My thoughts on the CMU win

[LeMoyneCuse]

First, thanks to TexanMark, TomCat, and Roger Needham for letting me tag along. It was a whirlwind 36 hours, but a great trip.

Central Michigan University was an odd place. In an effort to beat the 38 degree wind chill at 9am, I decided to take a walk around campus to warm up. I came away feeling like the college was a bigger SUNY campus. That is, lots of squat, faded brick buildings from the 1960s with a few new developments mixed in. The town, Mount Pleasant, was a just a few blocks and mostly tailored to the college. A strip mall within walking distance yielded a liquor store with a decent beer selection, including Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale, so I had more than one victory yesterday.

Kelly-Shorts Stadium fit the role of a MAC stadium perfectly- seating on only three sides, an intimate atmosphere, and no nets to catch extra points. Plus, the locker rooms were in this weird underground bunker in the north end zone.

The first quarter of the game felt like the ‘Nova game did- When are we going to drop the hammer? I wasn’t worried about the defense after CMU’s first drive. Drives happen, and it’s only when things happen throughout a game that the worries start. The offense was a different story. We moved the ball fine, but there was no finishing. Norton missed one kick and drilled another, but we were playing well enough that we shouldn’t have had to settle for field goals.

Hodge’s uncertain scoop and score in the second may have finally plugged the team in for the first time all season. The defense made a stop and took gave us the lead at the same time, and the pressure seemed to dissipate after that. We scored on offense before the half to make it 17-3, and at that point, I had no concerns about our prospects for victory.

As an aside, someone this weekend said the defense line played poorly. I couldn’t disagree more. Our guys got push all day and were constantly disruptive. Welsh caused the Strip Six and others Crume was a problem for the Chips all day.

The second half was as much a meat grinder as anything. We moved the ball methodically all day and didn’t try to stretch it out over time. Our running game worked wonders, and we thankfully stuck with it.

The win, really, was a full team effort. Twelve guys caught passes and six players had multiple carries, with AAM standing out. We got off 79 plays and didn’t turn the ball over, while forcing two from them.

In short, it was the collaborative effort we needed to dispatch an inferior opponent while keeping our players fresh and healthy as we embark on 8 more consecutive weeks of football.

Let's make it 3-0 this Saturday.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

A few more thoughts- It was great to meet many far-flung fans- Orangello, Cuyahoga Cuse, Dan Marino-interceptor Orangejet, Dick in Michigan, and others I'm sure I've forgotten.

Secondly, the best moment of the game was the Terrell Hunt incident in the fourth quarter, when the Chips LB was trying to incite TH. It happened not far from our section. Hunt was bigger than the guy, but he kept his cool and just to the scoreboard. I didn't need it explained post-game, as it was pretty obvious what was playing out on the field. Our QB seemed to calmly remind his taunter that we were winning by 30 at the time and there was no need for talking trash. That seemed to shut him right up.

 

[bnoro]

Agreed, have been surprised to read anything negative on the D-Line. Ate them up on running plays and provided decent pressure when they passed.

 

[CU44SE]

Agreed, have been surprised to read anything negative on the D-Line. Ate them up on running plays and provided decent pressure when they passed.

Idk about the constant pressure by the Dline, to me the pressure seemed to come from all the blitzes. Did great against the run, but before we started blitzing we didn't get any sort of pressure on passing plays with the front four. Granted that was a small sample size, only lasting one series, but their QB had all day to throw on that first series. Then that second series we started bringing 5 or 6 guys every single play for the rest of the game and were in the backfield feasting the rest of the day. I don't believe they attempted a running back screen to keep us honest, which I just didn't get but loved at the same time. Never used the blitz against us and played right into our hands.

 

[Chip]

Agreed, have been surprised to read anything negative on the D-Line. Ate them up on running plays and provided decent pressure when they passed.

It looked like we rotated 9 right? I thought I saw Simmons in there. That's a good sign if we can get 9 guys ready to play. I think only 7 played against Villanova.

 

[bnoro]

It looked like we rotated 9 right? I thought I saw Simmons in there. That's a good sign if we can get 9 guys ready to play. I think only 7 played against Villanova.

Simmons had a tackle, would like to see him make an impact as the season progresses.

 

[corpjet]

Great time to be had, thanks a ton to TexanMark for arranging everything. It was great hanging out with all the CUSE fans from all over the country!

We need to do more of these, anyone in for a another get together before the hoops game at UM in December? Nice road win to get back on track.

Special recognition to our true freshman RB Ervin Phillips, excited for the future of this kid!

 

[Roger N]

First, thanks to TexanMark, TomCat, and Roger Needham for letting me tag along. It was a whirlwind 36 hours, but a great trip.

Central Michigan University was an odd place. In an effort to beat the 38 degree wind chill at 9am, I decided to take a walk around campus to warm up. I came away feeling like the college was a bigger SUNY campus. That is, lots of squat, faded brick buildings from the 1960s with a few new developments mixed in. The town, Mount Pleasant, was a just a few blocks and mostly tailored to the college. A strip mall within walking distance yielded a liquor store with a decent beer selection, including Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale, so I had more than one victory yesterday.

Kelly-Shorts Stadium fit the role of a MAC stadium perfectly- seating on only three sides, an intimate atmosphere, and no nets to catch extra points. Plus, the locker rooms were in this weird underground bunker in the north end zone.

The first quarter of the game felt like the ‘Nova game did- When are we going to drop the hammer? I wasn’t worried about the defense after CMU’s first drive. Drives happen, and it’s only when things happen throughout a game that the worries start. The offense was a different story. We moved the ball fine, but there was no finishing. Norton missed one kick and drilled another, but we were playing well enough that we shouldn’t have had to settle for field goals.

Hodge’s uncertain scoop and score in the second may have finally plugged the team in for the first time all season. The defense made a stop and took gave us the lead at the same time, and the pressure seemed to dissipate after that. We scored on offense before the half to make it 17-3, and at that point, I had no concerns about our prospects for victory.

As an aside, someone this weekend said the defense line played poorly. I couldn’t disagree more. Our guys got push all day and were constantly disruptive. Welsh caused the Strip Six and others Crume was a problem for the Chips all day.

The second half was as much a meat grinder as anything. We moved the ball methodically all day and didn’t try to stretch it out over time. Our running game worked wonders, and we thankfully stuck with it.

The win, really, was a full team effort. Twelve guys caught passes and six players had multiple carries, with AAM standing out. We got off 79 plays and didn’t turn the ball over, while forcing two from them.

In short, it was the collaborative effort we needed to dispatch an inferior opponent while keeping our players fresh and healthy as we embark on 8 more consecutive weeks of football.

Let's make it 3-0 this Saturday.

Good write up. You did a great job navigating for Mark on the way out and for me on the way back to Syracuse. See you Saturday.