Quote from: wally_wabash on November 07, 2019, 02:46:09 PM

Quote from: Ralph Turner on November 07, 2019, 02:25:33 PM
Back in 2005, there were rumblings of like minded institutions moving to D-4.  Do the math, 247 divided by 6.5 = 38 bids.

IIRC, the Division IV movement was spearheaded by leaders of institutions that were quite frankly not interested in committing the minimum resources necessary to athletics to be competitive.  Basically, they wanted a club sports division.  They wanted to improve their own win-loss results by convincing some percentage of the division to also not really care.  No thanks. 

I do agree that the Division III tournament is too small for the number of institutions the division has.  I do not agree that we need to find creative ways to carve out access for the schools that we don't think are going to win the championship.  To date, even with the limited number of at-large bids, I don't think anybody can reasonably point to one single instance where the size of the field excluded a team that would be considered a contender to win the tournament.  Good teams do get left out.  But not the best teams.  The best teams are conference champions or have compiled a profile worthy of invitation.

I think the majority of the folks that have watched HSU play feel like this team could beat any team in the country. That is not true of 20 of the teams that will make the tournament. You can argue that they should not lose four fumbles against TLU if they want to win a national championship and that is true. But there about ten teams in the country with the talent necessary to win the tournament. HSU is one of those team. They are a contender. They will not get to contend.

Can anybody explain what has happened to Southwestern? Maybe someone mentioned it, but I haven't seen it covered here. Did they lose their top 3 QB's to injury in the first 13 quarters of the season?

Quote from: justafan12 on September 30, 2019, 09:12:51 AM
"HPU had been fairly prolific. Their QB had been the ASC offensive player of the week twice I believe."

I think that was a product of the competition they had played.

HPU's QB play on Saturday was a product of the competition he was playing. Last year Baca and Hover were the first team QB's for the all-conference selection and neither of them did anything of note against UMHB's defense either. Estes won those awards the first two weeks because he out performed everyone else on the field. Going 52-64 for 706 yds, 10 TD's and 0 Int's is near impossible against the JV scout team, much less in the man's first two collegiate starts. Now that he's faced his toughest two tests of the season in weeks three and four (and I thought performed very well against HSU), I would expect to see HPU's offense be pretty competitive the rest of the season. That assumes they don't run into injury problems, they are not as deep as some of the programs still on their schedule.

Quote from: crufootball on September 16, 2019, 05:36:57 PM

Quote from: justafan12 on September 16, 2019, 04:52:48 PM
Just a general ASC question, who sets the game times?  Seems like there are a lot of 1:00 PM start times in September.  Still rather hot in most area at that time.  I realize travel could dictate game starts but looking at some I don't see travel being an issue

HPU vs. McMurry     1:00 pm
HSU vs. HPU   1:00 pm
SRU vs. McMurry 2:00 pm
UMHB vs. McMurry 1:00 pm
SRU vs. SW 1:00 pm

I was always under the impression that the home school basically gets to pick the time of the game.

The last few years it seems like UMHB typically has played night games until October when it "cools off", which means it 90 at kickoff haha. 

Your list has a common name which is McMurry so they may there reasons and I am not sure why HPU would want to bake the heat while playing HSU. Sul Ross is 6 hours from SW so that is an example of the crazy travel the ASC deals with.

I'm not sure about HPU and SW on that list, but I know McMurry does not have the necessary field lighting to play night games.

Quote from: SaintsFAN on December 18, 2018, 11:01:07 AM

Right... but that happened.  I get it.  That sucks.  You feel for the kid.  I suffered an injury that cost me half a season too.. I get it. 

But you can't say 2018 HSU was on the same level with Mount Union/WW/St. Johns with a caveat about an injury

I just went to do a stat sanity-check on my opinion. I left off St John, because in my original post I had them a tier above. Here is Yards Gained, Yards Gained Per Play, Yards Allowed, and Yards allowed per play against UMHB. I used the HSU playoff game from two months after the injury so they have no excuse for losing the best RB and maybe best offensive player in D-III.

