FB: American Southwest Conference

[Mavchamp]

Meanwhile the fans of ETBU continue to wonder if we can ever be relevant.......

We rarely have a losing season.  Usually 6-4....occasionally 5-5. Better than losing incessantly.  But hardly anything to get too excited about.

Only 2 conference championships since 2000....and only 1 playoff appearance in that time IIRC.

It would be one thing if we were losing close games to UMHB and HSU....but more often than not it's a blowout.

Many coaches have tried....but the outcome has been the same.  Not sure what it will take to change our fortunes.

[umhb2001]

The Cru QB for the future doesn't appear to be on our roster. I've got a lot of concerns about things moving forward, and discipline has been a huge question. What about recruiting?

I have parents messaging me on FB/X saying their kids are quitting because the morale is low and the coaches aren't listening to their concerns.

This is concerning and unfortunately not surprising based on the trend we've seen under HC Harmon. I've already made my opinion clear on this issue. But I do want to say, I think there is some denial/delusion about the severity of the current state of the program. We have been SO elite for SO long that people are forgetting what it took to get here and how quickly it can fall. It took one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game almost 20 years to win one and then he was able to keep us on top for a half decade, a masterclass. But Rome can fall in a day with the wrong leader.. and the leader is THE HEAD COACH. Yes it's players in captain positions but it can only truly fall on on the top man.

Our best two offensive lineman including one of the best left tackles in program history (Tandoh) intentionally chose to walk away from the program instead of playing out their final year of eligibility this season. Arguably the best young defensive player on the 2022 team ( Cam Mitton) chose to walk away from what would've been a starting role at safety this year. Our best transfer portal commit (Spiller - Tarleton St) didn't make it through fall camp.

The penalties, the lack of effort, the wheels have completely fallen off. I cannot stand to see the program that I love and have supported since it's inception to be in the state it's currently in. Yes I'm spoiled and yes I'm REALLY complaining about a 6-4/5-5 season because we are UNDERACHIEVING at every level, players and coaches. My biggest fear is we allow this mediocrity to linger... then it becomes a much tougher situation.

I heard yesterday from a student that many players don't connect with Harmon as a head coach. A starting safety quit mid season because of this is what I'm told.

If this is the situation, the internal issues are more than we may even realize.

[umhb2001]

We are a team that is having its worst season in over 2 decades, if we weren't struggling with low morale I would concerned that the players didn't care enough. I won't pretend its not concerning that players are quitting but when you bring in over 100+ freshmen a year on the promise that they could win a national championship and the team goes 6-4 (at best) things are going to be hard.

One thing I will point out though, when things are going badly it is easier to notice things like penalties and Coach Harmon even commented that he was embarrassed by them. However while this years average (65 yards) is higher than it has been since 2016, before that year 65 yards a game would have been the lowest season average since 1999. Pretty much every year from our start till 2016 we averaged in the low 70's in penalties. Obviously some very good things started happening in 2016, maybe discipline was emphasized more in that time frame but we can't say a new coach came in and cleaned things up.

Clearly there are issues that need to be resolved but I have feeling that if we were 9-0 this year and committing the same amount of penalties we might be concerned that it could hurt us come playoff time but I don't think many would be paying much attention to it.

The penalty yards are not my issue, it's the type and placement of the penalties. It's the personal fouls and unsportsmanlike on 3rd when you stopped them and suddenly they have a 1st when you should have the ball. It's committing the same false start penalty over and again when HSUs D line shifts. Those are sensless and have cost the team severely this seasaon.

Agreed on it's not so much the yardage as much as it is the type of penalties being committed... especially the 15yrd personal fouls/unsportsmanlike penalties.

Literally a situation the program has not been in in 20yrs. Also now with a completely different mindset between building a program in the early days and still having something to play for (respect/future) and not making the playoffs vs expectations of yearly playoffs (national championships) and not making playoffs at all and thinking, "well what's the point?"

Back in the day, I know I always felt like playoffs were a given and I didn't feel like the season actually started until playoffs started. The 10 games leading up to that were all just necessary BS that we had to navigate so the "real season" would begin.

I may be delusional haha but I'm still not ready to hit the big red button and blow everything up. To me, I still think this current team would have been 8-1 or 7-2 at this point in the season had they not played that gauntlet of a non-conference schedule with an overall inexperienced team.

Also think Phe maybe reminds me of a more mobile Jace Hammock? Definitely a passer but doesn't seem real comfortable running the ball. Hammock was a Stagg Bowl winning QB with the all time leader in every major  UMHB rushing category behind him (Miller), TJ Josey, Reed, a young KJ Miller, legit OLine, and an all time great UMHB defense on the other side of the ball.....maybe my current evaluation is a bit harsh on Phe then considering what Hammock had around him in 2018. IDK, still would like to see Whitehead get reps. Out of all the QBs they added to the program this year, I thought his tape stood out. Granted it was HS tape but still thought he might be one we would see in 2024 or 2025.

