FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

MUC does need to get their special teams clicking !!

We have a full roster of kickers (LOL) but can't get the snap or hold down...

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

Post from the ODAC board from someone who went to the MUC/ONU game today:

MUC Won't Win the Stagg This year

3) MUC is good, but not great.  They were able to win today b/c the ONU offense couldn't get moving.  I don't think MUC will win another title this year.

[DII/DIIIFan]

Went to ONU/MUC game. ODAC poster is wrong - MUC is exceptional. Remember this is only the second game for MUC and they played a freshman QB on half the possessions. If someone is going to beat MUC come playoff time - they better have an offense unlike any I've seen in DIII for quite a few years.

MUC's line play was dominant - particularly in the second half. Yes, ONU's defense is very, very good (ask North Central), but MUC's defense is other worldly.

MUC's running game was very, very good - passing game not so good. The TD pass to Miller was a fluke as two Polar Bears collided - each could have easily intercepted the tipped pass. When they collided they tipped the ball even higher in the air and the 6'6" Miller caught it.

Lastly, why did MUC throw a 25 yard pass on 4th down and 6 up 24-10 from ONU's 35 yard line with 2 minutes to play? It felt a little bit like trying to rub it in - inconsistent with what I have seen from MUC in past years. And don't tell me, ONU could have stopped the 4th down, scored a long TD, recovered an onside kick, blah, blah ...

Give credit where due - ONU is very good, MUC is once again - exceptional!!

[bushman]

The sweater vest would have kicked.  As he always plays not to lose.  Never to go for the knock out punch.  On another note how did Rocco play today?  He looked pretty good against Fisher.

[Raider 68]

Disappointing to lose today but ONU hung with the Raiders.  All this talk about no offense and solid defense seems skewed to me.  How about this?  Maybe the MUC D is good enough to shut a good offense down.  ONU just put up 400 yards of offense against North Central.  After game one, there was a lot more offensive potential than the ONU faithful have seen in some years.  ONU will score plenty of points in OAC play this season despite today's total.  I think MUC got it's test based on what we saw in week one from other OAC schools and what it sounds like is going on so far today.  Maybe JCU or BW surprise tonight but I doubt it. 

If ONU wins out, they've got to be in a very good spot come playoff time.  They need to play the way they did on defense today and keep focused the rest of the season.

Post from the ODAC board from someone who went to the MUC/ONU game today:

MUC Won't Win the Stagg This year

3) MUC is good, but not great.  They were able to win today b/c the ONU offense couldn't get moving.  I don't think MUC will win another title this year.

Yes, RC the Raiders defense played very well and they will be good this year, in today's game however, the  ONU QB missed several completion opportunites according to the announcers. As everyone knows any team has to run the ball well to keep the defense honest and ONU did not. I think they will have a good year, so we will see how the season develops and who the potential 2nd playoff team may be.

Regarding the ODAC post, to say that the Raiders will not win a title
this year is like saying they will, after only 2 games.

As the year progresses, we will all know if  they show the type of progress
they have in the past. To win two road games early in the season and one
with a rival by a combined score of 82-10 is a step in the right direction.

[Kehresma]

Anyone know how SJF did today?  We're still out in the Green Acres, driving back from Ada, so I am not doing the research myself. 

The fans and facilities of ONU are great.  They gave us a good run first half.  Had to switch to a running game second half, and Scott P gave  us a  show.  No quit in that kid.  I missed the receiver entertainment, tho.  Another day for that.

Thanks, O Northern, for a game.

Did anyone else think the officials were a little quick to throw the flags?

[reality check]

Raider 68

I could be wrong, and if I am then I apologize, but it sounds like you're implying in your most recent posts that ONU's run game is suspect and didn't show up today.  I think when you really look at the collective bodies of work and what these terms are all about, then that point is completely inaccurate.  I mean, we're talking about ONU running against an MUC defense that perennially measures it's effectiveness not on YPC but rather FPC or IPC (feet per carry or inches per carry).  I'm not making that up; it's talked about midway through every season in here.  The Raider rush defense has been a strength of the defense for years.  Teams have had more success (albeit modest) through the air than they typically have on the ground against MUC.  I was more surprised today at MUC's ability to stop the passing game completely than what they did to the running game.  Between the pressure they put on Simmons in the pass rush and the fact that the secondary only surrendered 8 completions for 56 yards on 26 attempts says more about an effective game plan in coverages and bringing heat than it does about a QB's inability to hit a receiver on occasion.  To say it any other way would be a disservice to the defense's effort and effectiveness.

And if you take away the sack totals, which I have always felt should go against the passing numbers and not a QB's rushing numbers, then Simmons carries 6 times for 24 yards.  The true rushing totals were 25 carries for 61 yards.  Not many teams run for 2.5 YPC against the Purple Raiders.  It's not like 2.5 YPC is something to brag about, but I've seen far more teams do worse than better than that number.  Simmons, Donley and crew will put up some good numbers on the ground this year.  It's convenient to forget that this offense put up 400 yards against NCC week one.  I have to believe that overhyped or not, NCC is a better test than some of the OAC competition this year and if the Polar Bears can rush for over 200 yards on 49 carries against NCC, then they darn sure will put up some numbers against the rest of the OAC.  If they throw like they did against North Central, then look out because a playoff run is not out of the question.

