The USM game was simple, we had plays that should have been made early and put us up big.
We had a defense, while somewhat better, needed our offense to score early and make the other offense predictable.
All I know is we played out of character that game with dropping two sure TDs and another easy FD play to extend a drive and could have easily jumped out 3-4 TDs ahead
The play I remember the most is with around 5 minutes to go in the 1st half, the noise of the stadium was crushing, my ears were ringing. The Rob was so loud that Southern Miss had two false start penalties back-to-back and was 2nd and 15 somewhere backed-up in their own territory. Game was tied 14-14. This was our moment to halt the sluggish start and take this game over going into the half. Stop this drive, the fans are into it, and we will win this game.
Davis hits his receiver on a crossing pattern, all of our defensive secondary is out of position, the receiver went like 70 yards for a touchdown. You could hear a pin drop by the time the dude crossed the goal line. I felt like someone had kicked me in the groin.
That was when I knew. I had never heard a fanbase just die like that. Everybody could see that everything was off, and there was a real probability we would lose.
I remember those back-to-back false starts. Stadium was intense. And then yeah, silenceâŠ
Yup. I got the same punched in the gut feeling, but way before that. I knew in my gut what was happening and what was going to happenâŠ
I recognized it as the same feeling as the Tulsa game up there, losing 28-0 before halftime, when Briles had clearly left for Baylor (he met with Baylor Regents just prior to the game)âŠI left at halftime, the ONLY Cougar game I had ever left early in my life.
Both of these games left me as mad as I have ever been in my life. A pox on both of these jackasses.
There was one play where Tyron dropped a pass right in the bread basket, in stride, with perfect touch from Case. He was wide open in the flat and no one around him for 10-15 yards. My wife kept askingâŠâwhatâs wrong with them?â. I think we found out soon enough. Yeah, that was a sad day.
YEP Cary that was huge and it was DJ Hayden in position to make a play and missed the ball giving up a long TD.
Two other TD drops was Carrier and then Justin Johnson had an easy one in the bread basket with no one defending the back end.
I will credit Sumlin with getting UH solid assistants (some with NFL experience) after it seemed like most of Brile were career HS assistants.
The ugly ugly ugly
But Rumlin Bumbling Sumlin was such a wonderful guy and really knew how to engage with fans.
Didnât Briles bring in Montgomery and Aranda? Both now NCAA Div 1 HCâs. Monty from High School an Aranda from Tech?
OMG. A man got drunk. Putâem in the stocks.
On the other hand we had a so-called teacher (aka coach) who created and condoned a rape culture for years and never took responsibility. Iâll take the drunk over the trashy, d-bag who also abandoned his team before a bowl game and called his former school an old set of golf gear.
The Briles stuff happened AFTER he left UH for Baylor. One of the reason he left was that AD Maggard kept a tight grip on Art. Baylor wanted to win so badly they allowed a culture of whatever it took. We saw that in their basketball program as well where a player murdered another player. So OMG to you.
Ha! You have this compartmentalization thing down well. Good luck with that.
Address what a prick Sumlin was to most people.
And Tom was as well. And some say Dana is. But I was not happy when any left as I wanted the success we were having to continue.
It took some time but then I got bored with the exercise. I will give Briles a little more credit than I gave him in the past after looking again (especially for future potential) but I still believe the pedigree coming in tips in favor of Sumlin. I donât like either one now but I was looking for some silver lining to what they did at UH:
The worst memory of that game happened before an incomplete pass (overthrown) in the end zone.
There was a time out and then the offense went back in and then a couple of players turned around and started back, and then they stopped and started back toward the huddle, and then another player ran on and another started off the field and then turned back. I remember my gut reacting and holding my head. During the play two linemen seemed to miss their blocks and the pass missed by between five and ten yards to an open receiver. I knew then we were going to lose.
Briles took that High School staff and went to Baylor and kicked Utâs behind. That earns brownie points from me. However, in a war I would back China, Russia, and Iran if fighting UT.
I believe Briles was the better offensive mind, Sumlin the better program builder / manager and Herman the better salesman.
(The scope being recent, post-SWC era coaches and not going back to Yeoman, Pardee, Jenkins, etc.)
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