I think that the drive to and from western Kansas drained me of any gumption to write this report. I want to start out this report by talking about sportsmanship. My nephew plays football at a small school in Minnesota, and they are having a pretty good season, this was posted by one of the parents of the opposing team on Facebook after my nephew’s team beat them 49-21: "Was anyone else besides me impressed by Royalton's sportsmanship last night? They put us through the ringer, and there was hardly any celebration when they got touchdowns, interceptions or hard hits. And when one of our guys went down, they immediately got together quietly, took a knee, and faced the man down. Hats off to them and their coaching staff." This is something that we see a lot at NW and frankly we’ve become rather used to seeing it. There isn’t a lot of ‘hot doggin’ or excessive celebration going on. They act like they’ve been there before and done that. There are other teams in the conference that aren’t so sportsmanlike – to see them celebrate when they get a TD you would think they just won the Super Bowl. My hat goes off to all the players and the coaches and staff that instill those values in the players.
If you’ve never been to Hays stadium, I would recommend it. It is actually a nice small stadium. They were having their tailgate extravaganza in the lot next to the stadium, which provided a very nice game day experience. The worst part about the experience, is getting to Hays Kansas. From Kansas City, it was only like 3:30-4 hours, but it felt like approximately 16 hours each direction. The drive back was a little better, just because it was dark and you couldn’t see the fact that there wasn’t anything to look at. The most impressive thing about the entire trip was the giant wind farm that stretched on and on. Kinda sad. It was a long and boring trip, but I was glad to get to scratch Lewis Field Stadium off my list of unseen MIAA stadiums.
Last Week’s Recap:
That was perhaps the worst officiated football game I have ever seen. I am pretty sure it was the white hat’s first game, as he did not seem comfortable out there in his role. He never once came over and talked to AD about any of the calls made or not made. The refs apparently forgot that they have whistles, and are supposed to blow them. On multiple plays a whistle was never blown, in fact I am still waiting for the whistle on the last play of the game. Their complete lack of knowledge on some calls and missed calls was staggering – the ones that stand out to me were when Jared Fox was blocked into a punted ball on the ground, and when the Hays QB intentionally grounded the ball to avoid a sack by throwing the ball out of bounds but it didn’t cross the line of scrimmage. These aren’t obscure rules – yet somehow these officials didn’t know them or worse they knew them and chose to not enforce them.
As far as the actual playing of the game goes – what a snoozefest. It was exactly what I expected – Fort Hays was really bad, and NW really did pretty much anything that they wanted to do (in the first half.) The second half was a different story, but that was because the vast majority of the starters never saw the field. The players that were playing it was completely different personnel packages than normal, and players were playing out of position. Not to mention that the play calling was kind of weird – it was like they were just throwing stuff against the wall and seeing if anything would stick. Which I guess is okay in those circumstances. But we did get to see some fresh faces that we haven’t seen before. Phil Jackson saw his first action – gaining 40 yards on 5 carries – not too shaby. We also got to see the premier of Haden Bryant – the walkon freshman WR. He only had 1 reception for -2 yards – but that was on one of the many Jet Sweeps that have yet to work this year. One player I did want to mention was Clint Utter – he had some nice catches, but the thing that really caught my eye was his down field blocking. He had some great blocks this game and its not something WR’s get recognized for, but it’s a vital part of the game. My biggest concern for the NW offense, is who was the starting QB. I am kind of amazed the AD stuck with TA despite his poor performance in 2 out of the last 3 games coming into this game – and Bolles great performance getting NW out of the hole TA dug. Bolles is obviously the future of NW, but apparently not the present. Sad but I think that this sets a very dangerous precedent. What motivation do players have to get better and be the best at their position, when the coach is just going to start the more senior player anyways? #freeBolles
As far as the defense goes – what can you say about a team that only gave up 14 points? About the only thing that I can complain about it the DL play. So far this season the D only has 4 sacks and 8 QB hurries. That needs to improve. Zach Williams going down at DT isn’t going to help – although I suspect that will cause Bevins to get moved to DT. Which I think that he should be playing there anyway – not fast enough to be a DE but a big strong guy. Don’t think he will start now, but I could see him in the future. The Tigers were able to move the chains on the ground, as they were averaging 5.6 yards per carry. In fact on the season, NW is averaging giving up 4.1 yards per carry – and NW hasn’t faced any really good running teams, but mobile QB’s have given NW fits: which isn’t a good thing when facing Bronson Marsh this week. But overall, the NW D did a decent job – hard to get too excited when you beat the opponent by 35! I do want to give a shout out to Eric Reimer – he is quickly becoming an LB to be reckoned with! The D will definitely need to work on tackling this week. There were a lot of missed tackled because they failed to wrap up. You can bet they will work on that!
This Week’s Game:
UNK is not a terrible team. They are a much better team than Fort Hays and they are getting better every week and much better than they were last year. I think that UNK is going to be a really good program one day, they aren’t there yet, but on their way. They have shown a dedication to their athletic department the past few years, and earlier this year they announced an $11.6 million donation to their athletic department which will go a long ways in endowing scholarships and improving facilities.
Right now, UNK is a dangerous team. They have nothing to lose, and a lot gain. If the Bearcats aren’t ready this game could be close. The thing with UNK is that you don’t really know what you are going to get. In their first three games, they’ve been everything from conservative to very aggressive on both sides of the ball. In their first two games, they hardly blitzed at all, but last week they blitzed almost every down against MoWest. Their secondary doesn’t scare me at all as they only have 2 interceptions this year, and are averaging giving up 308 yards per game. TA and/or Bolles could have a field day. Rushing they are giving up an average of 193 yards per game (4.3 yards per carry.) They are giving up 41 points per game. This will be a good test for the Oline, as I’m sure that they are going to be getting a lot of pressure. But if they can open some holes and give the QB some time to find the receiver – the offense should be able to pick apart the Loper defense.
