Opening Thoughts:
Great Googily Moogily. I thought Texas was supposed to be warm! Other than Kingsville, I've never been to a PO game in Texas that wasn't cold. And even the Kingsville game the locals were blaming us for bringing the cold weather down. I had been watching the weather all week, it started out in the 70's and windy. By Friday night they were calling for 37mph sustained winds with gusts up to 49. I don't think it ended up being quite that bad, but I would say that there was definitely sustained winds of around 30mph with gusts higher. We got to the stadium 2 hours before kickoff and it was windy and rainy - which was miserable. A quick trip to Wally World allowed me to get some much needed gear - since I left all of mine in KC because there was like a 5% chance of precipitation all day. Uff Da. Luckily by kickoff the rain had stopped and the wind was drying off everything. There were at least 3 LSC head coaches in attendance at the game. Obviously MSU's, but I know that Will Wagner made the trip up from Angelo and at one point I saw Chris Thompson from ACU standing behind me in the bleachers.
Last Week's Recap:
The heart attack Cats are back. The similarities to last years team are amazing - having to come from behind in the first two rounds of the playoffs - only to play a fellow MIAA opponent in the Regional Championship. Lets hope that the Bearcats can dispose of the Gorillas the same way that they did the Mooles last year. We'll get to that in a bit, but first lets break down last week's game.
The wind played a huge factor in NW's play calling. Because of the wind, neither teams could pass very much this game was played primarily on the ground. The Bearcats rushed almost twice as many times as they threw the ball (47-25) and I honestly didn't think that they threw the ball that many times! Thru the first quarter I was thinking that it could easily be a game where the team with the ball last was going to win. Each team was able to drive on each other seemingly at will. Then the MSU made some adjustments in the second quarter, and NW wasn't able to do much on a couple of their drives. The third quarter wasn't any better as their 4 possessions of the 3rd quarter ended in fumble, downs, interception, and downs. But then the 4th quarter arrived, and MSU fell victim to the same thing that NW did at Arrowhead. Coming into this game, the MSU defense hadn't really had to play a complete game. They blew everyone out of the water, so their starters were done playing in the 3rd quarter. By the time the 4th quarter rolled around, the MSU D was completely gassed, and the NW O moved the ball at will. The O had some players that really stepped up. Franklin has continued to impress - especially after Simmons hurt his hand in the first quarter. Soy is continuing to play thru some major pain. I think my Offensive MVP has got to go to Kyle Kilgore. Kyle has really flourished with Trevor Adams @ QB who seems to throw to him more often than BC did. Not a knock on BC, just an observation.
I know its rather cliché - but what a tale of two halves. In the first quarter, the NW D couldn't do anything to stop the Mustangs. I do not know enough about Defense to be able to pinpoint what exactly the changes were at half, but I do know that whatever Rich Wright did - worked. I do know that the DE's did a much better job of sealing off the outside and funneling everything to the inside. I do need to give some major props to the MSU offensive line. They were some big boys and they weren't of the slow variety either. The entire line did an amazing job of blocking, I was VERY impressed with their skills. And the Mustangs RB Keidrick Jackson is the real deal. When was the last time that a RB ran up 184 yards against the NW D? I'll tell you: September 3, 2005 - Jamar Day from UNO put up 188 yards. My MVP for the D would be split between DJ Gnader and Matt Longacre - and they are both RS Freshman. Two young guys stepping up big in the PlayOffs. That's Bearcat Football!!
This Weeks Matchup:
Well, here we are again. I can guarantee you that this is exactly where the players wanted to be the day after the Arrowhead game. They want revenge, and they want it bad. And there is nothing better than extracting that revenge in the Jungle, on the Gorillas home field.
Since we've all seen PSU play, writing this one is just as difficult as writing the pregame against MoWest. The NW Offense is not quite the same as it was the first time that these two met. Going into the first meeting, the NW offense was flying high - scoring an average of 65 points per game. Northwest has not been as explosive the last few weeks - but there have been some good reasons for that. Particularly the past two games have been played in wind tunnels, thereby severely limiting the passing game. There have also been some injuries. Jake Soy is still nursing his ankle and Tyler Shaw's foot is getting better but it still isn't 100%. Those are two very potent weapons that have been on the shelf for a while. Bryce Young has been on KO return team the past few weeks, and while he is good - he isn't quite as dynamic as Shaw is. Blake Christopher is injured as far as I know. I saw him in Wichita Falls playing catch in the parking lot, but he did not even dress at the game. JF3 is not nearly the same player that he was going into the first meet up. Prior to the game at Camarrohead JF3 had primarily played in mop up duty, now he is an integral part of the offense. The Bearcat offense now relies a little bit more on the run, and not as much on the pass. That is usually a good thing when it comes this time of the year. I would not be surprised to see a conservative offense, but at the same time they might come out firing. This will be the first game in a while that isn't being played in extreme windy conditions. As of right now, the forecast is calling for a cold rainy game. That could make for an interesting game plan.
The defense too is not quite the same as they were on October 1st. They are playing on a much higher level than they were at that time. In the first game, it was the NW D that was being worn down in the second half - now they are the ones that are doing the wearing down. I don't want to take away from Pitt State's offensive line, as they are good - but I think the the NW D saw the best Oline in the nation last week. One thing that the NW D is going to have to do is trust the Dline and LB's to stop the run. Last time the secondary was very anxious to come up in run support, and that allowed Pitts WR's to be able to get the needed separation. I am still not sold on Zac Dickey's arm. Yes he's completed a good percentage this year, but I truly believe that he played the game of his career the first time. I really don't think he has the ability to do that again. The D is going to have to get some pressure on Dickey and disrupt his rhythm. If they do that, and are able to stop or at least slow down the run, I like NW's chances.
Special teams have been big lately, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them play a vital role in this game as well. Its been a while, but I wouldn't put it past NW to score on a KO or punt return. My prediction for this game: NW 42 PSU 38
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Nov 26: NW Bearcats vs Midwestern State Mustangs
Opening Thoughts:
What a crazy game. But what do you expect in the playoffs? Especially when that playoff game is between two rival teams! I’ve got to take my hat off to the Bearcat faithful. The attendance was 8,420 and I will guarantee you that over half of those were wearing green. For the first couple of minutes of the game I was on the home side because I had to meet someone at the gate. I’ll tell you one thing – the NW fans were LOUD. I spent the rest of the game on the visitors side at the 45 yardline, and the MoWest fans never came close to making the noise that I heard from the NW fans. It was truly awesome. I don’t expect there to be a whole lot of us in Wichita Falls next weekend, but I will make sure that we make as much noise as possible!
Last Weeks Recap:
Talk about taking a trip on the crazy train. The first couple of minutes of that game were absolutely nuts. Like I said earlier, I was standing by the gate for NW’s first possession, so I could only see about half of the field. I saw that Simmons missed the pass, but I couldn’t tell that it was a lateral pass – it just looked incomplete. – so I was a bit shocked when MoWest picked it up and ran down to the one yard line! Absolutely nuts! When I got to the stadium to start tailating, I noticed that unlike last time the wind was coming out of the southwest, therefore making a crosswind. I thought for sure that would hamper Zuerlein’s kicking ability, boy was I wrong!
Offensively NW was a quite a bit shaky in the first half. Coming out and turning over the ball on the first three possessions is not a good thing. I’m sure that and the wind got into Trevor Adams head in the first half, because they were not able to do much of anything for the first 30 minutes. But a lot of football is psychological – it’s a game all about momentum. Northwest got that momentum in the second half and used it to score 21 unanswered points. I am not a fan of trick plays, I’m glad that the little reverse pass by Shaw worked, but I don’t like those plays and think that one should probably be put back into the playbook and not pulled out again! Those are high risk high reward types of play, and more often than not they just aren’t worth it in my book. Trevor Adams came out in the second half and looked like a completely different quarterback. I’m glad that they allowed him to run a little bit – in highschool he was a great passer but also ran the ball a bit as well (like over 100 times his senior year averaging over 5 yards per carry.) How about a big tip of the hat to David Mosely and Taylor Pierce for coming up big in this game. They each had 89 yards of receiving this game. There are so many good receivers on this team, I would hate to be a defensive coordinator and try to prepare for the NW wide receiving corps! Not to mention the stable of backs that NW has. Franklin – OMG. I am so glad that he came to NW. I’ll tell you one thing, if Franklin had been on the team last year – NW would have won that game in Duluth in my opinion. He was an animal out there last week. No to mention Simmons! I would definitely put those two backs up against any other tandem of RB’s in the country. Being down so much so early in the game, a lot of offenses probably would have given up, but not the Bearcats. Way to go Cats!
Defense… one word: WOW. That was easily the best performance by the Bearcat D all year. I bet you that Scott B was lookin’ down and smiling at his boys on Saturday. A couple of years ago (2008 I believe it was) the NW D was rather shaky to start the year. Then about the 4th or 5th game – it was like somebody flipped a switch and they became a shut down D. After Saturdays performance, it sure looked like somebody flipped that switch. The Bearcats held the Griffons to only 93 yards rushing (and 38 of those were on the reverse that which was their only offensive TD that was on a drive more than 1 yard.) If that’s not impressive enough, they limited Jerry’s Kid to only 93 yards passing, and he actually had -16 yards rushing (a vast improvement from two weeks ago!) DJ Gnader had a real coming out party – totaling 11 tackles, 3 for losses, 1 sack, and 1 QB hurry. All year long he’s had the potential, but it always seemed like he wasn’t quite in the right position or something. Well it finally all came together for him, and I hope he is able to continue it the rest of the year.
Special Teams – they played a major role in this game. Believe it or not, I think that having an asset like Zuerlein actually hurt the coaching of MoWest. Because it seemed like as soon as the ball got across midfield, the play calling got real conservative – like they knew that they were at least going to get 3 points out of the deal. But as far as Zuerlein goes – all I can say is amazing: hitting a 52, 57, & 58 yarder in the first half with a wicked cross wind.
