FB: Empire 8

[rams1102]

Gotta have Pride if you want to win , Widner by a touchdown. 

[pg04]

The pride have not seen an offense like this yet in 2012.

It's funny because the UMU posters always say that this is a line that opponents playing Mount Union in the playoffs have used since 1994. I definitely don't think it will be a rolling. It's Salisbury that is the team that really hasn't impressed me this season. It wouldn't surprise me if they were the team on the short end of the stick.

[pg04]

However this hasn't made me brave enough to make a prediction on the game 

[wesleydad]

me brave enough, if the gulls dont turn the ball over they win by 14+.

[DVgradRUdad]

I agree with Wesleydad, Salisbury played a mistake free game last week, teams that get it together at the end of the year when it counts, are the teams that go deep. Last week, they came out early to take the lead and let their defense take control. Widener has struggled early in games and have worn defenses down in the end, it seems to me Salisbury defense is pretty deep and defends the pass well, I'll go with SU !

[dlippiel]

Dlip really thinks the Gulls will come out on top BUT Widener's O cannot be ignored. This game will depend on The Pride's D and how they defend the option.

[wesleydad]

me brave enough, if the gulls dont turn the ball over they win by 14+.

anyone have any floss so i can gets these feathers out of my teeth.  never could have predicted this outcome from what i saw of both teams this year.  i know that the gulls had 2 fumbles lost, but to not be able to run the ball for what seems like anything is a stunner to me.  i knew the o was struggling this year but just didnt think they would this week.  in the end it seems like the E8 and NJAC are down a little this year.  that cortland team that i saw this week was not very good.

[bman]

The game between Salisbury and Widener was terrible...the penalties was so one-sided (aside from the personal fouls in the 4th). I have to give props to the defensive coordinator for Widener, he knew we was not going to pass, so he stuck not 8, but 9 guys in the box. With that being said, I am so upset, we had a chance to capitalize on some plays, but did not. We had a 1-on-1 matchup with a great WR (#84) that was not used until it was 21-0 in the fourth quarter...a shame that we could not use the young man earlier. The early turnovers hurt tremendously, referees had no part in that, but others, yes sirrrrrr (As bobbie miles would say, "Who paying you!", "You from Midland Widener!")

Now, Widener WR (#5) is a tremendous athlete. Great job by Widener coaching staff in gettting him the ball. I still think Salisbury Defense and Special Teams was good. However, offensively it was terrible, terrible, terrible play calling. I know we run the option, but I would rather take a incomplete pass than a loss of 2 or 3, when a team stack that many guys in the box (its hard to run your way out of it), naturally you would throw it. It is hard to say that Widener absolutely beat us. The players beat themselves with some knucklehead penalties, but offensively we have to do way way way better and I am not just talking about the players (that's how I feel right now.)

Agree...I will say with the penalties, that there seemed to be a sense of frustration by SU early on, which then resulted in some killer penalties....When WU made mistakes, they weren't costly....SU's mistakes killed them...and they were numerous.

My take on the game:

I have to say that I was excited and intrigued to see SU (and the triple option)...but as SUADC mentions, I left later in the day, wondering, what the triple option was all about.  It was never effective...period.   WU not only loaded up the box, but had penetration in the A and B gaps all day.   It seems that the option in many cases started with the QB faking one way, and then reversing course with then and option of a FB dive, or rolling outside with a TB.   Problem was, that the penetration eliminated any possibility of yardage on the dive, and in some cases WU crashed the outside linebacker to the point that they met the QB in the backfield prior to any chance of the pitch.   The one big play, in the first half, where SU got the corner (and went 40 yds), it was called back for holding...(which was another bonehead penalty, as a lineman pulled down a LB who had absolutely no chance of factoring in the play)...
In containing the run, SU became very one dimensional....
WU did what they normally do...which is set up the pass with the run...probe then hit receivers on deeper routes.  They ran the ball pretty well today.
The kick game was abysmal again...blocked FGs and short punts are going to kill WU next week...

So some final thoughts...
1.  I'd love to see some film on SU, in games where they rolled up yardage...to see how it was supposed to work...
2.  The wind was really not a factor, other than assisting in the best punt I have ever seen in D3 (Kudos to the SU punter)...I think it went for 74 yds and pinned WU back at the 1/2 line
3.  Nice crowd today from SU.  They sat in both the home and visitor stands and were very vocal.  I had a couple really good conversations with SU alum, and they were very gracious and knowledgeable (not that I expected otherwise)...
4.  SU has a nice team, and has athletes on both sides of the ball.   They just seemed...tight       They never seemed to get in any groove.

