Game #12 Vs. Davidson Wildcats

[VULB#62]

This is a placeholder for the game in two weeks -- one that I will attend in person.  This game can be win #4.  Jacksonville destroyed Davidson today -- their QB threw for 5 TDs in the FIRST HALF!  But every week is a new week and we do know that Davidson took Dayton to OT earlier in the season.  Let's not get ahead of ourselves. USD in the next game.  But I did not want to forget to get this string started.

[covufan]

If we had caught a few breaks, we could be going for win #6.  Going for win #4 in Cecchini's first season is a great thing.  These guys will be hungry to close out the season on a good note.

Valpo    41
Davidson  24

[VULB#62]

This string is dedicated to our seniors.
We have one more game left this season.  It is winnable. This is a season that, IMO, is a genuine indicator that a new foundation has been built by Dave Cecchini and his staff.  We have shown that with good coaching Valpo can play with anyone in the PFL. There have been many ups and downs and some heart break, but overall this squad is a competitive representation of Valpo on the grid iron and I applaud them.  But none of this could have happened without the perseverance and dedication of the the young men who stuck with the program over the past 5 years.

They will  go out winners and I will be there to witness it.

[valpotx]

If we had caught a few breaks, we could be going for win #6.  Going for win #4 in Cecchini's first season is a great thing.  These guys will be hungry to close out the season on a good note.

Valpo    41
Davidson  24

We would actually be going for win #7, if Lehman didn't get hurt against Drake .

I like what the team has shown us this year, and want us to go out winners, to build on for next season:

Valpo 38
Davidson 28

[usc4valpo]

Valpo 38
John Davidson 20

[bbtds]

Harley's Last Name  27
Snake Bit Valpo       25

The North Carolina school will run a play called "Hornets" and win it on the last play off the game.

[Kyle321n]

Harley's Last Name  27
Snake Bit Valpo       25

The North Carolina school will run a play called "Hornets" and win it on the last play off the game.

That one stings...

[VUOR63]

Shutout.  50-0.  Cecchini goes for two on the last touchdown of the game just to show the PFL what they'll be dealing with next year.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

...but only because he COULDN'T GO FOR THREEEEEE

[VULB#62]

Does anyone know whether we are at full strength or not?

[bbtds]

Does anyone know whether we are at full strength or not?

Is that full strength at USD & JU standards? Obviously not.

[valpopal]

[tweet]535469489123770368[/tweet]

[covufan]

[tweet]535469489123770368[/tweet]

Congrats to John on a fine season and rewarding finish to his career!

Valparaiso defensive lineman has boosted his tackle total from seven 2013 48 this season. | BRANDON VICKREY/FOR CHICAGO TRIBUNE MEDIA Valparaiso defensive lineman has boosted his tackle total from seven in 2013 to 48 this season. | BRANDON VICKREY/FOR CHICAGO TRIBUNE MEDIA GROUP

VALPARAISO — Shortly after taking over as Valparaiso defensive line coach, Tony Rouse received a packet of information that described each player he was inheriting.

When he came to fifth-year senior John Giovenco's name, the feedback was far from positive. According to the paperwork, Giovenco was nothing special. He was an average player. His abilities were limited.

"I sat down with Gio and I said, 'Listen, I don't care what this report says,' " Rouse said. " 'This is not who you are as a player; you're a special player. You're going to be playing a lot for us this year. You're a starter in my eyes and you always will be with the passion that you have.' "

Rouse's comments proved to be prophetic. After playing sporadically and totaling seven tackles in 2013, Giovenco indeed is a starter and has made 48 tackles this season.

"I'm proud of myself, to be honest," Rouse said. "I feel like I found a diamond in the rough within my position group. He's been nothing but a pleasant surprise for me."

The biggest difference for Giovenco between this year and last is that the new coaching staff has taken an increased interest in his individual success.

"That's the biggest thing; you don't really care how much someone knows until you know how much they care," he said.

"The fact that the coaches are doing this for us and motivating us better, and then you add the extra knowledge that they have, it's beginning to look like this program is headed in the right direction."

After a 17-3 victory over Butler and a 37-32 loss to PFL champion San Diego, talk of the program turning it around now has substance behind it. Although only one game remains in Giovenco's collegiate career, he has plans to return to Brown Field as a spectator to check back on the state of the program.

"I think they're going to be a really good team next year," Giovenco said. "There's definitely a good group here to build on. We could have won a lot more games this year, as you can see by the scores, but I definitely think we're going to see a conference championship in the near future."

Giovenco is no stranger to playing for a resurgent program. While at St. Francis High School, his team went from back-to-back 3-6 seasons in 2006 and '07 to state champions in '08.

Coach Dave Cecchini described Giovenco as an overachiever and the epitome of an unsung hero.

