USD vs NDSU, Predictions and Game Analysis

[#1CoyoteFan (Admin)]

Something tells me you didn't play for John Austin haha.

I agree with your post about if everything clicked on the right cyclinders. NDSU was a team possessed in that second half.

Also, for as much as I am on Ed right now and in the past, he has been positive for the university. Sorry if I come across not liking him, but I want to see him progress as well, just like the team so yeah.

USD wouldn't have won without the improved defense, you are correct. They forced two key fumbles on Adam Weber and tackled well. McNorton is VERY good at changing directions, and USD hasn't seen that yet this year. A person like that is hard to tackle. Shane Potter did mention that he doesn't know what happened to the tackling in this game and they have to get back to the last few games.

[Coyote Fan]

How can anyone realistically say that a head coach should not be an X's and O's guy. The head coach should be the be all end all way it comes down to it. If a head coach should not be an X's and O's guy than how is he able to be competant enough to be able to hire assistants in the first place. The head coach should be a delegator as he doesn't always have time to micro manage. I get that. But at coaches meetings is when he needs to take charge and let all the assistants know exactly what he expects from them and exactly what he expects from players that are around those assists day to day. Ed has many jobs but one of his primary responsibilites is to make sure the team is prepared from a strategical standpoint. How he goes about that is up to him, but it's ultimately his responsibiity in the end. If his assistants aren't doing what he wants then it's up to him to make it right.

[#1CoyoteFan (Admin)]

Coyote Fan, that is EXACTLY my point. Thank you. I know we disagree now and then, but I definitely see the points that you make.

[usdfbalum]

Sept 27, 2010 15:18:53 GMT -6 Coyote Fan said:

How can anyone realistically say that a head coach should not be an X's and O's guy. The head coach should be the be all end all way it comes down to it. If a head coach should not be an X's and O's guy than how is he able to be competant enough to be able to hire assistants in the first place. The head coach should be a delegator as he doesn't always have time to micro manage. I get that. But at coaches meetings is when he needs to take charge and let all the assistants know exactly what he expects from them and exactly what he expects from players that are around those assists day to day. Ed has many jobs but one of his primary responsibilites is to make sure the team is prepared from a strategical standpoint. How he goes about that is up to him, but it's ultimately his responsibiity in the end. If his assistants aren't doing what he wants then it's up to him to make it right.

Ed is an x and o guy - he will scheme and game plan with anyone on the USD staff. He just allows his coaches to execute on what they as a coaching staff have game planned and implemented. Do you really think he does not offer his input? Do you want him calling the Defense or calling the Offense? That would not make it better. Ed has made changes on his staff over the years to address his perceived issues. I am not pretending to know everything about Ed, but I do think he understands that the buck stops with him. He seems to speak his mind to everyone, why would that be different with his staff?

[shamrock]

Coyote Fan, that is a great point, however you misunderstood what i was saying. Im not saying ed isnt a x and o guy. im saying he is. and im agreeing during meetings is when he puts the foot down. i never once said ed isnt an x and o guy or a head coach shouldnt be. thats how they become head coaches. usdfbalumn i agree with everything you said just then.

[Coyote Fan]

This is going to sound like a broken record but I don't see merely a talent issue as why the Yotes played like they did in the second half. I see a talent issue as a factor but there were other things as well. USD had this very same identity when they were D2. For the person that said we should not be expecting 10-1 years every year, but we have yet to have a 10-1 under Ed. Just stating the facts. From recollection I don't know how often the Yotes have even been a two loss team. I'd have to look at the record.

USD is a team that plays hard often, I will agree. Ed's players play hard for him for the most part, I agree. Eventhough I thought the second half effort wasn't the greatest I am not going to make that the main point of my arguments. I don't think USD is a well schooled team. I think that is why they got steamrolled in the second half.

I will bring back examples for those hardcores of extrememly head scratching moments that kind of sit there on the back burner but just will never go away especially when moments of undiscpline play really rears it's head.

