Arkansas Razorback fan here got a question?

[Hogfan1991]

First off i'm not sure how the Gene Chizik situation went down so i apologize if i reopen any wounds. I was just wondering what the fans of ISU thought of him? Was he a good coach that needed more time or where you all glad to see him go? He hired a former Arkansas OC and youll know him better than anyone. So what kind of success do you'll think he will have at Auburn?

[gocubs2118]

I loved Chizik and wish him the best

[AirWalke]

I second that.

[no2cyclones]

For the record, "" = sarcasm.

As in, "Chizik was a great coach who had us on the way to success! "

[cyadict]

A few of the things that I loved about Chizik was his hands-on coaching with the players and the fact that he always spoke the truth. He truely was a man of his word and could always be trusted.

[illinoiscyclone]

Chizik was a great recruiter, who may have done big things here given more time solely for that reason. He was probably one of the worst gameday coaches ever, and made some boneheaded decisions all around by benching some players that maybe shouldnt have been, hiring his inept buddy(s) as coordinators among other things. ISU's team is in better shape than it was before he came talentwise.

All-in-all, he talked a big game and didnt back it up much. One cannot fault him for moving on to greener pastures, but he did it with no dignity or class, failing to face those that he left behind only days after he said that he was "firmly entrenched" in our community.

[Hogfan1991]

Oh i'm glad you decided to clue me into that.

[CyCrazy]

Chizik was a great recruiter, who may have done big things here given more time solely for that reason. He was probably one of the worst gameday coaches ever, and made some boneheaded decisions all around by benching some players that maybe shouldnt have been, hiring his inept buddy(s) as coordinators among other things. ISU's team is in better shape than it was before he came talentwise.

All-in-all, he talked a big game and didnt back it up much. One cannot fault him for moving on to greener pastures, but he did it with no dignity or class, failing to face those that he left behind only days after he said that he was "firmly entrenched" in our community.

yep hog fan that sums it up.
and dont worry he will not out coach petrino

[Hogfan1991]

Also Brice Beck is from my home town. What ever happened to him?

[sclotz]

Welcome...
The wounds were pretty darn tender for a while, but in my opinion, ISU is better off now. We have a head coach, Paul Rhoads, that is originally from the area, and has been a part of the ISU staff previously. He knows what it takes to win at ISU. Chizik brought in some talented players, many of which are still here, but appeared to hire a few assistants based on friendship rather than merit. For me, the bitterness felt by many ISU fans was not really that he left, it's how he did it...I'll let others voice their opinion regarding how he left. I think our future is very bright.
Fill us in on Arkansas football and the SEC in general.

[nj829]

Hogfan, as a Cyclone living in NW Arkansas, I can assure you Petrino is going to be whipping up on Auburn for the next few years. I don't see Gus enjoying it there for long based on what the Auburn offense has looked like the past couple of years, as the talent level really doesn't appear that good outside of Burns and Ziemba to compete, and GC may not last more than 2 years if they don't win quickly, which I would be shocked if they do much of in SEC play.

[sdillon500]

Here's a metaphor:

I like to think of the Chizik situation last fall as a breakup. In this case, Chizik is like the new, hot girl in town. You get with her, but she comes with some baggage. Horrible personality, halitosis, and irritable bowel syndrome. Oh yeah, and you rarely, rarely sleep together (sex=winning football games).

You stay together because even with this laundry list of problems, you see potential in the relationship and hey, look how hot this girl is. Then one day, out of the blue, she dumps you for wealthy Johnny War Eagle down the street. Oh, and the kicker? She leaves you with an STD.

Wait, what was my point again? Oh yeah, Gene Chizik has herpes.

[cdekovic]

He was a "great get" when we got him. That's why it stings so much that he baled on us so soon. Interesting words from one of the DE (Parker) on this year's defensive staff versus last years. He said this year they are coaching the D-line to beat the guy in front of them first, then you get in to the backfield. Last year the D-staff coached them to focus in the backfield and didn't put as much attention on the guy in front of them. I'll be curious to see the results. Our defensive results last year were pretty dismal. If Chiz is a defensive wizard, he couldn't translate it to the field. How do I think he will do? He only took 1-2 of his staff from here so I would expect him to fare well. He also probably has a better talet pool. Once thing for sure, if he is 2-19 after two years at Auburn, he is likely done as a head coach and will wish he stayed at Iowa State. We are a lot more patient up here.

[iowastatechris]

Also Brice Beck is from my home town. What ever happened to him?

I actually think that he is at Arkansas State now

[Hogfan1991]

For the poster who wanted filled in on Arkansas. Well last year wasnt the year we hoped for. Houston Nutt left Arkansas with some talent just no experience. We played 17 true freshman(most in the SEC 3rd in the country). On top of that the new scheme proved difficult for our team to learn, and it was the half way point in the season for before you could see us making progress. Anyways to end last year Arkansas beat LSU 31-30. We also had wins over Auburn, Tulsa UL Monroe and Western illinois. We lost to Kentucky,Ole Miss and MSU by a combined 6 points. Going into this year we return the most starters in the SEC, and made an upgrade at quarterback(Ryan Mallet). Looking at our upcoming season from a non homer prospective i expect 7 or 8 wins. However in 2010 look out!! Good luck to you all as well.