Game #8 - @ USD

[VULB#62]

On to San Diego.   

USD beat Drake 38-7 in Des Moines yesterday.  They are 5-1 overall and 4-0 in the PFL.  Their only loss was to Cal Poly 38-16.  Cal Poly is FCS scholarship and plays in the Big Sky.

USD 34 Dayton 22
USD 44 @ Butler 10
USD 52 Davidson 3
USD 38  @ Drake 7

[VULB#62]

Some additional data points for Saturday:

At the time USD lost to Cal Poly, Cal Poly had just lost to FBS Nevada by 3 points. 

Two weeks after beating USD Cal Poly beat FCS ranked Montana.

Currently both USD(2) and Sacred Heart(2) are receiving votes in the FCS Top 25. USD is the only PFL team listed this week. Illinois State(5) has fallen out of the Top 25 and is receiving votes -- after they beat Northwestern the week after beating Valpo, they lost 4 in a row.

[VUOR63]

Coach C's team shocks the world and wins 31-28.

[vu72]

Coach C's team shocks the world and wins 31-28.

I'm hoping we don't have additional season ending injures and that we stay within 4 touchdowns.

[VU2624]

The advantage that the 2014 team had over this year is being able to sneak up on USD. I'm sure the USD coaches will continue to remind the USD players of that game.

This will be tough.

[VULB#62]

Neither our O nor our D have had consistent performances over a stretch of games. However, there is a noticable growth of confidence on both sides of the ball despite that. I say that cuz this group does not melt down like last year.  We have rebounded from adversity and come close or actually won games as a result.

I think we will show well but we will not be able to fully counteract the USD talent. If our QB can start fast we may have a chance to stay close. If we have a good day we will lose by 14, but we will have proven that we belong on the same field.

In my mind the BIG game is  Butler at home. If we win that one, we will Give JU a run. I am holding out for 5 wins this season and 4 in the PFL.

[VU2624]

Neither our O nor our D have had consistent performances over a stretch of games. However, there is a noticable growth of confidence on both sides of the ball despite that. I say that cuz this group does not melt down like last year.  We have rebounded from adversity and come close or actually won games as a result. I think we will show well but we will not be able to fully counteract the USD talent. If our QB can start fast we may have a chance to stay close. If we have a good day we will lose by 14, but we will have proven that we belong on the same field. In my mind the BIG game is  Butler at home. If we win that one, we will Give JU a run. I am holding out for 5 wins this season and 4 in the PFL.

Agreed on all counts.

[usc4valpo]

Alums should meet at Tito's after the game to see Ron Burgandy play jazz flute.

[Kyle321n]

Alums should meet at Tito's after the game to see Ron Burgandy play jazz flute.

Just don't talk bad about San Diego, they'll serve you dog poop

[VULB#62]

Oh, oh.  Looks like USD's strength is gonna be a problem cuz our Offense is pass oriented.  This is from the PFL site:

SAN DIEGO OWNS FCS' STINGIEST DEFENSE | Entering Week 8, San Diego's defense leads the FCS in fewest points allowed in 2016, permitting just 13.3 points per game. In three of their six games, the Toreros have permitted just one score by the opposing team. A large part of that effort is due to owning the FCS' best defensive unit against the pass, based on its FCS-leading 86.13 pass efficiency defense rating.

Last year they beat us at our place 38-6.  It was Homecoming and we went into the locker room at the half down only 10-3.  Then we gave up 28 straight points before hitting a 24 yard FG with 23 seconds left in the game.  We got just 18 yards on the ground all game and our QBs (Clarke and Stokes) were a combined 13/26 for 161 yards. USD had 70 plays to our 48.   This year's VU team is improved over last year's group and they have a bit of confidence that should help.  Hope we can keep it close and come out of there with some respectability.

[usc4valpo]

I am more worried about what the Channel 4 new team will say about us...

[VU2624]

Oh, oh.  Looks like USD's strength is gonna be a problem cuz our Offense is pass oriented.  This is from the PFL site: SAN DIEGO OWNS FCS' STINGIEST DEFENSE | Entering Week 8, San Diego's defense leads the FCS in fewest points allowed in 2016, permitting just 13.3 points per game. In three of their six games, the Toreros have permitted just one score by the opposing team. A large part of that effort is due to owning the FCS' best defensive unit against the pass, based on its FCS-leading 86.13 pass efficiency defense rating. Last year they beat us at our place 38-6.  It was Homecoming and we went into the locker room at the half down only 10-3.  Then we gave up 28 straight points before hitting a 24 yard FG with 23 seconds left in the game.  We got just 18 yards on the ground all game and our QBs (Clarke and Stokes) were a combined 13/26 for 161 yards. USD had 70 plays to our 48.   This year's VU team is improved over last year's group and they have a bit of confidence that should help.  Hope we can keep it close and come out of there with some respectability.

