It is only 27days until the Crusaders come to Richmond. Let me be the first to welcome you. I am not sure how you guys travel, or what to expect as far as numbers. The game being on a Thursday may make a difference for some. But for those of you planning on making the trip I will be glad to answer any question concerning, directions, lodging, food, shopping or entertainment in the Richmond area. I will also try to answer any questions about our city, school or football team. We do a pretty good job of tailgating at Roy Kidd Stadium and you are welcome to join in.
Colonel, for those of us who can't make the trek, will it be streamed on the EKU athletics site, ESPN3 or what?
What varieties of bourbon will be served at the tailgate party?
Quote from: usc4valpo on August 09, 2015, 09:46:46 PM
What varieties of bourbon will be served at the tailgate party?
I am partial to Blanton's, a very nice Single Barrel bottled by Buffalo Trace distillery. but if you visit enough people you will probably find a sample of just about every local distillery.
Quote from: VULB#62 on August 09, 2015, 06:07:08 PM
Colonel, for those of us who can't make the trek, will it be streamed on the EKU athletics site, ESPN3 or what?
Lived streamed by the OVC network. OVCSports.com. I am checking the our AD to see if there will be any other coverage and will let you know.
How close do you think you guys are at getting into the Sun Belt? What do you think EKU's chances are at getting the FBS call up? It looks like it's between EKU, NMSU and Coastal for one spot for now per the message board banter.
I scraped a couple of posts from their football message board >> http://www.maroon-nation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2054 (http://www.maroon-nation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2054) << It's still early in the pre-season and not much has been posted, but they are a solid FCS program, so these posts are stating more the obvious than bragging. This is also compounded by all our freshmen who might break into the two deep. I'm just hoping to be competitive and earn some respect.
7/31/15 "Never to early to start talking about the season opener. We ought to win big in this game. We are at home and Valpo was picked to finish 9th out of 10 in the PFL." (This is from our FGColonel, BTW)
7/31/15 "I do feel sorry for their QB. If our All-OVC offensive tackle is on suicide watch (jokingly per Coach Hood) trying to block Noah Spence, what will their tackles do?"
8/1/15 "I will be somewhat disappointed if we do not hang 50 on them or allow anything but a mop-up score. Realizing Hood would likely call off the dogs and let the younger kids get some snaps, allowing any meaningful score would be the bigger disappointment. (FGColonel again).
[ADDED] FYI - Noah Spence (6-3, 261) Xferred from Ohio State where he was a starter at DE. He played in 2012 and 2013 before being dismissed from the OSU FB team for violations of their drug policy. He sat out last season and is now apparently wreaking havoc in the EKU backfield. Hope the young man has straightened out his life. Should be a good show at the edge on September 3. Might need to help our tackles out with a blocking H-Back/TE maybe?
They can kick our butt in football, and we kick the crap out of them in basketball. Fair trade in my view.
tx, totally agree. Basketball is the flagship sport at Valpo and always will be.
Quote from: crusaderjoe on August 19, 2015, 04:23:49 PM
How close do you think you guys are at getting into the Sun Belt? What do you think EKU's chances are at getting the FBS call up? It looks like it's between EKU, NMSU and Coastal for one spot for now per the message board banter.
I checked some press releases and it seems it actually comes down to only Coastal and EKU because New Mexico State is already in the SBC as a football only and prefers to stay in the WAC for all other sports (WAC doesn't have FB and it makes sense from a travel standpoint). EKU has the least amount of adjustment as they already have a 30,000 seat stadium in process while Coastal will have to expand their 9,500 seat stadium and are a relative new comer to FB. EKU will also give the Sun Belt a returned presence in KY that occurred when Western KY left for Conference USA.
Quote from: valpotx on August 20, 2015, 01:18:18 AM
They can kick our butt in football, and we kick the crap out of them in basketball. Fair trade in my view.
I sure can't argue with that. At this point anyway. :(
Quote from: crusaderjoe on August 19, 2015, 04:23:49 PM
How close do you think you guys are at getting into the Sun Belt? What do you think EKU's chances are at getting the FBS call up? It looks like it's between EKU, NMSU and Coastal for one spot for now per the message board banter.
Sorry, been on vacation, just got back. Most here seem to think we will get the invite. Personally, I think it will be Coastal Carolina. No denying, Myrtle Beach is more "fan friendly" than Richmond, KY. especially late in the season. It seems they have no problem raising any monies they may need.
Quote from: VULB#62 on August 19, 2015, 05:07:45 PM
I scraped a couple of posts from their football message board >> http://www.maroon-nation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2054 (http://www.maroon-nation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2054) << It's still early in the pre-season and not much has been posted, but they are a solid FCS program, so these posts are stating more the obvious than bragging. This is also compounded by all our freshmen who might break into the two deep. I'm just hoping to be competitive and earn some respect.
7/31/15 "Never to early to start talking about the season opener. We ought to win big in this game. We are at home and Valpo was picked to finish 9th out of 10 in the PFL." (This is from our FGColonel, BTW)
7/31/15 "I do feel sorry for their QB. If our All-OVC offensive tackle is on suicide watch (jokingly per Coach Hood) trying to block Noah Spence, what will their tackles do?"
8/1/15 "I will be somewhat disappointed if we do not hang 50 on them or allow anything but a mop-up score. Realizing Hood would likely call off the dogs and let the younger kids get some snaps, allowing any meaningful score would be the bigger disappointment. (FGColonel again).
[ADDED] FYI - Noah Spence (6-3, 261) Xferred from Ohio State where he was a starter at DE. He played in 2012 and 2013 before being dismissed from the OSU FB team for violations of their drug policy. He sat out last season and is now apparently wreaking havoc in the EKU backfield. Hope the young man has straightened out his life. Should be a good show at the edge on September 3. Might need to help our tackles out with a blocking H-Back/TE maybe?
Just for the record..... I did NOT make the first post attributed to me. That would be Colonel 12. I did post that we should score 50. Nothing personal against Valpo. Just my opinion based on a little research concerning your defense and the fact that we have a senior laden O line, a very good FBS QB in his second year with the Colonels. very tall, very fast WRs and one of the top RBs in the nation. I honestly believe we will score points on a lot of teams this year. Just for the record, the official line is EKU by 34 1/2. Come on over to maroonnation and chat a little.
I remember Noah Spence from OSU. I thought he was one of the best defensive players in the Big 10 and had no idea he ended up at EKU. I actually thought he was just going to the NFL after being expelled.
Quote from: valpochgo on August 22, 2015, 09:09:25 PM
I remember Noah Spence from OSU. I thought he was one of the best defensive players in the Big 10 and had no idea he ended up at EKU. I actually thought he was just going to the NFL after being expelled.
He needed a year somewhere to prove to the NFL he was clean and could stay out of trouble. Coach Myers and Coach Hood are friends from childhood. Coach Myers Called Coach Hood and ask him to give the kid a chance.
