I feel like most of my negativity came from my overreacting to the WMU game.

Posted on September 15, 2026 at 10:39:53 AM by GoBrew

My pre-season confidence level in the offense was very high. Seeing Bryce look like he had regressed from last year was pretty terrifying. In retrospect, WMU appears to be a well-coached MAC team likely to win its conference. Meanwhile, we are installing a new offense a new coach, 2 new coordinators, and a new ST coach. As a fan, I expected the talent level of all involved to produce instant good to very good results. Perhaps that's reasonable, but that doesn't mean a slow start can't happen. Patience is the hardest part of being a fan sometimes.

On the bright side now, we have a big win, a better looking (but far from perfect) offensive performance, what appears to be an excellent defense, and ST that are already a big step up from last year based on the Oklahoma game. You or someone else pointed out in the preseason that ST could be a great equalizer if they perform at a high level.

I'll get truly excited again if the offense performs well in the Iowa game. A couple of people I know have already checked that off as a win which is silly. But if the O plays competently in that game and we get a comfortable, if not easy win, I'll be really excited about trajectory.

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Thread:

It is very weird that - By ny1995 September 15, 2026 at 09:13:13 AM
- Process over outcome. (nm) - By GritsGoBlue September 15, 2026 at 10:43:42 AM
- I feel like most of my negativity came from my overreacting to the WMU game. - By GoBrew September 15, 2026 at 10:39:53 AM
- The offense needs the UTEP game to see success in both run and pass. I felt Harbaugh often wasted these opportunities. - By plug September 15, 2026 at 09:47:07 AM
- 150 yards rushing against that talent when they know it is coming, bruh.* - By MasterBates September 15, 2026 at 09:39:42 AM
  - And more importantly, BU19s decision making. Big step forward against the best d they’ll see* - By ameriKa September 15, 2026 at 10:38:00 AM
- I think it is mostly to do with Bryce looking like he knew what he was supposed to do, made quick and decisive reads and showed better footwork (and, as a result, improved accuracy) - By WestSideBlue September 15, 2026 at 09:34:30 AM
- I may be less bullish - By Rich September 15, 2026 at 09:31:57 AM
  - Bear in mind that it was Game 2 of a brand new system, against an elite defense. And there were a number of plays that could/would have hit big but for one little aspect of the play not being handled correctly - By WestSideBlue September 15, 2026 at 09:47:46 AM
- For me, it's more that I think Bryce's floor is significantly higher than I thought after WMU. If he can build on this, even a bit at a time, I'm optimistic. * - By JohnH September 15, 2026 at 09:27:51 AM
  - This, and the defense showing that it might be enough to win several games with competent Bryce and pedestrian offense… - By Craig September 15, 2026 at 10:07:02 AM
    - Seems like a waste of a QB with Bryce's upside and an indictment of the coaches if they cannot get him to improve on last year* - By Rich September 15, 2026 at 10:23:50 AM
  - Point of order. The floor is the floor. Oklahoma was above the floor. But the floor is still there** - By xcheck September 15, 2026 at 09:52:31 AM
- My own personal feeling is one of relief - the WMU performance made me think it was a *lot* more likely that this entire team could self-immolate. I'm not sure we'll be world beaters this season but we're not going to blow up on the launch pad either. (nm) - By suede September 15, 2026 at 09:23:57 AM
  - Right but it was really the defense that delivered the win* - By Rich September 15, 2026 at 09:32:33 AM
    - Definitely. It was complementary football at its finest. After WMU I had my doubts we could do it. (nm) - By suede September 15, 2026 at 09:34:32 AM
- One reason is the opponent. The other reason is that we all saw what we saw against Western, and every bad thing seemed like it had been addressed with A plan. - By weebay September 15, 2026 at 09:15:43 AM
  - Right. It was a slightly better performance (perhaps significantly better based on difficulty), and it gave some faith in the coaches. A long way to go to be truly happy, but baby steps. (m) - By jfitz September 15, 2026 at 09:32:37 AM
  - Agreed. I mean, 17 vs Oklahoma is a LOT better than 13 WMU* - By ny1995 September 15, 2026 at 09:20:47 AM
    - Well it was really 10. But WMU needed a Hail Mary to get to 13* - By Rich September 15, 2026 at 09:33:16 AM
- I'm not. I could see us in the teens against Iowa.* - By ftb September 15, 2026 at 09:14:35 AM
  - With our trash offense, solid D and punting, we are Rich Man’s Iowa.* - By TMGeneral September 15, 2026 at 09:32:14 AM

The Victors

I feel like most of my negativity came from my overreacting to the WMU game.