FB: Empire 8

[Bombers798891]

I agree with you but you also have to consider d3 politics which may be in play.  If the AD and head coach knows that the football team isn't winning because they are tough on admissions and can't save kids 50K a year like they can at other d3 schools, maybe the OC gets some slack. 

But hey, you and I are on the same page on this one, I'm just speculating on what may happen but I agree that the head coach needs to see what is really happening.  Run a draw.  Run a bubble.  One trick play maybe.  Run a screen.  I think the OC could do more but what the hell do I know.

1. I think I've been fair over the years with acknowledging the difficulties IC has in terms of admission stuff, given the much more crowded landscape that exists in Upstate NY D-III football now, but this mentality from coaches gets old quick. There's more than some truth to it, but the bottom line is, it's used as a crutch way more than it should be. Way too many responses to the question: "Why isn't the football team better?" start "Well, with admissions the way they are..."

2. To be fair, Ithaca's run trick plays. Sure, they're not going full Boise State on anyone, but the biggest offensive play of the 2014 season came when they duped Fisher on a WR end-around pass (which they had successfully run in the Utica game that season, and the 2013 Cortaca Jug.) But yes, I haven't seen them run a screen since the 2008 Jug game.

[fisheralum91]

Getting on after the long weekend.
Good to see the E8 play well OOC.
Not sure what to take from the Fisher blowout tho.
I know that the o looks good, but Olivet seemed out matched.
D looked srtong.


Now on to why im really posting.

As i said last week and prior weeks.
Fisher special teams may ultimately doom this team.
The horrific PAT misses and punting issues are  problems that needs to be addressed.

My fellow Fisher brethren know that this isnt new, but holy cow.
Are other teams having issues this glaring?

Im not complaining about the team as a whole- they look solid.....but.....

[pg04]

I'm a bit late, but good luck to all the E8 teams this season! Some have a victory early on, others (sigh) lost in week 1 but upward and onward!

[fisheralum91]

Chin up pg- Brockport is solid this year.
One tough ooc game makes a season not...
Good luck the rest of the way!

[Bombers798891]

Now on to why im really posting.

As i said last week and prior weeks.
Fisher special teams may ultimately doom this team.
The horrific PAT misses and punting issues are  problems that needs to be addressed.

My fellow Fisher brethren know that this isnt new, but holy cow.
Are other teams having issues this glaring?

Im not complaining about the team as a whole- they look solid.....but.....

I give it one more week, and then they should simply abandon the kicking game completely, and punt sparingly.

[fisheralum91]

A top 25 team with 4 count them 4 missed PATS
Its time to scout the soccer team!

[Upstate]

A top 25 team with 4 count them 4 missed PATS
Its time to scout the soccer team!

Or just say **** it and go for two every time...

[wesleydad]

Getting on after the long weekend.
Good to see the E8 play well OOC.
Not sure what to take from the Fisher blowout tho.
I know that the o looks good, but Olivet seemed out matched.
D looked srtong.


Now on to why im really posting.

As i said last week and prior weeks.
Fisher special teams may ultimately doom this team.
The horrific PAT misses and punting issues are  problems that needs to be addressed.

My fellow Fisher brethren know that this isnt new, but holy cow.
Are other teams having issues this glaring?

Im not complaining about the team as a whole- they look solid.....but.....

fisheralum, Widener had 2 punts blocked by Rowan which directly lead to them losing the game.  It looked like Rowan could have blocked every punt the blocking was so poor.  Widener made the extra points and a field goal, but blocked punts are really killers.

[Bombers798891]

A top 25 team with 4 count them 4 missed PATS
Its time to scout the soccer team!

So, I've got a bunch of thoughts on this. Here's Fisher's success rate on PATs, compared to their opponents, for the last 10 years

2015: 85%/91%
2014: 89%/70%
2013: 90%/87%
2012: 86%/87&
2011: 96%/91%
2010: 94%/87%
2009: 88%/90%
2008: 97%/86%
2007: 95%/91%
2006: 84%/90%

Now for FG
2015: 4-9 (44%)/8-11 (73%)
2014: 5-6 (83%)/4-8 (50%)
2013: 7-12 (59%)/10-11 (91%)
2012: 3-6 (50%)/3-10 (30%)
2011: 18-27 (67%)/6-10 (60%)
2010: 6-7 (86%)/4-7 (57%)
2009: 3-6 (50%)/4-9 (44%)
2008: 14-22 (63%)/7-11 (63%)
2007: 14-21 (67%)/3-5 (60%)
2006: 9-12 (75%)/7-9 (77%)

The extra point numbers are virtually identical to their opponents, and overall probably a little better for Fisher. The FG percentages fluctuate which could be a function of distance, but again, nothing of the last 10 years for Fisher stands out as being something other teams don't experience (I can't find division wide averages).

