Week 9 Saint Thomas

[valpofb16]

7-1 Tommies head to 4-4 Valparaiso. Was a one score game last season at Saint Thomas.

If Valpo does not get behind early and can figure out their 4th quarter offensive woes, this is winnable.

If the offense stalls or they get  down early the promising Beacs would have to win out for .500

[soapyjeans]

Valpo has to stop being predictable.  If your RB can't get thru, go to your WR or TE.  Mix it up.  And train QB to scan the field if his target isn't open, chances are Valpo has a man wide open somewhere.  And work on those dang personal fouls.

[valpotx]

Valpo 31
St. Thomas 24

[talksalot]

Special teams may be impacted...  1PM kickoff

Sat 05 | Day   
SSW constant winds through the day of 25 mph
Rain showers early, then remaining overcast and windy later in the day. High 63F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.

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I'll bet the soccer team is grateful we have artificial surface on Brown Field...

[JD24]

This is the one PFL game I think will be a struggle in terms of staying in it to win it.

[usc4valpo]

I expect a Valpo win today and make a statement. 24-21 Beacos. Print it baby!

[valpofb16]

With all due respect. The tommies are larger by a margin at every position.

They also have 17 recruits committed before FASFA came out and skyrocketed to top of PFL immediately.

Not sour grapes. They may just be on the 2010-2014 San Diego Jacksonville program

[valpofb16]

3 takeaways resulting in plus field position . Two RedZone trips.

Empty. Run the ball and take points

[soapyjeans]

Valpos predictability is their liability...  So far Dawson has carried the ball 6 times and gained 1 yard!!! 

[valpotx]

Officiating has been very questionable today, and I never say such a thing.

On another front, whomever is responsible for data/quality control for graphics in the broadcast, has let the Valpo win-loss record error persist for too long.  It should have been noticed immediately, but it still shows 4-5 (3-2). 

[valpofb16]

Officiating was questionable, Doerer and Turner both dressed and did not play.

Coming up empty plus territory 3 times is what killed the game.

Fox isn't one to leak out disciplinary stuff but imagine this is one of those deals. That wasn't the difference.

Valpo wins when the OL has an edge when they don't they can't win.

[valpotx]

Appel needs to learn to throw the ball away to the sidelines...

[JD24]

Valpos predictability is their liability...  So far Dawson has carried the ball 6 times and gained 1 yard!!!

So block better.

Predictability isn't the issue.

[valpofb16]

JD24 I'm with you OL has been a sore spot covered up by talented RBs.

There have been multiple OL coaches come in. Don't think it's all on the kids

[valpofb16]

Final thoughts here.

This was not a set back this was a reality check. Valpo is now in the mid tier consistently in the PFL.

They are out of the basement with a young team. This is a positive side, Fox is not running away from it.

OL needs to be a focus. Including retaining the coach moving forward.

[usc4valpo]

Very disappointing

[Turf and Grid Iron Dad]

JD24 I'm with you OL has been a sore spot covered up by talented RBs.

There have been multiple OL coaches come in. Don't think it's all on the kids

Full transparency here. I am a father of the mentioned OL men.

Before pointing fingers I would love to sit down with anyone and study the film. I think you might be surprised at where plays break down. Takes 10 other players for the offense to be successful.

[valpofb16]

No disrespecting the kids on the OL at all vs. half the conference they have faired very well.

Far from an insult. But the reality of the situation is second half Dayton, Saint Thomas, and first half San Diego there was a gap.

Aaron has been fantastic for the program. The years prior everyone was an underclassmen besides him with little to no experience.

It is attrition, coach changes, and experience that the aforementioned programs traditionally do not have. That is why they are top tier programs.

Would love to have five RSSR OL from tje 2018 class starting but believe Aaron was 1/10 to stay.

[JD24]

JD24 I'm with you OL has been a sore spot covered up by talented RBs. There have been multiple OL coaches come in. Don't think it's all on the kids

My comment was less about the kids and coaches on the OL than it was the comments about the predictability of the offense. In football, for the most part teams "do what they do". There isn't an opportunity to change much in an offense during the season and QBs don't suddenly turn into pros scanning the field overnight. When Valpo or most teams can't run the ball, it's tough to move the ball.

Were the breakdowns on the kids on the OL, RB(s), coaches? I have no idea. The plays were getting stacked up on a windy day.

[usc4valpo]

Sorry gang, but I'm tired of being satisfied in mediocrity. Losing like this at home is unacceptable, period. I know St.Thomas is good, but we gotta perform better than this and not be satisfied being a middle of the pack team.

Also, how many sacks did St. Thomas get? Appel has -71 yards rushing.

[soapyjeans]

There's a reason teams have playbooks & signals, its to try & catch opposing team off guard with a play they aren't expecting. 

[valpofb16]

Serious question what other plays should they have ran with 40mph winds.

Saint Thomas had 3 quick turnovers then immediately went to trap, veer, power, and zone.

Valpo went the same direction with leads. It's about execution. There's a handful of blocking schemes.

With Kaplan could add in a read option, but with Appels age , arm, and early injury history, would prefer they dont

[valpotx]

Sorry gang, but I'm tired of being satisfied in mediocrity. Losing like this at home is unacceptable, period. I know St.Thomas is good, but we gotta perform better than this and not be satisfied being a middle of the pack team.

Also, how many sacks did St. Thomas get? Appel has -71 yards rushing.

To be fair, it is complete BS that the college game counts sacks as negative rushing yards for the QB, while it does not do the same in the NFL.  He still needs to learn to throw the ball away when he has no options and has the small opening to just chuck it out-of-bounds, but you can't put the negative rushing yards on him alone.

[soapyjeans]

Maybe going back and watching the different plays coaches called when Valpo was winning and compare it to the last 3 games Valpo has lost.  Noteworthy, St Thomas didn't have trouble with the wind.  Also blocking only gets you so far, seconds in fact, otherwise blocker is called for "holding".  Blockers can only push forward, can't grab, touch below waist, or the sides or its considered holding.  There are plenty of youtube videos from renowned coaches demonstrating the limitations of blocking.  That said, Fox has a young team with loads of talent in every position that will dominate this division before lone.   

[JD24]

Why is there the thought that Valpo is not self assessing being mentioned?