Robert Morris

[Scout86]

What do we know about RM

[UACFlyer]

Originally Posted by Scout86 What do we know about RM

I think it's a college in Pittsburgh.

(Only kidding.)

[chriscage]

Actually, it's in Moon Township. Wasn't it once known as Moon Twp. Community College?

[jmitch]

This is Joe Walton's last chance to beat the Flyers and he wants to win badly.

[PittsburghFlyer]

The Colonials are led by their Jr QB Paul Jones. He transferred from Penn State to RMU after the Sandusky fiasco. He played locally at Sto Rocks HS and was a four star QB per Rivals! Jones is big, strong young man with a strong arm. Similar to the Dukes QB, we will have to get after him to be successful. They have a solid running attack led by Dontea Howard. Last week they gained 190 yards vs Morgan State. We will need another strong defensive effort to beat them.

On defense, they are led by Jr LB Mike Cook. This guy transferred from Winona St, a DII school in MN. How in the world did they find him??? They also have a stout DL in Forrest Mason. He recorded two sacks in the game last week. In fact, the Colonials sacked the Morgan St QB six times last week in total. The Flyers will need to do a good job of protecting our QB.

If we play like we did this past week and limit our mistakes, we can bring home a W from this road game. Hopefully our young men have a great week of practice. Go Flyers!!!

	Duquesne DUQUESNE Duquesne University is a private, coeducational university, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania located on 48 secluded acres, on a bluff above downtown. Founded in 1878 as a Catholic college by the Order of the Holy Spirit. It is the only Spiritan institution of higher education in the world. Duquesne offers 10 schools of study and 100 degree programs to 6,000 undergraduates and 3,800 graduate students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Dukes.

	George Washington GEORGE WASHINGTON Students choose from two distinct GW campuses — Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon. Both are located in historic and prestigious Northwest Washington, DC residential neighborhoods. With 9,700 undergraduate students, GW was founded almost 200 years ago and is named after the first President of the United States. GW stands as one of the nation's premier academic institutions with dozens of famous political, social, science, liberal arts, medical and professional graduates to its credit. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Colonials.

[Flyer Gramps]

MEMO
To: Scout86
From: FG
Subj.: What we know about RMU

The steelcity guy gave you a specific idea of the 2013 RMU team. Here is, the rest of the story.

Coach Joe Walton, the 14th pick of the 1957 NFL draft, spent much of his life in pro football as a TE seven years for the Redskins & Giants, and followed that with coaching stints & scouting. Away from the sport a short time drove him nuts so he signed on to start football at Robert Morris, just down the highway from his Beaver Falls home. This is his 18th and final team with the University & in his series with UD his teams are 2-13. Can you believe that? His troops will be wound up tighter than a golf ball on Saturday. He has no other record this bad & no “next season” to consider.

How has UD been able to do this, even when RMU won the NEC & went to NCAA playoffs? In a word, DEFENSE; in a statement, many sacks or hurries, short gains, passes defended & keeping cool. UD has always been more disciplined while RMU may run around & make some spectacular plays. We usually win with virtually same kind of athletes on both squads. But watch, with an aggressive bunch wanting to win one for Olde Joe, there will be penalties for sure and expect Bardo & Hunter to receive some “extra” shots.

I have followed this series since 2006; even went to Moon Twp to watch. Take a look at the scores:
2012…UD 20, RMU 14
2011…UD 19, RMU 13_ *Bardo’s first game 14-24-180 yds passing
2010…UD 28, RMU 14 _** Perhaps Play of the Year
2009…UD 21, RMU 14_ ***Emergency QB
2008…UD 21, RMU 14
2007…UD 23, RMU 12
2006…UD 21, RMU 14

Isn’t that an amazing series of scores? Not much room for error. Two seasons’ stand out for me and this is what was written about those two games:

**2010…Flyer quarterback Steve Valentino ran for 106 yards and was 19-for-37 passing for 211 yards and two TD's, but it was what he did after a mistake that was the critical play of the game.
With RMU having scored two unanswered touchdowns to make it a 21-14 game, Colonial safety Michael Landers intercepted Valentino's pass near midfield and looked like he was going to tie the game with a pick six down the right sideline. But Valentino ran him down, stood him up and stripped the ball from him where Tyler Hujik recovered the fumble back for the Flyers at their own 19.
UD then drove 81 yards in 10 plays to score a touchdown that would put it back in the driver's seat. Over the last seven-and-a-half minutes, the Dayton defense allowed just three first downs, and two of them were by penalty.

***2009...MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) -- The University of Dayton football team evened its record Saturday with a spirited 21-14 win at Robert Morris. Due to injuries, all-league wide receiver Steve Valentino started at quarterback, and led the Flyers to their first win of the season.
Valentino played quarterback a season in high school and spent his redshirt freshman season running UD's scout team. He then played backup QB and threw just five passes in 2007, but was moved to wideout the following spring. Last year he caught 50 passes and was named First Team All-PFL. Voted a team captain last spring, he did not take any snaps at quarterback until this past Tuesday, Sept. 15
With four days practice, Valentino threw for two touchdowns and was 14 of 29 passing for 192 yards and one interception. He was also UD's leading ground gainer, carrying the ball 21 times for 58 yards.

