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Wk1 Predictions EWU 10 @ NDSU 35 (in Minneapolis)

L

luckyintheorder

Active member
Well, it's that time of the year again for new hope. ;)

I don't have much insight into the changes Eastern has made this off-season. Certainly more questions than answers. 4 or 5 new coaches, new QB starter, new OL, new DL... well, you get it. Believe the defensive backfield could be good, LB's have a chance to be improved as there is talent (especially in the younger LB's), WR's are solid with several returning starters and a couple of up and comers and lastly RB's are deep and capable.

There is room for hope as Hero Sports reports NDSU lost a lot of talent in the defensive backfield.

NDSU vs Eastern Washington (in Minneapolis, MN)

A cool FCS non-conference game played at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the MN Vikings. Unfortunately for this matchup of FCS bluebloods, EWU took a big step back last year, finishing 3-8.

However, EWU will still own a dangerous passing attack with talented receivers to sling the ball around for the new starting quarterback. And the Bison lost their three best cornerbacks and three best safeties from last year. So it’s a good test for NDSU’s secondary, which may struggle early like the 2015 season. The Bison offense has a chance for a promising start against a struggling EWU defense, though, so expect many points scored in this one.

NDSU Win
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I don't see the Eags taking this in what would be a significant upset if NDSU's lines are intact. HOWEVER, in the spirit of BigPlayVA and early Gabrud, if the QB/s can scramble with either big throws downfield or big runs keeping the chains moving, Eastern could make this a barn burner.

In an upset Eags 49 - NDSU 46 Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Not really. NDSU takes this one by 17 if the defense plays OK or by 35 if they don't. Asking Visperas to be VA is asking alot at this point and having so many new coaches means communication and adjustments could be less effective.
 
If there’s one thing to note it’s that NDSU is always physical. Our defense lacked so much physicality last year that it was a death knell. We’ll know very quickly if we’ve improved or not. I expect better this year, but it’ll take a huge leap forward to be in this with a shot to win.

I hope to see a few 3 and outs by the D. I just want to see a defense that earns their way off the field instead of allowing first down after first down and 200+ yards of rushing. We weren’t the absolute worst D1 rushing defense for no reason, so we’ll need to see how that’s been addressed.
 
All great points. Guessing that defense looks completely different from last year. To what Dopa said we cant be any weaker when you are already at the bottom. I like who came in on paper and maybe there's enough depth to keep fresh legs in there alternating defensively. Also current players rostered will have their chance. Like our offense and if we avoid dropped balls, which seems we had too many last year, Visperas has the "IT" factor and will make some magic as do the #2/#3. we fight hard/ndsu has depth/drop this one by 13

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Obzerver said:
All great points. Guessing that defense looks completely different from last year. To what Dopa said we cant be any weaker when you are already at the bottom. I like who came in on paper and maybe there's enough depth to keep fresh legs in there alternating defensively. Also current players rostered will have their chance. Like our offense and if we avoid dropped balls, which seems we had too many last year, Visperas has the "IT" factor and will make some magic as do the #2/#3. we fight hard/ndsu has depth/drop this one by 13

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Click to expand...

Honestly, Eastern has become so reliant on outstanding QB play to win games that I'd like to see us find some new tricks. I want to get to a place where we can just line up and run the ball. One thing that gets missed about the two teams we had make it to National Championship games is that we ran the ball really well those two years. When you look at a lot of the down years, we can't run it to save our lives. But the offense is almost always decent. The biggest Achilles Heel has been defense for over a decade. It astonishes me that we can't find a defense that doesn't hemorrhage yardage and first downs. If you get beat over the top once and a while, so be it. But this "death of a thousand cuts" defense we've employed is a recipe for disaster. And you see it so often that we just fade.... too many injuries, softening up, rotating in guys who aren't up to snuff, etc. When you get a lot of 3 and outs, that eliminates a lot of room for error.
 
Nothing to see here folks just move along.
Seriously I think NDSU biggest strength goes up against EWU's biggest weakness. No reason to travel to Minneapolis and risk being shot to see the results of this mash up. Just hope we have some younger players that can show us a spark! If only they had started the young QB last year. Hope the D line and LB play isnt as bad as last year!
 
Eagledawg said:
Just hope we have some younger players that can show us a spark! If only they had started the young QB last year. Hope the D line and LB play isnt as bad as last year!
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Agreed. Think there is enough talent on DL and LB to show improvement. For me the question is will Best get out of the way (his way or DC's way or both) I'd rather see mistakes being made at full speed with the best athlete's available vs. on their heels getting beat we've have been exposed too for so long. Either way, excited for Visperas, the RB group and WR's. This should be the game where the team learns to work with the new coaches and each other so they can attack the rest of the season head on.

edit: 2deep... Excited to see Wortham as returner. He's a spark plug. The offense was sort of set, but would have liked to see the younger WR's and what are they doing with the umpteen TE's on the roster? I don't know everyone that will travel, but I hope they bring ALL the extra big bodies on DL and LB... It is NDSU after all.
https://goeags.com/documents/2023/8/28/2023_EWU_Two-Deep_W1_NDSU.pdf
 
Wortham being returner is money! Not surprised thought he may even catch some balls out of the backfield. Looking forward to other pleasant surprises!
 
luckyintheorder said:
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhNq8JMLM1w[/media]
Click to expand...

