2021 Football Season Wrap Up and thoughts on the future

[obc]

There is a lot we can look at as we review the 2021 FB season. It wasn't a perfect season, but a significant step forward. Defense improved significantly. The athleticism and depth on the roster were the best the team has ever had. Many back-ups stepped up when starters went down and in many cases the team didn't take a step back. At times USD was able to actually run the ball effectively to close out games and to maintain balance.

I want to pass on my gratitude and well-wishes to all of the seniors. Your leadership made a positive difference this year. An important part of life is to do everything you can when you go somewhere to leave it better when you leave than it was when you got there. You accomplished that. As a former player and long-time follower of the program, I thank you. I hope the pain you feel now can eventually be filled with the pride of knowing you course corrected the program.

To all of the returning players - it is now up to you. Be bold and step forward. Make sure all of you come back and spend the off-season hungry. There is no reason that next year cannot be a year to contend for the conference title and a deep playoff run. You are close. The team has the potential to be much better.

Three areas stand out to me that need to happen to take that next step. More strength on the front line of the DL at the point of attack, better push on run plays and stouter protection on passing plays for the OL, and retention of players for the coming season. We can't let the transfer portal drain our developing contributors. The first two items can be addressed with the OL and DL committing to owning the weight room and telling Coach Clete that he had better be ready for the intensity your two position groups are bringing to the offseason. The final item (keeping players on board) is a leadership item. Check in on your teammates and keep them in the team mindset. It may sound funny, but those all start tomorrow. My former HC would tell our team at the conclusion of our season - "Enjoy your offseason tonight, I will see you tomorrow morning for the start of next season." Life is all about continuing to put one foot in front of the other, and that march starts tomorrow with every decision you make.

We have a lot to be thankful for as we have gone on this ride with the FB team. You have my admiration and support. I am looking forward to watching the next step forward for the program. The 2022 schedule will give the team an incredible opportunity to make a statement right away with Kansas State and Montana.

Thank you and Good Luck!

[sdyotefan]

Very well said obc!!

To all the players (and especially the seniors) thanks for all your hard work, the very good year and all the memorable games and plays!!!

Thanks also to all the coaches and staff for all your tireless work and dedication that resulted in a successful season!!!

Seniors best luck with your future adventures!!!

I can't wait for the 2022 season!!

[ElsenMidco]

[captaincoyote]

Many of our outgoing seniors have been true stalwarts. We may have a lot young talent, but it is unwise to think that we won't notice their absence next season. Cochrane and Matthew were the soul of our defense. Some guys are going to need to step up big time to replace them. With that said, buckle up, this program is taking off.

[easmus]

I am very pleased with the season. In years past, how many winless Novembers did we have because we had no depth? Well, this year rather than falling apart at game 8 or 9, we made it to game 11 before we appeared to run out of gas and depth. Might have been luck. Might have been the later bye week (which looked like it would’ve been better a week earlier), or maybe we just have taken a step in developing our depth.

We must continue to develop. Defense has a lot of seniors to replace, and several super seniors. Cochrane, Mathew, Whitcomb, Coker, Reed, as well as grad transfer Cooper. Need to retain as many kids as possible and not whiff in recruiting.

Offense loses CVE, Samson, & McQuitty but not much else I can think of. So in theory, the offense SHOULD be the stronger returning unit next fall. The OL MUST continue to develop depth and improve. RB room looks great. Theis needs to get healthy, as does Lawrence. TE room looks strong. WR has opportunities available.

Special teams will be different.

[geoffjellic]

Nov 28, 2021 8:29:37 GMT -6 easmus said:

I am very pleased with the season. In years past, how many winless Novembers did we have because we had no depth? Well, this year rather than falling apart at game 8 or 9, we made it to game 11 before we appeared to run out of gas and depth. Might have been luck. Might have been the later bye week (which looked like it would’ve been better a week earlier), or maybe we just have taken a step in developing our depth.

We must continue to develop. Defense has a lot of seniors to replace, and several super seniors. Cochrane, Mathew, Whitcomb, Coker, Reed, as well as grad transfer Cooper. Need to retain as many kids as possible and not whiff in recruiting.

Offense loses CVE, Samson, & McQuitty but not much else I can think of. So in theory, the offense SHOULD be the stronger returning unit next fall. The OL MUST continue to develop depth and improve. RB room looks great. Theis needs to get healthy, as does Lawrence. TE room looks strong. WR has opportunities available.

Special teams will be different.

I thought Mcquitty would be back? Tough year for Case … wonder what his thoughts are with so many injuries and the young talent coming up?

[easmus]

I could be wrong on McQuitty. Was thinking he was a grad transfer, but might’ve just been a traditional transfer from FBS to FCS. My bad.

[yoteforever]

McQuitty is listed as a junior on the roster

[bobo]

Very well said by all, this was a tremendous group of seniors that showed terrific leadership in big moments. Hold each other accountable, either with us or against us. Team before anything!

Thing is everyone is replaceable, so hopefully those waiting in the wings will grab ahold of the opportunities left by graduating seniors and be better than those before them. That’s how good program think and act!

[Coyote Fan]

as kind of a parting shot to the season I will just say I am so proud of what this team did this year. They played as smart of football as I have seen a USD program play. They really cut down on the undisciplined penalties quite a bit. They were pretty good taking care of the ball but Camp did have a few bad INT's but that is ok as a freshman. He will be better from his experience. How happy are we now to have started a freshman quarterback. Now we have 3 more years instead of one or none. I love it.