Of all our out-of-conference games, this is the one I hope we can win in 2013 to carry on a tradition that has been so successful against a very good coach. Go Flyers!!!

[Scout86]

Thanks Gramps.....hopefully old Joe will be walking away just shaking his head Saturday.

[smitch425]

Game forecast is 65 and sunny. Let's hope it stays that way! Mother Nature owes us after the last time we were there.

[Scout86]

If anyone plans on attending the game and tailgating...tailgate lot is called Washington gravel lot and it shuts down to traffic 1.5 hours before game time

[Scout86]

Depth chart is out, branden johnson is back in the roster

[DetroitFlyer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W9pKQu-RsI

[PIONEER 8]

TV Show link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7w8_...ature=youtu.be

[PittsburghFlyer]

Upon reviewing the depth chart, I noticed we are missing one of our captains, Ben Estey. He must still be suffering from the injury sustained in the Duquesne game. Hopefully he is back soon, he is a very good player for us. Replacing him is the “tallest guy” on the roster, 6’ 7”, 270 lb Zac Morgan. Good luck to this young man is his first collegiate start!

	Duquesne DUQUESNE Duquesne University is a private, coeducational university, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania located on 48 secluded acres, on a bluff above downtown. Founded in 1878 as a Catholic college by the Order of the Holy Spirit. It is the only Spiritan institution of higher education in the world. Duquesne offers 10 schools of study and 100 degree programs to 6,000 undergraduates and 3,800 graduate students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Dukes.

[PittsburghFlyer]

If you are looking for some grub before or after the contest, there are a couple of good restaurants in the vicinity of the campus. The four below are all within 10 minutes of the stadium.

Armstrong’s – 1136 Thorn Run Rd Moon Township, PA 15108. Nice family restaurant with a lot of items on the menu. The food is very good and the service is excellent. Has a very good reputation in this part of the “Burgh.

Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe - 5990 University Blvd, Coraopolis, PA 15108. In the greater Pittsburgh area, this is a renowned hot dog shop (if there is such a thing). There dogs and fries are very good. If you are watching your weight, cholesterol, or anything important like that, you may want to skip this joint!

Pizza Roma - 5990 University Blvd Coraopolis, PA 15108. There are a number of these pizza places in the Pittsburgh area. Pizza here is very good. Also have a wide assortment of other Italian dishes. Same address as Brighton since they are in a strip mall.

Primanti Brothers - 8651 University Blvd.,Moon Township, PA 15108. One of the most unique eateries in all of the ‘Burgh!!! They service sandwiches on Mancini’s Italian bread (think sandwich that it is difficult to take a bite out of). You can order ham, cappicola, roast beef, or essentially any meat you desire. The best part is they heap coleslaw and French Fries on the sandwich also! Does not sound good (and it is not good for you), but by far one of the best sandwiches I have ever had.

[DetroitFlyer]

Been to all of them. May not have time Saturday as after our Flyers beat BobbyMo, I am off to Slippery Rock to watch my niece play football!

[DetroitFlyer]

Originally Posted by PittsburghFlyer Upon reviewing the depth chart, I noticed we are missing one of our captains, Ben Estey. He must still be suffering from the injury sustained in the Duquesne game. Hopefully he is back soon, he is a very good player for us. Replacing him is the “tallest guy” on the roster, 6’ 7”, 270 lb Zac Morgan. Good luck to this young man is his first collegiate start!

and he might be NFL caliber. It will be intetesting to see how he does Saturday.

[Scout86]

Boys it's cold up here this morning!

[PittsburghFlyer]

http://necfrontrow.com/webcast.php/RMU-1044/

Looks like RMU is hosting a webcast for those that cannot make it to the 'Burgh. I am assuming this is a video feed? Go Flyers!

[DetroitFlyer]

Sitting here at Joe Walton next to The Flyers' Club VP!

[UACFlyer]

Originally Posted by DetroitFlyer Sitting here at Joe Walton next to The Flyers' Club VP!

Good for you DF.

What's the weather like.....and the attendance?.....and the "atmosphere"?

[Flyer Gramps]

Scored on first possession.

Watching on video feed that was posted here.

No audio so I will leave this Forum & connect to WHIO which probably will be two plays behind for me so will be tricky.

Too frustrating to have audio so far behind video. leaving WHIO for stats at Flers site

[DetroitFlyer]

Refs here are beyond terrible.

[DetroitFlyer]

Great weather and full stadium. Lots of Flyer fans here today.

[UD62]

Not a fan of the new stats site. If it ain't broke don't try to fix it.

[Flyer Gramps]

Watching RMU video webcast w/o sound.

Gosh, our two mistakes really hurt...bad!

