SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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- We won but we won in a way that deprived us of something valuable. Sports isn’t just about winning. It’s about optimism, the feeling that you are going to win the next one, too. Our next game is against an opponent with far more talent than we have and it would be a big upset to beat LSU. But it would also be a big opportunity to make a statement and they probably don’t think much of us, so they could be vulnerable. If we’d had a strong, dominating performance against CMU, as it looked like we were going to do, we would have had a week of believing that we might be able to beat LSU and get the victory that would propel this program to another level. But because this one was basically a loss with a smile painted on it, we’ll have a week completely lacking in any expectation that we could compete with the Tigers. Not much fun in that.
- The numbers are horrible. No first downs in the second half. We gave up 30 first downs. Rush was 37 for 51 for 430 yards. We are now 2 for 17 on third down in the last two games, (even with Dungey). The other teams have been 12 for 33. And they were 4 for 4 on fourth down so they were really 16 for 33. We never went for it on fourth down because we were never close enough. Our last two opponents have had the ball 28 more minutes than we have. It’s like they had an extra half, all on offense. We’ve finally developed a big play capability but we have no small play capability and the vast majority of football plays are small plays. We need to win those, too.
- Can we cover anybody? We’ve given up 793 yards passing in two weeks. The tying touchdown came on 3rd and 17. Rush rolled out and threw to an open receiver in the end zone with 3-4 SU defender about 5 yards away from him in every direction. It didn’t help that, until late in the game, we got no pressure on Rush at all, allowing him to pick us apart. We did get four sacks but that’s in 55 pass attempts. He got 51 passes off, (93%), and completed 73% of them.
- I also didn’t like our tackling. Despite getting only 90 yards rushing, there were some plays, particularly in the first half, where our guys were being knocked backwards or being dragged for extra yards. And on pass plays the first guy whiffed far too many times. And here comes Leonard Fournette.
- Honk if (1) You are an SU fan and (2) You are a Bills fan and (3) you think that this is a forward pass: And (4) that this is a lateral: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMSupQ0KnA8
Hey, we’re football fans! That’s what fans do!
- I was in Archbold Stadium on September 9, 1978. We were playing Florida State, then a rising power. We thought we had a pretty chance to beat them with Joe Morris, Art Monk and Bill Hurley at quarterback. The place was festooned with banners reading “Hurley for Heisman. Hurley led us to three straight first downs on the opening possession but at the end of the play that got the third, (and option where he gained about 20 yards), two Noles grabbed him and didn’t pull him to the ground to end the play. Instead they held him up and spread his arms apart while a third player lowered his helmet and slammed right into Hurley’s ribs. He crumpled to the ground and had to be helped off the field. His season was over and we lost that game 0-28 and went 3-8 after going 6-5 the year before. It was an obvious planned take-out and I have always blamed Bobby Bowden for this.
In today’s game, Eric Dungey threw a sideline pass to Dontae Strickland who streaked to the end zone. A player was tackling Dungey from behind. A teammate, (ironically wearing #44), ran up in front of Dungey and “targeted” him helmet to helmet while raising both firsts toward him. Eric’s head snapped back as if he’d taken an uppercut from Mike Tyson. He was held out of the rest of the game. It was described as an “upper body injury” but he didn’t seem to be favoring anything leaving the field. He was just dazed looking. They couldn’t confirm a concussion but I assume that was the result. Hopefully he’ll be back for other games.
It wasn’t as blatant a planned event as the Hurley take-out but it was the worst thing I’ve seen since. I don’t know if there was a ”bounty” on Dungey but one wonders if there was something in the CMU coach’s rhetoric this week that suggested that might be a good play.
- Supposedly, our depth chart shows Dungey, Austin Wilson, A.J. Long and then Zach Mahoney in that order at quarterback. It’s obvious from the way they were used in the second half that Wilson is our ‘passing’ quarterback and Mahoney our “running quarterback. Long proved last year he can do both. He played more and better than Wilson did and Mahoney wasn’t even here. Why skip your third string guy and alternate your second string guy and your fourth string guy? It makes no sense. Long in his debut last year was 16 for 27 for 167 yards and 2TDs, (2 int) and ran 3 times for 20 yards against Florida State. Wilson and Mahoney were 8 for 11 for 68 yards, 1TD, (1int) and ran twice for 10 yards against Central Michigan. And the Chips knew what we were going to do depending on who was in there. As of 9/10 he was ‘available’: http://www.nunesmagician.com/2015/9...o-go-if-needed-injury-hunt-dungey-quarterback
I think with him in there, we win this easily. The coaches know more than I do. But what is it they know?