Offensively, UNK scares me a little bit. Like I said previously – they are a dangerous team, in that you don’t know what they are going to do. They are an option team. Last year, NW was susceptible to giving up a lot of yards to option teams – not a lot of points, but definitely a lot of yards. And the UNK offensive line is very good. They have only given up 3 sacks this year. NW Dline is going to have their hands full – this may be the best Oline that they’ve faced this year, that is something considering SVSU’s Oline. The key to the Loper offense is their QB: Bronson Marsh. Marsh is a good QB – he spent two years at Nebraska before transferring. In highschool he set the Nebraska passing career record – breaking Scott Frost’s record. So he can obviously pass the ball, but he can run too. Against MoWest last week, Marsh threw for 241 yards and ran for 194 as well. He could give the defense a work out. I would not be surprised to see NW give up a lot of yards this week. It will be interesting to see what kind of game plan Rich Wright puts together to minimize Marsh.
UNK has been outscored 79-19 in the first half this year. I can see that happening again this week, with NW jumping out to a lead and the Lopers playing catch up. In the end, they don’t get close: NW 48 UNK 28.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Game 3: NW vs FH
So what a beautiful day for a tailgate this game day was. And our group definitely had quite the feast – we did our “Back to Bama” tailgate – with a southern inspired menu: Alabama chicken, smoked brisket, bread pudding, fried pickles and onion rings, beans, mac-n-cheese, lemon and key lime bars, etc etc. You get the drift. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I brought a friend with to experience game day in Maryville. He was a D2 virgin – he had never been exposed to really any kind of tailgating. I think that we showed him a pretty good time. We got to Maryville pretty early in the day, the stadium was still open, and we were able to get in and walk around the track and check out the stadium. Needless to say, he was amazed that we would be able to walk on the field on gameday. At the end of the day – I think that there is a new D2 fan today.
Last Week’s Recap:
I think that my friend summed it up best after the first 12:30 minutes of the game – this is not good, do they always look this bad? I had to be honest and say, well not usually against other teams – but UCM always plays NW tough. And historically NW has not played extremely well against the Mules. I think a lot of that comes from the coaches. UCM seems to be in Coach Dorrel’s head – like he always overthinks his game plan. This year was no different. That first quarter was some pretty bad playcalling. The only thing worse than the playcalling, was Adams execution of the called plays. This was not a surprise to me or anyone else who has a basic understanding of the game of football. Adams always struggles with teams with good defenses. Against teams with poor average or poor defenses, and in practice – he looks awesome. This has been his MO over his career. From all accounts, he is a great kid – and smart too. And he has the respect of his teammates. But last week’s game proves he is not the best QB on the team. Without a doubt, TA is easily the best backup QB in the MIAA, if not all of D2. But as far as being ‘the man’ – that should not be his role. The only reason that Bolles would not start is if AD is too stubborn to admit that he is wrong. But I don’t think that AD has to make that decision anymore – I think it has already been made for him. Bolles is young, so he will have some bone-head plays – like he did this week. Holding on to the ball too long and taking the sack rather than throwing it away. Like the old adage goes – good decisions come from experience, experience comes from bad decisions. UCM had a good game plan against NW – put 6 in the box, drop 2 safeties to cover the deep ball. Problem is, that is what UCM always does against NW, and it still works. The RB’s weren’t as impressive this week – but that’s because they were going against a much better D – yet the RB’s still managed to average over 5 ypc combined (Creason 6.6 on 10 carries RB3 3.8 on 11 carries.) NW was pretty darn balanced – 182 yards on the ground, and 196 in the air. The WR’s continue to impress. UCM’s secondary was covering pretty good, and the receivers made some great catches. Utter just picked up where he left off last week. He some really nice grabs, and did some excellent blocking down field on a couple of plays. I would still really like to see the TE’s get more involved – although on Korey Jackson’s TD pass, it was in the formation that the TE usually gets the ball, which is what sucked in the CB and safety to cover the TE, but left Korey open. I think as the offense gets more opened up with Bolles as QB, we will start seeing more of those plays. I thought that the OL played pretty good too – especially in the 4th quarter. They were really able to open up some nice holes as the game went on.
On defense, NW did a pretty darn good job IMO. Central isn’t going to beat you on the ground, as NW kept them to only 56 yards rushing. Their bread and butter is thru the air. This weeks game was no exception. I said that they were going to dink and dunk – and they did. Hawk managed to get 304 yards in the air. Nothing real deep, they were all primarily in the short area. The D was able to not allow UCM to really have many good drives. Of their 4 scoring drives, the first was a short field and they managed to keep them out of the endzone on 6 attempts within the 10 yard. They were only able to put together one really good drive – for their last score. Their first TD wasn’t bad – but they only had to go 57 yards, and their only other score was on that 55 yard scamper after the catch. It’s amazing how just a couple of injuries in key spots can really effect the overall product. I thought the secondary did a good job, but I think that they could have done a lot better if Brian Dixon had been out on the field. Hopefully he will get better soon. The D line wasn’t able to get the pressure that they were the week before – which kind of surprised me. Not sure what UCM was able to do, but I hope that the other teams don’t figure it out, or NW figures out how to overcome that.
