Wow - How many times are we going to do this?

[EWURanger]

I'll start off by saying that our team showed huge heart to win another game in the last seconds for the second time in two weeks. Good teams find ways to win those sort of games, so big props to all.

That said, how many times are we going to do this? So frustrating to see us come out in the first half and dominate and then just completely flop in the second.

Up 21-0 in the second quarter and we *PASS* on first down inside the red zone and throw an int. Yeah, sorry, I question that play call. It was all down hill from there until we scored that late TD in the last seconds to win the game.

We've got to find a way to close teams down, we're not going to continue winning playing like this. The TO's continue to haunt us.

That said, damn happy we won. Let's just clean some things up, PLEASE?

 

[LDopaPDX]

I know some people on this board think everyone should be happy with any win, but man oh man, you just can't say we play smart. Mitchell is a borderline disaster... and our OL completely fell apart in the 2nd half. On top of that, Taiwan needs to add toughess to his vocabulary. For all the things the kid does right, he just seems to get hurt a lot. Once again, our D stepped up and saved our ass.

I thought when Mitchell threw the first pick, if (and it was a big "if' at the time) Sac state came back and won, that'd be the play that cost us the playoffs. It was a dumb play with too much risk, and even worse execution.

We found a way to win- again- and that is awesome. I'd rather win ugly than lose. But jeez, we gotta stop making this so hard on ourselves. Give Sac State's DL some credit too, because they sort of took over our OL late in the game.

 

[EWURanger]

Yeah, they started to domintate our O-Line later on in the game. Having 2-3 starters our of the O-Line didn't help. I hope Powers can come back next week, that's another huge loss if he's done. Also was wondering why Tyler Jolley didn't play at all in this game.

Well, one way to look at this whole thing is that usually at this point in the year we're talking about a game we lost that we should have won. At least we're talking about 2 games that we won that we should have lost. :lol:

 

[LDopaPDX]

Yeah, they started to domintate our O-Line later on in the game. Having 2-3 starters our of the O-Line didn't help. I hope Powers can come back next week, that's another huge loss if he's done. Also was wondering why Tyler Jolley didn't play at all in this game.

Well, one way to look at this whole thing is that usually at this point in the year we're talking about a game we lost that we should have won. At least we're talking about 2 games that we won that we should have lost. :lol:

Yup. Good way to look at it, I suppose. I'm still not sure what it's going to take to get this team to play 4 quarters, though.

 

[ewunerd]

For what its worth we did have the biggest margin of victory in the big sky today. And in years past yea we woulda lost games like this so as ugly as it is its pretty sweet to finally see a team that can win the close ones.

 

[Dozy]

"How many times are we going to do this?" Everytime as long as we just win, baby!

I'm pretty sure what you see is what you're going to get this year. Hot and cold. Just gonna have to dance with the one who brung ya.

Jolley got a concussion in the first series was the message I got from the sidelines...

 

[wineguy]

Everytime we get a big lead...the play calling gets very conservative. Instead of playing to win, we play not to lose. We let the other team catch up and then in desperation, we open up the offence and we win the game. If we continue on this path, TJ is going to get killed. It's not the play calling when he runs for 70+ yards; it's his ability and the coach's expect it to happen way too many times. The coach's need to change the game plan. We can't keep giving the third quarter away and keep winning.

 

[HannahO]

This was a snot bubble, hard hitting game - I don't know about injuries on Sac State's side but I think we were lucky to come away with just Jolley's concussion and Washburn's broken nose and cut up face. Assuming that that is the extent of the injuries ....

Don't neccessary entirely agree with Wineguy's assessment of the play calling but do find it frustrating that we continue to run Jones up the middle on first down plays when it is clear that they are keying on him. A few bubble screens, a fade route, a play action that takes advantage of their overplay would certainly loosen things up. Not going to advocate too many long shots down the field but some play calling that results in a 2nd and 5 instead of 2nd and 10 or 11 would be refreshing!

Bottom line is that this team has heart and courage and something we're not used to seeing after years of being dominated by the strong QB play of Meyers and Nichols - it's a team lead by defensive leadship (Sherrit and Jolley come to mind) and that seems to be defining its character. I kind of like the blue collar nature and will be interested to see how far they can take what is now a pretty one dimensional team.