     YG     YGPP     YA     YAPP

   303     (4.1)      303    (5.0)
   315     (4.3)      237    (5.0)
   261     (4.7)      312    (4.9)


Please tell me which of these three teams doesn't belong and is significantly worse than the other two.

If you think St Johns and UWW are in the same tier, that's fine, I'm telling you that Hardin Simmons is in that tier with those teams. Hardin Simmons is the most balanced team of those four. They can run, they can pass, they can defend the run, they can defend the pass. Losing their All American Running Back the week before their first meeting with UMHB didn't help. Game flow this season didn't help them.  But too say those other teams scored TD's and challenged the CRU defense is a categorical mischaracterization of what happened here by someone who is scouting the box score and not watching the game.

Quote from: DFWCrufan on December 17, 2018, 01:36:13 PM

Quote from: CruGuy on December 17, 2018, 01:11:18 PM
I wanted to do this now while it's still fresh in my head. It's one of those things that's good for arguing about in Feb/ March when the board gets slow. These are my personal rankings, not necessarily dependent on points scored or even yards accrued, but what I saw with my eyes, when I watched the game live and in person. UMHB's Opponents ranked and separated by tier:

1.  St John's

2.  Mt. Union
3.  Hardin Simmons
4.  UWW

5.  TLU
6.  ETBU
7.  Southwestern

8.  Berry
9.  Louisiana College

10. HPU
11. McM
12. Belhaven
13. SRSU

14. Albright

If I were rating them it would be a bit different I'd say Belhaven was tougher than McMurry and HPU - The HSU/UW-W question to me is a toughy I respect both programs so it is hard to say one is over the other in a ranking format and I'm not ready to say they were far below UMU but I would, if you had to ,rank it'd be  UMU/ UW-W and HSU. Albright drew the nasty straw of being first pigeon so it's hard to say they were worse in ranking than McMurry who had time to develop their game, first outings are always a mess.

I wouldn't get too upset about any argument about teams that I put in the same tier. I applied the 500 mile bus ride adjustment to our game @Belhaven. I know that component makes it really difficult to judge anything that Belhaven does in this conference. I just looked, and in that tier HPU had a win and two different one point losses (and the kicker missed an extra point in both one point losses).

I wanted to do this now while it's still fresh in my head. It's one of those things that's good for arguing about in Feb/ March when the board gets slow. These are my personal rankings, not necessarily dependent on points scored or even yards accrued, but what I saw with my eyes, when I watched the game live and in person. UMHB's Opponents ranked and separated by tier:

1.  St John's

2.  Mt. Union
3.  Hardin Simmons
4.  UWW

5.  TLU
6.  ETBU
7.  Southwestern

8.  Berry
9.  Louisiana College

10. HPU
11. McM
12. Belhaven
13. SRSU

14. Albright

Is there any good reason not to just buy tickets when you walk up?

Quote from: archgemini24 on December 10, 2018, 11:42:39 PM

Quote from: HScoach on December 10, 2018, 08:02:03 PM

Quote from: WRMUalum13 on December 10, 2018, 08:00:26 PM

Quote from: purple on December 10, 2018, 07:20:06 PM
    Wow. DeAngelo Fulford and Louis Berry have been named to the AFCA D3 All-American team. This is without a doubt the most prestigious All-American team. Looks like "crow" is on the menu for those of you who relegated Fulford to second and "lucky to be on the second team" status.

He still only made second team... and I still think he's lucky to be there.

Now, if he throws for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns against UMHBs defense I'll happily eat crow.

Exactly. On both points.

Purple:  You can shout from the mountain tops until you're blue in the face, but it fails to disprove that he hasn't played well this season against anyone with a pulse.  I'd overlook round 2 because of the ankle, but that doesn't explain JCU or JHU.