The low snap cost a field goal attempt before the half. Earlier an RMU punt hit off the leg of our returner's foot & they soon scored. (remembering the years that PR was in safe hands)

Outplaying Joe Walton's boys with 11 first downs to 3; passing 15-10-0 vrs 7-2-0 Amazing, their QB looks very imposing & can make a play but can also be sacked & sacked deep.

Good luck in next 30 min Flyers.

[PittsburghFlyer]

By far worst officiated half of football ever. If this continues, I am not sure we can overcome.

[ud69]

Nice job

[UACFlyer]

....glad DF and fellow Flyers had a pleasant afternoon.

Go Flyers!

[Flyer Gramps]

Nice win, one we should have won. Our run against Joe Walton ends with him wondering how it all happens that his scholarship players & transfers can't beat this brainy bunch!

From my game notes;

• Lost Bianco with concusion
• Mistakes by UD hurt 1st half; cost a FG & allow RMU a TD
• Nice to have B.Johnson back; he sure looks like a receiver (one drop though)
• Monnier covers on-side KO
• We are so "vanilla" that an occasional squeeze of "chocolate" fools RMU & the cameraman with action counter to flow
• We had 77 plays to RMU 52
• #2, Paul Jones, 6'4", 265 lb, transfer from Penn State, former #2 ranked prep QB in nation...what a poor game passing & moving.

[Scout86]

Good to have branden back,

[PittsburghFlyer]

The Flyers totally out played RMU today in the 'Burgh. Best offensive performance of the year. Johnson made a big difference, he really came up big time with his play. I know folks have been critical of our QB play at times. However, Bardo has out played the opposing QB in every contest to date. And the QBs have been heralded FCS QBs! Now granted, our D has stepped up to stop the opposing QBs. In fact, Mr Jones of RMU appeared to not want to have anything to do with the Flyer D. He was visibly rattled.

Well, the 2-1 Flyers have a well deserved week off. Next contest is at home against Marist. Can't wait to watch the rejuvenated Flyers start the PFL grind. GO Flyers!

[MichiganFlyer60]

Just to keep this thread going I have a differing view. For the past two plus seasons and through three games this year we have been a 50% completion team . The entire offensive program plus the head coach need to own this. It kills drives and allows defenses to scheme against us. Sorry Pittsburgh but comparing QBs in my view doesn't mean anything. Our defense is incredibly good. That is the reason our QB has outplayed our opponents QBs. If we can run the table with these stats I would be the first to sign up for that. A win is a win especially on the road. Our kids are good and this team is good. But we can be better. The offense needs to get better. Personnel wise, execution wise, play calling wise etc...

I can't wait to see what the rest of the season holds for them. Go Flyers!
Posted via Mobile Device

[jmitch]

Originally Posted by DetroitFlyer Sitting here at Joe Walton next to The Flyers' Club VP!

You should have asked for a refund on your ticket...there sure was a lot of yelling going on from our section. BTW..."Tony" from the officiating crew didn't appreciate my comment in passing on his way into the locker room...

[Flyer Gramps]

Heck yes, we can kick this around for a week before even thinking about Marist.

Both dads’ did say the same thing in that we have a defense & it keeps the opposing QB from staring. One credits our QB for out-performing opponents while the other says that 50% isn’t enough. Agree that 50% isn’t enough unless there are a lot of throw-aways or drops & don’t think that is our case.

Looking at the 3-game stats doesn’t help as much as first thought. Total Offense is UD-954 yds, Opponents-940 (YSU tilted things one way, RMU the other). So has our Defense been that great or as they say in Switzerland, our offense nicht sehr gut?

Offensively we converted 36.5% of our 3rd downs vs. 41% by opponents. Here our percentage looks weak & our D about right?


Nicht sehr gut offense for 4th down; UD 1-7 while opponents are 1-2.
How about red zone scoring; UD 6-9 opponents are 9-10 – defense nicht sehr gut.
It must be in turnovers?
We threw 1 intercept & they threw 2 – not much here.
Maybe fumbles lost. Nah, tied 4 & 4.

I’m very happy sitting on a 2-1 record. Perhaps the defense needs to work on red zone “D” & the offense on 3rd & 4th down more. I have some very specific things to suggest later, but wait for more comments about “where we are”.

(nicht sehr gut = not so good)

[MichiganFlyer60]

Well said gramps but you narrowed my issue. I never said our offenses inefficiency was soley at the feet of the Qb. It was personnel, execution and scheme. In my view they all contribute to our offense stalling.
Aren't these boards fun ?
Posted via Mobile Device

[MichiganFlyer60]

By the way I might need an interpreter
Posted via Mobile Device

[PIONEER 8]

After stewing on it for a while here are some observations about the RM game:

1. First and foremost a good win for the Flyers.

2. The defense was lights out again RMU generated no offense to speak of until the last drive when we were up 21 to 7 and playing prevent.

