FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[corn horn]

That being said, what's up with going for the 2-pt conversion with a 20 point lead, then when it fails, pulling the onside kick?

I thought the two point conversion was strange. It wasn't like they'd missed a point after attempt prior.

But the onside kick just struck me as gutsy and brilliant. UST took the ball to start the half and scored. By going for the onside kick, recovering it and then scoring, they essentially put the game out of reach. And up by 20 early in the 3rd quarter is not the time to take your foot off the gas in my opinion. Especially given the way Concordia came back last week against SJU.

Hazzbeen...of course you are correct about the onside kick...it just doesn't FEEL like the right decision when your team is getting it handed to them, and that it came on the heels of the curious 2-point attempt. It wouldn't help at this point either to state that it certainly appeared from my seat...right on the 30-yard line...that the squib kick grazed the kicker's right leg about 5 yards from the tee. No, the fact is the Tommies are a force, and while I haven't yet seen Bethel, they appear to be the squad to be reckoned with in the MIAC this year. I'm not ready to throw Augie in the mix.

Wasn't a fan of the two point call, but was really digging the onside kick. I think the Caruso philosophy isn't predicated on running up the score (as it may appear sometimes), but putting as much crazy stuff on tape as possible. There are instances, I feel, when UST could have made it a lot worse than it was for some teams, but Caruso likes getting looks at his younger talent and doing some different things from a play calling stand point when he thinks games are in hand.

USTBence--as far as you know, will the Tommies be full strength against SJU this weekend? I know one of the receivers was sandwiched pretty heavily in the early going on Saturday, and I don't think he returned to the action. Obviously, they were able to "favor the other leg", but certainly you want your top tier in there when the rats roll in on Summit Ave.

[USTBench]

SJU probably stays close in one game-14 points- and gets beat better in the other. I would guess that since SJU seems to have UST figure out, that game might be a loss by 14-17 points. I could see Bethel being a loss by 21+.
I could see SJU losing to either Carlton or St. Olaf to finish 5-5. (Question here is does SJU go with Bruns from here on out-he looked very good in that last drive-that could make for an interesting rest of the season).
But that doesn't mean that next year SJU doesn't rebound and contend for the MIAC championship, expecially if they play the underclassmen and gain valuable experience.

What would a win over SJU mean for Ramler should Gags ride off into the sunset? Or has the heir apparent in-house already been decided?

I hope that the replacement for Gags doesn't come from within the current staff. There'd be too much temptation to maintain the status quo.
SJU would be stupid not to pursue Ramler after Gags retires....

....though don't count on that anytime soon. Longevity runs in the Gagliardi blood. I want to say John's mother lived well into her 90s.

I won't say the game has "passed anyone by," because it hasn't (Obviously he's forgotten more about football than most head coaches will ever know). That's an excuse impatient alums use when a coach is getting long-of-tooth and is having a down year. However, one has to wonder if Gags has one more system adaptation left in him. Obviously SJU doesn't need a complete system overhaul because I imagine a ton of kids are inclined to commit the second they set foot on campus. but there has to be a bit of pride at stake here. I mean, how much is Joe Pa actually doing? Same with Gags? Is it really their win at this point, or does it belong to the staff?

He should Bo Schembechler himself. Keep the office and "consult" and bring in an SJU man like Ramler. I imagine it'd be like that scene in Gladiator when the king picks Russell Crowe over Jaoquin Phoenix though, and Ramler will get banished to Crown College after quitting his job at Carleton because he got bamboozled by younger Gags' lackeys, and SJU will just be left with the hair-lipped reminder of what could have been (Not that young Gags is hairlipped, but Phoenix is).

[sju56321]

That is going to be one heck of an issue when John finally retires-who to coach SJU. I don't think they can stick with anybody on the offensive side of the ball-but I agree, who knows when we will actually be talking about retirement-could be 5-7 years from now. I can't imagine any coach voluntarily retiring after a bad season, would think one would want to go out on top-as much as one can-MIAC championship and deep run in playoffs, so this isn't the year.

