... is with Graham's "best team I've ever coached" mantra that he repeated all summer long. I love Graham's optimistic nature -- I think that plus a short-term memory are two critical elements among the many that create a great leader -- but I kept wondering last night as I watched this team whether or not these young guys had believed all of his sunshine pumping a bit too much. I think that Graham's eternal optimism and belief in his kids are the main reasons why his teams always seem to bounce back, rather than going into the tank, but perhaps this team would have benefitted from not hearing how wonderful he thought that they were all summer long. I do think that he needs to believe in his team, obviously, but - with last night's game, as was the case with the PAC-12 title game two years ago -- a bit more sober public mindset might have helped his team with a bit more of a sense of urgency, and frankly, helped manage the expectations of fans and alumni who support the team.
Other than that, we saw 18-22 year-olds show up at an away game in football-mad Texas last night and get rolled. The beauty of college football, vis-a-vis the NFL, is this sort of unpredictability week in and week out. These kids (on just about every team) are going to choke under pressure, screw up assignments, etc. and blow a game 1-3 times a year. Even the best do it (Oregon Alabama twice last year, Ohio State at least once), and playing any talented Texas Power Five team anywhere in Texas is an atmosphere very conducive to getting hammered. The wonderful thing about the college game, as opposed to the NFL, is that a team's improvement can be really dramatic, once things click for a team and the light goes on for these relatively young guys. I hope that happens with this team soon.
Other than that, we saw 18-22 year-olds show up at an away game in football-mad Texas last night and get rolled. The beauty of college football, vis-a-vis the NFL, is this sort of unpredictability week in and week out. These kids (on just about every team) are going to choke under pressure, screw up assignments, etc. and blow a game 1-3 times a year. Even the best do it (Oregon Alabama twice last year, Ohio State at least once), and playing any talented Texas Power Five team anywhere in Texas is an atmosphere very conducive to getting hammered. The wonderful thing about the college game, as opposed to the NFL, is that a team's improvement can be really dramatic, once things click for a team and the light goes on for these relatively young guys. I hope that happens with this team soon.
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