UNI

[nccyote]

Nov 4, 2015 10:11:56 GMT -6 yotesfan1985 said:

Nov 4, 2015 7:52:33 GMT -6 nccyote said:

Sorry about the mistake on players and positions that they play...can't say I"m expert on the USD line this year, as I am a out of state fan that has admittedly only been to one game and watched 4 games online. I will say that I know more about offensive line play than you think, as I played the position in college and have coached it for the last 10 years at the college and high school level. I feel that the post is right on except for the names of players.

I'm sure this sounds like I'm attacking you but no one cares about your "credentials". This board is for voicing opinions wether they're right or wrong. Wether your a 5 year old or Lue Holtz it's still your oppinion. I just pointed out yor lack of knowledge of who is playing what which IMO speaks to the accuracy of your opinion. The fact that you try to legitimize your opinion with your "credentials" kind of makes you sound like a tool. The truth is the OL has good and less than good games. The key on this and any team is QB play. If Sager in making the right decisions and is accurate on his throws the whole offense looks good. When a QB makes bad reads/ decisions and can't complete a pass the whole offense looks bad. At UNI see first quarter touchdown drive vs rest of the game. RS

The crucial part to that drive was the fact that we were able to establish the running game a little bit and take some pressure off of Saeger.  We had a handful of 4-5-6 yard runs that set us up with favorable 2-3rd downs so we didn't have to rely on the QB making the right reads in pocket passing situations.  If I remember correctly the TD pass came off of play action, and Saeger does a good job in these situations when he only needs to make 1 read and throw the football.  When we can't use play-action to help out the QB and limit his reads, he struggles.  So I agree with you 100% on that.

[ctc2010]

Nov 4, 2015 11:02:22 GMT -6 yote14 said:

My vote is play selection or lack of creativity/effectiveness in play calling. We were back to run on 1st and 2nd down and throwing on 3rd and 13 again on Saturday during most drives. We were just too predictable again on O. Even the commentators talked about it 3 or 4 times.

If the receivers starting are not quick/athletic enough to get open lets use that next man up philosophy I keep hearing about and try Carpenter, or throw Anderson in the mix. Why force something that isn't working because they are seniors? Wish we did more with Ramsey again too.

Agreed. Ramsey was our biggest play-maker last year until he got hurt

[yote14]

Nov 4, 2015 11:07:38 GMT -6 nccyote said:

Nov 4, 2015 10:11:56 GMT -6 yotesfan1985 said:

I'm sure this sounds like I'm attacking you but no one cares about your "credentials". This board is for voicing opinions wether they're right or wrong. Wether your a 5 year old or Lue Holtz it's still your oppinion. I just pointed out yor lack of knowledge of who is playing what which IMO speaks to the accuracy of your opinion. The fact that you try to legitimize your opinion with your "credentials" kind of makes you sound like a tool. The truth is the OL has good and less than good games. The key on this and any team is QB play. If Sager in making the right decisions and is accurate on his throws the whole offense looks good. When a QB makes bad reads/ decisions and can't complete a pass the whole offense looks bad. At UNI see first quarter touchdown drive vs rest of the game. RS

i agree, and I regret bringing that up, but I wanted to get acrossed that while I might not know the names of the people playing, that has no relevance on my knowledge of offensive line play...thats all.  Wasn't trying to toot my own horn, but I realize it comes off that way and I apologize for that.  it does make me sound like a tool.

I didn't think you sounded like a tool at all. If I had to have heart surgery I wouldn't call the doctor a tool for giving me a rundown of his experience in doing that same surgery. I also thought you assessment of the OL was a good one and the fact that you couldn't name certain starters in no way detracts from your assessment.