This Weeks Game:
Here is what I would like to see at Lewis Field stadium on Saturday: Blake Bolles in his first collegiate start. There is absolutely no reason why Bolles should not start. The only reason to have a 2 QB system is if the two have two different skill sets. That isn’t the case here. There isn’t anything that TA does that Bolles doesn’t do, and do it better. Bolles is definitely the future of the team, he should also be the present – as the future starts now. Yeah, I get the fact that TA is a captain and a leader – well good leaders know when to step back and put the team first. The best example of this is Jordan Simmons: he actively recruited JF3 to come to NW after UNO folded, despite knowing that it would cut down on his number of carries – he knew that it would be best for the team. Not that this is TA’s decision at all – in fact I wouldn’t be surprised if TA would put Bolles in ahead of himself if it was decision, according to all the great reports of what a leader he is. What I am saying is that this is really a simple decision for AD to make – because its already been made on the field. And because TA is such a great leader, AD shouldn’t worry about stepping on seniority or hurting anybody’s feelings by putting in Bolles. In fact, you could argue that it sets a dangerous precedent if he doesn’t. What incentive do any player have to be the best, if the coaches are just going to play the guy with the most seniority?! It seems like the majority of positions are very competitive for the starting spot, but some spots – not so much. But anyway, I digress. Let’s get back to the game at hand. Fort Hays is bad. Like really bad. So NW should put up video game type of stats. That being said – strange things happen on the drive to Western Kansas. And weird things happen in Fort Hays. The Tigers have a history of playing NW better than they should. And Hays is always tougher at home. Those things combine for interesting games. By all accounts, the WR’s should have a Hay Day – as the Tigers are averaging giving up over 315 passing yards per game. The RB’s should do good as well, as Ft Hays D is giving up almost 240 yards per game on the ground. I would really like to see Phil Jackson on the field at some point. From everything that I’ve heard, he is a beast – but I don’t know if he even will make the travel team, probably not. I think that this game is definitely an opportunity game. Depending on some of the decisions that the coaches make, it could set things in motion for 2013 to be a really good year for the Bearcats.
When the Tigers have the ball, the NW D should have a field day. So far this year, Ft Hays has rushed for a total of 134 yards. I don’t see them rapidly increasing those numbers this week. They have done a pretty good job of protecting their QB, as he’s only been sacked once in two games. Hopefully NW’s Dline can change that number. So if NW can shut down their run game (which doesn’t sound too difficult) and force them to the air, I think that NW’s secondary is going to have fun. Hays QB, Treveon Albert, is currently 30/60 for 380 yards, and he’s been picked off 6 times. They are definitely going to be having fun out there!
Basically, I believe that the Bearcats are going to have a Hay Day in Ft Hays. NW 56 Fort Hays 6
#FreeBolles
Last Week’s Recap:
I think that my friend summed it up best after the first 12:30 minutes of the game – this is not good, do they always look this bad? I had to be honest and say, well not usually against other teams – but UCM always plays NW tough. And historically NW has not played extremely well against the Mules. I think a lot of that comes from the coaches. UCM seems to be in Coach Dorrel’s head – like he always overthinks his game plan. This year was no different. That first quarter was some pretty bad playcalling. The only thing worse than the playcalling, was Adams execution of the called plays. This was not a surprise to me or anyone else who has a basic understanding of the game of football. Adams always struggles with teams with good defenses. Against teams with poor average or poor defenses, and in practice – he looks awesome. This has been his MO over his career. From all accounts, he is a great kid – and smart too. And he has the respect of his teammates. But last week’s game proves he is not the best QB on the team. Without a doubt, TA is easily the best backup QB in the MIAA, if not all of D2. But as far as being ‘the man’ – that should not be his role. The only reason that Bolles would not start is if AD is too stubborn to admit that he is wrong. But I don’t think that AD has to make that decision anymore – I think it has already been made for him. Bolles is young, so he will have some bone-head plays – like he did this week. Holding on to the ball too long and taking the sack rather than throwing it away. Like the old adage goes – good decisions come from experience, experience comes from bad decisions. UCM had a good game plan against NW – put 6 in the box, drop 2 safeties to cover the deep ball. Problem is, that is what UCM always does against NW, and it still works. The RB’s weren’t as impressive this week – but that’s because they were going against a much better D – yet the RB’s still managed to average over 5 ypc combined (Creason 6.6 on 10 carries RB3 3.8 on 11 carries.) NW was pretty darn balanced – 182 yards on the ground, and 196 in the air. The WR’s continue to impress. UCM’s secondary was covering pretty good, and the receivers made some great catches. Utter just picked up where he left off last week. He some really nice grabs, and did some excellent blocking down field on a couple of plays. I would still really like to see the TE’s get more involved – although on Korey Jackson’s TD pass, it was in the formation that the TE usually gets the ball, which is what sucked in the CB and safety to cover the TE, but left Korey open. I think as the offense gets more opened up with Bolles as QB, we will start seeing more of those plays. I thought that the OL played pretty good too – especially in the 4th quarter. They were really able to open up some nice holes as the game went on.
On defense, NW did a pretty darn good job IMO. Central isn’t going to beat you on the ground, as NW kept them to only 56 yards rushing. Their bread and butter is thru the air. This weeks game was no exception. I said that they were going to dink and dunk – and they did. Hawk managed to get 304 yards in the air. Nothing real deep, they were all primarily in the short area. The D was able to not allow UCM to really have many good drives. Of their 4 scoring drives, the first was a short field and they managed to keep them out of the endzone on 6 attempts within the 10 yard. They were only able to put together one really good drive – for their last score. Their first TD wasn’t bad – but they only had to go 57 yards, and their only other score was on that 55 yard scamper after the catch. It’s amazing how just a couple of injuries in key spots can really effect the overall product. I thought the secondary did a good job, but I think that they could have done a lot better if Brian Dixon had been out on the field. Hopefully he will get better soon. The D line wasn’t able to get the pressure that they were the week before – which kind of surprised me. Not sure what UCM was able to do, but I hope that the other teams don’t figure it out, or NW figures out how to overcome that.
