TigerFan54

Cornell game next week will be interesting. They lost a high-scoring game to Kent State -- 110-102!! -- but are 4-2 with wins over Army, Lafayette and Colgate. What's notable is that they play George Mason the night before meeting us, so they could be fatigued, or well-oiled. (We could be rusty with a week off.)

Um ... what's BP stand for?

Despite the positives, another embarrassing loss in the final analysis. Monmouth's very talented QB had all day to find receivers -- virtually no pressure on him, thanks largely to that moronic season-long scheme of three down linemen. Poor tackling continues to plague us; Monmouth's RBs and WRs got a ridiculous number of yards after contact. And then there's the play calling -- especially the decision to kick the FG instead of going for the tie late in the game. Despite the coach's assertion that we needed a FG, a stop, and TD to win, so you take them in whatever order you can get them, most of us would say you play for the tie, then hope and pray you can get the game to OT. Do I like our chances in that scenario? Not really, but it seemed the most likely avenue to an upset win.

I thought last week's game against Bryant set a new standard for sh*tty overall play -- and coaching decisions. But we raised the bar (or should I say lowered it) today. This team is unwatchable much of the time.

As we consider whether this team can eke out five or six more wins to claim a playoff spot, consider how badly we'd get drummed by a quality team -- even if from a so-called weak conference like the NEC or Patriot League. Of course, we could improve over the next eight weeks to truly merit a bid, but that seems like a pipe dream, given the demonstrated limitations of this coaching staff,

Everyone in the stadium could feel this one slipping away midway through the fourth quarter, but let's face it, YSU is a considerably better team. More sustained drives, big runs by their QB or catches by their receivers when they needed those plays to happen, better defense all around (including tighter coverage on our WRs than we could muster against theirs). Basically, three gimmick play calls worked for us -- credit Shinnick there, and the execution -- and put us in position to win, but you need more than that against a quality team. As Mat has pointed out, we have next to no running game, and virtually none when Wooten gets the ball. Doss let the ball go through his hands on what should have been a first-down catch on our final possession, and let the defender wrestle the ball away from him on the long pass/INT. So, many missed opportunities, including the final play sequence on our opening drive. We got hosed on the punt return holding penalty, but the roughing the passer flag on YSU that negated an INT was probably a bad call. In the end, we aren't good enough. Too bad, though. A win might have put some wind in our sails. As a longtime fan, this game brought to mind painful memories, including Colgate kicking a FG on the final play to beat us back in our Patriot League era; William & Mary doing the same in the Sean Schaefer years; and going back further, Youngstown beating us in the Dave Meggett era when Chis Goetz throws an INT deep in YSU territory in the final minute and all we needed was a FG to win. Now that I think about it, we nearly knocked off the Penguins the year they won they national title (1991), Jim Tressel was their coach, Dan Crowley was our true freshman QB, and we held the lead for much of the game before folding late.

Is there any way to watch today's game if you don't have Peacock?

Among other improvements, coaches need to teach Indorf to throw the ball away instead of taking those horrible sacks. They drive killers and and will prove to be game losers.

I liked Indorf's poise and ability to spot the open receiver -- particularly on the long pass that put us up 20-7. That was a third down play, if I recall correctly, and had he been sacked or we had to punt, NSU would have had momentum with a chance to take the lead. Instead, that play took the wind out of their sails and puffed up ours. I only wish our QB were more mobile. The Spartans' backup was quick and slippery. I wish we had him.

Higher in this thread, Mat referenced roster restrictions. Counting the names on the TTigers.com roster, I see 105, which seems more than the previous standard. What are the new restrictions?

I haven't looked at this board much over the summer, so am surprised to see Conway is back. I assume his legal situation has been resolved favorably? Did he practice when you were there? (He's referenced, but isn't part of the player-by-player breakdown.)

Faceoffs and goalie play will likely doom us. Every other aspect of our offense and defense will have to be at their best to offset those season-long deficiencies. Can we do it? Yes. Will we? I doubt it. This could be a repeat of last year's loss to Syracuse.

Drexel fans — well, one in particular — were pissed off by the officiating. He kept bellowing that the ref was an effing a-hole. Eventually, a cop came over and stood next to him, which quieted things down.

Getting beat on ground balls

Drexel’s goalie and FO guys are very good. Wish we had them.