COMMENTARY: Offense has disappeared after a strong start to the season

By: Brandon Wise / Staff Writer

Just when the Panthers seemed to be peaking and becoming a legitimate football power for the next few years, they found a way to stumble and show us how far they still have to go.

Dating back to last season, the Panthers had won 10 of their last 12 games. Now, they have lost four of their last six. There is a reason for this: offense.

The old saying in football is: “Offense wins games and defense wins championships.” The only problem with that is you have to win games before you can even get to a championship. Right now, the offense is simply not getting it done.

The offense came into this season with the hype of being an unstoppable force that no one could contain. That is laughable looking at it now because this offense seems like it cannot score on anyone.

Wesley Carroll has become the Carroll of old. After starting red hot, the red shirt senior has been exposed for being a game manager. He has catered to what has been asked of him in the past, but now he is being asked to do more than he can.

Medlock’s Moment

With the offense sputtering worse than your grandma’s Honda Civic in the cold, it is time to put Jake Medlock behind the wheel of this offense. The offense needs a spark to get them through this and that spark could come in the presence of a different quarterback leading the way.

When given a chance, Medlock was a solid option. At least he threw for over 200 yards.

Carroll could not even cross the 150-yard mark against Western Kentucky. That is unacceptable when the offense is based around spreading the ball around to receivers.

The yards are one thing, but the fact that the offense can simply not put the ball in the end zone is starting to get in their heads.

Carroll has made very poor decisions in the past four games, each of which he has thrown an interception. More importantly, the ball has not been getting into the offensive leader, T.Y. Hilton’s hands at all over the past few weeks.

Where art thou T.Y.?

Over the past few games, Hilton has been playing a different role in the offense than they are used to seeing from him. It is almost like he is a decoy. The explosiveness that fans have grown accustom to seeing over the past few years with the legend has disappeared.

It is almost as if Mr. Electricity has passed the torch onto Wayne Times and Jacob

Younger because they have become the two leading receivers on the team, besides a few deep balls to Hilton.

Those glimpses are becoming like Haley’s comet, only making an appearance every few weeks. Now, only getting those glimpses from Hilton could have cost the Panthers a chance at back-to-back bowl bids.

Sad Ending

This season had so much promise, so many opportunities. Now, they are going to have to settle with a mediocre record and possibly no bowl game. For all the publicity that surrounded this team to begin the year, finishing 7-5, their best record ever, would be a disappointment.

Right now, they could miss a bowl game simply because there is no room for them to go to a game. There are only two bowl tie-ins for the Sun Belt and even the third team, Western Kentucky, will be fighting for there own bowl position.

It is just the worst way imaginable for the Panthers to finish a season with so much hope in such disgrace.