In regards to the fake punt, Wolford said in the press conference after the game YSU was trying to set up a big return. They had 2 guys rushing from each side, and then had the rest of the players run down field to set-up a big return. So, it seems to me that the players who released and ran down field were doing as instructed by the coaching staff. He also said in post game press conferences they(meaning the coach's) need to make sure at least 2 players remain in the middle of the line to prevent this from happening again.
People are correct to say that the players bare some of the blame for losing games. YSU receivers dropped at least 3 passes... there were 3 unsportsmanlike penalties, which cost 15 yards and 2 players to get ejected... there was the motion penalty on the first drive that likely cost YSU a TD, and instead forced them to settle for an FG... there was the big pass play WIU had that looked like it was going to be an INT, but the YSU defender was not able to hold on, the ball deflected right into the hands of a WIU receiver who scored a TD. ALL of these are on the players, and I'm sure there were other mistakes made by players.
But, at the end of the day, the coaching staff, and especially the HC takes full responsibility for EVERYTHING that happens with a team. Is that fair, maybe not. But, that is the nature of coaching, and ANY person who has ever coached knows this to be true. Also, YSU has a history of doing the very things that were done in the loss to WIU the entire time Wolford has been HC. This was also a trend under Heacock, with the possible exception of 2006.
Jim Tressel was a great coach at both YSU and OSU. He had alot of help though from the players he coached. At the same time, he had a knack for knowing the right buttons to push in terms of strategy, and also getting the players to believe in themselves, the team as a whole and the coaching staff. No offense to the players under Tressel(several of whom I know personally), but in terms of sheer talent, YSU likely has much more talent now than when Tressel was coach. They definitely have overall better athletes. But, being a great athlete does not make one a great football player. The Tressel teams had a nice combination of some great athletes with well above average ability, and players who never made anyone say "wow" with their size or speed, but who were "football players" and with good coaching were able to maximize every ounce of their potential. Also, if people remember, at YSU the Tressel coached teams typically got better as the season progressed. That is a testament to both the high quality of coaching/teaching and the ability of the players to learn from their mistakes. Rarely did Tressel coached teams at YSU or OSU beat themselves. And, as a fan, from the win in 91 against GSU onward, I always believed YSU could overcome what appeared to be insurmountable deficits and obstacles. It was obvious the players felt the same way, as did the opposing teams. This actually started with the win in 86 over Akron, the win in 89 over Akron, and a few other wins in the 89 season, including the playoff win over EKU. But, this belief YSU would find a way to win ebbed after the 1990 playoff loss to UCF, and also when the team started the 1991 season 4-3, with an embarrassing loss to Liberty on Homecoming. The next game YSU beat Georgia Southern, and the rest as the saying goes was history.
YSU did not always win the "big games", and Tressel coached teams had a tendency at times to lose games by becoming too conservative with a lead. A great example was the 21-20 loss to SIU in 2000, when SIU had only 1 or 2 wins. YSU led 20-0 late in the 3rd qtr. That loss cost YSU a Gateway Conference Championship, at least 1 home playoff game and possibly at least 2 home playoff games. Tressel's teams at OSU had a few of these losses as well. But, the vast majority of the time, when the clock hit 00:00, Tressel coached teams had more points scored than the opponent. Rarely was it pretty, but it was highly effective.
