Here's the Valpo schedule. Looks pretty decent. We don't play any of the really strong teams until late in the season and open at home against Campbell. With Marist and newbie Mercer there is a possibility of three wins early to build confidence. Morehead lost all their good offensive players to graduation so maybe they could be a win too. The last four on the other hand.......
VALPARAISO
Sept. 28: Campbell ;D
Oct. 5: at Marist ???
Oct. 12: at Mercer ;D
Oct. 19: Morehead State ???
Oct. 26: at Drake :(
Nov. 2: San Diego :(
Nov. 9: at Butler :(
Nov. 16: Dayton :(
We dodged Jacksonville again.
Now that the PFL piece is out, it would be nice to see the first three games scheduled for 2013. Betting YSU is gone, replaced by maybe U of North Dakota and could be switching out Duquesne for some other NEC school (Robert Morris?). Might be going back to St. Joe's again but might also try another ILL/IND D-II. Here they are:
Illinois
Quincy
Indiana
Indianapolis
St. Joseph's (Ind.)
May have to drive over to Macon (around 2 hrs.) to see the Crusaders play Mercer. However,if the haven't won at least two games by then f---it!. Carlson's last stand? :whiteflag:
Why would Mercer be a gimme? Haven;t they been planning this team and their facilities pretty well?
I am surprised Carlson did not get the boot, and I think the university needs to held accountable on explaining what their vision is. They have been rather quiet.
All road games non-conference? If so, what does everyone think of only having four home games this season?
Quote from: VULB#62 on December 18, 2012, 02:29:19 PMHere's the Valpo schedule. Looks pretty decent. We don't play any of the really strong teams until late in the season and open at home against Campbell. With Marist and newbie Mercer there is a possibility of three wins early to build confidence. Morehead lost all their good offensive players to graduation so maybe they could be a win too.
And with the results we have gotten from Dale Carlson so far all 4 could very easily be losses. What exactly did you see this past season that makes you think Valpo will win even one of these games? Yes, to a team such as Butler or Dayton, this is a decent first 4 games but to a team that has won 2 games in 2 seasons it's still a tough schedule. Just not as tough as the 2012 season.
Sometimes you just shake your head.....no non-conference home games and three road games against scholarship teams is just stupid. WE NEED TO SCHEDULE WINS. We need to be looking at low level D3 and bad NAIA teams. More than anything else we need some confidence going into a very favorable early conference season. Instead we'll have 3 games of getting our heads bashed in. If some day we improve, we improve our schedule but not now!
Someone with a clue please help us.
Quote from: laura on December 18, 2012, 08:00:17 PM
.......Off topic I believe the first 3 games next year are @St Josephs @North Dakota and @Wagner (New York)...Conference Champ and I believe winners of two games in the playoffs.
If Laura's info is correct (haven't seen an "official" Valpo release), the UND game is a guarantee game so it's definitely got to be an away game. If St. Joe's is on the schedule, it too would be an away game cuz they were at Brown Field in 2012. Then we have Wagner. If past scheduling patterns persist, we go there first and they return the visit. So, if these are the 2013 OOC games, it looks like a 4 game home season is in the cards. :(
I know Wagner very well. I grew up in the NY metro area. My ex graduated from there, and I was in attendance when Valpo visited Wagner in football in 1971 and tied 14-14. We beat them the next year at Valpo 34-18.
Here's some background:
School -- Lutheran heritage but now pretty much non-denominational. 2000 undergrads. $64.4 mil. endowment. Located on Staten Island in NYC. D-I in all sports except FB (D-IAA in football - NEC)
Football -- Long history of football. Dick Kotite former Giants TE and the Philly Eagles HFC is a graduate. 2012 NEC champs and went to the second round of the FCS tourney after they beat Colgate from the Patriot League. Lost there to Eastern Washington. They beat Duquesne of the NEC 23-17 (who smashed us 45-17). Lost their first 3 games before running the table to get to the FCS tourney. Included in the three losses was a 7-3 loss to FBS Florida Atlantic.
NOTE: Currently, the NEC limits the number of athletic scholarships in football to 34 scholarships in an equivalency approach (i.e., the 34 scholarships can be divided among an unlimited number of football student-athletes). They are trending up to a limit of 40 by 2013. The scholarship limit applies to athletically related aid only. Institutions are permitted to provide a combination of athletic aid and need based aid/merit aid up to the FCS limit of 63 equivalencies.With this OOC schedule the only hope for a win is St. Joe's.
