Illinois State

[Yotes]

Oct 21, 2016 20:48:37 GMT -6 Yote 53 said:

Can I say it? I hope Coyote Fan is right this time.

He very well could be right and come back to shove it in our faces. I'd welcome it. I just don't think he'll have the opportunity.

[Coyote Fan]

How about the Coyotes win 64-58 in 5 Overtimes. That way we can just all have heart attacks and possibly or possibly not make it out of the dome with health in hand. Of course in the 3rd OT the Coyotes will be down three and take 2 sacks on their possession only to have Bergner tie it up with a 58 yard field goal that bounces off the cross bar and through. Then finally in the 5th overtime after the Coyotes fumble on their possession the Illinois State receiver is open but instead of a game winning touchdown pass the Coyotes defense ends the game for the 3rd consecutive week with a 101 yard pick 6 with the dome in total pandemonium as the defender races down the field and into the end zone. That is assuming the defense can score in overtime which I would have to research to see if that is part of the rules of OT. I will just take the 16 point win and call it a day but with how the season has gone the above described might be more likely.

[Coyote Fan]

This game to me is all about building on momentum both in the game and for the season. The Yotes have had moments in past years like the win at Minnesota, the win against Eastern Washington and the win at NDSU but on none of those occasions could they really build on the momentum and end up having a good season. There was always one step forward and two or three steps back. That is exactly the thing we need to see change this year. Last week was a step in the right direction and I think this week in more critical than both of those just to keep the momentum going forward. That goes for in game momentum as well. The Yotes obviously couldn't sustain again UND when they really had them on the ropes. They even allowed UNI to tighten a game that could have been a 2 possession game but that one wasn't a real big deal. Against ISU-Blue they looked very good early and got up by 2 scores only to give up that lead as well. They were also stunned at the end of regulation again by the Sycamores. You could tell by Nielson's interview on Coyote Corner this week that his body language showed that he was more relieved then ecstatic to get that win. It's a learning process for sure but when the Coyotes were really up against it last week they were somehow able to shut the door on ISU before tragedy struck but it was a narrow escape for sure. I believe this week against ISU-Red that the Coyotes could very well be in similar position and hopefully that is the case. Hopefully this time around the Coyotes can finish the game strong and learn how to manage these late game situations, but at least if it gets tense the Coyotes have plenty of experience in playing Houdini.

[sd4ever]

Have enjoyed the interesting commentary here this week. Thank goodness it is Friday night. I see the Coyotes continuing to move forward with another solid effort against a team that is better than its record.

Time to get a win over the RedBirds!

Bergner hits two 4th Q. FGs and the Yotes win 27 to 21 with the "D" shutting down a late Bird Drive.

Go Coyotes!!!!!

[usdtator]

Very poor crowd... very disappointed in the fan base today...

[coyotecrazie5]

Streveler is out for the game.

[Yote 53]

Austin Simmons. Holy crap! The future is now.

[Charlie]

Glad to see the student section really show up and hang in their today. Good grief

On another note- Simmons has a cannon for an arm. A few of his throws he didn't even get his feet set and is still able to hit a spot 40 yards down field. He is the real deal.

[usdtator]

Too much of all or nothing with the offense. We need 1st downs... not TDS every play.

[coyotecrazie5]

Cardiac Coyotes!

[coyotecrazie5]

Simmons impressed me. He has a cannon and can run well. He does need to work on his intermediate to short passes though.

[goyotes24]

Not only can Simmons throw the ball, he gets it to his WRs. His release is absurdly quick. We are lucky to have QBs like him, Strev, and Saeger all on this roster. WIU is going to be tough, but you have got to think that they are going to prepare for both Strev and Simmons this week.

[Coyote Fan]

I have quite a bit to say about this one. First of all it's nice that the Coyotes are now carrying a red clover leaf instead of the black roses that they used to always display when it comes to just dumb luck. Of course a lot of what seems like luck is a team making their own breaks but the Coyotes have seemed to turn the corner on the luck category. Maybe Nielson is just bringing the Leather Necks luck with him as they had quiet a few close wins last year (I believe).

Some observations of the game - The first touchdown by the Red Birds probably shouldn't have happened. The play directly prior to their first touchdown was a key third and long conversion where the offensive lineman got away with a blatant hold that absolutely effected their quarterback having the time to complete the pass. Don't know if anyone else noticed that as well. I changed my prediction to 24-21 Illinois State after I saw Streveler in street clothes but if I would have known how well Simmons played in the first quarter beforehand I would have changed back to my original pick but what is done is done and I luckily was wrong. One things I noticed almost right away was how big the Red Birds offensive lined looked from my vantage point in row 8. They look like maulers. Maybe the white uni's made them look bigger than they really were but it didn't appear so. If ISU would have won the game I would have said the first reason for their win was their O-Line. They were blowing up holes for their backs to run through. The Coyotes front 7 did a good job just not to get crushed with their running game. They had trouble with it but they played their guts out to at least contain it a bit. The ISU running backs and linemen are better than the Coyotes counterparts.

