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Post by bisoninnwmn on Sept 26, 2010 10:56:04 GMT -6
That is what makes the Dakota 4 such an attractive 4-some for any conference. The distain for the rival school is difficult to match at the FCS level. Maybe Montana vs Montana State could get ugly but the rivalries born many years ago in the Dakota's are something to behold. Whether it's hate, respect or liking both it's difficult not to have a strong opinion about either USD vs SDSU or UND vs NDSU. I think it's great that the Bison fans were pretty riled up about the game. The players seemed to be as well. I think the Yotes brought out the best in the Bison and most in the Fargo Dome including the players felt USD could give them real trouble if the Green and Gold weren't at their very best. That is a sign of respect that NDSU was paying to the Yotes. Dang right. I watched some of the Yote/Gopher game on the internet and I went from thinking the NDSU/Yote game was an easy win to thinking we are in trouble. Yotes would fit right into the MV pretty easily. Makes sense...it is only a short 4 hr bus ride for the Bison or Yotes. Hopefully something happens in the near future here with this. Big Fluff is not a good option for the Yotes or Sue for that matter. Yotes will be a very good addition to the Summitt.....finally give the Bison track teams some competition.... Kick the Sue's a**es this saturday!!! GO YOTES
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Post by yotemeal on Sept 26, 2010 15:40:10 GMT -6
Attended the game.
Man, after we got on the board, I thought our offense was poised for a big day. NDSU deserves a lot of credit on the defensive side of the ball. After some adjustments, they made us look very uncomfortable.
Penalties: way too many. Ugh.
Not sure what to say about our defense. It was hard to watch in the second half. NDSU cut us up.
The thing I hope people keep in mind is that USD wasn't supposed to win this game. We were underdogs, we competed, and the wheels simply fell off in the second half. The point I tried to make after the Minnesota win was that it demonstrated USD is capable of competing at a high level; it didn't mean we were at a higher level. We still have work to do, as was apparent in Fargo. I hope people don't allow this game to lessen their enthusiasm for the program, particularly the casual "bandwagon" types. Lots to look forward to. Let's beat the Sioux. Go Yotes!
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Post by notkiotees on Sept 26, 2010 17:10:23 GMT -6
Well, through three games, Yotes have scored 96 points. Scoring over 40 twice. The defense has allowed 90 points. I don't think we've seen the best out of either side of the ball. The more I think about this game, the more I think it could be a blowout win for the Yotes. This is really starting to feel like a big game, then I looked at the schedule and they are all big games. This is GREAT! I'm getting a woodie for FCS football. Yotes 55 Bison 21Nice prediction, bud!!! Coyotes are a good team. Kick UND's a** next week...........GO YOTES!!!! What??? So I was a little over exuberant, caught up in the excitement of Coyote football. ;D I will not be quitting my day job. The Yotes are going to hang 55 on somebody this year, but it wasn't the Bison.
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Post by bisoninnwmn on Sept 26, 2010 18:32:39 GMT -6
Nice prediction, bud!!! Coyotes are a good team. Kick UND's a** next week...........GO YOTES!!!! What??? So I was a little over exuberant, caught up in the excitement of Coyote football. ;D I will not be quitting my day job. The Yotes are going to hang 55 on somebody this year, but it wasn't the Bison. Hang 55 on the Sue......
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Post by #1CoyoteFan (Admin) on Sept 26, 2010 18:50:45 GMT -6
I find it great that it seems like NDSU has gained respect for USD throughout this year, and in turn, wants USD to completely demolish the Sioux lol. See, I think things are coming together after all the animosity from everyone going D-I. All four schools belong.
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Post by yotemeal on Sept 26, 2010 19:54:48 GMT -6
One more comment about the Fargo experience. The tailgating was unbelievable. Those guys go all out. It blew my mind the number of buses and RVs decked out in NDSU colors. I had beers with several Bison fans before the game. They were very welcoming.
