SWC75
Bored Historian
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
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- Because we are an 0-2, really an 0-7 team, whose fans are asking “How much do we want to win this one by?”.
- We were very impressive against Southern California. Just like we were very impressive against West Virginia.
- We became an 0-7 team not by being uncompetitive but rather by finding ways to lose winnable games. A missed block. A missed tackle. A dropped pass. A turnover or special teams blunder. Giving up a big play or a long drive just when we’d been playing well on defense. We forgot how to win. If we don’t jump on this team and take them out of the game early, it will be another winnable game where he have to make the plays when it counts and we don’t do that well.
- We also don’t get off to good starts well. Against Northwestern we has a great opportunity to take control of the game but settled for field goals rather than touchdowns. Eventually, we found ourselves down 13-35 and lost by a point. Against USC we had 54 yards total offense and were down 0-14 before the last possession of the first half. A big key in both instances is that we started out trying to have a balanced offense when our strength and experience is clearly in the passing game. Once we started firing away in the two minute offense, we were unstoppable, coming back for four touchdowns in each game. Stony Brook will come out dong what they do best from the opening play. Will we?
- When Stony Brook does what they do best, they are very good at it. Last year they led FCS in scoring and this year they are averaging 63 points a game, (we are proud of averaging 35). They have outscored their opponents 49-0 in the first quarter. As you’ve no doubt already read they are full of Division transfers from places like Iowa, Boston College and Maryland who will be totally unintimidated by our team. Marcus Coker was the second leading rusher on in the Big Ten last year and he’s the #2 guy on this team to FCS All-American Miguel Maysonet. Both may be better than anyone we have. And, as Doug Marrone points out, their line is bigger than ours.
- Last year we struggled to beat Rhode Island in the Dome, 21-14. And that was when we were winning games. The Rams wound up 3-8 vs. an FCS schedule. Stony Brook lost two early games to FBS teams, lost a one-pointer to an Ivy League team, then ripped off nine straight wins during which they averaged 46 points a game before losing in the playoffs at Sam Houston State, the #1 team in the division, 27-34. They are a building program, aiming for FBS status and will likely be even better this this year. They tap into all that Long Island talent and supplement it with FBS transfers and it’s working for them.
- They run an option offense, which requires defenders to stay in their lanes and causes them to wait for the play to come to them. It’s as if every play is a kick return, (and you know how good we are at defending them). Our defense has a “meet at the quarterback” concept we all like but when that kind of defense has to play an option they can concentrate on the lanes so much they get tentative and lose their effectiveness. This also sets up the long pass to guys like Kevin Norrell, who has 89 and 84 yard TD catches already this year.
- Last we week we were talking about running the ball to slow the game down and keep the ball away from Matt Barkley. But with a bunch of unproven running backs, that wasn’t really our game. It is Stony brook’s game and they are capable of putting on long, grinding drives while Ryan Nassib and the boys watch from the sidelines. The Dome can be awfully silent when things aren’t going our way and Stony brook can put it to sleep.
- Being the “best 0-2 team in America” might have some charm to it but there is no best 0-3 team in America because by then, nobody cares anymore. In our case, the new-found optimism will be crushed like a soda can if we lose this one and Stony Brook is capable of crushing it.
- We were very impressive against Southern California. Just like we were very impressive against West Virginia.
- We became an 0-7 team not by being uncompetitive but rather by finding ways to lose winnable games. A missed block. A missed tackle. A dropped pass. A turnover or special teams blunder. Giving up a big play or a long drive just when we’d been playing well on defense. We forgot how to win. If we don’t jump on this team and take them out of the game early, it will be another winnable game where he have to make the plays when it counts and we don’t do that well.
- We also don’t get off to good starts well. Against Northwestern we has a great opportunity to take control of the game but settled for field goals rather than touchdowns. Eventually, we found ourselves down 13-35 and lost by a point. Against USC we had 54 yards total offense and were down 0-14 before the last possession of the first half. A big key in both instances is that we started out trying to have a balanced offense when our strength and experience is clearly in the passing game. Once we started firing away in the two minute offense, we were unstoppable, coming back for four touchdowns in each game. Stony Brook will come out dong what they do best from the opening play. Will we?
- When Stony Brook does what they do best, they are very good at it. Last year they led FCS in scoring and this year they are averaging 63 points a game, (we are proud of averaging 35). They have outscored their opponents 49-0 in the first quarter. As you’ve no doubt already read they are full of Division transfers from places like Iowa, Boston College and Maryland who will be totally unintimidated by our team. Marcus Coker was the second leading rusher on in the Big Ten last year and he’s the #2 guy on this team to FCS All-American Miguel Maysonet. Both may be better than anyone we have. And, as Doug Marrone points out, their line is bigger than ours.
- Last year we struggled to beat Rhode Island in the Dome, 21-14. And that was when we were winning games. The Rams wound up 3-8 vs. an FCS schedule. Stony Brook lost two early games to FBS teams, lost a one-pointer to an Ivy League team, then ripped off nine straight wins during which they averaged 46 points a game before losing in the playoffs at Sam Houston State, the #1 team in the division, 27-34. They are a building program, aiming for FBS status and will likely be even better this this year. They tap into all that Long Island talent and supplement it with FBS transfers and it’s working for them.
- They run an option offense, which requires defenders to stay in their lanes and causes them to wait for the play to come to them. It’s as if every play is a kick return, (and you know how good we are at defending them). Our defense has a “meet at the quarterback” concept we all like but when that kind of defense has to play an option they can concentrate on the lanes so much they get tentative and lose their effectiveness. This also sets up the long pass to guys like Kevin Norrell, who has 89 and 84 yard TD catches already this year.
- Last we week we were talking about running the ball to slow the game down and keep the ball away from Matt Barkley. But with a bunch of unproven running backs, that wasn’t really our game. It is Stony brook’s game and they are capable of putting on long, grinding drives while Ryan Nassib and the boys watch from the sidelines. The Dome can be awfully silent when things aren’t going our way and Stony brook can put it to sleep.
- Being the “best 0-2 team in America” might have some charm to it but there is no best 0-3 team in America because by then, nobody cares anymore. In our case, the new-found optimism will be crushed like a soda can if we lose this one and Stony Brook is capable of crushing it.
