Jerry Kill's offense at Rutgers

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I was surprised to hear Kill had been chosen to be OC at Rutgers as that seemed his weak spot here. Stats so far: Rutgers is last in the entire conference in passing efficiency, 2nd last in first downs, scoring offense, total offense and yards passing. The only bright spots are glimmers of his offense here: 5th in time of possession and 8th in rushing.
 


I was never a big fan of Kill but I think he did well to bring stability back to the program after the Brewster debacle. I never thought Kill would be the guy to bring us a Big 10 title or even bring us into the upper tier of the Big 10. I never saw anything innovative in anything he did - from play calling, to recruiting, to player development. What he did do was bring stability so that the players were doing the same thing for 4 years and they will get proficient at it as a result. I would assume he will do that same thing at Rutgers so they will get progressively better until their offense is ranked between 5-9 in the Big 10. Rutgers is probably just looking to make a bowl consistently without any more scandals at this point so that is enough for them. Kill can give them that.
 

I'm not going to make an argument that he's great, but I'm not sure the Rutgers job should be used to draw any conclusions regarding his coaching ability. I'm not sure anyone could stroll in there and and make them an offensive powerhouse while playing in the toughest division in college football.

When you're on the side with the high-end talent (Michigan, Ohio St, Penn St, etc), as opposed to having to play against it, it makes your job a little bit easier. Most teams, including the Gophers, would be an annual punching bag in that division, whether they were coached by Jerry Kill or Bear Bryant.
 




Kill was a very odd choice for Offensive Coordinator. Long article posted here awhile back explained in more depth why Chris Ash wanted him there.

As for why they aren't winning? They are too young as a team, Kill has been calling more read-option plays for quarterbacks and simplifying the playbook as the season has progressed, football program weathered scandals, hard place to recruit to, long term history of failure, tough Big Ten schedule,Head Coach inherited little talent, new A.D., nearly empty stadium, hostile media, QB controversy....

Lots of reasons/excuses for their lack of success.
 

5th in Time of Possession because its defense is so bad they let the other teams score quickly. ToP can be a misleading stat that way...

Rutgers' performance has nothing to do with scheme and everything to do with mid-MAC-level talent.
 







It's year zero for Jerry Kill. Give him his zero...[emoji41]
 



I was a bit surprised too since I always thought of him being more of a defensive guy. I know Claeys was the coordinator, but Claeys was under Kill's philosophy for many years and that philosophy seemed to largely be centered on solid defenses.

I remember watching the defense vastly improve from where it was during the Brewster years. Maybe on offense he'll be able to land and coach up some solid backs like he was able to do here, but it will still be tough for him in the East Division.
 

Studwell55 said:
Do I have to explain why they hired him?
Click to expand...

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
Backup HC?
Click to expand...

That would mean Chris Ash (who instigated the hire) is so under-confident in his ability to coach that he hired the guy that will replace him when he's fired.

Just like K State OBVIOUSLY hired him to take over for Snyder... At least that was more believable, because Snyder is 137 years old.

To think that Jerry Kill is such a good coach that despite all the health issues a B1G team would shove him down their current head coach's throat as OC just so they can come in later and fire the current head coach and install JK is beyond ridiculous. Especially in said coach's second year. Year 4 or 5 and things are shaky? Then maybe I'd think it's a little more plausible.

Jerry Kill did good things here. Brewster left an absolute mess, and he did a good job straightening it up. But Kill never won the division, he never won a bowl game (here or NIU), and he had one winning B1G season.

I'm not saying they might not have considered him if they had an opening. But to think he's so good that they're going to keep him on the shelf for 2-3 years so he can take over when Ash is fired is silly.
 

Why Did Chris Ash Hire Kill?

Two years ago, Kill left his job as Minnesota’s coach midway through the season, debilitated by epileptic seizures. Away from the game, without the 18-hour work days and the daily stress of rebuilding a program, his health improved. On a low-carb diet, he lost 25 pounds, walked daily and slept more. He even meditated. More than a year and a half passed without another seizure.

Until two games into Rutgers’s season.

Kill had a seizure in the Rutgers football office on Sept. 10, the morning after the Scarlet Knights’ home loss to Eastern Michigan. He played down the severity of the episode, which sent him to the hospital overnight, and said he wished it had not been made public.

“It lasted two minutes, which is good,” he said. “It’s not like I’ve had before, where it lasted 15 to 20 minutes.”

Kill’s boss, Rutgers Coach Chris Ash, was sitting next to him when the episode occurred. “It’s something I’ve seen my whole life,” said Ash, whose mother and brother also have epilepsy. “I’m well aware of what it looks like, what causes them, and what you need to do to help during one. So there was no panic.”

That understanding is a comfort for Kill and his family. Still, given that his job itself is an occupational hazard — Kill’s seizures are triggered by a lack of sleep and a high level of stress — it was worth asking: Should Kill be coaching at all?

Absolutely, Kill says. So does his wife. And perhaps most important, so does Ash.

“My mother worked her whole life,” Ash said. “My brother works every day; he drives a truck. I don’t know why coaching is any different. There’s a lot of people in America who suffer from that disease. It doesn’t mean they can’t work.”


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/18/sports/ncaafootball/jerry-kill-rutgers-football.html
 

That article really doesn't seem to be about "Why Did Chris Ash Hire Kill?"
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
That article really doesn't seem to be about "Why Did Chris Ash Hire Kill?"
Click to expand...

Yeah, it kind of does.

Kill’s boss, Rutgers Coach Chris Ash, was sitting next to him when the episode occurred. “It’s something I’ve seen my whole life,” said Ash, whose mother and brother also have epilepsy. “I’m well aware of what it looks like, what causes them, and what you need to do to help during one. So there was no panic.”

That understanding is a comfort for Kill and his family. Still, given that his job itself is an occupational hazard — Kill’s seizures are triggered by a lack of sleep and a high level of stress — it was worth asking: Should Kill be coaching at all?

Absolutely, Kill says. So does his wife. And perhaps most important, so does Ash.

“My mother worked her whole life,” Ash said. “My brother works every day; he drives a truck. I don’t know why coaching is any different. There’s a lot of people in America who suffer from that disease. It doesn’t mean they can’t work.”..

Millions of people with epilepsy, a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, live healthy, normal lives, but coaching major college football is not a healthy, normal occupation. Stress and fatigue, both of them factors in seizures, are common. The right balance of medication and lifestyle can keep them at bay, but as Kill has learned, they cannot prevent them.

“We all want to watch one more rep, spend 15 more minutes watching film on an opponent, but you have to trust the process,” Ash said. “When it’s time to shut it down, shut it down. Jerry is learning to do that.”

In fact, Ash demands it. He wants his coaches out of the office by 10 p.m. on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday; on Wednesday and Thursday he wants them out the door after practice. Clearly, Kill did not get the memo..
 

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