The Coyotes are very lucky that ISU fumbled twice inside the Coyotes 5 yard line. That kind of fortune might happen once in a season let alone twice in the same game. I was impressed with Simmons and think he is going to be a keeper. It was good to finally get a chance to see what he is all about. I like his scrambling ability to buy time more so then liking his ability to get rushing yards. He reminds me a little bit of Beschorner the quarterback. Kind of small, with a good arm and enough mobility to give other teams troubles. The receivers continue to impress this week as that is one aspect of the team that has really improved.

One thing that happened that nearly turned the game from a win to a loss was the fake punt. I kept thinking all 4th quarter long that the Yotes needed to be in a prevent fake punt defense. Especially after the punt just before the fake. During that punt the punter looked like he was going to take off and run but ended up punting instead. If that was not a clue as what might be to come I don't know what else would be. The punt return team has got to know better in that situation. The entire right sideline for ISU was wide open and a lot of the reason was because the player on the punt return team running down the side lines kept running with his man and didn't even turn around to look. If he would have that could have stopped the punter short. He had a long ways to run and had no trouble making the first down. Cannot do that as the special teams needs to know time and place when it comes to that play.

The Coyotes ABSOLUTELY MUST learn how to protect leads. This is becoming a troubling trend and if it is not fixed it could be the difference down the road of the Coyotes making the playoffs vs not making it. This has been probably my biggest gripe with Nielson. The Coyotes offense is build on finesse more so then anything. Their O runs much better in the hurry up mode. Even though they showed a no huddle offense it appears they still played conservative and scared at times. I am not talking about just at the very end but for the entire time between early in the 2nd quarter all the way into the 4th. They just stopped doing what they do best. I will credit for the Coyotes trying to go deep on occasion but it became over kill and most of the attempts in the second half were not even close to being completed. The Coyotes have to develop an intermediate passing game and one that takes advantage of the middle of the field. From 5-15 yards down field is what I am talking about. Hitting those intermediate routes would have been the best way to shred the ISU defense. I don't know if they saw something in the pre game film and wanted to exploit something but they should have used a higher percentage passing game in that second half and especially fourth quarter. The Coyotes offense should just forget about the clock until their is under 4:00 left or if they are up by over 3 scores. It seems like this offense does so much better when they mix up the play calling using more passing on first down. The Coyotes are not made to use power football and run it straight up the middle vs Valley teams. They need a much more creative running game then just going straight into the teeth of the defense. I know some think otherwise but Bouma is very average and probably in the lower half of Valley running backs. The Yotes need to improve their running backs and offensive line but maybe Nielson elects for pass protectors which is fine if he goes that route instead of just big bulls that are good at blocking for the purpose of running the ball. Another thing that comes to mind, do the Coyotes ever pass to their tight end. I don't remember seeing them do that. Maybe that is just Nielson's preference who knows. It would be nice to have a big tight end or receiver that can make the tough catches over the middle to keep drives alive. The Coyotes haven't been good lately sustaining drives so that needs to improve.

What is good is that the Coyotes can play so much better than they did today. They are 3-1 in the league and arguably have played only average football or worse in 3 of those 4 games. There have been moments of very good football but the consistency maintaining that good play can definitely improve. Based on game stats a real argument can be made that the Yotes should be 1-3 in the league. I like things moving forward and I don't think the Yotes are even playing a complete game yet. If they do really start to gel things will continue to get better but if they don't clean some things up most especially playing with the lead more effectively a slump is not out of the question and it could bite at precisely the wrong time. The Valley is tough but the Yotes NEED to learn to have that killer instinct. Hopefully that will improve in time. The Coyotes have room to improve with their running game and O Line. If they had ISU's running game and line they would be so very difficult to stop. I think the talent is pretty good on this team but it can still be upgraded quite a bit. It is nice that the Yotes are learning to win games that they don't necessarily deserve to win because in the past the team mantra was to out gain an opponent and do most things right only to have something go wrong to cause a loss. Now that thing to go wrong is now going right and wins are resulting from it.

[Coyote Fan]

One observation I forgot about. When ISU called their first timeout on 4th and 8 toward the end I thought it was a mistake and it turned out exactly that way. I know they wanted to make sure on that call but if they save the time out they would have had about a minute left to get the ball back instead of just about 15 seconds. That may have had them setting up for a return instead of the block that ended up resulting in the game ending personal foul.

[yotebewithyou]

Oct 22, 2016 18:43:52 GMT -6 Coyote Fan said:

I have quite a bit to say about this one. First of all it's nice that the Coyotes are now carrying a red clover leaf instead of the black roses that they used to always display when it comes to just dumb luck. Of course a lot of what seems like luck is a team making their own breaks but the Coyotes have seemed to turn the corner on the luck category. Maybe Nielson is just bringing the Leather Necks luck with him as they had quiet a few close wins last year (I believe).