[nccyote]

Nov 3, 2015 20:43:31 GMT -6 yotesfan1985 said:

Nov 3, 2015 12:37:07 GMT -6 nccyote said:

QB play: Like I said, when Saeger plays well, the offense plays well.  Unfortunately, that hasn't happened vs. quality opponents other than NDSU.  Freshman Austin Simmons is the future at this position.  I saw him play in HS and he looks like he can be the real deal....athletic, strong arm, football IQ

RBs: Good young group.  Like I have said before, if Calvin Strong can ever get eligible, he is a difference maker from day 1.  

WRs:  I think Shufford is our only explosive weapon at the receiver position this season.  Van Roeckel is a good flex TE and matches up well against a lot of LBs and Safeties in the Valley.  Other than that we are very limited at this position.

O-Line:  Our line really struggles with fast, athletic fronts.  YSU and UNI have really given us trouble up front this year with their quickness. We hold our own against physical type front sevens (NDSU, WIU) but it seems like we struggle to adjust to fronts that move well.  Losing Sam is an obvious setback, but it looks like the group has come together with the Elon transfer filling the void left by Sam's injury.  2 big tests remain, with SDSU being one of the best defenses in the country, but they are similar to a NDSU type of defense that thrives on being physical and execution rather than shear athletic ability.  Dale Lennon at SIU always had great defenses at UND in the NCC, so we will see how the Yotes stack up against his 3-4 scheme this week.

Offensive Scheme: I hate...HATE....the spread.  It makes me sick.  That said, I lean toward a lot of the power sets and traditional formations that we were running the last 3 weeks.  However, when we can't run the ball with any efficiency, our entire offensive gameplan goes in the toilet.   I don't know how to change that but it is tough when you don't have a QB or any receivers that you can lean on to lighten up a teams run defense and gain a little more space in the trenches.  

This post shows how little people know about the OL and why they are the first to get blamed and the last to get credit. The Elon Transfer (McGuire) has started every game this year at Center. Sam McClarin started at right gard. Kennedy took his spot and is doing a good job.

Not attacking you yotesfan1985, but sincerely asking for your opinion.  What is your assessment of the O-line, and offense in general this year so far.  What do you see as some strengths and weakness?  Besides QB needs to play better.

[golfingyote]

Nov 4, 2015 10:32:38 GMT -6 Yote 53 said:

Zone reads are too slow developing against very good, very quick defensive fronts that get to the football. The play gets shut down before it has time to develop. You counter their quickness with quick hitting power running and overwhelm and outnumber the defense at the point of attack. So, basically, it comes down to a good offensive philosphy, good play selection, and good execution. One of those broke down. I'll let you all debate as to which one it was.

I'll take all 3. And on the zone read, NDSU has been very very good against the run other than that game we torched them with the read and playaction off the read. Im not saying run it every play, but when one of your best rushers is the QB, use it to your advantage.

[yotesfan1985]

Nov 4, 2015 14:19:39 GMT -6 nccyote said:

Nov 3, 2015 20:43:31 GMT -6 yotesfan1985 said:

This post shows how little people know about the OL and why they are the first to get blamed and the last to get credit. The Elon Transfer (McGuire) has started every game this year at Center. Sam McClarin started at right gard. Kennedy took his spot and is doing a good job.

Not attacking you yotesfan1985, but sincerely asking for your opinion.  What is your assessment of the O-line, and offense in general this year so far.  What do you see as some strengths and weakness?  Besides QB needs to play better. 