I think that we all understand the 50 point context and are not upset by it -- fact of life. But I do think that Valpo will be a more challenging opponent, despite our youth and new QB and receivers, than Morehead State was last year (55-13 win). Cecchini and his staff have really improved everything about the FB program in just one year. I could see you guys maybe hitting 40 and the early spread might be about right, but I think you guys will have to work harder than you think to get there..
Quote from: FGColonel on August 23, 2015, 10:39:30 AM
Quote from: VULB#62 on August 23, 2015, 07:53:56 AM
I think that we all understand the 50 point context and are not upset by it -- fact of life. But I do think that Valpo will be a more challenging opponent, despite our youth and new QB and receivers, than Morehead State was last year (55-13 win). Cecchini and his staff have really improved everything about the FB program in just one year. I could see you guys maybe hitting 40 and the early spread might be about right, but I think you guys will have to work harder than you think to get there..
Hey, First game of the season, ANYTHING can happen. We went into Oxford and beat Miami last year. I am sure they never thought that could happen, Look at Appy and Michigan. Once the whistle blows, who knows what will take place. That is why we play the game on the field and not on paper. If the upset occurs, I promise I will be the first one on here to congratulate you. Granted it may be after I am resuscitated :o, but I will be here. Are any of you guys making the trip?
From USAToday 8/28/15
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sunbelt/2015/08/28/conference-expansion-coastal-carolina-eastern-kentucky/71322494/ (http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sunbelt/2015/08/28/conference-expansion-coastal-carolina-eastern-kentucky/71322494/)
Sun Belt identifies Coastal Carolina, Eastern Kentucky for expansion
The Sun Belt Conference has enough internal support to add a 12th member and has focused its search on current Football Championship Subdivision members Coastal Carolina and Eastern Kentucky, a person with knowledge of the conversations told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the matter is supposed to be private.
A decision on which school to add and formal vote should come within the next few weeks, if not days. The Sun Belt's current plan is to add one of the two, but not both.
"They have enough votes," the person said. "They have already visited the campuses."
Commissioner Karl Benson, reached by phone Friday, declined to comment. Asked if there will be a vote next week, he said, "I don't know."
Adding a football school would allow the Sun Belt to host a conference championship game, possibly as early as 2016. The league would be split into Eastern and Western Divisions, with the additional team helping the Sun Belt's geographic balance.
Idaho and New Mexico State are currently football-only members. The person with knowledge said if the league for some reason voted against football expansion that an alternative would be adding New Mexico State in all sports, as the Sun Belt has just 11 basketball members.
"Basketball scheduling would be much easier (with 12 teams)," the person said.
Eastern Kentucky was an FCS (then Division I-AA) power from the late 1970s through the early 1990s, with a pair of national titles, but hasn't advanced out of the first round of the playoffs since 1994.
Coastal Carolina has become a national story under coach Joe Moglia, the former CEO of Ameritrade who left the company in 2008 to pursue a coaching career. Moglia has been a smashing success, going 32-10 in three seasons while advancing to the national quarterfinals the last two seasons. The Chanticleers are No. 5 in the preseason FCS poll, but one issue could be its stadium, which has capacity of 9,400. According to the Coastal Carolina web site, it could be expanded to 20,000.
Quote from: VULB#62 on August 28, 2015, 04:52:28 PM
From USAToday 8/28/15
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sunbelt/2015/08/28/conference-expansion-coastal-carolina-eastern-kentucky/71322494/ (http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/sunbelt/2015/08/28/conference-expansion-coastal-carolina-eastern-kentucky/71322494/)
Sun Belt identifies Coastal Carolina, Eastern Kentucky for expansion
The Sun Belt Conference has enough internal support to add a 12th member and has focused its search on current Football Championship Subdivision members Coastal Carolina and Eastern Kentucky, a person with knowledge of the conversations told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the matter is supposed to be private.
A decision on which school to add and formal vote should come within the next few weeks, if not days. The Sun Belt's current plan is to add one of the two, but not both.
"They have enough votes," the person said. "They have already visited the campuses."
Commissioner Karl Benson, reached by phone Friday, declined to comment. Asked if there will be a vote next week, he said, "I don't know."
Adding a football school would allow the Sun Belt to host a conference championship game, possibly as early as 2016. The league would be split into Eastern and Western Divisions, with the additional team helping the Sun Belt's geographic balance.
Idaho and New Mexico State are currently football-only members. The person with knowledge said if the league for some reason voted against football expansion that an alternative would be adding New Mexico State in all sports, as the Sun Belt has just 11 basketball members.
"Basketball scheduling would be much easier (with 12 teams)," the person said.
Eastern Kentucky was an FCS (then Division I-AA) power from the late 1970s through the early 1990s, with a pair of national titles, but hasn't advanced out of the first round of the playoffs since 1994.
Coastal Carolina has become a national story under coach Joe Moglia, the former CEO of Ameritrade who left the company in 2008 to pursue a coaching career. Moglia has been a smashing success, going 32-10 in three seasons while advancing to the national quarterfinals the last two seasons. The Chanticleers are No. 5 in the preseason FCS poll, but one issue could be its stadium, which has capacity of 9,400. According to the Coastal Carolina web site, it could be expanded to 20,000.
We should hear something next week.
Are alumni and fans supportive of the move should an invitation come your way?
Quote from: VULB#62 on August 30, 2015, 07:35:53 AM
Are alumni and fans supportive of the move should an invitation come your way?
Like everything else, there are factions on both sides of the argument. I think the majority of the fans are for the move. The OVC just does not have the excitement for us as in past years. Our two biggest rivals, Western KY, and Middle TN have both made the move leaving us without a true rival geographically close enough to generate a lot of fan support, Jacksonville ST. has a excellent program, nationally competitive but just too far away for a lot of fans to really get into it. Ironically, the Sun Belt seem to be the way we are heading (if we get an invite) but a large portion of the fan base would rather go to the MAC. Sadly the MAC does not seem ready for expansion right now.
This is game week! Time for predictions.
I am guessing that the team travels early on Wednesday (it's 367 miles and a 5 hrs 40 minute bus ride) and will do run thrus at EKU Wednesday PM. Thursday game time is 6:00PM Central.
EKU finished the 2014 season 9–4 (6–2 in OVC play) to finish in second place. OOC wins of interest to us: Beat Robert Morris (NEC) 29-10, Miami Ohio (MAC/FBS) 17-10, Morehead State (PFL) 55-16. They closed the season by traveling to the Swamp in Gainesville and lost to FBS SEC power Florida 3-52. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs where they lost in the first round to Indiana State. They return 16 of 22 starters and apparently are loaded with talent that includes some FBS transfers. They play @ North Carolina State the week following our game.
Valpo comes off it's first multiple wins season (4-8) in recent memory and were within one score each of pulling out 3 more wins. The 2014 team showed improvement in all aspects of the game. Lost to graduation are the starting QB and receiver corps. For 2015 ~50 true freshmen populate almost half of the roster. 19 true freshman are on the 2-deep with as many as 3 starting.
PREDICTION: EKU, looking ahead to NC State, barely pulls out a "last second" victory over the Crusaders 48 - 7 (seven)
Quote from: VULB#62 on August 31, 2015, 12:47:29 PMPREDICTION: EKU, looking ahead to NC State, barely pulls out a "last second" victory over the Crusaders 48 - 7
Did you mean 48-47? I guess not.