 

[RockTheRed]

Perhaps there's some of that wineguy - but throwing it to an area that has ONLY 3 guys in the opposite color jersey, when it could be thrown away or run out of bounds - doesn't help.

We let the other team catch up

Turnovers this season have proven to be costly. Somebody else probably knows the exact stat - but for each time we've turned it over, the other team has capitalized on it nearly EVERY time this season. Yet our defense continues to dominate and when given a carrot (by intercepting the ball) our offense rarely can turn it into points on the board. And when we do convert them into points - it's a damn good thing we had our defense in there to give them a spark to begin with. And sure, our defense is not devoid of errors - but shit, they're on the field 3 out of 4 quarters. They're not "letting" the team catch up, but imagine knowing that every 3 and out, your headed back in to defend against what's appearing to be a better offense than you practice against all week long.

Eastern does not score like the rest of the league has been able to time and time again. Personally, and for all of the fans around us yelling to yank BLM from the game - I could give a rip if he throws 3 tds' and we win the game - I want a clear cut win. No more of this ugly CRAP! We're all getting ulcers from watching what happens the REST of the game - EVERY GAME. A few little glimpses of decent and the majority thinks we're solid. We were spoiled with Nichols and Meyer - absolutely! But no one was expecting it to be quite like...............this.

Irony is that the beginning of the season we were all chirping about how worried we were about the defense and so excited that we had an experienced QB - but our D has proven they are the heart of the team and quite frankly MVP's of the season. Aside from Kauff and TJ - there is no offensive standout. Course, no one else gets the ball either. We used the tight end so much with Nichols/Overbay but now the position is non-existent? And our play calling - run, run, pass. Jesus. Really? We ARE that predictable! But I think everyone now understands WHY it has to be that way.

 

[Obzerver]

Parity in the Big Sky is unparalleled this year. There's a whole bunch of good teams(or a whole bunch of bad teams) in the league. I've seen a bunch of games this year and every team seems to be doing what we are doing. Of the 4 BSC games yesterday all of the winners had to come from behind in their last possession to win it at the very end. This includes the other two teams we are tied atop of the conference with. So, personally I'm not gonna over analyze this team and even though I coached at EWU(not Football) and had a son play for them I really don't know the ins/outs on why it's working(or whatever is not working) I just know the ride is pretty entertaining.

 

[eaglesfootball]

Couple of things:

1 Not sure if anyone can really question the toughness of Jones. The kid takes huge hits week in and out and continues to play like hell every game.

2 As another poster mentioned there's a lot of parity in the big sky this year and all of the teams that are usually the front runners for a championship are really struggling.

3 We won! As someone else mentioned I like the fact that our team has been able to win the close ones despite all the mistakes. That shows a lot of heart and courage!

4. The Eagles are in a position to where they can win the Big Sky if they can take care of business against Portland and Idaho State. That's a good position to be in !!

Go Eagles! Win the Big Sky !!

 

[Swoop55]

Hey All Eag Fans....Glad to see the all the talk on Eag Football!!

LDopaPDX-You're comment about questioning Taiwan's toughness is absolutely REDICULOUS! Are you serious?? That kid has been playing at about 80% full strength for the past 2 seasons which still puts him as the best back in the nation!...He has been taking so much pounding every game and is such a fighter that the kid won't stay off the field unless he is forced to in practice/game (literally getting his helmet taken away from him in 2 games this year)...Concussion in 2nd gm of the year, hip contusion, ribs and other injuries that CANNOT heal with out staying away from contact for a while...Which will not happen...That run yesterday where he carried 5 guys and still was able to break away for TD speaks for itself!! This kid is an absolute gamer!!

 

[EagerEagle]

LDopaPDX I agree with you. Maybe not toughness, but how about injury prone. He has been hurt for two straight years. He continues to perform well, however, when it comes down to crunch time I know he can gut up and play but it is up in the air if he will be hurt or not. We got away with turnovers again yesterday, and while I am glad we got the win its not all rainbows and butterflys. At some point we are going to have to play a full game of football. While we battle through these last couple weeks and start looking at the playoffs, the Eags can't afford the mistakes and let downs. I guess you can't accuse us of peaking to early. I hope we start putting it together during the course of the next couple of weeks! I want to see us perform for a complete game.

 

[flyingnail]

Perhaps there's some of that wineguy - but throwing it to an area that has ONLY 3 guys in the opposite color jersey, when it could be thrown away or run out of bounds - doesn't help.

