2014 Season Wrap-Up

[VULB#62]

Here are the final stats.  Clearly there is dramtic improvement and what is also clearly demonstrated is that this team was more consistent, more disciplined and was better offensively than it's predecessor.  And the defensive improvement was off the charts.

TEAM STATISTICS  (With some selected comparisons to 2013) 
                                       VALPO  OPP 
SCORING                          287  337     (202  496)   
   Points Per Game             23.9  28.1    (18.4  45.1)   
   Points Off Turnovers          35  81 
FIRST DOWNS                    231  256 
   Rushing                           94  114 
   Passing                          118  133 
   Penalty                            19  9 
RUSHING YARDAGE             1824  2258   (1275  2836)   
   Yards gained rushing       2007  2458 
   Yards lost rushing             183  200 
   Rushing Attempts              445  492 
   Average Per Rush              4.1  4.6 
   Average Per Game           152.0  188.2 
   TDs Rushing                        17  26 
PASSING YARDAGE               2489  2619  (2398 - 3121)   
   Comp-Att-Int          219-386-15  220-375-8  (285-429-12 217-324-3)   
   Average Per Pass                6.4  7.0 
   Average Per Catch            11.4  11.9 
   Average Per Game           207.4  218.2 
   TDs Passing                        15  18 
TOTAL OFFENSE                  4313  4877    (3673  5957)   
   Total Plays                        831  867   (817  770)
   Average Per Play                 5.2  5.6 
   Average Per Game           359.4  406.4    (333.9  541.5)
KICK RETURNS: #-Yards   48-1045  48-846 
PUNT RETURNS: #-Yards   14-208  16-125 
INT RETURNS: #-Yards         8-78  15-245 
KICK RETURN AVERAGE          21.8  17.6 
PUNT RETURN AVERAGE         14.9  7.8 
INT RETURN AVERAGE            9.8  16.3 
FUMBLES-LOST                  14-5  14-4   (20-9  24-12)
PENALTIES-Yards            56-482  69-698   (82-757  77-759)
   Average Per Game            40.2  58.2 
PUNTS-Yards                55-2040  56-2004 
   Average Per Punt             37.1  35.8 
   Net punt average             32.6  30.6 
KICKOFFS-Yards            58-3035  61-3397 
   Average Per Kick              52.3  55.7 
   Net kick average              37.3  34.9 
TIME OF POSSESSION/Game 30:33  29:27 
3RD-DOWN Conversions      67/183  61/167 
    3rd-Down Pct                   37%  37%    (38%  49%)
4TH-DOWN Conversions       21/35  11/28 
   4th-Down Pct                   60%  39%   (54%  44%)
SACKS BY-Yards                11-72  5-39    (13-81  26-154)
MISC YARDS                          17  -6 
TOUCHDOWNS SCORED            36  45 
FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS     13-16  9-14 
ON-SIDE KICKS                     0-1  2-3 
RED-ZONE SCORES    (37-46) 80%  (43-51) 84% 
RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS  (24-46) 52%  (35-51) 69% 
PAT-ATTEMPTS               (30-33) 91%  (38-40) 95% 
ATTENDANCE                     14231  17475 
   Games/Avg Per Game      6/2372  6/2912 
   Neutral Site Games              0/0 

Score by quarters  1st  2nd  3rd  4th  Total 
Valparaiso             64   64   96    63  287      (38    46   70  42  6  202)
Opponents            78  84   87    88  337     (150  184   62  93  7  496)

*  *  *  *  * 
SAGARIN RATINGS --  Valpo no longer last!!!!   
189  Jacksonville         AA =  44.70    9   2 
206  Lehigh               AA =  41.40    3   8 
213  San Diego            AA =  39.60   9  2
217  Drake                 AA =  37.55    7   4   
219  Dayton               AA =  36.89    8   3   
235  Marist               AA =  27.05    4   7   
238  Butler               AA =  25.58    4   7   
241  Campbell             AA =  23.66    5   7   
246  Morehead State       AA =  20.00    4   8   
247  Stetson              AA =  19.41    5   7   
248  Valparaiso           AA =  19.35    4   8  
249  Columbia             AA =  19.07    0  10   
250  Miss. Valley State   AA =  18.93    2   9
251  Savannah State       AA =  15.51    0  12   
252  Davidson             AA =   9.96    1  11   