3. I am starting to worry a little about 15. He has been outstanding in the past but the last two teams have picked on him a little (maybe because is so good). He gave up both TD passes on Saturday. The first one he had pretty good coverage but the receiver was just bigger and used his body to shield him from the ball. The second was a stop and go and he bit on the fake (can't do that with a two TD lead and two minutes to play). I am sure he will turn it around.

4. Our offensive play calling is still a little stagnant. Although the poor officiating may have had something to do with that (see my rant in #7 below). We looked outstanding on the first drive mixing the run and the pass. However, once we get ahead we tend to get very predictable. I think we need to continue to be more creative and "open" as the game progresses. I think the coaches are just playing to the strength of our defense and counting on our offense not to lose the game for us but I think the time will come this season when they need to do more and actually win a game.

5. O-line had their best game of the season and hopefully that is a sign that they are starting to jell but we still are not generating many big plays out of the run game. Our backs are having to work very hard to get 4 or 5 yards. We need to start opening some holes to the second level.

6. One really positive sign to me was at one point on Saturday we had 3 freshmen linemen playing at the same time (77, 71 and 70). Not only were they playing but we were moving the ball. That shows we have some depth and bodes well for the future!

7. Now for the rante: THE OFFICIATING AT RMU WAS HORRIBLE! Officials clearly have a difficult job but this crew was beyond bad. At one time the RMU tight end was offside by a yard (nice head start on a passing play) and nothing was called even though it happened right in front of the line judge (luckily for the Flyers the pass was incomplete). The Targeting Penalty on our receiver was horrible. FIRST, the flag was thrown by an official who was literally 40 yards from the play; SECOND, if you get the chance to watch it was an absolutely clean football play, our player used his shoulder (did not lead with his head), he hit the RMU player under the shoulder pads (he did not target the head); and THIRD, the RMU player was trailing the play and trying to make a tackle (he was not just standing around). It was the type of play that most teams give out awards for after the game especially when it is a 190 lb receiver taking out a 270 lb defensive end. A 15 yard penalty is one thing but an ejection for that play is over the top. It most likely cost us a touchdown (we ended up missing the field goal) and hurt our offense for the rest of the half and most of the third quarter (we were already missing #2 who appeared to have a leg injury and it took out another starting receiver). Finally, the "muffed punt" that led to the first RMU score was a botched call as well. The punt coverage team interfered with our returner. To me it looks like they hit him before he catches the ball. If they did not actually hit him they clearly did not give him room to catch the punt because he was getting hit at the same time the ball hit him. That play clearly cost us 7 points. If it is possible to sanction an officiating crew those guys are candidates

[DetroitFlyer]

http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/f...ndividual/8/p2

Out of 92 QB’s ranked, Will is number 83 in passing efficiency. The bottom line is that Will is not an efficient or consistent passer. We have had our share of dropped passes this season that have not helped. Still perhaps the single biggest reason that Will starts is that he is reported to be the most athletic QB on the roster. His passing is so inconsistent, however, that it is difficult to take advantage of that athletic ability. We have been trying to use him as a drop back, pro style QB because when he throws on the run all bets are off. He has made a few great throws on the run this season for big plays, but he also throws some real dogs when he is running. After two and a third seasons, it is safe to assume that he is not getting much better. With Will as the starting QB, we are going to be an average to significantly below average passing team. We might be able to continue winning with the occasional big play, but that is a risky strategy. You may have noticed that Michigan State’s dismal QB situation got healthy against YSU. We are not Michigan State, but had we passed at an above average level against YSU, we could have won rather easily. We have won the last two games with tenacious defense and just enough offense to win. Can we go the rest of the season and continue to win this way? Time will tell.
As for Saturday’s game, I cannot recall such poor officiating across the board. I went to a pee wee game later in the day on Saturday, and honestly, the refs in that game were far superior. I do not know where that crew came from, but they were an embarrassment to Division I football. If the pee wee refs had screwed up as bad, I would have been yelling at them to go ref at Robert Morris….
Before the game I made the comments that our snapping and kicking games were much improved this year…. Well, that will teach me. Snapping was not as crisp this week, and kicking…. All I can say is good grief.
We also have a serious special teams problem. We have had several big errors on kickoff and punt returns that stem from hesitation on the returner’s part. Part of the coaching up of these guys has to be to make a decision and then go and make the play. If you are going to run out of the end zone, do it. Do not hesitate or stutter, commit and make the play. Same thing on punt returns. You can almost always fair catch a ball. Far better than letting it roll to the one inch line. Same thing with the muffed punt Saturday. Perhaps the Robert Morris folks interfered, but had a fair catch been called or if the returner simply made up his mind to catch the punt, it would be mute. Instead, you see that hesitation and reluctance to make a decision. I believe this is on the coaches. These guys have to know that they are allowed to make a play. Right now they are more afraid of screwing up, which causes many more problems than it solves.
One thing seems certain for the rest of the season. We are not good enough to dominate most PFL teams. If we are going to win out, it will take a gut wrenching, gritty effort every game. A little digging on the NCAA site indicates that we are currently #88 in total offense and #26 in total defense. Pretty clear how we are winning games....

