Apologies for starting this particular thread of pain but at no level of football can a team...which is overmatched in the first place...keep giving the ball to the other team and expect to not be on the short end of the score. Valpo has taken this theory and proved it thus far today.
My social media feed is reduced to posts cheering on tackles as big moments while the other teams scores are of the oh by the way sort. Maybe it's good for mom and dad of the tackler but it comes across as ridiculous to those without the direct attachment to the roster.
I'll give credit where credit is due. The defense continues to be effective. However, they also continue to be the most overworked unit on the field.
If giving up 35 is effective-what constitutes ineffective?
If giving up 35 is effective-what constitutes ineffective?
If you read the 3rd sentence I think there is the explanation. They are overworked because of a lack of stable offense. Look at the scoring comparisons between the 1st and 3rd quarters and the 2nd and 4th quarters. The defense, when rested and not overworked, is effective. There is more to a game than the final score
Sure dude-
We have 2 wins and are on the brink of another dismal season-nothing new...guess as long as the school gets 100 kids to pay to play here it really doesn't matter-there have been major improvements to the facilities and an ever increasing investment in football as evidence by # of coaches on staff etc...but still no change in outcome
Where did I imply this was a good season? It obviously isn't, but that doesn't discount that there are good things about this team. Primarily the defense. You can be upset about this loss, but don't let rage define an opinion without doing proper research into the game.
Look at the stats, The defense has the majority of field minutes. No amount of conditioning can stop you from getting at least a little fatigued with the amount of time the defense is on the field. Such is displayed in the outcome and scoring patterns. Looking at the Drake and Moorehead games, the defense was phenomenal, but you cant win a game without scoring points.
As for improvements, there is no OC on staff ATM. An OC is an integral part of the staff that is completely missing.
@valpo15 - Facilities for football are at the bottom of the Pioneer conference!
Watching the game and atmosphere, I am seriously wondering if Fox is considering a change of venue. It feels like a dead end situation.
@usc4valpo Couldn't have said it better myself. When I can go across town on any given Friday night in fall and get a better fan experience, something is clearly wrong.
Sure dude-
We have 2 wins and are on the brink of another dismal season-nothing new...guess as long as the school gets 100 kids to pay to play here it really doesn't matter-[1] there have been major improvements to the facilities and an [2] ever increasing investment in football as evidence by # of coaches on staff etc...but still no change in outcome
[1] The last major improvements to facilities occurred under Cecchini (weight room, locker room). Nothing of note during Fox’s tenure (except for maybe a juice bar). Just like the ARC for basketball, the Brown Field stadium is almost unchanged (i.e., no major renovations).
[2] The staff has not expanded. It is practically the same size as it was at his hiring. Look carefully at Fox’s revolving coaches door. He is a good coach, yet he faced an almost 70% coaching changeover this year alone - either through his realizing certain coaches didn’t measure up or others who just found other places to coach either because they could not afford to stay or they found better paying jobs. And look at the coaches he has to hire. Most are guys wanting to get a foot in the door of DI football. Compare that to, for instance, St. Thomas whose staff has long standing continuity.
IMHO, The university, in general, amidst all its other controversies, is at the fish-or-cut-bait point in athletics.
Aspiring to be competitive in DI athletics is one thing; actually making the $$$$ commitment to achieve that is another thing. Valpo missed that boat to optimize its athletic successes a long time ago. Look, MBB gets to be on the ESPN score crawler (sometimes embarrassingly so now that we are in the MVC) because we are DI. Football does too, because we are FCS. Yet, despite bringing in 100+ students on non-scholarship, proportionally this program is underfunded. Realistically, how many alums ever look at the crawler? Our alumni are not into athletics. I’ll bet few even access the VU Athletics website semi-regularly. Our few major donors have other priorities - all very valuable, but much of which does not promote Valpo to the rest of the world. Obviously, this is not fan-crazy Duke, USC, Notre Dame, Baylor or Liberty….. or even Gonzaga.
It is a simple math equation. There are 10-15x the potential donors on every football team compared to basketball. Even a larger multiple when you consider four year graduates in the portal era.
