Bailiff, much like Skip Holtz, knows how to coach well for FBS mid major football. UTEP has a coach who is skilled and trained for the NFL level, but is still learning to lead a program at the FBS level and is struggling and judging from his Monday presser, is still learning the college game after a long departure (since his stint at Boise).
He's used to Big Ben throwing 2 or 3 interceptions, or other offensive miscues, and still winning the game a lot of times. At the college level, that pretty much means a loss at this level. All he keeps saying, since year one, is he wants to see "how the team responds". How about putting them in a chance to win the game coach from the beginning? That means you don't always defer if you win the coin toss. Does he account for the weather pattern or the loud end of a stadium if the game is close late in the 4th? Dowell pretty much means a run play; defenses just stack it. You want to bank the future on Leftwich? Tell that young man to slide or run out of bounds when a defender has got a bead on him. Tell some of the db's to turn their head around. It lessens the chance of interference and they can play the ball better. Hiding Plinke in as a blocking TE? Your opponents are not falling for it anymore. It's very obvious Left prefers to throw to him (kind of like Romo always looking for Winton). Your grind it out games work really, really well against the NMSU's, FAU's, UNT's, UTSA's. But with Arkansas, Tech, IW and USM UTEP had, and will have Friday, several three and out's forced on UTEP so UTEP needs to score more efficiently and quickly. You'll need a lot more than "two chunk" plays per quarter, as you said on Monday, to keep up with Rice and especially La Tech.