[Scout86]

I have noticed that pigs hang times are horrible this year.

[San Diego Flyer]

Originally Posted by Flyer Gramps MEMO I have followed this series since 2006; even went to Moon Twp to watch. Take a look at the scores: 2012…UD 20, RMU 14 2011…UD 19, RMU 13_ 2010…UD 28, RMU 14 _ 2009…UD 21, RMU 14_ 2008…UD 21, RMU 14 2007…UD 23, RMU 12 2006…UD 21, RMU 14 Isn’t that an amazing series of scores? [/B]

One of the most coincidental and amazing trends ever.

Now add 2013 at 21-14.....again! Just think how many diverse ways the two teams GOT TO those numbers.

What a great/timely post. Thanks.

[Flyer Gramps]

Originally Posted by San Diego Flyer One of the most coincidental and amazing trends ever. Now add 2013 at 21-14.....again! Just think how many diverse ways the two teams GOT TO those numbers. What a great/timely post. Thanks.

A week ago I wrote what could have been the post-game wrap:

How has UD been able to do this, even when RMU won the NEC & went to NCAA playoffs? In a word, DEFENSE; in a statement, many sacks or hurries, short gains, passes defended & keeping cool. UD has always been more disciplined while RMU may run around & make some spectacular plays. We usually win with virtually same kind of athletes on both squads.

Maybe we should think about our coaches out-coaching theirs?

Is it any wonder that the score was 21-14? Our offense not only had to overcome an opponent but also some kind of hex. That rivalry is really in a rut...that is according to Coach Joe Walton (I won't write Old Joe any more realizing he's my age)

[PIONEER 8]

Originally Posted by Flyer Gramps A week ago I wrote what could have been the post-game wrap: How has UD been able to do this, even when RMU won the NEC & went to NCAA playoffs? In a word, DEFENSE; in a statement, many sacks or hurries, short gains, passes defended & keeping cool. UD has always been more disciplined while RMU may run around & make some spectacular plays. We usually win with virtually same kind of athletes on both squads. Maybe we should think about our coaches out-coaching theirs? Is it any wonder that the score was 21-14? Our offense not only had to overcome an opponent but also some kind of hex. That rivalry is really in a rut...that is according to Coach Joe Walton (I won't write Old Joe any more realizing he's my age)

Gramps: You said something that does not get said enough. In my opinion, most of our wins are due to coaching! If you just look at the athletes on each squad most weeks we do not look like we are the better team. However, our coaches know the kind of players that fit into their system, they recruit those types of players and then bring them along in the Flyer Tradition. It sounds corny but I am a believer that it works. I am not saying that the coaches are perfect and you can find instances every season where we are out coached and our coaches do some things that leave us all scratching our heads but by and large we win the coaching battle week in and week out.

[proudpapa]

I know you guys are getting tired of me defending Will on here but here I go again. I looked at the sheet that DF gave a link to. Here is a quick look at where some of the other PFL qb's are on the list.

#9 Mason Mills USD has thrown 63 passes.
#12 John Russ Mercer has thrown 45 passes completing 51%
#41 Eric Hoffman Valpo completing 55%
#46 Ryan Tentler Stetson has thrown 18 passes
#52 Kade Bell JU is completing 51.7%
#56 Chuck Looney is completing 54%

You may get my point. #12 is completing 51% of his passes. That two points higher than our qb. It does not just come down to the passers ability. It comes down to play calling, what types of passes for how many yards. How many touchdowns. Most of this is not predicated on the qb. If you watch football long enough you will see that only finely tuned offenses that throw a bunch of short routes and let there receivers run have highly efficient passers. To hold Will to this statistic by himself I feel is very unfair. The kid from Mercer has thrown less than half the passes that Will has and has basically the same completion percentage as Will and he is #12? Will is #52 out of 130 in passing yards per game nationally. The kid from Mercer that I am comparing him to is #48.

Does Will throw some bad balls? Absolutely! So do most qb's. Sorry, so do all qb's! Watch football objectively and you will see a lot of poorly thrown balls from qb's at every level. Did anyone watch Tim Tebow in college or the pro's? He did win the Heisman. Accurate was never used in the same sentence describing Tim Tebow and throwing.

Would it be great if we were slinging the ball all over the field with receivers running wide open catching and running. Yep! I know I would love it. We don't have that kind of system or the players to run it.

I wonder if Mercers fans are all over their qb for being a 50% passer? He is in the top twelve in the country in efficiency. How is his 50% more efficient than Wills? We are not a high flying, throwing the ball down the field type of team. We are also not a throw a quick screen and run for thirty yards type team. A lot of this falls on the whole team. The receivers don't catch the ball or block for one another. Watch the film and look how soon our guys get hit on a quick screen. Almost immediately. There generally is no YAC. I have talked at length about our play calling and route selection. We don't have those types of guys or they are not put in a position to do so. The line has been spotty at times. Will has been running for his life at times as soon as he gets the snap. They are improving. Will does need to improve his ability to throw on the run, he has to quite a bit. Will needs to square his shoulders more and step at his target to release the ball. Will needs to take something off the dump down passes. Most of those are catchable but a little hot for the distance.