I would love to hold the Colonels under 50 but can't predict that. 54-10 to EKU.
Thanks - clarified my prediction ;D
Not sure how EKU would compare to Western Illinois, but assuming they are at a similar status, we lost to WIL 45-6. I expect a similar result. We will be better then last year as this is Coach's second year. New quarterback etc so don't expect an improvement over last year's score. I'll go will 45-10
Improved, but not in same league as EKU.
EKU - 38
VU - 13
Quote from: vu72 on August 31, 2015, 01:50:23 PM
Not sure how EKU would compare to Western Illinois, but assuming they are at a similar status, we lost to WIL 45-6. I expect a similar result. We will be better then last year as this is Coach's second year. New quarterback etc so don't expect an improvement over last year's score. I'll go will 45-10
Technically we went into last season without a "returning QB" as well. However, 3 of our 2015 QBs have been in the system one full year as opposed to last year when Cecchini just started to install the offense in the spring with a bunch of strangers on the field and a staff that the kids didn't know before the winter. Both Scott and Dalton have been running this offense since last fall -- what they lack is implementing it under the pressure of game conditions. Once Ben was given the job, it still took him a few games to get comfortable in the role and then the game slowed down for him.
However, I don't think that WIU and EKU are that comparable -- I think EKU is more talented and more experienced coming into this game by comparison. WIU was 5-7 last year and EKU was 9-4 (but WIU did lose to Indiana State by a similar margin as EKU).
EKU is a much better program than WIU. I personally don't see any benefit to playing highly competitive scholarship programs as all it does is put our kids in a situation where it's a higher probability of them being injured. There is great non-scholarship football played in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference which most teams would be a really good early season challenge for Valpo. I know FBS and FCS schools play each other early in the season but it's a big difference between the programs at scholarship and non-scholarship football programs.
If our kids stay healthy after our first 2 games than I call that a success no matter what the final scores are.....
Quote from: valpochgo on August 31, 2015, 04:06:38 PM
EKU is a much better program than WIU. I personally don't see any benefit to playing highly competitive scholarship programs as all it does is put our kids in a situation where it's a higher probability of them being injured. There is great non-scholarship football played in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference which most teams would be a really good early season challenge for Valpo. I know FBS and FCS schools play each other early in the season but it's a big difference between the programs at scholarship and non-scholarship football programs.
If our kids stay healthy after our first 2 games than I call that a success no matter what the final scores are.....
Not sure where you came up with that fact. Sagarin had Western ranked 118 at the end of last year as part of the Missouri Valley, ranked as the 12th best conference. By contrast, EKU was ranked 157 in the 25th best conference. To start this season, Sagarin has EKU ranked 146 while Western is ranked 148. The Valley is ranked 17th versus the other Valley at 24th.
Quote from: valpochgo on August 31, 2015, 04:06:38 PM
............... I personally don't see any benefit to playing highly competitive scholarship programs as all it does is put our kids in a situation where it's a higher probability of them being injured. There is great non-scholarship football played in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference which most teams would be a really good early season challenge for Valpo. I know FBS and FCS schools play each other early in the season but it's a big difference between the programs at scholarship and non-scholarship football programs.
If our kids stay healthy after our first 2 games than I call that a success no matter what the final scores are.....
Clearly the WIU, EKU, (2016?), and Montana games are guarantee games that help the program financially. But it does go a bit farther -- 1) these games help us attract good football players who want to challenge themselves, 2) it helps Valpo define itself an a "real" FCS program, and 3) The kids WANT to play these games (just like WIU kids want to play the Wisconsins and Illinois and EKU kids want to go against the NC States and Floridas). And every now and then an Appalachian State upsets a Michigan or, maybe, a Valpo up-ends a Montana. Ya nevah know.
SHU, on the other hand, is a home and home (no guarantee) and though the NEC is FCS scholarship, they are much closer to being beatable.
I do hope that the Missouri Baptists and College of Faiths find their way off the schedule soon. (BTW, I would not have said that 2 years ago ::) )
I certainly agree with your last statement though -- be crazy not to.
Quote from: vu72 on August 31, 2015, 04:20:04 PM
Not sure where you came up with that fact. Sagarin had Western ranked 118 at the end of last year as part of the Missouri Valley, ranked as the 12th best conference. By contrast, EKU was ranked 157 in the 25th best conference. To start this season, Sagarin has EKU ranked 146 while Western is ranked 148. The Valley is ranked 17th versus the other Valley at 24th.
FYIHere's all the Sagarin Pre-season FCS Ratings of the 33 D-I conferences (ones in bold are of interest to Valpo and the Pioneer league)
17 MISSOURI VALLEY (AA) 18 CONFERENCE USA-EAST (A)
19 MAC-EAST (A)
20 SUN BELT (A) 21 COLONIAL (AA)
22 BIG SKY (AA) 23 SOUTHERN (AA)
24 OHIO VALLEY (AA) 25 SOUTHLAND (AA)
26 PATRIOT (AA) 27 BIG SOUTH (AA)
28 IVY LEAGUE (AA) 29 NORTHEAST (AA)
30 MID-EASTERN (AA)
31 SWAC-EAST (AA)
32 SWAC-WEST (AA)
33 PIONEER (AA)Sagarin PFL Team Ratings
211 JU
222 USD
229 Dayton
232 Drake
241 Butler
243 Marist
245 Campbell
247 Morehead
250 Stetson
251 Valpo 253 Davidson
Sacred Heart, BTW, is 200
Just heard the Valpo Football Preview and a couple of things stood out for me. First, Coach said the five fastest players on the team are all freshman. Quite a bit was said about the success of getting athletic kids from Florida, Texas and California. The troubling thing that was mentioned near the end was that there are some kids who won't be suiting up because of suspensions. :(
I don't know much about Sagarin rankings but I know EKU is ranked #17 in the FCS NCAA Coaches Poll and I don't see WIU anywhere on that list either this year or last year so I'm not the only personthat thinks EKU is better than WIU.
Valpochgo, WIU gets added cred just because they belong to the MVFC. Kind of like a mid SEC team is thought equal to, say, teams in the top 3 in the AAC. But, definitely, EKU is legit.
Quote from: vu72 on August 31, 2015, 04:57:46 PM
The troubling thing that was mentioned near the end was that there are some kids who won't be suiting up because of suspensions. :(
I recall Grayson Bastin is one of them.
Quote from: VULB#62 on August 31, 2015, 07:21:11 PM
Valpochgo, WIU gets added cred just because they belong to the MVFC. Kind of like a mid SEC team is thought equal to, say, teams in the top 3 in the AAC. But, definitely, EKU is legit.
Quote from: vu72 on August 31, 2015, 04:57:46 PM
The troubling thing that was mentioned near the end was that there are some kids who won't be suiting up because of suspensions. :(
I recall Grayson Bastin is one of them.
[/b]
any idea how many or what for?