This Week’s Match up:
Is it possible to have a game with less than a 20mph wind? Geez, is that so much to ask? As of right now, the weather guys are predicting another windy day for the Bearcats. NW's last two playoff games have been played in 25+ mph winds, I'd rather not make it a 3rd! I keep thinking back to they quote that Tyler Seals told me a few weeks ago: the coaches do all the hard work for us - they create the game plan; all we have to do is execute it, if we do that - we win. My guess is that that is going to be the same thing this week. It all starts with the coaches to create the gameplan - and the players to execute it. We will see how well the latter part works.
Fact of the matter is that historically, the LSC doesn't have great running teams. Heck it wasn't too long ago that Eastern New Mexico was running over all of the LSC teams, yet couldn't win a game. The LSC is a pass happy conference - not saying that that is a bad thing, just stating a fact. When every team passes, that is what teams prepare for - and gear the defense for. So when you have a team that decides to run, then the vast majority of your defensive schemes go out the window. I'm not saying that MSU is the same as they were in 2006 - but there are a lot of similarities - #1 running team in the conference, #1 scoring offense, #1 total offense - but MSU came into Bearcat Stadium averaging 242 yards per game rushing, and walked out with 99. Now I'm not saying that the NW D is as good as the 06 team was - but if they play like they did last week. It could be a rehash of the first meeting. MSU has a whole stable full of backs that like to run - I think that there are like 5 that have 49 or more rushing attempts this year - they are led by their QB. This tells me that these are designed runs and not exactly the scrambling type of yards. NW fairs much better against QB's that run a route versus a QB that has the ability to scramble for 5-7 yards when a play breaks down. Unlike Jerry's Kid, the MSU QB (Brandon Kelsey) can actually throw the ball and does a good job. He is currently averaging 68.9% completion rate. They don't have any stand out WR's, but they have several that are consistently good. If NW can make MSU one dimensional and have to go to the air, I like their chances.
On offense, NW is going to have to have a better performance than they did last week. Their pass D is not good, in fact it is pretty poor. Statistically it ranks 135th out of 154 teams. Normally I would say that the NW would destroy a team like that, but looking at the forecast and seeing such a nasty crosswind, that doesn't help to inspire confidence. Pierce and Moseley will need to come up big again this week, Soy & Shaw have combined for a total of 6 receptions in the last two weeks. Soy came up with some amazing catches last week - including a broken up 2 point conversion that he managed to catch. I really hope that that is an indication that his ankle may actually be getting a little bit better. Statistically, the Mustangs have a really good rush D. They are currently ranked #10 in the nation - giving up only 101 yards per game - which sounds amazing. But like I said earlier, they are the only team in the LSC that likes to run. So when the rest of the conference averages 121 yards per game rushing, limiting them to 101 yards doesn't sound so hot. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that NW is going to be able to just roll over them, but I think that NW will have seen rushing D's that were just as tough and have had success against them.
I'm going to be willing to bet that there will not be any 50+ yard FG's made in this game. And that's a relief! I have total faith the the NW Coaching staff to put together a game plan to beat the Mustangs. If the Bearcats go out there and execute that game plan, they will win. My prediction: NW 42 MSU 35
What a crazy game. But what do you expect in the playoffs? Especially when that playoff game is between two rival teams! I’ve got to take my hat off to the Bearcat faithful. The attendance was 8,420 and I will guarantee you that over half of those were wearing green. For the first couple of minutes of the game I was on the home side because I had to meet someone at the gate. I’ll tell you one thing – the NW fans were LOUD. I spent the rest of the game on the visitors side at the 45 yardline, and the MoWest fans never came close to making the noise that I heard from the NW fans. It was truly awesome. I don’t expect there to be a whole lot of us in Wichita Falls next weekend, but I will make sure that we make as much noise as possible!
Last Weeks Recap:
Talk about taking a trip on the crazy train. The first couple of minutes of that game were absolutely nuts. Like I said earlier, I was standing by the gate for NW’s first possession, so I could only see about half of the field. I saw that Simmons missed the pass, but I couldn’t tell that it was a lateral pass – it just looked incomplete. – so I was a bit shocked when MoWest picked it up and ran down to the one yard line! Absolutely nuts! When I got to the stadium to start tailating, I noticed that unlike last time the wind was coming out of the southwest, therefore making a crosswind. I thought for sure that would hamper Zuerlein’s kicking ability, boy was I wrong!
Offensively NW was a quite a bit shaky in the first half. Coming out and turning over the ball on the first three possessions is not a good thing. I’m sure that and the wind got into Trevor Adams head in the first half, because they were not able to do much of anything for the first 30 minutes. But a lot of football is psychological – it’s a game all about momentum. Northwest got that momentum in the second half and used it to score 21 unanswered points. I am not a fan of trick plays, I’m glad that the little reverse pass by Shaw worked, but I don’t like those plays and think that one should probably be put back into the playbook and not pulled out again! Those are high risk high reward types of play, and more often than not they just aren’t worth it in my book. Trevor Adams came out in the second half and looked like a completely different quarterback. I’m glad that they allowed him to run a little bit – in highschool he was a great passer but also ran the ball a bit as well (like over 100 times his senior year averaging over 5 yards per carry.) How about a big tip of the hat to David Mosely and Taylor Pierce for coming up big in this game. They each had 89 yards of receiving this game. There are so many good receivers on this team, I would hate to be a defensive coordinator and try to prepare for the NW wide receiving corps! Not to mention the stable of backs that NW has. Franklin – OMG. I am so glad that he came to NW. I’ll tell you one thing, if Franklin had been on the team last year – NW would have won that game in Duluth in my opinion. He was an animal out there last week. No to mention Simmons! I would definitely put those two backs up against any other tandem of RB’s in the country. Being down so much so early in the game, a lot of offenses probably would have given up, but not the Bearcats. Way to go Cats!
Defense… one word: WOW. That was easily the best performance by the Bearcat D all year. I bet you that Scott B was lookin’ down and smiling at his boys on Saturday. A couple of years ago (2008 I believe it was) the NW D was rather shaky to start the year. Then about the 4th or 5th game – it was like somebody flipped a switch and they became a shut down D. After Saturdays performance, it sure looked like somebody flipped that switch. The Bearcats held the Griffons to only 93 yards rushing (and 38 of those were on the reverse that which was their only offensive TD that was on a drive more than 1 yard.) If that’s not impressive enough, they limited Jerry’s Kid to only 93 yards passing, and he actually had -16 yards rushing (a vast improvement from two weeks ago!) DJ Gnader had a real coming out party – totaling 11 tackles, 3 for losses, 1 sack, and 1 QB hurry. All year long he’s had the potential, but it always seemed like he wasn’t quite in the right position or something. Well it finally all came together for him, and I hope he is able to continue it the rest of the year.
Special Teams – they played a major role in this game. Believe it or not, I think that having an asset like Zuerlein actually hurt the coaching of MoWest. Because it seemed like as soon as the ball got across midfield, the play calling got real conservative – like they knew that they were at least going to get 3 points out of the deal. But as far as Zuerlein goes – all I can say is amazing: hitting a 52, 57, & 58 yarder in the first half with a wicked cross wind.
This Week’s Match up:
Is it possible to have a game with less than a 20mph wind? Geez, is that so much to ask? As of right now, the weather guys are predicting another windy day for the Bearcats. NW's last two playoff games have been played in 25+ mph winds, I'd rather not make it a 3rd! I keep thinking back to they quote that Tyler Seals told me a few weeks ago: the coaches do all the hard work for us - they create the game plan; all we have to do is execute it, if we do that - we win. My guess is that that is going to be the same thing this week. It all starts with the coaches to create the gameplan - and the players to execute it. We will see how well the latter part works.
Fact of the matter is that historically, the LSC doesn't have great running teams. Heck it wasn't too long ago that Eastern New Mexico was running over all of the LSC teams, yet couldn't win a game. The LSC is a pass happy conference - not saying that that is a bad thing, just stating a fact. When every team passes, that is what teams prepare for - and gear the defense for. So when you have a team that decides to run, then the vast majority of your defensive schemes go out the window. I'm not saying that MSU is the same as they were in 2006 - but there are a lot of similarities - #1 running team in the conference, #1 scoring offense, #1 total offense - but MSU came into Bearcat Stadium averaging 242 yards per game rushing, and walked out with 99. Now I'm not saying that the NW D is as good as the 06 team was - but if they play like they did last week. It could be a rehash of the first meeting. MSU has a whole stable full of backs that like to run - I think that there are like 5 that have 49 or more rushing attempts this year - they are led by their QB. This tells me that these are designed runs and not exactly the scrambling type of yards. NW fairs much better against QB's that run a route versus a QB that has the ability to scramble for 5-7 yards when a play breaks down. Unlike Jerry's Kid, the MSU QB (Brandon Kelsey) can actually throw the ball and does a good job. He is currently averaging 68.9% completion rate. They don't have any stand out WR's, but they have several that are consistently good. If NW can make MSU one dimensional and have to go to the air, I like their chances.
On offense, NW is going to have to have a better performance than they did last week. Their pass D is not good, in fact it is pretty poor. Statistically it ranks 135th out of 154 teams. Normally I would say that the NW would destroy a team like that, but looking at the forecast and seeing such a nasty crosswind, that doesn't help to inspire confidence. Pierce and Moseley will need to come up big again this week, Soy & Shaw have combined for a total of 6 receptions in the last two weeks. Soy came up with some amazing catches last week - including a broken up 2 point conversion that he managed to catch. I really hope that that is an indication that his ankle may actually be getting a little bit better. Statistically, the Mustangs have a really good rush D. They are currently ranked #10 in the nation - giving up only 101 yards per game - which sounds amazing. But like I said earlier, they are the only team in the LSC that likes to run. So when the rest of the conference averages 121 yards per game rushing, limiting them to 101 yards doesn't sound so hot. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that NW is going to be able to just roll over them, but I think that NW will have seen rushing D's that were just as tough and have had success against them.
