What did the ISU football team learn about themselves?

[john_clayton]

Listening to the pre-game show and the coaches radio show monday, Z-man talk about how the ISU-UND contest will be a good measure to find out what his 2008 team is all about. Well...what have we (fans, fanatics, haters, lifelong supporters, etc.) learned about this team?

Positives
1. great effort, team doesn't give up
2. teammates picking up level of play despite injuries
3. decent running game (when the ISU OFF wants to)
4. decent passing game (when the ISU OFF needs to)

Not-so-positives
1. the game is 60 minutes, not 30 - who is responsible for the slow starts?
2. defense - giving up way too many points early and often
3. tackling - one the quotes in the ISJ from a defensive player said "we need to get back to fundamentals"...my question "why/how did you get away from fundamentals?"

That's just a start...please add yours...

Football is a pretty simple game. You run, you tackle, you block. And sometimes it rains.

From wide-receiver tryouts at the Seattle Seahawks training facility, this is John Clayton, BengalDen.com

 

[bigbengalfan]

Arm tackles do not work! You must put a body on the ball carrier.
Russell Hill has greatly improved.
Don't spot the opposing team 14 and we are in the last two games!

 

[bengalbeliever]

Our defense let us down last night. I am going to start and stop there.
Here are a couple of observations I noticed:
1. Our LB's played like crap
Poor tackling
Bad pursuit angles
Hardly offered resistance when met by UND lineman on LOS-were taken out of play rather easily.
Always seem to be a couple of steps behind.
Unable to recognize soon enuf and cover back out of backfield
2. Our Defense scheme needs some changing or variety
For the most part we played that 4 3 4 4 or whatever you want to call it with our LBs just reading and reacting and not really blitzing and aggresively hitting gaps.When we blitzed we got to qb.
Where's the adjustment to combat the run? Say a 5 3 or 5 2 or wutever to help plugged the LOS ??
Do we have another package other than a Nickel?? If so, then why not?

 

[bigbengalfan]

I agree, we put very little pressure on the qb. Most of the game we only rushed 3 or 4. That definitely was not working. Kind of off the subject. But, why did we not call a timeout at the end of the 1st half to make the kicker think about his field goal?

 

[heckler]

 

[D.M.]

I have to agree with Bengal on this. The defense we have had for the last three games has not worked. Now can we change back to what I proposed? Here are a few thoughts:
• The coaches need to keep sanity in the house. This will be hard after the third straight loss.
• As a coach I know it’s hard to take a loss, but in this game the coaches are just as much to blame as the players…if not more.
• The coaches need to get back in the heads of these kids and in a positive way, not a beat down. Coaches who rip kids for (Just cause I can) have a problem. I saw a few instance in just that, where the coaches just ripped 4 or 5 of them. If they need it, do it. If not, don’t invent something to bit.h about. If you don’t like a kid tell him to leave.
• I don’t see a fundamental problem; I see a player attitude problem. When you miss a tackle it’s ok to get up and show a little emotion. Come on guys. Give a sh.. Sometimes.
• I saw a lot of rookie mistakes, especially the time out at the end of the first half. Or lack of.
• BTW, who in the hell is the stats guy? I am watching on TV and the computer, on who is making the tackle, stat guy you don’t match up with the live eye. Are you trying to make a few better then they really are. You might want to go back over the stats, and correct them. About 10 of your stats went to the wrong player. Some of us are watching. But then again, most of you don’t care. But coaches look at stats on productive of a player. If you’re wrong, well let’s say it looks bad. Example {#98 Stats are wrong….hint). Look again.
• Hey defensive, look at your arms, are they bleeding from the turf? I could always look at the players coming of the field and tell which one played hard and the ones that did not.
• This season is not lost. These coaches will still turn this around. I have patience. Do you?
• As for luv2: Go to hell… You’re a loser….If I look in your closet you will find 24 hats. So you can were whoever is winning that day. We might rip our Bengals but one thing for sure is we still back them.”Win or lose”.
• I have been more critical than most, I don’t disagree. But I have a stake in this program. That gives me a right to say my peace.

 

[isusid]

WOW....called out on the stats... When there is one of those gang tackles, we have to do a best guess on two guys...and we have a five man stat crew with binoculars. Do we miss one or two? Yeah, probably, but some of it is subjective....there was one play in which a lineman sort of tripped a guy up, he stumbled for a bit, and a linebacker and a safety finally bring him down. Who gets the tackle? It's the statisticians call.

Now, to say I care about who gets what stats is about as asinine a comment as I've heard about me. So, I have no problems in saying this, but in the past, players have sometimes bitched about tackles and things, and I'll tell you the same thing I tell them ... the only stat that really matters is win or loss, and so I don't really give a crap about a missed tackle. As I say that not a single player has said one word to me about stats or anything, which is kind of refreshing.

You are more than happy to volunteer your time on a stat crew. Also, the NCAA mandates that the press box stats are official, and changes should be kept to a minimum, and only to stats such as forced fumbles (which we changed last night for instance....we gave one to D.J. Clark in the corner because we couldn't really see it, but it was actually A.J. Storms) on interceptions, or sacks.

