Dabo v Mario (coaching decisions)

[SeanTaylor26]

In Saturday’s game vs Texas, Clemson was down 31-17 with 4th down and goal from the 7 yard line with just under 12 minutes left in the game. Dabo could’ve elected to kick a field goal to make it 31-20, but he knew the game would be over as Clemson couldn’t stop Texas. Instead, he went for it on 4th and goal with the outcome on the line and Klubnik threw a touchdown pass to make it 31-24 and give Clemson a shot to tie the game with 1 stop and a score.

When I was watching that I knew Mario would’ve kicked the field goal to make it 31-20 and would’ve defintely lost the game. This is the exact problem with Mario, moments like the scenario described above. That’s the difference between a top game day coach like Dabo and an average at best game day coach like Mario. High pressure situations that require on the spot decisions with no time to ponder over are what separates the great coaches from the average coaches.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Mario’s decision to kick a field goal on 4th and goal from the 10 yard line down 42 to 35 to Syracuse with just under 4 minutes left and the game on the line, knowing that his defense had not been able to stop their offense. It was a bonehead decision and Dabo in a very similar situation with his team’s season also on the line, made the right decision to give his team a shot to win and Mario made the wrong one and did not give his team a shot to win.

Did anyone else watching the Clemson game think back to our 4th and goal vs Syracuse when Dabo made the decision to go for it instead of kicking the field goal with A LOT more time left in the 4th quarter?

 

[AlexCane]

He made a bad decision to not go for it against Syracuse. That was one decision. Get over it. Do not overlook that we had 17 4th down attempts this season. Mario was otherwise very aggressive.

 

[nickster]

In Saturday’s game vs Texas, Clemson was down 31-17 with 4th down and goal from the 7 yard line with just under 12 minutes left in the game. Dabo could’ve elected to kick a field goal to make it 31-20, but he knew the game would be over as Clemson couldn’t stop Texas. Instead, he went for it and 4th and goal with the outcome on the line and Klubnik threw a touchdown pass to make it 31-24 and give Clemson a shot to tie the game with 1 stop and a score.

When I was watching that I knew Mario would’ve kicked the field goal to make it 31-20 and would’ve defintely lost the game. This is the exact problem with Mario, moments like the scenario described above. That’s the difference between a top game day coach like Dabo and an average at best game day coach like Mario. High pressure situations that require on the spot decisions with no time to ponder over are what separates the great coaches from the average coaches.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Mario’s decision to kick a field goal on 4th and goal from the 10 yard line down 42 to 35 to Syracuse with just under 4 minutes left and the game on the line, knowing that his defense had not been able to stop their offense. It was a bonehead decision and Dabo in a very similar situation with his team’s season also on the line, made the right decision to give his team a shot to win and Mario made the wrong one and did not give his team a shot to win.

Did anyone else watching the Clemson game think back to our 4th and goal vs Syracuse when Dabo made the decision to go for it instead of kicking the field goal with A LOT more time left in the 4th quarter?

Please Please with the nonsense and its quite laughable. No one is saying Dabo is a brilliant day game coach. The reality is Dabo has won 2 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS as a coach and been in the playoff numerous times. I've watched football for 60 plus years going back to Jim Brown and have been to three UM National Championship games along with many more important games. To compare Dabo to Mario is an insult. Mario without a doubt is the WORST DAY GAME HEAD COACH IN THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL. That includes the NFL, Canadian Football League, College football, HS football, and PEE WEE football.. The guy is a DISASTER if you follow his career. He is a massive detriment to his team when making day game decisions. All he can do is recruit and that is slipping because players realize he can't coach, has ZERO DISCIPLINE, and most importantly cannot develop players.

 

[Felonious Monk]

For ages the prevailing thought was never to pass up an opportunity to put points on the board. Mario was relying on his defense to get a stop and get the ball back. That might have been possible with last year's defensive roster, but certainly not this year's.

 

[Alex Del Piero]

He made a bad decision to not go for it against Syracuse. That was one decision. Get over it. Do not overlook that we had 17 4th down attempts this season. Mario was otherwise very aggressive.

And also he got killed on here for going for it too much against GT the game before.

Hindsight is 20/20.

 

[San Amaro Dr]

And also he got killed on here for going for it too much against GT the game before.

Hindsight is 20/20.