This Weeks Game:
Here is what I would like to see at Lewis Field stadium on Saturday: Blake Bolles in his first collegiate start. There is absolutely no reason why Bolles should not start. The only reason to have a 2 QB system is if the two have two different skill sets. That isn’t the case here. There isn’t anything that TA does that Bolles doesn’t do, and do it better. Bolles is definitely the future of the team, he should also be the present – as the future starts now. Yeah, I get the fact that TA is a captain and a leader – well good leaders know when to step back and put the team first. The best example of this is Jordan Simmons: he actively recruited JF3 to come to NW after UNO folded, despite knowing that it would cut down on his number of carries – he knew that it would be best for the team. Not that this is TA’s decision at all – in fact I wouldn’t be surprised if TA would put Bolles in ahead of himself if it was decision, according to all the great reports of what a leader he is. What I am saying is that this is really a simple decision for AD to make – because its already been made on the field. And because TA is such a great leader, AD shouldn’t worry about stepping on seniority or hurting anybody’s feelings by putting in Bolles. In fact, you could argue that it sets a dangerous precedent if he doesn’t. What incentive do any player have to be the best, if the coaches are just going to play the guy with the most seniority?! It seems like the majority of positions are very competitive for the starting spot, but some spots – not so much. But anyway, I digress. Let’s get back to the game at hand. Fort Hays is bad. Like really bad. So NW should put up video game type of stats. That being said – strange things happen on the drive to Western Kansas. And weird things happen in Fort Hays. The Tigers have a history of playing NW better than they should. And Hays is always tougher at home. Those things combine for interesting games. By all accounts, the WR’s should have a Hay Day – as the Tigers are averaging giving up over 315 passing yards per game. The RB’s should do good as well, as Ft Hays D is giving up almost 240 yards per game on the ground. I would really like to see Phil Jackson on the field at some point. From everything that I’ve heard, he is a beast – but I don’t know if he even will make the travel team, probably not. I think that this game is definitely an opportunity game. Depending on some of the decisions that the coaches make, it could set things in motion for 2013 to be a really good year for the Bearcats.
When the Tigers have the ball, the NW D should have a field day. So far this year, Ft Hays has rushed for a total of 134 yards. I don’t see them rapidly increasing those numbers this week. They have done a pretty good job of protecting their QB, as he’s only been sacked once in two games. Hopefully NW’s Dline can change that number. So if NW can shut down their run game (which doesn’t sound too difficult) and force them to the air, I think that NW’s secondary is going to have fun. Hays QB, Treveon Albert, is currently 30/60 for 380 yards, and he’s been picked off 6 times. They are definitely going to be having fun out there!
Basically, I believe that the Bearcats are going to have a Hay Day in Ft Hays. NW 56 Fort Hays 6
#FreeBolles
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Game 2: NW vs UCM
Man it was good to be back in Bearcat Stadium watching a game under the lights! It was also great to finally get to tailgate. But the new tailgating rules really suck. They were obviously set up by individuals who have never tailgated. The rule is that you can’t start tailgating until 4 hours prior to kickoff. I can completely understand not allowing alcohol until four hours before – but not being able to set up?!? Are they actively trying to kill the game day atmosphere? I know that next year they are planning on charging for parking as well as implementing no tailgating in the grass. What really doesn’t make any sense is that as it stands, you can park where you plan on tailgating – pull out some chairs and sit around: you just can’t set up any kind of canopy, or pull out any tables or play any kind of ‘games’. But you can sit there, because apparently that isn’t tailgating – just loitering I guess. My other complaint is with the university getting rid of the visitors section, and instead selling prime tickets right behind the visitors bench. From what I understand, the visitors section was completely ‘sold out’ online, but they didn’t have anyone in them. As a student I voted for and paid for additional fees for the East side bleachers to be redone. I didn’t do this so visitors could come and have a great seat for the smackdown that they are going to receive.
Last Week’s Recap:
What a fun game to watch! Looking at the scoreboard, you would say that the games wasn’t even close, but if you look at the stats, the game was much closer than the score indicated. If it hadn’t have been for some big time special teams plays, and untimely turnovers, this game could have been a nailbiter for either team.
On offense, some questions were answered, some still remain. Before we get too excited about the offense, it is important to remember that the SVSU defense is middle of the pack. Now they do have an excellent offense, but their defense is definitely suspect. So before we all get too fired up about the offensive production – we need to keep that in context. Let’s start with the offensive line. I thought that they did an excellent job providing pass protection and opening holes for the RB’s. But like I said, not sure if that is because the OL is that good, or because the Cards Dline was that bad. Speaking of RB’s – what a stable full of horses NW has. The combination of Creason and Bobby Burton will be fun to watch this year. And we haven’t even seen what Phil Jackson can do. Burton reminds me a lot of LC – very patient and hits the hole hard. It would have been nice to see the TE’s more involved, but as it was it really wasn’t needed. The biggest surprise of the night was the WR corps. They looked great. I had heard about a lot of inconsistency in camp, but come game day they looked good. Clint Utter finally looked like what a lot of us thought he could always be - big quick physical receiver. Kudos to Clint – I hope you got about 14 more of those games left in you. Young looked good as usual – and the transfers Reuben Thomas and Korey Jackson both looked like they could be stars someday. But before I get too fanatical, let’s remember it’s easier to look great when going against mediocre secondary. But all of those guys used their hands a lot and went up and got the balls. In fact I think that they made TA look pretty darn good. And I think he did do a very good job on Thursday. But he didn’t show me anything that we haven’t seen before. He is great in practice and against teams that aren’t great. I’ve taken and will take a lot of heat for this – but TA didn’t impress me. He still can’t check down to save his life. He locks on one receiver, seemingly before the play ever starts and that is who is going to get the ball. If he isn’t able to overcome that, then he can’t lead NW to its fullest potential. He did have one really great pass where he hit his receiver in stride, but the majority of his passes the receivers had to break stride or catch the ball in a nonoptimal way – and if SVSU’s secondary was better, I don’t think TA’s stats would have been nearly as good as they were. And they were very good. I think he had a very good game – not great, not terrible, but a very good game.