Great video! EWU is definitely capable of making a return to greatness, but it starts at the top. There’s been lots of changes in the offseason and it’s probably for the best. We probably couldn’t see the team EWU had last year because of the HORRIBLE QB play. A bad QB can destroy a team inside and out, it can destroy a team’s morale and confidence, a shakeup could be just what the doctor ordered. I haven’t heard much this offseason about a new starting Quarterback but I’m sure coach Best has done his due diligence. That said, I don’t count the Eags out on Saturday, it’s damn near a home game for NDSU but so what, either way it’s a huge test. This game is HUGE for coach Best, he knows he put up EWU’s worst season in over 20 years last year, he’ll definitely have the boys ready for this one.

Eastern gets the upset!
Go EAGS!
 
hmmm...Heavy just made me feel better bout Sat. and the entire season in one short statement. Gonna start calling him...Doc Heavy

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HeavyIsTheCrown said:
luckyintheorder said:
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhNq8JMLM1w[/media]
Click to expand...

Great video! EWU is definitely capable of making a return to greatness, but it starts at the top. There’s been lots of changes in the offseason and it’s probably for the best. We probably couldn’t see the team EWU had last year because of the HORRIBLE QB play. A bad QB can destroy a team inside and out, it can destroy a team’s morale and confidence, a shakeup could be just what the doctor ordered. I haven’t heard much this offseason about a new starting Quarterback but I’m sure coach Best has done his due diligence. That said, I don’t count the Eags out on Saturday, it’s damn near a home game for NDSU but so what, either way it’s a huge test. This game is HUGE for coach Best, he knows he put up EWU’s worst season in over 20 years last year, he’ll definitely have the boys ready for this one.

Eastern gets the upset!
Go EAGS!
Click to expand...

You musta played offense. QB play wasn't great last year, but the entire season was lost due to a defense that had zero physicality, no tackling ability, and no concept of how to stop a team running the ball. You can't play defense and be cotton-soft. We were the absolute worst rushing defense in all of D1 last year. That's a lot of teams from which to be DEAD LAST. Total defense was darn near dead last. It was unwatchable.
 
Hmmm...Doc Heavy gives me a dopamine rush of hope and Lucky posts the OSU game and the psyche "opening of season" video and now Dopa gently reminds me of how painful and real last season was and how much we have to improve to even be competitive. Going back to drinking...heavily.

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LDopaPDX said:
HeavyIsTheCrown said:
luckyintheorder said:
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhNq8JMLM1w[/media]
Click to expand...

Great video! EWU is definitely capable of making a return to greatness, but it starts at the top. There’s been lots of changes in the offseason and it’s probably for the best. We probably couldn’t see the team EWU had last year because of the HORRIBLE QB play. A bad QB can destroy a team inside and out, it can destroy a team’s morale and confidence, a shakeup could be just what the doctor ordered. I haven’t heard much this offseason about a new starting Quarterback but I’m sure coach Best has done his due diligence. That said, I don’t count the Eags out on Saturday, it’s damn near a home game for NDSU but so what, either way it’s a huge test. This game is HUGE for coach Best, he knows he put up EWU’s worst season in over 20 years last year, he’ll definitely have the boys ready for this one.

Eastern gets the upset!
Go EAGS!
Click to expand...

You musta played offense. QB play wasn't great last year, but the entire season was lost due to a defense that had zero physicality, no tackling ability, and no concept of how to stop a team running the ball. You can't play defense and be cotton-soft. We were the absolute worst rushing defense in all of D1 last year. That's a lot of teams from which to be DEAD LAST. Total defense was darn near dead last. It was unwatchable.
Click to expand...

Yea, I hear ya Dopa. Does a defense suffer if there’s a terrible QB at the helm? What happens when they get off the field and the QB turns it over? If the offense can’t move the ball, it’s the defense that suffers because of it. Turnovers and 3 and outs puts a tired defense right back on the field, and if the defense gives up a score, terrible QB play continues to put a tired defense (again) right back out there. Now I’m not making excuses, but the TEAM has no chance if the offense isn’t productive. <— We witnessed that in 2022.
 
Just as you note a terrible offense costs you games, a terrible defense will cost you them as well. As rough as the offense was, they weren’t the absolute worst in D1. The defense was. Last years defense was bad on a historical level. Let’s just settle and the whole damn team needs to be better!

I have a hunch Eastern will be MUCH better this season. Unfortunately, this is a brutal set of games to start the year. There won’t be much time to learn on the job. We need to win 3 of the first 5, and there isn’t an easy out in that whole September slate.
 
clawman said:
My biggest curiosity is our coaching staff. Lots of new faces with some positions filled just lately.
Click to expand...

https://goeags.com/news/2023/2/17/f...t-coaching-staff-with-four-new-additions.aspx

Me too. They made it through Spring ball and fall camp without quitting, so that's something. None of the players are one's they recruited though. I am concerned about communication during the game. Really don't want Best distracted with having to make all the little calls. Remember when the Eag's used to make AWESOME half time adjustments?? I think it was the last time they made the Natty. Hope they use this game to work on that to be ready for conference play.

As to the Dopa/Heavy discussion the D did not get the ball back nearly as often as the previous season. In most games it was 6 or less times, mostly less and in the MSU game the offense punted 5 times in a row at one point, so it was just awful all the way round. Let's hope Chapin finds his stride, they let the QB's use all their gifts and a few players step up to make plays on offense and that Copp has the defense playing like it's hair is on fire. :) Exciting times.
 
how good is NDSU this year? I have no idea. In our better years we are competitive with them but that hasn't been lately. I am guessing we'll drop this one by 21-24 points. Biggest question as everyone has mentioned is has our defense gotten the slightest bit better?
 
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