Butler FB @ Valpo

[VULB#62]

I saw the Butler-Dartmouth game here in New England last weekend.  BU lost 35-7.  #10 Matt Lancaster is a very versatile QB and Butler was only down 14-7 at half.  In that game Lancaster was 25 for 35 for 267 yards and 1 TD.  He had a number of long pass completions in that mix. RB Trae Heeter carried only 7 times the whole game (and just 4 times in the first half when Butler was hanging close).  Lancaster carried 12 times for 28 yards.  So I thought:  they are obviously a Lancaster-centric passing team.  Stop Lancaster and you box Butler in.

I checked yesterday's BU-Campbell box score.  BU won 35-14.  Lancaster was only 15-21, 168 yds and 1 TD.  But Heeter carried 21 times for 204 yards and 2 TDs.  Lancaster added 9 carries for 61 and 2 TDs -- one of them a 45 yd. run for the final Butler TD with 2:20 left in Q4.  Go figure.   

BTW Campbell had 23 first downs to Butler's 20; 365 total yards to Butler's 452; and Campbell's TOP was 35:31 to Butler's 24:29.  Campbell even completed 17 of 23 passes.  Campbell's final 7 points came with 0:01 on the clock in Q4.

[covufan]

Currently, Sagarin has Butler as a nearly 13 point favorite.  Massey has Valpo losing 37-17 http://www.masseyratings.com/team.php?t=8361&s=181623

and Real Time RPI has Valpo winning 27-24 http://realtimerpi.com/football/ncaaf_2093_Men.html?Valparaiso

These ratings will change after Butler and other games this weekend.  I'm just hoping for an improved 60 minutes at Brown Field - a close game with a fourth quarter like the first quarter against Duquesne.  Valpo has two weeks to prepare and get healed from some of those nagging injuries.  I think we start playing well on both sides of the ball and pull out a big win.

Valpo  27
Butler  13

[historyman]

Butler 40
Valpo  31

Halftime score 17-16 Valpo. Butler pulls away in the 2nd half and Valpo starts to come back but runs out of time.

[milanmiracle]

Butler 38 Valpo 7 (change due to Butler's performance vs. Dayton)

Not happening this year...

Looks like Campbell is the best chance for a win.

[VULB#62]

Just felt I had to duplicate my prediction post here for the record.

Just be competitive.  Just keep the score close.      Just be competitive.   Just don't implode.     Just be competitive.

Oh, ............ and please play tough for 60 minutes and just be competitive.   

[usc4valpo]

Butler 38, Valpo 14.

At least bratwurst and beer will be good during homecoming weekend.
Geez, what a brutal season.

[VULB#62]

Even though I saw Butler play live and watched a lot of their streamed game vs. Dayton, I don't know what Butler will score, so here's my prediction:

Valpo - 21 or maybe more
Butler - 14 points more than whatever VU scores.

The 14 point differential will mark some slow but painful progress.   

[valpotx]

I hate typing this:

Butler 35
Valpo 17

[bmlvu97]

Another homecoming loss...

Butler 28
Valpo 17

[historyman]

FROM THE WEATHER CHANNEL:

EXTREME COLD ALERT
Forecast for Saturday, October 06, 2012
Valparaiso, IN


Wind Chill
Near 29°F
High: 52°F
Low: 36°F
Feels like 29°F
Chance of Precipitation 10%
Wind WNW 15 mph
Humidity 56%
More Weather Details

Dress very warmly for Saturday's Homecoming game!!!!

[milanmiracle]

FROM THE WEATHER CHANNEL:

EXTREME COLD ALERT
Forecast for Saturday, October 06, 2012
Valparaiso, IN


Wind Chill
Near 29°F
High: 52°F
Low: 36°F
Feels like 29°F
Chance of Precipitation 10%
Wind WNW 15 mph
Humidity 56%
More Weather Details

Dress very warmly for Saturday's Homecoming game!!!!

It's northern Indiana in October...of course it's cold! 

[valpotx]

I try not to be negative about our teams being a formal student athlete...but our football team is absolutely terrible now.  Stacy Adams' tenure really set us back from being a solid team in the past.  Listening to this game is just painful

[rink]

Checking in from section B. Ugly, ugly start. Spotted them 7 with a fumble on the first play within the 5. Another fumble on drive 2, closer to mid field. Third drive stalls after moving the chains decently, turnover on downs. Butler scores TDs the first three times they touch the ball. 21-0 less than 10 minutes into the game.

