FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[repete]

Yup. And nice rundown, 952.

[OldAuggie]

There main target + plus the local kid that got kicked off the gophers and then left River Falls are a great 1 - 2 punch.

Andre McDonald is not playing for Stout is he? Not on the roster anyway.  Kevion McDonald is the guy in the stats but he is not the same as Andre McDonald.

[miac952]

There main target + plus the local kid that got kicked off the gophers and then left River Falls are a great 1 - 2 punch.

Andre McDonald is not playing for Stout is he? Not on the roster anyway.  Kevion McDonald is the guy in the stats but he is not the same as Andre McDonald.

Darn it. My mistake. I swore I heard Dave Lee say Andre McDonald at some point. Regardless, I'll blame him. Props to Mcdonald and Standifer. Two studs.

[OldAuggie]

There main target + plus the local kid that got kicked off the gophers and then left River Falls are a great 1 - 2 punch.

Andre McDonald is not playing for Stout is he? Not on the roster anyway.  Kevion McDonald is the guy in the stats but he is not the same as Andre McDonald.

Darn it. My mistake. I swore I heard Dave Lee say Andre McDonald at some point. Regardless, I'll blame him. Props to Mcdonald and Standifer. Two studs.

There is zero doubt in my mind that Dave Lee called him Andre and probably did so more than once.  He butchered the Gopher Spring game last year too:

From the Daily Gopher:

Dave Lee is a loyal and true Gopher fan. But yesterday's broadcast was a painful reminder of why anyone who listens to Gopher Football on the radio is thankful beyond measure that he's no longer the play by play man for the Gophers. On the game's very first play, he thought Demry Croft was Tanner Morgan. This is all kinds of wrong given that: A) Croft is #11 and Morgan is #13, B) at no point had Morgan been anywhere near the #1 QB, and C) a rather obvious physical trait that differs between the two players.

[GoldandBlueBU]

5. What is going over at Bethel. The ship isnt righting itself. It seems to be getting worse. They are precipitously close to becoming a MIAC afterthought. I never thought that would happen with what has been built. I have great respect for what Coach Johnson has done. Hoping to see some signs of improvement.

Good question!  I didn't watch a minute of Saturday's game, so I'm interested to hear feedback from someone who did.  I was encouraged by their play vs. Dubuque, which I watched nearly the entire time, but getting blanked 31-0 is not a good sign.

[wm4]

Post Mortem:

1) BDB could easily be the mayor of Menominie.

2) Stout's defense is legit, and UST helped them look even better. The box scores are all screwed up but here are some things I know to be true. I'm sure Perra was sore on Sunday. UST's offensive line struggled pass blocking, and when they left in an extra tight end or RB to block, the receivers just couldn't get open. Which led to Perra throwing a pick that almost went for 6, or, alternatively, taking off and running, which resulted in him taking some pretty brutal shots.

UST threw about 50% of the time on 1st down. Perra throws a very nice ball, and I know he's the shiny new toy, but I'd rather see 2nd and 6 or 5 than 2nd and 10. When you have Roberts and Trettel, it is unnecessary to throw 41 times. It also affected the play-action. Numerous times Perra would play-action with the o-line and RBs flowing left so he could roll out to the right, only to be decapitated by #56 or whatever OLB was coming off the edge. Stout had the book on that, and it resulted in some bad QB hits, sacks, an intentional grounding and some QB hurries. Tear that play out of the playbook. After about the 6th time they ran that play I was wondering if they were just being masochistic.

Roberts has a ways to go before he's his old-self. I could see from BDB's beautiful-people he was missing some lanes you could wheelbarrow a Bennie through. At this point in the season Trettel is the better back IMO. I'm sure that'll change as the season goes on. I would try to get Roberts and Trettel about 20 and 15 touches respectively against Carleton. The line needs to establish its presence and Roberts just needs as many carries as he can get to shake the rust off.

