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Post by stlawson on Oct 2, 2017 12:09:05 GMT -6
Coaches Poll?...come on...that's a horrible poll. AGS is a much better poll for things like predicting playoff spots, seeding, etc.
In AGS, it's a #3 at #5 matchup. Own that Top 5 ranking, Yotes.
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Post by stlawson on Oct 2, 2017 12:00:44 GMT -6
Thanks STLawson, You have always been a classy and fair poster and I enjoy reading your articles on the wedge. I'm not sure how you put up with the absolute idiocy that takes place on the any given Saturday site with the likes of Humper76 and others. Good luck the rest of the year. WIU is legit. Just a high tolerance for pain, I guess Actually, I just figure every fanbase has "those" fans...the ones that show up drunk (either at the game or online...probably both) and generally embarrass themselves and the rest of their team's fanbase. For the most part, I try to stay away from the more inflammatory comments and just ignore the people that post them. I appreciate the vote of confidence...I think we stand a good chance of going 7-4 this year and making the playoffs again...barring another epic end-of-season collapse like we had last year. Now, go kick some Penguin tailfeather next weekend.
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Post by stlawson on Sept 30, 2017 23:06:51 GMT -6
I was there tonight and I would say the "home side" had 85% of the seats filled, and the side where USD and WIU's band sat was probably 1000-1200. So whatever the home side holds take times 85% and add 1200 and there's your attendance. That calculation would result in just a bit over 8,000 people, although the stadium capacity # doesn't include people on the hillsides. Idk about you, but it looked like maybe a couple hundred people there. I was in the alumni band, so couldn't see our side very well. If there wasn't that many people beyond the band and the USD fans, then I could see 1,200 on our side.
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Post by stlawson on Sept 30, 2017 22:47:20 GMT -6
I will say congrats to the Yotes and their fans. I was in the alumni band and made a point of going over and saying hi to some of your fans who where there. Your fans were loud and really into the game. As for the game itself, much credit to USD's defense...able to almost completely shut us down for 2 1/2 quarters. By the time we were able to figure out weaknesses, we were already down by 32 points and running out of time. I think that if the game was a couple of minutes longer, we might have won it...had the momentum and could have put together a solid drive rather than forcing a risky pass that was intercepted. Our "death knell" was really in that last USD drive...didn't get any points, but picked up first downs and moved the ball on the ground, killing a lot of clock time. Attendance - yea....no way was that under 6K. I know it wasn't close to what the Bison bring in up at their place, but I think we were at least around 10-11k. As for losing the lead or giving up a lot of points near the end, I don't know if it's just coaching style or just the luck of things, but it did seem to happen relatively frequently when Coach Nielson was here. For reference: goleathernecks.com/news/2014/10/4/FB_1004141307.aspx?path=footballAnd goleathernecks.com/news/2014/10/18/FB_1018145759.aspx?path=footballClock management also seemed to be an issue sometimes...something that I think some of your guys mentioned...like if today you'd taken longer to snap the ball on some of the drives when you were up by 30+, we wouldn't have had enough time to get half as close as we did. Still, congrats on the win, you guys have a great team this year. Go out there and take some of the "top dogs" down a peg.
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Post by stlawson on Sept 28, 2017 7:54:39 GMT -6
... Most people expect a really good game. If one team wins this by 2 or more touchdowns then that team will be one to seriously be reckoned with going forward. If you consider just the overall impressiveness of both team not factoring in any pre-season biases these two teams legitimately might both be top 5 teams. It's almost unfair that both have to play each other because a damn good team is going to lose this football game. I completely agree with you on this. Two teams playing some unexpectedly good football (or at least, exceeding preseason expectations). I don't know about you guys, but at this point, I was thinking we'd probably be sitting at 2-1 (I'm guessing most of you guys were thinking the same about your team). We both look to be improved over last year's teams, and obviously last year's game between us was incredibly close. Personally, I think I'm more nervous for this game than for just about any other game down the road for us. We're playing teams like NDSU, where I don't expect we'll win (it'd be nice if we did, but I'm not putting money on it), and teams like Indiana State, where it shouldn't really be that close, but this weekends game could come down to a 4-OT "nail-biter". Those of you coming down to the game, I hope you all have a safe trip down here and back home.