Quote from: vu72 on August 31, 2015, 08:59:09 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on August 31, 2015, 07:21:11 PM
Valpochgo, WIU gets added cred just because they belong to the MVFC. Kind of like a mid SEC team is thought equal to, say, teams in the top 3 in the AAC. But, definitely, EKU is legit.
Quote from: vu72 on August 31, 2015, 04:57:46 PM
The troubling thing that was mentioned near the end was that there are some kids who won't be suiting up because of suspensions. :(
I recall Grayson Bastin is one of them.
[/b]
any idea how many or what for?
They were at a party and alcohol was present.... approximately 17 suspended.
Quote from: vu72 on August 31, 2015, 08:59:09 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on August 31, 2015, 07:21:11 PM
Valpochgo, WIU gets added cred just because they belong to the MVFC. Kind of like a mid SEC team is thought equal to, say, teams in the top 3 in the AAC. But, definitely, EKU is legit.
Quote from: vu72 on August 31, 2015, 04:57:46 PM
The troubling thing that was mentioned near the end was that there are some kids who won't be suiting up because of suspensions. :(
I recall Grayson Bastin is one of them.
[/b]
any idea how many or what for?
Quote from: valpochgo on August 31, 2015, 09:28:27 PM
Quote from: vu72 on August 31, 2015, 08:59:09 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on August 31, 2015, 07:21:11 PM
Valpochgo, WIU gets added cred just because they belong to the MVFC. Kind of like a mid SEC team is thought equal to, say, teams in the top 3 in the AAC. But, definitely, EKU is legit.
Quote from: vu72 on August 31, 2015, 04:57:46 PM
The troubling thing that was mentioned near the end was that there are some kids who won't be suiting up because of suspensions. :(
I recall Grayson Bastin is one of them.
[/b]
any idea how many or what for?
They were at a party and alcohol was present.... approximately 17 suspended.
[/b]
Oh crap. I presume most if not all were upper classman, which means we will lose several starters and we are screwed.
EKU 52
Valpo 7
If you haven't watched it on the Valpo Athletics site, here's the link to the Game 1 preview video. It will help in determining predictions. Lots of respect for EKU by Cecchini. Cody Cotton gets a lot of props. I can't imagine going from a safety to a LB and then DE on the D-I level. He's under-sized for that, but if you listen to other things he is saying, they are loading up on speed and strength over just size (Duh, of course it's best to have all three.)
http://www.valpoathletics.com/football/news/2015-16/14798/valpo-football-preview-week-1/#.VeWnBrS4ko8 (http://www.valpoathletics.com/football/news/2015-16/14798/valpo-football-preview-week-1/#.VeWnBrS4ko8)
17 suspended ?????????? I hope you mean from school and NOT the football team.
17 was the number from the football team last year. Not sure if they all came back but however many it is currently, they are all sitting out this game. At the very least players who would have seen significant time whether starters or contributors.
As far as I know it is just this game.
EKU 55
Saders 13
Quote from: FGColonel on September 01, 2015, 04:30:41 PM
17 suspended ?????????? I hope you mean from school and NOT the football team.
As background, there was a big party off campus last year where a whole mess of kids were arrested for underage drinking. The party was held at a football players house. A couple of basketball players were caught as were athletes from others teams. The football players involved are sitting out this game as punishment.
44 VU athletes in all IIRC.
Quote from: vu72 on September 01, 2015, 07:15:21 PMQuote from: FGColonel on September 01, 2015, 04:30:41 PM17 suspended ?????????? I hope you mean from school and NOT the football team.
As background, there was a big party off campus last year where a whole mess of kids were arrested for underage drinking. The party was held at a football players house. A couple of basketball players were caught as were athletes from others teams. The football players involved are sitting out this game as punishment.
That is the same infamous party on Lind Lane that several VB players, women's bb players and Jubril and Hammink were at.
oh my goodness there was beer at this event - where is this world coming to!!
ESPN reports that Coastal Carolina got the bid to the FBS Sun Belt Conference. Condolences FGColonel. We know what it is like to get passed over like that. We had hopes of getting a bid to the Valley a couple of years ago but lost out to Loyola >:(
The Two-Deep has been released as a part of the pre-game notes. Some observations:
18 true freshmen among the first 44 -- 11 on O, 7 on D
4 freshmen starters on O -- RT, LG, TE and FB
0 freshmen starters on D
Missing are familiar some names from last year who are on the active roster: Ryan Shea (WR), Sam Matternack (OL), Grayson Bastin (RB), Tim Foley (DB), Jay Slone (LB)
Stokes and Stall are jointly listed as QBs (as expected)
From the write-up:
Scouting Eastern Kentucky: Fresh off a 9-4 season where they averaged 31.2 points per game, the Colonels project to be an offensive juggernaut again in 2015. Redshirt senior Dy'Shawn Mobley is the straw that stirs the drink for Coach Hood and the EKU Colonels. The running back averaged 5.8 yards per rush en route to a junior season that saw him finish nine yards shy of 1,500 while racking up 20 touchdown carries. He was compensated to the tune of OVC Offensive Player of the Year honors and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award. 2014 was Mobley's first season in Richmond following his departure from University of Kentucky in 2013.
Eastern Kentucky operated under a two-QB system last season. Redshirt junior Bennie Coney is a holdover from the 2014 tandem. The former Cincinnati Bearcat threw for a team-high 1,185 yards a year ago and displayed the ability to allude pressure when necessary. Jeff Glover and Devin Borders pack a 1-2 punch as good any in the Ohio Valley Football Conference at wide receiver. Glover, listed at 6'5'', recorded team watermarks in catches (43) and receiving yards (746) while the 6'6'' Borders snagged 38 passes for 533 yards and a team-most five TDs. The average offensive lineman on EKU's two-deep is just over 287 pounds.
Noah Spence will make his long-awaited debut for the Colonels on Thursday. The 2013 First Team All-Big Ten defensive end transferred to EKU from Ohio State following a sophomore campaign that yielded 14.5 tackles for a loss and eight sacks (2nd in Big Ten). Senior defensive back Stanley Absanon received a Pre- season All-OVC Team nod after picking off four passes and breaking up nine in 2014. He garnered National FCS Defensive Player of the Week accolades in Week 2 as he spearheaded the Colonels to a 17-10 upset of the Miami (OH) RedHawks with a pair of picks, including one for a 55-yard TD. He's expected to pull double duty for Coach Hood as Absanon is slated to return punts and kickoffs.
Redshirt junior Zack Burgy-VanHoose is the heir apparent to Andrew Lloyd at kicker. Burgy-VanHoose's lone attempt last season was blocked from 20 yards out.
Here's the link:
http://files.streamlinetechnologies.com/valpoathletics/9DB11E6F-3F84-43E9-884D-91E1862A0213/Wk1EKU.pdf (http://files.streamlinetechnologies.com/valpoathletics/9DB11E6F-3F84-43E9-884D-91E1862A0213/Wk1EKU.pdf)
True Freshman starting and backing up at RT and LT and TE. Tough assignments vs. EKU. Some of the names mentioned would clearly be at least on the field a lot without some circumstances.