Given SUADCs comments on the officiating, I'll have to look up where the crew was from...I did have to laugh when they were getting annoyed that the clock operator was continually getting the clock wrong...maybe they were an ODAC crew 

[SU Backer]

   I appreciate SUADC's passion, and it hurts like hell when you feel like you had a team that at least had the ability to (maybe) give Mount a game next week, but we obviously didn't. I don't know if they were looking past Widener, but we played poorly, and yes 15 penalties for 170 yards is huge-but the refs didn't lose the game for SU- SU lost the game for SU. All bear responsibility in the loss, offense, defense, coaches, game plan. And most importantly; you absolutely cannot turn the ball over, especially on your side of the 50.
   But let's give Widener credit- they were the better team and they deserved the win. Now I am pulling for them to go all the way, best of luck and give them hell in Alliance!
   And as always I love my Gulls win or lose! Go Gulls!

[sjfcards]

Tough day for the E8 and the East yesterday as Salisbury and Cortland both lose. Good to see Hobart is still going.

[wesleydad]

not sure if aupep is still checking in to confirm our conversation, but after the gulls/au game i told him that the top 6 in the poll were clearly better than the rest at that time.  salisbury was 7th at that time and i did not think they were good enough to compete with the top 6 since wesley was at 6 at that time.  it is interesting that the top 6 are still alive and hobart who i liked earlier and thought should have been ranked higher is still in.  widener baffles me a little, but after this weekend i have to give them props for making it work.  think it also shows how acccurate the d3 top 10 is most of the time.

[fisheralum91]

Off on a really wierd tangent....maybe its the cold medicine, but when wesleydad comes on (and congrats to you sir!) does anybody else think of the movie roadhouse and Dalton is on the lakeshore yelling "WESLEY!!!! WESLEY!!!"

Hee hee

[jknezek]

Off on a really wierd tangent....maybe its the cold medicine, but when wesleydad comes on (and congrats to you sir!) does anybody else think of the movie roadhouse and Dalton is on the lakeshore yelling "WESLEY!!!! WESLEY!!!"

Hee hee

I never had before, but now you've totally screwed me. Thanks...

[AUPepBand]

not sure if aupep is still checking in to confirm our conversation, but after the gulls/au game i told him that the top 6 in the poll were clearly better than the rest at that time.  salisbury was 7th at that time and i did not think they were good enough to compete with the top 6 since wesley was at 6 at that time.  it is interesting that the top 6 are still alive and hobart who i liked earlier and thought should have been ranked higher is still in.  widener baffles me a little, but after this weekend i have to give them props for making it work.  think it also shows how acccurate the d3 top 10 is most of the time.

Wesleydad indeed said something to the effect that there's a chasm of sorts between the Top 6 and the rest of the field. And Pep would agree. Going into the 2012 campaign, Pep figured a 6-3 finish would be a successful season for AU. When AU put together four straight wins...including Buffalo State (a week after the Bengals upset UW-W) and Ithaca and Fisher at Merrill Field, Pep started thinking AU could make some noise. In hindsight, Pep is thinking, especially after the close loss at Salisbury (a 66 point improvement over 2011), that the Empire 8 was down a bit this year. Pep was proud that the Saxons, hurt considerably by injuries, recovered enough to defeat Frostburg and Salisbury, getting Coach Murray his 100th win at AU, before dropping a tough 31-8 game at Springfield in the ECAC game on the team's SEVENTH road trip of the season.

Congrats to eleven Saxons who were named Empire 8 All-Stars including Defensive Player of the Year Mike Raplee and Rookie of the Year Maleke Fuentes!
http://saxons.alfred.edu/pressreleases/viewrelease.cfm?ID=7854

On Saxon Warriors!

[Yanks 99]

Off on a really wierd tangent....maybe its the cold medicine, but when wesleydad comes on (and congrats to you sir!) does anybody else think of the movie roadhouse and Dalton is on the lakeshore yelling "WESLEY!!!! WESLEY!!!"

Hee hee

Damn you FA91...I actually just watched part of Road House last night...then I open the forum this morning and read this.  Now everytime I read something from wesleyday I am going to hear Patrick Swayze's voice narrating the post...

Rest in peace Dalton...rest in peace...