On the defensive side of the ball, I’ve only got one word: BRAVO! Unlike the Cards defense, the SVSU’s offense is for real. And the Bearcats held them in check for most of the day. When the Cards did get yards, it was mostly on big plays where there was a miscommunication or players just being out of position. The Cardinals managed to get 306 yards passing – with 7 plays being 20 yards or more each, and 5 out of those 7 were for 26+ yards each. Those 7 plays accounted for 208 yards of passing. From what I could tell, it looked like on the majority of those plays the LB stopped covering thinking that there would be coverage over the top from the Safety, and the Safety wasn’t there. I don’t know who’s fault that was, but I can assure you that Kenny Gordon will get it corrected this week. As we all know, there is more improvement between the first two games, than any other time of the year. Big shout out to Brandon Dixon for shutting down Jeff Janis – one of the best WR’s in the country. The Dline did a phenomenal job against a gigantic OL. There were times that they were getting pressure just sending 3 guys – it didn’t account for a whole lot of sacks, but I think that says more about the QB than it does the Dline. Jennings was definitely a slippery guy who was not afraid to move around in the pocket. The only thing that I observed that could be changed would be with Bevins – he’s a monster, but he is too slow to be effective at end. I think that they will need to move him to the inside to maximize his production. Another thing that I noticed was the line getting their hands up – noticeably Yost. This is something that has been missing the past couple of years. I believe that it is not really something that can be taught – although all coaches try, but it’s almost an instinct. Some guys have it, others don’t. I’m just glad to see that NW has a couple of guys that have it. As I mentioned earlier the LB’s seemed to be out of position at times, and there was a lot of times where the center of the field was wide open. Jennings took advantage of this and there was one drive where I think every caught ball was across the middle. This will need to be addressed before next week, otherwise Boda and Lambo will definitely take advantage of that! I know it, you know it, and the coaches know it.
This Week's Game:
As long as NW doesn’t try to pull out that playbook from the first half of UCM’s game, the NW offense should be okay. I do think that UCM’s defense is better than SVSU’s. I am very interested in seeing how the OL is able to handle UCM Dline. The Mules were able to sack Partridge last week 3 times and hurry him more than that – which is a lot more than NW was able to do last year to MW. I know it’s kind of comparing apples and oranges between seasons, but it’s early in the season and I don’t have much comparative data to work with. And we don’t really know how good/bad MW is this year to draw too many conclusions from that game. Last time NW played UCM, they were under the impression that they could utilize a power run game because it had kind of worked the week before – that and TA had a horrible game turning the ball over twice within NW’s own 15 yard line. By the time that the coaches adjusted, it was too late. I think that the key is going to be remaining balanced, because I believe that NW has the weapons to strike in all facets of the game. I believe that they have the receivers to be dangerous in the air, and the stable full of horses to do damage on the ground as well. The TE’s didn’t see much if any action last week other than blocking – they have typically played a pretty key role in a NW offense in the really good years, and would like to see them get involved more this game. I know it’s cliché, but its true - the game will be won in the trenches. If the Oline can hold off the pass rush and give the QB time to pass, as well as open up the lanes for the RB’s – I think NW will win this one easily because I don’t think UCM’s offense is as good as the Cardinal’s. But that is much easier said than done. One area that will definitely need to improve is 3rd down conversions, NW was only 4/11 or 36%. Anytime that number is less than 40% that is NOT a good sign. There is room for improvement, and I think that it will get improved.
On defense, the key is going to be getting pressure on Hudson Hawk, I mean Hayden Hawk. They don’t necessarily have to get sacks (those are good too though) but definitely need to make him get uncomfortable in the pocket. Svoboda does not have a run heavy offense, in fact last week MW was able to limit the Mules to only 40 yards on 39 attempts. They almost only run on 1st down and 2nd & short. Now some of that may be due to the fact that their starting RB sprained his ankle and only played the first half. So needless to say, UCM kind of makes themselves one dimensional – but NW can definitely help them out, I wouldn’t complain about that. This is definitely going to be the biggest test of the year for the LB’s. Both Jim Svoboda and Josh Lamberson are very familiar with NW and historically NW’s D has had a propensity to give up yards in the middle of the field. They will definitely aim to exploit that with their dink and dunk offense, try to suck NW into defending that and hit with a big play. But I know this, you know this, and the NW coaches know this, and hopefully they will have the players prepared for this.
Special Teams could play a big role again this week. Kyle Goodburn looked good last week punting (as usual) and the new kicker Ben Trewyn seemed to be like Todd Adolf in that his KO’s got better and better as the night went on. Ben just needs to learn how to get that ball higher in the air quicker on the FG’s. But overall, I would say that Trewyn looked a lot better than Adolf did his freshman year!
Overall, I think that this will be a good game and will remain close thru 3 quarters, but NW will pull away in the fourth and win 45 to 27.
Last Week’s Recap:
What a fun game to watch! Looking at the scoreboard, you would say that the games wasn’t even close, but if you look at the stats, the game was much closer than the score indicated. If it hadn’t have been for some big time special teams plays, and untimely turnovers, this game could have been a nailbiter for either team.
