The thing about the triple option is this, if you get behind by 2 scores you lose.
It worked at Georgia Tech because the ACC has been so mediocre. I am not sure it could work for big time success in a conference like the Big Ten that has so many top 25 programs.
Though he would be better than some other names thrown about.
Give me a break; while the Big Ten certainly has better teams at the top - especially this year - the two conferences are more or less equivalent in the middle. The so-called triple option is 6-3 against UNC, Clemson, and Virginia Tech, which are exceptional defensive teams (watch the NFL draft this year); as good as any in the Big Ten sans Ohio State and Iowa. If you want to go the conference affiliation route, they are 4-2 against the top conference in the country, the SEC. I don't care if you run the triple option, pistol, run & shoot, or pro-style offense, most offenses are not going to have much success against OSU & Iowa's defenses. That can be addressed after the Gophs can routinely beat Indiana, Purdue, NW, Ill, and MSU. And playing two scores from behind is an arduous task irrespective of the formation. It's been done twice at GT, both times on the road. I do agree it may be more difficult all else being equal, but if you have the right coach and right players, it is not going to happen that often.
95% of the criticisms about the triple option could be applied to any offense. It all comes down to how you execute. Ken Niumataolo is a guy who has continuously gotten his players to execute at high levels.
Not saying it is a bad offense. I am saying if you are playing in a conference that is extremely top heavy (like the Big Ten). It is going to be very tough to break through with an attack like the triple option because it leaves you almost no ability to come back from a deficit. If you are playing in a conference that is more top heavy, you are more likely to find yourself down.
I have no doubt in my mind if the Gophers switched to the Triple Option and had a good coach implementing it they could be successful with it. But I do find it hard to believe they could win a conference title in the Big Ten with it. With a conference that is so top heavy, it would be hard not to find yourself down in 4+ games a year. And it is not an offense to run from behind. This same thing can be said for numerous offensive styles. The triple option happens to be one of them. Georgia Tech will have a tough time winning a conference title ever in a year where the ACC is "up" for this very reason.
He has a losing record but he has done a great job at Temple. I don't think you can judge Golden in terms of wins and losses. He has taken one of the worst programs in the nation and made them respectable, 9-4 last year. They are 6-2 this year. If Al Golden was hired as the coach, I would get behind him 100 percent.Enough already with newbies! Niumatalolo is in only his fourth year as head coach (having inherited a great program from Paul Johnson, who turned a 2-10 team into a steady winner); Sumlin is in his third year; Golden has a losing record and is only in his fourth year. Inevitably, this time around, after 40 years in the wilderness, we need a seasoned, proven 1A winner who will build a program for us that will match or exceed those at Wisconsin and Iowa.
But I don't understand why people think that these guys need to so strictly adhere to the offenses they currently run. That's some serious short-term thinking.