From the UND athletic site -- Valpo @ UND Wednesday 8/28/13
Background:
School: 11,953 undergrads. $140 mil endowment. Located in Grand Forks ND. D-I in all sports (except FB - D-IAA) and full member of the Big Sky Conference.
Football: 8th in the Big Sky FB Conference (out of 13 schools). 2012 5 wins and 6 losses. Lost to FBS San Diego State 49-41. Play indoors in the Alerus Center (12,283 seats). Home record is 57-10.
NOTE: Rumors persist that the Big Sky will go FBS by 2014.
From the St. Joe's Athletic web site: Valpo @ St. Joe's 9/7/13 12:00 Noon.
There are 10 days between UND and St. Joe's. That's favorable. And so it looks like "Wagner or whomever" will be on either the 14th or the 21st. That would leave an open weekend to lick wounds on one of those two weekends prior to starting the PFL schedule. One would hope that "Wagner or whomever" is a home game. Otherwise the 4 game home schedule and seven road trips is a reality. Guess we'll just have to stay tuned until either Wagner or Valpo posts their 2013 schedule.
Quote from: laura on December 18, 2012, 08:00:17 PM
Carlson still has the Davidson game posted on the blog. Beyond embarassing. Take the blog off rather than quitting on it. This whole story is just so sad. Poor coaching, poor leadership, poor planning ...just poor. .........Off topic I believe the first 3 games next year are @St Josephs @North Dakota and @Wagner (New York)...Conference Champ and I believe winners of two games in the playoffs.
Yep, quitting on the blog is pretty rediculous. It's hard to take his little motivational speeches seriously when he can't even man up and finish the season blog.
No out of conference home games, and two of them sure losses. I'll give him the Campbell win, but if they lose the St. Joe game again, another 1 win season is on order.
Quote from: KL31NY on December 18, 2012, 10:21:40 PMAll road games non-conference? If so, what does everyone think of only having four home games this season?
It would be one less game that I hope to see a better performance from Valpo only to see the team play even worse than the week before which most fans would believe was impossible yet somehow the Crusaders find a way to accomplish.
I've been sitting here waiting for a response along that line. Knew it was coming. Finally got it. Thx H-man. :cheers:
You know, Valpo football is a very interesting story on futility. I am suprised it has not recevied national attention.
usc, it hasn't received national attention because it's non-scholarship, and not a premiere football school.
Columbia and Prairie View did when they were down like this. In Sagarin, Valpo has been 246, 246, and 245 the past 3 years. That is consistent futility.
Didn't they both go about 5-6 years without a win though? We only went 2 years...
The Wagner game is at Valpo.
yes run you are correct.
Actually Valpo's futility did draw a national story. I can't remember the magazine though Will try to find it. They put a good spin on it -Valpo's guys were hardworking dedicated good students.
Found the article Painful and embarrassing.......especially after 2 more equally bad years and no action taken.
http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/Valparaiso-Crusaders-football-presses-on-in-face-of-huge-adversity-090111 (http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/Valparaiso-Crusaders-football-presses-on-in-face-of-huge-adversity-090111)
Quote from: FloridaFootball on December 19, 2012, 08:01:47 PM
The Wagner game is at Valpo.
Thanks Florida. That completes the picture. (Bet you were hoping for a game against Stetson).
Here's the (almost) final Valpo 2013 Football Schedule:
VALPARAISOAugust 28: @ North Dakota
September 7: @ St.Joe's
September 14: Wagner or Bye
September 21: Bye or Wagner
Sept. 28: Campbell
Oct. 5: @ Marist
Oct. 12: @ Mercer
Oct. 19: Morehead State
Oct. 26: @ Drake
Nov. 2: San Diego
Nov. 9: @ Butler
Nov. 16: Dayton
With that a known quantity, there remain
TWO UNKNOWNS heading into next fall over which to ruminate low these many months ((presented in my priority order):
(1a) A restructuring of the defensive system. And improved coaching on the defense side of the ball to allow the team to stay in games. Case in Point is next year's NEC opponent who went to the second round of the FCS. Their average victory margin was PLUS 4.92 points a game with their biggest loss by 21 and their biggest win by 30. And even against Eastern Washington in round 2, a veteran Big Sky team, they only lost 29-19. Looking at the same stats for Valpo: Average victory margin MINUS 26.8; biggest loss by 59 (next was 52); biggest (only) win by 20.
