FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[merlecanlas]

Board is kind of quiet this week.  No legal proceedings to discuss. 

I took the silence as a bit of nerves perhaps.  It's not often that I feel like Mount is the underdog, but I think that's the case here.  UWO doesn't appear to have much in the way of weaknesses.  Personally I'm concerned this could be where the struggles with sustaining long drives may sting the Raiders.  And UWO is balanced offensively with a power running game.  Another recipe for troubling Mount.  I think it's going to be a really good game.  I just hope Mount can force a couple turnovers, hit a couple big plays and make one last trip to Salem.  It'd only be right for the Raiders to close out the Salem era, right??

You're only watching half of the game then

[bleedpurple]

Board is kind of quiet this week.  No legal proceedings to discuss. 

I took the silence as a bit of nerves perhaps.  It's not often that I feel like Mount is the underdog, but I think that's the case here.  UWO doesn't appear to have much in the way of weaknesses.  Personally I'm concerned this could be where the struggles with sustaining long drives may sting the Raiders.  And UWO is balanced offensively with a power running game.  Another recipe for troubling Mount.  I think it's going to be a really good game.  I just hope Mount can force a couple turnovers, hit a couple big plays and make one last trip to Salem.  It'd only be right for the Raiders to close out the Salem era, right??

You're only watching half of the game then

Agreed.  UW-W gained more yards per play against UW-O than the Purple Raiders did against Marietta, ONU, Otterbein, and Musky.  Think about that.  Unfortunately, after being down by 3 with 10 minutes left in the game, we turned the ball over the next two possessions. And our defense, which could not get off the field, wore down and the Titans pulled away.  Their offense is really good. We'll see how their defense holds up against the vaunted Mount O.

[merlecanlas]

Board is kind of quiet this week.  No legal proceedings to discuss. 

I took the silence as a bit of nerves perhaps.  It's not often that I feel like Mount is the underdog, but I think that's the case here.  UWO doesn't appear to have much in the way of weaknesses.  Personally I'm concerned this could be where the struggles with sustaining long drives may sting the Raiders.  And UWO is balanced offensively with a power running game.  Another recipe for troubling Mount.  I think it's going to be a really good game.  I just hope Mount can force a couple turnovers, hit a couple big plays and make one last trip to Salem.  It'd only be right for the Raiders to close out the Salem era, right??

You're only watching half of the game then

Agreed.  UW-W gained more yards per play against UW-O than the Purple Raiders did against Marietta, ONU, Otterbein, and Musky.  Think about that.  Unfortunately, after being down by 3 with 10 minutes left in the game, we turned the ball over the next two possessions. And our defense, which could not get off the field, wore down and the Titans pulled away.  Their offense is really good. We'll see how their defense holds up against the vaunted Mount O.

and UWW had less yards than UW-L or UW-RF.  I'd put the two offenses at a wash.  Probably 1A and 1B in D3 this year, balanced but explosive.  Mount maybe better through the air, but UWO has the advantage on the ground.  Defense is where this game will be won.  And please Mount, cover a kickoff.  Where'd did all of the touchbacks go?

[WRMUalum13]

One stat that should bode very well for Mount Union is UWO's sacks per game. They rank 148th in NCAA and 7th in the WIAC. If Mount's QB, I'll call him Luke Fulford for now, has all day to throw it's not really going to matter if Mount's able to establish the running game or not. UWO will be forced to drop more players into coverage opening up the underneath routes and QB scrambles.

I just don't see UWO taking away the pass without getting a ton of pressure on the Mount QB, and statistically it doesn't look like UWO will be able to do that.

[buddy34]

the mount offensive line has been fairly porous through the playoffs, starting with bad snaps and allowing lots of pressure. i doubt those defensive lines are better than what mount will see saturday.

[raiderpa]

My source said the team charter left at 11AM this morning.  They practiced late last night because they had to await the Kehres' returning from NY.

[WRMUalum13]

the mount offensive line has been fairly porous through the playoffs, starting with bad snaps and allowing lots of pressure. i doubt those defensive lines are better than what mount will see Saturday.

Yes but last week a lot of those bad snaps can be accounted for because of a new QB under center.

Here's Mount's last 4 opponents and their NCAA sacks per game rank:

John Carrol: 26
Washington and Lee 81
Case Western Reserve: 120
Frostburg State: 25

Look i'm not saying those numbers are perfect, SOS could change that alot. All I'm saying is that based on the numbers UWO is probably not the best pass rush Mount has faced all year

[merlecanlas]

One stat that should bode very well for Mount Union is UWO's sacks per game. They rank 148th in NCAA and 7th in the WIAC. If Mount's QB, I'll call him Luke Fulford for now, has all day to throw it's not really going to matter if Mount's able to establish the running game or not. UWO will be forced to drop more players into coverage opening up the underneath routes and QB scrambles.

I just don't see UWO taking away the pass without getting a ton of pressure on the Mount QB, and statistically it doesn't look like UWO will be able to do that.

UWO plays a lot of weird defense.  Rush 2 or 3 and drop 8 or 9 into coverage.  Will they do that with Mount?  who knows.  But D'Luke Poorford might be better off taking off and getting 5 yards on the ground rather than forcing the ball into tight windows when that happens.

[WRMUalum13]

One stat that should bode very well for Mount Union is UWO's sacks per game. They rank 148th in NCAA and 7th in the WIAC. If Mount's QB, I'll call him Luke Fulford for now, has all day to throw it's not really going to matter if Mount's able to establish the running game or not. UWO will be forced to drop more players into coverage opening up the underneath routes and QB scrambles.

I just don't see UWO taking away the pass without getting a ton of pressure on the Mount QB, and statistically it doesn't look like UWO will be able to do that.