I'm going to be willing to bet that there will not be any 50+ yard FG's made in this game. And that's a relief! I have total faith the the NW Coaching staff to put together a game plan to beat the Mustangs. If the Bearcats go out there and execute that game plan, they will win. My prediction: NW 42 MSU 35
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Nov 19: Northwest Bearcats vs MoWest Griffons v2.0
Opening Thoughts:
What a great day for a football! The second weekend in November could have been turrible weather, but it wasn't. It was an absolutely beautiful day. In fact, I may have gotten a little sun burnt - but I will take it over the alternative! And the Bearcats finally decided to show up after a two week absence. And to top it all off - when the Regional Rankings came out, Northwest ended up being seeded #5 which gives them a chance to avenge their loss to the Griffins two weeks ago. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have gotten a bye, or be hosting a game this weekend - but if NW have to travel, I would prefer to go to Bearcat Stadium South and knock the Griffons out of the Play Offs!
Last Weeks Recap:
Now that is the kind of game that I expect the Bearcats to play. That was a much improved effort from both sides of the ball. NW scored on almost every possession. They did have two turnovers, but both of those were rather odd. One was a tipped ball that bounced off the defender, but he managed to pick it out of the air, the other was more like a pitch that was bobbled and ended up right in the defenders lap. Like I said, both were rather odd. Other than those possessions, NW scored in all but two. Considering going into this game ESU had averaged 3.5 take aways per game, I'm happy with only 2.
I was very impressed with the offense last week. I think that they got in a rhythm and kept it flowing. ESU did a good job of disrupting that rhythm at the beginning of the game. Northwest went 3 & Out on their second possession and on their third they turned the ball over. But the Bearcats responded by scoring the next five times they touched the ball in the first half! NW found success running the ball - to the tune of 349 yards. Which was the most of the year so far. My guess for the reason for the coaches to keep running the ball like they did was two fold... 1) it was working 2) to get ready all the more real game reps before the play offs. With Jake Soy and Tyler Shaw still not being 100%, the run game becomes all the more important. Trevor Adams didn't just hand off the ball all day, he did do a pretty good job of throwing the ball. He got 254 yards passing in 18 passes. I personally think Adams greatest skill is spreading the ball around. Adams hit 10 different receivers, and no receiver got more than 3 catches each. That is pretty darn impressive if you ask me.
Personally, I think that the defense played the best game that they've played since in quite a while. They really only gave up 14 points - not counting the literally last second TD by Emporia against the 3rd String D. They did a great job defending the run. They only allowed a total of 101 yards rushing, and no run was more than 10 yards. Not to shabby for an option based offense. The Bearcats did an excellent job of playing assignment football. ESU did manage to get 285 yards passing, but that is because they threw A LOT! They threw the ball 44 times, only UCM and ENMU attempted more - and both of those are very pass heavy teams. It is my opinion that the LB's played a great game, they were very determined to stop the run, which did open up some passing routes for ESU. ESU didn't have any big passes, infact the biggest gain was 26 yards. When teams commit to the dink and dunk, that has historically eaten the NW Defense alive. Bryce Enyard managed to get his 6th interception of the year, and took it to the house! It was a beautiful play and Bryce read it all the way and jumped the route. Bryce was awarded the MIAA Conference Freshman of the Year. It was well deserved, and he will be a very important part of the secondary for years to come!
This Week’s Match up:
Well what is there to say? MoWest still sucks. I believe that Mel Tjeersdma was quoted once saying something to the extent of that he hated playing a team that he beat earlier in the season in the playoffs, but he loved playing a team that he lost to. Well, Northwest has the opportunity to avenge one of their losses this week, and you can bet that the team is motivated to do just that!
On offense, Northwest has to execute a heck of a lot better than they did two weeks ago. It may come down to seeing how banged up NW is. Two weeks ago, Shaw was coming off of a nasty foot injury, and you could tell. He looked better last week, and hopefully he will be even better this week. Soy is still being hampered by his ankle or foot or something. It's obvious that he is in a lot of pain out on the field, but is being quite a trooper still going out there and helping his team. Coach Dorrel has said that if BC is capable, he will be the starting QB. Last week when he was introduced on Senior Day, he came out with quite a noticeable limp. I don't know if it is just Coach Speak saying that he may play or not. I'm not convinced that NW would have won last time if Christopher was playing. BC isn't that much of a better passer than Adams is, but what he brings to the table is the running threat. But if he's hobbled up, he can't exactly take off. In the last game, I was extremely impressed with the offensive line play - and I think that that will be key again. These games are won and lost in the trenches. If the Oline can hold off Murderers Row again, I like NW's chances!
On Defense, Northwest has got to contain Jerry’s Kid (JK). Last time, the D over pursued a lot and left a wide open field for JK to run. But once NW put a spy on him, that shut down the effectiveness of the MoWest offense. The D has got to do a much better job of containing the overall rush of the Griffons. In the first meeting, the Secondary did a darn good job of shutting down the passing game, they will need to do that again. I think last time, the coaching staff kind of got sucked into the emotions of the game, and that didn’t allow them to make the necessary adjustments quick enough. Each person on the field is going to have to do their 1/11th. They are definitely going to need to work as a team.
Special Teams are going to be huge in this game. If it comes down to a battle of field goals, that does not bode well for NW. Not that I don't trust Adolf, but Greg Zuerlein is a beast. I think he's like 5/5 or 6/6 of 50+ yard. That is insane. He is easily the best FG kicker in Division II, if not in all divisions. If NW can block some of those, that would be huge! It's going to be another windy day in St Joe, so that carries the ball all the more! The NW return teams will also need to be on the toes. I wouldn't be surprised to see Simmons take one to the house.
If NW can contain on D, and execute on O, I think NW wins this one easily. I honestly believe NW played about the worst that they could ever play, and MoWest vise versa in the first game. If NW plays like they can, I pick NW 38 MW 23.
Interesting Facts/Statistics:
What a great day for a football! The second weekend in November could have been turrible weather, but it wasn't. It was an absolutely beautiful day. In fact, I may have gotten a little sun burnt - but I will take it over the alternative! And the Bearcats finally decided to show up after a two week absence. And to top it all off - when the Regional Rankings came out, Northwest ended up being seeded #5 which gives them a chance to avenge their loss to the Griffins two weeks ago. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have gotten a bye, or be hosting a game this weekend - but if NW have to travel, I would prefer to go to Bearcat Stadium South and knock the Griffons out of the Play Offs!
Last Weeks Recap:
Now that is the kind of game that I expect the Bearcats to play. That was a much improved effort from both sides of the ball. NW scored on almost every possession. They did have two turnovers, but both of those were rather odd. One was a tipped ball that bounced off the defender, but he managed to pick it out of the air, the other was more like a pitch that was bobbled and ended up right in the defenders lap. Like I said, both were rather odd. Other than those possessions, NW scored in all but two. Considering going into this game ESU had averaged 3.5 take aways per game, I'm happy with only 2.
I was very impressed with the offense last week. I think that they got in a rhythm and kept it flowing. ESU did a good job of disrupting that rhythm at the beginning of the game. Northwest went 3 & Out on their second possession and on their third they turned the ball over. But the Bearcats responded by scoring the next five times they touched the ball in the first half! NW found success running the ball - to the tune of 349 yards. Which was the most of the year so far. My guess for the reason for the coaches to keep running the ball like they did was two fold... 1) it was working 2) to get ready all the more real game reps before the play offs. With Jake Soy and Tyler Shaw still not being 100%, the run game becomes all the more important. Trevor Adams didn't just hand off the ball all day, he did do a pretty good job of throwing the ball. He got 254 yards passing in 18 passes. I personally think Adams greatest skill is spreading the ball around. Adams hit 10 different receivers, and no receiver got more than 3 catches each. That is pretty darn impressive if you ask me.
Personally, I think that the defense played the best game that they've played since in quite a while. They really only gave up 14 points - not counting the literally last second TD by Emporia against the 3rd String D. They did a great job defending the run. They only allowed a total of 101 yards rushing, and no run was more than 10 yards. Not to shabby for an option based offense. The Bearcats did an excellent job of playing assignment football. ESU did manage to get 285 yards passing, but that is because they threw A LOT! They threw the ball 44 times, only UCM and ENMU attempted more - and both of those are very pass heavy teams. It is my opinion that the LB's played a great game, they were very determined to stop the run, which did open up some passing routes for ESU. ESU didn't have any big passes, infact the biggest gain was 26 yards. When teams commit to the dink and dunk, that has historically eaten the NW Defense alive. Bryce Enyard managed to get his 6th interception of the year, and took it to the house! It was a beautiful play and Bryce read it all the way and jumped the route. Bryce was awarded the MIAA Conference Freshman of the Year. It was well deserved, and he will be a very important part of the secondary for years to come!
This Week’s Match up:
Well what is there to say? MoWest still sucks. I believe that Mel Tjeersdma was quoted once saying something to the extent of that he hated playing a team that he beat earlier in the season in the playoffs, but he loved playing a team that he lost to. Well, Northwest has the opportunity to avenge one of their losses this week, and you can bet that the team is motivated to do just that!