It seems that it would be more fair to applaud another incredible MUC defensive effort than to say that the opponent had an inferior offense.  The Purple People Eaters were out in full force and stopped a good offense today.  Let them celebrate that effort instead of belittling it in favor of pointing out offensive shortcomings.  Unless ONU was running into each other in the backfield and throwing lolly pops, it seems fair to think that some of the stops were in large part due to defensive pressure and relentless flow to the football. 

I'd be interested in hearing what thoughts are out there from MUC fans that were actually at the game.  You guys are used to winning but I'd have to think you didn't walk away saying you beat a team with no offensive firepower but rather you beat a team by shutting down it's offense.  Please attending Raider faithful, fill us in.

[section13raiderfan]

Will ONU be healthy nuff to win next week? Injuries were plentifull in this one. That poor kid who injured his shoulder is one tough cookie! He went off the field with his arm dangling in the first half then went back in on special teams later in the game. He was obviously still hurting too. His backup must be awful.
ONU will be alright if they keep moral up after this loss. Might even play em again later!

[Dr. Acula]

Anyone know how SJF did today?  We're still out in the Green Acres, driving back from Ada, so I am not doing the research myself.

Looks like Fisher is up 21-13 at the half. 

[reality check]

16-10 at the half in U Heights.  JCU kicked a short FG as time expired in the first half.

Two minutes left in the 4th and Etta extends its lead to 4 over the Quakers with a short FG.



Updated - - Final 24-20 Pios win


(((Wilma marched down to the Etta 28 yard before stalling.  The Pios had to be sweating it out in the final seconds since they chose to kick a FG from the 1 on 4th and goal.)))

[HScoach]

RC,

From my perspective on the ONU offense, they played hard and smart, they are just lacking playmakers at the WR spots to be a serious threat to Mount.   Donley is a tough SOB that is very hard to tackle, Simmons is plenty athletic enough to scramble around, but he isn't overly accurate on the move, and the receivers aren't nearly fast enough to create the separation needed to make the throws an easy one.  The coverage was usually tight thereby making Simmons throw it almost perfectly to get the completion. 

There were quite a few times the receivers didn't make the reasonable catch to help out Simmons.  They didn't drop the easy ones, but there were a handful that would would have been a decently  tough catch that they need to make to keep the chains moving.  Mostly along the sidelines on out routes.  Then couple that with an overall lack of speed at WR, and the ONU offense really struggled to hit anything over 5 or 10 yards long. 

The best plays ONU had today were screen passes to Donley.

The Mount defense won the game in the first quarter by completely slamming the door after the 2 quick INT's gave Northern the ball deep in Raider territory.  If the Mount D starts slow, they have been down 14-0 in the first 10 minutes.  As expected, the defensive line completely dominated.  Very little room for Donley to run, and Simmons was running for his life on probably 75% of his pass attempts and knoicked down on close to 50% of them either as he was releasing the ball or soon thereafter. 

Overall I was very impressed by the Bears' effort and defensive scheme today.  They played very hard and really brought the pressure on the Mount passing game.  You could tell Coach Paul was not going to let Rocco and Seaman get comfortable.  ONU blitzed early and often and with good results.  It wasn't until the 2nd half when Mount went to the power running game that they had any consistent success moving the ball against the Bear defense.  Cecil Shorts got deep a couple times but the pressure on Rocco forced enough of an errant throw to cause the incompletion.

If Northern plays with the same intensity next week against Otterbein, they should win easily.  Rafferty and Co don't stand a chance against Northern if their defense plays the same way they did today.

[SaintsFAN]

Well said, reality check... Because of my knowing Dean Paul, I would like to hear from knowledgeable fans at the game today too..

Too much belittling of other teams going on in here after each of the 2 weeks of OAC play.

[muc-raider]

Raider 68

I could be wrong, and if I am then I apologize, but it sounds like you're implying in your most recent posts that ONU's run game is suspect and didn't show up today.  I think when you really look at the collective bodies of work and what these terms are all about, then that point is completely inaccurate.  I mean, we're talking about ONU running against an MUC defense that perennially measures it's effectiveness not on YPC but rather FPC or IPC (feet per carry or inches per carry).  I'm not making that up; it's talked about midway through every season in here.  The Raider rush defense has been a strength of the defense for years.  Teams have had more success (albeit modest) through the air than they typically have on the ground against MUC.  I was more surprised today at MUC's ability to stop the passing game completely than what they did to the running game.  Between the pressure they put on Simmons in the pass rush and the fact that the secondary only surrendered 8 completions for 56 yards on 26 attempts says more about an effective game plan in coverages and bringing heat than it does about a QB's inability to hit a receiver on occasion.  To say it any other way would be a disservice to the defense's effort and effectiveness.