- When we got the flag on the TD for roughing the passer, we got to kick off at the 50 yard line. Ryan Norton booted it into the O Zone. The Chippewas were off sides but we declined the penalty. They got it at the 25. Why not take the offside penalty to put it at the 45 and then either (a) squib it and try to pin them down deep or (b) try an onsides kick? What am I missing here?
- CMU tried to cross us up at the beginning of the second half with an short kick that Davion Ellison caught, giving us the ball, up 24-10 on our own 45, a brilliant chance to put on a short drive and take a commanding lead. We send our fourth string QB in, a JUCO walk on, (he’s really fifth string count in Hunt). He’s an option guy but never keeps it. Instead we run Fredericks up the middle for 9 yards in two plays and then do the same with Morris, who loses a yard. We punt and surrender a 95 yard scoring drive by the Chips. Arrugh! What was I watching here?!?
- Zaire Franklin makes what appears to be a game-saving interception and returns it to the 50, give SU the ball and a 24-17 lead with 4:33 left. All we need are a couple of first downs. We try a wide play to Strickland that loses 4 yards. Mahoney gets that back and no more with a pass to McFarlane. Then Mahoney throws to the Ben Lewis on the side line for exactly 9 yards. One thing I noticed about both Wake Forest and Central Michigan. Their receivers know exactly where the sticks are on any third down play. Why don’t ours??
- Why does every play have to be run from the shotgun? If we want to run the ball, why can’t we put the QB under center and have him hand it off closer to the line of scrimmage?
- Steve Ismael also left the game with an injury, adding himself to the list of Terrel Hunt, Erv Phillips and Dungey- big time play-makers on the shelf. This can’t be happening again!
- I came away from this game feeling like a fighter who had lost the punch count by a 1-3 margin but somehow got a split decision. All those short passes and some of the runs were like inside punches the judges didn’t see. My belly hurts.
- The Upside after a win: 1 page. The Downside: 3 pages. It should be the other way around. But I’ve got to describe what I saw and say what I think and feel. So it’s 1-3, (just like the first downs and the punch count), for this one.
- The numbers are horrible. No first downs in the second half. We gave up 30 first downs. Rush was 37 for 51 for 430 yards. We are now 2 for 17 on third down in the last two games, (even with Dungey). The other teams have been 12 for 33. And they were 4 for 4 on fourth down so they were really 16 for 33. We never went for it on fourth down because we were never close enough. Our last two opponents have had the ball 28 more minutes than we have. It’s like they had an extra half, all on offense. We’ve finally developed a big play capability but we have no small play capability and the vast majority of football plays are small plays. We need to win those, too.
- Can we cover anybody? We’ve given up 793 yards passing in two weeks. The tying touchdown came on 3rd and 17. Rush rolled out and threw to an open receiver in the end zone with 3-4 SU defender about 5 yards away from him in every direction. It didn’t help that, until late in the game, we got no pressure on Rush at all, allowing him to pick us apart. We did get four sacks but that’s in 55 pass attempts. He got 51 passes off, (93%), and completed 73% of them.
- I also didn’t like our tackling. Despite getting only 90 yards rushing, there were some plays, particularly in the first half, where our guys were being knocked backwards or being dragged for extra yards. And on pass plays the first guy whiffed far too many times. And here comes Leonard Fournette.
- Honk if (1) You are an SU fan and (2) You are a Bills fan and (3) you think that this is a forward pass: And (4) that this is a lateral: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMSupQ0KnA8
Hey, we’re football fans! That’s what fans do!