On offense, Northwest has to execute a heck of a lot better than they did two weeks ago. It may come down to seeing how banged up NW is. Two weeks ago, Shaw was coming off of a nasty foot injury, and you could tell. He looked better last week, and hopefully he will be even better this week. Soy is still being hampered by his ankle or foot or something. It's obvious that he is in a lot of pain out on the field, but is being quite a trooper still going out there and helping his team. Coach Dorrel has said that if BC is capable, he will be the starting QB. Last week when he was introduced on Senior Day, he came out with quite a noticeable limp. I don't know if it is just Coach Speak saying that he may play or not. I'm not convinced that NW would have won last time if Christopher was playing. BC isn't that much of a better passer than Adams is, but what he brings to the table is the running threat. But if he's hobbled up, he can't exactly take off. In the last game, I was extremely impressed with the offensive line play - and I think that that will be key again. These games are won and lost in the trenches. If the Oline can hold off Murderers Row again, I like NW's chances!
On Defense, Northwest has got to contain Jerry’s Kid (JK). Last time, the D over pursued a lot and left a wide open field for JK to run. But once NW put a spy on him, that shut down the effectiveness of the MoWest offense. The D has got to do a much better job of containing the overall rush of the Griffons. In the first meeting, the Secondary did a darn good job of shutting down the passing game, they will need to do that again. I think last time, the coaching staff kind of got sucked into the emotions of the game, and that didn’t allow them to make the necessary adjustments quick enough. Each person on the field is going to have to do their 1/11th. They are definitely going to need to work as a team.
Special Teams are going to be huge in this game. If it comes down to a battle of field goals, that does not bode well for NW. Not that I don't trust Adolf, but Greg Zuerlein is a beast. I think he's like 5/5 or 6/6 of 50+ yard. That is insane. He is easily the best FG kicker in Division II, if not in all divisions. If NW can block some of those, that would be huge! It's going to be another windy day in St Joe, so that carries the ball all the more! The NW return teams will also need to be on the toes. I wouldn't be surprised to see Simmons take one to the house.
If NW can contain on D, and execute on O, I think NW wins this one easily. I honestly believe NW played about the worst that they could ever play, and MoWest vise versa in the first game. If NW plays like they can, I pick NW 38 MW 23.
Interesting Facts/Statistics:
- NW finished the regular season with the #1 Scoring Offense in the nation, averaging 53.8 ppg
- NW finished #2 in the regular season in total offense, averaging 529 yards per game
- NW is averaging 51.6% on 3rd down conversions
- NW only allowed 17 TD's out of 31 attempts when opponents were in the red zone
- Jordan Simmons, James Franklin, and Todd Adolf were to top scorers in the MIAA, all scoring over 105 points
Cats Corner:
In the upper right hand side of this page there is a link to the Bearcat Report's 2011 Bracket Challenge. This is our version of March Madness. In the past we utilized an Excel spreadsheet, this year I found an online site to use. Please fill out a bracket and see how well you know D2 football!
Also, please vote in the poll on the left hand side as well.
As a side note, I wanted to mention the fact that Bart Tatum was asked to resign at Missouri Southern. I really feel that is a loss for that program. He was dealt a bad hand when he got there, by a non-supportive administration. If MoSo intends to have a legitimate team in the future, they need to really improve the atmosphere. I have heard of rumors and speculations of an indoor practice facility and a remodeled stadium. But as it stands, they haven't even completed the stadium from the last time they tried. I think that speaks volumes.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Nov 12: #9 NW Bearcats Vs Emporia Hornets
Opening Thoughts:
I realize that MoWest is not accustomed to big games. And I know that the NW vs MoWest game is a heated rivalry. But from a logistical point of view, that game was quite a cluster ****. I do have to give MoWest a little bit of props – two years ago the rent-a-cop security guards spent their whole day harassing the tailgaters. To their credit, they didn’t do that this week. But that is about where the good stuff comes to an end. Two years ago there were a bunch of port-o-poopers all around the tailgating area, yet this year there was only 1. I know that that is not something to be real upset about, but it just adds to the entire experience. I’m not sure what MoWest expected to happen, but I think that they had the entire St Joe police force there, including the SWATabago, just incase it happened. They did make a wise decision to move the band, who was originally going to be behind the NW bench – I think that was more for the bands well being than NW’s. Oh well. I guess if NW had won the game I probably could have overlooked these things, but as it is it just ticks me off all the more!
Last Weeks Recap:
Will the real NW team please stand up? I don’t get this team. Which is the real team, the team that destroyed Washburn, Central, etc or the team that struggled the second half of Pitt, all of MoSo and MoWest? If it’s the latter, NW will probably be one and done in the PO
I don't know what I can say about the NW Offense. This game reminded me so much of the UMD game last year it wasn't even funny. They came out playing flat, the play calling was good - the players just didn't execute. And the receivers couldn't catch a cold! I've heard some people suggest that if Blake Christopher was the QB, the game would have been different. There is the possibility that the intangibles that he brings would have been enough of a spark to get the rest of the team to not be playing so flat - but I don't really see that happening. BC can't make a receiver catch a ball that bounces off of their hands, any more than Trevor Adams can. NW seemed to play just like they did last week versus MoSo, but this week their opponent was obviously better than last week.
Prior to the game last week, I was speaking to one of the players who gave me a great quote: Our coaches are great. They do all the hard stuff. They come up with a great game plan, we just have to go out and execute it. If we do, we win. Well, I think its safe to say that the team did not execute on Saturday. I think that the main problem against MoWest was the execution of the receivers. I don't know how many balls bounced off of their hands. Those things can't happen when you play good teams. I think its safe to say that Shaw certainly wasn't 100% and Soy is still hampered out there. It really does amaze me what taking those two out of the equation does to this office. I said last week that we needed somebody to step up, and I think Mosely & Pierce did just that. Mosely only had 1 reception, but it was a deep ball. Taylor Pierce got a couple of balls thrown to him as well. But overall, I'm willing to bet that there will be a lot of receiving drills done this week! Rushing wasn't bad at all, in fact, I wasn't that impressed with "Murders Row" at all, NW averaged 5.2 yards per rush. MoWest did a great job of not giving NW a lot of opportunities to do something with the ball - they definitely won the battle of the time clock, by almost a 2:1 ratio. I think the biggest thing to me was NW's horrid 3rd down conversions - they were only 2/8. In the PSU game, they were 3/10. To me, there is no doubt that plays a huge factor in why NW lost those two games.
Defensively, I really don't have many complaints. NW was able to hold MoWest to below their season average. The NW D has given up an average of 348.2 yards per game, and NW gave up 348 yards. NW was able to limit their #1 RB (Michael Hill) to only 81 yards on 30 attempts (2.7 avg). What killed NW was the scrambling ability of Jerry's kid - who managed to get 106 yards rushing; granted 51 of which were on 1 play (where there was a massive hold/block in the back - but that is a completely different rant that I won't get into here.) Once the D started to put a spy on Jerrys Kid, that pretty much took that option away from them. NW's tackling on the line has been suspect all year. MoWest took advantage of that in combination with NW's over pursuit! The biggest advantage that MoWest had was their kicker - Greg Zuerlein (from UNO). I said before the game that if it comes down to a FG, MoWest has the definite advantage. The shortest one he made was a 37 yarder into the 25mph wind (which would have been good for a lot more), not to mention the 53 and 58 yarders that he made later. I think the guy is definitely the best kicker in D2 this year, and may very well be the best at all levels. I have no doubt that he will be kicking on Sundays next year somewhere.
This Week’s Match up:
With the loss last week, NW has basically made the playoffs start one week sooner. If NW loses this week, they are done for the year. If everything stays the same as it is right now, the Bearcats will be getting their revenge against Pitt State Emporia State
So I’ve been pouring over these stats sheets for the past couple of days to figure out what I can about Emporia Emporia Emporia
Overall, I think NW is going to win this game. It doesn’t hurt that NW’s Secondary/Special Teams coach, Ken Gordon, was Emporia
Interesting Facts/Statistics:
- The last time NW & PSU both lost on the same day was Sep 18, 1993. NW lost to MoWest, PSU lost to MoSo.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Nov 5: #3 NW Bearcats vs MoWest Griffons
Opening Thoughts:
The football season is way too short to miss a game. Even if it is a long roadtrip, you have to go. You never know what you’re going to miss. I for one did miss this very strange game. I did get to see the game online, but you lose so much by not being there. And now this week is one of my favorite weeks of the year – the MoWest week. I hate me some Griffons, and there is nothing more fun than seeing the Bearcats stomp a mud puddle in them.
Last Weeks Recap:
What a funky game. I don’t know if it was the play calling or if MoSo defense is that good, but the NW offense looked horrid out there. They looked very uninspired. When I saw them out there, the first thing I thought about was that this was going to be a trap game. They had that huge win last week against Washburn, and next week they play MoWest. It was just not a good game. Prior to the game, if you had said that NW was going to be limited to less than 300 yards total offense I would have called you a liar – let alone tell me that they would score 52 points I would have laughed in your face. In fact, I still don’t totally believe it.
Offensively, it was a hot mess out there. I don’t know where the heck Soy was this game. I was forced to watch this game online and the camera vantage point was not that good. From what I understand is that the Lions were doubling up on Soy – so he only got thrown to twice, both of which were incomplete. Normally that would open up Shaw or one of the other WR’s. Well, Shaw was injured on the second kickoff of the game. I’m not sure the status of Shaw’s injury, but my guess is that he will probably be out a week or 2, if not more depending on the injury. I don’t think Hinchey even made the trip, but I could be wrong. So that takes 3 of the primary receivers out of the game. Kind of explains why NW got all of 131 yards receiving. BC was injured in the 3rd quarter with a knee injury. It looked to me like a MoSo lineman got blocked into and rolled onto his knee. I heard he was walking on the sideline during the game, but he still could be out for a while. My initial reaction to the NW playcalling was that they were bound and determined to run the ball and not throw. But looking at the stat sheets, NW didn’t really throw the ball that much less than they normally do. It is just that the receptions weren’t for as long as normal and the receiving percentage was really low. The fact that there was a pretty nasty cross wind didn’t help anything. NW didn’t do too bad running the ball. It was their lowest output of the year so far – only 167 yards on the ground. I think two things caused that – MoSo having a good rush D, and not having the passing option to help open up the run game. Yet they still managed to average 5.4 yards per carry. I’ll take that any day of the week, and twice on Sunday. Simmons looked great out there running the ball. What impressed me was the way that MoSo was able to stop JF3. He managed to only run for 38 yards, but lost 14, so he netted the day at only 24 – very uncharacteristic. I think that is the word that sums up this game the most – uncharacteristic. That and weird. It was just an overall weird game.