Now I feel  bad about saying nccyote sounded like a tool. Let me answer your question and I'm going to do this like we are a bunch of coyote fans talking football in the coffee shop or the barber shop. I do not claim to have any expertise other than it is clear that I'm bias toward the OL and I get sensitive when they get criticized unfairly. I wont go into my background but lets just say I'm not skinny. My assessment of the OL is this. We are better than we were a year ago. Experience wise we are about the same as we were at the begining of last year but other than Sam we have avoided injuries as opposed to last year. Picking McGuire up was very important especially since Sam went down for the season . His shoulder prior to the season was giving him problems and that is my understanding why he moved to RG. but the move was more doable because of McGuire. I think the OL has been more consistent than other posters here. The question is what causes us to not be able to run the ball consistently. Is the the QB not making the reads and throws or is the OL not opening up holes to run so the QB has more time and can make better reads and set up the play action. Its the chicken or egg question. When I look at the UNI game. The OL controlled the LOS in the first Quarter and the start of the second quarter but that changed when Sager didn't connect on some easy throws. I think of the one pass to the flats that would have been a nice gain but he overthrew an easy throw. I also remember one ( I think to Poter that he just threw it at his feet.) So I'm saying that if the UNI defense can't key so much on stopping the run because we are throwing effectively and Sager is taking off and running with decisiveness like he did at NDSU everything works better including the run. I will also say that 3 false starts especially 2 in a row by Derrick is hard to explain. Yes it was loud but not as loud as NDSU. BTW how many people know the center actually called the snap count at NDSU. Now that is loud. I personally think we have the people in place to win. Our Tight ends and recievers are solid. Despite losing Bauma again, we have at least two very capable freshman to tote the ball. I also think Sager can take us to the promise land but we will go as he goes. We just have to be consistent as a team. We are not talented enough to make up for mistakes. I also think Wes is doing a good job of calling plays for the most part. I loved the PA pass to Bauma at NDSU. I also like the reverse at UNI even though it didn't work. We have to try these things and it's not vanilla like some people have called his play calling in the past. The one think I don't understand is why we didn't run QB sneak on the drive in the second quarter when we had the lead and still the momentum. we ran it on 1st and 2nd down and had 3rd and 1. UNI was in and even front with no one on the center or in the A gaps. All Sager would of had to do is tap the centers butt and pick a gap but maybe we don't have that in our playbook. Instead we ran power and got stopped. We punted the ball and that was the last time we had the momentum. Ok I will let someone else talk now.

[Coyote Fan]

1985,

You have alot of positive things to say about the offense and that is an opinion but there has to be a weak point or two in there somewhere because overall this offense just isn't very good overall. You say that the offensive line is consistant, the receivers and tight ends are solid, the runningbacks are capable and that for the most part Wes is doing a good job of calling plays. Some of those things may be correct but certainly not all of them.

In my opinion Wes is and always has been the one constant that has been around and the offense has yet to be good since he has been OC. They have either been average or very poor under his watch but never very good. He never really earned his position in the first place. He was basically handed the job and never really earned it with good performance. He is very unsophisticated with his thinking and I have never seen much variety from his offenses. The O Line is good or maybe not so much depending on the competition. They do well against lower level competition but against the physical D lines and linebackers in the Valley they are not doing enough to keep the run game very consistant. I don't really see a problem with the runningbacks. I think they are solid but not elite as far as MVFC back go. There are no Zach Zenner types on this team. The receivers are very average. I don't see alot of seperation being created from them and I don't think Saeger is the type of needle threading quarterback to get those crucial receptions when they are needed.

IMHO the Coyotes could use a slight talent upgrade to the offense overall at all positions but need a huge upgrade to the OC position.

[yoteforever]

1985 I think you bring a lot of good things to this discussion. If you played, and if you coached on the offensive line, you will watch that particular segment of our offense. When you are sitting up in they stands and looking down, unless you focus only on the O line and basically miss the rest of the game, it's hard to assess. I do appreciate your insight and would ask you keep posting your opinions. I played defense, and there was an old saying then that I'm sure still sticks today, and that is if you can't pass the ball, you stop their run. Period.

Ryan didn't have his best game in Cedar Falls for sure. He missed open receivers, and the one interception he threw where the pass went off the hands of our receiver, had that pass been close to being on the money, it might have been 6 points. There was a receiver coming in from his left to throw a block and had he been successful, it may have sprung him. But the pass was off, went into their dbacks hands, and that in my opinion was game, set, match. Their dobbers were down and I'm not saying they quit, but they lost a lot of mojo.