[USTBench]

That being said, what's up with going for the 2-pt conversion with a 20 point lead, then when it fails, pulling the onside kick?

I thought the two point conversion was strange. It wasn't like they'd missed a point after attempt prior.

But the onside kick just struck me as gutsy and brilliant. UST took the ball to start the half and scored. By going for the onside kick, recovering it and then scoring, they essentially put the game out of reach. And up by 20 early in the 3rd quarter is not the time to take your foot off the gas in my opinion. Especially given the way Concordia came back last week against SJU.

Hazzbeen...of course you are correct about the onside kick...it just doesn't FEEL like the right decision when your team is getting it handed to them, and that it came on the heels of the curious 2-point attempt. It wouldn't help at this point either to state that it certainly appeared from my seat...right on the 30-yard line...that the squib kick grazed the kicker's right leg about 5 yards from the tee. No, the fact is the Tommies are a force, and while I haven't yet seen Bethel, they appear to be the squad to be reckoned with in the MIAC this year. I'm not ready to throw Augie in the mix.

Wasn't a fan of the two point call, but was really digging the onside kick. I think the Caruso philosophy isn't predicated on running up the score (as it may appear sometimes), but putting as much crazy stuff on tape as possible. There are instances, I feel, when UST could have made it a lot worse than it was for some teams, but Caruso likes getting looks at his younger talent and doing some different things from a play calling stand point when he thinks games are in hand.

USTBence--as far as you know, will the Tommies be full strength against SJU this weekend? I know one of the receivers was sandwiched pretty heavily in the early going on Saturday, and I don't think he returned to the action. Obviously, they were able to "favor the other leg", but certainly you want your top tier in there when the rats roll in on Summit Ave.

Rickey Margarit took a shot, not up-to-date on his status. As for the rest I'm not too sure. Sounds like their linebackers have taken a pretty good beating and they're playing two-deep on the O-line at some spots. But it seems the homerun hitters are still largely at 100%.

They've toyed around with some freshman RBs in the second-half when Tobin is resting, and I gotta say that Toney is prone to fumbleitis, and Terrell-Byrd is a very small human being. Wondering when Englehardt fell to 4th on the depth chart. He seems to be slow/plodding/nose down kind of guy, but he's a hard runner. Toney and Terrell-Byrd are not going to wear down any linebackers. But, they have speed.

[SagatagSam]

I don't think anyone is going to argue that Gags doesn't deserve to go out on his own terms.

I agree, Bench, SJU does not need a massive overhaul. But, this fire needs to have a little fresh oxygen breathed into it.

[ritz72]

Man how life gets going when you have active kids!!!

Hope all is going well with everyone (aside from the obvious for the Johnnie Faithful!)

I'm living the life now a lead principal!  Spending time learning 9 man football, and chasing the Ritz Bitz around the state/country!  Hence my overall absense from PP and games the past 3 years! 

I miss my "Office with a View" and the escapades of the guy who lived there, but I am sure to have some tidbits to share in the future, as the house I look at across the street now has two large 4x8 sheets of CDX where the garage door should be!

However, it is Tommie Week, and regardless of the quality of the game this coming Saturday, I have a little time to get in (actually i am killing time waiting for my 6:45 school board meeting)!

Im BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[corn horn]

Gotta say, UST's QB, Dakota Tracy, has one of my all-time favorite QB names. Others include Colt McCoy, Sonny Sixkiller, Joe Montana, and best-of-show--Roman Gabriel.

Any nominations out there?

[ozzie679]

That is going to be one heck of an issue when John finally retires-who to coach SJU. I don't think they can stick with anybody on the offensive side of the ball-but I agree, who knows when we will actually be talking about retirement-could be 5-7 years from now. I can't imagine any coach voluntarily retiring after a bad season, would think one would want to go out on top-as much as one can-MIAC championship and deep run in playoffs, so this isn't the year.