Anyways, tackles is the toughest stat, especially when they run into the line and it's like 5 guys in on it...we have to pick and choose.

Anyways, I love getting called out on stats...I'm sort of the statistical expert in our league, and sort of nationally as well. I think that's really sort of funny.

ISUSID

 

[bengalcub]

ISU learned that they CANNOT play physical football on the defensive front. They learned that they blew it big time this off season by not landing any JC defensive ends. They also learned that they have solidified a number of positions on the team, but they still do not have the studs up front on the D-line to be successful. They learned that they need to address this after this season or the same thing will be true next year. They learned that the coaching staff had the defense less than prepared for what they saw Satuday night. They were not prepared for North Dakota. They also learned that North Dakota may not be as athletic, but they make tackles in the open field and they execute with near perfection on both sides of the ball. They learned that they should have put Goins in earlier after Storms went down.They learned that timeouts do not carry over to the next game and a pass on third and less than a yard late in the second quarter--is not the time to throw the football. They learned that timeouts do not carry over from the 4th quarter to Eastern Washington.

They learned that R. Hill is a solid BSC QB. They learned that they have more weapons than Eddie Thompson. They learned that they are much better with a back always in the backfield, even when they spread the field. They learned that they should have put Goins in earlier after Storms went down. They learned that they can move the ball on anyone left on their schedule. They learned that they need to come out with a sense of urgency on offense--because if they fail to score on every possession--they will probably lose the game.

They learned and I think we learned.

 

[tuffgong]

I learned to be careful what we wish for... I don't think as highly of this staff as most of you... I look at the players that Larry Lewis brought in, and we had 4 pretty successful years out of seven under Lewis. All I really want is a good D. I'm soo sick of having a terrible D. I wouldn't care if we lost every game 3-0, I'm sick of watching the rubbish we put on the field on the D side of the ball. Why does everyone think Phipps is so amazing? Go watch the game film and see how many times he and Rife got blown up and missed tackles.

 

[indianabengal]

Defence? We have a defence ? I thought we just had some guys standing out there making the other offence look good.

 

[bhumble2]

I learned to be careful what we wish for... I don't think as highly of this staff as most of you... I look at the players that Larry Lewis brought in, and we had 4 pretty successful years out of seven under Lewis. All I really want is a good D. I'm soo sick of having a terrible D. I wouldn't care if we lost every game 3-0, I'm sick of watching the rubbish we put on the field on the D side of the ball. Why does everyone think Phipps is so amazing? Go watch the game film and see how many times he and Rife got blown up and missed tackles.

Tuff, I am not completely with you, yet, but I'm certainly leaning in that direction. The clock management displayed in this game is unacceptable at this level, or any level for that matter. :?:

 

[isusuperfan]

I like the 3-3-5 or anything that allows blitzing. Defense needs a new attitude. They need to be angry, pissed off, and out for blood. I wanted to jump off a bridge after seeing the arm tackles. To quote Woody Hayes: "HE'S THE GUY, YOU GOTTA HIT HIM! NOW GET WITH IT!"

You see a big gap in the front line? Hit it aggressively. You know something is gonna pop out of there. If no RB, and you see a QB with the ball...PRESSURE HIM!!! Stop being so damned afraid of a "roughing the passer" penalty if that's what's bothering you. The two sacks we got were because we hit the line aggressively.

I watched a video of Miami (I watch CFB videos before games to pump me up). I noticed that on a highlight when Miami played Oklahoma (this was back in the mid-80's, I believe), OU was executing an option. The d-lineman pursued him and took him down about a split second after he got the option off. That's what we need. Pressure the QB, make him feel very unsafe back there in his little pocket.

 

[isusuperfan]

Also, it'd help if the returners didn't go right for the pile up every time we field a kick/punt return. Ted Ginn Jr and Santonio Holmes, if you watch their punt returns, always went around the pile. Ponce did just that last year against Montana, if you remember that one (I do)

 

[freakmaligncroon]

Question for ISUSID,

Why did you reply to a post on a fan site message board before there was any information regarding the soccer final posted on the official ISU athletics website?

 

[bengalcub]

Who gives a rats ass as to why?

 

[freakmaligncroon]

Obviously I care!

 

[bengalcub]

Care enough to be an ass?

 

[freakmaligncroon]

All I am asking for is official ISU athletic information from the ISU SID before he responds to a post that is not relevant to a sport that just finished.

 

[isusid]

I'm not quite sure what you are getting at...I posted here before something was posted on the ISU site for soccer? If that's what you mean, Katie handles the soccer posting...football, basketball, and softball are my official beats.

I enjoy posting here to help clarify issues and the keep folks calm. I think message boards can be powerful things, and tools to be utilized at times. I don't have a fear of them like some of my SID brethren. Anyways, that's why...I check it a few times a day to see what folks are saying....the coffee clatch thing....

ISUSID