FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

Sorry in advance if this is a stupid question but I've seen a ton of posts about UWO grey-shirting players this past week, and I can't tell if people are truly up-in-arms about it or if they're just being sarcastic/trolls... If it's the former, I confess to not quite quite understanding why it's such a big deal.

...clearly I'm new here.

I suspect there's some of both.

[emma17]

Merle,
I don't get it, you just make me laugh.

Hey Carin, it's what Pat said, a little of both. 
Some of this banter requires the context of having been on the boards for a while.

I think the good or bad of greyshirting is a personal opinion. Based on Saturday's results, it's obviously not as beneficial as say, recruiting super athletes from way out of state to a private school football factory.

[skunks_sidekick]

(In the "Varsity Blues mode")

Merle/Purple grinds to nth degree because that's what Merle/Purple does...
Thoughtful/circumspect posters give their opinions because that's what they do...
Emma gives insightful comments unless he is going on about slant routs, and/or NCC being the greatest team ever...
Bleed actually bleeds Whitewater ice (it has purple in it of course) and has proven to be a knowledgeable good dude...
Pat injects reason (and a bit of snark depending on what time it is) to keep this board at some kind of reasonable level...

And Mount continues to just be Mount.   

[HScoach]

^ yup, what he said.

[Desertraider]

(In the "Varsity Blues mode")

Merle/Purple grinds to nth degree because that's what Merle/Purple does...
Thoughtful/circumspect posters give their opinions because that's what they do...
Emma gives insightful comments unless he is going on about slant routs, and/or NCC being the greatest team ever...
Bleed actually bleeds Whitewater ice (it has purple in it of course) and has proven to be a knowledgeable good dude...
Pat injects reason (and a bit of snark depending on what time it is) to keep this board at some kind of reasonable level...

And Mount continues to just be Mount.   

Yup.

And sidekick drinks beer, well cuz sidekick drinks beer.

Lo I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no....umm maggots from McMinnville!

[D O.C.]

Now, now , now desertraider, it's a known fact University of Mount Union (did the change from College to University increase the prestige of old guy's diplomas?) has yet to win an away game on the West Coast.

[Desertraider]

Now, now , now desertraider, it's a known fact University of Mount Union (did the change from College to University increase the prestige of old guy's diplomas?) has yet to win an away game on the West Coast.

Kudos. I counter with - McMinville was all I had that sounded like "Bingville" from the movie. On the name change, I was there during that move, it was not received well by most. However, several competitor schools had changed to University and many foreign students equate a college with a trade school. Meh - I still have my College issued "Mount Union College" key chain that came with my keys.

[edward de vere]

Yep - We "get off my lawn" types still say say "MUC" frequently and ALWAYS  think it.

(I visited Mount recently for the first time in a number of years and honestly felt like I was visiting a campus I'd never set foot on.)

[bleedpurple]

Titan78,
Congrats to the Titans on a great season. No disrespect intended in saying the Titans are not "there". I was using a different definition of the term. If "there" means they were a Stagg Bowl contender, then obviously they were "there" in each of these last two years. I was using a different definition that I have no need to belabor. 

I remember being impressed with an interview Dylan Hecker gave on a D3football podcast this past summer. He showed great respect to UW-W. I have also talked to a number of players on UW-W about Hecker. There is a lot of mutual respect there. I also know the coaches at UW-W respect Coach Cerroni and his staff.  I don't know if that respect is exactly mutual, but that's OK. Makes for a good rivalry! One thing I do believe is that for the players on both UW-W and UW-O,  playing football in the WIAC has been a lot more fun because the other exists. 

I always enjoy reading your posts. You come across as passionate, yet reasonable. I hope you keep posting! And, no, I'm not going to hail your stupid Titans. 

[Pat Coleman]

Pat injects reason (and a bit of snark depending on what time it is) to keep this board at some kind of reasonable level...

That sounds about right.

Now, now , now desertraider, it's a known fact University of Mount Union (did the change from College to University increase the prestige of old guy's diplomas?) has yet to win an away game on the West Coast.

Also in misleading stats: No Northwest Conference team has ever beaten Mount Union.

