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Post by 94grad on Oct 27, 2013 9:38:53 GMT -6
Yes, the board is pretty quiet overall as compared to the last 3 weeks. I'd guess we all have similar feelings. For me, the expectation level was pretty high heading into this game. It was tempered with the reality that this ISU team is absolutely on fire at home. So this wasn't a complete surprise. I've been trying to assess "what happened? how did we lose?".
In the first three losses we could pretty easily blame an anemic offense or horrendous special teams. But yesterday, we lost to a better team. Yes, ISU was the better team yesterday for various reasons (note to select UNI fans, both obc and I have now acknowledged that ISU was a better football team yesterday and it didn't kill either one of us to say it).
I could only listen to the game yesterday, so I'm leaving the in-depth analysis to those that actually saw it. While there were no glaring special teams miscues, the punting game was a perpetual ball and chain on field position all day. A slow drag that left to "shorter" fields for them than we'd like. In week's past, with the botched snap, we'd have a net punt of -20 yards. Yesterday it seemed like we had several net punts of +20 yards. Better but still not good.
The loss of Bouma may have had an impact? I don't know. The stat sheet indicates Roberts filled in nicely. Defense must've been a 'little' off. There's such a small difference between winning and losing- someone noted that we weren't getting quite enough pressure on their QB. An extra half second is the difference between a hurried throw and a 43 yard TD pass.
ISU is playing great at home. We are notoriously bad on the road, particularly outdoors. Couple that with poor special teams play, STUPID penalties and a letdown game, and you get a 14 point loss. I think we just need to eat this one and move on.
Can't wait for the next 3 games- I'll be at all of them. Time for some more home cookin!
GO YOTES!!!!!
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Post by canislatrans on Oct 27, 2013 11:58:46 GMT -6
My view is that the winning team is always the better team. The conference and national champs are the teams that are the better teams most often.
I think the Redbirds coaching was very good in the passing game. They hit on some plays where it looked like the Coyotes were out of position, I believe because of the play design. They flooded an area or did crossing routes, and their QB hit them! He is a talented QB. I was struck by how many passes were batted down or tipped against our 6'6" QB vs. their much shorter QB.
The Coyotes had many opportunities still to win the game. I didn't count them, but it seemed like we had a lot of possessions with the score at 28-14.
The mistakes at key moments were our downfall again.
Overall, though the Coyotes, in my mind are close to being a playoff team, and could realistically be one next year. I know that it's still ahead of schedule, and I need to be patient, but I also know what I am seeing. This team is talented and young, but they are also showing growth when you look from year to year and even back to the beginning of this year. Our QB is getting some great experience and could be very good down the road. Our coaching staff is doing a great job, minus the special teams.
These games in the Dome are winnable, all tough teams but winnable. Because they are back to back to back, I don't think we'll win all three, but I wouldn't be surprised. 2 out of three is reasonable. NDSU is for another year, but they won't be putting up 50 either.
Getting to 5 or 6 wins from last year, especially with the individual progress at key positions is a winning year for this year!
Fight South Dakota!
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Post by Yotes on Oct 27, 2013 18:51:04 GMT -6
I had to listen to the game online while driving to KC, and missed plenty of the game due to dead spots, but I think I caught enough of the game to understand how we did and why we lost.
Bergner needs to get his act together. This was a game of field position and he did not put our defense in good spots. ISU got the ball at our 43, our 33, and their 42 off of punts, and scored touchdowns on all of those possessions. The other ISU score was off a fumble deep in our territory. Those were the only times that ISU was able to do much of anything on offense. Punt the ball a little farther and ISU may not have been able to put so many points on the board.
We outgained ISU by almost 100 yards on offense, and had the same amount of turnovers as they did. 372 yards is a very respectable number, but it seems that we missed crucial opportunities, had very dumb penalties, and suffered from having to deal with very long fields. They could have played better, but the offense didn't put out a performance that necessarily doomed us like the NAU or WIU games (looking lots better with Earl). If they had executed on their opportunities in the 4th quarter we would have seen an ending much like the one we saw last week @uni. Perhaps if we were indoors we would have been able to put it in the endzone a few more times.