"He does a great job as an interior lineman," Cecchini said. "It's not a sexy position; it's as blue-collar, hard-hat as you can be on the football field. (Beating Butler) is a special feeling for guys like him and some of the other fifth-year seniors."

--------------------------------

You mean that caring and coaching have more to do on the football field than a bunch of Osteen quotes?  Who knew?

Congrats to the coaching staff as well.

[valpotx]

So the question is, who filled out the reports on players that were inherited?  Was it Coach Carlson, or the new Coach C?

[LaPorteAveApostle]

that article was a struggle to read

</kidding>

[78crusader]

Many, if not most, of the players who contributed this year were recruited by Dale Carlson. Before this season comes to a close, I think we should recognize the hard work he put in and the many fine student-athletes he recruited.

A couple guys on this forum take every opportunity they can to slam--even mock--our former coach.  I think he deserves our respect and gratitude for leaving the program in a condition where it could be competitive right away under a new staff. Things didn't work out for him in terms of wins and losses, but it wasn't because he didn't work hard, recruit well, or represent the university in an honorable way.

Paul

[vu72]

Many, if not most, of the players who contributed this year were recruited by Dale Carlson. Before this season comes to a close, I think we should recognize the hard work he put in and the many fine student-athletes he recruited.

A couple guys on this forum take every opportunity they can to slam--even mock--our former coach.  I think he deserves our respect and gratitude for leaving the program in a condition where it could be competitive right away under a new staff. Things didn't work out for him in terms of wins and losses, but it wasn't because he didn't work hard, recruit well, or represent the university in an honorable way.

Paul

No knock on Carlson personally.  I'm sure he is a fine man and did indeed recruit many of the players making it work today.  He wasn't however a very good coach.  Coach C  did find a way to take mostly the same players, and find a way to convert a 72-12 loss to Butler to a 17-3 win.  This means he figured out that to stop a high powered offense that scored 62 points the week before, you had to find a way to keep them off the field.  THAT is coaching.  Coach Carlson could have found a way to keep scores more competitive but instead stuck to his game play that was not suited to the talent on his roster(s).

[bbtds]

A quote for Coach Carlson

[valpotx]

Only a few questioned Carlson overall.  I don't question his recruiting, honor, or energy at all, just what he showed on the field regarding in-game coaching/play-calling.  The new Coach C knows how to call a game to challenge a defense and stop an offense, not run variations of the same play, over and over and over and over (bubble screens).

[usc4valpo]

ummm...no.  His record was 3 and 40.

[usc4valpo]

OK, I was critical of Carlson, and let's face reality - he was a stubborn and truly terrible coach.  He set the program back. You are what your record is: 3 and 40. Recruiting is one part of the picture but in recruiting non-scholarship players, truly how competitive is that task? The problem was that he could not develop the lumps of clay that he could mold into art.  Is he a nice person and does he provide cute quotes - indeed, but that does not make you a good football coach. You get employed to do a job and not to be nice and provide a front of phony Cub fan optimism.

Cecchini has done a highly-successful, great job his first year. These guys are playing much better with more confidence and skill, and Cecchini should get full credit for this.

"Life has become immeasurably better since I have been forced to stop taking it seriously." - Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

[VULB#62]

....... he was a stubborn and truly terrible coach.  He set the program back.  I would agree with part one of this paragraph.  He refused to adapt to the game -- it was "my way or no way".  He thought defense was just another way of putting 11 more kids on the field and his offense was one dimensional.  However, I would disagree that he set the program back.  Despite the miserable 3-40 record, off the field he turned a "club sport" into a program and added needed processes (e.g., disciplined and aggressive recruiting, off-season weight training) that set the stage for what Dave Cecchini was able to convert into a competitive team. Carlson could not turn what he assembled into a team, Cecchini did.

Recruiting is one part of the picture but in recruiting non-scholarship players, truly how competitive is that task? I would suggest just the opposite.  Getting talented FB players to come to a non-scholarship program is a very tough sell.  And retaining them is equally tough.

The problem was that he could not develop the lumps of clay that he could mold into art.  Cecchini has done a highly successful, great job his first year. These guys are playing much better with more confidence and skill, and Cecchini should get full credit for this.  TOTALLY AGREE.

And Dave Cecchini and his staff now have evidence (not wishful promises) that they can present to recruits that shows this program in one year has swung upward and there are many returning players to continue that upswing. It's a whole new element that I am excited to watch.

[VULB#62]

Weather forecast for the game:[/size]

High of 46 degrees  and a 50% chance of showers. 

Dress warm.  Bring an umbrella. See you at the game.

Valpo 34
Davidson 24

[usc4valpo]

62 - I appreciate your comments. You are a very loyal VU football fan and stakeholder, and you are also reasonable.

[valpo64]

will there be video for the game?