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Post by stlawson on Sept 27, 2017 21:01:29 GMT -6
For any Western Illinois fans has Bob Nielson always run a no huddle hurry up offense during his tenure in Macomb or did he switch up his offense depending on his personnel. I seem to remember Western running a power set when they had that really good big back a couple of years ago. Just curious because it seems like he is a real adaptable coach. I don't really remember him running much other than the no huddle (my memory isn't great though). It's possible they did something different every now and then, but for the most part, they'd have a plan, get set, look to the sideline for changes, then run it. Normally they'd end up using the full play clock to get going (would often lead to delay of game penalties), but every now and then they'd speed it up and move down the field pretty quickly if they needed to. The RB you're thinking of was Nikko Watson, I believe: goleathernecks.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=14199&path=football
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Post by stlawson on Nov 4, 2016 8:49:07 GMT -6
You know, it could just be that this conference is tight. You hit on it in the first part of your post, that every game for WIU is tight and heart-attack inducing. We've gone through the same thing over here. Looking across the conference at game results a majority of the conference games are close. My point is maybe it's not the coach, maybe it's the conference environment. Maybe its just as simple as this conference is so competitive and the coaches, athletes, teams so good that you can only keep them bottled up so long, adjustments are made and teams will battle back. Nobody just lays down and dies. I'll say this, I'm much happier with USD competing every game and every minute of the games being important. We've been in too many games in the past where we were not competitive at all. Both points are very true. This is a damn tough conference to play in, but if you can make it to the playoffs, you'll be battle-tested and ready to face off against anyone. When you've played at (and in your case last year, won at) the Fargodome in one of the toughest FCS environments to play in, gone against the YSU defensive line, and been run ragged defending SDSU's offensive weapons, there's not a lot that the rest of the division can throw at you that you haven't already seen and are better prepared for, outside of maybe a good triple-option like Cal Poly or something. There are no cupcakes in this conference, especially this year with some of the usual "lower half" teams being better...MSU is much improved, SIU still has one of the best passing attacks in the conference and their D is a little better than last year (despite what their record shows), and you guys have really stepped up this year. You're playing some really close games against some really good teams, you have a QB that is probably the best multi-dimensional threat at that position in the conference, and you have THE best overall kicking game in the FCS. I think you guys should be happy with where you're at at this point. Things are looking up for the Coyotes and with Nielson bringing in quality players every year, that should only continue to get better. It's very quickly getting to the point where most of the rest of the conference is not at all looking forward to playing any conference team with "Dakota" in their name.
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Post by stlawson on Nov 2, 2016 15:34:10 GMT -6
Well, for one thing, I'm pretty sure my Leathernecks are trying to give me a heart attack this season. We've had 4 of our wins come down to essentially the last minute of the game, either requiring a late drive to go ahead, or a huge defensive stop to hold the other team from coming back against us. I lost track of how many times I had to remind myself to breathe during last Saturday's game. So, there were a few things going on this game that I can mention. The first one was emotion. Our guys went out there hyped up to do well against roughly half of their former coaching staff (who were mostly the guys who recruited them to Western) and they spent the first half overblowing coverage, missing blocks, trying to "overdo it" rather just doing what they know how to do. They were able to get calmed down during halftime though and get things turned around. Second...luck. Some was good play and being in the right place at the right time, but the goal-line fumble...having our guy be in the right place to fall on it rather than one of yours...you can't really plan on that kind of stuff. The best kicker in the FCS missing a FG?...now, to be fair to him, he was going for a 54-yarder...but your kicker...in the dome...even from that far out, I did not like our chances. Something just didn't line up perfectly well and he pulled it