Defensively, the Bearcats didn’t do too bad at all. In fact, they held an offense that had been averaging over 450 yards per game, to only 302 yards. That’s not to shabby in my opinion. But there is always room for improvement. The run D did their job, only allowing 106 yards – most of which were QB scrambles. The secondary didn’t do quite as well – giving up 196 yards. I think the Northwest Cornerbacks have been the weak link in the D as long as I’ve been watching, even when NW D was one of the best in the nation. And this year, not having the pass rush that they’ve had in the pass, only exacerbates that weakness. When I looked at the rankings, I was amazingly unimpressed that the NW D ranks 107 in pass defense. That is not good. But stats don’t tell the whole story. I think the more important stat is that NW ranks #20 in the nation in scoring D – averaging giving up only 19 points per game. And considering they have the #1 offense in the nation, that more than makes up for it.
This Weeks Match up:
Jerry’s kid. Jerry’s kid. Jerry’s kid. You know that that chant will be in full force this weekend. I really don’t know what to think about this game. On paper, NW should win this one. But games aren’t played on paper – and when it comes to rivalry games, all stats can be thrown out the window. You add to that, the fact that NW is dealing with some injuries, and that all adds up to a big bag of question marks. But I will do my best to break this matchup down.
It is really quite amazing to me the affects of losing your deep threat WR to injury is. During the MoSouth game, when Shaw went down that dramatically changed the game – I would contend more than losing BC did. Having that deep threat automatically commits the safety to staying back and helping the CB cover. By not having him, that safety can come up and help everyone else out. The good news is - from what I’ve heard - Tyler Shaw did not break any bones in his foot. So it is primarily a matter of pain management. It’s amazing what was a shot of cortisone and some good ole natural adrenaline will do for pain. That being said, I’m not convinced that NW needs Shaw to beat MoWest and/or Emporia. I would much rather him rest the foot and let it heal completely and have it ready for the PO’s. And if NW wins out, and with a little luck (in the form of PSU or MSU losing) NW could still get a bye week. Which would give Shaw another week to heal. I’ve heard that BC didn’t tear anything in his knee, that it is just a sprain – which means he is probably out 2-3 weeks. So that falls in that same timeframe. I know that Chad Kilgore is also nursing a sprain in his foot, as well as an injury to his elbow sustained in the Southern game. I’ve been told that the trainers are working on his elbow to get the swelling to go down. If I know Chad, he would love one more chance to beat down the Griff’s. With Shaw being out, this is the perfect opportunity for some of the younger receivers to step up. I’m expecting Bryce Young, Clint Utter, or even Taylor Pierce to come up big. Young was initially in the 2 deep before the season started, but a hamstring injury dropped him. I believe that that has healed itself, and it is now time for him to shine. He looked real good in the Spring Game, but that game doesn’t always translate. From a statistical point of view, St Joe is kind of middle of the pack in the MIAA. They are #4 in the conference in rushing defense, giving up 124.7 yards per game, and in the pass D they are #5 giving up 233.9 yards per game. The MoWest Dline has named themselves Murders Row. They are currently leading the conference with 33 sacks, but MoSo is second with 29 and the NW line only allowed 1 last week. The thing that concerns me the most is the fact that they are leading the MIAA (and #5 in the nation) in passes intercepted – with 17 so far this year. Trevor Adams, despite having an amazing QB rating, has thrown 5 interceptions so far this year. I think a lot will depend on how much contact the refs allow between the WR & DB’s. If you remember, last year in the PO’s the first half the DB’s were mauling the NW receivers, and NW wasn’t able to do much. But in the second half, the refs started calling some interference and the Griffons were forced to play fair and the Bearcat WR’s ate them for breakfast.
From a defensive point of view, this may be a battle. These two teams always seem to play their best when they play each other. I guess that is what rivalries are all about. MoWest comes into this game with the #13 rushing offense in the nation – averaging 235.9 yards per game (NW is right behind them with 232.8) The MoWest backfield is lead by Michael Hill, who is currently averaging over 108 yards per game. But unlike NW who has a pretty formidable passing game (300 yards per game) MoWest is near the bottom in the MIAA, averaging only 173 yards per game. This is almost the exact same set up as the Arrowhead game. And we all know how that one turned out. This will be a good game to judge the improvement of the secondary. In the PSU game, NW was bound and determined to make Pitt State beat them thru the air. I wonder if NW will take that same approach to MoWest. The secondary will need to be able to trust the line and LB’s that they will stop the run. If they try to come up and support the run D too early, Jerry’s kid may be able get it to his receivers. But he is currently only completing 55% of his passes this year. But if those passes are deep, it won’t bode well for the Cats.
I can guarantee you one thing before this game ever gets started: there is going to be a lot of jawing between the players, and probably lots of penalties. MoWest is the most penalized team in the conference, averaging over 81 yards of penalties per game. Emotions will run high, and could get to be a dirty game. The weather may very well be a factor in this game. I just hope that NW can get out of therewithout any injuries and a win. My prediction is NW wins this one 52 – 28.
Interesting Facts/Statistics:
The football season is way too short to miss a game. Even if it is a long roadtrip, you have to go. You never know what you’re going to miss. I for one did miss this very strange game. I did get to see the game online, but you lose so much by not being there. And now this week is one of my favorite weeks of the year – the MoWest week. I hate me some Griffons, and there is nothing more fun than seeing the Bearcats stomp a mud puddle in them.
Last Weeks Recap:
What a funky game. I don’t know if it was the play calling or if MoSo defense is that good, but the NW offense looked horrid out there. They looked very uninspired. When I saw them out there, the first thing I thought about was that this was going to be a trap game. They had that huge win last week against Washburn, and next week they play MoWest. It was just not a good game. Prior to the game, if you had said that NW was going to be limited to less than 300 yards total offense I would have called you a liar – let alone tell me that they would score 52 points I would have laughed in your face. In fact, I still don’t totally believe it.
Offensively, it was a hot mess out there. I don’t know where the heck Soy was this game. I was forced to watch this game online and the camera vantage point was not that good. From what I understand is that the Lions were doubling up on Soy – so he only got thrown to twice, both of which were incomplete. Normally that would open up Shaw or one of the other WR’s. Well, Shaw was injured on the second kickoff of the game. I’m not sure the status of Shaw’s injury, but my guess is that he will probably be out a week or 2, if not more depending on the injury. I don’t think Hinchey even made the trip, but I could be wrong. So that takes 3 of the primary receivers out of the game. Kind of explains why NW got all of 131 yards receiving. BC was injured in the 3rd quarter with a knee injury. It looked to me like a MoSo lineman got blocked into and rolled onto his knee. I heard he was walking on the sideline during the game, but he still could be out for a while. My initial reaction to the NW playcalling was that they were bound and determined to run the ball and not throw. But looking at the stat sheets, NW didn’t really throw the ball that much less than they normally do. It is just that the receptions weren’t for as long as normal and the receiving percentage was really low. The fact that there was a pretty nasty cross wind didn’t help anything. NW didn’t do too bad running the ball. It was their lowest output of the year so far – only 167 yards on the ground. I think two things caused that – MoSo having a good rush D, and not having the passing option to help open up the run game. Yet they still managed to average 5.4 yards per carry. I’ll take that any day of the week, and twice on Sunday. Simmons looked great out there running the ball. What impressed me was the way that MoSo was able to stop JF3. He managed to only run for 38 yards, but lost 14, so he netted the day at only 24 – very uncharacteristic. I think that is the word that sums up this game the most – uncharacteristic. That and weird. It was just an overall weird game.
Defensively, the Bearcats didn’t do too bad at all. In fact, they held an offense that had been averaging over 450 yards per game, to only 302 yards. That’s not to shabby in my opinion. But there is always room for improvement. The run D did their job, only allowing 106 yards – most of which were QB scrambles. The secondary didn’t do quite as well – giving up 196 yards. I think the Northwest Cornerbacks have been the weak link in the D as long as I’ve been watching, even when NW D was one of the best in the nation. And this year, not having the pass rush that they’ve had in the pass, only exacerbates that weakness. When I looked at the rankings, I was amazingly unimpressed that the NW D ranks 107 in pass defense. That is not good. But stats don’t tell the whole story. I think the more important stat is that NW ranks #20 in the nation in scoring D – averaging giving up only 19 points per game. And considering they have the #1 offense in the nation, that more than makes up for it.
This Weeks Match up:
Jerry’s kid. Jerry’s kid. Jerry’s kid. You know that that chant will be in full force this weekend. I really don’t know what to think about this game. On paper, NW should win this one. But games aren’t played on paper – and when it comes to rivalry games, all stats can be thrown out the window. You add to that, the fact that NW is dealing with some injuries, and that all adds up to a big bag of question marks. But I will do my best to break this matchup down.