Valpo has planted their flag in the basketball camp. Which is fine if you provide a product that sells out and packs the arena. Which they have not.
game notes:
Coulson starts three games for FBS Kent state gets no burn and scores a TD in first real action. Seems odd. Keefe started week 1 with multiple PFL offers, is now QB4 seems odd. Staff seems reluctant to give Tyler the reigns, seems odd.
weird vibes in Valparaiso. Defense has for sure slipped this year and offense hasn’t made up the difference. Recruiting seems a bit slow.
Have to wonder if staff has one foot out the door. Can’t blame Fox as 62 alluded to. Best conference coach we’ve had in 20-some years. School just hasn’t provided resources to take the next steps
It is a simple math equation. There are 10-15x the potential donors on every football team compared to basketball. Even a larger multiple when you consider four year graduates in the portal era.
Valpo has planted their flag in the basketball camp. Which is fine if you provide a product that sells out and packs the arena. Which they have not.
game notes:
Coulson starts three games for FBS Kent state gets no burn and scores a TD in first real action. Seems odd. Keefe started week 1 with multiple PFL offers, is now QB4 seems odd. Staff seems reluctant to give Tyler the reigns, seems odd.
weird vibes in Valparaiso. Defense has for sure slipped this year and offense hasn’t made up the difference. Recruiting seems a bit slow.
Have to wonder if staff has one foot out the door. Can’t blame Fox as 62 alluded to. Best conference coach we’ve had in 20-some years. School just hasn’t provided resources to take the next steps
We could hire another coach but a large base tuition plus spending your entire undergrad in an 8x10 dorm with another student, combined with dwindling majors and enrollments makes me think Valpo is a tough sell.
Sure dude-
We have 2 wins and are on the brink of another dismal season-nothing new...guess as long as the school gets 100 kids to pay to play here it really doesn't matter-[1] there have been major improvements to the facilities and an [2] ever increasing investment in football as evidence by # of coaches on staff etc...but still no change in outcome
[1] The last major improvements to facilities occurred under Cecchini (weight room, locker room). Nothing of note during Fox’s tenure (except for maybe a juice bar). Just like the ARC for basketball, the Brown Field stadium is almost unchanged (i.e., no major renovations).
[2] The staff has not expanded. It is practically the same size as it was at his hiring. Look carefully at Fox’s revolving coaches door. He is a good coach, yet he faced an almost 70% coaching changeover this year alone - either through his realizing certain coaches didn’t measure up or others who just found other places to coach either because they could not afford to stay or they found better paying jobs. And look at the coaches he has to hire. Most are guys wanting to get a foot in the door of DI football. Compare that to, for instance, St. Thomas whose staff has long standing continuity.
IMHO, The university, in general, amidst all its other controversies, is at the fish-or-cut-bait point in athletics.
Aspiring to be competitive in DI athletics is one thing; actually making the $$$$ commitment to achieve that is another thing. Valpo missed that boat to optimize its athletic successes a long time ago. Look, MBB gets to be on the ESPN score crawler (sometimes embarrassingly so now that we are in the MVC) because we are DI. Football does too, because we are FCS. Yet, despite bringing in 100+ students on non-scholarship, proportionally this program is underfunded. Realistically, how many alums ever look at the crawler? Our alumni are not into athletics. I’ll bet few even access the VU Athletics website semi-regularly. Our few major donors have other priorities - all very valuable, but much of which does not promote Valpo to the rest of the world. Obviously, this is not fan-crazy Duke, USC, Notre Dame, Baylor or Liberty….. or even Gonzaga.
VULB62, I still think the sole fish-or-cut-bait point is men's basketball. If the Coach Powell can make the MBB program NCAA tourney relevant again, then it leads the way and provides potential trickle-down benefits to the other sports, including football. If not, I do think it's game over for VU as a legit D1 school. Whether that means going to D3, I really don't know, as there are pros and cons to that move. (Among other things, I agree with posters who have said that VU's D1 status helps to bring some 100 young men, many of whom are strong students, to the university each year to play football. Without that D1 carrot, the team would have to be a great success on that field to have that draw.)