Every fanbase will make sure to let you know when a decision was wrong with the outcome already in hand lol.

 

[TheEye]

In Saturday’s game vs Texas, Clemson was down 31-17 with 4th down and goal from the 7 yard line with just under 12 minutes left in the game. Dabo could’ve elected to kick a field goal to make it 31-20, but he knew the game would be over as Clemson couldn’t stop Texas. Instead, he went for it and 4th and goal with the outcome on the line and Klubnik threw a touchdown pass to make it 31-24 and give Clemson a shot to tie the game with 1 stop and a score.

When I was watching that I knew Mario would’ve kicked the field goal to make it 31-20 and would’ve defintely lost the game. This is the exact problem with Mario, moments like the scenario described above. That’s the difference between a top game day coach like Dabo and an average at best game day coach like Mario. High pressure situations that require on the spot decisions with no time to ponder over are what separates the great coaches from the average coaches.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Mario’s decision to kick a field goal on 4th and goal from the 10 yard line down 42 to 35 to Syracuse with just under 4 minutes left and the game on the line, knowing that his defense had not been able to stop their offense. It was a bonehead decision and Dabo in a very similar situation with his team’s season also on the line, made the right decision to give his team a shot to win and Mario made the wrong one and did not give his team a shot to win.

Did anyone else watching the Clemson game think back to our 4th and goal vs Syracuse when Dabo made the decision to go for it instead of kicking the field goal with A LOT more time left in the 4th quarter?

Dabo was hired from the WR coach position. To replicate this we must promote Kevin Beard to HC and hope it all works out.

 

[mavericksouth]

I'm considered a "mope" on here and even I say the whole going for it on 4th down thing is overblown. Even if they go for and get the TD, Miami would still have lost the game because the defense that Cristobal built couldn't stop anyone and couldn't hold a 21 point lead. Mario, as the head coach, and his hired coordinators did not do enough preparation for Syracuse to not engage in a shootout with a high powered passing attack. Once up big, they should controlled the clock and ran the ball similar to what Georgia Tech did to them. Mario is an incompetent head coach, but it wasn't for kicking a field goal as opposed to going for the TD. His issues are much larger than that.

 

[Arehel]

I realize analytics said go for the FG with the Syracuse game, but gotta look at that defense sometimes.
I mean, if the defense holds them to a three and out, we win that game, but am I putting my mortgage on that? **** no. I'm not putting my morning coffee on it for that game. We had the number one offense and stud Q, sometimes you gotta double down, and just roll with it.
I think that's where it's viewed as weird.

Regarding the GTECH decision, I don't blame him he was proving a point of physicality, and Chaney rarely if ever fumbled and that run would have ended the game. Meanwhile, we had a much stronger defense and they goofed like nobody's business.
I'm seeing a trend here if anything... And that's the defensive side hasn't been reliable on crunch time situation where they have to nut up.

 

[OrangeBowlMagic]

And also he got killed on here for going for it too much against GT the game before.

Hindsight is 20/20.

Exactly this. Mario's gameday coaching was FAR better this year than it has been. He was absolutely not a net negative on the sidelines this season. The Syracuse decision was the wrong decision. Other than that, he pushed a lot of the right buttons.

As OP here says, all I read all week after GT was Mario was a dumbass because we went for it and were too aggressive that week. Now, he needs to be more aggressive. As usual, everyone here wants to have their cake and eat it too. Mario surprised me this season, the calls against Louisville on our end of the field he would NEVER have made earlier in his career. Ever. He absolutely recognized from Day 1 that the offense was elite and the strength of the team, and he played to it. Which is clearly correct. I applaud him for adapting both philosophically as far as the offense, and in-game with his aggressiveness. He deserves it. Now, go figure out how to play defense, please. Because you sucked absolute *** at that.

 

[Angry Ibis]

And also he got killed on here for going for it too much against GT the game before.

Hindsight is 20/20.

Feel for the game - Mario does not have it.

 

[OrangeBowlMagic]

I'm considered a "mope" on here and even I say the whole going for it on 4th down thing is overblown. Even if they go for and get the TD, Miami would still have lost the game because the defense that Cristobal built couldn't stop anyone and couldn't hold a 21 point lead. Mario, as the head coach, and his hired coordinators did not do enough preparation for Syracuse to not engage in a shootout with a high powered passing attack. Once up big, they should controlled the clock and ran the ball similar to what Georgia Tech did to them. Mario is an incompetent head coach, but it wasn't for kicking a field goal as opposed to going for the TD. His issues are much larger than that.