It is really quite amazing to me the affects of losing your deep threat WR to injury is. During the MoSouth game, when Shaw went down that dramatically changed the game – I would contend more than losing BC did. Having that deep threat automatically commits the safety to staying back and helping the CB cover. By not having him, that safety can come up and help everyone else out. The good news is - from what I’ve heard - Tyler Shaw did not break any bones in his foot. So it is primarily a matter of pain management. It’s amazing what was a shot of cortisone and some good ole natural adrenaline will do for pain. That being said, I’m not convinced that NW needs Shaw to beat MoWest and/or Emporia. I would much rather him rest the foot and let it heal completely and have it ready for the PO’s. And if NW wins out, and with a little luck (in the form of PSU or MSU losing) NW could still get a bye week. Which would give Shaw another week to heal. I’ve heard that BC didn’t tear anything in his knee, that it is just a sprain – which means he is probably out 2-3 weeks. So that falls in that same timeframe. I know that Chad Kilgore is also nursing a sprain in his foot, as well as an injury to his elbow sustained in the Southern game. I’ve been told that the trainers are working on his elbow to get the swelling to go down. If I know Chad, he would love one more chance to beat down the Griff’s. With Shaw being out, this is the perfect opportunity for some of the younger receivers to step up. I’m expecting Bryce Young, Clint Utter, or even Taylor Pierce to come up big. Young was initially in the 2 deep before the season started, but a hamstring injury dropped him. I believe that that has healed itself, and it is now time for him to shine. He looked real good in the Spring Game, but that game doesn’t always translate. From a statistical point of view, St Joe is kind of middle of the pack in the MIAA. They are #4 in the conference in rushing defense, giving up 124.7 yards per game, and in the pass D they are #5 giving up 233.9 yards per game. The MoWest Dline has named themselves Murders Row. They are currently leading the conference with 33 sacks, but MoSo is second with 29 and the NW line only allowed 1 last week. The thing that concerns me the most is the fact that they are leading the MIAA (and #5 in the nation) in passes intercepted – with 17 so far this year. Trevor Adams, despite having an amazing QB rating, has thrown 5 interceptions so far this year. I think a lot will depend on how much contact the refs allow between the WR & DB’s. If you remember, last year in the PO’s the first half the DB’s were mauling the NW receivers, and NW wasn’t able to do much. But in the second half, the refs started calling some interference and the Griffons were forced to play fair and the Bearcat WR’s ate them for breakfast.
From a defensive point of view, this may be a battle. These two teams always seem to play their best when they play each other. I guess that is what rivalries are all about. MoWest comes into this game with the #13 rushing offense in the nation – averaging 235.9 yards per game (NW is right behind them with 232.8) The MoWest backfield is lead by Michael Hill, who is currently averaging over 108 yards per game. But unlike NW who has a pretty formidable passing game (300 yards per game) MoWest is near the bottom in the MIAA, averaging only 173 yards per game. This is almost the exact same set up as the Arrowhead game. And we all know how that one turned out. This will be a good game to judge the improvement of the secondary. In the PSU game, NW was bound and determined to make Pitt State beat them thru the air. I wonder if NW will take that same approach to MoWest. The secondary will need to be able to trust the line and LB’s that they will stop the run. If they try to come up and support the run D too early, Jerry’s kid may be able get it to his receivers. But he is currently only completing 55% of his passes this year. But if those passes are deep, it won’t bode well for the Cats.
I can guarantee you one thing before this game ever gets started: there is going to be a lot of jawing between the players, and probably lots of penalties. MoWest is the most penalized team in the conference, averaging over 81 yards of penalties per game. Emotions will run high, and could get to be a dirty game. The weather may very well be a factor in this game. I just hope that NW can get out of therewithout any injuries and a win. My prediction is NW wins this one 52 – 28.
Interesting Facts/Statistics:
· The top three scorers in the MIAA are still Simmons (96), Adolf (88), Franklin (84)
· Both NW QB’s would be at the top of the NCAA passing efficiency ratings, but neither have started 75% of the games
· NW has 16 players that have 20 or more tackles this season
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Oct 29: #4 NW Bearcats vs Missouri Southern Lions
(This weeks Opening Thoughts and Last Week Recap brought to you by Robert Rice)
A special hello to the Bearcat Report Nation from the Press-box side of Bearcat Stadium. I greatly appreciate Reed allowing me to contribute to the Bearcat Report. I hope you find the following dialog entertaining and informative.
First, I need everybody reading this report to minimize the screen, access your internet browser of choice, and log on to http://www.nwmissouri.edu/dept/music/ensembles/marching/songs.htm.
Then I need you to click on Wings of Victory (Fight Song). I want all of you to stand up, turn up the speakers on your monitors, and sing as one because the Bearcats unleashed a woodshed whoopin’ on the Ichabods and that deserves a collective fight song chant. Let’s go:
Come on Bearcats fight, (you Bearcats fight!)
on to victory.
Hail the Green and White,
best in history.
Come on Bearcats fight, (you Bearcats fight!)
Proud, brave and strong we will stand.
Our glorious colors raised up triumphantly,
across Missouri Land.
Yeah!
Over 10,000 were in attendance to watch a dominant performance by the Bearcats. Did somebody say Quarterback controversy? Blake Christopher said “Not so fast, my friends, this is my team” and proceeded to sacrifice his body to make plays. There was no feet-first slide outta that stud as he lowered his head and fought for every yard available. The Bearcats, playing hurt, missing a few key contributors, dominated in all phases of the game to a Washburn club that was definitely up for the fight.
One other note about the football game on Saturday: Of all the years I have watched half-time shows at NWMSU, I cannot recall a more rockin' half-time performance by the BMB (Bearcat Marching Band). I have to say: I dig it when kids have fun, let down the hair, bustin their chops, jammin' to a catchy song. There is a place for precision field marching and straight lines, but I dig a live concert in between my football halves, and the BMB had an epic performance. I have never heard the student section chant, "BMB, BMB, BMB," ever so that corroborates my opinion that the half-time show was to the level of the Bearcat football dominance over Washburn.
This homecoming game had everything: anticipation, drama, happiness, anger, intrigue, and a happy ending. There have been big games against respected opponents where both teams fought hard and the best team that day came out on top. You know what? To heck with that, give me a game I want to win badly, against a team I hate, that leaves me emotionally spent after the game, and that’s the kinda ride I pay for when I buy my season tickets. Let me give you an example: USA hockey vs. Canada. Canada is a great team, a border rival even, but you know what? I may want to beat Canada but I hate Russia. Bring it back to Northwest football: I want to beat Pitt State, but I hate MoWest with every fiber of my being. Now, transition that to the game between Northwest and Washburn: a defenseless receiver, a late hit, and a lot of spearing by the Washburn defense and I was MAD. This game had everything because it turned to the epic battle of good versus evil. The stakes were raised. It was not simply two universities battling for alumni pride: it was us against a bunch of evil, cheap-shot, punks. That’s why we watch football. Give me a good versus evil match-up every time.
Northwest 52-28. Go Cats Go.
Last Weeks Recap:
#3 Washburn (7-1, 5-1) vs. #6 NW Missouri State (7-1, 5-1) following a final score of NWMSU 52 – Washburn 28 on October 22, 2011 at Bearcat Stadium with an announced attendance of 10,073.
Scoring by Quarters were as follows:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
Washburn | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
NWMSU | 21 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 52 |
Team Totals | WU | NWMSU |
First Downs | 18 | 28 |
Rushing | 70 | 180 |
Rushing TD | 1 | 4 |
Passing | 372 | 425 |
Comp/Att/Int | 25-34-1 | 30-39-0 |
Passing TD | 3 | 3 |
Total Offense | 442 | 605 |
Fumbles/Lost | 0-0 | 1-1 |
Penalties | 9-75 | 2-20 |
Punts/Yards | 6-263 | 2-64 |
Punt Return/Yd | 0-0 | 1-6 |
KO Returns | 7-160yards | 5-83yards |
Possession Time | 22:16 | 37:44 |
3rd Down Conv | 5 of 11 | 11 of 16 |
4th Down Conv | 0 of 0 | 2 of 2 |
Red Zone Score | 3-3 | 6-6 |
Sacks | 1-4yards | 3-11yards |
Field Goals | 0-0 | 1-1 |
Washburn’s rushing attacked was ineffective with Justin Cooper leading the team with 60 net yards. For the Bearcats, Blake Christopher led the team with 79 net yards, 1 TD, and averaged 6.6 yards per carry. James Franklin had 59 yards and 3 TD. Jordan Simmons had 24 yards. Billy Creason had 15 yards and Trevor Adams had 3 yards rushing.
Washburn’s Dane Simoneau completed 25 of 34 passes for 372 yards, 1 pick, 3 TDs, and was sacked 3 times. For Northwest, Blake Christopher completed 29 passes of 37 attempts, 0 picks, for 406 yards, 3 TD, and was sacked 1 time. Trevor Adams was 1 for 1 for 19 yards.
Washburn’s leading receiver with DeJuan Beard with 7 catches, 122 yards, 3 TD. He made some fantastic catches despite tight coverage at times. Northwest’s secondary had some mental breakdowns in the game where Beard also had some wide-open catches, too. Northwest’s leading receiver was Jake Soy with 8 catches, 144 yards, 2 TDs. Tyler Shaw had 5 catches for 68 yards and 1 TD. James Franklin had 5 catches for 44 yards. Jordan Simmons had 4 catches for 53 yards. Taylor Pierce had 3 catches for 48 yards. David Mosley had 2 catches for 18 yards. Kyle Kilgore had 1 catch for 28 yards (a big one, too). Jon Gregg probably had one of the biggest catches of the day on a 4th down conversion attempt for a total of 1 catch, 23 yards. Jon was falling down backwards as he secured the ball in his hands. A Terrific play.
