming from within the conference. To make real headway, that's where your bread is buttered.

After 3 weeks our offense is ranked 95 in total, 98 in YPP and 57 in scoring.

No one is a guarantee as I said above and that includes KC despite nice early returns. Whoever is hired, if they work then great and if they don't we try again...what are you gonna do.

I'll throw out a couple names I'd mentioned as potential candidates. One was Kevin Decker from Fordham who adopted a Heupel/Briles offense in his last couple years there and put out a very productive one in his last year. He's the OC at ODU in his first year now but so far through 3 weeks looking at the stats I'd say about the same as last year, as in not that good (80s-100s). Don't know if they've had any injuries or whatnot.

Another name I had thrown out was Ben Arbuckle who is in his first year at WSU. He followed current TT OC Zach Kittley's footsteps from Houston Baptist to WKU OC and now WSU OC. He replaced Bailey Zappe at WKU with Austin Reed from University of West Florida and they had a top 15 or better offense in total/ypp/scoring last year and Reed was one of the top qbs in the country last year.

This year through 3 games WSU is 7 in total offense, 6 in scoring and 23 in YPP. WSU notched a nice win against Wisconsin. 2nd win in a row against Wisconsin too. They also beat CSU 50-24.

It's still early in the tenures for all of them to know how they'll turn out for sure.