You're right about VU's alumni base and athletics. As someone who arrived at VU just after it joined D1, I can attest that there wasn't much buzz around the sports program among the students in general. It took Homer and Bryce to change all that. But I don't know if those who fell in love with the Sweet 16 team or later NCAA tourney qualifiers continue to check the scores for VU MBB today, or if they regard those years as great but faded glories. And while in no way criticizing the character and effort of the football coaches and players, I can't recall there ever being a buzz around the football program.
This leaves football in a tough place. It may be that guys like Fox and, before him, Cecchini, have done a valiant job simply by keeping the program reasonably competitive and that's the best we can hope for at this time.
So here's my thoughts...
Defense has slipped, but largely has remained strong? As I stated before, the slipping of the defense has largely been a product of their time on the field. The Defense, when given time to rest, has proven to be an effective force.
VU has planted themselves in the basketball camp, but I assume this is because basketball is the scholarship sport and football is not. As fb16 said, Valpo is a tough sell. Not getting any money to play makes Valpo an even tougher sell. Hence the pushing of the narrative that "Hey! We allow our players to get engineering degrees!" Although I am not sure how this affects the recruitment market.
To comment further on basketball, VU has been a "basketball school" for a long while. Feats such as Worlds Tallest Team, the Lutheran Miracle, and The Shot are all great historical nuggets in the history of NCAA MBB. With The Shot being used as a promotional tool every March Madness. While this promotion does next to nothing for VU directly, every time I see a clip and scroll to the comments. Its a mix of "Man, I miss that school" or "Oh I remember where I was that day".
Powell himself isn't just a hire as a basketball coach, he was a hire to breathe life into a dying sports culture at a "failing" school both academically and athletically. Sure, Powell may be a good recruiter, but Powell also cares deeply about Valpo, not just basketball. He wants to see the sports and university thrive like they did in the early 2000s. One focus of Powell's' plan is to get the Brown and Gold back into NWI. Lets face it, Valpo as a city is more interested in the Norse than it is in Knights and Lighthouses. Such can be seen with the various naming associations around the city to a certain Nordic mascot within city limits. Its no coincidence that the MBB team is touring Boys and Girls Clubs as an NIL venture. Or that Powell has made a video series out of going to different places within Valpo or to local youth facilities. Heck, the MBB team made multiple appearances at VHS basketball camps as guest coaches. Powell also chose to launch his Non-for profit when he returned. A non-for-profit with motives such as sponsored tickets to basketball games for the youth of NWI, and camps and outreach related to giving back to NWI and Eastern ILL. In my eyes, athletics will be just fine, but it is up to academics to pick up the slack. If you want to get support, you have to start on your home turf. Going out into the community for NIL and charity work, especially to youth events, is going to get your name out into the world. Turning around and offering those same youth opportunities to come and see their mentors compete at a high level is also a great tool both for marketing and for the community.
Ok. Back to football. There is no OC on staff at the moment. Fox is a defense coach through and through. Without anyone with a deep knowledge of offense on staff. Of course they are going to make questionable choices. Its not in their skillset. There needs to be an OC. Period. if the school is unwilling to allocate resources in order to get a critical part of any football staff, then that's absurd and shameful. As for Brown Field, we know its bad, but before there is any talk about improvements, much like talk for basketball, you need to improve your metrics. Both talent metrics and attendance metrics. Reported attendance by ESPN was <1500. For a venue that seats 5k that's not a good look. Especially when the Nordics on the north side of town can pack their similarly sized, if not larger, venue with an exponentially lower level competition. I get it. Notre Dame and Purdue is a major sucker for gameday attendance, but if you want to improve that, you got to improve the record. To improve the record, you need a fully staffing coaching corps. Fox has to be extremely frustrated, and may very well be looking for other positions. If I wanted to keep Fox on staff, I'd let him look for an OC last month.
Watching the game yesterday, I found the whole performance and atmosphere at Brown Field depressing. My ongoing belief that Valpo provides football to lure in male student is further confirmed. The university does not fund and commit to this program like most teams in the Pioneer conference, they implement it to lure in male students as a lean mean money making machine.
having a beer with Coach Fox at a local watering hole to understand what he is thinking would be interesting.
