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Post by Coyote Fan on Sept 25, 2013 15:27:51 GMT -6
Gametime 3:00PM on Saturday
The good news is that this weeks game gives the Coyotes one of their best chances to pick up a win on the season. The Yotes have the opportunity to bring back their first Missouri Valley Football Conference win in history. This looks to be a very close game and one that USD can win if they put everything together.
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Post by yoteforever on Sept 25, 2013 16:58:40 GMT -6
I agree that this is a winnable game. In watching both the Minnesota game and the UNLV game, they are a little like us in that they can play decent, then there are times they totally tank. I do think this game is a measuring stick. Regardless of outcome, short of a blowout, the Coyotes are improving. Now they have to get the W.
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Post by azsod73 on Sept 25, 2013 17:19:03 GMT -6
Mick Garry's column on USD FB, Western Illinois etc.
Leathernecks, etc.
The Coyotes lost at home to Western Illinois a year ago in a contest they had tied at 17-17. As was so often the case, the fourth quarter was not USD’s friend that day in a 24-17 loss. Nikko Watson, one of the few really big backs in the conference – he’s listed at 6-0, 250 – ran for 126 yards, consistently drawing attention to the fact that the Coyote defense was overmatched physically.
That win wasn’t enough to save Mark Hendrickson’s job, however, and he was whacked after the season. He was replaced by Bob Nielson, the former Minnesota-Duluth coach who won a pair of Division II national championships with the Bulldogs.
With the new coach, the Coyotes can expect things to be a little different, but they’re very familiar with a lot of the Leathernecks’ personnel.
We’ll have a preview story about the game later in the week, but it bears mentioning that Western Illinois was picked to finish ninth in the conference and the Coyotes were picked to finish 10th. Other common ground includes that Western Illinois has lost seven consecutive conference home games. The Coyotes, of course, have yet to win a Missouri Valley Conference game. They’re also on a 17-game road slide, dating back to the win over Minnesota in September of 2010.
Nobody at USD is whining about it, but this is a season where scheduling a little bit of a break – a Panhandle State, a Drake or better yet, another FCS program outside the Top 25 like UC Davis – would have probably been in the Coyotes’ best interest. Instead, they have Northern Arizona, Montana and Kansas in addition to Davis.
There’s nothing unfair about that and nothing improper, but sensible decisions are made all the time in relation to scheduling that have to do with both the expected quality of the home team and the visitors.
Last year, an obvious situation where the Coyotes’ ability to compete was compromised was the NDSU-Howard Wood debacle. I was one who agreed with playing NDSU at Howard Wood. It was a fun thing to do, and made some sense as far as the big picture was concerned, but there’s no doubt it would have made more sense from a purely competitive standpoint to have played that game in the Dome.
Would it have made any difference? Yes. I’d guess USD would have lost 53-0 rather than 54-0. But seriously, regardless of the outcome, it put a struggling program in an even tougher spot. That much everybody knew going into it. And if it was a brilliant idea and supported 100 percent by others at USD, they’d do it again. On that count, don’t hold your breath.
This topic of compromised competitiveness will come up again when the Coyotes finish the season with Montana, SDSU and NDSU. Trust me on this, it will seem a little odd to have to play what will likely be a top-10 nonconference opponent in November with a pair of highly regarded regional rivals to follow. Somehow, some way, I have to think the football program’s best competitive interests were not embraced when the decision was made to go ahead with that.
It’s easy to yammer on about how to be the best you have to beat the best, but I think it’s in the best interest of the program to use that philosophy with some discretion. You could say that the only reason this seems like a bad idea now is because USD is currently trying to crawl out of a hole, but to my way of thinking, if USD would catch fire over the next month, having to play a non-conference national title contender in November would seem like an even poorer decision than it already is.
OK, got off on a little bit of a rant there when I should be concentrating on the tussle with the Leathernecks this week. This contest represents a chance for the Joe Glenn regime to show that things are getting better. Bob Nielson and the Leathernecks will be thinking precisely the same thing, of course.
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Post by 94grad on Sept 25, 2013 17:21:26 GMT -6
Wow we're only getting 1 or 1.5 depending on the book. When's the last time a team with a 17 game road losing streak was only getting 1 point? Sure it's Western Illinois, but still. Odd.....
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Post by 94grad on Sept 25, 2013 19:09:31 GMT -6
That's better. Up to +3 now. Seems about right. Two basically equal teams and home field is worth 3.
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Post by Yotes on Sept 25, 2013 20:26:12 GMT -6
We have to win this one. We have to get a road win, and this is easily the most winnable one on the schedule. Take this one and we have a legit shot at starting 2-0 in conference play.
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Post by yoteforever on Sept 26, 2013 5:54:45 GMT -6
That's better. Up to +3 now. Seems about right. Two basically equal teams and home field is worth 3. What website shows the game? I can't find one |
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Post by 94grad on Sept 26, 2013 7:29:32 GMT -6
That's better. Up to +3 now. Seems about right. Two basically equal teams and home field is worth 3. What website shows the game? I can't find one FCS lines are tough to find. You can go to 5dimes.com, click Live Lines at the top, then click College Extra on the left. The NDSU line was disappointing. I honestly thought it would be -7 or so and I could crush the bison. Unfortunately, it started at -12.5 and is now -12. If I had to, I'd probably take the other guys, but no way could I cheer for them. Looks like a good one to stay away from. |
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Post by 94grad on Sept 28, 2013 13:00:19 GMT -6
Seems like this has been covered already and if so, I apologize, but is there anywhere to watch this other than paying $6 at the W Ill website? TIA.
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Post by notkiotees on Sept 28, 2013 13:20:32 GMT -6
I would think the usual suspects might have it. Leo's, Lumber Co. or Howlers. Call to make sure. But that's only if your intown of course.
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Post by Coyote Fan on Sept 28, 2013 13:59:23 GMT -6
Gametime soon.
This is a 50/50 game. I will go with the Necks 20-17 in OT. I plan on picking the Yotes over Missouri State next week in the revenge game for what happened last year.
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Post by Coyote Fan on Sept 28, 2013 14:19:46 GMT -6
6:41 left in the 1st quarter. 0-0 as it has been a penalty filled start. Yotes missed a 50 yard field goal on one possession.
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Post by Coyote Fan on Sept 28, 2013 14:33:57 GMT -6
no score after the first quarter. Western Illinois is starting to get their running game going. Leathernecks ball inside the Coyote 10 yard line when the second quarter begins.
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Post by Coyote Fan on Sept 28, 2013 14:36:08 GMT -6
Coyote D stiffens and causes a short field goal attempt. 28 yards and it is good. 3-0 Necks.
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Post by Coyote Fan on Sept 28, 2013 14:38:30 GMT -6
Next week might be a little tougher than once thought. Missouri State is beating Illinois State 31-10 in the 4th quarter.
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