To me, Phe reminds me a lot of Luke Poorman.  Jace had a cannon for an arm but Luke in those years was deadly in the short range.  Yeah, I'd like to see Whitehead get some reps, would like to see Oldoerp as well.  In his HS tape he had a heck of an arm.

Since Phe got 0 reps in either scrimmage, do we feel we can rely on the coaches to properly evaluate, grade, and play the athletes with the greatest potential?

I don't have an answer to that question.

[zipmac22]

The Cru got off to a quick start, but soon fell into their regular rut. Being up 21 - 7 and getting an unsportsmanlike from the sideline! Is there that much lack of discipline that there are players doing whatever they want on the sideline? Where are the coaches or better yet where is Coach Harmon? Is he on the sideline or is he coaching from the press box?

[CruFrenzy]

The Cru QB for the future doesn't appear to be on our roster. I've got a lot of concerns about things moving forward, and discipline has been a huge question. What about recruiting?

I have parents messaging me on FB/X saying their kids are quitting because the morale is low and the coaches aren't listening to their concerns.

This is concerning and unfortunately not surprising based on the trend we've seen under HC Harmon. I've already made my opinion clear on this issue. But I do want to say, I think there is some denial/delusion about the severity of the current state of the program. We have been SO elite for SO long that people are forgetting what it took to get here and how quickly it can fall. It took one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game almost 20 years to win one and then he was able to keep us on top for a half decade, a masterclass. But Rome can fall in a day with the wrong leader.. and the leader is THE HEAD COACH. Yes it's players in captain positions but it can only truly fall on on the top man.

Our best two offensive lineman including one of the best left tackles in program history (Tandoh) intentionally chose to walk away from the program instead of playing out their final year of eligibility this season. Arguably the best young defensive player on the 2022 team ( Cam Mitton) chose to walk away from what would've been a starting role at safety this year. Our best transfer portal commit (Spiller - Tarleton St) didn't make it through fall camp.

The penalties, the lack of effort, the wheels have completely fallen off. I cannot stand to see the program that I love and have supported since it's inception to be in the state it's currently in. Yes I'm spoiled and yes I'm REALLY complaining about a 6-4/5-5 season because we are UNDERACHIEVING at every level, players and coaches. My biggest fear is we allow this mediocrity to linger... then it becomes a much tougher situation.

I heard yesterday from a student that many players don't connect with Harmon as a head coach. A starting safety quit mid season because of this is what I'm told.

If this is the situation, the internal issues are more than we may even realize.

Wow. I had been wondering what happened there. The player that left the program was #0 Kyhren Deal 6'2" 195 lbs sophmore safety. If you follow the program closely you likely remember him. Probably the most talented defensive back on our team, he stood out BIG TIME in the early scrimmages with his speed and physicality in tackling.

Anyway, what a shame. Unfortunately this is not a one off as discussed in earlier posts (good players leaving).

My hope is that the administration can see the situation clearly & that they are aggressive and intentional about making the best decision for the program, the university and the fans that love UMHB football. UMHB football has transformed our university in two decades, we are in uncharted territory for sure nowbut I hope we are proactive about protecting what has been built.

[Toby Taff]

The Cru got off to a quick start, but soon fell into their regular rut. Being up 21 - 7 and getting an unsportsmanlike from the sideline! Is there that much lack of discipline that there are players doing whatever they want on the sideline? Where are the coaches or better yet where is Coach Harmon? Is he on the sideline or is he coaching from the press box?

Harmon was on the sideline and working the refs hard. On that call a HPU player put his hands on a coach. As we've seen the last 2 years the HPU players were mouthy and played dirty all game..Refs were pretty poor too. The pick 6 they called back was crazy. 28 was almost to the end zone when they blew the whistle because of a fight an HPU player started after the pick. They announced the offsetting penalties happened after the in.  (Int was at the 19) then placed the ball at the UMHB 30. No explanation for the placement. Took the td off the board. HPUs band was playing whole songs while plays were going. Refs never flagged them, even after warning them. Then there was a fight in the HPU stands... it was nuts

[Etchglow]

The Cru got off to a quick start, but soon fell into their regular rut. Being up 21 - 7 and getting an unsportsmanlike from the sideline! Is there that much lack of discipline that there are players doing whatever they want on the sideline? Where are the coaches or better yet where is Coach Harmon? Is he on the sideline or is he coaching from the press box?

Harmon was on the sideline and working the refs hard. On that call a HPU player put his hands on a coach. As we've seen the last 2 years the HPU players were mouthy and played dirty all game..Refs were pretty poor too. The pick 6 they called back was crazy. 28 was almost to the end zone when they blew the whistle because of a fight an HPU player started after the pick. They announced the offsetting penalties happened after the in.  (Int was at the 19) then placed the ball at the UMHB 30. No explanation for the placement. Took the td off the board. HPUs band was playing whole songs while plays were going. Refs never flagged them, even after warning them. Then there was a fight in the HPU stands... it was nuts

I know nothing about how ASC crews are assigned, and haven't watched any other HPU games this year... But that seems like two years in a row with some really poor officiating in Brownwood.  I really liked the Referee patting the HPU player on the butt after he was taunting a UMHB player...

