What has Clark done right

[yosef69]

Even at app, the players didn’t come here to play school. Just the way it is.

[AppOrange]

Take care of the ball and we aren’t having these conversations

[AppSt91]

Taking care of the ball requires good fundamentals and attention to detail. Those areas seem to be lacking along with tackling fundamentals.

[AppOrange]

Taking care of the ball requires good fundamentals and attention to detail. Those areas seem to be lacking along with tackling fundamentals.

It sure does

[ASUFan4863]

Just to highlight a few things I think Clark has done right -

1. Clark has done a great job of recruiting and getting depth at almost every position.
2. Clark has done a good job of keeping the right players/coaches and making changes when needed.
3. Clark has done a GREAT job at improving in his clock management. He gets a lock of flack for this but I think he has actually done a great job.
4. Most importantly, Clark has done a great job at being an ambassador for our university and not having any players with off the field issues.

I like Clark and want him to succeed because of these things and more. I just hope we can finish this season the right way and get back to the top as a program so he can see it through for years to come. If not, then he'll be fired. That sucks to say but it is the blunt truth at this point.

[Saint3333]

We win the turnover battle we win the next two weeks. That’s 21 days to get better before Marshall.

[app_gorilla]

#TeamClark is 3 plays away from being 6-0 and ranked in top 25.......................



Yes I know he is one play away from being 2-4 as well...................................but I don't think like you all negative Nancy's.

App State football under Shawn Clark. Where close loses count as wins and close wins against ULM are worth bragging about.

#TeamClark may go 0-12 next year but as long as they're all close, let's extend him.

[Black Saturday]

#TeamClark is 3 plays away from being 6-0 and ranked in top 25.......................



Yes I know he is one play away from being 2-4 as well...................................but I don't think like you all negative Nancy's.

App State football under Shawn Clark. Where close loses count as wins and close wins against ULM are worth bragging about.

#TeamClark may go 0-12 next year but as long as they're all close, let's extend him.

No one is in agreement with that scenario.

[app_gorilla]

#TeamClark is 3 plays away from being 6-0 and ranked in top 25.......................



Yes I know he is one play away from being 2-4 as well...................................but I don't think like you all negative Nancy's.

App State football under Shawn Clark. Where close loses count as wins and close wins against ULM are worth bragging about.

#TeamClark may go 0-12 next year but as long as they're all close, let's extend him.

No one is in agreement with that scenario.

I realize that. I just think folks are getting absurd in their defenses of this.

All close loses = bad luck, we should have won those. Can't blame Clark for player mistakes
Miracle wins = strategic brilliance from Shawn Clark in making that 54 yard FG as time expired to beat ULM

I wish my performance at work was evaluated in the way some of y'all evaluate Clark.

[AppStFan1]

#TeamClark is 3 plays away from being 6-0 and ranked in top 25.......................



Yes I know he is one play away from being 2-4 as well...................................but I don't think like you all negative Nancy's.

I don’t like playing what if game. We aren’t 6-0 and we aren’t 2-4. We are 3-3 and most games are just a couple plays away from a different record but we are what we are.

The fact is that App State has a hard schedule and we all can see that it’s possible we lose 3-4 more or go 5-1 or 6-0.

Someone finally admitting we play a tough schedule besides me..... I been arguing if you want to win like Drink did against a schedule that had below over .500 record, schedule easier.

THE SUN BELT IS WAYYYYYYY TOUGHER THAN IT WAS BETWEEN 2014 - 2019. #FACTS and that can't be argued.

But now we have made September even harder - bring back UMASS, New Mexico St and Idaho and #TeamClark will win 9/10 a year.

I have been saying for over a year the SBC is toughest G5 by a slight margin and with recent AAC departures it easily is now.

We were better in 2019 than we are now though. We were loaded with future NFL talent.

I feel like Clark has had 5 issues that hurt him and set us back.

1. He is not willing to be pro active in poaching small school players. He won’t do what others are doing because he feels guilty to despite fact it’s legal now. We have to do to William & Mary and Western Carolina what Auburn did to us.