Do you think John's replacement will come from out of the system?  I can't imagine Jim would get the job.

[sjusection105]

Gotta say, UST's QB, Dakota Tracy, has one of my all-time favorite QB names. Others include Colt McCoy, Sonny Sixkiller, Joe Montana, and best-of-show--Roman Gabriel.

Any nominations out there?

Sonny Sixkiller has to be tops when I was in 5th grade- the guy could play & his name is as cool as the flowing mane showing from the back of his helmet!  Wearing #6 made him that much cooler, hearing Keith Jackson say "and of course the quarterback is #6 Sonny Sixkiller and he's a good 'n"

[AO]

Week 4 Pick-Em' Results:
St. Thomas 48 - Concordia 30
Augsburg 32 - St. John's 31
Gustavus 26 - St. Olaf 44
Hamline 0 - Carleton 34
Lewis and Clark 37 - Macalester 28
Coe 27 - Wartburg 24
Monmouth 55 - Illinois College 14
Mary Hardin-Baylor 35 - Hardin-Simmons 17

Name	W1	W2	W3	W4	W5	W6	W7	W8	W9	W10	W11	Overall
finsleft	12	13	13	14								52
AO	12	10	10	8								40
WashedUp	10	15	9	5								39
USTBench	12	11	9	6								38
hazzben	8	12	5	11								36
sju56321	10	11	4	11								36
cobbernation	11	9	5	10								35
smedindy	6	11	9	8								34
Repete	11	13	-	9								33
stanbob	11	9	4	8								32
jayhawkdaddy	6	7	7	9								29
Sprained68	5	6	10	7								28
GoldandBlueBU	7	9	4	7								27
tmerton	6	14	5	-								25
Phred	-	7	5	11								23
raiderguy	9	6	6	-								21
miacmaniac	6	11	3	-								20
TheManWhoRidesAlone	6	9	-	-								15
BURoyal	-	9	4	-								13
OzJohnnie	7	-	-	-								7

[AO]

Week 5 Oct. 1

Rivalry: 4pts
St. John's (+14.5) @ # 3 St. Thomas --"The Holy Grail" 80th Meeting since 1901. St. John's leads 49-29-1
Hamline @ Macalester (+21.5) --"The Old Paint Bucket" 112th Meeting since 1887. Hamline leads 67-42-4

Conference: 3pts
Carleton (+4.5) @ Augsburg
St. Olaf (+18.5) @ #5 Bethel
Concordia @ Gustavus (+10.5)

West Region: 1pt
#26 UW-Platteville (+24.5) @ #1 UW-Whitewater

National: 1pt
#2 Mount Union @ #24 Ohio Northern (+34.5)

Pick Em' link

[Touchdown Tommy]

Wow this guy Finsleft might know what he's talking about.

A few thoughts on Saturday and the Johnnies in general:

1.  Is it possible that Bruns plays 59 seconds, move the ball with ease, shows poise, arm strength to get the both to the sideline with some zip, and isn't the starting QB for the rest of 2011?
2.  Players play and coaches coach.  The coaches can't react to the ball and move accordingly.  The defensive secondary is among the worst I've ever seen from the Johnnies.  They are constantly 2 steps slow to the ball.  The opponents are finding the "sweet spot" in the zone coverage, sitting down in it, and completing passes with ease.  In the past SJU might be able to hide a weak secondary with a good/great pass rush.  That is NOT the case this season.
3.  Will Harry Awe lead the Johnnies in touchdown passes?...I thought it was ridiculous to have to break out the halfback option pass to score against Northwestern and likewise last weekend against Auggie Tech.  St. Thomas and Bethel will be ready for all tomfoolery as they'll know when #25 enters the game he is likely to pass.
4.  I understand VOJ continues to miss plays due to "commercial" breaks.  This is unacceptable on many levels.  You know there is a problem, it is plain as day, make changes or this becomes amateur hour.  I've even heard a rumor that he would like to pull the internet streaming of all broadcasts.  Can't stand the heat?  Get outta the kitchen!!
5.  Classic Anecdote of the SJU crowd demographic:  So the Johnnies have the ball with 2 minutes to go and are driving to score the go ahead touchdown.  Virtually everyone is standing in the crowd including those directly in front of TDT, Veek, ROR, Zip.  I hear a voice from an elderly lady behind me, "Down in front, down in front".  I turn around incredulous, thinking you can't be serious.  Then say, "This isn't a library or a funeral m'am".  So the biggest moments of the game with everyone standing in anticipation (and likely to see better) and I'm asked to sit down.  Ha amazing.  My theory is this:  If you can't stand for a responsibly short period of time (5 minutes) you don't belong at the football game.  It shocked me that she (and her husband) wanted me to sit down and miss the plays going on on the field while looking at the guy in front of me's back (if sitting down).  Buy a clue Grandma.
6. Zip was fired up and wanted the clock operator fired on the spot.  And I can't really argue with him.  You guys honestly think that .6 wouldn't have rolled off the clock in Arden Hills or St. Paul?