I know you were spoiled with the qb's you had. They are no longer here to play. I know the back up qb is always the favorite unless you are scoring 50+ a game. Will is not the only one to blame for his efficiency numbers. Those numbers will rise throughout the season. The only qb's that will complete 65-70% of their passes are throwing dink and dunk passes and letting their receivers do the work. Which by the way then subjects you to the deep ball because you creep up for the short stuff.

I love this team and I believe that they WILL continue to improve as the season goes on.

[DetroitFlyer]

Not sure that comparing a first year programs QB to ours is valid. I would look more at JU, Marist and maybe USD. JU and Marist have played similar competition to our Flyers and have experienced QB's. Of course not all of our missed passing opportunities are Will's fault. Our offensive play calling is not good, our receivers may not be running routes to get open, and of course our receivers drop a fair number of passes. Our running game has not been lighting the world on fire this season either.... When your total offense is ranked 88th and your total defense is 26th, it is really pretty amazing that we are 2-1 against all FCS competition. The bottom line is that if we want to win the PFL and ultimately games in the playoffs, we MUST have an above average passing QB. We are not there today and we have not been there for 2+ seasons. I might share your optimism on Will if this was two years ago, but this is his third year as our starting QB and the results are pretty much the same. What makes you think his numbers will improve going forward? Better offensive line play, less dropped passes, better offensive play calling, etc.?

[Scout86]

It would be interesting to look at Will's stats when he's out of the pocket scrambling vs staying in the pocket. Maybe its time the coaches change the play calling to what Will does best.

[proudpapa]

DF, I think that you missed the point. I wasn't so much comparing a first year program qb with ours. I was stating that a young man who threw less than half of the passes that Will has thrown and a very similar completion percentage within a point or two is 70 people higher on a 92 person list for efficiency. I don't think that the NCAA was taking the amount if time Mercer has been playing ball when they put him at #12. You do realize I was comparing Will to someone that was 70 people higher not lower, not closer but in the top twelve. I don't think that when they compile the statistics for qb's they put how long they have played. This has a whole lot to do about system. You keep saying that we need an above average passer to win. Check how much the North Dakota State qb's throw. They won it all last year and the year before. Do you think they are an above average passer or that they rely on teams having to fill the box to stop the run and can be wide open with play action. There is so much more to this than Will is just a less than average or average passer. This is why our offense is ranked low. Do we really think that if we replaced him that suddenly the play calling will get better. The line will give the new qb more time. The receivers will suddenly be more open, catch the ball and block better for each other. We will run the ball better. If replacing him will fix those things then we should do it. If those things won't happen then maybe he isn't the issue that he is made out to be. Do you think Luke would have avoided the pressure that Will has had to. I think that Luke probably is the better passer. However we are not a passing team. Our offense is not set up that way and has not been for the last four years at least.
Posted via Mobile Device

[DetroitFlyer]

North Dakota State has different athletes. PFL teams need to be built differently to be successful at the FCS level. We pass enough that it is a critical part of our offense. As for Luke, all I can say is that his passing mechanics look better to me than Will's. No idea how that would translate to game play, but I would like to find out....

[UDDoug]

Not likely to happen. They want the higher level of athleticism.
Posted via Mobile Device

[DetroitFlyer]

Originally Posted by UDDoug Not likely to happen. They want the higher level of athleticism. Posted via Mobile Device

we should stop using Will as primarily a drop back, pro style QB. With a young offensive line and an athletic QB, it seems like we should be rolling him out to buy time AND to have the ability to make an athletic play much more often. Unfortunately, Will's thows on the run are even more variable than his pocket throws. That is the biggest reason why Will is not Hoyng or Tino. Those QB's could throw accurately on the run as well as make a scramble play. Will has thrown great passes on the run, but he has thrown many more dogs. After two plus years, I just do not see him getting much better. To hear folks talk, one would think that Luke has lead weights attached to his feet.... He may not be as "athletic" as Will, but if he is a better passer, the need to be a super athlete might be diminished a bit.... Frankly, I am not 100% confident in our staff to identify the best QB on the roster. Tino was only made a QB when our starters were injured. We had one of the best QB's in UD history playing wide receiver.... How did we miss that? Are we missing something now? I do not know for certain. I cannot make practices, watch film, etc. All I know is that as fan I am not satisfied with our passing game and I have not been for two plus seasons. Maybe Will is our absolute best option. If so, then frankly we have not done a good job recruiting QB's. I like Will's athletic plays. I just want to see more of them on a regular basis. Three games into the season we are not there yet. I guess that I will do like I have for the past two years.... Hang on and hope for the best....