We let the other team catch up

Turnovers this season have proven to be costly. Somebody else probably knows the exact stat - but for each time we've turned it over, the other team has capitalized on it nearly EVERY time this season. Yet our defense continues to dominate and when given a carrot (by intercepting the ball) our offense rarely can turn it into points on the board. And when we do convert them into points - it's a damn good thing we had our defense in there to give them a spark to begin with. And sure, our defense is not devoid of errors - but shit, they're on the field 3 out of 4 quarters. They're not "letting" the team catch up, but imagine knowing that every 3 and out, your headed back in to defend against what's appearing to be a better offense than you practice against all week long.

Eastern does not score like the rest of the league has been able to time and time again. Personally, and for all of the fans around us yelling to yank BLM from the game - I could give a rip if he throws 3 tds' and we win the game - I want a clear cut win. No more of this ugly CRAP! We're all getting ulcers from watching what happens the REST of the game - EVERY GAME. A few little glimpses of decent and the majority thinks we're solid. We were spoiled with Nichols and Meyer - absolutely! But no one was expecting it to be quite like...............this.

Irony is that the beginning of the season we were all chirping about how worried we were about the defense and so excited that we had an experienced QB - but our D has proven they are the heart of the team and quite frankly MVP's of the season. Aside from Kauff and TJ - there is no offensive standout. Course, no one else gets the ball either. We used the tight end so much with Nichols/Overbay but now the position is non-existent? And our play calling - run, run, pass. Jesus. Really? We ARE that predictable! But I think everyone now understands WHY it has to be that way.

I want to know WHAT THE HELL happened to the WSU gameplan ? UH?? No TJ and we pound the ball and win fairly easy!! Why aren't we using this approach more often !! uh???

 

[flyingnail]

LDopaPDX I agree with you. Maybe not toughness, but how about injury prone. He has been hurt for two straight years. He continues to perform well, however, when it comes down to crunch time I know he can gut up and play but it is up in the air if he will be hurt or not. We got away with turnovers again yesterday, and while I am glad we got the win its not all rainbows and butterflys. At some point we are going to have to play a full game of football. While we battle through these last couple weeks and start looking at the playoffs, the Eags can't afford the mistakes and let downs. I guess you can't accuse us of peaking to early. I hope we start putting it together during the course of the next couple of weeks! I want to see us perform for a complete game.

That first half was just a GLIMPS of what this team can do!! They need to stay focused the whole game , lets hope thats coming sooner than later. After that first pick when it appeared we would score again and go up 28-0 it felt like the air came out of the tire! Seems in watching this year when BLM turns it over the whole Offense gets outta shape, this kid puts 4 qrts of football together and we share the wealth around the WHOLE backfield we will be lights out!!! Jolley concussion, Powers a shin contusion, both will be ready at PSU !!! We can continue to Rag on this team or continue to support them !!! I don't like winning in the last seconds but MY O MY we ARE WINNING !!! GO EAGS!

 

[kalm]

In defense of Mithchell and checking out the conference stats, his completion percentage and passing efficiency are on the rise, and if you compare him to Higgins and Herrick (3 and 4 year starting seniors) he has the same # of picks as Higgins and only 4 more than Herrick with 65 more attempts. As stated before, we are simply spoiled, and the good news is he has time to improve and eliminate some mistakes.

Speaking of attempts, it's interesting that we are one away from the highest # of passing attempts and have the second fewest rushing attempts in the conference. But compared with the other teams our pass to run percentage is very similar, in fact PSU is the only team that runs more than it throws. We are also second in 1st downs and averaging nearly 400 yards of total offense a game - so we must do a few things right.

This game was closer than it needed to be, but just like the NAU game with the two missed field goals, the two blocked punts really made a difference. Similar to our offense and defense, the special teams makes some terrific plays but is also mistake prone.

BTW, this was the second game of the season where the D gives up less than 20 points. Game ball D.

 

[FrontFive4Life]

A wise man once told me that there are Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics. While it's true that BLM's stat line measures up with the rest of the big sky (QB rating, int's, etc), the real issue is one that isn't measured in a box score. After watching each game this season, two things have become quite apparent:

1) The turnovers have, for the most part, come at the worst possible times. I know that there is never a good time for an interception, but when they serve to kill an otherwise extremely productive drive, the rhythm of the offense may take a few series to recover. For example, in the sac game we were driving in the first half and had a chance to put the first nail in the coffin to make it 28-0. Instead, there was an interception that ultimately resulted in points for sac and a momentum shift going into halftime. This could have been avoided, which leads me to...