UWO plays a lot of weird defense.  Rush 2 or 3 and drop 8 or 9 into coverage.  Will they do that with Mount?  who knows.  But D'Luke Poorford might be better off taking off and getting 5 yards on the ground rather than forcing the ball into tight windows when that happens.

That's a good point, but i know getting to the
QB has been key for defeating mount in recent years. I think if they drop 8 or 9 Mount will throw quick passes and run the qb. So I guess it's a question of can they bring a good pass rush when needed?

[Carin@TheLiquorStore]

One stat that should bode very well for Mount Union is UWO's sacks per game. They rank 148th in NCAA and 7th in the WIAC. If Mount's QB, I'll call him Luke Fulford for now, has all day to throw it's not really going to matter if Mount's able to establish the running game or not. UWO will be forced to drop more players into coverage opening up the underneath routes and QB scrambles.

I just don't see UWO taking away the pass without getting a ton of pressure on the Mount QB, and statistically it doesn't look like UWO will be able to do that.

UWO plays a lot of weird defense.  Rush 2 or 3 and drop 8 or 9 into coverage.  Will they do that with Mount?  who knows.  But D'Luke Poorford might be better off taking off and getting 5 yards on the ground rather than forcing the ball into tight windows when that happens.

I think this is exactly correct. UWO has shown a lot of weird defensive packages throughout the year and generally hasn't made rushing the passer a huge focal point in their overall defensive scheme. Having said that, they've generally been pretty efficient in generating pressure on the QB when they try to do so. Now, whether or not that is a sound strategy against M.U. or whether or not they'll be able to do so when/if needed this upcoming weekend is a different story. All I'm saying is that looking at UWO's sacks per game during the regular season play isn't necessarily the most reliable gauge by which to measure their defense.

My uninformed guess is that we'll see UWO dropping a lot of guys back into coverage and try to force M.U.'s offense to beat them with the running game or to force their QB to complete a lot of throws into tight passing windows.

[merlecanlas]

One stat that should bode very well for Mount Union is UWO's sacks per game. They rank 148th in NCAA and 7th in the WIAC. If Mount's QB, I'll call him Luke Fulford for now, has all day to throw it's not really going to matter if Mount's able to establish the running game or not. UWO will be forced to drop more players into coverage opening up the underneath routes and QB scrambles.

I just don't see UWO taking away the pass without getting a ton of pressure on the Mount QB, and statistically it doesn't look like UWO will be able to do that.

UWO plays a lot of weird defense.  Rush 2 or 3 and drop 8 or 9 into coverage.  Will they do that with Mount?  who knows.  But D'Luke Poorford might be better off taking off and getting 5 yards on the ground rather than forcing the ball into tight windows when that happens.

I think this is exactly correct. UWO has shown a lot of weird defensive packages throughout the year and generally hasn't made rushing the passer a huge focal point in their overall defensive scheme. Having said that, they've generally been pretty efficient in generating pressure on the QB when they try to do so. Now, whether or not that is a sound strategy against M.U. or whether or not they'll be able to do so when/if needed this upcoming weekend is a different story. All I'm saying is that looking at UWO's sacks per game during the regular season play isn't necessarily the most reliable gauge by which to measure their defense.

My uninformed guess is that we'll see UWO dropping a lot of guys back into coverage and try to force M.U.'s offense to beat them with the running game or to force their QB to complete a lot of throws into tight passing windows.

If the Mount OL can protect against 3-4 man pressure, then D'Luke Poorford should be able to have a field day.  Mount's going to be able to stretch the field vertically and have dudes underneath.  No matter how many UWO drops back, some Mount WR will pop open if there is no pressure.  If not, the QB is mobile enough to pick up yards.  Decision making will be key for the young Mount QB.  Obviously

[Raider 68]

Many good points raised for the Mount Union UW-Oshkosh match-up, but I differ some with my knowledgeable
colleagues.

- Not seeing the Hansen Ratings, Mount should be the favorite

- the game will test which defense creates a few turnovers ( I do not see many either way)

- despite the Raider's big play results, they still have almost (2) 1,000 yard rushers.

- The Raider O line has only given up 2 sacks in the playoffs, while not the best in Mount's history, certainly
  one of the better ones.

- UWO is a solid team, but do they have the speed needed to keep up, IMHO only Mary Hardin Baylor matches
  the Raiders in that area.

- If you look closely at the stats, they clearly show a top offense ( 1st in Scoring) against a top UWO defense, but
  it is the other categories that give the Raiders an edge.

- We could see both Mount QB's playing in this one

- It will be an exciting game and as someone pointed out, 3 of the 4 semi- finalists can win it all

[Carin@TheLiquorStore]

If I'm not mistaken, JCU is the only common opponent that each of these teams have faced this year and based on the game summaries alone, it looks like JCU played both teams pretty close (although I'm sure that JCU week 1 vs. JCU week 10 were very different teams). At a brief glance, UWO had 345 yards of total offense and gave up 260 against JCU (Final Score 23-17 w/UWO winning), whereas M.U. had 334 and gave-up 202 (final score 31-27 in favor of M.U.).

Not sure what, if anything, that counts for but would seem to further push the narrative that it could/should be a close one this weekend. Would be curious if there is anyone on this board who attended both games and to hear their thoughts.

[WRMUalum13]

My source said the team charter left at 11AM this morning.  They practiced late last night because they had to await the Kehres' returning from NY.

I actually heard the reason they practiced at night was to prep for the cold weather. Your explanation makes more and sense.

[D O.C.]

No injuries!

Safe travel! ( that's where you have to leave your home field like last year )