I've wondered about the staff's ability to turn things around, but to start the season my expectation for "success" was bowl eligibility for year 2 in the Big 12. That has changed and I have to credit good coaching for outperforming expectations.

7 wins is the most likely option, with 8+ looking possible. The defense is doing its job. The offense is exciting. We have a 30%+ chance of winning all but 2 games- in short, we should be competitive in pretty much every game. The improvement has largely come because of coaching and more players having at least a year of experience in the system. My concerns are going down as my excitement and confidence grows.

As for Retzlaff, I've heard people whose judgement I trust more than my own (Wrubell, Gifford Nielson, etc.) calm my concerns. Turnover-prone? Yes. But is he improving? Also yes. John Beck was one example of early turnovers but he became a star. No QB is going to be perfect, but he showed us some great things, especially the TD strike to Lassiter.

If the WY int came later in the game, after most of the success, we would have shrugged it off. Jake played a solid and efficient game, one of the best in the country last week. He's a better player than last year. That comes from coaching and hard work.

I'm done complaining right now. I don't expect a conference championship this year, but I am pleased to be entertained, which is what I really want anyway.