[Flyer Gramps]

“Hang On & Hope for Better” might be my motto too for the upcoming PFL schedule. The QB situation has been covered well; here are things that could be worked on IMO:

• #3 is our QB, improved from past years & a good avg. performer. His pocket protection is often brief & as stated by DF, his rollout passing is iffy. Two things he should continue to work on is deciding on a receiver quicker & deciding to run quicker.; i.e. quicker decisions because game play is quicker than perhaps non-tackle practice.
• Wake Forest has a new blocking scheme this year after failure to be able to run in 2012. It’s not working well & today the coach & others admitted that that blockers have to make any scheme work. We need better QB sneak blocking & second tier blocking. The receivers from 2008-2010 were all good down-field blockers; my assessment of 2013 is “incomplete” they haven’t had much chance.
• Don’t know how to teach ‘yac’, but it’s showing a little. Yards After Catch was haunting me during the YSU game, was less prevalent in next two games but the opponents tend to get more yardage than we do. Something for “D” & “O” to improve.
• Sometimes we stuff sweeps, other times they are wide open. Our DE & OLB/CB need to shed or control blocker, especially if it’s only one guy & cause the RB to change (steps/speed, direction, something for an instant) until help arrives.
• Forget short passes in the middle to #2, he must be used to “stretch” the defense. Guess he got dinged at RMU; a bit fragile.
• Our passing to the flat area seems non-productive, unless it is to setup something. But coach, forget it for a gain.
• Continue with duo punt returners
• Finally, a couple more reverses please…I like “vanilla” but with a little topping!

[proudpapa]

I just watched the game again and was a bit surprised to see that Will really only had three bad passes. One of which was thrown to where only our receiver would have a chance. Oh he threw some balls away while scrambling but if you are going to hold those against him then he cannot win. He made a lot of great decisions with the ball. After watching it I think that this was his best passing game to date. He put the ball on the receivers in route and had four dropped that were perfect balls and one over the middle short where the receiver was hit just before the throw was made pushing him in towards the line. that throw looked high the first time I saw it and I even commented that he needed to take something off. I was wrong. His receiver got knocked off by a linebacker as the ball was being thrown. To hear people talk he had another horrible game. After watching it over and over I will defend him even more. He threw the ball very well. On the one over Ney's head in the end zone...Danny flattened out his pattern in mid run after the ball was in the air. That ball was perfect. The receiver ran himself out of a touchdown and it is clear on tape. I am sorry for the rant again....but the film does not lie and your eyes at the time might. I would think that he graded out pretty high for his throwing.

[PIONEER 8]

I also thought he played well. By the way, if he hadn't gotten quick pressure up the middle in the 4th quarter on the play he scrambled left and hit #1 on the run for a 30 yard gain he would have had #1 wide open for an 80 yard TD. Will made a great fake on the read option and #1 was wide open. If we can get a little better blocking on plays like that we can have some big gainers. Too often Will has to bail out so quickly the routes don't have time to develop. If we can continue to jell and improve I think we can be very good. I will say again that I was very impressed with how well we moved the ball with three freshmen playing at the same time on the o-line. Not saying that they should unseat any of the starters but I like the depth.

[PittsburghFlyer]

It was stated previously that our CB got beat on two TDs. In the first instance, he was close to receiver but Jones delivered one of his best passes of the day. On the last TD of the day, I watched the film and our CB was definitely expecting help deep. He did not bite on the play as stated previously by P-8. Either he or the safety did not play the correct D. No way to tell by just watching video.

Also ran the "fumbled" punt return a couple times. It was clear to me that the outside gunner for RMU hit our returner in the thigh before the ball arrived. Clearly an interfering with the catch call, but the refs were obviously smoking something in their locker room prior to the game!

Lastly, another ref foil, the RMU tight end was a yard up field prior to the snap. Unbelievable that he did not get open. Great play by our D to stop the play. Hopefully the 3 blind mice that officiated the RMU game are not slated for Marist!

[proudpapa]

Posted via Mobile Devicethe hit by Ross Smith was clean and legal. Bad bad call

[Scout86]

Drake is playing Indianapolis today....who is that ? Or what division are they in?

[DetroitFlyer]

Originally Posted by Scout86 Drake is playing Indianapolis today....who is that ? Or what division are they in?

12th ranked team in Division 2 I think.

[PittsburghFlyer]

Indy is a fairly good Div II team. I always wonder why any FCS team would play a D II squad. There is absolutely no upside to such an endeavor.

[chriscage]

Now that a win over ANY FCS team counts for bowl eligibility, will we see Miami or BG on the Flyer football schedule?

[PIONEER 8]

Originally Posted by PittsburghFlyer It was stated previously that our CB got beat on two TDs. In the first instance, he was close to receiver but Jones delivered one of his best passes of the day. On the last TD of the day, I watched the film and our CB was definitely expecting help deep. He did not bite on the play as stated previously by P-8. Either he or the safety did not play the correct D. No way to tell by just watching video. Also ran the "fumbled" punt return a couple times. It was clear to me that the outside gunner for RMU hit our returner in the thigh before the ball arrived. Clearly an interfering with the catch call, but the refs were obviously smoking something in their locker room prior to the game! Lastly, another ref foil, the RMU tight end was a yard up field prior to the snap. Unbelievable that he did not get open. Great play by our D to stop the play. Hopefully the 3 blind mice that officiated the RMU game are not slated for Marist!