Defensively, Washburn was led by (this is my opinion and only an opinion and therefore has no basis in fact or law) chief punk and evil-doer Casey Curran (#19) with 7 solo tackles, 10 assisted tackles, for a total of 17 tackles. For Northwest, Chad Kilgore, as usual, led the team in tackles with 9, followed by Travis Manning with 8 tackles, Derrick Hightower had 6 tackles. DJ Gnader had 5 tackles. Clarke Snodgrass had 5 tackles. Ricky Bailey had 4 tackles. Big Josh Lorenson, Matt Massey, and Collin Debuysere had 3 tackles. Caleb Decius, Bryce Enyard, Nate DeJong, and AT had 2 tackles each. 7 Bearcats each recorded 1 tackle in the game.
Go Cats!!
This Week’s Match up:
Well, for the second year in a row, NW gets the fun trip to Joplin. (Don’t worry, NW gets to go back in 2012 as well!) I have to admit, as a disaster junkie I would love to go to Joplin and spend some time driving around and seeing the recovery effort. I had a lot of friends from FEMA that worked the Joplin disaster earlier this year. If you’ve never been to Stadium, you’re really not missing much. The home side is descent (I believe that they were one of the first schools in the conference to redo their pressbox in the 90’s) but the visitors side is atrocious. The stands are literally half finished. And there is a major distance from the stands to field. In fact, I believe that last year it was determined that you could almost fit an entire football field sideways between the stands – I think it’s something like 94 yards across at the 50. But, there are big changes on the way in Joplin. Fred Hughes Stadium is getting a major facelift. I think it is safe to say that most Bearcat fans won’t recognize it in 2014 – assuming that the current time table and schedule stand.
Historically, even though the final score didn’t indicate it – Southern has given NW some difficulty the past couple of years. I think that that is primarily because of the Head Coach – Bart Tatum. Bart knows the NW offense, and knows AD so can typically create some mismatches to inhibit NW. Unfortunately for Southern, they just don’t have the athletes that can hang with NW for the entire game. Believe it or not, Southern has led the conference the past few years in Defense. That’s not quite the case this year, but they do have the second best rush D in the conference (#19 in the nation) only behind Pitt State. But we all saw what NW was able to do to Pitt State – put up 186 yards (take out the sacks and NW put up over 200 yards on them.) It will definitely be interesting to see how AD addresses MoSucks rush D. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Simmons and JF3 (James Franklin III) have a pretty good day. Last week, Blake Christopher was the second NW quarterback in as many weeks to put up over 400 yards in the air. That could happen again. MoSo is second to last in the conference in Pass Defense – giving up an average of 259 yards per game. I would not be surprised to see both BC & TA get a significant number of snaps, and put up a lot of yards. Last week Brian Miller did get to play more often, however didn’t get any throws. I did notice he is a pretty good blocker. It really does amaze me sometimes the number of different receivers that NW uses. Yes primarily Jake Soy is the #1 target, but there are a lot of other receivers out there. I think that the most underrated WR at this time is probably David Mosley. Mosley is a transfer from Wayne St (MI). He actually approached NW, and when Mel called the Wayne St coach said he didn’t think he was all that good and probably wouldn’t fit in at NW. I’m glad Mel took the chance. He hasn’t had a stellar career, but he always seems to be good for one or two really good catches per game this year. It was good to see Jon Gregg get more involved last week, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get more action in the coming weeks.
Defensively, this is not going exactly be a walk in the park. MoSo has actually got an offense that can put up some numbers. They are actually averaging more offensive output than Central is. They are putting up 454 yards per game, and over 33 points per game. That’s pretty impressive. They have a pretty balanced offense – throwing for 1756 yards and running for 1426 yards so far this year. Their primary runner is their RB Steven Sumpter, who is averaging 4.7 yards per carry. The MoSo QB, Collin Howard, has a better completion record than Dane Simoneau. The Lions have 5 receivers with double digit receptions on the year, but their primary target is Landon Zerkel who is averaging almost 110 yards per game, and 14.8 yards per catch. Their #2 receiver Ne’Ronte Threat is actually more of a threat in the KO return game. He is averaging over 25 yards per return. And considering the struggles that NW has had in that area, that is a bit of a concern for me.
Overall, I’m not sure what to think. I think NW will win this game, and win in handily – but at the same time, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Lions put up a fight. It is a possible trap game – big win last week with a rival game next week. But I think that this Bearcat team is disciplined enough to not let that happen. My prediction is NW wins this one 77-28.
Interesting Facts/Statistics:
Quotes:
Interesting Facts/Statistics:
- For 2 weeks in a row, NW has had a QB throw for over 400 yards and be the MIAA Offensive
Player of the Week – with 2 different Quarterbacks - NW has outscored their opponents 450-150 this year
- All of NW’s RB’s are averaging over 5 yards per carry
- The three top scorer in the MIAA are all Bearcats – Franklin (84) , Adolf (78), & Simmons (78)
Quotes:
- “Two more scores and I think we got ‘em”
- “He’s got a busted give a F&@K”
Oct 22: #7 NW Bearcats vs #4 Washburn Ichabods
Opening Thoughts:
Let me begin by getting a few things off of my chest. Students: Where is the support? The "Green House" was only half full at most and half of you didn't even stand at the beginning of the game. Pathetic. You are tarnishing the memory of all those Rickenbrode Rowdies. Heck, most of you only stand and yell when Bobby is throwing t-shirts! Its kind of sad that this old guy has to yell at you to make some noise when NW is on defense and it's 3rd down. Maybe you should go across the way and sit in the west stands and let the real fans sit at the 50 yard line. My other rant goes to all those defensive geniuses that were standing around me during this last game. You have to give the team time to adjust. They always do. Just because they don't make an adjustment in the first 5 minutes of a game, doesn't mean that they wont. And to the guy that was saying that NW had to get pressure on the QB right after he just completed a 3 step drop pass - unless you have some majic way of getting around the OL - you're not going to get pressure on a 3 step drop!
Last Weeks Recap:
Ay Chiwawa - I thought this game was going to be a track meet the way it started out. Northwest scored in 3 of their first 12 plays of the game - and that 3rd drive took 8 plays and 80 yards. It took the first three drives for the NW D to adjust. In those first three drives ENMU put up 188 yards passing, they finished the day with 280. So they only got 92 more yards after the adjustment was made. That is pretty darn good!
Prior to the game, I thought that it was going to be a rehash of the the UCM game. Boy was I wrong! The greyhounds were bound and determined to stop the run. So they were puttinga bunch of people in the 'box'. Well, when you do that you open yourself up to the pass game. And Boy did NW walk thru that door. Even with a back up QB and the #1 WR being out of the game, the Bearcats put up a whopping 453 yards in the air. Trevor Adams completed 23 of 31 passes with 1 interception - putting up 444 yards and 5 touchdowns - that gave him a QB rating of 243! That is outstanding! Adams did have one interception - but that seemed to me at the time to look like a broken play, and he expected his receivers to do something that they didn't do. When I watched it later, it still looked that way, but he also had a WR open deep and if he was throwing to him, it was just an underthrown ball. And give some kudos to the DB who made a leap to pick it off! So in short, I'm not sure if it was a broken play or he just underthrew his receiver. It was also great to see Miller finally get involved in the passing game! I find it interesting that he's only been thrown to once this year, and it resulted in an 80 yard TD. That is one heck of an average! :D Hopefully he will continue to get touches. I know that he messed up at the beginning of the season, but I would think that he has served his sentence! With not running the ball so much, that gives a bit of a rest to Simmons & JF3, Simmons hurt his shoulder in the UCM game and Franklin was dinged up as well I believe.
On the defensive side of the ball - like I said once NW made the necessary adjustments, ENMU wasn't able to do much of anything. NW started off rushing 4 and trying to pressure the QB. But thats not capable on those quick throws. So NW adjusted and only rushed 3 and dropped more into pass coverage. NW was able to disguise there blitzes nicely at times as were able to actually get to the QB and get some sacks I think some people see that NW doesn't have the sacks or TFL and think that the DL isn't pressuring the QB. That simply isn't true. How many times has the DL surrounded the QB only to have him pop out and run or get to the edge and throw it? A more accurate critique would be that the TE's haven't contained the QB to allow the sack or TFL - but NW is getting the pressure. It was nice to see Morales finally being productive in the game. I don't know if he will ever start, but it was nice to at least see him be in the game more often than he has been.
This Week’s Match up:
Here we go. This game is for a lot of marbles. If NW loses this one, they could end up not making the PO's for the first time in 6 years. If NW wins this one and wins out, they could possibly be sharing the conference title, and if everything works out right, they could still be in the hunt for a bye week the first week of the PO's. So as you can tell, there is definitely a lot riding on the line for this game.
Interesting Facts/Statistics:
Quotes:
“Noah, why do you always have to take the bleachers apart?”
Oct 15: #7 NW Bearcats vs Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds
Opening Thoughts:
Great Googily Moogily the drive across South Dakota is BORING! Once you get into the western half, you can see the Badlands from time to time, and that’s kind of cool, and the Black Hills are nice – but overall South Dakota is a bore. I highly recommend driving at night, or taking the opportunity to sleep while someone else drives. We did take the opportunity to get a free glass of ice water at Wall Drug, and I just about purchased the world’s largest flask, but I didn’t have any pockets big enough for it. I heard that Warrensburg was kind of a SNAFU when it came to parking and tailgating. Glad I missed that, I don’t handle those situations well.
Last Weeks Recap:
NW came. NW saw. NW conquered.