MASSEY
24 W Illinois       MVFC    5-7
57 Jacksonville     PFL     9-2
62 San Diego        PFL     9-2
80 Dayton           PFL     8-3
81 Drake            PFL     7-4
88 Lehigh           PL      3-8
103 Marist           PFL     4-7 
109 Butler           PFL     4-7
111 Campbell         PFL     5-7   
112 Austin Peay      OVC    1-11    
113 Stetson          PFL     5-7   
114 Cornell          Ivy     1-9   
115 Robert Morris    NEC    1-10    
116 Morehead St      PFL     4-8
117 Delaware St      MEAC   2-10   
118 Valparaiso       PFL     4-8   
119 Nicholls St      SLC    0-12   
120 MS Valley St     SWAC    2-9   
121 Columbia         Ivy    0-10   
122 Houston Bap      SLC     2-9   
123 Savannah St      MEAC   0-12    
124 Davidson         PFL    1-11

[valpotx]

Instead of Missouri Baptist, we should schedule Nicholls State, MS Valley State, Columbia, Houston Baptist, or Savannah State :-).  Several of these teams are scholarship, so maybe we can say that we finally beat a D-1 FCS scholarship program!

Awesome improvement across the board.  I am sure that Hoffman would have liked the protection that Lehman received this year, though Eric did hold onto the ball too long at times.

[vu72]

Instead of Missouri Baptist, we should schedule Nicholls State, MS Valley State, Columbia, Houston Baptist, or Savannah State :-).  Several of these teams are scholarship, so maybe we can say that we finally beat a D-1 FCS scholarship program!

Awesome improvement across the board.  I am sure that Hoffman would have liked the protection that Lehman received this year, though Eric did hold onto the ball too long at times.

I was surprised to see that Ben actually had more passing yards than Eric (+91) while we shifted to more runs (+549)  Total offense was +640.

As for scheduling, I'd like to see us go back to playing some Ivy League teams.  I believe we have historically only played three of them and only one within the last 80 years!  We played Yale between 1997 and 1999, Harvard in 1920 and Columbia betwen 1924 and 1928.  I suspect Coach C's contacts in the East will help with this.

I'd also like to see us schedule fellow Lutheran schools.  Many of these are D3 but play at a high level.  Wittenberg was ranked #12, Texas Lutheran #24 and Muhlenberg #25.  These could be competitive games and winnable for sure.  We could also try to schedule Wagner which is also FCS D-1.  School like St. Olaf, Luther, Augustana or Concordia St. Paul, all play very solid football and could draw some alumni interest if they saw teams like this on the schedule.

[valpotx]

Yes, schedule St. Olaf and Luther.  I could gain bragging rights over my father/mother and cousin from my mom's side (St. Olaf), as well as two cousins on my dad's side (Luther) .

[VULB#62]

Speaking of schedule, ML told me after the game that we drop Campbell and Marist and pick up Jacksonville (FCS Scholarship  ) and Stetson next year.  I'm pretty certain we will go back to WIU (for the $$$$$).  I agree, 72, a Columbia (Ivy) and maybe Wagner (Lutheran, NEC-FCS) would fill out an 11 game schedule nicely.  Already know that both Cecchini and ML have nixed any D-III games for the future.  But Luther, I believe, is NAIA.  BTW Lehigh and Georgetown were at the bottom of the Patriot League -- possibilities there.  Lehigh has a 12K seat stadium and has great attendance -- maybe that is a $$$ game too?  Another possibility is Robert Morris (NEC - FCS) in Pittsburgh -- their Sagarin was 242 (between Campbell and Morehead).