(1b) Mistake Elimination: Improved coaching that drills discipline, control and accountability to eliminate costly mistakes and turnovers
(1c) Rushing. The realization by the coaches that they have a a talented back to feature and a running game that needs to be crafted and woven firmly into every game plan. Also the realization that to effectively run the spread the QB must also be a rushing threat (see Lancaster and Butler films to support that) and travel to Texas A&M or Kansas State to learn how to make it happen.
(2) Difference makers. Add a few mature difference makers in the 2013 recruiting class. Recruit some JC talent and attract some transfers to bolster the kids who are already on campus who show up every day for offseason work and are dedicated to playing football. Two or three immediate starters to offset losses to graduation and to add talent beyond that on both sides of the ball can have a dramatic impact. CAVEAT: If 1a-1c are not forthcoming, 2 is rendered moot.
Quote from: VULB#62 on December 20, 2012, 07:15:20 AMWith that a known quantity, there remain TWO UNKNOWNS heading into next fall over which to ruminate low these many months ((presented in my priority order):
(1a) A restructuring of the defensive system. And improved coaching on the defense side of the ball to allow the team to stay in games. Case in Point is next year's NEC opponent who went to the second round of the FCS. Their average victory margin was PLUS 4.92 points a game with their biggest loss by 21 and their biggest win by 30. And even against Eastern Washington in round 2, a veteran Big Sky team, they only lost 29-19. Looking at the same stats for Valpo: Average victory margin MINUS 26.8; biggest loss by 59 (next was 52); biggest (only) win by 20.
(1b) Mistake Elimination: Improved coaching that drills discipline, control and accountability to eliminate costly mistakes and turnovers
(1c) Rushing. The realization by the coaches that they have a a talented back to feature and a running game that needs to be crafted and woven firmly into every game plan. Also the realization that to effectively run the spread the QB must also be a rushing threat (see Lancaster and Butler films to support that) and travel to Texas A&M or Kansas State to learn how to make it happen.
(2) Difference makers. Add a few mature difference makers in the 2013 recruiting class. Recruit some JC talent and attract some transfers to bolster the kids who are already on campus who show up every day for offseason work and are dedicated to playing football. Two or three immediate starters to offset losses to graduation and to add talent beyond that on both sides of the ball can have a dramatic impact. CAVEAT: If 1a-1c are not forthcoming, 2 is rendered moot.
(1a) We must find some DL with size. With the exception of Collins, who graduates, our linemen are undersized. I agree some JC help here would be nice.
(1c) Agree and with Cook back we will theoretically have 5 starters back on the OL.
(2) Of course we need to add players just about everywhere except WR. DL with size, a K being two high priorities. We almost need to retain players. This team can not afford to have 15-20 players leave.
Has anyone heard of any players leaving?
Moe, thank you so much for posting that. It really was excellently written, and it puts a human face to all of the stats and (mostly dreadful) numbers.
Fight on, Valpo. We'll get there one day.
Quote from: crusadermoe on December 19, 2012, 10:02:50 PM
Found the article Painful and embarrassing.......especially after 2 more equally bad years and no action taken.
http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/Valparaiso-Crusaders-football-presses-on-in-face-of-huge-adversity-090111 (http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/Valparaiso-Crusaders-football-presses-on-in-face-of-huge-adversity-090111)
I remember that article, well done. Interestingly, the writer knew (2 years ago) that this team needed wins yet we continue to schedule unwinnable games.
Point really well taken. I think I've harped on the "morale" issue caused by early bad losses a few times. It can't feel good knowing you are being "fed to the lions" for cash when you are already shelling out big tuition money without earning any bucks by playing FB.
Quote from: crusadermoe on December 19, 2012, 10:02:50 PM
Found the article Painful and embarrassing.......especially after 2 more equally bad years and no action taken.
http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/Valparaiso-Crusaders-football-presses-on-in-face-of-huge-adversity-090111 (http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/Valparaiso-Crusaders-football-presses-on-in-face-of-huge-adversity-090111)
Can't help but think back about Bobby Wisocki who came back for the 2011 season like McCarty and was quoted in the story. I saw him play QB vs. Marist at Marist in 2009, Stacy Adams' last year. He did a pretty good job that game despite not really being a QB and VU only lost 0-24. He was used as a WR and sometime RB in 2010 by the Carlson staff, and in that horrendous season, I remember some pretty good plays on his part. He could do a variety of things and he was good sized. He had talent. In 2011 Bobby started out as one of the core players, by mid season, though not injured and IMO a better player, he was replaced by some younger players (had to get them that valuable experience) and by the Marist game was walking the sideline and only got in in the last few minutes after the game was decided (7-30). Tough way to spend his last season after making the commitment he talked about. It was also sad that despite being benched Valpo promoted his name out there as a recipient of a couple of national recognitions as I recall.