I believe in 2005 (D2) USD had a game against Colorado School of Mines in Colorado where the Yotes were extreme favorites. The Yotes played very well and built something like a 4 touchdown lead in the game. Colorado Mines really started focusing on playing a spread offense that focuses on taking 5-10 yard chunks and they went up and down the field with almost no resistance from the Yotes. Mines came all the way back from a huge defecit to force OT. USD ended up winning but the Yotes came dangerously close to a program crippling type of loss. USD appeared to make almost no X's and O's adjustments during the game but I cannot say that with 100% accuracy because I didn't actually see the game. I did listen on the radio and a general picture can still be painted.

One of USD's most painfull losses came in Mankato in 2006 (I believe). I was at the game. Minnesota State was the better team for most of the first half and part of the second. Minnesota State was taking 5-10 yard out patterns and sometimes in patterns for play after play after play after play. They built a nice lead because USD was absolutely not adjusting on the field to what was being thrown at them. I could hear Coyote fans screaming from the stands because of how soft and ridiculous the pass coverage was. Anyone that was at that game knows exactly what I was talking about. It was very shocking. Those are the types of things that make me wonder how strategically prepared Ed's teams are to deal with situations that prevent themselves during a game. Even on a radio interview today Ed said they were surprised that NDSU threw a certain scheme at them. Don't remember what it was but if they were surprise and didn't make any effective adjustments to it, it screams unpreparadness to me. In the MSU game USD made a remarakable comeback to eventually take the lead, almost in miraculous fashion. MSU ended up winning on a fluke play where a field goal was blocked by USD only to be recovered by MSU and run in for a touchdown. Most remember that USD got stunned at the end. I think what some people forget is that ultimately MSU was the better team for more of the game and deserved the win, eventhough it happened in a strange way.

The Northwood playoff game was another example of USD not being prepared for a game. They allowed a team such them who basically have no passing game, pass on them all game long. USD did not properly adjust. It showed to me a lack of preperation for all situations that can come up in a game. That was another game where USD was a bit lucky to win IMO.

I can probably name others but won't spend anymore time on it. Bottom line is that the history of this USD team is to play undisciplined and to be unprepared in many situations that come up in games. It was true at the D2 level. I think there are still instances where I believe those types of things are in the background waiting for instances to come out again. I have a very good memory when it comes to the football program the past games that have been played. I don't think USD should dwell on history but history needs to be brought up to learn from it, so the mistakes don't repeat themselves.

[yoteforever]

One piece of good news in reading all these posts is that we are now starting to have an emotional fan base, and it is becoming clear on here with the bantering, arguing, and fighting amongst the posters.

I would like to poll the people on here and ask them if they played college football, and if so, for USD? Don't presume I am going to bash those that didn't, I just would like to know.

I played for USD

[usdfbalum]

Poor pass coverage and tackling caused those issues IMO that you listed. This is a different Yote defense I am watching. Do you even want to think about how badly USD would have been run out of TCF stadium even two years ago? How many points would that Bison team have hung on the Yotes?

Our defense is making progress and I believe they will show it the rest of this year. Go back and watch the NDSU game again and pay attention to the OL/DL play. They dominated USD in the second half physically. I would say we will not have that big of a match up problem again this year other than UNI.

[usdfbalum]

Sept 27, 2010 16:06:16 GMT -6 yoteforever said:

One piece of good news in reading all these posts is that we are now starting to have an emotional fan base, and it is becoming clear on here with the bantering, arguing, and fighting amongst the posters.

I would like to poll the people on here and ask them if they played college football, and if so, for USD? Don't presume I am going to bash those that didn't, I just would like to know.

I played for USD

I played for USD

[Coyote Fan]

I did not play for USD but I did play in high school. If I was a player I would be even more demanding of accoutability. Those that played for the Coyotes spilled their blood and sweat for the University and they should be thanked for that. That is why it's even more imperative that the coaching staff be as prepared as possible and be teachers of discipline as well. I believe that being a player naturally is going to lead to them being biased and against being objective if the objectivity leads to a negative conclusion. Usually players that play for a certain coach are going to be biased toward that coach.