I am scrolling through the playoff box scores and recaps, and honest question, but has any quarterback this year looked good against a defense with a pulse? I see Jase Hammack's St. John's game as the chart-topper, and he was still just over 50%. The best thing about that performance was the 0 picks. If 2tds-3int on just north of 50% is bad, then Erdmann's effort against the Cru looks just as shaky. He just had more yards because he got nearly 50 attempts. If I have overlooked someone (which is likely), please just let me know.

I know it may be my bias acting up being an Alliance guy, and all, but the last good QB performance I have seen against a good-to-great defense on a big stage is Taurice Scott's 2015 effort against St. Thomas (his whole 2015 run, really).

Every time Sam Riddle stepped on the field against UMHB, he looked like the baddest man wearing pads that day. Notably twice in 2016.

Quote from: wally_wabash on December 06, 2018, 11:05:10 AM

Quote from: emma17 on December 06, 2018, 10:53:31 AM
In the video clips and articles I've read it's been interesting to see Coach Pete's emphasis on the importance of the passing game Saturday. He's really talking up the talent of the receiving Corp. I don't question their talent at all but do wonder if there is some smoke screen to this.
I'm sure most of us UWW fans are wondering how UWW will fare against so much talent in the passing game.

As I'm trying to figure out how I want to pick this game, I don't know what to do with UMHB's pass game.  I think they have gobs of talent there, but I can't help but feel like the pass game is....unrefined?  Is there much more to it than chuck it deep to Josey/Reed/Miller when it's 3rd and long?  That was enough to squeak past St. John's last weekend- which is no small thing.  I believe SaintsFan somewhere pointed this out as well.  Those plays that carried the day last week weren't necessarily available to the Crusaders last year.  I'll be curious this weekend to see if 1) UWW can force UMHB into those kinds of bail out situations and 2) if UWW has the dudes to not allow UMHB to bail themselves out the way they did last week. 

I don't know the answer, but I think that's the whole deal this weekend.  UWW can limit Markeith Miller enough to make UMHB have to get something from Hammack and the WRs.  Can they do it again?

They have six different players with a reception of at least 50 yds on the season, 9 > 30yds, all this coming on limited pass attempts. It's not that they can win jump balls on third and long, it's that so far this season they've been able to line up and run past people from the edge, slot, and back field almost at will. When the UMHB offense is humming they take deep shots on early downs, in closer games, we tend to get more conservative and only throw deep on 2nd or 3rd and long. Hopefully we keep the offense wide open on Saturday. The wind certainly isn't going to help. We all know that UWW has a different kind of athlete from the rest of DIII and that we're not going to be able to move the ball like we did against Berry, but I think Coach Pete is right to focus on the UMHB WR's as the key to this game. If they can break a few long plays, we probably win. If they can't we probably don't put up enough points to advance. UMHB has historically struggled to make big plays against UWW, they will probably be the difference in this game.



And congrats to Jordan Neal. Grade A+ person.

Quote from: OzJohnnie on November 29, 2018, 01:57:44 AM

Most frequently the response to such a claim is similar to the one made on the MIAC boards, which is "HSU..."   Here, courtesy of the Hansen Ratings, is a clear comparison of the offenses of the three teams.



You can see quite clearly that one of these things is not like the others.

So Mr. Hansen and his numbers believe that St Johns has the best passing offense in D3, and UMHB has the best pass defense in D3. Strength on Strength, we'll be able to come back Sat. evening and it should all be pretty clear.

Quote from: roocru on October 25, 2018, 02:54:10 PM
Okay,  I am going to step on a few toes and my karma points are sure to take a few hits but as an old coach myself, here goes.

My dad had a favorite saying I loved, "Some people will bitch if they got hung with a new rope".  I find it very difficult to sit in the stands now days and listen to the fans around me complain about the coaching when they have no clue about what goes on in film sessions, classroom meetings, the practice field, the dressing room and even observing interactions on campus with students and professors.  The complaining on this board is going on about a team which has always hung their hat on defense but whose offense is now #1 in the nation in scoring. It sounds like reading this board is like sitting in the stands at my coaching son's high school games.