PF you are absolutely correct on the late TD. In watching the film (and listening the to the radio show it was clearly a miscommunication on the defense.

[UD62]

Originally Posted by chriscage Now that a win over ANY FCS team counts for bowl eligibility, will we see Miami or BG on the Flyer football schedule?

If tOSU is ever in need of a filler game like last weekend, I think DF should lobby for the Flyers , can't be much worse that the Rattlers 76-0 butt-whipping. I am kidding of course.

[DetroitFlyer]

2013.... JU vs. MSU in the PFL.... Final score?

[DetroitFlyer]

Originally Posted by DetroitFlyer 2013.... JU vs. MSU in the PFL.... Final score?

JU defeated Morehead State this season 69-19. Blowouts happen every single weekend in college football, always have always will. That does not mean that Morehead State is not "worthy" of being in FCS or the PFL, it just means that they were blown out on any given Saturday. TOSU's win was kind of the joke of college football over an FCS team, but I doubt our Flyers would have fared any worse. A&M got paid $900,000 to take that beating. Do you think $900,000 would help our football budget? I did not look to see if A&M had any serious injuries, but typically in these games that does not happen either.... I bet if you polled the players, they would jump at the chance to play TOSU in front of a medium sized city worth of fans. Heck one game there would be more fans than they would see in a five year UD career.... No, I would not expect to win, but I think we could score on them and probably hold them under 64 points....

[proudpapa]

I watched the first half of the RMU game again trying to analyze things a bit. What I saw was that on the first two sacks RMU only rushed three. That's right they rushed three dropped eight and were still able to get in with quick penetration and sack Will with a three man rush I don't know how many we gave up in the second half but it would be interesting to know if they were able to get pressure with just three in the second half. That is unacceptable. I can see if all the receivers were covered and he was back there for several seconds and they get to him but to put immediate pressure and sack him should not happen once let alone twice. I didn't even look at the hurries. They may have pressured all day long with three.

[UACFlyer]

....in the flow of this thread. I hope I'll be forgiven....this is FB-related, at least.

On Sat I attended the Michigan-UConn game in CT. And it reminded me of how often I hear about how well UD is represented when the Flyers play on the road....either FB or BB. Priders often say that UD had as many fans as the home team....or at least seemed to.

UConn's FB opponent's fan usually number roughly 500, or so, depending on distance from CT. As I understand it, UC asks the opponent how many TX it wants...and seldom are they all used.

Michigan said it wanted 5000 TX.....five thousand!....which exceeds the size of the section set aside for visiting team's fans. Now UC has been kissing UM's ass for years just to get them to come to CT...and even so UM has been trying for a year to switch the venue to NY or Boston. So UC added 2500 temporary seats for UM fans....and UM used its entire 5000 seat allottment. Moreover, there was a very large number of UM fans among the regular UC season TX holders judging from the blue M attire.

Now that is a team that "travels" well.....5000 TX for fans of a school about 1000 miles away.....playing against an opponent considered highly inferior! Wow!.

I'm guessing that the red/blue UD fans show up in Pittsburgh, NYC or wherever when the FB Flyers travel....a sign of real support.

Go Flyers!

(PS...go to the Dayton Flyers site to see a photo and write-up about the jazzy improvements made to the UD FB office area in Frericks.)

[bobber]

Recently I was at Soldier Field for the Washington/Illinois game. Washington came in ranked #19 and of the 40k or so fans at the game I would say at least 7-9k were wearing the Huskies purple.

And it is a trip from Seattle to Chicago. Believe me, I know.

[Flyer Gramps]

dear UAC,

I looked for you everywhere the camera went. Didn't know if you had nosebleed seats or down low. Never spotted you; then today i realized you probably didn't wear a Dayton "red" shirt.


It was a good game. So where were you sitting?

[UACFlyer]

Originally Posted by Flyer Gramps dear UAC, I looked for you everywhere the camera went. Didn't know if you had nosebleed seats or down low. Never spotted you; then today i realized you probably didn't wear a Dayton "red" shirt. It was a good game. So where were you sitting?

Gramps, while seating only 40,000, Rentschler Field is relatively new, 10 years old, and is state-of-the-art in every way,....including three levels of club seating, i.e., inside in a shirtsleeve atmosphere.

After sitting in freezing temps and wind-driven rain on occasion, a few years ago we "had enough" and invested in club seats.....first row on the 50 yard line. So, we could not be seen, UD red sweatshirts or not.

I should also mention that my wife hates football (especially the way UC has played the game of late)....but she enjoys the atmosphere. She would no be there were it not for indoor seating. She did enjoy the Michigan game, which was undecided down to the last minute of play.

(Costly, though.)