FB: Empire 8

[sjfcards]

To me the Fisher/Salisbury game comes down to the Fisher D vs that Salisbury Offense. If the game is played in the teens/low 20's...Advantage Fisher. If the game is played in the 30's/40's...advantage Salisbury. The key for Fisher will be possessions. Against an option team you have to take advantage of the possessions you get, and you can not give any of them away. Keep that SU offense on the sidelines.

I still don't know what to make of the game. I am more and more impressed with the Fisher offense and that Defense has been great. 3 weeks ago I thought this game would be a real uphill battle for Fisher. I still think a lot of the keys to the game point Salisbury's way, but with Fishers D they are going to be in most games.

My brain says Salisbury but I am a Fisher fan, so I will take Fisher in a tight game (OT).

[fisheralum91]

cards- we feel the same way.
its the old heart/head argument.
i will say this, the team I saw last night is NOT the same team i saw at homecoming.
i have been impressed with the improvements that have been made, and i LOVE the D.
they work hard and it shows.

[SJFF82]

To me the Fisher/Salisbury game comes down to the Fisher D vs that Salisbury Offense. If the game is played in the teens/low 20's...Advantage Fisher. If the game is played in the 30's/40's...advantage Salisbury. The key for Fisher will be possessions. Against an option team you have to take advantage of the possessions you get, and you can not give any of them away. Keep that SU offense on the sidelines.

I still don't know what to make of the game. I am more and more impressed with the Fisher offense and that Defense has been great. 3 weeks ago I thought this game would be a real uphill battle for Fisher. I still think a lot of the keys to the game point Salisbury's way, but with Fishers D they are going to be in most games.

My brain says Salisbury but I am a Fisher fan, so I will take Fisher in a tight game (OT).

if its that cold, 82 is staying home.....

[drt]

Kudos to SJF for shutting down UC's offense.
They pressured UC's QB and WRs, intercepted Benkwitt 3 times (he only had 4 for the season going in to this game,) and put UC's feature back on the bench in the 2nd quarter. 
Kramer and co. were hitting on all cylinders and their running game was very impressive.
They are one of the two best teams I've seen this year. 
The weather forecast, at this point looks like a non-factor.
Good luck against Salisbury. 

http://www.accuweather.com/us/md/salisbury/21804/forecast-weekends.asp

[SJFF82]

So...now I have seen both of Fisher's biggest offensive outputs of the season...the UR and UC games.

The UR game was the Ryan Schmitt show (3 rec. TD), and last nite was the Ryan Kramer show (5 rushing and 1 passing TD).

I said it after the UR game and I still think that there is something less than spectacular about scoring 50+ pts without a strong running game.  In the UR game, it seemed they would dink and dunk and then inside the 30, Kramer would scramble around until Schmitt would shake free.  Last nite, Kramer would just take the snap, option the FB, sprint to the boundary, and then cut back right up the gut or find a seam to the sideline for a long TD run.

Pts are pts, but I just dont feel as confident about them coming against a good defense when they come like that.

On the defense side....another poster mentioned their pass defense as being somewhat suspect.  They seem to come up with pick picks when it matters most, but for example, last nite, Benkwit seemed to toss a couple balls right into their hands when he had time to throw???

They are big and nasty on the front 4, and their LB'S are physical and aggressive.  Dave Vosburgh is a machine out there.

They have seen the option out of their traditional nemesis SC, so I think if they can step up early and get some early stops next week, they will be in the game for 60 minutes.  On the other hand, i f they take some plays (or entire games...Hobart) off, and Salisbury gets it going, then our offense better be in rare form (rare as in like only UR and UC games) to keep this close.

Early prediction:  SJF 32
                        SAL  22

[SJFF82]

Kudos to SJF for shutting down UC's offense.
They pressured UC's QB and WRs, intercepted Benkwitt 3 times (he only had 4 for the season going in to this game,) and put UC's feature back on the bench in the 2nd quarter. 
Kramer and co. were hitting on all cylinders and their running game was very impressive.
They are one of the two best teams I've seen this year. 
The weather forecast, at this point looks like a non-factor.
Good luck against Salisbury. 

http://www.accuweather.com/us/md/salisbury/21804/forecast-weekends.asp

Yeah they did have a ton of rushing yds, but most were Kramer (QB)

[SJFF82]

Count on a good game SUADC.
Fisher has improved each week.
The D is very talented and now the offense has found themselves.
Sals. is no doubt a good team...Look for a shootout this sat.....
Oh BTW, Sals U doesnt move in the polls and Fisher is getting 8 votes?
8?
Really?

91...ya know what...it doesnt even matter, because next Saterday is the only thing that counts at this point anyway.  If they lose 48-26, then they are just another 2 loss East team that is an after thought and their (non)ranking is justified.  If their defense comes to play ala SC play-offs 2006 and SC a couple weeks ago...then they are E8 champs, 8-1 and nationally ranked right where they wanna be. 