On offense, some questions were answered, some still remain. Before we get too excited about the offense, it is important to remember that the SVSU defense is middle of the pack. Now they do have an excellent offense, but their defense is definitely suspect. So before we all get too fired up about the offensive production – we need to keep that in context. Let’s start with the offensive line. I thought that they did an excellent job providing pass protection and opening holes for the RB’s. But like I said, not sure if that is because the OL is that good, or because the Cards Dline was that bad. Speaking of RB’s – what a stable full of horses NW has. The combination of Creason and Bobby Burton will be fun to watch this year. And we haven’t even seen what Phil Jackson can do. Burton reminds me a lot of LC – very patient and hits the hole hard. It would have been nice to see the TE’s more involved, but as it was it really wasn’t needed. The biggest surprise of the night was the WR corps. They looked great. I had heard about a lot of inconsistency in camp, but come game day they looked good. Clint Utter finally looked like what a lot of us thought he could always be - big quick physical receiver. Kudos to Clint – I hope you got about 14 more of those games left in you. Young looked good as usual – and the transfers Reuben Thomas and Korey Jackson both looked like they could be stars someday. But before I get too fanatical, let’s remember it’s easier to look great when going against mediocre secondary. But all of those guys used their hands a lot and went up and got the balls. In fact I think that they made TA look pretty darn good. And I think he did do a very good job on Thursday. But he didn’t show me anything that we haven’t seen before. He is great in practice and against teams that aren’t great. I’ve taken and will take a lot of heat for this – but TA didn’t impress me. He still can’t check down to save his life. He locks on one receiver, seemingly before the play ever starts and that is who is going to get the ball. If he isn’t able to overcome that, then he can’t lead NW to its fullest potential. He did have one really great pass where he hit his receiver in stride, but the majority of his passes the receivers had to break stride or catch the ball in a nonoptimal way – and if SVSU’s secondary was better, I don’t think TA’s stats would have been nearly as good as they were. And they were very good. I think he had a very good game – not great, not terrible, but a very good game.
On the defensive side of the ball, I’ve only got one word: BRAVO! Unlike the Cards defense, the SVSU’s offense is for real. And the Bearcats held them in check for most of the day. When the Cards did get yards, it was mostly on big plays where there was a miscommunication or players just being out of position. The Cardinals managed to get 306 yards passing – with 7 plays being 20 yards or more each, and 5 out of those 7 were for 26+ yards each. Those 7 plays accounted for 208 yards of passing. From what I could tell, it looked like on the majority of those plays the LB stopped covering thinking that there would be coverage over the top from the Safety, and the Safety wasn’t there. I don’t know who’s fault that was, but I can assure you that Kenny Gordon will get it corrected this week. As we all know, there is more improvement between the first two games, than any other time of the year. Big shout out to Brandon Dixon for shutting down Jeff Janis – one of the best WR’s in the country. The Dline did a phenomenal job against a gigantic OL. There were times that they were getting pressure just sending 3 guys – it didn’t account for a whole lot of sacks, but I think that says more about the QB than it does the Dline. Jennings was definitely a slippery guy who was not afraid to move around in the pocket. The only thing that I observed that could be changed would be with Bevins – he’s a monster, but he is too slow to be effective at end. I think that they will need to move him to the inside to maximize his production. Another thing that I noticed was the line getting their hands up – noticeably Yost. This is something that has been missing the past couple of years. I believe that it is not really something that can be taught – although all coaches try, but it’s almost an instinct. Some guys have it, others don’t. I’m just glad to see that NW has a couple of guys that have it. As I mentioned earlier the LB’s seemed to be out of position at times, and there was a lot of times where the center of the field was wide open. Jennings took advantage of this and there was one drive where I think every caught ball was across the middle. This will need to be addressed before next week, otherwise Boda and Lambo will definitely take advantage of that! I know it, you know it, and the coaches know it.
This Week's Game:
As long as NW doesn’t try to pull out that playbook from the first half of UCM’s game, the NW offense should be okay. I do think that UCM’s defense is better than SVSU’s. I am very interested in seeing how the OL is able to handle UCM Dline. The Mules were able to sack Partridge last week 3 times and hurry him more than that – which is a lot more than NW was able to do last year to MW. I know it’s kind of comparing apples and oranges between seasons, but it’s early in the season and I don’t have much comparative data to work with. And we don’t really know how good/bad MW is this year to draw too many conclusions from that game. Last time NW played UCM, they were under the impression that they could utilize a power run game because it had kind of worked the week before – that and TA had a horrible game turning the ball over twice within NW’s own 15 yard line. By the time that the coaches adjusted, it was too late. I think that the key is going to be remaining balanced, because I believe that NW has the weapons to strike in all facets of the game. I believe that they have the receivers to be dangerous in the air, and the stable full of horses to do damage on the ground as well. The TE’s didn’t see much if any action last week other than blocking – they have typically played a pretty key role in a NW offense in the really good years, and would like to see them get involved more this game. I know it’s cliché, but its true - the game will be won in the trenches. If the Oline can hold off the pass rush and give the QB time to pass, as well as open up the lanes for the RB’s – I think NW will win this one easily because I don’t think UCM’s offense is as good as the Cardinal’s. But that is much easier said than done. One area that will definitely need to improve is 3rd down conversions, NW was only 4/11 or 36%. Anytime that number is less than 40% that is NOT a good sign. There is room for improvement, and I think that it will get improved.
On defense, the key is going to be getting pressure on Hudson Hawk, I mean Hayden Hawk. They don’t necessarily have to get sacks (those are good too though) but definitely need to make him get uncomfortable in the pocket. Svoboda does not have a run heavy offense, in fact last week MW was able to limit the Mules to only 40 yards on 39 attempts. They almost only run on 1st down and 2nd & short. Now some of that may be due to the fact that their starting RB sprained his ankle and only played the first half. So needless to say, UCM kind of makes themselves one dimensional – but NW can definitely help them out, I wouldn’t complain about that. This is definitely going to be the biggest test of the year for the LB’s. Both Jim Svoboda and Josh Lamberson are very familiar with NW and historically NW’s D has had a propensity to give up yards in the middle of the field. They will definitely aim to exploit that with their dink and dunk offense, try to suck NW into defending that and hit with a big play. But I know this, you know this, and the NW coaches know this, and hopefully they will have the players prepared for this.
Special Teams could play a big role again this week. Kyle Goodburn looked good last week punting (as usual) and the new kicker Ben Trewyn seemed to be like Todd Adolf in that his KO’s got better and better as the night went on. Ben just needs to learn how to get that ball higher in the air quicker on the FG’s. But overall, I would say that Trewyn looked a lot better than Adolf did his freshman year!