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Post by Coyote Fan on Sept 26, 2010 20:12:16 GMT -6
Attended the game. Man, after we got on the board, I thought our offense was poised for a big day. NDSU deserves a lot of credit on the defensive side of the ball. After some adjustments, they made us look very uncomfortable. Penalties: way too many. Ugh. Not sure what to say about our defense. It was hard to watch in the second half. NDSU cut us up. The thing I hope people keep in mind is that USD wasn't supposed to win this game. We were underdogs, we competed, and the wheels simply fell off in the second half. The point I tried to make after the Minnesota win was that it demonstrated USD is capable of competing at a high level; it didn't mean we were at a higher level. We still have work to do, as was apparent in Fargo. I hope people don't allow this game to lessen their enthusiasm for the program, particularly the casual "bandwagon" types. Lots to look forward to. Let's beat the Sioux. Go Yotes! I want to reflect back at my off season thoughts. I definately was more concerned about getting the defense up to par than I was replacing Noah Shepard and that was before I had any idea that Warren would turn out like he is becoming. I have no concern about the USD offenses' abilities to bounce back, but like the past several years I do have very serious concerns about the defense after the NDSU game. After the first 3 weeks USD's defense was unproven but now it is proven to be a huge question mark, AGAIN. NDSU was pretty much an offense that was struggling to do just about anything but USD allowed them to run them over in shocking fashion. Morrell had his resume coming in and I am/was sure he was going to be a great turnaround for the D. What I saw on Saturday was USD's inability to do anything right and I didn't see much creativity to stop the Bison. Maybe athletically the Bison were just that much better but I am not buying that, not the way their O unit had played up to the USD game. If we had that much trouble stopping NDSU the Yotes are definately going to struggle on D the rest of the year unless some adjustments are made. Chuck will need to really start showing why USD hired him and it starts RIGHT NOW.
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Post by #1CoyoteFan (Admin) on Sept 26, 2010 22:06:15 GMT -6
While I do agree that the defense needs work, I am not willing to put it all on Chuck, not even close.
I really feel that defensive recruiting the last few years has been really bad. Honestly, besides Broders and Shea Williams and Shane Potter, who are some really good players? The outside linebackers are horrible, just horrible. The defensive linemen have gotten better at least and so has the D-backfield I guess.
However, we have been listening to Ed say the last three years how all of these new guys could've played right away, but yet they show the guys recruited for D-2 were much better. The recruiting needs to get better so we have players to give Chuck.
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Post by Coyote Fan on Sept 26, 2010 23:56:53 GMT -6
It's definately not all on Chuck especially considering the D has been for the most part bad for quite some time. I guess optimistically I was hoping that Chuck could have at least started to make a difference by now but maybe that was unrealistic. Is it maybe that Ed and all of his recent coordinators just don't understand defense that well. We've been saying these things for years so it's not as if there hasn't been time to make things right by now.
USD can be a solid D1 FCS program as things are now. But the truley good programs get the things straightened out that USD hasn't been able to do. An inconsistant defense and a tendency to be undisciplined on things like penalties have led to the Yotes being inconsistant. One game the Yotes will look like world beaters and the very next game they can look like a completely different team.
A team can only overcome some of these habits for so long before they will eventually bite. Ed has done some very good things and turned the program around, now his goal should be to perform consistantly like in games such as Minnesota, S. Utah, Cal Poly etc. We need fewer games like UND, UNC, McNeese etc.
USD should have played a bit better against Cental Florida and didn't show up for the second half against NDSU.
It's far from panic time but the NDSU game does bring back the reminder of some of the exact same things that have bitten this team from 2004 until now.
If these things continue USD is a .500 football team. If these things get corrected USD is a top 20 FCS team at worst.
We know the talent is there for this football team. It just needs to be refined and to have the discipline instilled in it's fiber.
Generally good coaching has fairly immediate results. Ed turned a poor football team into a pretty good one in one year. When it comes to D coordinator same thing is true in my opinion. Chuck should make an impact on this defense this year. If the talent isn't quite where he wants it to be then it's his job to get the most out of what he has.
USD has been generally very good on offense for basically 6 years. USD has been poor on defense for basically 6 years. I think the right coordinator is the biggest single aspect of the look of the entire D. Chuck hopefully is the guy but even the most die hard Yote fan have to be at least a little nervous. Remember this NDSU offense isn't exactly the greatest offense the Yotes will face this year. 500+ yards is 500+ yards and that is not a good amount to give up to a struggling offense.
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Post by #1CoyoteFan (Admin) on Sept 27, 2010 0:32:44 GMT -6
Still, I think too much blame is being put on Chuck. Remember USD has had a revolving door at O-Coord until these past two years. Plus the D-Coord wasn't even there last year, which is a thing.
Honestly, you can't just say Chuck has to perform better despite the lack of talent, but that is complete bull. You need talent as well. This is no secret.
I think Chuck has what it takes, but I need to see more out of Ed right now. He is throwing his coaches, the university, the town and the fan base left and right and he is throwing hissy fits around Vermillion when he doesn't get his way. Hell, his son is an assistant coach. What?
Ed is acting like he can do no wrong, but he knows nothing about X's and O's and that is starting to catch up with him. He is horrible at making adjustments as well. He is okay at spotting players recruiting wise, but his assistants do most of the work.
For me, this is put up or shut up time for Ed. Wes is the one who got the victory for USD against Minnesota. What has Ed done?