I know the saying that having two or more starting quarterbacks means you don't have one.  The non-starter QB is always more appealing when the starter stumbles.  However, it is hard to look at the national rankings of this team's offense and think we have a bad problem with the current state of affairs. 

Also, why shouldn't QB's have to earn and keep their starting roles just like any position on the team.  A starter at left guard, defensive lineman, or free safety realizes that if they slip in performance their backup will jump in their spot.  Are QB's ever really different at any level.  The key is to do your job and trust the coaching staff to sort it out and make the decisions on who starts.

Maybe, just maybe, the outstanding and highly successful coach at UMHB has a plan, has more insight on team dynamics, and knows what he is doing more than most fans (even the insightful and dynamic posters on this board). Questioning coaches on QB decisions is rampant at any level of football  and seems to be taking hold in this discussion.  It almost sounds like the posters involved are trying to start a QB controversy!


Okay, that's my two cents worth.  Fire away!!

This isn't just one season's worth of complaining. This is over a decade long pattern of indecision. The Posters don't want a QB controversy, there is QB controversy. The poster's want the coach to say, "This is our Guy." And then instill confidence in that player like he is actually the guy. They want QB consistency. I understand it's got to sound really obnoxious for fans of other teams in this conference to see UMHB's success and then hear them complain about anything. But watching this team play the season, it's got all the signs of wasting a season of unbelievable elite talent, because we get into a playoff game where we struggle to score, and we're rotating three guys in and out, and we have no confidence in our players and no confidence in our game plan. We've seen this before. Coach Fred has never proven to have a grasp on the QB situation or how to manage it.

Quote from: umhb2001 on October 02, 2018, 08:34:50 PM
Tonight's UMHB Coaches Show followed the usual script. Not much was said, really, but the one thing that stood out to me was the fact that Coach Fred continues to waffle about the starting QB can't be good for the team, and now he's saying Denarian could be the guy if he only believes he can be. Look, I respect the two QB system, but as I recall, Blake was our lone QB . when we won it all in 2016. I think there is something to be said about that.

I did like to hear that a concerted effort is being given to getting the running game going. We have to be able to run Markeith and Marquis in games like this. Rushing like we did against Albright and SRSU is great, and I don't need 200+ yards in this game, but I do need to see 75+ from Markeith and 40+ from Marquis.

HSU will want to come in and prove a point. At some point, they will have to kick off to  "Doble Veneno", Double Poison, KJ and Aaron, and one of those guys are going to hurt the Cowboys.

I agree with Kelly Boggs. You will want to get your tickets early. The ticket booth on the SE side of the stadium was overmatched, and it took a long while for fans to get their tickets.

This is just how coach Fred has always managed this program. Even in 2016 there was lots of talk that Kyle Jones or maybe Zane Boles would finish the season as the quarterback. It wasn't until the Linfield game when Blake made a couple of electric plays early and then the defense and special teams really put the game out of reach, before he received full support as The Guy. There has only been one quarterback in the history of the program that received unwavering support from Pete, and they shared a last name.

As a longtime Crusader fan, I don't think anyone deserves leeway on this one. Everyone who has ever watched football knows that it is a violent game. Players can get injured at any time. As soon as you can take knees and ensure that no one else gets injured, you do so. As soon as you can sub out the first string, you do so. There is no excuse for running a play up 26 with :14 seconds left. Beyond that, getting the ball back with 4:40 on the clock and up four TD's, UMHB had it's #1 RB rush 5x, and it's #1 QB drop back to throw 6x. That is inexcusable and demands an explanation. At best this is really stupid and reckless endangerment to the physical safety and long term well being of the student athletes that the coaches are privileged and entrusted to lead, and a poor strategy for keeping players healthy and fresh in game 3 of a hopefully 15 game season. In reality, we all know that whoever was calling plays probably got irked by some perceived offense that TLU committed (either in this game or sometime in the past), and so they wanted to teach them a lesson. That's just ugly vanity, ego, and pride. Somebody owes the proud and very supportive UMHB student body, alumni, and community a better explanation than, "we were just trying to run our offense."