Quote from: IndyValpo on December 20, 2012, 08:42:32 AM
Quote from: crusadermoe on December 19, 2012, 10:02:50 PM
Found the article Painful and embarrassing.......especially after 2 more equally bad years and no action taken.
http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/Valparaiso-Crusaders-football-presses-on-in-face-of-huge-adversity-090111 (http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/Valparaiso-Crusaders-football-presses-on-in-face-of-huge-adversity-090111)
I remember that article, well done. Interestingly, the writer knew (2 years ago) that this team needed wins yet we continue to schedule unwinnable games.
Not sure what teams would constitute 'winnable'. Carlson's record against less than Division I is 0-4. Adams' was 9-8 in five seasons, and Horne's was 33-11, after formation of PFL or 12 seasons. The schedule, as more teams entered the PFL, has increased in competition, but we should be competitive within our own league. In 20 years of the PFL, we have only 4 non-losing seasons in PFL play. Carlson is 2-22 in PFL play. To come close to Adams' winning percentage in his first four years of PFL play, Carson will need 5 PFL wins. Not sure that we have that many 'winnable' PFL games next year.
This is from the Torch (December 3, 2012). The student newspaper took a different approach to the game coverage. So not only are we embarassed on the crawler by lopsided scores -- we make SportsCenter's Top 10. But there are some [snark] encouraging thoughts [snark] at the end for the 2013 campaign so I posted it here.
VU Football on SportsCenter
It might not have been the best way to do it, but the Valparaiso University football team can say they appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter.
In their 76-24 loss against Pioneer Football League (PFL) foe Morehead State, the Crusaders gave up a rather unexpected score. In the second quarter, MSU receiver Cyrus Strahm acted as if he was going to return a kickoff until he surprisingly threw the ball across the field to redshirt senior Donte Sawyer, who then marched 85 yards to the end zone, making the score 41-7.
The play appeared on the "Top 10 Plays" segment of SportsCenter and took everyone involved in the play by surprise. "We never saw that before," said VU redshirt sophomore cornerback Dale Cook. Even VU head coach Dale Carlson was surprised by the play; however, he believes that does not matter. "That is not an excuse," Carlson said. "It was a trick play and it caught us."
Although the Brown and Gold lessened the deficit to 41-10 two series later after a 27-yard field goal from redshirt sophomore kicker Mike Pando, Morehead State immediately responded with a score of its own. Quarterback Zach Lewis connected with receiver Brandon Bornhauser for 53 yards, giving the Eagles a 48-10 lead heading into halftime.
MSU extended its lead to 62-10 within minutes of the third quarter when Sawyer earned another score, this time off a 64-yard pass from quarterback Boone Goldsmith. On the ensuing kickoff, Morehead State found the end zone again when redshirt junior running back Sterling Summerville fumbled the ball, which was recovered by defensive back Steven Lester, who returned it for the 10-yard score.
VU answered with a score of its own later in the quarter, making the score 62-17, when redshirt sophomore quarterback Eric Hoffman hit sophomore receiver Cole Anderson for nine yards. Hoffman finished the game completing 26 passes for 200 yards and one touchdown.
Morehead State earned two more scores in the fourth quarter off two rushing touchdowns from redshirt senior receivers Blake Stanley and Adam Slupski. The Brown and Gold sandwiched a touchdown of its own in between MSU's scores as sophomore quarterback Ben Lehman completed a 37-yard pass to redshirt junior running back Jabril Baker.
Carlson was disappointed with the loss and credits the team's lack of consistency as the reason for the result. "We were incredibly inconsistent," Carlson said. "This more than anything led to the lopsided loss."