I also hope they don't stick a player in there and lose a potential redshirt year because they are short some veterans. I'm not sure how that all works.
We are 1-0 against EKU this year, so the worst that can happen to us after this game is to be 1-1 now ;D
I hadn't really focused on how good their defensive end is who transferred in from OSU. He was a five star recruit from PA and ranked 4th in the entire class coming out of high school. Given the fact that he was arrested in May for public intoxication and the added fact that we have some players suspended for the same type of stuff, that Noah sit out tomorrow's game. All in favor?? ;D
Right now I'm finding the black cloud behind every silver lining but with the STs also likely loaded with freshman in their first game.....
Quote from: vu72 on September 02, 2015, 01:15:07 PM
I hadn't really focused on how good their defensive end is who transferred in from OSU. He was a five star recruit from PA and ranked 4th in the entire class coming out of high school. Given the fact that he was arrested in May for public intoxication and the added fact that we have some players suspended for the same type of stuff, that Noah sit out tomorrow's game. All in favor?? ;D
Actually he was not arrested for public intoxication. He was Arrested for breaking a beer bottle on the street. Was said it was not his ;) ;) and that he was "tossing it into a garbage can" and missed. ;) ;). That is our story and we are sticking to it. :thumbsup: ALL charged dropped.
Hello! :cheers:
GameDay. Good luck Valparaiso tonight.
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Back atcha Colonels. :coffeetime:
BTW, I'm a little miffed that our game wasn't included in this.......http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/09/six-week-1-college-football-games-to-watch-espn-nbc-fox-sports-1 (http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/09/six-week-1-college-football-games-to-watch-espn-nbc-fox-sports-1) ;)
Game Day Baby!!!!! Go Saders!!! Fight on SC!!!
Lee Corso and the ESPN guys will be there, right? :lol:
BTW Understand that Sarkisian is taking his southern Californian (not the university, the geographic location) environment very seriously and is going into rehab along with half the population ;)
not so fast my friend!! ;)
at least when Sark was in his inebriated state, he did not consistently ramble on with Osteen quotes...
Quote from: VULB#62 on September 01, 2015, 10:31:46 PM
ESPN reports that Coastal Carolina got the bid to the FBS Sun Belt Conference. Condolences FGColonel. We know what it is like to get passed over like that. We had hopes of getting a bid to the Valley a couple of years ago but lost out to Loyola >:(
Too bad. I was actually kind of pulling for EKU, if nothing more than to say that we had a future FBS member on the schedule this year. If the Sun Belt pulls the plug on the NMSU and Idaho "football only" thing, EKU might be in play again.
As for this game, I say we just take our chances and stack 50 guys in the box and see what happens. The refs won't notice, right?
7 freshman on the offensive line 2-deep including 2 starters plus a redshirt freshman QB.....this one could very easily be ugly early and often. If we can hold them to the 40's, score once or twice and not get banged up I would be satisfied.
My prediction....62-7.
Are any of you guys in Richmond for the game. Cooking a big Boston Butt as we speak. Stop by for some home-made pulled pork, baked beans and coal slaw.
Quote from: FGColonel on September 03, 2015, 12:35:04 PM
Are any of you guys in Richmond for the game. Cooking a big Boston Butt as we speak. Stop by for some home-made pulled pork, baked beans and coal slaw.
sure sounds good! Thanks for the invite. I'm stuck in Dallas (live here) and won't get home from the office till near halftime. Will catch the balance on the OVC network. Hope to see your third string playing most of the game!
Quote from: FGColonel on September 03, 2015, 12:35:04 PM
Are any of you guys in Richmond for the game. Cooking a big Boston Butt as we speak. Stop by for some home-made pulled pork, baked beans and coal slaw.
Ah, blackened cabbage with mayo, right? ;D
EKU 7-0 at 10:55. 36 yd pass a killer. Couple good things on D though.
14-0 on a 56 yd. pick six on a 4th down at mid field.:(
VU long snapper and punter serving suspensions.
Jean Rene (F) is the go-to-guy in the slot.
We are actually getting a couple of 1st dns.
Held them to a 3 and out. Great Catrine punt return.
Stokes is showing very well despite the pic-6.
Valpo drives inside the 10 but must settle for a FG. EKU 14 VU 3 @ 11:39 2nd Qtr.
EKU breaks a 62 KO return. Ball on VU 30.
Held them to a FG @ 9:02 in the 2nd. EKU 17 - Valpo 3. So far we are not backing down and the O is actually producing (relatively).
Valpo forces a 3 and out. really.
Dbl reverse for a EKU TD after a good punt return + a hit out of bounds. JJ Nunes hurt.
95% humidity
now 31-3 with 39 secs left in the half. EKU actually has a real honest to goodness marching band.
When did Valpo get rid of their marching band? They used to be pretty good, but nothing like Butler's, who had a little bit of Stanford in them.
Lots of praise for Valpo by the announcers. These guys are ranked #17 in the country. Score at the half Valpo 3 - EKU 31. But there are some good things being shown by our kids. Problem is that you can see a definite speed and strength gap. Still, if the 2012 or 2013 team were here it would be UND all over again at this point. We can stay with these guys for maybe 2 out of 5 plays. The 3 we can't give them the advantage. Our goal over the next couple of years is to narrow that to 3 out of 5, then 4 out of 5 and then, hopefully, 5 out of 5 so that we can play a competitive game at this level. BTW the announcers referred to all the suspended players and the huge amount of freshmen a number of times and were surprised at how well we were playing. Despite the score we are making them work for it.
Announcers don't realize Staal is in theme. ::) Staal is moving the team on his first drive.
Staal sacked after some good plays and fumbles. Big hit by Noah Spence. :(
It is very hard to evaluate how Valpo will do this year based on this game. The talent level difference is significant between Valpo and EKU. Also, 7 players are out.
It took the announcers a full quarter to recognize Scott was on the field.
They have BOTH a marching band AND a pep band. The pep band played throughout the game. The marching band di half time and that was it. What with that?
Even down big time, after a Valpo Pic the kids were all over the guy (Martinez). They are still into the game. That's good.
Some positives. Great uniforms! Finally using GOLD instead of YELLOW!! (Pay attention here, basketball!) With 17 guys out on suspension and having given away two scores on a punt return and pick six, we did pretty well. At full capacity we lose 45-14. No embarrassment.
First game for our quarterback, (who has a weird motion, looks like he is shot putting the ball) but seems to be pretty much on target. My guess is that as the season progresses we will see passes deeper then 4 yards.
Overall, good showing.
Quote from: VULB#62 on September 03, 2015, 08:38:04 PM
They have BOTH a marching band AND a pep band. The pep band played throughout the game. The marching band di half time and that was it. What with that?
Ah, they have 14000 undergrads.
Quote from: FGColonel on September 03, 2015, 12:35:04 PM
Are any of you guys in Richmond for the game. Cooking a big Boston Butt as we speak. Stop by for some home-made pulled pork, baked beans and coal slaw.
You had Tom Brady over to your house?
Will someone go over the predictions? I don't want to brag.
Okay. I do.
