SU’s play calling offends

Ever wonder what’s good at SU?
It’s certainly not the offensive play calling.
But some will argue it’s been that way for years.
So, is there a potential shake-up on the horizon?
At the end of the season there may or may not be any changes in SU’s football coaching staff, but one thing remains the same.
SU offensive coordinator Mark Orlando’s play calling with a lead is atrocious.
So, either way, he must develop a killer instinct or pass along the play calling duties to someone else.
To be fair, Orlando has been consistent in his offensive attack—working the short passing game—since he took over for David Oliver.
But he has also routinely sat on leads greater than 10 points.
Just this season SU has lost games to Tennessee State after leading 11-0 at half, and Prairie View after leading 17-7 at half.
Not to mention the game at Alcorn where SU was held without a touchdown until the third quarter despite moving the ball deep into ASU territory on several occasions.
Ohh. Don’t forget about the Texas Southern game where SU sat on a 24-0 lead—before adding 14 more in the fourth—until TSU scored 14 unanswered to begin the third quarter.
With that said, is Orlando really to blame?
“I can do all the preaching in the world, but individual players have to get that drive and hunger to finish plays,” SU coach Pete Richardson said. “If we can finish, we can beat any team in our conference.”
But is this particular situation more about offensive play calling rather than individual execution?
Just two weeks ago in a pivotal SWAC game with Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Richardson made the call of benching Bryant Lee after the first half. Richardson instead played Warren Matthews and C.J. Byrd as SU rallied to win 21-24 in double overtime.
That’s proof the players can execute.
Added Richardson after the win, “I thought Lee was just sporadic, he wouldn’t settle down. He missed a couple key reads in the first half and guys were wide open.
Lee was inconsistent so we decided to make a change, it worked out well for us.”
Can the same be said about the offensive coordinator?
From the outside looking in, SU looks to be a team stockpiled with a bevy of talented veterans with the likes of Lee, Kendrick Smith, Del Roberts and Juamorris Stewart.
Then, add a solid young nucleus including Jerry Joseph, Silas Gibbs and LaQuinton Evans, and it becomes hard to wonder why Orlando can’t keep his foot on the accelerator when dialing up plays?
Even in SU’s narrow defeat of UAPB, Orlando didn’t open up the playbook until the Jaguars trailed 14-6 half way through the third quarter.
Sure, Orlando’s isn’t making the plays, but it all starts with him because he’s calling the plays.
That’s the problem.
SU isn’t the same program it used to be, rather a softer, prettier, more watered down version of Richardson’s earlier days on the bluff.
Simply put, gone are the days of an SU team able to pour it on and finish off an opponent. Gone are the days of pleasing the fans by going for the jugular and developing an ore of killer instinct.
Instead, SU is becoming a program haunted by excuses.
But what’s the excuse for not taking advantage of weaker defenses?
Just a week ago Tennessee shocked its football program deciding to buy out the remainder of long time head coach Phillip Fulmer after giving him a seven year extension last year.
Fulmer was 150-51 in his 17 year coaching career at UT and won the first BCS National Championship in 1998.
But because of problems with his offensive coordinator, and inabilities to close out games, Fulmer will be out of the coaching ranks next season.
Like Fulmer, Richardson is a proven winner, an excellent recruiter and best of all, a high-quality individual.
But who’s to say the SU administration—the same people that threatened Richardson’s job last year after 13 winning seasons—-won’t do the same after his current three year contract expires if he doesn’t produce a SWAC title with a team stockpiled with talent?