Overall, I think that this will be a good game and will remain close thru 3 quarters, but NW will pull away in the fourth and win 45 to 27.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Game 1: NW vs SVSU
I know that I say this every year, but man – that off season was brutal. Maybe it was the fact that the NFL wasn’t quite what it had been, March Madness was blah, and the Royals – well, they are the Royals. So needless to say, it seemed to take forever. But the past month or so has really flown by. Let’s see if we can get caught up. NW’s Athletic Director Wren Baker left and took a position with Memphis – this left an open position that was filled by Mel Tjeerdsma. Unfortunately for Mel, the first couple of announcements that he had to make weren’t of his doing: the Athletic Dept. decided to retire the Paw that Jim Svoboda drew and we all came to love – and replace it with a new family of logos, including the Faux Paw and some other logos which appeared to be stolen from other schools or taken right from a Clip Art CD. Needless to say, it wasn’t the most well accepted change in the world. The next announcement was as equally upsetting to fans: there will be no new video board this year. I don’t know if anybody else had been named AD and their first two major announcements were those, if they hadn’t of been ran out of town. Oh, but they introduce a new tailgating policy. Basically it’s the same that it has been, but now it’s officially okay to drink alcohol before the game as long as you are not a minor.
This Week’s Game:
So that brings us to the football team. There have been some major changes there as well – well, not as major as some changes in offseasons the past couple of years. Most noticeable will be the absence of JF3. JF3 was released from the team after the spring semester. I believe that academics were a major issue, but I think that his attitude with the team added to the decision. Most recently, Ricky Bailey quit the team a few weeks ago. I think that that is about the extent of players unexpectedly leaving, now for the additions. NW beefed up their WR corps by bringing in a couple of WR transfers. Reuben Thomas came in to Maryville in the spring semester via Pasadena City College and Korey Jackson signed last December but didn’t come to Maryville until this semester. He hails from Homestead, FL and is friends with the Dixon brothers. Both of those guys are Juniors. This summer also saw Collin Bevins transfer in at DE from Iowa State. He is a red-shirt freshman and was scheduled to start at DT for Iowa State. NW currently has him as a DE, but from what I’ve seen he seems a bit slow to be at DE, and will probably get moved to DT by the end of the season.
Those additions helped to address some of my concerns at the end of the season last year. If you remember, my biggest concerns were QB, OL, DL, and WR. The addition of Bevins definitely helps the DLine. There appears to be a lot of talent at WR – but a lot of that is talent on paper. The majority of the WR corps have never caught a pass in a D2 game. The OL is still the same OL that NW had last year, minus Rod Williams and add Cody Carlson back from injury. QB – that’s the $64,000 question. As of right now, Trevor Adams is the scheduled starter. I really hope that he pulls a Zach Dickey and has an amazing Senior year. Can it happen? Sure – but I will believe it when I see it. IMO TA is a really good QB when it comes to practice and lesser opponents – but he has always struggled against really good opponents. And Saginaw Valley is going to be a very good opponent!
On offense, Trevor Adams is going to be the starting signal caller – and he’s going to be going up against a good defense. The Cardinals return 8 starters from last year. That’s a lot. But I will be honest – they weren’t the best in the world – actually they were middle of the pack. But they didn’t need to be great, because SVSU’s offense could score a lot of points. But 8 starters is still a big deal – and they now have another year under their belt of working together, so they will definitely be better than they were last year. The D is led by #41 Brian Johnson – linebacker. He had a total of 102 tackles last year. NW is going to need to take advantage of any mismatches, and score early and often. In the backfield, Billy Creason is going to be getting the majority of snaps. But I would not be surprised to see some of the younger guys gets some snaps as well. Bobby Burton (RB3) is really good, and runs a lot like LC. He is a Jr this year, NW redshirted him last year knowing that with Simmons and JF3 he wasn’t needed. Phil Jackson II appears to be the real deal – and has the potential to be as good as Xavier Omon. And Justin Fulks is showing a lot of promise as well. As far as TE’s go, I’m really not too sure. Haven’t seen a lot of TE plays in the scrimmages, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. NW returns Joel Gantz as a TE, and has a bunch of younger guys – the one that stood out to me in spring ball was Brock Behrndt. One player described him to me as possibly having the best hands on the team. As far as WR’s go – that is anyone’s guess. The only receiver that caught more than 4 balls last year that is still on the team is Bryce Young. And he missed most of fall camp due to injuries. I don’t know if he’s going to play, or if he does what 100% he will be at. The rest of the receivers are all pretty much new guys. I am hoping that Clint Utter steps up and has a great senior campaign. I am very interested in seeing how the new guys do. From what I understand, they are quick and have good hands. I would not be surprised to see Haden Bryant see the field – he is a true freshman, and a walk-on on top of that. How rare is that for the Bearcat program!?!
On Defense – the Bearcats are definitely going to have their hands full. The Cards return one of the best QB’s in the nation, and one of the best WR’s in the nation as well. Jonathan Jennings led the GLIAC in passing, and his favorite target was/is Jeff Janis who led D2 with a total of 1635 yards receiving. They also return their #2 and #3 receivers as well. So their WR corps is completely intact. The D line is going to need to get some kind of pressure on Jennings. But that is easier said than done – as SVSU returns their entire Oline. The good news is that the Cards don’t return much in the RB department – but they do have a transfer from Grand Valley – Norman Shuford. He sat out last year because of the transfer, so he is pretty much an unknown at this time. I don’t think that this is a good time for a coming out party for him – so if the Dline and LB’s can keep him in check, that would be good! The secondary is going to need to not have any blown coverage – because if they do, Jennings WILL take advantage of those situations.