LOL.

You think this fanbase is bad now? Imagine if we ran the ball into the A-gap 3 times and punted starting in the 2nd quarter with a Heisman finalist QB. LOL. You guys are insufferable.

Mario deserves every bit of blame for the defense. It's his football team. Nobody should (but I know the muppets here will) blame him for your first-team All-America wide receiver fumbling, or your kick *** offensive line getting a clear pancake block and getting called for a phantom holding call, or your boneheaded WR (who had been a lot less boneheaded this season) reverting back to his previous form and getting a completely moronic and selfish 15 yard penalty.

Since this board is incapable of rational thought, here is the 2nd half offense against Syracuse, when you people think we should have just run the ball 3 times to burn clock, like we have any hint of a defense:

Drive 1 - 8 plays, 75 yards, touchdown
Drive 2 - WE RAN THE ******* BALL FOR 65 YARDS AND GOT A BULL**** HOLDING CALL....2nd and 17 we get sacked, punt
Drive 3 - 29 yard RUN. 4 yard RUN. 2 yard RUN. First down into Syracuse territory, our consensus All-American fumbles.
Drive 4 - 8 plays, 75 yards, touchdown
Drive 5 - (Now we're losing, btw) 12 plays, have a 1st and goal at the 8, get a **** for brains kid get a **** for brains call, now it's 2nd and goal at the 23, we kick a FG on 4th and goal from the 10 that we, in hindsight, should've went for

So we had 5 drives. We scored 2 TDs. We had a first and goal at the 8 on another. We had a first and goal at the 10 on another that was called back on a completely awful holding call. And the leading receiver in the history of our program fumbles.

But yes, I agree, we should have started milking the clock in the 2nd quarter with the #1 offense in the country, possible #1 overall pick Quarterback, and worst defense in the conference. Bunch of ******* Einstein's around here.

 

[Angry Ibis]

Exactly this. Mario's gameday coaching was FAR better this year than it has been. He was absolutely not a net negative on the sidelines this season. The Syracuse decision was the wrong decision. Other than that, he pushed a lot of the right buttons.

As OP here says, all I read all week after GT was Mario was a dumbass because we went for it and were too aggressive that week. Now, he needs to be more aggressive. As usual, everyone here wants to have their cake and eat it too. Mario surprised me this season, the calls against Louisville on our end of the field he would NEVER have made earlier in his career. Ever. He absolutely recognized from Day 1 that the offense was elite and the strength of the team, and he played to it. Which is clearly correct. I applaud him for adapting both philosophically as far as the offense, and in-game with his aggressiveness. He deserves it. Now, go figure out how to play defense, please. Because you sucked absolute *** at that.

He is a net negative on the sidelines every week because he offers no discernible advantage whatsoever vs. other head coaches with an expertise. Each situation is different. Each game is different. Mario has a historic pattern of having no feel for the flow of the game. Blew a 21-0 lead with the playoff on the line -- not sure he gets a coaching cookie for that either way.

 

[OrangeBowlMagic]

He is a net negative on the sidelines every week because he offers no discernible advantage whatsoever vs. other head coaches with an expertise. Each situation is different. Each game is different. Mario has a historic pattern of having no feel for the flow of the game. Blew a 21-0 lead with the playoff on the line -- not sure he gets a coaching cookie for that either way.

What discernable advantage does Dabo bring? That's what this thread is about. Ballwashing Dabo for going for it down by 2 scores.

 

[nickster]

He is a net negative on the sidelines every week because he offers no discernible advantage whatsoever vs. other head coaches with an expertise. Each situation is different. Each game is different. Mario has a historic pattern of having no feel for the flow of the game. Blew a 21-0 lead with the playoff on the line -- not sure he gets a coaching cookie for that either way.

Finally someone who understands just how bad Mario impacts every game he coaches. Kudos to you Angry Ibis!

 

[Angry Ibis]

What discernable advantage does Dabo bring? That's what this thread is about. Ballwashing Dabo for going for it down by 2 scores.

Always the weird homoerotic CIS comment when discussing other coaches or players.