Defensively: UGGGGGH. Very fast and very undisciplined. Apparently on 3rd and long they are under the impression that everything is legal. Double legged dropkicks, nunchcks, I think I saw Dylan Andrew kill a guy with a trident. He might want to lay low for awhile. Needless to say, a few 3rd downs turned into 1st downs, not because Stout made the right play call, but because UST decided to commit a felony assault.

The most fun match up was Mark Dowdle lined up on Brian Sandifer. Sandifer only had two catches but was targeted about 7 times on deep balls. Some great catches, pass break-ups, s**t talk, pass interferences on both guys. I could watch those two do 1-on-1s all day.

All-in-all. UW Stout is probably a 7-3 football team this year. Their defense is lights out, they have a nice RB and the WRs are athletic.

UST has the ability to go 9-1 or 7-3. My heart says UST can turn this into a positive and win out, my head says this is SJU's year unless either Concordia or UST say otherwise. I think if UST just plays a more conservative ball game they'll have a shot at the playoffs.

Great insight Bench.  Was not able to be at the game Saturday so my observations are limited to what I watched on the feed plus a deep look into the stats. 

First, well played game by Stout and congrats to them on the win.  They've cracked the top 25 and would love to see a new name at or near the top of the WIAC this year.

UST's offsense is just not at all together. 
- There's a noticeable lack of speed at the WR spot.  They've got a great TE, but when it's 3rd and long the WR's are just not much of a threat to get open.

- Perra needs work.  Yeah, he was running for his life at times on Saturday, but he's gotta make better decisions.  In the second half he was 7 for 16, and in the fourth quarter alone he was 1-6 for 9 yards and was sacked twice. 

- Hate to say it, but Trettle is the better back between the two.  He's shifty, quicker and bounces outside faster than Roberts.  Trettle touched the ball once in the second half, while Roberts rushed 4 times for a total of 10 yards.  Not sure when Parks is coming back, but he can't get here soon enough.  Same with Molina at fullback.

- But all the above is dwarfed by the problems on the O line.  They just can't protect the QB, nor can then create holes for the running backs.  Again, give Stout credit, as they played great in the second half on defense, but it's now two games in a row where UST's O line has been noticeably sub par.

- Playcalling....I'm not sure who's calling the plays (I suspect it's Caruso).  Great observations Bench on tearing some pages out of the playbook.  They've got to be able to get 5-6 yards on first down in order to stay ahead of the chains.  That'll continue to be a challenge against better opponents, if they can't get good line play up front.  Not sure how many times the TE was targeted Saturday, but I'd like to see him with more catches.

UST Defense:
- In the second half, UST's defense committed FOUR penalties that resulted in driving continuing for Stout.  Completely unacceptable, and this doesn't' even count the two penalties on Stout's game ending possession.  From personal fouls, to offsides, to pass interference, they shot themselves in the foot with a Howitzer way too many times.  Stout's QB was 7 for 17 with a pick and TD in the second half, so it's not like he lit UST up.  I was very surprised to see this group make those types of penalties.  I've watched a ton of UST football over the last 6 years and I know a case can be made that UST commits a ton of aggressive penalties on defense, but I'm still surprised this year's group struggled in this area Saturday afternoon. 

- UST's defense style is fast and aggressive, always has been.  The front 7 I think is really good, but they've got to be more disciplined.   I think this unit with continue to develop into a big asset as the season goes on. 

I think the defense will keep them in the big games against SJU and Concordia, but they've got to be more disciplined.  Use your skill and speed to your advantage, not the other way around.  The offense meanwhile, has to reboot and start over.  I'd start Trettle at running back, and I'd figure out if you've got some speed at WR that can be utilized somehow.  It's now two games in and Gabe Green hasn't had any touches (assuming stats are correct), maybe there's an opportunity there? 

[jamtod]

Gabe has been targeted a few times, but would love to see his speed and athleticism get utilized a little more heavily as he gains comfort with his role. I think we may see Parks on the outside as a receiver some once he gets back, which will hopefully be sooner rather than later.

I think I'm going to drag my wife down to Northfield for the game at Carleton on Saturday (with the excuse that it's what I want to do for my birthday next week). Anybody going to be there?