To start the game, the Crusaders gained 29 yards on their first three plays of the game; however, two false start penalties forced them to punt. This led to a Morehead State touchdown as Lewis connected with Sawyer from 33 yards, making the score 7-0. The lead extended to 14-0 a series later when receiver Blake Stanley earned a three-yard rushing touchdown. VU had an opportunity to put points of its own on the board; however, Pando missed a 23-yard field goal. The Eagles took advantage of the miss and scored on the next play thanks to an 80-yard rush from Bornhauser, giving MSU a 20-0 lead after one quarter of play.
Sophomore receiver Tanner Kuramata felt that the team's inability to score in the game, especially in the first quarter, was a key reason for the defeat.
"In the two previous games against Morehead State, we scored a decent amount of points, so not doing that this time brings you down a bit," Kuramata said.
Sawyer's first of three touchdowns came in the second quarter after a 1-yard pass from Lewis, bringing the score to 27-0. The Eagles made their lead 34-0 four plays later after defensive back Kameron Scott intercepted a Hoffman pass and returned it 53 yards to the end zone. VU capitalized on its next possession thanks to a 3-yard rush from redshirt freshman running back Jake Hutson, putting the Crusaders down 34-7. Hutson ended the day with 107 yards.
With the defeat, the Brown and Gold close the 2012 season with a 1-10 record. Carlson has mixed thoughts on the season as a whole. "I'm not happy with our record, but it was good to see our team not be physically dominated by the teams we faced," Carlson said.
To prepare for the 2013 season, Carlson will have the team take part in conditioning sessions as well as having them frequently be in the weight room. However, he believes that in order to really improve as a team, every player must be determined to succeed. "Players have to be willing to do their homework, come in to ask questions and watch videos on their own to become better football players," Carlson said.
I don't get it. Today the VU web site released the VU PFL part of the schedule. The PFL announced this last Monday. I would have thought that Valpo would have added the three OOC games and sent out a complete schedule.
http://www.valpoathletics.com/football/news/2012-13/12268/crusaders-release-2013-pfl-schedule/ (http://www.valpoathletics.com/football/news/2012-13/12268/crusaders-release-2013-pfl-schedule/)
Quote from: VULB#62 on December 20, 2012, 03:15:24 PM
I don't get it. Today the VU web site released the VU PFL part of the schedule. The PFL announced this last Monday. I would have thought that Valpo would have added the three OOC games and sent out a complete schedule.
http://www.valpoathletics.com/football/news/2012-13/12268/crusaders-release-2013-pfl-schedule/ (http://www.valpoathletics.com/football/news/2012-13/12268/crusaders-release-2013-pfl-schedule/)
Maybe we now know the VU commitment to football - confuse the reader with incomplete info.
The only thing I can figure is that UND and St. Joe's are already locked in, but the Wagner specifics aren't complete yet. St. Joe's and North Dakota have already published their schedules for 2013 but VU and Wagner have not.
Selfishly I'd like to have the Wagner game at Wagner in 2013 -- that'll allow me (I live outside of Boston) to see both the Marist game (3 hr drive) as well as Wagner (4 hour drive) and in the case of Wagner stay in NYC and take in a show or a great dinner Saturday night. But for the program's sake, I really hope it's a home game.
Thinking out loud, I hope that when our kids travel to places like San Diego and NYC, win or lose, they get an extra day to see the sights. Hey, Bowies Creek and Dayton are one thing, but these high profile cities should be part of their experiential education. Heck, they should at least, take the Staten Island Ferry and see the Statue of Liberty as they pass it and go to Times Square for an hour. Isn't that the draw of the PFL? It's billed as a coast-to-coast league. I talked to a couple of USD parents at their Harvard game and that's what USD did. They had a get-together on Friday night before the game with the players and then the players spent all Sunday in Boston before they flew back to the left coast. And if Valpo ever scheduled Harvard in Cambridge, I'd be the tour guide on the bus.
The more I think about this whole PFL thing, if Valpo does not give our kids this kind of exposure to the world, what's the point? There are no scholarships, so the benefits have to measured by the holistic experience -- everything they get to live through. If I had a scholarshipped FCS team I'd get them in and out pretty quick, because it's on to the next game (and they are paid to play). But PFL is different. The compensation for the kids has got to be in the experience.
62-i gotta give you credit for being willing to make multiple 3+ hour drives to watch vu football. i live maybe 2 1/2 hours from grand forks, and have no intention at this point of driving to und for that level of embarassment.
I will fly to the Marist game. I am from NYC. And a game vs. Steson in FLA would have been great. But, then again, they have a lot of FLA kids on that team and they wont be a gimme W!