As far as assessing the talent, our weakest area is wide receivers, in my opinion. Other than Shufford, we have no game breakers. And quite frankly, munchie drops a lot of balls, then turns around and makes some circus catches. I'd rather he be more consistent. The others are slow compared to the defensive backs in the league. Ryan is
adequate at best as a player, but I also think he is way above average as a leader. That does nullify some of his shortcomings as a QB. I can say with a certain degree of certainty, that if we had a QB like Wes was, or like Noah, we would have two more wins at this point.

Regading Coyotefans assessment, I do think Frederick is going to be among the elite in this league as he matures. The kids runs hard, he goes down hard, and has breakaway speed. He's only going to get better. We have above average tight ends, and I personally like to use them more, but then again, I'm not at practices and I don't think know how they perform there. Offenses schemes have changed so much over the years, but to date myself, I think if we could run tight end drags across the middle early, give Ryan some confidence early ( as that isn't a particularly difficult pass to make ), then let Ryan take off for a few gains on his feet, that would open us up a little bit, and make the defense non-committal to stopping the run. All of that is easy to say not really knowing what our overall talent is compared to whom we are playing.

Regarding Wes, it's easy to jump down his throat because most arm chair quarterbacks do that even to the best of them. When CF says he was thrown into that role, I agree with that. Did he earn it? That's not for me to say,but it does validate a point I have made consistently over the last 3-4 years, and that is our pay structure makes it difficult to draw good talent. We lost Caruso and Todd in a short period of time, a lot of that due to money. You can say they got head coaching jobs, and in Todds case there's a lot of truth to that, but in the end, these guys don't make a lot of dough, and they coach because they love what they do, or but they also don't take a vow of poverty to do it.

Are there better coordinators than Wes? Probably, but I don't know that for sure. But I think Wes has done a pretty good job overall this year. He kas loosened up the calls, and it's helped. Over the past few years I suspect a qualified coordinator could have done a better job but you have to think about all the circumstances surrounding what's gone on. Joe probably made a mistake retaining Ed's staff, if for no other reason, than giving go the appearance of a wholesale change. But Joe isn't stupid, and there had to be something he saw in Wes to retain him.

I stand by the fact that we are and improved team this year. Our defense is pretty decent, certainly good enough to have had another W or 2. But that can still come. This week is another great test as to where we are at. A win Saturday, and that makes a statement we are in the discussion. And not to put the cart in front of the horse, but my guess is these guys want a piece of the Bunnies in a bad way. Using the eyeball test, I think the Jacks are still a better team, but the difference isn't so great that we can't win that game. Lastly, Illinois State I wouldn't think we have much of a chance, but neither does anyone else in the league. I think they beat the Jacks by 14 in Brookings, maybe more. Would I take a 4-4 MVC season? Dang right I would. 2-6 isn't accetable. 3-5 is probable.

Lastly, and CF trust me on this, it isn't a personal shot at you, especially given our history,but when you make a comment we don't have a back like Zenner was at State, that's true, but that's truly not a fair statement to make. That would be the equivalent of. SDSU fan saying they don't have a defensive end like Tyler Starr. Not an attack on you, just saying I don't think thatsa fair comment. The young man we signed from Omaha is explosive if he ever gets eligible. Gunn isn't bad,but Frederick might be special, but likely not Zenner special. We don't need a Zenner type to win. We have what we need to win at running back, and we have them 3 more years.

Go Yotes

[nccyote]

Agreed...I don't think anyone in FCS can say they have a back equal to Zenner this year. He was one of the great backs in FCS history IMO. Not the fairest of measuring sticks there. Other than that, I agree with a lot of what CF, yoteforever,and 1985 have said.

Consistency is one of the biggest ingredients to playing good offensive football, and we haven't really been able to acheive that this season. It seems like we either play really well, or not so well at all, hence the 4-4 record.

[coyote70]

Very, very good comments above. One thing that's not mentioned so much is the ability to recruit/judge talent. I don't know a d*** thing about this part of the game but I believe it looms large.

This is one area where we need to improve, if that's possible.