This team was just as good at the end of the season than they were at the beginning for the most part. I know things didn't go so well against NDSU and Southern Illinois but I feel the Coyotes put together a complete season. They have never really done that for a long long time. They were as good on the road as they were at home and I judge a team on their road play so good job Coyotes.

The defense was either solid or really good all year really except for the NDSU game. They were also good at the end of games where past Coyotes teams would have been worn down. The Coyotes didn't really have as their mantra to led leads slip away this year either. That was a major problem with the first few years under Nielson.

The Offense was kind of inconsistent but I believe Nielson as an offensive coach (at least kind of) will do much in the off season to get the offense more consistent. Camp does need to work on his decision making some more and really needs to be better at downfield passing. Those are things that can definitely get better with seasoning.

I have been critical of Bob Nielson up until this year. I don't know what he did in the off season but I was very happy with him as a head coach. I agreed with almost all his decision making, play calling etc. It was almost like he was a different coach this year. Maybe he rediscovered his Minnesota-Duluth years. But I think he had a fire in his belly and seemed to show more emotion on the side lines than he has in the past. He was very much engaged.

Special teams has been something that has killed the Coyotes but it was rock solid this year. They had good kicking, punting, coverage and a few good returns. They even had a big blocked field goal in there. I can't really think of any (but maybe I am not remembering) big returns against this year.

Obviously the win against SDSU will go down in history. No one will ever forget that one. I also remember how much the Coyotes dominated at Cal Poly. They have always tended to play close games there but this year they absolutely smoked them. That was kind of a moment where it seemed like we had a team for real. I remember when the Coyotes beat North Dakota which was the first real test that ended up a win. The game at UNI was probably the most complete game all year. They dominated a good team on the road which is a rarity up until that point. I also remember the nice bounce back against Western Illinois. The Leathernecks were no joke on offense. The Coyotes almost completely shut them down whereas other teams had a difficult time containing them.

I think where the Coyotes will grow and learn is from the last 2 games. I do think the team was satisfied after beating SDSU and never really brought their best to Fargo or against Southern Illinois. I didn't see that fire that they had previously.

The Coyotes took about 2 or 3 steps forward this season. They finished above .500 for the first time in this conference ever. They had a home playoff game. A lot of boxes were checked this year. The team will not be able to rest on their laurels at all because next year the schedule is absolutely brutal. And it starts early as well. I believe the first two conference games are vs NDSU and at SDSU. That is preceded by games against Kansas State and Montana both on the road. The only real breather if you could call it that is a home game vs Cal Poly. If the Coyotes can start 3-2 I would certainly take it. That is like punch you in the face tough.

The bottom line is that this season was a success and I had a great time going to the dome this year. I can't remember the last time I have been to 6 home games in one season if it has even happened.

[easmus]

It’s interesting to read the various takes on Camp. He threw some picks this year, and a couple weren’t great decisions. But I would much rather have him be willing to try to push it down the field rather than be a “check down Charlie” and NEVER even try anything but dump offs. He should learn from a full season of playing. He now has 16 games of experience. With continued OL development and a strong run game, he can be even better. Plus, I believe the incoming QB recruit (presuming he gets to the finish line and signs his NLI) is a bit of a dual threat. Maybe he gives them a backup you can sprinkle in for running packages with a threat to throw? A better version of what Lewis was. I believe this is what others are eluding to as whether Camp is truly the right fit for this air raid system. We shall see how it all plays out, but depth is great insulation from one big hit derailing a season because you lose a winnable game due to a QB injury.

I am going to take this thought a bit farther. The whole season is filled with a few “if’s and buts.” But what if we don’t start flat against ISUr? What if Camp doesn’t get knocked out? I would surmise we don’t end up losing that game. You could just as easily surmise that if we win that game the football gods don’t grant us the Hail Mary victory. How different do things look heading into the SDSU game had we been 7-2? Go back even farther. What if we get off the field at KU on that 4th & 10? What if after that we don’t drop a game sealing INT? What if there is no targeting call?!? What if Lawrence doesn’t blow out his knee at MO St & drop the ball from the pain and they score a TD to take the lead the next play?

Margins are razor thin, especially in the MVFC. We were playing 4th & 5th stringers at CB down the stretch. Had a LB playing safety. Retention and development are pivotal to not starting poorly in September.

[nccyote]

2021 was a good season, much better than anticipated. We go into the off-season with renewed hope and spirit that this program in heading in the right direction for the first time since 2017, except with a much younger core of returners. The seniors in this group were special. No denying it. It will be hard to replace their leadership and experience. Those guys played a lot snaps in the Red & White and you just can replicate that experience in the Valley.

However, for the first time in a long time we have youth coming back in a lot of key spots. OL and DL have some young talent returning, our skill positions are loaded with returning starters. Our Freshman QB showed flashes of greatness, and then looked like a freshman at times. But we have a lot to build on. The foundation for sustained success in this league has been set by the seniors and this coaching staff. Now we need to raise the bar.

Proud to be a Coyote right now and will be forever.

[gopheryote]

Just curious - are we going to try to track all the transfers out, or does it make more sense to wait until the dust settles and see where we are at? Transfer season is nuts.

[easmus]

Only one I have seen so far is Dakota Smith graduates this semester and is grad transferring with 2 years eligibility. Hard to be upset at anyone who graduates and transfers. You just also never know reading the social media announcements if they were leaving on their own or asked to succeed elsewhere. I am sure there are some of both.

[usdguy99]

I'd also like to know coaches that are leaving on their own or being asked to succeed elsewhere.