[raiderpa]

I would love to see a home and home with Lindfield someday, hurry Im not getting any younger and Mount is scheduled for the next four year's openers.  Would be nice if some wealthy alums would pony up for transportation.
I have watched them on streams and think it would be a super matchup.

[emma17]

Some random postmortem thoughts on behalf of UWO (I know Mt has their own woulda-coulda-shoulda moments as well):
-UWO first drive of game. 4th and 2 at Mt's 15. I was surprised UWO opted for field goal attempt. Maybe UWO coaches didn't feel they had the power advantage as much as some of us fans?
-Gerhartz only carried the ball 3 times (for 73 yards). He had 16 carries the week before and 7 before that. He seemed to be a big play running back.
-The run/pass ratio. UWO had to pass the last drive, but prior to that they were pretty close to 50/50. I think on the season they were more 40% pass/60% run.
-I'm confident UWO knew Mt would move the ball. Even though Mt only had 10 at half, they drove the field and were in scoring position (14 yds and in) 3 of 4 times. Based on this, it doesn't make sense UWO would have confidence in a bend but don't break mentality. Mt was obviously going to convert.
-Given the above, I'm surprised about two decisions. 1. UWO's insistence on contained rush with max coverage. I haven't watched the game again, so I could certainly be wrong. The pick 6 was the result of UWO sending pressure. Blame it on Fulford perhaps, but that was one of the first times he had defenders in his face. Once UWO was up 25 (and not because Mt couldn't move the ball), why not take a defensive chance and bring pressure? UWO was already conceding the underneath routes. Maintain the same deep coverage, but bring corners or LB's. 2. UWO's run/pass ratio. UWO desperately needed to take time off the clock. UWO needed to prove that in some games, time of possession does matter. This game was one of those games. They averaged 6.2 yards per carry in the game. (for Skunk's sake: this is what cost NCC the game at Linfield in 2012, 5 yds per carry yet they threw the ball 39 unnecessary times for 5 picks).   
-I know UWO had some successful runs up the middle, but surprisingly, they also got to the edge. The couple running plays UWO did try after Mt's first 3rd quarter, hot knife through butter score, were handoffs up the middle to Hecker. Something tells me Mt was aligned to stop the inside run in that situation. UWO has so much offensive diversity, yet they pulled it in. Only 1 carry for Todarello and 3 for Gerhartz, both tremendous play makers.
-I'm still blown away by UWO's lack of aggressiveness with the scums after Mt runs.

Just some ponderings.

[UWO Titan 78]