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Post by Coyote Fan on Sept 27, 2010 1:41:18 GMT -6
Good post #1CoyoteFan,
If this program is to grow we can't have all of our online posters disappear when things don't go so well. That tends to happen. If the online support isn't there, which is generally the most hard core of fans, than the pressure to keep winning, and the pressure to not allow the same mistakes to keep happening will also not be as great.
This is the kind of forum to completely celebrate the moments such as the Minnesota game. We need to make the most out of those moments. But the Yotes for all intents and purposed gave up playing competitive football in the second half up in Fargo. That is a concern and I think people need to voice their opinion in times like these as well.
Ed absolutely needs to be held accountable for the continued poor defense that we have seen over the past couple of years. If he is not a good X's or O's guy he should recognise that and study in the off season to get better. He needs to completely analyse film in the off season and maybe study past successes of past great defensive coordinators to get good ideas of what they do to make their defense tick. The impression I get by the same mistakes that keep happening year after year is that Ed either has a short memory or just doesn't think the problems are severe enough to give them the attention they deserve.
If these kids aren't getting the proper education then they need to sit in a classroom and learn the do's and don't of what should be expected of them on a football field. Blocking in the back on kickoffs is a completely unaccepable penalty. What part of "don't hit someone in the back" are these players not getting. It's great to be aggressive but one has to be prudent on the field at the same time. It's just stupid to hit people late or whatever. I think discipline is instilled on many levels from the top on down. If it's not coming from the top it may not be stressed at the assistant level either.
On offense Wes has done a good job but there is one big lesson I think needs to not be forgotten about the Minnesota game. It was the attack mentality of the offense on drive after drive. It was the unrelenting decision on Wes's part to continually go after Minnesota and test their defense to the extreme. It wasn't the run-run-pass mentality that would have ended up in a loss. If USD would have sat on the ball and tried to protect the lead I can almost gaurantee that the Gophers would have won that game.
I believe one of the biggest turning points of the game up in Fargo was USD's conservative and predictable play calling. Way too much running on first down for a passing team. I am not saying pass on every first down but for quite a few first downs in a row USD was running. Too predictable. When USD got up 13-7 the entire mood on the sidelines should have been lets get up by 3 more touchdowns. Instead I felt as if USD tried to sit on the lead and instead ended up playing not too lose and when that happens losses happen by default.
Just because USD is D1 doesn't change the identity of the football program. They have the same identity with more overall talent on the field. USD has never been able to put together a consistant season where they don't have moments that want to make the fans want to pull out their hair.
The high from the Minnesota game is still there but instead of just thinking things will be ok from happenchance is not the way to go about it. We cannot accept the way our team played in Fargo and we should demand better, not 3 weeks from now or next year but NOW.
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Post by #1CoyoteFan (Admin) on Sept 27, 2010 3:12:52 GMT -6
I don't know how much of the game you saw or listened to, but the players DEFINITELY didn't give up playing competitive football. In no point during that game did they give up.
Also, Wes is the one who instilled the attack mentality in the offense because that's the type of player he is.
Ed isn't going to sit down and study Xs and Os because he is too busy living in the limelight to have that happen. Ed expects that out of his assistants, most of whom he doesn't hold accountable for their own actions off the football field either.
The turning point in the game wasn't the 'conservative' and 'predictable' play calling. It was the fact that NDSU's defensive line dictated what type of game was going to be played in the second half. USD could've went up against a buzzsaw, and I don't know what type of aggressive play calling would've saved them because Dante was under pressure the WHOLE game.
Plus, it wasn't when USD ran, it was how they ran. Marcus Sims had two carries for 33 yards because he hit the hole hard and break free easily. He didn't play except for one possession. HUGE mistake.
Ganious, for as much of a good back that I think he is, spent too much dancing and didn't hit the hole hard. Big mistake considering the pursuit ability of NDSU's defense.
So it was the way USD ran, not how. The running game can be just as dangerous as the passing game. Sims had two carries for 33 yards, and I think both of those carries were on first downs...
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Post by Coyote Fan on Sept 27, 2010 7:23:26 GMT -6
If the players didn't give up playing competitive football then the Coyote defense is in even more trouble going forward than if they had. Lets give credit where credit is due to the team. They have played some real good football this year. Lets not defend what happened in the second half at NDSU. The Coyotes laid an egg, and laid a large one. Chalk it up to whatever but this is not what we can afford to see whatever reason you want to end up giving it. Bottom line is that USD got manhandled by a no so great offense, actually probably a somewhat poor one.
Lets hope the second half at NDSU was the major exception to the season so far and the Yotes will move forward strongly after this.