[OzJohnnie]

Magnificent rant, TDT, particularly point 5 which was utterly cla$$le$$, even if you are right.

And not a response to TDT, but I would like to mention that I angered VOJ a bit and I, upon giving due consideration, believe he's right to have taken offense.  So that hopefully the mean spirited (unintentional though they may have been, some posts undoubtedly read as mean spirited none-the-less) comments I made don't blow up any further, let me extend my apology to VOJ in this first and only post on the subject.  I think he does a great job and I really appreciate the coverage of Johnnie football.  Obviously, there are ways that improvements can be made but they are unimportant in the scheme of things, so that in every respect I'm very grateful for the service and coverage we get.

Hopefully we can all leave this episode as an "idiot said some things in an unduly abrasive manner and got under the skin of someone" type deal and that this post is enough to bring it to an end.  And with this I also hope it settles down and we can return to our previously scheduled programming.

[faunch]

Yeah, I just have a hard time seeing SJU getting beat badly by either UST or Bethel.  Maybe a 14.5 line for the SJU-UST game?

I agree with Bench...they will get things figured out enough to keep the margins respectable.

Disagree...this is not a very good SJU team:

The Johnnies have given up 47 points to UWEC, 21 to Concordia and 32 to the Auggies....33 points per game.
Their opponents (I've omitted the Northwestern stats for obvious reasons):
Eau Claire had 469 yards (227 rushing and 242 passing) +15 minutes time of possesion
Concordia had 444 yards (270 rushing and 174 passing) +10 minutes time of possesion
Augsburg had 529 yards (128 rushing and 401 passing) +3 minutes time of possesion.

The Toms put up 509 yards on the Cobbers last week (217 rushing and 292 passing) and scored 48 points.
The Jays gained 342 versus the Cobbers (135 rushing and 207 passing) and scored 28 points.

I don't care how well SJU might have UST figured out I don't see how they will slow them down enough to keep this game close.  The Johnnies are young and still inexperienced on defense and aren't set on their quarterback.  SJU has been beaten and even dominated in their games versus "quality" opponents.

The next two weeks are a recipe for disaster for the Johnnies.  Thinking that either the Tommie or Bethel game will be close is nothing more than wishful thinking.
Both games will be won by 17 points or more and SJU will not be the victors.  My gut feeling is that one or both of the games could be 21 or 28 point routs.  Flat out the 2011 version of the Johnnies is not anything like any SJU team of the past 10 years.  It would not surprise me to see them finish out the season 2-4 or 3-3.
I hope I'm proven wrong and will view either game the next two Saturdays that are w/ in 10 points as a moral victory. 

My personal plea to the SJU squad and coaches....Please, please, please prove me wrong and pull the upsets the next 2 Saturdays.

[Pat Coleman]

I think the Caruso philosophy isn't predicated on running up the score (as it may appear sometimes), but putting as much crazy stuff on tape as possible.

I have definitely gotten this impression over the past couple of years.