This Week’s Match up:
Eastern New Mexico is kind of like UCM in that they love to throw the ball. They are currently ranked #11 in the nation in passing offense. They average throwing 311 yards per game. They have a very fast paced offense. This historically has been a weakness of NW. Their offensive line is rather old school. They aren’t the quick strong guys, they are some big boys – but they don’t block so well. They kind of waterfall block. What I mean by that is that rather than fighting for their own ground, they backpeddle and surround the QB. The QB plays mostly in the pistol or shotgun formation, and throws quick. However, from what I’ve seen on film, the QB telegraphs his throws. So NW should be able to pick off one or two if they get there in time. Like I said, the Greyhounds are a very fast paced offense. NW has not had very many sacks or much of pass rush this year. Which is very frustrating. NW is actually dead last in the MIAA in sacks. It almost seems to me like a complete change in philosophy – dropping more into coverage rather than getting tackles for losses. That being said, the sack opportunities have been there and NW just didn’t get the job done. NW has done a good job of flushing the QB out of the pocket and making him throw on the run. The Dline has had some injuries this year that haven’t helped – Meinert went out in the Arrowhead game and didn’t play against UCM – and those are the two games that NW gave up the most yards in the air. Coincidence? I don’t think so – the best way to help out your secondary is to have a good pass rush. NW hasn’t had that the past week and a half. But I think NW can adapt and overcome. NW still held UCM to half of their normal points. Two weeks ago at this point, every Bearcat fan was convinced that NW had an amazing D. Now it seems like the sky is falling to most of them. I still have faith. There have been a lot of injuries, and I know that the flu has been going around the team. That takes a LOT out of a person. I know when I have the flu, or even are getting over having the flu – I barely want to stand up and watch a game, let alone play in one! I’m going to give the D the benefit of the doubt that they will still get it together.
From an offensive point of view, I think that we will probably see a repeat of last week. As far as I know, Blake Christopher is still out this game, as well as Jake Soy. Considering that ENMU has a pretty poor rush defense, my guess is that this will be a lot like last game. But NW will need to have some of the other WR’s step up. Pierce seemed to be great in the first couple of games, but has kind of disappeared lately. Shaw is super fast, but they have CB that is just as fast and will be covering him all day. Without Soy to draw attention away, all of the WR’s will need to find that extra gear. I don’t know what the deal is with Miller not getting any attention. He was a highly touted transfer, I know that he got into some trouble before the season began with some wacky tabacky, but that ship has sailed. He was projected to be a starter at one time, I would love to see him step up and have a big game. Whenever I think of him, I can’t help but remember that game a few years ago where he ate the NW defense for breakfast. I’d like to see that kind of play making resume! I wouldn’t be surprised to see Simmons and JF3 have another big day.
Overall, I think that NW blows this one out of the water. NW 66 ENMU 14
Interesting Facts/Statistics:
· A cubic foot of water weighs 62.43 pounds.
· A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
Quotes:
o “Sit down Douchbag”
o “Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.”
Oct 8: #7 NW Bearcats vs #14 UCM Mules
Opening Thoughts:
I think Clark Griswold summed up my thoughts after the game best: “I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is! Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where's the Tylenol?”
I have said for a long time that this game should stay at Arrowhead as long as it’s a financial windfall for the university. It’s a great recruiting tool, and like I said the money is great. But I think that the money is going to be getting less and less. Last year there was 16,000 fans in attendance, and this year there was only 15,000 fans. I think that those numbers will continue to fall if the game continues to be televised and the game tickets continue to go up. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still go no matter what, but the casual fan probably won’t. This game has kind of taken the place of the Homecoming game, as it is the game where people meet up with old friends and reminisce. I’m sure that the business owners in both Maryville and Pittsburg would love to see this game return to being on campus. After the last two years, I’m starting to agree with them.
Last Weeks Recap:
Talk about a tale of two halves. In the first half NW looked like they normally do. They came out, played the game that they wanted to, executed like they know how to do – and they went into the half up 28-6. On of Mel Tjeerdsma and Scott Bostwick’s greatest strengths, was making teams play the game that NW wanted to play. AD did that for the first half – but after halftime that was a completely different story. The Legendary coach Dr Tom Osborn is famously quoted as saying that you can always tell how desperate a team is by how quickly they go to a ‘trick’ play. Well, the first time that NW kicked off to Pitt State – they did a reverse. I knew right then it was going to be a long day for the Bearcats. I never thought I would see the day when AD would go conservative and Tim Beck would pull out all the stops.
.Football is a game that is all about momentum. This game reminded me a lot of the 2009 national championship game. NW had it in the first half, Pitt State in the second. Pitt came out in the second half, drove down the field and created momentum. That momentum was magnified when 6 plays later, BC threw a horribly under thrown ball (he had a man open deep) that was intercepted and ran back for a pick 6. So in a matter of 6 minutes, the game went from being 28-6 to 28-20. That is quite the swing. Each team then traded 3 & outs and then NW started their drive and drove all the way down the field – including a TD that was called back for a phantom penalty. In an unexpected turn of events – apparently The Goalpost was so distraught over not being even considered for the All-Decade team, he switched teams and deflected a chip shot by Adolf! Very uncool GP! NW went 0-3 on their next possession, but tied it up at 35 in their next/last possession.
You could really tell that the NW D had not had to play an entire 4 quarter game. They were hurting in the 4th quarter. Yet they were still hanging in there. There were also a lot of injuries in the game. Enyard was out due to a concussion, Matt Meinert obtained some bruised ribs during the game and was out in the second half. Prior to this game, if you had told me that the NW D was going to hold the Pitt State offense to less than 200 yards rushing – I would have guaranteed you a Bearcat victory. But alas that wasn’t the case. By everyone’s (including Pitt State fans) Zac Dickey played the best 30 minutes of football of his Gorilla career. He was making throws that nobody expected him to be able to make. The Dline was not able to put any kind of pass pressure on him made his life pretty easy too. The Pitt St receivers were able to get behind the NW secondary all day because the DB’s were so quick to come up and help on the rush defense. They need to learn to let the Dline and LB’s do that for them. But they didn’t, and ended up getting burnt in the second half for it. You can bet that Ken Gordon will be working with them on that in the upcoming week as NW faces a team that likes to throw!
I said earlier that this game reminded me of the National Championship game- and I’m sticking by that. NW got straight up outcoached in the second half. Why do you go away from the rush? When you have Franlin that is averaging over 11 yards per carry, and Simmons who is over 5, yet they go away from it. Why not run until Pitt State is able to stop you from running? What is really frustrating is that I think that NW is the better team by far. When the NW O was on the same page, they were unstoppable. When the D was able to communicate, they shut down PSU. Urgh! So frustrating. Oh well. This is a learning experience – not only for the players, but for the coaching staff as well. The players seemed to come out at half time and not have the intensity that they had in the first half. I can see this going one of two ways – either the team gets down on themselves and this becomes a very bad thing, or the exact opposite. This becomes the fuel that has awoken the sleeping giant. I believe that this team has more overall talent than any other team at Northwest. My hope is that they team learns from this. Often times you can learn more from a loss, than you can from a win. I hope that the team uses this as a stepping stool and they go out and beat the snot out of the rest of their opponents. I said it after the almost loss to UCM last year – I’m not afraid of them and given the opportunity of playing them again, it will be a completely different outcome!
This Week’s Match up:
I don't know about you, but I can't wait for Saturday to come. I hate the taste of losing - and I'm sure that the players and coaches do as well. You can bet that they want to get that taste out as soon as possible. If I didn't loathe the Donkeys, I would feel sorry for them. Cuz you can bet that the Bearcats will be extracting their revenge on the Mooles.
The Mooles are currently 4-1 with their loss coming two weeks ago to MoWorst. They have beaten the Wonder Boys of Arky Tech, Truman, MoSuck, and eeked out a win against Emporia. I have heard that BC will not be playing, but I know that he got his bell rung pretty good at the end of the Pitt State fiasco and Trevor Adams came in and finished off the final drive. I do know that BC missed some practice time this week and is still having headaches. But I have full faith in Trevor Adams to fill his shoes. My guess is that the Bearcats will score early, and score often. The Mooles have given up over 200 yards rushing in 3 out of their 5 games, and given up over 300 yards of passing in 2 games. UCM has given up a total of 2135 all purpose yards in 5 games - that is approx 550 yards per game. I really don't think that the Bearcats will have a hard time scoring. JF3 had a great game last week, and I would not be surprised to see him have back to back big games. Historically the UCM game is when somebody has a breakout game. I don't know who that could be on this team but there are a lot of weapons on the field anytime NW is on offense, I would not be shocked to add another playmaker to the list after this game. Several players were not featured all that much last week, like Kilgore and Pierce, that I would like to see get the ball this week. AD admitted last year that his game plan going into the game was not right, and there was not good play calling during the game. I'm hoping that that doesn't happen again. Because there is no reason that NW shouldn't light up the scoreboard like that deaf dumb and blind kid did to the pinball machine!
UCM definitely has a Jim Svoboda offense. What I mean by that is that they definitely favor the pass over running the ball. Last year the Donkeys had a legitimate running threat in Anthony Stewart. They don't have that this year. In fact, they don't have anyone that averages more than 34 yards per game. As a team they are averaging only 94 yards per game, and that stat is skewed by the fact that in one game they had 218 yards - you take that one game out and they are only averaging 63.25 per game. Prior to last week, I would have said that NW would have no troubles shutting down a passing offense. I still believe that, but question it a little bit. This week the DBs wont be breaking off of coverage to come up on run support. So it will be basically the NW secondary vs the UCM WR's. I like that match up. Bryce Enyard will be back in action which a good thing. If UCM had much of a run threat I would say that this game was going to be a shoot out, but I don’t think that they do. Granted I didn’t think Pitt Stank had much of a pass game going into last week, but we won’t go there.
I’m going to go big on this one, I think NW returns to their dominating ways and wins this one 48 - 28.
Interesting Facts/Statistics:
· Three of the top 5 scorers in the MIAA are Bearcats: Simmons, Adolf, Franklin
· Despite only going 3/10 on 3rd Downs last week, the Bearcats are still #2 in the conference
· NW still leads the conference in scoring offense and scoring defense
· NW D has only allowed 24 out of 82 3rd down conversions
Quotes:
“Why’d we have to lose to those bastards! Anybody but them!” – Mark Kilgore
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