[rink]

Two personal fouls, two fumbles, a place kicker who missed his cue to take the field ... coaching?

[crusadermoe]

Just saw score on web for 1st time and it is 28-0 first quarter.    If I see box score right, Butler has used 14 plays to score the 4 TDs.     Fumbles and long plays it seems.   
Wow, I almost forecast a tie at halftime and Butler pulling away late to win by 13 or so.      Brutal........ and on  homecoming to boot!   I think the team chased away its last home fans that aren't parents or band members.

[vu72]

I'm having a tough time keeping the game on, although i'll probably hang on till half.  Embarrassing performance all around.  Mental mistakes fall on the coaches--how about the field goal team going on the field and they can't find the kicker!  Junior high stuff.

[milanmiracle]

Wow. Getting blown out by Butler on homecoming. 28-0 at the end of the first quarter?

Somebody clue me in about the "missing kicker"?

[milanmiracle]

Just felt I had to duplicate my prediction post here for the record.

Just be competitive.  Just keep the score close.      Just be competitive.   Just don't implode.     Just be competitive.

Oh, ............ and please play tough for 60 minutes and just be competitive.   

I think that ship has sailed...

[KL31NY]

I know I'm beating a dead horse but...

Dale tries on 4th down too much. I'd rather try a chip shot field goal on fourth and goal to get some points on the board than go for the gusto. Can't drive all the way to the 3 and come up with nothing IMHO.

Note: Wrote this before milan jumped in about the "missing kicker" if that means anything

[milanmiracle]

Two personal fouls, two fumbles, a place kicker who missed his cue to take the field ... coaching?

Of the games I've seen...yep!

[vu72]

Wow. Getting blown out by Butler on homecoming. 28-0 at the end of the first quarter?

Somebody clue me in about the "missing kicker"?

We were driving relatively deep into their territory when we stalled and Carlson called the the field goal team.  Everybody goes out and...the kicker is still warming up at the other end of the bench.  We have to call a timeout and then decide to go for it on fourth and seven and get nothing.  Beyond bizarre.  The alumni must be writing checks right now...for the basketball team.

[valporun]

After five games, is it time to reevaluate growing/building the program around Gabe Ali-El and Eric Hoffman, or is it time to build around the backups that come in for them, like Jabril Baker at RB and an upperclassman QB? I also feel like it's time to do some major discipline work with the o-line. They don't block for anyone. After all the promise shown in the St. Joe's game, what has happened to this football program? Why all the regression when last season's Campbell game showed progression towards winning football coming...

[historyman]

Quote from: valporun on October 6, 2012 at 02:48:23 PM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After five games, is it time to reevaluate growing/building the program around Gabe Ali-El and Eric Hoffman, or is it time to build around the backups that come in for them, like Jabril Baker at RB and an upperclassman QB? I also feel like it's time to do some major discipline work with the o-line. They don't block for anyone. After all the promise shown in the St. Joe's game, what has happened to this football program? Why all the regression when last season's Campbell game showed progression towards winning football coming...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It all goes back to the St.Joe game and feeling some sense of accomplishment. When Valpo failed in the 4th quarter against St.Joe that pretty much did in the season. Especially when you're playing YSU, Duquesne and San Diego after that. You have to build some kind of hope and the players themselves must feel they have made some sort of progress. I watched the first half live at Brown Field and without any accomplishments and the quick disaster of too many turnovers you not only feel like there is no progress but the worst team in the country. Somehow Valpo football must shed that feeling and get the momentum rolling forward again. You have to wonder if the practices look as bad as the games look. I would start with something new in practice. I had to come home so I wouldn't feel so miserable going to the volleyball match.

[usc4valpo]

brutal. where do you go from here?  Drink a beer and chill and watch Oregon play tonight...

[vu72]

brutal. where do you go from here?  Drink a beer and chill and watch Oregon play tonight...

Basketball practice starts in 6 days!

Here's Lavonte Dority:

Valpo All-Access: LaVonte Dority 10|01|12