There is no reason to be super confident going into this game. SVSU is a good team who isn’t afraid of competing against the big boys. They opened up their season last year by beating Valdosta – and they ended up having a pretty good team last year. What I’m saying, is that they are not going to be intimidated to be playing the Bearcats. NW is going to need to play smart ball, and not have stupid mistakes. Like I said, the Cards know how to score – they remind me of an LSC team. Not the best D, but a really good offense. A lot is going to depend on the game plan put together by the coaches. Last year the coaches tried to start off the season with a completely different game plan – and both of those games were ugly. Hopefully they have completely forgotten those playbooks! I wouldn’t be surprised to see this as a higher scoring game. In the end, I believe that NW will eek out a win: NW 45 SVSU 42
This Week’s Game:
So that brings us to the football team. There have been some major changes there as well – well, not as major as some changes in offseasons the past couple of years. Most noticeable will be the absence of JF3. JF3 was released from the team after the spring semester. I believe that academics were a major issue, but I think that his attitude with the team added to the decision. Most recently, Ricky Bailey quit the team a few weeks ago. I think that that is about the extent of players unexpectedly leaving, now for the additions. NW beefed up their WR corps by bringing in a couple of WR transfers. Reuben Thomas came in to Maryville in the spring semester via Pasadena City College and Korey Jackson signed last December but didn’t come to Maryville until this semester. He hails from Homestead, FL and is friends with the Dixon brothers. Both of those guys are Juniors. This summer also saw Collin Bevins transfer in at DE from Iowa State. He is a red-shirt freshman and was scheduled to start at DT for Iowa State. NW currently has him as a DE, but from what I’ve seen he seems a bit slow to be at DE, and will probably get moved to DT by the end of the season.
Those additions helped to address some of my concerns at the end of the season last year. If you remember, my biggest concerns were QB, OL, DL, and WR. The addition of Bevins definitely helps the DLine. There appears to be a lot of talent at WR – but a lot of that is talent on paper. The majority of the WR corps have never caught a pass in a D2 game. The OL is still the same OL that NW had last year, minus Rod Williams and add Cody Carlson back from injury. QB – that’s the $64,000 question. As of right now, Trevor Adams is the scheduled starter. I really hope that he pulls a Zach Dickey and has an amazing Senior year. Can it happen? Sure – but I will believe it when I see it. IMO TA is a really good QB when it comes to practice and lesser opponents – but he has always struggled against really good opponents. And Saginaw Valley is going to be a very good opponent!
On offense, Trevor Adams is going to be the starting signal caller – and he’s going to be going up against a good defense. The Cardinals return 8 starters from last year. That’s a lot. But I will be honest – they weren’t the best in the world – actually they were middle of the pack. But they didn’t need to be great, because SVSU’s offense could score a lot of points. But 8 starters is still a big deal – and they now have another year under their belt of working together, so they will definitely be better than they were last year. The D is led by #41 Brian Johnson – linebacker. He had a total of 102 tackles last year. NW is going to need to take advantage of any mismatches, and score early and often. In the backfield, Billy Creason is going to be getting the majority of snaps. But I would not be surprised to see some of the younger guys gets some snaps as well. Bobby Burton (RB3) is really good, and runs a lot like LC. He is a Jr this year, NW redshirted him last year knowing that with Simmons and JF3 he wasn’t needed. Phil Jackson II appears to be the real deal – and has the potential to be as good as Xavier Omon. And Justin Fulks is showing a lot of promise as well. As far as TE’s go, I’m really not too sure. Haven’t seen a lot of TE plays in the scrimmages, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. NW returns Joel Gantz as a TE, and has a bunch of younger guys – the one that stood out to me in spring ball was Brock Behrndt. One player described him to me as possibly having the best hands on the team. As far as WR’s go – that is anyone’s guess. The only receiver that caught more than 4 balls last year that is still on the team is Bryce Young. And he missed most of fall camp due to injuries. I don’t know if he’s going to play, or if he does what 100% he will be at. The rest of the receivers are all pretty much new guys. I am hoping that Clint Utter steps up and has a great senior campaign. I am very interested in seeing how the new guys do. From what I understand, they are quick and have good hands. I would not be surprised to see Haden Bryant see the field – he is a true freshman, and a walk-on on top of that. How rare is that for the Bearcat program!?!
On Defense – the Bearcats are definitely going to have their hands full. The Cards return one of the best QB’s in the nation, and one of the best WR’s in the nation as well. Jonathan Jennings led the GLIAC in passing, and his favorite target was/is Jeff Janis who led D2 with a total of 1635 yards receiving. They also return their #2 and #3 receivers as well. So their WR corps is completely intact. The D line is going to need to get some kind of pressure on Jennings. But that is easier said than done – as SVSU returns their entire Oline. The good news is that the Cards don’t return much in the RB department – but they do have a transfer from Grand Valley – Norman Shuford. He sat out last year because of the transfer, so he is pretty much an unknown at this time. I don’t think that this is a good time for a coming out party for him – so if the Dline and LB’s can keep him in check, that would be good! The secondary is going to need to not have any blown coverage – because if they do, Jennings WILL take advantage of those situations.
There is no reason to be super confident going into this game. SVSU is a good team who isn’t afraid of competing against the big boys. They opened up their season last year by beating Valdosta – and they ended up having a pretty good team last year. What I’m saying, is that they are not going to be intimidated to be playing the Bearcats. NW is going to need to play smart ball, and not have stupid mistakes. Like I said, the Cards know how to score – they remind me of an LSC team. Not the best D, but a really good offense. A lot is going to depend on the game plan put together by the coaches. Last year the coaches tried to start off the season with a completely different game plan – and both of those games were ugly. Hopefully they have completely forgotten those playbooks! I wouldn’t be surprised to see this as a higher scoring game. In the end, I believe that NW will eek out a win: NW 45 SVSU 42
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