Campbell @ Valpo

[valporun]

Then someone needs to pinch them in the arm about 10 minutes before the game starts to make sure that the video will be ready to have the switch flipped so NO ONE MISSES THE KICKOFF!! It happened in both halves today, and that's unacceptable for a group of people who should know what they are doing. At the start of the game, and the start of the second half, we had the Horizon League Network screen for about 10 minutes each half. I would be really upset if I was paying a dime for this, but still to not have the video up at the start of play in both the first and third quarters is unacceptable, regardless of who is running the feed.

[valpotx]

Look at that, a Valpo win against Campbell 49-42 in OT.  Good job guys to not give up when down

[vu72]

I starting watching late in the first half and then, as with others, lost the feed into the second for a while.  Then it came on and the rest was a very entertaining game and gutsy win.  Give them credit.  Great win at Homecoming in front of what was reported to be a pretty decent crowd.

[valporun]

Yes, it was a gutsy win, very crazy shootout, much like the high school game I attended in Belvidere, IL last night. Hope this win leads to appropriate attitude changes going into next week's game at Marist. It will be an early start for us, being at 11AM CT, but hopefully these guys practice hard this week, and make everything good that happened this week carry over to that game in Poughkeepsie(sp?). Great games from Hutson and Gladney, and Hoffmann had some great passes and looks all game long.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

yeah, always good to get a win, and great that we have these guys' number.

you know i'm usually optimistic, but I gotta point out one thing:  how many teams are +4 in turnover margin and only win by seven?  That's...not good.

Only one I can think of off top o'head is ND's debacle against UM last year (TOs also 6-2 in favor of the home team)....5 straight picks and they still only won 13-6...

You have to cream people that give you four gifts like that.

But a win is a win, and it doesn't happen enough around here to nit-pick more than that!

RING THE FREAKING bELL!!!!

[bbtds]

It's good to know there is one team in your league that is worse than your team.

FINALGAME OVER

DATE 9/28/2013

ATTENDANCE 3357

HUDSON,BRIAN RUSH FOR NO GAIN TO THE VALPO1 (DERBAK, PATRICK;GUILFORD, JOHN).

HUDSON,Brian
HUDSON,Brian
21-33   256 YDS
1 TD   3 INT
RUSH 89 YDS 1 TD

#18
Hoffman, Eric
Hoffman, Eric
33-47   407 YDS
4 TD   1 INT
RUSH -1 YDS
QB #19

[talksalot]

Wednesday is Hump Day... on Saturday, it's Homecoming, nice weather expected...   Valpo 49 Campbell 39...

Rose colored Glasses are giving me a glare on my monitor... did I really say that?

Just saying... sorry we gave them that extra field goal.... and great to hear the victory bell ringing.  I hope Campbell's #20 will be OK... that was a scary injury.  Every player out there left it all on the field.   Good Luck in Poo-Kipsee next week.

[VUfan]

Congratulations to the team in a hard fought win! lets find several more!

[valpopal]

Congratulations to the team for a great display of determination and a well-deserved victory at Homecoming!

[historyman]

A win is a win and this was my first in-person win in the Carlson era.

It makes me scream thinking about how close VU was to both St Joe and William Jewell and couldn't come through.

Great determination by the team. If we would just not go so conservative in the 2nd quarter. Maybe Valpo should use the shotgun the whole game and actually THROW the BALL DOWN FIELD!!!

Also Campbell scored on a third down and 15 or something. Valpo ran the ball on 3rd down and 20+ to go. When you're playing a team like Campbell why would you ever go conservative?

[VULB#62]

It was good to see the attendance figure at the Campbell game of 3,357   

Some others around the PFL

Butler 45- JU 27 -- ATT: 1172  - What's with this? JU is a perennial leader, Butler defending Co-Champ, and they barely get 1,000?
SDU 59 - Stetson 0 -- ATT 5,874 - That's more like it
Marist 31 Dayton 20 -- ATT: 5,146 - Nice
Mercer 31 - Drake 17 -- ATT: 8,150 - The Bears are slipping.  That's another drop in attendance despite being 3-0 coming in and playing their first PFL game
Morehead State 45 - Davidson 14 -- ATT: 2,341 - Two losing teams might explain that. I thought MSU was bad, but apparently Davidson will give us a run for our money for the bottom.  Wish we had Davidson and Stetson on our schedule instead of Mercer and anyone else.

[VUdad]

A great football game--big win on an important day. The celebration around the victory bell surely made a deep impression on all the players, families, and fans. Great attendance, too. Valpo continues to be a big play team--for us and against us. A couple of promising trends have emerged in the last two games (and yes, I realize these were the two easiest games). First, the O-line is doing a strong job protecting the QB. And that has led to the second--the QB is making more downfield throws. Teams, as of late, are packing the box and overloading the D-line on us, believing that will make the QB throw the quick toss to the slot or wide out for a gain of +/- 1 or 2 yards. But our line is holding, and I guess our new QB coach is teaching Hoffman to hold for another click or two and find the mid routes steaking with man coverage. Or Gladney in man coverage running a route that allows Hoffman to throw over the lone defender. We haven't opened up the run as much as needed, but hey something is working. While the defense held strong on the final series, they still miss way too many tackles up front. Solve that, and they're playing much better these days too. As for the takeaway margin, don't read too much into it. We made a pick on the last play of regulation, in the endzone. Others were in deep territory, too. We lost a pick and fumble that were a bit more critical--the pick ended up in a field goal for them and the fumble prevented a score for us (on the 1 yd line). Snap over the punter's head gave them 2 points. Oh, those big plays!