Quote from: bbtds on September 03, 2015, 09:51:25 PM
Will someone go over the predictions? I don't want to brag.
Okay. I do.
Deservedly so, but Tex had it at 52-7. Yours was a 44 pt margin and his was 45. He nailed the EKU score. You got the Valpo score. Both damn good.
Some positives just in watching the game, besides the score. We look much better than prior years against scholarship programs, where we were down by 35-40 or so at half. This felt different, as we were able to move the ball and get first downs, and hold them to 3 and outs. This did not happen with Carlson. Congrats to Staal on being the first Valpo QB to throw a TD against a FCS scholarship program, and he looked much better than last season where he looked completely lost. I take it as a very good sign, and hope that we can get to the .500 mark this season!
I have to pat myself on the back... I got the 42 point spread (55-13), but was up a FG for each team. What is the official rule for being closest to the hole?
Quote from: vu72 on September 03, 2015, 08:51:29 PM
Some positives. Great uniforms! Finally using GOLD instead of YELLOW!! (Pay attention here, basketball!) With 17 guys out on suspension and having given away two scores on a punt return and pick six, we did pretty well. At full capacity we lose 45-14. No embarrassment.
First game for our quarterback, (who has a weird motion, looks like he is shot putting the ball) but seems to be pretty much on target. My guess is that as the season progresses we will see passes deeper then 4 yards.
Overall, good showing.
One of the guys out is the QB with the strongest arm. It will be tough to dink and dunk all season. So one of these guys will have to demonstrate that they can get the ball over the top on occasion or the defenses will be loading up within 10 yards of the LOS and take away the runs and dinks and dunks.
Hey guys, good luck the rest of season. Even though the score does not show it, I saw a lot of positives for you last night. Love your QB, he got rid of the ball really quick ,making accurate throws under constant pressure. He made a lot of good decisions. The biggest thing I saw was that they NEVER give up. I hope there were no serious injurious. We had a couple guys get banged up, but as far as I know it was late in the third quarter after all the starters were sitting. I know it sounds stupid given a 44 point win, but I was pretty disappointed in parts of our game. Especially our run game. I know you take what the D gives you and you were selling out, loading the box to stop the run, but we still should have done better. I was pleased with our passing game considering three top receivers did not play. I hope for the Valpo fans that showed up last night it was a good time. That we were good courteous host. Because of construction going on to expand the stadium, opposing fans are sitting on the home side in the upper deck this year. Because they are the same side I have no idea how many Valpo people were there. GOOD LUCK next week against Sacred Heart !!!!
Colonel, thanks for your kind words. I'm very curious about your assessment of where we are in year two of our rebuilding program under Dave Cecchini in comparison to Morehead State who you guys have played over the past three years.
You guys have NC State to look fwd to next week. Hope we helped you guys get ready for that one.
I know this - it is hard to evaluate a team after a game like this - but they look much better coached and have more promise than what we saw 2 years ago.
Agree. Knock on wood -- gone are the days where we routinely give up 600 yards and 60 points. You can see it in the kids - how locked in they are all game despite a lot of adversity and making some bad mistakes. For us fans, it's hopefully seeing improvement every game despite our youth and inexperience.
Quote from: usc4valpo on September 03, 2015, 07:23:22 PM
When did Valpo get rid of their marching band? They used to be pretty good, but nothing like Butler's, who had a little bit of Stanford in them.
The last year of the marching band was the fall of 1990. Some in the VU Music Department wanted to kill both the marching band and Crusader Band, then swooped in and took equipment that had been paid for by the Athletic Department.
I was able to make the trip to the EKU game last night and here are my thoughts....
- EKU looked like an NFL team and our kids were no match for them physically. They were laying some big hits on our guys that you could here in the stands especially in the first half of the game.
- Our young offensive line did a great job of pass protection for most of the game. Even though we had several freshman starting they did fantastic considering their last game was in high school and first college game was against a Top 20 program.
- I felt Dalton did really well and has quick feet and a quick release that made him hard to sack. Although he was going underneath the defense most of the game he was very accurate.
- Most possessions they were defending a short field because the punt returner on EKU was blazing fast and our punt team needs some more athletic players like we have on the kickoff team. Our kickoff coverage was good but punt coverage was very poor.
- The Valpo freshman class is very good.... They didn't play at all like freshman and when the Valpo second unit played against EKU second unit they had 2 interceptions and forced them to punt at least twice. I don't think EKU punted at all in the second and third quarters but don't quote me on that.
- I think the defense did a good job of slowing down the EKU running game. Also, the only BIG plays from EKU were against the special teams units.
- The Valpo receivers looked good and broke some tackles and made some EKU players miss and look silly on a few plays.
- Valpo never quit!
EKU has some issues if they want to live up to expectations as they seem to have a discipline problem on their team. A bunch of unnecessary personal foul penalties and some of the players showed no class considering they were up 40 points. On the other hand the fans and EKU staff was great and very hospitable. The EKU fans really know how to party and tailgate as there parking lot was rocking before the game.
Although our team is young we looked much better than our first game against WIU last year so I think we may really surprise some teams in the PFL. We had a lot of starters sitting this game so I'm now optimistic about the season as I feel the team overall is deeper this year than last year and has more athletic talent. [/list]
Nice (and pretty spot-on) review Chgo. Nothing beats being there and getting the feel of the game. The stream was spotty and even the EKU people complained on their forum about it. Valpo got a lot of compliments during the feed and Colonel also pointed to the fact that our kids played the full 60 minutes. I, too, am optimistic about our competitiveness in the PFL schedule. We may not win more than two games again, but we will not be embarrassed as in the past. And that is 2015. As these kids get more mature and as the next class comes in and pushes, we could be really good. I can't wait for 2017 and Montana (unless they go FBS).
Montana will not be going FBS anytime soon. I hear they feel they have nothing to gain by being FBS.
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Thanks 12. Still interested in EKU observers' assessments of how Valpo compared to Morehead over the past three years. Please see my post about two or three back.
You should have no issue with Morehead. Their entire program is a joke.
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Quote from: valpochgo on September 04, 2015, 03:11:51 PMQUOTE valpochgo: I don't think EKU punted at all in the second and third quarters you can quote me on that.
The Republican response.
Quote from: Colonels12 on September 04, 2015, 10:01:40 PM
You should have no issue with Morehead. Their entire program is a joke.
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Last year we lost to them in a track meet 48-47 on a last minute TD after leading for 59 minutes. It was Cecchini's first year. That was a breakthrough game for us and we won two of the last four losing to USD (the eventual league champion) on the last play of that game on a Hail Mary kind of play. That's why I was so interested in a comparison: did we seem better prepared, did our kids execute with speed, did we seem better coached, how did we compare athletically --- stuff like that. Thanks.
Quote from: VULB#62 on September 05, 2015, 08:08:20 AM
Quote from: Colonels12 on September 04, 2015, 10:01:40 PM
You should have no issue with Morehead. Their entire program is a joke.