I watched the game closely throughout. I personally thought USD got whipped in the second half and in the process things took a nose dive and the Yotes were not able to straighten out the plane until it crashed into the side of the mountain. I failed to see a good attempt by the Yotes to get things straightened out and to regain control until things were beyond the realm of a likely comeback. The Bison may have had alot to do with it but I didn't see a Coyote team that showed up emotionally for the second half. They went through the motions but hadn't resembled even close to what they have been through much of the year so far. I have seen these types of moments all too often from Meierkort coached USD teams. Maybe it's just me but I have see many houdini acts where the Yotes will disappear for long stretches of games.
We meaning fans, coaches etc can sweep this loss under the rug and pretend it didn't happen but the fact is some very disturbing alarms rung during the game. Ones that have a tendency to ring all too often for the Yotes.
Great teams don't leave any stones unturned when it comes to improving and getting better. If we want to see things like what happened against Minnesota more often and more consistantly within the program USD (mainly coaches teaching) has to take to heart the kinds of things that happened up in Fargo and make a concerted effort to correct them not only this week or next but every week, every year, during every practice and make it a trademark of the program to play disciplined football. It's not just something that can be worked on for a week or two but has to be a part of the character of a program. What I am seeing is that really sound discipline play comes and goes way to much and isn't instilled properly in the Yotes.
What can we fans do not really all that much other than to let our voices be heard. If enough voices are heard it's more likely that those voices will be taken seriously. If we like what we see on the field by all means for the health of the program we need to celebrate those things. I think the Minnesota game should act as an example of what USD as a whole needs to do more often and what I mean by that is the kind of support and attention USD got for that win.
I look at coaching kind of like parenting. When kids do good things they need the positive reinforcement. They need to be commended and need to be encouraged for the behavior to continue. On the other hand when unacceptable behavior is apparent (meaning the second half against NDSU) that also needs our attention as well. If a kid makes a mistake they need to be slapped on the wrist (well not literally) and told no, no. That is what needs to happen to the football team and needs to happen over and over until the behavior is permanently corrected. If the behavior doesn't stop it needs to have more attention paid to it until a satisfactory change in personality occurs. Sometimes it's tough but when penalties and lackluster play happen on the football field too often that means the discipline isn't being installed to a great enough extent or consistantly enough.
Players should know better than to recklessly commit uncalled for penalties. It they don't know any better they will commit them and continue to committ them. It's almost like the players are unaware (hopefully not the case but the appearance is there) that a late hit is a 15 yard penalty and a block in the back is a penalty as well. Those things are game changers when they happen too often such as up in Fargo. Those types of penalties really hurt USD's chances of extending their lead when things were going pretty good.
So UND comes up next, a program that usually plays very sound football and ironically one that USD really struggles with trying to beat. I rarely see UND beat themselves very much. That is why they have had so much recent success such as winning the D2 National Title and being in one other title game. I believe USD has more talent on their football team and I also believe UND is a more sound team, at least that is their mantra.
The season goes on and the excitement level is still building. Lets take care of the issues and make them a thing of the past and allow them to be the springboard for bigger and better things.
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Post by Yote 53 on Sept 27, 2010 7:31:21 GMT -6
I think we need to relax a bit. Yes, the defense needs work. Right now I see a group that lacks depth. They looked tired in that second half against NDSU. Honestly, as bad as NDSU looked on offense previous to Saturday's game, they looked pretty good that night. I think we witnessed a Bison team that finally made it all click and this was there coming out party. I predict a very good season out of them.
I also credit their defense for making adjustments to shut down our offense. I think there could have been some different plays called to keep them off balance but in general their D line took over the LOS. You're not going to win when that happens.
To get better USD needs to get bigger, stronger, and faster on D. I think Morrell is a good D coordinator he just needs a few more tools.
As for Ed going to X's and O's school, get real. Head coaches are CEO's. They make the big decisions, it is up to the coordinators to be the X and O guys.
Season's are going to have ups and downs. We didn't play very well the second half against a pretty good team, when that happens you'll lose. The question is how do we respond next game and the rest of the season.
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Post by Coyote Fan on Sept 27, 2010 8:15:18 GMT -6
Yote 53,
To a point you are right and wrong about needing to relax a bit. USD has played well at times and not so great at times this year. It's hard to measure because they haven't played anyone on their level until the NDSU game. I guess if NDSU was the real true test, than we need to do much better the next time around. How much we need to relax now, might be looked upon in retrospect when the season is over. I don't take the philosophy of happenings being just cooincidences.
USD is in year 3 now, where they have to be held to a higher standard then what they were the first two years. Many of the recruits that are playing are becoming more and more D1 recruits.
I would like to normally say that games such as against NDSU happen and the Yotes will get past it and they will build off of it, no sense to harp. On the other hand I have seen these types of performances and types of undiscipline play cost us a real chance of having a great season. USD needs to go a better job at building on their momentum. I have seen other years kind of fall apart because of a lack of consistancy and definately because of a lack of fine detail.
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