Some observations of the game - The first touchdown by the Red Birds probably shouldn't have happened. The play directly prior to their first touchdown was a key third and long conversion where the offensive lineman got away with a blatant hold that absolutely effected their quarterback having the time to complete the pass. Don't know if anyone else noticed that as well. I changed my prediction to 24-21 Illinois State after I saw Streveler in street clothes but if I would have known how well Simmons played in the first quarter beforehand I would have changed back to my original pick but what is done is done and I luckily was wrong. One things I noticed almost right away was how big the Red Birds offensive lined looked from my vantage point in row 8. They look like maulers. Maybe the white uni's made them look bigger than they really were but it didn't appear so. If ISU would have won the game I would have said the first reason for their win was their O-Line. They were blowing up holes for their backs to run through. The Coyotes front 7 did a good job just not to get crushed with their running game. They had trouble with it but they played their guts out to at least contain it a bit. The ISU running backs and linemen are better than the Coyotes counterparts.

The Coyotes are very lucky that ISU fumbled twice inside the Coyotes 5 yard line. That kind of fortune might happen once in a season let alone twice in the same game. I was impressed with Simmons and think he is going to be a keeper. It was good to finally get a chance to see what he is all about. I like his scrambling ability to buy time more so then liking his ability to get rushing yards. He reminds me a little bit of Beschorner the quarterback. Kind of small, with a good arm and enough mobility to give other teams troubles. The receivers continue to impress this week as that is one aspect of the team that has really improved.

One thing that happened that nearly turned the game from a win to a loss was the fake punt. I kept thinking all 4th quarter long that the Yotes needed to be in a prevent fake punt defense. Especially after the punt just before the fake. During that punt the punter looked like he was going to take off and run but ended up punting instead. If that was not a clue as what might be to come I don't know what else would be. The punt return team has got to know better in that situation. The entire right sideline for ISU was wide open and a lot of the reason was because the player on the punt return team running down the side lines kept running with his man and didn't even turn around to look. If he would have that could have stopped the punter short. He had a long ways to run and had no trouble making the first down. Cannot do that as the special teams needs to know time and place when it comes to that play.

The Coyotes ABSOLUTELY MUST learn how to protect leads. This is becoming a troubling trend and if it is not fixed it could be the difference down the road of the Coyotes making the playoffs vs not making it. This has been probably my biggest gripe with Nielson. The Coyotes offense is build on finesse more so then anything. Their O runs much better in the hurry up mode. Even though they showed a no huddle offense it appears they still played conservative and scared at times. I am not talking about just at the very end but for the entire time between early in the 2nd quarter all the way into the 4th. They just stopped doing what they do best. I will credit for the Coyotes trying to go deep on occasion but it became over kill and most of the attempts in the second half were not even close to being completed. The Coyotes have to develop an intermediate passing game and one that takes advantage of the middle of the field. From 5-15 yards down field is what I am talking about. Hitting those intermediate routes would have been the best way to shred the ISU defense. I don't know if they saw something in the pre game film and wanted to exploit something but they should have used a higher percentage passing game in that second half and especially fourth quarter. The Coyotes offense should just forget about the clock until their is under 4:00 left or if they are up by over 3 scores. It seems like this offense does so much better when they mix up the play calling using more passing on first down. The Coyotes are not made to use power football and run it straight up the middle vs Valley teams. They need a much more creative running game then just going straight into the teeth of the defense. I know some think otherwise but Bouma is very average and probably in the lower half of Valley running backs. The Yotes need to improve their running backs and offensive line but maybe Nielson elects for pass protectors which is fine if he goes that route instead of just big bulls that are good at blocking for the purpose of running the ball. Another thing that comes to mind, do the Coyotes ever pass to their tight end. I don't remember seeing them do that. Maybe that is just Nielson's preference who knows. It would be nice to have a big tight end or receiver that can make the tough catches over the middle to keep drives alive. The Coyotes haven't been good lately sustaining drives so that needs to improve.

What is good is that the Coyotes can play so much better than they did today. They are 3-1 in the league and arguably have played only average football or worse in 3 of those 4 games. There have been moments of very good football but the consistency maintaining that good play can definitely improve. Based on game stats a real argument can be made that the Yotes should be 1-3 in the league. I like things moving forward and I don't think the Yotes are even playing a complete game yet. If they do really start to gel things will continue to get better but if they don't clean some things up most especially playing with the lead more effectively a slump is not out of the question and it could bite at precisely the wrong time. The Valley is tough but the Yotes NEED to learn to have that killer instinct. Hopefully that will improve in time. The Coyotes have room to improve with their running game and O Line. If they had ISU's running game and line they would be so very difficult to stop. I think the talent is pretty good on this team but it can still be upgraded quite a bit. It is nice that the Yotes are learning to win games that they don't necessarily deserve to win because in the past the team mantra was to out gain an opponent and do most things right only to have something go wrong to cause a loss. Now that thing to go wrong is now going right and wins are resulting from it.

Just gonna comment on a few parts of this.

Coming into the game I believe Bouma was the 2nd leading rusher in the MVFC, far from average.

As far as the tight end situation, Aaron Ramsey was arguably our best receiver 2 years ago before he got hurt and became a big weapon late last year. Why he isn't targeted anymore, I'm not sure, but Drew Potter (who moved from fullback to tight end) has got a majority of the targets this year.