left and I don't think that had much to do with anything our defense did on that play...although they were able to keep your offense from getting any closer. Streveler is really good, but thankfully (for me) we were able to slow him down enough and our offense was able to put up enough points to win. If our offense is clicking, we can outscore just about anyone. If not, you see a couple of pick-6's, like we had when we played SDSU. But damn...373 yards and 2 TDs through the air plus 102 yards and 1 TD on the ground...and no interceptions...he was a beast and made it a very difficult game for our defense. And about the coaching staff...so, regarding our situation, I think that it's worked out pretty well for us. Coach Fisher really seems to connect well with the players, the alumni, the fans, and the community. He's a really good fit for this type of program. Of course, the majority of the players he's coaching are Nielson's kids, but he's also brought in some quality transfers, and some freshmen who have contributed right away, that have all added quite a bit to the program. Plus, he's very good at getting the players to keep fighting until the end. Sometimes we do "let up" a bit during games, but he's always been able to get them to buckle down and play to the final whistle, and that shows in how we've been able to keep games close or fight back later in a game and come away with the close wins...like they say "good teams find a way to win". Regarding Coach Nielson and his staff. He is a good coach and a great recruiter. Western just wasn't the best fit for him. To his credit, he helped build up a program that was really not doing well and get us back to "respectability"...he brought in some great players who have really contributed over the last few years. But...it just didn't feel like he really belonged here. Maybe USD is that place that is the right "fit" for him, I don't really know. In regards to his playcalling and how he seems to "let up" in the second half of games. I don't know what it is..."drive"..."energy"...just plain old playcalling style...I'm not sure what, but that's just how it seems like games go with him and his staff. When Nielson was here we were almost always a first-half team. It was always a situation of "can we get enough points in the first half to not lose it in the second half...or more often, the 4th quarter". Sometimes we got so far ahead that it wasn't a problem, even if we got severely outscored in the second half...but others, like against Illinois State and NDSU back in 2014...were some of the most disappointing and disheartening losses I've ever witnessed. But we always knew that our opponents would come back and make it a closer game near the end. Hopefully that answers a few questions for you guys. I've gotta get going, but if you have any other questions or anything for me, I'll be back around later.
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Post by stlawson on Nov 2, 2016 12:27:52 GMT -6
I wasn't going to really say anything but felt the need to chime in. Just for clarification, I'm pretty sure that's just one (maybe 2, tops) fan(s). I don't really know what the deal is with him/them showing up here trying to stir up trouble.
Those of you that have seen my posts here before are probably aware that I generally don't throw comments around unless I feel like I have something of substance to add to the conversation (like when your new coaching staff first came in and I was posting messages here when I saw guys who'd verbally committed to us originally who were flipping to you guys). I try to encourage the folks over at our message board to be courteous and civil...ie not a troll...but every fanbase has one or two of "those" guys who feel like they need to go make noise on other people's boards.
If you'd like any of my thoughts on the actual game, feel free to ask. Otherwise I'll just be back in the corner keeping my mouth shut.
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Post by stlawson on Jan 17, 2016 21:32:51 GMT -6
Ben Klett (https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Ben-Klett-163776) is heading up your way. Thanks for sharing. It seemed inevitable that at least one commit would flip from WIU to USD. No problem. I figured we'd lose at least a few to you guys. Just depends on where "relationship with the coaches" falls on their priority list. For guys who really like Nielson and his staff, it's going to be hard for us to keep them. I'm not too worried for us though, our coaches have been doing visits with the existing recruits, trying to hold on to the guys we can, and I've seen a few new offers go out as well to some pretty solid-looking players.
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Post by stlawson on Jan 17, 2016 19:32:35 GMT -6
Ben Klett (https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Ben-Klett-163776) is heading up your way.