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Last year welost to them in a track meet 48-47 on a last minute TD after leading for 59 minutes. It was Cecchini's first year. That was a breakthrough game for us and we won two of the last four losing to USD (the eventual league champion) on the last play of that game on a Hail Mary kind of play. That's why I was so interested in a comparison: did we seem better prepared, did our kids execute with speed, did we seem better coached, how did we compare athletically --- stuff like that. Thanks.
I thought both of those games demonstrated that the coaching staff, as much as the players, had to learn how to close out games which should have resulted in wins.
From our perspective that is spot on 2624. That's something to watch for in year 2. I do think with the veteran defense we have, it'll be tougher for opponents to duplicate that sort of thing.
We get MSU at home this year and I have that as a win. I'm looking for a little confirmation from our EKU friends.
By the way I'd like to thank the EKU posters for their participation. Great spirit in the interchange and no trolling.
Quote from: VULB#62 on September 04, 2015, 09:58:29 PM
Thanks 12. Still interested in EKU observers' assessments of how Valpo compared to Morehead over the past three years. Please see my post about two or three back.
It is a little hard to compare. Morehead was once a heated and hated rivalry. Although it has been a while and now and all of the players and most of the staff have no recollection, they usually come into Kidd with a big chip on their shoulders. They play really emotional until we kick the crap out of them then they quit. Valpo never quit. I saw a better disciplined and fundamentally stronger team than I remember in Morehead. Talent level was comparable. The big difference, in my humble opinion is that Valpo seems to be a team on the rise while Morehead, at best, is treading water. Again, just my opinion. Good luck the rest of the season
Quote from: FGColonel on September 05, 2015, 02:48:18 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on September 04, 2015, 09:58:29 PM
Thanks 12. Still interested in EKU observers' assessments of how Valpo compared to Morehead over the past three years. Please see my post about two or three back.
It is a little hard to compare. Morehead was once a heated and hated rivalry. Although it has been a while and now and all of the players and most of the staff have no recollection, they usually come into Kidd with a big chip on their shoulders. They play really emotional until we kick the crap out of them then they quit. Valpo never quit. I saw a better disciplined and fundamentally stronger team than I remember in Morehead. Talent level was comparable. The big difference, in my humble opinion is that Valpo seems to be a team on the rise while Morehead, at best, is treading water. Again, just my opinion. Good luck the rest of the season
Colonel, that is exactly what I was hoping to hear. I, personally, have a lot of faith in the current HFBC and his staff. They know how to motivate the kind of kid we recruit to a private, non-scholarship program. Heck, some of our best players are pushing 4.0s in engineering and are studying on the bus to wherever and then transform into the kids you saw on Thursday night. The previous coach never got it - plus he had no use for defense nor could he spell the word.
It's been great hanging out with you guys. Thank you for initiating the dialog. I will be cheering for EKU all season and wish you guys the best. And the best starts with NC State.
Don't forget you can visit us at Maroon-Nation anytime
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To wrap up the week, here is Paul's coverage of the game. I have a real problem with the headline. Can you get any more negative than that? Yeah, it is a fact, but jeez. There could have been a lot of other things the headline writer (I assume Paul has no control over the headline that's chosen) could have zeroed in on like simply "Crusasers drop opener to #17 Eastern Kentucky." But this headline makes Valpo sound like as bad as we were under the previous regime. And that ain't true. We need at least neutral headlines that will not damage our attempts to recruit locally. Not saying that the NWI Times should be our cheerleader, but at least don't skewer us.
Crusaders lose eighth straight season opener
September 03, 2015 9:30 pm • Paul Oren Times Correspondent
Valparaiso kicked off its 95th season of football competition on Thursday night and the result wasn't much different from what the program has experienced in the last decade.
The Crusaders fell behind by two touchdowns early and could never recover against Eastern Kentucky, falling 52-10 at Roy Kidd Stadium.Thursday's loss marked the eighth straight year the Crusaders have lost their season opener. Valparaiso has given up an average of 43.5 points in those contests.
"There were a number of positives but I'm disappointed we didn't make a better showing," Valparaiso coach Dave Cecchini said. "I thought we could've. We left a lot of plays out on the field against a very good football team. It's experience, for good or for bad, and it's something we can't coach on the practice field."
The Colonels (1-0) entered the game ranked in the Top 20 in several national polls and are the third straight FCS-scholarship program Valparaiso has opened the season against. Eastern Kentucky had little trouble marching down the field in its first drive, scoring on an Ethan Thomas 4-yard touchdown run in a drive that lasted nine plays and went 72 yards.
Valparaiso starting quarterback Dalton Stokes had some success moving the offense down the field on his first possession, but the drive ended when Stanley Absanon returned an interception 56 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead for the Colonels.
"I was really happy with our first-team defense against the run, but my only complaint was our veteran secondary, which had done a good job with our younger players, failed to play the ball in the air," Cecchini said.
Jarrett Morgan gave the Crusaders their best starting field position two possessions later when the sophomore returned a punt 27 yards to inside the Eastern Kentucky 40-yard line. Jacob Newman got Valparaiso on the board with a 25-yard field goal early in the second quarter.
The Colonels answered with 17 more points before half to take a 31-3 lead into the locker room and then Eastern Kentucky started the second half with 21 unanswered points. Valparaiso quarterback Scott Staal took over signal-calling duties in the second half and threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jake Hutson late in the fourth quarter to cap off the scoring.
Stokes finished 11-of-19 for 84 yards while Staal was 15-of-25 for 98 yards and a touchdown. Both quarterbacks threw an interception, and Staal also lost a fumble.
"We really hadn't decided on a starting quarterback until two days ago," Cecchini said. "We didn't guarantee Scott would play, but we thought he'd get in there. We didn't have a plan to split them for each a half. I'm a fan of playing multiple quarterbacks early on, particularly in non-league games. We'll continue to do this over the next two games and hope that by San Diego we find that guy."
Several freshmen took the field for the Crusaders in their first collegiate game Thursday and highly-touted defensive back Joey Diaz-Martinez had a night to remember with two interceptions. Freshman receiver Ryan Moore had five catches for 31 yards while defensive back Jalin LeAndre had five total tackles.
"We had an awful lot of freshmen who played and I think when we turn on the film and grade it tomorrow that we'll see some good things from some guys that will be making plays here for a long time to come," Cecchini said.
Quote from: usc4valpo on September 03, 2015, 09:30:02 AMnot so fast my friend!! ;) at least when Sark was in his inebriated state, he did not consistently ramble on with Osteen quotes...
You're going to go through tough times - that's life. But I say, 'Nothing happens to you, it happens for you.' See the positive in negative events.
I believe most people were positive Sark was inebriated.
Here is a quote we can learn from as we enter the political season:
"Freedom is something that dies unless it's used."
A quote from a great philosopher that the Biblical cash monger should follow.
Kind of closing the books on EKU -- they went to NC State Saturday and lost 35-0. They did make a game of it for two quarters keeping the Wolfpack out of the end zone until 12:54 of the 2nd quarter. They went into the locker room at the half down only 14-0. At the end of the day, however, the stats told the story: Time of Possession - EKU 20 minutes, NCSU 40; Total Yards - EKU 112, NCSU 443. Noticed on their Twitter page the scouts from the NE Patriots visited. If Noah Spence gets drafted or signed as a FA, our kids can say they went head-to-head against a future NFL player.
