GAME #9: Valpo @ Davidson - 11/2, Noon

VULB#62 · October 27, 2019, 08:45:21 AM

With win number one under our belt we head to North Carolina. Marist took down the Wildcats yesterday and held the Davidson attack in check. Coach Fox helped engineer a Dayton win last season by holding the Davidson attack in check. He talked after our game about how our players were finally executing on the D side of the ball the way he wants them to. Could be a good matchup.

valpofb16 · October 27, 2019, 09:43:30 AM

Davidson wins by doing two things

1) Wearing down your defense physically with their heavy option attack. Was at the game last year. Kudos to them as they do this with tempo and physicality

2) they keep the other teams offense off of the field.

Improvements I have liked

1) playing Allison and Earley at running back, both players seem to hit their second gear quickly once they hit the hole

2) Duncan's evolution from tucking and scrambling to tucking and running. Might seem silly but instead of taking 5 yd losses he is getting up field.

3) Defensively the ability to stop the run, still having some trouble out back (don't be mistaken weather was a huge factor in this game). If we can put drives together and stop the run we are a competitive football team.

Hoping for a Valpo win here. We should aim for Butler, Marist, Morehead State to finish 4-8. However a win @ Davidson would put us in position for a 5 win season. For those counting at home it'd be the 5th 5 win season since 2000

JD24 · October 27, 2019, 10:20:19 AM

Davidson had a bit of a blip yesterday at home vs. Marist who has been a bit schizoid this year in playing well at times and awful at times. It's a game Davidson probably should have won. Maybe it's just a step they have to take as they move up to what I feel will eventually be a challenger for at least the 2nd best team in the PFL.

It's a tough offense to defense but, as valpofb16 mentioned, Fox knows how to stop it and I think Valpo's run defense has been good most of the time but prone to the occasional major breakdown. They have to watch the QB out the back door a bit better particularly with Davidson.

It's a game The Crusaders might be able to win but I think Davidson is a clear favorite.

VULB#62 · October 28, 2019, 08:31:59 AM

Correction -- this is GAME #9.

valpofb16 · October 28, 2019, 10:52:54 AM

Interesting tidbit

Ryan Markoff who transferred to D3 Bluffton because previous staff thought he was not a quarterback

Is now playing WR at Bluffton. So maybe they weren't crazy?

VULB#62 · November 02, 2019, 10:49:23 AM

Game time forecast: 56 degrees and sunny.

Marist 's D shut down the Wildcats last weekend. Our turn to do the same in great game conditions.

GO VALPO!

vu72 · November 02, 2019, 01:07:19 PM

18 yards of passing in the half? Geez, we are so lucky to be hanging around and, another missed extra point.

JD24 · November 02, 2019, 01:33:49 PM

Disappointing news for some Valpo fans as two passes after a turnover get the Crusaders within a point.

VULB#62 · November 02, 2019, 01:47:56 PM

21-13 Davidson. 4:58 left in Q3. We CAN move the ball. On. The. Ground.

VULB#62 · November 02, 2019, 01:55:17 PM

The Davidson video coverage and the commentator are really pathetic. Davidson appears to be blasting audio during our snap counts as well.

JD24 · November 02, 2019, 01:57:52 PM

Well this is a bit devastating. Valpo gives up a score but then inexplicably is able to go right back down the field and score and then....get this....also throw in a 2 pointer. So the game is tied. They're just killin' us.

JD24 · November 02, 2019, 01:59:00 PM

Quote from: VULB#62 on November 02, 2019, 01:47:56 PM21-13 Davidson. 4:58 left in Q3. We CAN move the ball. On. The. Ground.

?? they scored their second TD on essentially two passes.

VULB#62 · November 02, 2019, 01:59:38 PM

21-21. Apparently the initial video feed did not have the audio piped through. Now in the 4th the commentator and color guy are finally being fed through. 14:31 left in the 4th.

VULB#62 · November 02, 2019, 02:03:41 PM

But the video and audio are not synced. Argh!!!

JD24 · November 02, 2019, 02:08:29 PM

Booker's out of control. DPOW two weeks in a row. He's got about 115 tackles and a couple of forced fumbles.

JD24 · November 02, 2019, 02:10:43 PM

Gotta throw it on 4th down there. Can't be hesitant.

VULB#62 · November 02, 2019, 02:26:38 PM

Quote from: JD24 on November 02, 2019, 02:08:29 PM
Booker's out of control. DPOW two weeks in a row. He's got about 115 tackles and a couple of forced fumbles.

21 to be exact at the 2:00 mark. Wow.

JD24 · November 02, 2019, 02:29:12 PM

Davidson scores with 2min left but misses the XP.

Valpo gets a break when Reese fumbles but is called down and now the QB and WR group need to get together and move it down the field. Can they do it?

JD24 · November 02, 2019, 02:32:42 PM

.....and they can't do it. Holding call killed them on the last drive.

vu72 · November 02, 2019, 02:51:09 PM

We are getting better--at some aspects of the game. We nearly beat a 5-3 team on the road. Ollie get fumbleitis. There is hope and I expect two more wins this season. Just as long as we beat Butler all is OK.

usc4valpo · November 02, 2019, 04:45:02 PM

24 - not sure where you going with that comment dude.

JD24 · November 02, 2019, 07:04:05 PM

Good overall performance from the team. I think they are moving in the right direction and need to tweak some things offensively to be a bit more competitive in the PFL. As others have said, likely will take a recruiting class or maybe two to get where they need to be but I'm confident that Fox can coach at this point.

Ollie needs to get stronger in my opinion. He's got decent hands, can get open and he's fast but any time real physicality comes into play he seems to suffer. If he can improve in that area, he can be a very good receiver.

VULB#62 · November 02, 2019, 08:48:29 PM

Quote from: vu72 on November 02, 2019, 02:51:09 PM
We are getting better--at some aspects of the game. We nearly beat a 5-3 team on the road. Ollie got fumbleitis. There is hope and I expect two more wins this season. Just as long as we beat Butler all is OK.

Quote from: JD24 on November 02, 2019, 07:04:05 PM
Good overall performance from the team. I think they are moving in the right direction and need to tweak some things offensively to be a bit more competitive in the PFL. As others have said, likely will take a recruiting class or maybe two to get where they need to be but I'm confident that Fox can coach at this point.

I concur that we are pointed in the right direction. Once the newness of everything wore off and we got past the scholly opponents and the traditional PFL iron, we are now in the winnable portion of our schedule and the team is demonstrating increasing confidence and is executing better each week. Speaks well of Fox's determination to stay the course and become incrementally better each week. I love the switch to a run first offense and really enjoyed how well we moved the ball at times in sustained drives. We will only get better.

Having said that, I still get frustrated with the tremendous inconsistency of our passing game. We have some really good completions and then sail passes 10 yards over intended open receivers. Hopefully the coaches can fine tune routes and reads to give Chris easier completions.

Oh, BTW, I am planning on having nightmares about that holding call in the last two minutes. We had the 1st down. We got out of bounds. We were moving........... oh well.

bbtds · November 03, 2019, 09:19:25 AM

Quote from: VULB#62 on November 02, 2019, 08:48:29 PMOh, BTW, I am planning on having nightmares about that holding call in the last two minutes. We had the 1st down. We got out of bounds. We were moving........... oh well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyhMgXmR3w4