Honestly, I think you guys are a little bit like the people who bemoan missed free throws. It's easy to overstate their importance because we see something like 4-for-9 and 60-for-63  and we can easily translate that to 18 points the team could have had that they left on the field. But in D-III, everyone misses kicks. Really, in looking at the numbers, I don't see there being anything substantial being left on the field (compared to what we saw from their opponents) unless your expectation is 98% on PAT, 75-80% on FG every year. And even if that is your standard, you're talking maybe 10-15 points a year. And even if you lose a game because of a missed FG/PAT, you probably blew half a dozen chances to put the game away beforehand.

But, let's indulge your panic for a second, because hey, last week was kind of a disaster. I don't think we can really blame coaches for this like we can say, bad QB play. Here's why.

A couple of years ago, I was talking to a buddy of mine who has gone on to make a career in scouting for various colleges/nfl teams, and he told me the problem with scouting kickers is that you rarely see them in game situations. It's overwhelmingly showcases/practices/drills. Which makes sense. RBs get hundreds of carries a season. QBs get hundreds of dropbacks, CBs cover hundreds of routes. How many FGA do you think a kicker gets?

Kicking's not exactly glamourous at the highest levels. And we're not even talking about that. No disrespect to any kickers who read this, but there are probably a few people who could be serviceable kickers at the D-III level, but don't want to do it. You even said yourself, FA91, that Fisher coaches used to try to poach the soccer team's goalies. How often were they successful? I mean, imagine you were capable, but otherwise uninterested in playing football (otherwise you'd be there already and be on the team). What exactly is a D-III special team coaches' pitch? "Hey, give up 10-15 saturday afternoons a year, plus practice time, to come kick some extra points a few times a game"?

I just honestly believe that there are very few guys who want to be kickers at the D-III level, and those that do, have probably been brought in with little in-game experience at it, so it doesn't surprise me one bit that teams, by and large, aren't good at it. 

[fisheralum91]

Bombers- thank you very much for the stats!
While it does seem that the Fisher kicking game is "off" the number look to prove otherwise.
Ill admit that im a pessimist when it comes to things like that.
You miss 4 in one game and to me yes the sky is falling.

That said........
Lets improve just a smidge?   

[Bombers798891]

Bombers- thank you very much for the stats!
While it does seem that the Fisher kicking game is "off" the number look to prove otherwise.
Ill admit that im a pessimist when it comes to things like that.
You miss 4 in one game and to me yes the sky is falling.

That said........
Lets improve just a smidge?   

Hey, I'm with you on last week being a disaster. Four missed PATs in one game indicate a major issue. Go for two.

[AUPepBand]

Funny thing, Pep was debating whether to comment on AU's kicker, Trevor Monk (Liverpool) who has shown marked improvement from his freshman season. Pep went to check gosaxons.com to see his career stats and, lo, and behold, there's a pic of him after having been named E8 Special Teams Player of the Week. And, well deserved, considering he has added the punting duties to his placekicking after last year's punter did not return. He had an outstanding game.

http://www.gosaxons.com/news/2016/9/6/football-monks-foot-earns-him-empire-8-special-teams-player-of-the-week.aspx?path=football

AU has been blessed to have some outstanding kickers (Chris Guerrieri, Don Hockenberry, Chris Reynolds, Eric Rockwood, and there are probably more that Pep's forgetting) in its long history. And there's been some game-winners....and "almost" winners. Probably no greater field goal than that 82-yarder that Lance (Landry) Clark hit for the Lions to beat the Dillon Panthers!

Game-time pressure can be simulated for kickers when coaches determine the entire team's practice-ending sprints by the kicker's hitting or missing a mid-range field goal attempt.

On Saxon Warriors!

[sjfcards]

I understand the numbers, but being at the game on Saturday it was one negative take away from the performance. Not one missed PAT had a bad snap or pressure. They were just pushed wide. I don't know that the sky is falling but missed extra points for a team that tends to find a way to lose a game they shouldn't every year can be a legitimate concern.

[dlippiel]

I'm a bit late, but good luck to all the E8 teams this season! Some have a victory early on, others (sigh) lost in week 1 but upward and onward!

Well HELL-****ING-LO pg04! Good to see you posting pal. dlip hopes all is well with you! +k

[AUPepBand]

I'm a bit late, but good luck to all the E8 teams this season! Some have a victory early on, others (sigh) lost in week 1 but upward and onward!

Hey pg04! Glad to see a familiar face on the boards again. +K