Every NFL team will come and look at Spence and maybe even Derricott and Mobley.
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Quote from: VULB#62 on September 14, 2015, 05:59:16 PM
Kind of closing the books on EKU -- they went to NC State Saturday and lost 35-0. They did make a game of it for two quarters keeping the Wolfpack out of the end zone until 12:54 of the 2nd quarter. They went into the locker room at the half down only 14-0. At the end of the day, however, the stats told the story: Time of Possession - EKU 20 minutes, NCSU 40; Total Yards - EKU 112, NCSU 443. Noticed on their Twitter page the scouts from the NE Patriots visited. If Noah Spence gets drafted or signed as a FA, our kids can say they went head-to-head against a future NFL player.
Interesting point. Not sure anyone from the PFL went to the NFL last year or from any of the OOC schools but Terrance Fede was drafted out of Marist the year prior.
Quote from: Colonels12 on September 14, 2015, 07:14:14 PM
Every NFL team will come and look at Spence and maybe even Derricott and Mobley.
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As a kid who was ranked #4 in his class by ESPN, and, was a 1st team all Big Ten selection, I think the chances of him not being drafted are zero unless he hasn't cleaned up his behavior issues.
Quote from: Colonels12 on September 04, 2015, 10:01:40 PM
You should have no issue with Morehead. Their entire program is a joke.
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Beating Morehead State might prove to be as difficult as getting their county clerk to issue a marriage license. They barely lost to VMI. 43-40.
PS--VMI lost their first game to Ball State 48-36 in Muncie.
MSU lost their opener @ James Madison of the CAA 56-7. That would be similar to our going up against EKU with a similar result. Last Saturday they were tied at 40 all when VMI (FCS scholarship Southern Conference) kicked a 34 yard FG as time expired. Gahafer, the MSU QB, threw 35 of 62 for 447 yards. We saw him last year and almost beat them. They are and always have been a Jekyll and Hyde kind of team -- you never know what will show up. We have them late in the season so a lot will have happened between now and then. As of right now, though, there are are no assured wins on our schedule (COF excluded).
Sad commentary on our times. EKU shut down campus and moved their FB game away from campus to Georgetown University in central Kentucky due to a "kill them all" graffiti message on campus.
Quote from: VULB#62 on October 08, 2015, 11:54:24 AM
Sad commentary on our times. EKU shut down campus and moved their FB game away from campus to Georgetown University in central Kentucky due to a "kill them all" graffiti message on campus.
There was also some messages posted on Social Media and a couple other incidents. Apparently after combined local, state and federal investigation, there was enough going on to warrant the cancellation of classes and the game being moved. Or at least NOT enough evidence to positively classify it a some sort of hoax. Its a shame.
Feel bad for all you guys - students, families, faculty, fans. Too many sick people out there.
There is a nice article about EKU DE Noah Spence in the latest SI (hardcopy). BTW, I did a quick search of online SI, but couldn't find the exact article (however, there are a couple of articles that do describe some of what is covered). The magazine article discusses his drug issues at OSU along with his rehab at EKU, DPOY in the OVC, and Senior Bowl break through. Nice to know that when we played EKU, although he got 2 tackles for a loss, a sack and 2 QB hits, as I recall he didn't seem to utterly dominate the field like I would assume a future NFL draft choice would. It was a quietly good performance that I recall the EKU commentators discussing how we were able to "kind of" keep him at bay. It seems like he's cleaned up his act awhile at EKU. He was an academic All-conference at OSU so he's not stupid. Hope he makes it.
As an aside, you might remember that EKU was #17 when we played them and great things were expected in 2015. They wound up 6-5 losing to FBS NC State and UK among their losses. Coach Hood was fired and he was replaced by Mark Elder. Elder hired Kurt Mattix away from Valpo as his Defensive Coordinator.
Yeah 2015 was a bad year. It all started falling apart with the death of a player the week before Kentucky. Came out strong and should of beat them but gave away a 14 point lead with less than 5 minutes to play. The wheels feel off after that.
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Quote from: VULB#62 on April 14, 2016, 05:41:18 PMThere is a nice article about EKU DE Noah Spence in the latest SI (hardcopy). BTW, I did a quick search of online SI, but couldn't find the exact article (however, there are a couple of articles that do describe some of what is covered). The magazine article discusses his drug issues at OSU along with his rehab at EKU, DPOY in the OVC, and Senior Bowl break through. Nice to know that when we played EKU, although he got 2 tackles for a loss, a sack and 2 QB hits, as I recall he didn't seem to utterly dominate the field like I would assume a future NFL draft choice would. It was a quietly good performance that I recall the EKU commentators discussing how we were able to "kind of" keep him at bay.
Spence was all over the field constantly running around and through the Valpo line. The gameplan was to run away from him and get the ball out quick which the offense was effective at to keep him at bay or, as I prefer to say, prevent him from killing someone. He nearly split Stokes in two on one play which isn't in the stats.
I get what you're saying (or perhaps what the EKU commentators were saying) however maybe the expectation was not met in a statistical sense but he was a major force in that game. IIRC, he beat our lineman more than a few times but didn't quite wrapup the tackle on some running plays. He was the player who made the stop happen. On passing downs he was on the QB nearly every play except when he was triple teamed.
Quote from: Colonels12 on April 14, 2016, 07:10:23 PM
Yeah 2015 was a bad year. It all started falling apart with the death of a player the week before Kentucky. Came out strong and should of beat them but gave away a 14 point lead with less than 5 minutes to play. The wheels feel off after that.
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Colonels12, welcome back. Didn't think you'd be monitoring our little board so far after the FB season. I followed EKU most of the season and kinda wondered what was happening, but didn't jump on your board. We were having our problems at the same time you guys were having yours. Good luck in 17.
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Good luck guys. Wish we could play you again. It'd be better than Pikeville an NAIA team.
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We get Illinois State as an opener. :( We are their practice game in preparation for Northwestern the following week.
We went into spring ball with one (1) healthy QB. The other QB (yes, only 2 are left on the roster) is Dalton Stokes, who I believe started against you guys, and is still recuperating from off season shoulder surgery. Its not clear how ready he will be when August rolls around. We have 3 QBs coming in as freshmen (from CA, FL and MI), but they are unproven and will just have the couple of weeks before we open on September 3 to get used to the offense. We were decimated at the position pretty much all season after Sacred Heart took both Stokes and his backup out with concussions the game after we played EKU. The kid who replaced them wound up being the starter pretty much all way to the end. He's now our #1. Reports out of spring ball say he's shown a lot of improvement on his timing and decision making, but time and real competition will tell.
What's the EKU outlook for 2016 under Elder?
Very uncertain. We start with Purdue, Pikeville, and Ball State. If we can upset one of the Indiana schools maybe we will surprise some people. There's some questions about depth every where. Luckily it's an easy schedule excluding 2 FBS and Jacksonville State.
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Good Luck.
Thanks good luck to you guys as well.
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