We are in dire need of new offensive and defensive schemes which might necessarily mean new coordinators. A 3 man front without active linebackers cannot stop the run nor get pressure on the QB to defend the pass. We are truly overmatched in personnel and coaching and probably should go into COVID protocol for the remainder of the spring for the mental well-being of the players. I also do not see any seniors that should be given an extra year. We should give the younger players a shot. They can miss blocks and tackles just as easily as the upperclassmen. I would much rather have a 265 lb. nose tackle that can move and make plays than a 325 lb. one that cannot move, gets man handled and takes himself out of most plays.
I guess I would really just like to see some effort and excitement.
It's pretty obvious you have no clue what this team needs to succeed. Who says we don't have "active linebackers"? A 3-man front is just as effective against the run as a 4-man front, it's simply a more complex scheme because each linebacker/DB has potentially a different job on every play. You have to be smart to run a 3-man front, and I think our guys are generally well-coached in this regard. Plus, you're criticizing the fact that we have a 325lb. nose tackle when that's the whole point of a nose tackle: to take up space and make it hard to open holes in the line. We don't have the luxury of just signing a whole new defensive line; we have what we have. And our current 2 main nose tackles are actually incredibly good at what they do, so I have no idea why you'd want to replace them with a 265lb. player who would get "man handled".
There are definitely problems with consistency on both the offense and the defense, but I'm not going to pretend to have insight into specifically why that is. I just know that we have excellent coordinators, and saying we need new ones is showing why we on these boards are in the stands and they, the professionals, are on the sideline.
It's easy when things sometimes aren't working to say "let's throw the whole baby away with the bath water" but that's honestly just horrible practice. You have to play to your strengths, and our coordinators/defensive players are our strengths.
True, but the coaching staff also needs to look at themselves. Can't just put the blame on the players. We have some problems all around and we just need to fix them! 6 yards rushing and 90 passing in the first half isn't going to win ball games.
From his post game interview
• ELON — A version of the Elon football team unlike the one of the previous week showed up to Rhodes Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
• Cloaked in miscues and damaged by moments of dysfunction, the Phoenix's identity for this Colonial Athletic Association game became one that struggled and stumbled in many facets, falling to a 38-14 loss at the hands of Richmond.
• “We did not play very well,” Elon coach Tony Trisciani said. “We did not run the ball well. We struggled to protect the quarterback. We struggled to stop the run. We didn’t tackle very well. We lost the turnover battle. We weren’t very good on third down on either side of the ball. We had some critical penalties on special teams, which forced us to start some drives backed up. So, that’s what we were.”
• A week removed from presenting a serious scare to top-ranked James Madison, but ultimately losing 20-17, the Phoenix (1-3 overall, 0-2 CAA) produced a much different performance on this Saturday.
• “I know we’re a better football team,” Trisciani said. “I know we’re capable of better. I’ve seen us play better, but this week we weren’t a very good football team. Last week, I thought it was a good football team, but last week doesn’t matter. It’s got to be one week at a time for us. We’ve got to prepare to win one week at a time. This week we weren’t very good. We’ve got to turn the page, and we will, and prepare and be a better football team next week.”
• Richmond's victory snapped a three-game skid in the series against the Phoenix, winning for the first time since 2016.
• Quarterback Joe Mancuso totaled three touchdowns (two passing and one rushing) as the Spiders (2-0, 2-0) controlled the ball and much of the game. Richmond ran 80 total plays (to Elon’s 42), its offense remaining on the field for more than 41 minutes, helping to create the lopsided outcome.
• “That has to do with turnovers, too,” Trisciani said. “If you turn the ball over quickly, and they get another possession, and they had some long drives in there. It'll wear down any defense, not just our defense. We tried to play a few more guys and rotate guys. There's a couple positions where we're able to rotate guys. Then there's couple positions where we just can’t. We just don't have the depth where we can. But, we are trying to play more guys each week for that reason.”
• Richmond’s steady stream of offense inflicted its share of damage and brought on some fatigue for an Elon defense already struggling with depth due to injuries.
• “That’s what we practice for,” said Elon linebacker Jarquez Bizzell, who finished with eight tackles and 1 ½ sacks. “Things do happen and when our time is up, we’ve got to step up and make things happen. So, that didn’t determine nothing. We just should have came out here and played even harder, but we practice for tough times like that.”
• Elon mustered just 220 yards of total offense and finished 3-for-9 on third downs and 0-for-1 on fourth down. The Phoenix turned the ball over three times and allowed three sacks.
• Freshman starting quarterback JR Martin, who before the season stood as Elon’s third-stringer, but was forced into action after injuries to Davis Cheek and Joey Baughman, was replaced in the second half after completing six of his 14 pass attempts for 90 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
• Elon turned to redshirt freshman Justin Allen, becoming the third different quarterback to see time this season.
• “When I watched JR out there, I felt like he was struggling to make a decision, really,” Trisciani said. “Scrambling, getting flushed from the pocket and throwing the ball away, just isn’t going to get us down the field. So, I wanted to give Justin a chance to go in there, and see if he could process some things and make some decisions, and see what he can do.”
• Allen’s arrival came with early positive returns, his first drive making its way inside the Richmond 5-yard line after completing his first two pass attempts and running back Jaylan Thomas busting off a 40-yard rush. On fourth-and-goal from the 2, Allen threw a short pass to Avery Jones around the goal line. The ball hit the receiver in the hands, but Avery was unable to secure it, thus turning the ball over on downs.
• “I think it just comes down to within ourselves,” Thomas said of the offensive struggles. “Hats off to Richmond, they played a good game. It made some things difficult, but it just comes down to execution. There’s nothing much to it.”
• Allen finished 3-for-6 passing, scoring his first-career touchdown on a 47-yard strike to a wide-open Jordan Bonner, who broke a tackle and maneuvered into the end zone early in the fourth quarter, trimming the deficit to 31-14. Thomas led the Phoenix in rushing with 54 yards on eight carries.
• “We generated some offensive production with Justin in the game,” Trisciani said. “It was good to see.”
• Aaron Dykes led all Richmond rushers with 66 yards and scored an early fourth-quarter touchdown that provided the first points of the second half, extending a 24-7 halftime advantage to a 24-point lead.
• Mancuso got the Spiders going early on, leading the offense on an 11-play, 67-yard opening drive, capped by his 10-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jasper. All three of Mancuso’s touchdowns, including a 1-yard quarterback keeper run and a 25-yard passing score to Leroy Henley, came in the first half.
• Linebacker Bryce Graves led the Phoenix with 15 tackles including 1 1/2 tackles for a loss. Omar Rogers made 12 stops and Torrence Williams, the former Williams High School standout, notched seven tackles and a sack.
• Late in the second quarter, tight end Donovan Williams, Elon’s leading receiver entering the game, suffered what Trisciani described as "a lower limb injury." After walking off the field on his own power, he was carted to the locker room. Trisciani said Williams was “still being evaluated” following the game.