- I was in Archbold Stadium on September 9, 1978. We were playing Florida State, then a rising power. We thought we had a pretty chance to beat them with Joe Morris, Art Monk and Bill Hurley at quarterback. The place was festooned with banners reading “Hurley for Heisman. Hurley led us to three straight first downs on the opening possession but at the end of the play that got the third, (and option where he gained about 20 yards), two Noles grabbed him and didn’t pull him to the ground to end the play. Instead they held him up and spread his arms apart while a third player lowered his helmet and slammed right into Hurley’s ribs. He crumpled to the ground and had to be helped off the field. His season was over and we lost that game 0-28 and went 3-8 after going 6-5 the year before. It was an obvious planned take-out and I have always blamed Bobby Bowden for this.
In today’s game, Eric Dungey threw a sideline pass to Dontae Strickland who streaked to the end zone. A player was tackling Dungey from behind. A teammate, (ironically wearing #44), ran up in front of Dungey and “targeted” him helmet to helmet while raising both firsts toward him. Eric’s head snapped back as if he’d taken an uppercut from Mike Tyson. He was held out of the rest of the game. It was described as an “upper body injury” but he didn’t seem to be favoring anything leaving the field. He was just dazed looking. They couldn’t confirm a concussion but I assume that was the result. Hopefully he’ll be back for other games.
It wasn’t as blatant a planned event as the Hurley take-out but it was the worst thing I’ve seen since. I don’t know if there was a ”bounty” on Dungey but one wonders if there was something in the CMU coach’s rhetoric this week that suggested that might be a good play.
- Supposedly, our depth chart shows Dungey, Austin Wilson, A.J. Long and then Zach Mahoney in that order at quarterback. It’s obvious from the way they were used in the second half that Wilson is our ‘passing’ quarterback and Mahoney our “running quarterback. Long proved last year he can do both. He played more and better than Wilson did and Mahoney wasn’t even here. Why skip your third string guy and alternate your second string guy and your fourth string guy? It makes no sense. Long in his debut last year was 16 for 27 for 167 yards and 2TDs, (2 int) and ran 3 times for 20 yards against Florida State. Wilson and Mahoney were 8 for 11 for 68 yards, 1TD, (1int) and ran twice for 10 yards against Central Michigan. And the Chips knew what we were going to do depending on who was in there. As of 9/10 he was ‘available’: http://www.nunesmagician.com/2015/9...o-go-if-needed-injury-hunt-dungey-quarterback
I think with him in there, we win this easily. The coaches know more than I do. But what is it they know?
- When we got the flag on the TD for roughing the passer, we got to kick off at the 50 yard line. Ryan Norton booted it into the O Zone. The Chippewas were off sides but we declined the penalty. They got it at the 25. Why not take the offside penalty to put it at the 45 and then either (a) squib it and try to pin them down deep or (b) try an onsides kick? What am I missing here?
- CMU tried to cross us up at the beginning of the second half with an short kick that Davion Ellison caught, giving us the ball, up 24-10 on our own 45, a brilliant chance to put on a short drive and take a commanding lead. We send our fourth string QB in, a JUCO walk on, (he’s really fifth string count in Hunt). He’s an option guy but never keeps it. Instead we run Fredericks up the middle for 9 yards in two plays and then do the same with Morris, who loses a yard. We punt and surrender a 95 yard scoring drive by the Chips. Arrugh! What was I watching here?!?
- Zaire Franklin makes what appears to be a game-saving interception and returns it to the 50, give SU the ball and a 24-17 lead with 4:33 left. All we need are a couple of first downs. We try a wide play to Strickland that loses 4 yards. Mahoney gets that back and no more with a pass to McFarlane. Then Mahoney throws to the Ben Lewis on the side line for exactly 9 yards. One thing I noticed about both Wake Forest and Central Michigan. Their receivers know exactly where the sticks are on any third down play. Why don’t ours??
- Why does every play have to be run from the shotgun? If we want to run the ball, why can’t we put the QB under center and have him hand it off closer to the line of scrimmage?
- Steve Ismael also left the game with an injury, adding himself to the list of Terrel Hunt, Erv Phillips and Dungey- big time play-makers on the shelf. This can’t be happening again!
- I came away from this game feeling like a fighter who had lost the punch count by a 1-3 margin but somehow got a split decision. All those short passes and some of the runs were like inside punches the judges didn’t see. My belly hurts.
- The Upside after a win: 1 page. The Downside: 3 pages. It should be the other way around. But I’ve got to describe what I saw and say what I think and feel. So it’s 1-3, (just like the first downs and the punch count), for this one.