[USTBench]

WM4,

As far as TE targets go, Perra had Hull WIDE OPEN on a flag route in the second quarter and overthrew him. Then there was a deeper stick-route that I think Hull (maybe some other TE) let bounce off his hands. They got Hull a little  involved early, then sort of drifted away from that.

I think you're right about Gabe Green. Not sure what's going on there, but if you're not going to play him at QB, figure out a way to get him the ball. He's a heck of an athlete. Same with Pellini. He's the closest thing we have to a utility playmaker, and can be Nick Waldvogel type. I'd like to see some bubble screens/WR screens, and get some guys in space. Let them get their hands on the ball and try to make some YAC.  It can do wonders for the confidence. 

[faunch]

There main target + plus the local kid that got kicked off the gophers and then left River Falls are a great 1 - 2 punch.

Andre McDonald is not playing for Stout is he? Not on the roster anyway.  Kevion McDonald is the guy in the stats but he is not the same as Andre McDonald.

I believe they are related...brothers or half-brothers. Both went to Hopkins.

[miac952]

There main target + plus the local kid that got kicked off the gophers and then left River Falls are a great 1 - 2 punch.

Andre McDonald is not playing for Stout is he? Not on the roster anyway.  Kevion McDonald is the guy in the stats but he is not the same as Andre McDonald.

I believe they are related.

I would go back and listen to the audio just to make sure Im not on crazy pills, but I really don't want to relive that abomination of a game.

Dave Lee might be one of the nicest people on the planet. I have run into him a few times with his community involvement. However, the play by play leaves a bit to be desired at times. And since he is not here to defend himself, I'll throw it on him. 

Glad that Bench brought up Waldvogel. A major factor that hadnt hit me until now. I don't think there was a year off between Fritz and Nick (08-16). The two of them are the ultimate bail out for an offense. They made something out of nothing, and are great go-to's on 3rd down. I think Pallini can fill those shoes in some capacity, but there is still a big void. 3rd and longs are a lot more difficult to convert without a Waldvogel on the field. And its been 8 years since the offense has been without one.

[jamtod]

There main target + plus the local kid that got kicked off the gophers and then left River Falls are a great 1 - 2 punch.

Andre McDonald is not playing for Stout is he? Not on the roster anyway.  Kevion McDonald is the guy in the stats but he is not the same as Andre McDonald.

I believe they are related.

I would go back and listen to the audio just to make sure Im not on crazy pills, but I really don't want to relive that abomination of a game.

Dave Lee might be one of the nicest people on the planet. I have run into him a few times with his community involvement. However, the play by play leaves a bit to be desired at times. And since he is not here to defend himself, I'll throw it on him. 

Glad that Bench brought up Waldvogel. A major factor that hadnt hit me until now. I don't think there was a year off between Fritz and Nick (08-16). The two of them are the ultimate bail out for an offense. They made something out of nothing, and are great go-to's on 3rd down. I think Pallini can fill those shoes in some capacity, but there is still a big void. 3rd and longs are a lot more difficult to convert without a Waldvogel on the field. And its been 8 years since the offense has been without one.

I might have been the only one to listen to them, but I'm bummed WCCO hasn't been posting podcasts of the UST games. I enjoyed listening to those on my commute throughout the week to catch like pieces of background.

[USTBench]

I'm guessing they would if you emailed them. Not that hard to post a podcast.

[jamtod]

I'm guessing they would if you emailed them. Not that hard to post a podcast.

I tweetered them but should follow up with an email. If I'm the only one listening to it, I guess I wouldn't expect them to post it. I doubt there is any contract stipulations that would prevent it.

[wm4]

I'm guessing they would if you emailed them. Not that hard to post a podcast.

I tweetered them but should follow up with an email. If I'm the only one listening to it, I guess I wouldn't expect them to post it. I doubt there is any contract stipulations that would prevent it.

I'd love to listen as well, let me know what they say.

[USTBench]

BlueDevil Bob and USTBench before the UW-Stout vs. St. Thomas game today.

Such a simpler time. The season was young and so full of promise. I was so naive. Just a kid.