FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[reality check]

This article was sent out to a lot of former ONU players and friends regarding Jason Trusnik's season and outlook.  Thought maybe someone would enjoy the read since we don't have much to talk about.

Trusnik Article

[JK]

This article was sent out to a lot of former ONU players and friends regarding Jason Trusnik's season and outlook.  Thought maybe someone would enjoy the read since we don't have much to talk about.

Trusnik Article

Maybe if the new Jets coach doesn't think Trusnik fits his scheme Mangini will bring him to Cleveland.  I think the Trusnik family would welcome having their son close by and getting a chance to see him play in the NFL on a more regular basis.

[Blutarsky]

Saw this on the East Region Thread and thought it was a great idea.....list the top 5 things you are "most excited" about your team for next year along with the top 5 items that make you "nervous" for next year:


Mount Union

Most Excited
--Number of starters returning
--Cecil's back! (The WR group as a whole is great)
--Rumors of a great recruiting class
--See what LK and the coaches do with a new group of "skill" players
--"Tradition doesn't graduate"

Most Nervous
--No Kmic, No Micheli
--Who steps up to be the leaders on the field, at practice, in the locker room?
--Who will be the QB? (if not Rocco, then who?)
--Feeling that UWW controlled the line of scrimmage....will we be able to get bigger, stronger?
--Will the loss of the OC be a concern? (I have to admit that I struggled for five........)

Would love to hear from supporters of other OAC schools.

[reality check]

Blutarsky

I admit this task is more daunting for most schools not named Mount Union but here's my thoughts on ONU.

Ohio Northern

Most Excited about:

- Picking up where we left off (going 5-1 after starting 0-4)
- Our schedule: getting North Central, Mount, BW and JCU at home and traveling to CAP and OTT
- The potential growth of the skill guys: Simmons, Donley, Sneed and lots of WR's
- The front seven on defense: not everyone's back but we should be returning a lot of experienced guys
- Offensive Line anchored by Benchic and Smith

Most nervous about:

- The first two games: North Central and Mount Union (but they're both at home)
- The defensive backfiled: losing Robertson, Rasmussen and Porter is tough but there are still some guys with experience
- The 3rd quarter: historically ONU's been dominant in the third but they were outscored in 2008 by a 77-31 margin (the only quarter they trailed for the season).  We need to get back to the old ways and make more impactful second half adjustments to win ballgames.  If we don't win the third quarters of games, we are in trouble.
- The passing game: we need to be more dynamic and have a more balanced offensive attack.  275 yards on the year just is not good enough for our top WR.
- The new recruits: hoping that a down year didn't hurt the recruiting effort

I could look deep and find a lot more to be nervous about but that's what happens when you look at a 5-5 team. 

[section13raiderfan]

Regarding the Texas legislator who is suing the BCS to stop them from "appointing a champion". I hope this actually goes to court and the BCS is made to defend its system. Not that I think any particular past champion was unworthy, but I want to see them defend the position that their system is not capricious and arbitrary and filled with prejudices, and that profit is not THE motivator in their process. This suit might well force a new system to determine a national champion or force the BCS to decline to name one for fear of litigation. If this legislator wins this one then I want him to work on fixing the economy next.

Beanie Wells is going pro to help his family! After watching him at the highschool and college levels, Im doubtful if he will make it past preseason football without going on the disabled list. Them big boys play hard! Ohio State is going to have to develop some new talent pretty quick given the defection rate. I wonder who is the next big thing at running back for them?

Good luck to Jason Candle in his next position. Toledo might be eyeing VK next.

OK, who has the scoop on MUC recruits? Do tell!

Just wondering......How DOES  Jim Tressels coaching style compare to his fathers? Jim learned his first football lessons at the dinner table no doubt. Anybody old enough to compare the two? Maybe Jim has a D3 mentality since that is what he played and observed as a coaches kid.

[HScoach]

Blutarsky,

Good list.   Here's mine:


Most excited about

1.  8 starters returning on defense.  Only losses are CB Ely, DE Millings and LB Yoder.  What makes me even more excited about the D is that only Ely was the best at their respective position.  Mllings was very good, but Herbert is better.  Yoder was very good, but Kershaw was every bit as good and a little bigger.  Ely was the best CB on the 08 team, but not by a big margin and Mount has a ton of depth in the secondary. 

2.  Cecil, AJ Claycomb and Vince P form one of the best WR cores Mount has had in a long, long time.  Shorts is a very good #1 receiver and a game changer, but what makes this group so great is Claycomb and Vince P.  They're much better #2 and #3 receivers than what Mount typically has had.  The last group this good as awhole would be 1997.