[vu72]

Speaking of schedule, ML told me after the game that we drop Campbell and Marist and pick up Jacksonville (FCS Scholarship  ) and Stetson next year.  I'm pretty certain we will go back to WIU (for the $$$$$).  I agree, 72, a Columbia (Ivy) and maybe Wagner (Lutheran, NEC-FCS) would fill out an 11 game schedule nicely.  Already know that both Cecchini and ML have nixed any D-III games for the future. But Luther, I believe, is NAIA.  BTW Lehigh and Georgetown were at the bottom of the Patriot League -- possibilities there.  Lehigh has a 12K seat stadium and has great attendance -- maybe that is a $$$ game too?  Another possibility is Robert Morris (NEC - FCS) in Pittsburgh -- their Sagarin was 242 between (Campbell and Morehead).

Unfortunately Luther, St. Olaf, Capital, Texas Lutheran et al play D3.  I didn't any Lutheran schools ranked in the top 25 in NAIA either.  Beside Wagner, (FCS D-1), I did find that Concordia St. Paul does play D2, as does Augustana (SD) and Lenoir-Rhyne. 

[VULB#62]

Coach Cecchini's Season Wrap-up:

Valpo Football Preview 11|24|14

[valporun]

Glad to have a football coach that is well-spoken, and has the coaching experience to find players on the roster that could fill positions that they weren't originally recruited for. Hearing that our long snapper was also a candidate for QB is nice to have, as it means that Ryan Clark was glad to have a role on this team, instead of saying, "If I'm not getting any looks at QB, or first team snaps in practice, then I'M OUTTA HERE!" Can't wait to see what players will be returning, and who will fill roles held by players we got to know over these four years, and will be the guys we get to know over these next three years.

[VUOR63]

I'd have to concur on the significant improvement this season.  Great job by the coaching staff--it will be fun to see what happens when they have a full off-season to prepare and recruit.

If we're going to play a good scholarship team (Western Illinois is #24)  Why not bite the bullet and schedule Eastern Washington on the red turf or Montana--I hear that's a great college scene?!  We've tried NDSU--that didn't work out so well...BUT, that was one helluva atmosphere up there in Fargo.

[valporun]

NDSU wouldn't be a bad game, with a winning program, but let's hold off for a couple of seasons on that one.

[vu72]

I'd actually like another shot a YSU.  This last year they lost to Western Illinois 30-24, lost to Indiana State 27-24 and beat Butler 44-13.  With some improvement we could make it competitive.  I's suggest Indiana State (an old part of the ICC who we played every year) but they might end up dropping football.  Only averaged about 5000 per game so the pay day guarantee would be not worth it.  Is Ball State too much of a jump??

[VULB#62]

Ball State -- differnce is 85 scholarships vs. 65 -- MAC is FBS.  UMass went from the FCS CAA where they were always in the hunt for an NCAA tourney bid to 4 wins in three years (3 this year) at the FBS level in the MAC.  We don't want to go there. 

Among the OVC, MVFBC and Big Sky there are plenty of guarrantee ($$$) game options to help the program.  Personally, I want us to play Montana State at Bozeman.  My daughter and family live in Bozeman.  Stadium is great (20K+) and the valley is surrounded by majestic mountains. 

Indiana State dropping FB?  That would be a real shame.

If we're going to play a good scholarship team (Western Illinois is #24)  Why not bite the bullet and schedule Eastern Washington on the red turf or Montana--I hear that's a great college scene?!  We've tried NDSU--that didn't work out so well...BUT, that was one helluva atmosphere up there in Fargo.

I believe that was UND, not NDSU -- NDSU has been the perennial National Champ.  We were lucky to escape with a 69-10 loss in 2013, but at least it was not as bad as the 77-13 loss at YSU in 2011 or the 86-7 beating at home against Jacksonville-- FCS Scholarship     --- in 2010 ot the 72-12 loss to Butler last year too.

Man, I am glad those days are in the past.

BTW, for comparisons, PFL champ USD lost badly to Cal Poly of the Big Sky last Saturday 34-3 and Cal Poly did not get a NCAA bid.

[chef]

Eastern Kentucky and Sacred Heart, two FCS playoff teams will likely be on the schedule for next season.

[VULB#62]

Whoa!   With WIU or will EKU replace WIU?  And will that be the guarrantee $$$ game?