The weekly rankings are a moving target after MUC and UWW.  They are self-justifying.  If Salisbury wins, they were right...if SJF wins, then SJF upset Salisbury, as opposed to the rankings being incorrect.

That said, Salisbury has put together a much more solid season than SJF and I cannot argue with their respective rankings.  To me though, that wont make it an upset when we win, it will be that we came to play at the right time.

[Cardinal Pride]

Kramer did have 244 yds rushing but Fisher as a team had 402 yds on the ground.  Kramer made great reads on the speed option and exposed the Utica D on the edge.  He pitched enough to keep the edge contain honest and turned upfield.  Lets not dismiss the fact that the big guys blocked their butts off for those yards.  Kramer was also 11/15 for 167yds passing and 1 TD.  The offense appeared to be all Kramer because of the 5 TDs but it was a balanced team effort in my opinion.

[sjfcards]

My hope is that this Fisher team is peaking at the right time. They have been steadily improving since the Hobart debacle, and have looked strong on both sides of the ball the last two weeks. Can they score on a better defense like Salisbury? I don't know, but they better get first downs and keep the clock moving to keep that Salisbury offense in check.

I don't mind the rushing stats coming from Kramer instead of a featured back. He is not the type of QB to sit in the pocket and pick teams apart anyway, so you may as well use him for what he is good at, athletic ability in the open field. If Kramer has another 200 + rushing and 5 TD's against Salisbury then I like Fisher's chances to win.

So hear is the big question. Regardless of who wins on SatERday, does the other team get an at large with all of the losses that other teams have in the East Region this year? Both teams will have lost to two of the tougher teams they can play (and probably both playoff teams), so is it enough, or does that second loss wipe out any chance at a bid?

[fisheralum91]

82 I hear you.
SatErday will be for all the marbles.
I am happy that Fisher has that opportunity, because when I was at the homecoming game, thoughts of a .500 season were running through my head.

[sjfcards]

82 I hear you.
SatErday will be for all the marbles.
I am happy that Fisher has that opportunity, because when I was at the homecoming game, thoughts of a .500 season were running through my head.

Yeah, things sure did look bad that day. I would never have predicted that Fisher would be playing for an AQ this week.

[SJFF82]

My hope is that this Fisher team is peaking at the right time. They have been steadily improving since the Hobart debacle, and have looked strong on both sides of the ball the last two weeks. Can they score on a better defense like Salisbury? I don't know, but they better get first downs and keep the clock moving to keep that Salisbury offense in check.

I don't mind the rushing stats coming from Kramer instead of a featured back. He is not the type of QB to sit in the pocket and pick teams apart anyway, so you may as well use him for what he is good at, athletic ability in the open field. If Kramer has another 200 + rushing and 5 TD's against Salisbury then I like Fisher's chances to win.

So hear is the big question. Regardless of who wins on SatERday, does the other team get an at large with all of the losses that other teams have in the East Region this year? Both teams will have lost to two of the tougher teams they can play (and probably both playoff teams), so is it enough, or does that second loss wipe out any chance at a bid?

Frank has all the inside info on this, but quite simply, NO.

A two loss SJF squad is not even remotely in the equation.  They are unranked and and lost by 40tds to a team that is barely ranked.  I guess had that Bart game been a 1 pt loss (or the like) and Bart was some powerhouse this year and we didnt squeak by Buff St, and it didnt snow all over the East this weekend, then there would be a chance...

As for Salisbury.....because of all the foregoing....a loss to SJF at home, would doom them too.

[SJFF82]

interesting factoid.....In 2006, a STEPNICK-less Fisher D was absolutely obliterated by the high powered option attack of the Chris Sharpe led Pride in the reg season.  In the post season, with Stepnick back, the Defense shut 'em down.

Earlier this year the SJF D was beat down by Hobart.  Since then, a new CB (who's showing early signs of STEPNICK like skills), has been inserted in the starting line-up and the Defense has been outstanding since, including shutting down the option of SC.

SJF defense has history of getting smoked by the option and completely shutting it down.  It seems one common denominator when they shut it down is the presence and big play from their corners which provide great run support when there is no passing threat.


....so here's to Troy Sant CB.....play like Stepnick this week and we win.

[fisheralum91]

All this talk about Stepnick makes me want to give a shout to all the Doctors out there!
I hope you are still reading these boards even tho the kids have graduated!

WE LIKE IT HERE!

[Bombers798891]

SJF defense has history of getting smoked by the option and completely shutting it down.  It seems one common denominator when they shut it down is the presence and big play from their corners which provide great run support when there is no passing threat.

I've always thought defending the option was a feast or famine type thing. You either get shredded by it or stop it cold. It's not like things change and you get a look you haven't seen. It's all just execution. There are no surprises when you play Springfield, and you either make the plays or you don't. (Of course, I'm biased because Springfield's offense always grinds to a halt when they play on the grass here, but it is what it is)