[nccyote]

It's been said before, but the younger players on this team, Freshman and redshirt-freshman, are a pretty talented group. I think the staff has done a tremendous job of getting talent to buy into the "rebuild the program, change the culture" pitch. In a recent interview of Van Ginkel, he mentioned that specifically as a reason why he chose the U. That, along with early playing time, along with the upcoming COA, have given us a pretty talented young group of players. Its the veteran players that (trying to say this without being insulting) lacking in the talent I feel. From Sophomores down is the strength of this team. As these guys mature into upperclassmen, I think we will close the talent gap to top Valley teams significantly. I count 16 seniors on our roster. Of those seniors, i would say only Lage, Chancellor, and Iddings might be in the top half of the league at their position. These seniors are a mix of Ed's last recruiting class and Joe's first...so to say that we aren't evaluating talent well with this staff isn't really fair. The younger guys on this team are talented and have a lot of potential. But there's a saying in coaching that goes "Potential gets you fired, production keeps you hired!" So we need to see these young guys step up and start producing soon...unfortunately they probably won't get the chance until next season.

[Yote 53]

I will say this about this message board compared to others, the level of discussion is pretty good and delves pretty deep into the nuances of the game. It's not only disussions about why we're not winning but we break it down to the reasons we aren't successful, then drill further down into talent analysis, position analysis, what we have on the depth chart, young recruits who are coming up, offensive philosophies, play calling, etc. Not just stupid blanket statements that any moron with a remote can throw out there. It probably has something to do with the fact there is a good majority of posters on the football board who are former players and coaches that actually understand the game.

Good discussion guys.

[yotesfan1985]

I guess recruiting classes doesn't have alot to do with the UNI thread but I want to chime in and say two things. I also think we have a good deal of young talent at several positions. Including QB,RB and OL. As far as reciever. Van Roekel looks good to me and I don't know much about other young talent at that position. I would be Mr Obvious to say Defense also has some young rising
stars. The future looks bright to me. I will also go on record right now and say we are foolish if we don't beg Joe to stay. Vermillion has to be a tough place to recruit and that is not intended to be disrespectful to what I would call a fine small town. The problem is you cant field a D1 team made up of kids who are used to such a rural setting. That being said what will get great talented kids to come. I will make a list and there is no way it can be all inclusive. 1. HC (many kids will say they are there because of Joe) 2. Position coaches. 3. Who else is recruiting them (under the radar talent) 4. Facilities 5. Campus 6. program of study 7. How pretty are the girls they introduce you too on the recruiting visit. (that one might be out of line but probably true)8. How well you get along with other players. 9? 10? Fill in the blanks for me. The point is Vermillion has to be a tough place to recruit to. There fore it comes down mostly to the coach/coaches and probably the facilities next. No one will ever convince me there is a better coach to recruit to vermillion than Joe. and the the University has clearly made a commitment to improving all facilities.

[yote14]

Agreed the last 2 recruiting classes are the best with last year hands down the best. If this staff is around another year, which if they win Saturday and they beat SDSU in 2 weeks I feel they deserve another year, I am interested to see if they go outside the recruiting footprint of XDSU's and UNI again. Last year it seemed like we stopped trying to out-recruit those schools in Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. We were losing a lot of those battles at this time due to the programs differences. Hitting FL, CO, CA, and AZ gave us a real good class last year.

6-5 is a good turnaround from last year especially when you figure in losing your starting QB and RB for the season again. The consistency of having the staff in place one more year for recruiting would be important in that scenario.

[GoYotes]

A huge factor in future recruiting will be that as of now, USD is one of only 4 FCS schools that have announced FCOA for next year. The other 3 are NDSU, UND & Liberty. Neither of the 2 FCS schools geographically closest to USD, that being SDSU and UNI, have announced that they will be offering FCOA for football. I am guessing that SDSU will likely offer FCOA as they simply cannot afford to be the only FCS school in the Dakota's not to do so. I have no clue what UNI will do.