3.  O-line returns 3 starters and great depth.  A weakness in '08 should be a strength in '09.

4.  LK is still walking the sidelines.

5.  Curious to see whether the exact opposite of the '08 team can make it back to the Stagg.  '08 was all about the QB and TB.  '09 will be about the defense and new skill people on O.



Most Nervous About:

1.  No Greg Micheli.  Filling the HUGE hole at QB is my only real concern for '09.  With the receiving core that we have coming back, it's imperative that LK finds a QB that can makes all the throws and most importantly distribute the ball smartly.  I'm already on the record as not thinking Rocco is the answerm but I really hope I'm wrong.  I didn't see a freshman on the JV that impressed me either.

2.  No Nate Kmic.  I'm more worried about Nate's loss off the field than I am about replacing him on the field.  The leadership and work ethic he brought to the team can not be under estimated.  As far as actual rushing goes, I think Panchik, a heathly Morring and the freshmen that showed flashes of brilliance will be just fine.  They won't ever replace The Man, but they should still be a very good group.

3.  Jason Candle was a great recruiting coordinator and was a tireless worker at getting kids to Mount.  Especially the out of state kids.  The longterm efffects of his loss could be huge.

4.  Knowing that Whitewater will be beter in '09 than they were in '08.  Knowing that Mount's skill people is why Mount won in '08 and Micheli and Kmic are gone.  If Mount gets good play at QB and stays healthy, we could be looking at MUC/WWW Part 5 with Mount as a big underdog.

5.  Wondering how many more years LK has in him.  One of these off-seasons he's just going to ride into the sunset and the The Machine's plug will be pulled.   Mount will be a legit title threat as long as LK is here, but the time is coming.  Hopefully latter rather than sooner, but I worry about it every off-season.

[skunks_sidekick]

Something else to be really excited about.............Mount has a "new" offensive coordinator!  He may know a tad about creating/running/managing a high-powered offense.

Things are good in MUC-land!   

[reality check]

Who are you referring to?  I don't see anything listed on the MUC website regarding an announcement.

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

I think he means that LK will be taking over again.

[HScoach]

Being reported by ESPN that Josh McDaniels has been hired as the Bronco's new head coach.

Congrats!

[reality check]

That's awesome for Josh.  I thought Denver would be a good fit and he had a shot but am still a little surprised he got the nod.  With the chatter regarding Tony Dungy and his future up in the air I wondered if the Polian/JCU connection might develop something but he's going to be in a great spot in the AFC West with a football city to support him.  If he starts fast, he'll be in a great spot but he won't be given much chance to rebuild because they'll want to win and want to win now.

[seventiesraider]

Great to have another D3'er in the HC ranks and of course the Browns never seriously considered him.

Did anyone else notice that Darren Sproles and Nate Kmic are roughly the same size.  Still a one in a million shot at best

[pradierguy]

Did anyone else notice that Darren Sproles and Nate Kmic are roughly the same size.  Still a one in a million shot at best

Not to take anything away from Nate, but Darren Sproles has another gear that is far above Nate's speed. That is why Sproles is so successful.

[pradierguy]

I mean I think Ric is the same size as Sproles... but I don't think he's suiting up anytime soon 


I know I know, he isn't even here to defend himself.

[reality check]

When did 5'6" 181 lbs (NFL.com) become roughly the same size as 5'9" 193 lbs (muc.edu)?

Kmic's size on paper is more similar to the other Chargers RB on the active roster: Michael Bennett who is listed at 5'9" 207 lbs.

I've listed some of the names before but Kmic is more comparable in size and weight to guys like: JJ Arrington, Ahmad Bradshaw, Rock Cartwright, Warrick Dunn (the closest overall comparison: 5'9" 187 lbs), Kevin Faulk, Julius Jones, etc.  He's almost identical in size to Jamal Robertson and I don't recall the opinion on Jamal being that he was projected as a scatback/third down specialist type player after college.

I just think that comparing Nate Kmic to Darren Sproles, the shortest running back in the NFL in recent years, is not fair to either guy.  If those comparisons are similar then Nate Kmic is roughly the same size as Joseph Addai, Marion Barber or Edgerrin James (all of whom are roughly 3 inches taller and 15 lbs heavier than Nate's listed size).  He's runs more like the latter three guys than he does Sproles and is as close to them in size as Sproles is to him.