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Post by stlawson on Jan 5, 2016 10:37:19 GMT -6
I don't put any stock in what WIU fans say. Like you said, they wanted the entire staff to stay there. Now that some of these guys come to USD they aren't any good? Makes sense. Also, they announced a new head coach, by default since Rob Ash pulled his name out of consideration because he wants the Southern Utah job. Their new coach was the OC at Richmond. It's funny reading the Leatherneck message board, they very much go with whichever way the tide is rolling. First they wanted to retain the staff, then when they didn't they vilified the administration. They had an open forum for candidates interviews? I don't think I have ever heard of that, candidates having to answer questions in an open forum session as part of their interview. Finally, now that they named their coach, there are people there who think they are better off now than when they had Coach Nielson. I guess I understand that there are sour grapes after losing practically their entire staff to USD, but if you look at it objectively, there is no way you can say WIU is better off today than they were when they had Nielson and staff. I think that most of our fans did want Nielson and his staff to stay. It felt like he was really building something and was maybe another year away from the "payoff". It was disappointing to many of us that Nielson would choose to go elsewhere. Yes, I know there are some strong reasons for preferring USD over WIU, but it still stung a bit. I'd say that the reactions you mentioned were more reflective of us trying to make the best of the situation. Wanted to keep Nielson...that didn't happen. Wanted to promote from within and keep a large part of the staff...the administration screwed that one up. At that point, we were just hoping to find a few quality candidates, which I think we did. The open forum allowed people to get a read on the top candidates, see and hear what they're about, and provide some feedback to the athletics department. Coach Ash was good, he's a nice guy, obviously knows football, and has "top conference" FCS coaching experience, but he just didn't seem to connect with Western. Just didn't feel like the right "fit". Coach Fisher locked right in and really impressed everyone who talked to him. Also, from the talk of some of the Richmond people on other message boards, it sounds like they were rooting for Ash to get the job so they could keep Fisher there. Will Fisher keep us going in the right direction...I don't know, but compared to the last couple of coaching searches we've had, it feels "on par" with how we felt getting Nielson and much better than when we hired Hendrickson from within. There were questions with Nielson from some people (since he didn't have DI experience), but he's done pretty well. His staff does great with many aspects of the game (obviously) but just a couple things to be aware of: Special Teams could be an issue...the kickers themselves seemed to develop well over the last couple of years, but defending of the kicks was pretty horrible this last year (122 in FCS in blocked kicks allowed with 9, 118th in blocked punts allowed with 4...that's an average of 1 blocked kick or punt every game), and our kick return defense wasn't great either (114th in FCS, 115th in FCS in net punting). Playcalling, especially on offense, can be rather predictable. When you have the talent, that can be overcome somewhat, but there were definitely times where it felt like we were being out-coached...Youngstown and Illinois State really jump out to me with regards to that. Anyway, you guys still got a great coaching staff that should be able to improve your standing in the conference over the next few years. Also, keep an eye out for the Arizona Juco recruiting area connection...we picked up quite a few decent players from a couple of the 2-year colleges (including our top RB last year, JC Baker). I'd imagine you'll probably start to see a few quality junior transfers out of that area. I hope the change ends up working out well for both of our teams.
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Post by stlawson on Dec 15, 2015 16:04:07 GMT -6
It is really starting to sound to me like there was something going on internally at WIU. I don't know this but it all seems so strange what is going on there and wouldn't surprise me if Coach Bob has wanted out of there for some time. How would USD even know that Nielson was on the market and available? When the rumor of him being a candidate came up here it just seemed plausible to everybody, we didn't even bat an eye. Well, some of us argued why he would bother making the move, and some of us went point by point and outlined why USD was a better position than WIU. Guess Coach agreed with our assessment. Getting back to it, how did we even know he was on the market? Search committee and back channels come to mind. He had to have been somewhat open to a move and conveyed that to someone for us to even go in that direction. Now it appears there are assistants there who are speaking out about the administration, or at least something to somebody and it is getting out. USD is getting blasted on the WIU board for "poaching" their coach. I don't see it that way. Something is going on there that made him open to leaving and it almost feels, given the reaction of the WIU administration, they knew this was a possibility. Just kind of fascinating to me the inner workings of this. I bet it would make for an interesting story. I have nothing against USD. You guys made a better offer and got a decent coach. I don't like how Nielson handled things on our end, especially with the players, and I don't like how our administration is mishandling the situation now, but none of that is your fault.
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Post by stlawson on Dec 15, 2015 14:31:00 GMT -6
Base was ~$205k...with bonuses this year, he made likely around $250k or a bit more. If that $255k is base and there's bonuses on top of that, it's ~$50k raise for him.
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Post by stlawson on Dec 14, 2015 14:43:32 GMT -6
I assume this is to talk about succession planning at WIU... Probably either "we are beginning our search for new HC immediately" or "we are promoting Coach _____ to the position of HC".
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