TigerFan54

W&M has a freshman QB who is a dual threat -- very quick and dangerous. This will be another challenge for the defense. We may just have to outscore them.

We were up by 6, then got outplayed, especially in the final quarter. The same was true against Penn State. Obviously, those aren't slouch programs, but we either lack depth (likely) or aren't responding to whatever adjustments the other team has made.

W&M will come in with a head of steam. They rolled over URI, which will never be confused with JMU but they had played just about everyone on their schedule tough. So it's an impressive win for the Tribe. They'll be psyched up and eager to knock us out of the playoffs. As for today, we had the ball nearly 40 minutes to SB's 20, so the score should have been more lopsided. Amazingly, if not for two interceptions in the end zone, the game could have been very close. We still can't sack the opponent's QB very often -- though we get close again and again. I guess that's not going to change.

Back when we were a Division II power -- winning Lambert Cups as the top team in the East and making the playoffs three out of four years -- Chuck and John Gaburick were standouts. This obit gives no details on how he died. https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/annapolis-md/mark-konka-8907035

All these injuries are worrisome. PS told Spiro in the postgame interview that both Betrand and Gibson had missed time because of concussions. That means we have lots of walking wounded -- and it's just the start of the season.

Any idea why Solomon got so little playing time? I was expecting him to take a significant step forward this season, but 5 mins on the court suggests he hasn't made gains.

Geez. Same injury as last year?

There was a full-page ad in the Sun's front section on Sunday for the b-ball double-header on Tuesday. Not sure it reached the target audience, but it will be interesting to see how many people show up. (A full-page ad had to be expensive -- 10K, I would think.)

Clear indication of voter bias: UNH at No. 14. I hope JMU grinds them into the dust this week.

We've benefited from our high early ranking. Stony Brook, with a win over Nova and an OT loss to JMU, is barely receiving votes. Albany doesn't even merit that status even though they beat us thoroughly. This may be the year where so many CAA teams knock each other off that -- if it continues -- only Madison gets in to the playoffs.

Mat: We huddled on offense for the first time (I believe) in the TF era. Did anyone ask RA about that? What do you think the rationale was -- to eat more clock and have longer possessions?

Not sure that was a stop -- Henderson has the first down if he doesn't slide too early. But we'll take it. The offense was unstoppable until the C.Smith fumble at the start of the second half, then we suddenly lost our way. Glad we got our mojo back before it was too late. We used a huddle for the first time this season (maybe the first time since 2017). Any idea what the thinking was? (Eat more clock?)

Nice story, Dan. Well done.

We're lucky TF has been so durable. He's taken lots of hit these past two years.

I mentioned this on another thread, but here it is again: Henderson, Delaware's dual-threat QB, has been out for a while, so we may see Kehoe again. He lit up our No. 25 last year, so I suspect that's who he'll go after again. Let's hope our coaches have some changes in mind to address that weakness.

Stony Brook looks to be the toughest out of them all. They hung with Nova, fell behind, then clawed back. They sacked the Nova QB twice -- no easy tack, as he's quick and slippery -- with less than 2 mins left to get the ball back for the final drive. TF has been sacked a lot this season, and the SB front will pose more of the same. But first we have to get past the Hens. Henderson, their dual-threat QB, has been out for a while, so we may see Kehoe again. He lit up our No. 25 last year, so I suspect that's who he'll go after again.

I'd like to see Speight become part of the RB rotation. Small sample size, but he looks more powerful than Feliz-Platt. Overall, this was the performance we needed, but let's be honest: defenses the rest of the season will be MUCH faster than Bucknell's. Also, glad that Clark was back out on the field.

Nova probably beats JMU last week with Covington -- he's that dynamic.

Agree that anything less than a three-touchdown victory will be an abstract abject failure.

They started 0-2, their coach took a medical red-shirt, but they look headed for another postseason bid. They only play an 11-game season, but 7-4 looks realistic, which means they'd be a shoo-in given the selection committee's past preferences.

Are RA's comments still to come?

This one was on the coaches. No scheme for either offense or defense; no adjustments; middle of the field was open all day for the Albany receivers; other than a few shovel passes at game's end, we kept sending our receivers long -- no crossing routes, no slants, no one coaching the receivers TO COME BACK TO THE QB when he is scrambling for his life; no replacement for No. 25 this year after he got torched all last season -- now he's added horrible tackling skills to his repertoire. Barring a miraculous turn-around, this team is staying home at season's end, and deserves that fate. (RA will cry about injuries, but all teams deal with that, and it's WHY YOU BRING IN A TRANSFER OR FRESHMAN RB...)

I think we were helped by Nova moving to 5-0, which made our OT loss to them look better. Also, quite a few teams below us lost.

The defense had been on the field at the end of regulation and giving it their all. I think they were spent -- and it showed on the very first carry of OT. (Nova had to be pass-oriented for that final drive, which essentially neutralized Covington, who had gouged us all game.) Better to give the O the ball first in OT and let the D rest. I also fault RA for other bad decisions -- when we were down 35-28 and had third and a half yard in Nova territory, he has TF in the shotgun. Things didn't work out well. When you need to a first down to keep the drive going, run a QB sneak. Too often we were going for the home run instead of moving the ball steadily downfield. One other coaching decision that backfired: Kickoff goes out of bounds, but instead of taking the ball at the 35, RA has them kick again -- and Platt falls down at the 17 -- loss of 18 yards, and we go three and out. Final observation: Without Shane Simpson, our offense is essentially all TF. Our only decent gains on the ground were when he took off; otherwise, he was throwing the ball.

Making matters worse is that we had a pass-oriented offense and NDSU operated a run-heavy O behind a terrific QB named Bentrim -- ideal for 20-degree temps. I remember that it was a mild day here, mid-50s. Who knows what mighta been.