The defense seemed to have played a good game, despite the 28 hanging on the scoreboard. They were put in tough positions by our special teams and offense, and only gave up one score that originated from the other side of the field. Same as always the defense was in absolute lockdown mode in the second half, only giving up a score on a drive that started at our 27, while also forcing two crucial turnovers in the 4th and forcing another turnover on downs when ISU got the ball deep in our territory. They were very clutch, especially when it counted, but couldn't overcome the bad position they were put in.
Time to impress in the Dome! We have the ability, let's finish with a winning MVFC record!
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Post by Charlie on Oct 28, 2013 7:08:54 GMT -6
Bergner needs to go. I understand that he is a true freshman, but you can either kick or you can't. A field goal percentage below 50% is unacceptable and he is well below even that. If he was a high school All-American, it's scary to think how bad all the rest of the high school kickers in the country were last year.
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Post by Iceman on Oct 28, 2013 23:00:06 GMT -6
The field goals are killing us, but the punting is also just as bad. When JVM wasn't performing, everyone wanted him out. They replaced him. How many points have been left out there because of missed field goals? What if he would have made the field goal on the opening drive of the game last week? Different game? Maybe, maybe not. Same thing with the punting. Just last game, punts of 18 and 22 yards deep in your own territory. Both lead to touchdowns. One on the very next play. So what if he would have gotten away average punts? Would they have scored touchdowns both times right away? Who knows.
I hate to call individuals out on here and am very surprised no one else has about this, but no one had any problems calling out JVM on here.
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Post by Yotes on Oct 28, 2013 23:24:48 GMT -6
The field goals are killing us, but the punting is also just as bad. When JVM wasn't performing, everyone wanted him out. They replaced him. How many points have been left out there because of missed field goals? What if he would have made the field goal on the opening drive of the game last week? Different game? Maybe, maybe not. Same thing with the punting. Just last game, punts of 18 and 22 yards deep in your own territory. Both lead to touchdowns. One on the very next play. So what if he would have gotten away average punts? Would they have scored touchdowns both times right away? Who knows. I hate to call individuals out on here and am very surprised no one else has about this, but no one had any problems calling out JVM on here. I can tell you that I have taken notice, it was the first thing I saw when analyzing the game. He is killing us out there, and if we have a viable backup they should be out there. During the Coyote Report tonight someone asked Joe if they would consider putting Bouma in as punter (he was a punter in high school, had a great punt against UNI), but Joe said that Bergner is the better punter and didn't really let on that he was considering the backup. I don't think I've ever seen special teams adversely affect a team like this. |
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Post by sdyotefan on Oct 29, 2013 6:53:00 GMT -6
I agree that the punting/FGs have not been the best HOWEVER he is a freshman and two of our previous games were decided by 3 pts each on FGs he's kicked and some of his FGs are in the 40 yd range. UNI's very good kicker missed a 30 yder at the bunnies that would have won the game Sat. Also Bergner's punting average is 41 yds through 8 games. I watched the game Saturday and wind was a factor on some of the punts and the FG. He needs better hangtime on punts but his KOs are generally very good. So I believe he just needs more game experience.
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Post by Yote 53 on Oct 29, 2013 7:31:15 GMT -6
The kid is a freshman. With freshman there are going to be growing pains that you are sometimes going to have to fight through. To bail now would be even more disasterous to his future and the future of this program. If he's not geting the job done in year 2 or year 3 then we can start talking. I predict by year 4 you will all be sad to see this kid go.
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Post by notkiotees on Oct 29, 2013 9:30:52 GMT -6
I think the crappy snaps are in his head. Once he gains a little confidence in the long snapper things will turn around.
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Post by Iceman on Oct 30, 2013 0:08:18 GMT -6
Wow. Yes he is a freshman, but kicking and punting are kicking and punting. How many times can you punt the ball off the side of your foot. That is not from the wind. It is pretty frustrating.
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Post by Iceman on Oct 30, 2013 0:10:54 GMT -6
Yes his hang time on punts really needs to get better as well. No time to get down the field.
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Post by flashtaco on Oct 30, 2013 15:59:36 GMT -6
This has probably been addressed before but what was the reason for Robb not being on the team this year? He had a year of eligibility left and started kicking as true freshmen. Did he graduate in 3 years and move on? I know he was one heck of a student.
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