2. Heard many others say this and I agree that I wanted Clark if we got BOB like he claimed when he did the bowl game. We aren’t seeing the same creative offense consistently. We pull back when we get a 2-3 score lead. He slows the tempo and tries to milk clock as early as third quarter and you can’t do that. If you got a 17 point lead in mid third the mind set has to be “let’s make it 31 by early to mid fourth and put game away.

3. He had a lot of misses in first two classes. I wasn’t opposed to some of them because you don’t know how they will develop but many of their HS film was just not that good. That can’t be overlooked.

4. Bad hires. I feel like the strength hire, some assistants, and coordinators were really bad hires and we paid for it. I think if we had this staff 2 years ago then we would be in better shape now but we didn’t.

5. Mismanagement of recruiting numbers. Some of the best players, often NFL players, for App have come from finding them late in process like Noel, Quick, Lynch, and many others. I think our staff is filling up the class a little too early by not holding enough spots. I also think he needs to be more aggressive in taking more commits and letting the numbers work themselves out. Players are getting paid so if by year 3 they clearly belong in FCS or D2 then have that discussion.

With that said, I wasn’t sure if Clark was ready when he took over and his first couple years kind of validated it but I am patient because I want him to succeed and believe he finally made right changes prior to this year. I remember in off-season he was given everything he wanted and we basically were told we likely won’t win 11 games but we should be better than we were last year. Our big money boosters backed off and he got this year. Coastal was a huge blow because I figured we would be 8-4 this year and he would return in 2024 but now that makes me think 7-5 and puts him on the edge. If we lose one or both of the next two games I think Shawn will be bought out unless he wins the last 4 games.

If you are watching JMU you see that will be hard to beat them. Those who want him gone now are seeing JMU come from FCS and do what we did even faster and that has them on edge as well. Remember as well that people are seeing this in a much tougher SBC while people argue that Shawn took over at a time when the SBC is way tougher than it was for Scott. Shawn is not done yet but it won’t be easy.

[Black Saturday]

I think JMU is an easy loss.

[AppSt91]

I think JMU is an easy loss.

It’s going to be ugly.

[app_gorilla]

I think JMU is an easy loss.

It’s going to be ugly.

JMU is about to avenge that fumble in 2007 that nobody talks about and won us our third natty

[OldAppPlayer]

Even at app, the players didn’t come here to play school. Just the way it is.

A lot come to just play football, but a good coach teaches them the importance of a degree and life after football.

[WataugaMan]

I think JMU is an easy loss.

It’s going to be ugly.

JMU is about to avenge that fumble in 2007 that nobody talks about and won us our third natty

They did that last year.

[app_gorilla]

I think JMU is an easy loss.

It’s going to be ugly.

JMU is about to avenge that fumble in 2007 that nobody talks about and won us our third natty

They did that last year.

If I was them, last year wouldn't cut it. Sending us to the shadow realm this year 55-7 would start to get it out.

No doubt in my mind JMU is 2007 Champion without that fumble.

[Black Saturday]

I think JMU is an easy loss.

It’s going to be ugly.

JMU is about to avenge that fumble in 2007 that nobody talks about and won us our third natty

They did that last year.

If the blatant NO call on the punt was called, we probably would have won that game.........but what do I know, i'd sworn the fumble recovery Tuesday night, was somehow out of bounds too before possession???

[bcoach]

Second sentence. WRONG!!

This would be an endless debate. But at the end of the day, it’s the job of a student athlete. It’s of whether they have their own discipline to work both school and football. Again, I think the coach has a RESPONSIBILITY to pay attention to grades and academics, but it’s not their job as a football coach to hone in deep on that, nor should it be. We are a football school, I doubt nick Saban is or Kirby smart are helping kids with their shit.

Just a minute point in my previous statement, but wanted to clarify

I have no words.

[AppWyo]

We are in a rivalry building phase of our program to make it that much sweeter when App eats their lunch, steals their girl, takes their job, and becomes the darling of the Sun Belt and College football again.

One thing that helps the West division out this season as it did last season with Troy winning it all, they do not have to play JMU like everyone does in the East.

[AppWyo]

I think JMU is an easy loss.

It’s going to be ugly.

JMU is about to avenge that fumble in 2007 that nobody talks about and won us our third natty

We beat them the first round in '95 too.