2) BLM needs to work on staying within himself. There's no need to try and be a hero all the time by making a laser strike into double coverage. I know Kaufman is a hell of a target but if it's not there, check down and take what's available. The Eagle offense has always been its most deadly when we strike quickly and keep the D on its heels. Trust the system, trust your supporting staff, and the rest will take care of itself. I don't know if the players check this site, but if they do: Bo, you don't need to impress us. We know you've got the skills to get it done and nobody is going to question your effort or your competitive drive. Take a deep breath, trust your skill and make your reads. This is YOUR offense man, and I know how close we are to hanging 40-50 points on someone. Keep battling!

Whew....that being said, I am proud as hell of how our guys battled through adversity and found a way to win against a good Sac State team. On to PSU! Here's to cleaning up the rough edges of the past few weeks and finally playing a 3-phase statement game!

 

[LDopaPDX]

Hey All Eag Fans....Glad to see the all the talk on Eag Football!!

LDopaPDX-You're comment about questioning Taiwan's toughness is absolutely REDICULOUS! Are you serious?? That kid has been playing at about 80% full strength for the past 2 seasons which still puts him as the best back in the nation!...He has been taking so much pounding every game and is such a fighter that the kid won't stay off the field unless he is forced to in practice/game (literally getting his helmet taken away from him in 2 games this year)...Concussion in 2nd gm of the year, hip contusion, ribs and other injuries that CANNOT heal with out staying away from contact for a while...Which will not happen...That run yesterday where he carried 5 guys and still was able to break away for TD speaks for itself!! This kid is an absolute gamer!!

You sort of say my point is wrong and then proceed to make it. I said he gets hurt a lot, you say that's ridiculous. Then you go on to list the number of injuries he's had, and a lot of guys don't get that many injuries in their career, let alone half a season. Yeah, the kid is very good, no doubt about it, but he needs to stop getting hurt all the time to make himself a complete player.

One other thing to note, how dumb was Sac State to go into man coverage on Kaufman with a short corner on that last play from the 6 yard line? i was watching it and the first thing I said was "you've got to be kidding me, they're giving us that route?"

 

[EagerEagle]

LDopaPDX I agree with you. Maybe not toughness, but how about injury prone. He has been hurt for two straight years. He continues to perform well, however, when it comes down to crunch time I know he can gut up and play but it is up in the air if he will be hurt or not. We got away with turnovers again yesterday, and while I am glad we got the win its not all rainbows and butterflys. At some point we are going to have to play a full game of football. While we battle through these last couple weeks and start looking at the playoffs, the Eags can't afford the mistakes and let downs. I guess you can't accuse us of peaking to early. I hope we start putting it together during the course of the next couple of weeks! I want to see us perform for a complete game.

That first half was just a GLIMPS of what this team can do!! They need to stay focused the whole game , lets hope thats coming sooner than later. After that first pick when it appeared we would score again and go up 28-0 it felt like the air came out of the tire! Seems in watching this year when BLM turns it over the whole Offense gets outta shape, this kid puts 4 qrts of football together and we share the wealth around the WHOLE backfield we will be lights out!!! Jolley concussion, Powers a shin contusion, both will be ready at PSU !!! We can continue to Rag on this team or continue to support them !!! I don't like winning in the last seconds but MY O MY we ARE WINNING !!! GO EAGS!

It is time to quit seeing a glimpse and time to play a complete game. Only a few games left on the schedule and then hopefully playoffs. We need to make it count and start playing a complete game. Like I said before, we have shown great glimpses of what this team can be. Now it is time to start to peak and play like we can! I don't think we have to play mistake free, but we have had way to many mistakes at crucial points of games lately.

 

[eaglesfootball]

Lots of great points made by lots of different people, some are more well stated than others. I can't really agree with the criticisms of Jones or even our qb but still interesting discussion points although i will agree with the poster that states bo needs to play within himself and the rest will come ! As I stated previous are Eagles are in a great position to make a real run at the title down the stretch we just need to get behind them and suppoert this team all the way there!