And if you take away the sack totals, which I have always felt should go against the passing numbers and not a QB's rushing numbers, then Simmons carries 6 times for 24 yards.  The true rushing totals were 25 carries for 61 yards.  Not many teams run for 2.5 YPC against the Purple Raiders.  It's not like 2.5 YPC is something to brag about, but I've seen far more teams do worse than better than that number.  Simmons, Donley and crew will put up some good numbers on the ground this year.  It's convenient to forget that this offense put up 400 yards against NCC week one.  I have to believe that overhyped or not, NCC is a better test than some of the OAC competition this year and if the Polar Bears can rush for over 200 yards on 49 carries against NCC, then they darn sure will put up some numbers against the rest of the OAC.  If they throw like they did against North Central, then look out because a playoff run is not out of the question.

It seems that it would be more fair to applaud another incredible MUC defensive effort than to say that the opponent had an inferior offense.  The Purple People Eaters were out in full force and stopped a good offense today.  Let them celebrate that effort instead of belittling it in favor of pointing out offensive shortcomings.  Unless ONU was running into each other in the backfield and throwing lolly pops, it seems fair to think that some of the stops were in large part due to defensive pressure and relentless flow to the football. 

I'd be interested in hearing what thoughts are out there from MUC fans that were actually at the game.  You guys are used to winning but I'd have to think you didn't walk away saying you beat a team with no offensive firepower but rather you beat a team by shutting down it's offense.  Please attending Raider faithful, fill us in.

Well, I happened to be one of the Raiders fans attending the game today.  It was a game of two halves.  The first half Mount got off to a Rocky start...all puns intended.  The interception could have been dropped as it bounced around but the defender did a good job juggling it into his possession.  After that (and that was the first play from scrimmage), everything was ONU.  They had field position, enthusiasm and confidence.  Mount seemed to not be able to get things going.  The defense kept them in the game.  The second half started out with no one doing much of anything but then Mount's D kicked in.  After the first of several 3-and-outs, the O got confidence and took control of the game.  My take on all of this still revolves around the starting QB.  Until he settles down and gets (and maintains) a level of confidence and consistency, we may see more games like this--(but I hope not).

[seventiesraider]

What time is the JV game tomorrow??

I had the Capital video running, the Mount Audio up, the ONU Live (DEAD) stats, the Cap Live stats and my laptop went blue screen and I had to reinstall the operating system. Just a little too much technology. Hats off to Capital for the live stream. Haven't had a live stream from Alliance since they took the Fieldturf installation webcam down. Lenny, we're falling behind in the technology wars again. I'd gladly run the camera from the third floor of the pressbox. (With a half a roll of duct tape over my mouth)

[skunks_sidekick]

Reporting in.........Skunk, Jr. and I were there today. 

My observations/impressions
Rocco was well.......Rocco today.     Now a big part of that was because ONU put EXTREME pressure on Mount's QB's all day.  They just kept coming every play.  Cecil was open on at least three deep balls but Rocco had to hurry them due to pressure.  Seaman showed promise, has great feet, but if he floats one more three yard out I am going to SCREAM!  At least twice Northern could have had pick sixes. 

ONU's offense isn't horrible, and I think their QB is actually very mobile, and has some skills.  He was getting CRUSHED all day long.  I was not as impressed as HSCoach with Donley, but then I heard on the ONU college station after the game that he was banged up with a gimpy ankle.  He looks like a load, but Mount really didn't let him do anything all day.  The QB did miss a few passes that could have been TD's early. 

ONU's defense is really that good.  Hopefully, for their sake they aren't too banged up for next week's game against OTT.  I have no reason to think   OTT is that good, and would guess ONU will/could win by two TD's if they are healthy. 

LK was very upset at half-time due to all the frickin' STUPID penalties, and overall mediocre at best, bad at worst, play of the QB's.  Once Mount got up he was NOT going to let Rocco throw another interception, hence the running game was used almost exclusively.  Pancik really delivered today.  What a tough nut.  Hits the hole hard, and finishes runs.  Great job by Terrance MANNING ? (PA announcer was a complete annoying twit!)  He had some good runs, and blocked from the FB spot like a maniac. 

Whoever questioned the throw when it was 4th and whatever on the 35....ummm.....was Mount supposed to PUNT?  That is just silly dude......

Herbert and Millings literally got held every play.  Even with that, they were simply unblockable.  Those two are really something special to see.  But don't get me wrong, the whole Mount D was extra special. 

The punt/kickoff teams STUNK!  That will definitely be something that gets addressed this week in practice. 

ONU stadium.........is nice, but weird.  No fence, and all this wide open field/grassy areas surround the place.  If you were so inclined (which of course I wasn't) you could really just walk around to the visitor side and step over the intimidating rope  and walk up to the stands.  Oh..and why no turf?  The field already looks pretty worn out, and it's only the second game?  Great fans, and really nice people all around the campus.  It was definitely a true college atmosphere for the game. 

That is all......carry on!