Some random postmortem thoughts on behalf of UWO (I know Mt has their own woulda-coulda-shoulda moments as well):
-UWO first drive of game. 4th and 2 at Mt's 15. I was surprised UWO opted for field goal attempt. Maybe UWO coaches didn't feel they had the power advantage as much as some of us fans?
I was surprised with this as well. I think they were concerned when Hecker got stuffed out of the Wildcat. I would have went for it, knowing you needed to score to beat this team. We attempted 3 field goals. Mount attempted 1. I would have thought TDs were the main objective in this one.
-Gerhartz only carried the ball 3 times (for 73 yards). He had 16 carries the week before and 7 before that. He seemed to be a big play running back.
I wasn't surprised with this. Anytime Hecker is handling the ball, I'm fine with it. They did run Gerhartz outside with success. I wonder how much pass protection comes into play with who is blocking in the backfield. I presume Hecker is the better blocker, but haven't analyzed that fully.
-The run/pass ratio. UWO had to pass the last drive, but prior to that they were pretty close to 50/50. I think on the season they were more 40% pass/60% run.
I wasn't surprised by this. We had the wind for a lot of our possessions. We didn't possess the ball much in the third (against the wind), because we got the pick six, the long TD run and fumbled. Mount was stacking the box, and we did almost gain 500 yards. Dom's drop on 3rd and 6 hurt as he had room to run into Mount territory. That would've extended the drive and halted momentum somewhat.
-I'm confident UWO knew Mt would move the ball. Even though Mt only had 10 at half, they drove the field and were in scoring position (14 yds and in) 3 of 4 times. Based on this, it doesn't make sense UWO would have confidence in a bend but don't break mentality. Mt was obviously going to convert.
-Given the above, I'm surprised about two decisions. 1. UWO's insistence on contained rush with max coverage. I haven't watched the game again, so I could certainly be wrong. The pick 6 was the result of UWO sending pressure. Blame it on Fulford perhaps, but that was one of the first times he had defenders in his face. Once UWO was up 25 (and not because Mt couldn't move the ball), why not take a defensive chance and bring pressure? UWO was already conceding the underneath routes. Maintain the same deep coverage, but bring corners or LB's. 2. UWO's run/pass ratio. UWO desperately needed to take time off the clock. UWO needed to prove that in some games, time of possession does matter. This game was one of those games. They averaged 6.2 yards per carry in the game. (for Skunk's sake: this is what cost NCC the game at Linfield in 2012, 5 yds per carry yet they threw the ball 39 unnecessary times for 5 picks).
I saw the pick six as the DE immediately beating the "hook" block and providing pressure. Coach C just doesn't like to bring pressure too often. I would have, but I won't fault him for his philosophy. We did lose a safety (Bednarski) in the second half that may have contributed to some conservative play calling.    
-I know UWO had some successful runs up the middle, but surprisingly, they also got to the edge. The couple running plays UWO did try after Mt's first 3rd quarter, hot knife through butter score, were handoffs up the middle to Hecker. Something tells me Mt was aligned to stop the inside run in that situation. UWO has so much offensive diversity, yet they pulled it in. Only 1 carry for Todarello and 3 for Gerhartz, both tremendous play makers.
I agree with this. I do think they we went a little conservative. I think the screen game was there a little more than we tried. With our success getting to the outside, I might've gone with Dom on the jet sweep. I liked the first call with Hecker throwing out of the Wildcat (great discipline by Mount), but I didn't like the reverse pitch back on the first play of the final drive. Lining up in the Wildcat at that point tips off a trick play. We weren't going to run the ball at that point, and it wasted a down and precious seconds.We have the wind, we need to throw with our All-American QB.
-I'm still blown away by UWO's lack of aggressiveness with the scums after Mt runs.
I think the Titans really missed a guy like Reese Dziedzic. He was our All-American LB last year. He was a thumper. I thought our LBs were great and athletic this year. I don't know if there was a thumper on the inside. Szymanski was a hitter, but played on the outside for the most part. We dropped LBs to the flat, and I don't know if we had that guy to just blow up the scrum. I can't tell you how many times last year I saw Dziedzic dive at knees and blow up piles in the playoffs and Stagg. Our NT was also a Frosh. They ran a lot of power G at us. We could've been stouter at the point of attack.

Just some ponderings.

[emma17]

UWO Titan,
I hope you don't take my comments as jabs at the UWO coaching staff. I surely know it's a lot easier from the couch than it is from the sideline. In the heat of the game, it's natural to go to the bread and butter of throwing with an AA QB and running with Hecker.

As I sit comfortably and think about it, I see the following:
-Don't let the wind direction dictate why/how often you throw.
-UWO's 3rd quarter TD drive (to go up 35-10) was 5 runs and 1 pass, finished with a 43 yard Gerhartz run.
-The second drive ended with a dropped pass.

In the 4th quarter, with wind:
-1st drive is 2 runs (incl a 23 yarder by Gerhartz) and 2 passes, both are incomplete leading to field goal.
-2nd drive is 1 run and 4 passes, with an interception.
-3rd drive is 0 runs and 2 passes, with an interception.
-4th drive is the last drive for field goal attempt.

Gerhartz didn't touch the ball in first half.
He had three carries in the second half: 43 yards, 7 yards with personal foul and 23 yards.

Maybe UWO play calling was overly influenced by the wind.   

[UWO Titan 78]

I don't see them as jabs. There are a lot of questions. I'm sure the coaching staff is looking over every decision they made and analyzing them. Hopefully they learn form them and get better. I would imagine the Mount staff has been in more playoff situations than the Titans. They've probably never been down 25 points before, but I'm sure that experience helped them and allowed them to not panic and keep playing.