[GoYotes]

I didn't play in college but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Seriously Yote fans, a couple of weeks ago we had arguably the biggest sports win in South Dakota history. Great nation wide exposure with stories about the Yotes all across the country and in all the daily newpapers in the area. Dante Warren was number 2 in fan voting for the player of the week on ESPN, Ed was interviewed and heard on various nationwide sports radio shows, etc. The talk at that time was how we need to get multi-year contracts to help us keep our coaches and now, a mere 2 weeks later some are calling for their heads. As they say on ESPN, c'mon man.

[yotemeal]

Not a former player. I like Ed, and I think he's done good things for the program. I'd have to see a lot, lot more things go wrong before I'd consider seriously pushing for a change in leadership.

Looking at this season thus far, it's not as if we've lost to a team we were supposed to beat. In fact, we beat a team (Minnesota) that a lot of people believed we had no business beating. We're actually sitting better now than we probably should be. I think I'll stick to focusing on the positives for now. If we lose to UND, a team we should beat, maybe I'll change my tune a bit.

[#1CoyoteFan (Admin)]

I am more concerned about Ed's attitude. A lot of players look up to Ed and what he says and does and more than a few of them follow his lead, which is good sometimes. However, since the Minnesota game, Ed has been a complete diva and let the win get to his head, and I am hoping that isn't rubbing off on the players. That's my biggest concern.

Remember, the coach from kansas was a very smart guy who rebuilt his program, but a few too many ego boosts from too many Big Macs pushed him out. I just don't want the same thing to happen to Ed.

[Coyote Fan]

Sept 27, 2010 20:37:14 GMT -6 GoYotes said:

I didn't play in college but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Seriously Yote fans, a couple of weeks ago we had arguably the biggest sports win in South Dakota history. Great nation wide exposure with stories about the Yotes all across the country and in all the daily newpapers in the area. Dante Warren was number 2 in fan voting for the player of the week on ESPN, Ed was interviewed and heard on various nationwide sports radio shows, etc. The talk at that time was how we need to get multi-year contracts to help us keep our coaches and now, a mere 2 weeks later some are calling for their heads. As they say on ESPN, c'mon man.

With all due respect no one is calling for any heads right now. I personally want to see some of the crap cleaned up that has been happening for years now. I don't think that is so unreasonable. Great programs clean stuff up and take care of business. I want to watch a great program. The offense and some of the other talent is there. It's just not coached up as well as it should be.

[Coyote Fan]

Sept 27, 2010 22:18:54 GMT -6 #1CoyoteFan (Admin) said:

I am more concerned about Ed's attitude. A lot of players look up to Ed and what he says and does and more than a few of them follow his lead, which is good sometimes. However, since the Minnesota game, Ed has been a complete diva and let the win get to his head, and I am hoping that isn't rubbing off on the players. That's my biggest concern.

Remember, the coach from kansas was a very smart guy who rebuilt his program, but a few too many ego boosts from too many Big Macs pushed him out. I just don't want the same thing to happen to Ed.

I don't believe that to be true at all but people are entitled to their own opinions. I actually really like Ed's personality and he is a good interview to listen to. If he leads the Yotes to a national title he can run down University Avenue naked for all I care.

Ed deserved to be walking a bit taller after the Minnesota game. I was there and I saw the emotion that he was going through. It was a big moment for his coaching career. The entire U needed to embrace the occassion and they did.

The NDSU loss didn't bother me as much as how the game was lost that bothered me. I have been reading other boards and I have heard more than once that it looked like USD either quit in the second half or played "not to lose" football instead of playing to win. I have already explained in full to this point the things I feel need to improve if we are to take it to the next level as a program. I won't go into again right now.

Bottom line we saw some alarming things in the second half. Some things that have been an identity of the program in the past. We should hang our hat on the positives from this year and we should also point out the things that simply cannot continue to happen. If those things do continue to happen the program is about at it's peak level right now.