FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[WRMUalum13]

Well shoot now I'm legit nervous. Defense looks confused and slow

Open receivers and  very little pass rush

28-20.

What is happening, right now? Defense can't seem to stop a nosebleed right now.

28-28 mount Union with a quick score and conversion. That's a nice spark

[WRMUalum13]

Much better on defense. The D looked about a step faster on the drive.

[archgemini24]

Much better on defense. The D looked about a step faster on the drive.

Yeah, they did, and they needed it in the worst way. Like we all said against North Central in 2019: if they give the QB too much time only rushing 4, they should go ahead and start bringing a 5th. Yeah, you might give up some short stuff, but you are also more likely to get a sack or at least make the QB uncomfortable.

[archgemini24]

Mount is giving the receivers way too much space off the line. Give the line a little time to get some pressure.

And that was a fumble. Have to bounce back after not getting it, though.

[archgemini24]

Escaped. Ohio Northern was game today. That was far less comfortable than I would have liked. I will definitely need a few minutes to exhale and get all the nervous jitters out.

I agree with the announcers. Hahn looked like he wanted to throw it out-of-bounds, but could not get enough on it.

Mount Union's Defense needs work. I like the pressure packages, but they'll need to learn that if they all get through that easily, it's a screen.

[Fido0650]

Game was too close for comfort.  Hats off to Ohio Northern.  Thought they played a great game after
getting beat by Capital last week.  Was Mount over confident?  Agree with another poster that they
looked flat.  When was the last time the Purple Raiders were beaten in number of first downs, yards
rushing AND passing, and total yards of offense?  If it's broken, they have 2 weeks to fix it.

[D3fanboy]

Well shoot now I'm legit nervous. Defense looks confused and slow

Open receivers and  very little pass rush

Defense was missing a significant number of typical starters/contributors yesterday.  Should only be a one week thing if you catch my drift.  Hats off to Petro for stepping in at punter and the hard-running on the game winning drive. Big time senior leadership.

To put it bluntly they look flat on both sides of the ball.  It's not pretty today.

It's not the first time this season.  I understand why Dartt would want to be in the booth to call plays, but not having your HC on the sidelines has to come into play here, imo

[crufootball]

Well shoot now I'm legit nervous. Defense looks confused and slow

Open receivers and  very little pass rush

Defense was missing a significant number of typical starters/contributors yesterday.  Should only be a one week thing if you catch my drift.  Hats off to Petro for stepping in at punter and the hard-running on the game winning drive. Big time senior leadership.

To put it bluntly they look flat on both sides of the ball.  It's not pretty today.

It's not the first time this season.  I understand why Dartt would want to be in the booth to call plays, but not having your HC on the sidelines has to come into play here, imo

Dartt isn't on the sidelines, has that been going on all year?

[Raider 68]

Well shoot now I'm legit nervous. Defense looks confused and slow

Open receivers and  very little pass rush

Defense was missing a significant number of typical starters/contributors yesterday.  Should only be a one week thing if you catch my drift.  Hats off to Petro for stepping in at punter and the hard-running on the game winning drive. Big time senior leadership.

To put it bluntly they look flat on both sides of the ball.  It's not pretty today.

It's not the first time this season.  I understand why Dartt would want to be in the booth to call plays, but not having your HC on the sidelines has to come into play here, imo

Dartt isn't on the sidelines, has that been going on all year?

Yes, I would be on the field to be seen and heard and fire the guys up. I hope that changes soon,

[WRMUalum13]

Well whatever pollster was giving Mount their lone 1st place has changed their mind after Saturday.

[edward de vere]

Plunk has 2 picks. Both off the back foot and neither a good pass. He is staring his WR down. On his first pick it looked like he was "ducking" pressure as he threw (like bailing out as he threw it). Mount needs to clean this up or it is an early exit.

Yes, it was easy to be enamored of Plunk in the spring.  In the fall, not quite so much.  Too much throwing it up in traffic while depending upon talented receivers to make great plays.

On another note, there are some interesting correspondences between Mount Union and Ohio State:

QB not running even though it appears he has the ability, therefore the opposition keys on the tailback.  Significant concerns about the defense when facing a good QB.  Problems with the defense most likely emanate from the lack of a stud pass-rushing lineman.

[edward de vere]

You play to win the game. Period. If you are not going to play to win the game - quit.

Well, I am certainly aware that a football message board will evidence an inordinate amount of testosterone.

Nevertheless, there are many times in life that discretion is the better part of valor.

And a football game between two extraordinarily mismatched D3 football teams does not quite carry the importance of . . .  Thermopylae.

[D3fanboy]

Plunk has 2 picks. Both off the back foot and neither a good pass. He is staring his WR down. On his first pick it looked like he was "ducking" pressure as he threw (like bailing out as he threw it). Mount needs to clean this up or it is an early exit.

Yes, it was easy to be enamored of Plunk in the spring.  In the fall, not quite so much.  Too much throwing it up in traffic while depending upon talented receivers to make great plays.

Plunk has definitely been forcing throws, and off the backfoot, lately.  But I think the change of offensive scheme is part of the "problem" as well.  The current version is pretty predictable and doesn't really stretch the field vertically much.  In the spring, the opponent had to defend the entire field, leading to larger passing windows.  In the fall, Mount is rarely taking shots over the top and keep the ball mostly on the outside, short. 

The offense is still scoring pretty much at will, so I'm sure that there is a plan.  But the TO's have been a little alarming, especially this late in the season.

[D3fanboy]

after reviewing the two-deep in the Mount game notes and the participation report in the box score, Mount was without 10 (12 if you count both PR) players in the two-deep. Welcome to the "new normal" I guess

[MUC57]

Mount Union destroys Capital. Capital whips Ohio Northern. Mount Union squeaks by Ohio Northern.
What's wrong with this picture?

I am certainly no expert on the fine points but here are some thoughts.

That was the most uninspired Mount team I have seen in a long time. Starting the 2nd half, ONU was in the south end zone, yelling, huddled up together and acting like a team that wanted to win a game. Mount stood single file, on the sideline- watching quietly! ONU ​still lost but not because of lack of desire.

Good start, I think, would be to get the HC out of the press box and onto the field. (Worked for LK).

Some strange play calling. If Mount's pass routes would have been any shorter, they would have been laterals. But what do I know? This offense is not like what I'm used to. That, in itself , isn"t bad but really good teams will be waiting in the playoffs.

A good offense begins with the QB. Plunk is a good QB. He is probably a very good QB. But he is no Jim Ballard. He is no Bill Borchert. No Kevin Burke, He is not .............! We'll see how he progresses.

God knows I love my alma mater and this football program. But I don't see a national championship this year (and it would be so close to home).
Mount set the bar very high years ago and now other teams have reacted accordingly. Look at the d3football top 25. Any of the top teams are capable of winning it all. You say that's true every year. Of course it is, but usually, Mount is in that group.

I end by saying I will always be a Purple Raider diehard. My team, win or lose.

GO RAIDERS!