[historyman]

It was great to get the win! This team needed it so badly. Have we been here before? How does this team capitalize on this victory?

I don't think Carlson wins again unless the thinking process of the quarterback changes. When Hoffman plays he completes passes if and only if his primary receiver is open. I think he gets one man on his mind and that is where he goes. On one interceptions he never looked anywhere else. You always know where Hoffman is throwing the ball. Hoffman is a really good passer. He hit some hands nobody else on the team or in Porter County could have hit. Let's get it in his head that he must versatile to really be the QB Valpo needs.

[VUdad]

I agree Historyman. First important step, though, was to get the QB to look downfield instead of down the line of scrimmage. This step should get some defenses to shift. At this point in his career, it's unlikely that Hoffman will develop the higher level skill to check off options during a play. The line, though, is giving time for check offs. 

[valpo64]

Just sayin'       it's nice to see at  least one Valpo team wear the school colors...BROWN and gold

[LaPorteAveApostle]

it's nice to see at  least one Valpo team wear the school colors...BROWN and gold

amen.  luckily no football team (over the average age of 7) would ever take the field in that "color".

[vu72]

it's nice to see at  least one Valpo team wear the school colors...BROWN and gold

amen. luckily no football team (over the average age of 7) would ever take the field in that "color".

Just the Cleveland Browns. I love the football team uniforms in all configurations.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

No, I am fine with the brown.  I mean this new travesty, what Harrison Ford (in American Graffiti) would call something like "p*ss yellow".

That's not a color, that's an abomination.

(Although, in Garth Brooks' "Nobody Gets Off In This Town", he does say "the high school colors are brown".  so that doesn't have a lot going for it either.  Still better though)

[valpopal]

I have had a busy weekend, but I have now posted 30 photos from the Homecoming game against Campbell to a set at my Valpo Sports Photography web site, including the three below. In fact, the game went so long that I had to leave in the fourth quarter when the score was tied because I had promised to meet friends at Brewfest and then attend a dinner at Lake Michigan. Therefore, I'm sorry to say I didn't get to take pictures of the overtime or post-game celebration.

Still, there are a number of good images in the set, which can be found at the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/96208998@N05/sets/72157636032939474/

[bbtds]

"Lord, If you will send me one player to help me win another game, I promise we will wear the neon green uniforms!"

[IndyValpo]

It was great to get the win! This team needed it so badly. Have we been here before? How does this team capitalize on this victory?

I don't think Carlson wins again unless the thinking process of the quarterback changes. When Hoffman plays he completes passes if and only if his primary receiver is open. I think he gets one man on his mind and that is where he goes. On one interceptions he never looked anywhere else. You always know where Hoffman is throwing the ball. Hoffman is a really good passer. He hit some hands nobody else on the team or in Porter County could have hit. Let's get it in his head that he must versatile to really be the QB Valpo needs.

So throwing out the first game which should have never been scheduled, our QB is hitting on a 64% completion rate, 1200 yards, 11 TD's vs. 2 INT's plus we have scored 31, 34 and 49 in successive weeks and you think he well have to improve for us to win more games as opposed to the obvious stuff like a defense that has given up an average of 37 points and 512 yards in the last three games or the fact that we continue to miss extra points or that our punting and kick coverage remains wildly inconsistent?

Our QB can certainly improve but he is way down the list of what has to get better for us to win some more games.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Our QB can certainly improve but he is way down the list of what has to get better for us to win some more games.

touché

let's start with tackling

[valpotx]

Do we not have any hot routes?  There was one play where we had trips (3 WRs) to the left, with only 2 defenders in that area, and both were 7-10 yards away from our receivers.  One dude was completely undefended, and yet, he runs a deep route to run into a safety without ever giving a thought to, 'hey, I'm not being defended, let's do a quick button hook to get a first down.'

[valpotx]

Speaking of Mercer, they are getting some pub from Yahoo:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/yahoo-sports-minute/alex-avant-interception-return-touchdown-091451134.html?vp=1

Talk about bad tackling (Drake) and strong athletic skills (DB)!

[covufan]

Do we not have any hot routes?  There was one play where we had trips (3 WRs) to the left, with only 2 defenders in that area, and both were 7-10 yards away from our receivers.  One dude was completely undefended, and yet, he runs a deep route to run into a safety without ever giving a thought to, 'hey, I'm not being defended, let's do a quick button hook to get a first down.'

Not in "The System".  That would require coaching and giving the players the ability and responsibility to read what is given to them, and take it!