[VUOR63]

VULB 62-
I think we may have played UND more recently but we definitely played NDSU in 2004--I was on the team.  It was a 52-0 beat down in their first D-IAA game in school history (moved up from a lower division).  If you haven't been, the Fargo Dome is a fantastic place to see a game if you're not on the opposing team!

[VULB#62]

VULB 62-
I think we may have played UND more recently but we definitely played NDSU in 2004--I was on the team.  It was a 52-0 beat down in their first D-IAA game in school history (moved up from a lower division).  If you haven't been, the Fargo Dome is a fantastic place to see a game if you're not on the opposing team!

And so we did.  Just checked the All-Time Results.  Mia culpa.....  unfortunately, my recallable timeframes are the 60's and post 2008.  That was Tom Horne's last team, but you guys beat Butler, so it was a pretty successful season. In 2005 VU went to South Dakota State and lost 69-6 (but beat Butler again).

[usc4valpo]

Heck, if you are considering NDSU, you might as well consider Iowa State!

[VULB#62]

How about MIT?  9-1 and an NCAA Tourney bid!

[usc4valpo]

MIT had an outstanding season and it ended in quite an abrupt manner last weekend. Here is an interesting story about them:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ct-mit-football-spt-1129-20141128-column.htm


Regarding Valpo:
Before the season started, I thought a 4 win season was achievable and a great accomplishment for these guys with better things to come. I agree that they could have won more games with some luck, but everyone should be optimistic right now.

[IndyValpo]

Has anyone seen an actual list of seniors from this year's team. There may have been 20-22 though I never saw any mention.

Also, what happened to Brandon Doepke? He played in every game as a freshman and apparantly no games this year. Also curious what became of Cody Cotton, Denzell Conway, Derrick Estill and Bryson Eppinger. All played early then disappeared.

[vu72]

Not sure this has been posted, but our Conference Champ lost in the first round of the FCS playoffs, 52-14.  They were at 52-0 before, apparently, the dogs were called off.  The Pioneer teams have "a ways to go"!   

http://www.usdtoreros.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/112914aaa.html

[VUOR63]

If 24 teams make the play-offs and the top 8 seeds get byes, then USD got beat by the #13 team in the country.  Incidentally, this is a Montana team that lost to FBS school Wyoming 17-12. 

I don't have the time nor the desire to click through all 24 teams but I have to assume that most of the top 24 play a FBS school in the regular season for a "money game".  When Valpo and other PFL schools can do that, I think we can say we have arrived.

[usc4valpo]

I was at the UNI game on Saturday, and their running back, David Johnson, was awesome.  UNI has a great team; I would love to see Valpo play at the UNI dome someday.

[valpopal]

[tweet]539885387414765569[/tweet]

[78crusader]

I have never understood the willingness to play teams like North Dakota, Youngstown State, etc.  We may get a bigger payday but at what cost?  Seems like the chatter before such games focuses not on whether we win or lose, but whether we will be embarrassed by a blowout loss and whether any of our key players will get hurt.  Not a great way to start the season.

Another thing I don't understand is the apparent unwillingness to schedule DIII teams.  I have always thought of the Pioneer League as being a very good DIII league even though we may not be called that.  Frankly, I don't understand the whole FBS/FCS nomenclature, nor do I care to learn.   

We used to play teams like Luther and Wheaton and Washington University in St. Louis and Wabash and Wittenberg and Wagner (whew, a lot of W's in there!).  I know this not only because I went to many of those games, but also because the Lowenstein's ruler I have from 1974 with the VU sports schedules printed on the front, which is proudly hanging on the peg board in my garage, says we played Luther to start the 1974 season.  And many of the teams I've listed -- particularly Wabash and Wheaton -- play great football and would be a real challenge for VU. Plus I think we would draw better alumni and student interest in those games than we would by playing teams like Missouri Baptist etc.  Better visiting crowds, too.  Maybe we could start up a real rivalry with one or more of these teams.  We used to play Wheaton every year and the winner would get the "Crusader Shield" (both teams were named the Crusaders until Wheaton fell victim to PC and changed its name to the Thunder).  We compete with these schools for students -- I say, let's play them on the football field and show them who's the boss! 

Paul