That was the game Dalton was injured in. I think it's an injury which still haunts the current team.

[footballgods]

SD has a lot of JC and transfer Kids, which means more mature players.  They will come with a lot of heat on the Qbs, which they have to run fast to get out of pressure. On what I have seen of Clark and Seewald they are only pocket passers and not that mobile.  I wonder if they will put in Stokes. I hope it is not a blow out.

[covufan]

Would love to see continued improvement on both sides of the ball.

Valpo   10
SD       31

[VU2624]

SD has a lot of JC and transfer Kids, which means more mature players.  They will come with a lot of heat on the Qbs, which they have to run fast to get out of pressure. On what I have seen of Clark and Seewald they are only pocket passers and not that mobile.  I wonder if they will put in Stokes. I hope it is not a blow out.

If Valpo had a QB in the wings who can make the throws, has some wheels and a good enough understanding of the playbook, I'd guess Dave would have played him.

[vu72]

I found this comment, in a recent Torch article, interesting:

  One of the challenges that the Crusaders will have to face going into the rest of the season is that they are without their starting quarterback and have three starters (Jake Trumpower, Mike Wheeler, and Jay Slone) on defense.

I doubt that is accurate as it would imply that Clarke is out for the balance of the year.  Coach C indicated it was day to day.

[footballgods]

Ok looking at the freshman via maxprep and hudl , Duncan( football-Track), Seewald(football-bball), Mullen -(Football)who was at a D2 or D3 school before coming to Valpo and Papenfuss . (football-Lacrosse) Looked up the states on these guys senior year and who stands out.   Duncan's -Public School -film he had to play on one of the most worse field I have every seen.  This kid was fast on film and hard to catch for a tall kid, you cant teach speed and maxprep has his stats. Seewald played at a private school, not much on stats for his senior year. film ok but big arm and not much on maxprep. Mullen-Private School don't know much but looking at maxprep stats not bad. Papenfuss- Private School. (  , film good, not much on maxprep I don't know if he played a lot. can not tell. I was just a bit curious about the freshman QBs..

[VU2624]

It all comes down to preparation. If the other QBs were ready to go they'd have been first in line.

[footballgods]

SD will be blitzing a lot.. I hope it will not be a long game.

[usc4valpo]

Would somebody please tell me why Seewald was not starting?

[VU2624]

I just had a chance to turn this on. Was Clarke as bad as the play by play indicates?

Seewald hasn't exactly torn it up with his opportunities. Coach also probably doesn't want to have  guy lose his spot because of injury. Just a guess there.

If that is the case, the time probably has come.

[usc4valpo]

this is brutal.

[VU2624]

Brutal it is. Did Seewald injure himself or is Dave just going to stick with Clarke at this point perhaps to a fault.

Valpo doesn't really belong on the field with these guys which is more of a San Diego thing than a Valpo thing.

Dave....my man....after watching a few more minutes and Seewald back in the game....it's time.

Another edit: What the heck is Rene doing back in the game after trying to go early and apparently not being able to?

[valporun]

I'm guessing Cecchini was going with experience against San Diego starting Clarke over Seewald. In terms of the way the game played out, you can definitely see a maturity and attitude difference between the Toreros and the Crusaders. As was often mentioned on both the San Diego and Valpo broadcasts, the Toreros roster features a good number of JC transfers, who come from winning junior college football games, so they aren't being forced to start 18 or 19 year old freshmen with no experience in a lot of games. They get a ton of 20-year-olds with experience to step-in for holes that are important to their schemes on both offense and defense. The attitude change has been a result of when Jim Harbaugh brought in an attitude of winning, and getting the alums and donors excited. Now they're still doing a great job of winning in the PFL, and with kids from the California area that know how to play winning football in a more concentrated, short term focus, than someone who comes in to Valpo from around the Midwest or wherever, and has to learn a new system or a new way of training, while developing their bodies as the starter, instead of learning, and working their way to the lineup as a tested junior or senior, which we traditionally lose because they stop playing due to injury, losing love of the game, or inability to pay tuition on their own. We were definitely overmatched yesterday, and we'll continue to be that way until we could get some junior college kids to look at Valpo as a place to help build, rather than a dumping ground.

[VULB#62]

Despite the fact that we got David Macchi out of a JC , we must remember that JC recruiting is more of a California thing. They have millions of JCs playing FB there. The midwest not so much. tough to get CA JCs to leave the beaches of California. Always worth a try though.

Here's the rub. Programs generally are built on a 4 year commitment from players. Recruiting JCs is a short term fix. You're the coach. Which way do you lean?  I suppose if you lean on the short term JC solution you might gain some initial leverage, but at the risk losing the long term base.   Tough choice. Especially in a non-scholarship situation.