[CowboyAlum261]

Tough to understand why HSU at Trinity winner gets shipped to 10-0, defending national champion North Central in the second round. I thought for sure we'd end up in a 4-team pod with Whitworth and Chapman. Oh well, nothing to do but line up and try to beat the team in front of you.

[tigerguy]

D3FB Huddle interviewed Selection Chairman Matt Moore after bracket came out. Not even sure why they interviewed him, because he was unable to answer a single question directly. Couldn't provide a single data point for why Coe got in. Couldn't explain why Trinity is hosting over HSU despite HSU having beaten the #1 seed in the region - UWL (I'm obviously happy about it). And couldn't provide any insight into why the winner will get matched up against the D3 defending champ other than NC is #2 in bracket and so that's how it ended up.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?extid=CL-UNK-UNK-UNK-IOS_GK0T-GK1C&mibextid=uKtFVW&v=1054936095515936

[Ralph Turner]

Tough to understand why HSU at Trinity winner gets shipped to 10-0, defending national champion North Central in the second round. I thought for sure we'd end up in a 4-team pod with Whitworth and Chapman. Oh well, nothing to do but line up and try to beat the team in front of you.

Whitworth had defeated Chapman in the regular season.

[CowboyAlum261]

Tough to understand why HSU at Trinity winner gets shipped to 10-0, defending national champion North Central in the second round. I thought for sure we'd end up in a 4-team pod with Whitworth and Chapman. Oh well, nothing to do but line up and try to beat the team in front of you.

Whitworth had defeated Chapman in the regular season.

I understand, but they are playing each other in the first round nonetheless. I figured the HSU/Trinity winner would play the Whitworth/Chapman winner. Nope, NCC instead.

[Cowboy2]

Tough to understand why HSU at Trinity winner gets shipped to 10-0, defending national champion North Central in the second round. I thought for sure we'd end up in a 4-team pod with Whitworth and Chapman. Oh well, nothing to do but line up and try to beat the team in front of you.

Whitworth had defeated Chapman in the regular season.

I understand, but they are playing each other in the first round nonetheless. I figured the HSU/Trinity winner would play the Whitworth/Chapman winner. Nope, NCC instead.

Not only that, granted Trinity has a higher SOS, than NCC, then HSU, but the winner of TX will presumably play NCC, as opposed to Mount Union not having to play a one loss team in the second round...that had been ranked in top 5 this year. Both the cowboys and tigers took on quality opponents in their OOC play and won their conference outright. No slight at John Carroll, but HSU had to beat UMHB, HPU, ETBU, McMurry. Trinity had to beat a (Pool C) Berry, Centre, Rhodes, BSC. Yes, some of these programs have had a down year, respectively, but top to bottom the ASC and SAA have athletes all over the field. Hopefully the winner is healthy to represent the south vs the Former Natty Champ and current No. 1 team (yea I said it NCAA), because this bracket is loaded. I guess the best thing is that whoever emerges from Texas will be at almost full force instead of later into the playoffs with more bumps and bruises...would have been nice for a Texas team to get some momentum vs a SCIAC/NWC winner.

I feel whoever made the bracket looked at it as, "damn, let's make the road to Salem as hard as possible for the west." It's obvious though, Salem to Alliance is 380 miles and for ESPN it will look better with a lot of purple in the stands instead of Red.

Makes one wonder, what's the point of scheduling powerhouses to boost their resume. HSU and Trinity both took a punch by losing an OOC game. I feel these losses have made them both better and they would each win that game if they played it 4/5 more times. However if they didn't, numerically speaking they would both be No.4 and No.5 I'm the country..... . Either way. Have to win who you play. Sudden death. Should be a great 1st round.

[The Third Division]

Trashawn Adams, UMHB's starting cornerback, has entered the transfer portal.

What happens this offseason will be very telling for the future of the program.

Source: https://x.com/AdamsTrashawn/status/1724596709714534831?s=20

[CruFrenzy]

Trashawn Adams, UMHB's starting cornerback, has entered the transfer portal.

What happens this offseason will be very telling for the future of the program.

Source: https://x.com/AdamsTrashawn/status/1724596709714534831?s=20

Hopefully this is a one off occurrence...

Harmon sure sounded confident in his press conference today that he'd be back in the spring. Maybe he will be, I truly have no idea one way or the other where the administrations head is on the issue.

This is certainly not something you want to see continuing to happen though (starters walking away/transferring).

[Etchglow]

Trashawn Adams, UMHB's starting cornerback, has entered the transfer portal.

What happens this offseason will be very telling for the future of the program.

Source: https://x.com/AdamsTrashawn/status/1724596709714534831?s=20

Hopefully this is a one off occurrence...

Harmon sure sounded confident in his press conference today that he'd be back in the spring. Maybe he will be, I truly have no idea one way or the other where the administrations head is on the issue.

This is certainly not something you want to see continuing to happen though (starters walking away/transferring).

Not a starter but Tyler Fussell who was on the roster as a QB in 22 is in the portal as well:

https://twitter.com/Tyler_Fussell02/status/1724468198597112043?s=19