Dabo is a position coach like Mario. He also has 2 national championships and an ACC championship this year we did not play in because we blew a 21-0 lead in the game in question here. Mario is hailed here as a great coach because of a Pac-12 title. Advantage - Dabo.

 

[OrangeBowlMagic]

Always the weird homoerotic CIS comment when discussing other coaches or players.

Dabo is a position coach like Mario. He also has 2 national championships and an ACC championship this year we did not play in because we blew a 21-0 lead in the game in question here. Mario is hailed here as a great coach because of a Pac-12 title. Advantage - Dabo.

So, you didn't answer the question in the least bit. Not like I expected anything different, but good stuff.

Also, I don't think anyone here, even Mario's heaviest supporters, hail him as a great coach. What planet do you live on? Even the portion of the fanbase who did want Mario and feel he is the best guy for the job will very readily admit the allure of having Mario as a Head Coach is his talent acquisition ability, not his schematic advantages. But I get it, you think he sucks and don't like him. Gonna be a really long next half-decade for you, unfortunately.

 

[canes_aaron]

hot take here......even if we go for it on 4th and get a TD. Syracuse still goes down and scores a FG/TD as time expires.

the defense sucked and ruined the season for us.

Mario's decision there you can argue either way, but fact of the matter the Defense would have still blown it in the end.

 

[Angry Ibis]

So, you didn't answer the question in the least bit. Not like I expected anything different, but good stuff.

Also, I don't think anyone here, even Mario's heaviest supporters, hail him as a great coach. What planet do you live on? Even the portion of the fanbase who did want Mario and feel he is the best guy for the job will very readily admit the allure of having Mario as a Head Coach is his talent acquisition ability, not his schematic advantages. But I get it, you think he sucks and don't like him. Gonna be a really long next half-decade for you, unfortunately.

Same ole same ole. There absolutely was and still is a contingent that hail him for his Pac-12 titles -- now after the first 2 seasons leading into this one, you see that slowing wearing off. It also has nothing to do with liking him or not liking him - it has to do with winning football games -- which we are 10-2 -- which is a huge turnaround - but then the patterns of his coaching and losing games he should win - reappeared - which is why there is a sourness in the air in 2024 - not just with mopes, but on the recruiting trail as well. You yourself admitted in this thread to the defense -- that was 1000% predictable.

If he does not win, it will be a long next half-decade for everyone. Unfortunately.

In terms of Dabo, I don't know if he offers a schematic advantage on one side of the ball or another, but he has shown he could put it all together and win at a high level consistently -- in terms of ranking head coaches in the league or conference he would be ahead of Mario.

The board has entered the phase of our coaching tenure of watching every football game and pointing out the decisions that end poorly and running to the board to say - see - other coaches do dumb things too --- only to be left with #neverkneel, 21 to 0, etc.

 

[ssvir]

In Saturday’s game vs Texas, Clemson was down 31-17 with 4th down and goal from the 7 yard line with just under 12 minutes left in the game. Dabo could’ve elected to kick a field goal to make it 31-20, but he knew the game would be over as Clemson couldn’t stop Texas. Instead, he went for it on 4th and goal with the outcome on the line and Klubnik threw a touchdown pass to make it 31-24 and give Clemson a shot to tie the game with 1 stop and a score.

When I was watching that I knew Mario would’ve kicked the field goal to make it 31-20 and would’ve defintely lost the game. This is the exact problem with Mario, moments like the scenario described above. That’s the difference between a top game day coach like Dabo and an average at best game day coach like Mario. High pressure situations that require on the spot decisions with no time to ponder over are what separates the great coaches from the average coaches.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Mario’s decision to kick a field goal on 4th and goal from the 10 yard line down 42 to 35 to Syracuse with just under 4 minutes left and the game on the line, knowing that his defense had not been able to stop their offense. It was a bonehead decision and Dabo in a very similar situation with his team’s season also on the line, made the right decision to give his team a shot to win and Mario made the wrong one and did not give his team a shot to win.

Did anyone else watching the Clemson game think back to our 4th and goal vs Syracuse when Dabo made the decision to go for it instead of kicking the field goal with A LOT more time left in the 4th quarter?

You picked two scenarios that have nothing in common.

Down by 14 and needing two TDs to tie vs down by 7 and needing two scores to win..

The analytics were basically 51/49 on the Syracuse FG.