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7/17/2012 1:40 PM

treyomo

Game Rating: Hall of Famer Forum Rating: Prospect

Posts: 310 (0)

MLB - 4 NBA - 4 NFL - 3 HD - 110 GD - 177 HBD - 2

When the Heisman challenge first arose, I thought, “What would be more fun than recruiting from the Chicago area when Marquette, DePaul, Northern Illinois, and every Big 10 school are human coached?” I obviously wouldn’t have passed the academic requirements, but Northwestern still bought out the contract of SIM AI and his sparkling 34-135 record over the prior 13 seasons (must have owned compromising photos of the AD’s daughter) and signed me on 4 seasons ago.

As with most long time SIM rosters, this one was a real beauty. No DBs with speed over 72, 3 DL with 60s strength, 7 slow, unintelligent LBs with multiple seasons remaining, and two marginal DII QBs, the best of whom went 53/60/61 in cores. I tend to be an I/Trips and 5-2/Nickel coach and decided to go that route, in part to keep as many putrid LBs off the field as possible. With 13 schollies in year 1, recruiting focused on long-term growth at skill positions and some immediate line help, and a functional QB.

Name	Pos.	A	SPD	D	WE	ST	STR	BLK	TKL	H	GI	E	T	TOT
John Dennis	DB	60	90	43	48	47	60	29	65	40	57	90	60	689
Randy Ballard	DB	63	79	24	60	42	53	31	54	54	57	80	60	657
Larry Fox	DL	58	50	52	32	47	90	36	87	41	52	50	62	657
Jeffrey Thomas	DL	53	29	48	33	49	78	51	82	20	74	57	64	638
Larry Pineda	DL	46	34	43	44	40	90	41	76	30	57	54	57	612
David Fuentes	LB	55	75	39	40	59	73	46	84	48	63	73	50	705
Sean Hoyt	OL	66	34	23	50	27	75	90	54	42	58	48	73	640
Leo Cuevas	OL	59	43	47	51	48	86	87	32	31	50	37	44	615
Charles Powell	OL	52	32	40	57	35	73	90	35	50	70	53	45	632
Kenneth Terry	RB	57	83	59	43	37	79	60	21	58	56	88	60	701
Jeff Woods	TE	58	80	47	53	49	81	78	57	70	41	60	66	740
Raymond Castro	WR	65	86	31	39	51	43	66	24	90	62	76	69	702
Jerry Murray	WR	56	78	47	71	34	67	54	50	74	57	75	69	732

Best laid plans, as they say. Most of the neighborhood bullies were QB shopping, so rather than overspend and blow an entire class, I focused on signing some higher WE, high potential guys with less consideration than normal for stamina. The DL were lower potential than desired due to market factors and lack of bowl money, but overall I was happy. This class could take me to a Hawaii Bowl someday – redshirted Dennis, Powell, and Murray.

Took the anticipated beatings in Year 1 – beat the SIMs, split with the other new Big10 bottom feeder coaches, and only lost to Notre Dame by 51. Rode a decent RB (80 A, 92 Spd, 83 Str, 79 E) for 1500 yards and a 55/45 run/pass split to get to 5 wins by limiting turnovers (only 34 INT/fumbles combined). Defense gave up 4.5 YPC, so shoring up the front seven was a priority for next season, as was the horrific QB situation (50% completion, more INTs than TDs, 5.2 yds per pass).

7/17/2012 1:58 PM

treyomo

Game Rating: Hall of Famer Forum Rating: Prospect

Posts: 310 (0)

MLB - 4 NBA - 4 NFL - 3 HD - 110 GD - 177 HBD - 2

Year 2:

Ahhh, yes, season 2. Where the supposedly experienced coach gets all a-twitter about the pile of bowl money earned by his conference mates and overshoots his recruiting zone. We’ve all been there before – a lower non-elite BCS team, a stud RB 20 miles from campus, and BLAM! - $100k spent, no stud RB, and walkons galore. The ORIGINAL recruiting strategy focused on building additional line depth, finding a shutdown corner for the future, and building up the passing game at QB and WR. The stud RB would have been a hell of a get, but looking back, he was a luxury, not a necessity, and the recruiting class reflects that mistake.

Name	Pos.	A	SPD	D	WE	ST	STR	BLK	TKL	H	GI	E	T	TOT
Donald Hughes	DB	61	76	31	48	44	52	27	83	58	73	79	65	697
Peter McCarthy	DL	55	32	31	43	39	90	31	90	21	74	46	47	599
Stephen Williams	DL	60	28	42	39	40	84	19	90	13	65	59	47	586
Daniel Herman	DL	50	44	40	49	62	76	53	85	48	60	50	72	689
Cory Cline	LB	78	66	44	51	58	90	38	74	54	61	79	70	763
Carl Jackson	OL	58	32	53	48	48	76	90	38	41	70	46	64	664
Matthew Lucas	OL	75	18	44	48	42	76	85	49	37	52	50	67	643
Brandon Hart	OL	70	22	51	43	41	73	82	46	23	61	34	67	613
Harry Nelson	QB	67	53	44	57	33	53	22	44	62	63	54	61	613
Christopher Quinones	RB	44	42	47	69	49	86	72	29	85	42	56	50	671
Anthony Bowles	RB	72	41	39	48	42	62	50	47	47	72	38	59	617
Russell Cox	TE	67	56	64	52	52	68	72	49	69	56	68	59	732
Kenneth Smith	WR	57	60	49	56	65	33	50	28	44	70	48	59	619

Three walkons and a substandard last second TE signing tell the story. The QB talent was limited in the Midwest, so went with a high potential high WE QB to redshirt and take another year of lumps from my zombie QBs. Got decent depth at the lines, though for the 2^nd year took lower strength OL than I wanted. Happy with the defensive signings in general, though really needed a second DB.

Scheduled 4 road OOC games vs SIMs to try to reach the magic bowl win #, and accomplished the mission by going 8-6. Won the SIM games and beat the other 2^nd year coaches by limiting possessions with a decent ground game – the decent RB from last year became a good RB, and I rode him for 380 carries. Coulda won at least one more, but my QBs just murdered me – 48% completion, 31 INTs, plus 10 additional fumbles. It’s a miracle I won 8, and it showed with an 8 turnover, 7 TD loss in the GMAC Bowl – but it was a bowl game, the first in 15+ seasons. However, the Northwestern AD expected a consistent powerhouse from my chess / football club, so a Secure coach I became.

7/17/2012 2:54 PM

treyomo

Game Rating: Hall of Famer Forum Rating: Prospect

Posts: 310 (0)

MLB - 4 NBA - 4 NFL - 3 HD - 110 GD - 177 HBD - 2

Year 3:

So after last year’s recruiting challenges, you would have expected me to learn my lesson. And I did. Kind of. But it didn’t help. Most of the elites surrounding Chicago had big classes to fill, as did the other BCS schools in the neighborhood, and the talent pool in the Midwest was weaker than normal. After mulling my options, I decided that I would only sign DIA level talent, get as many good players as I could, and take whatever walkons necessary – I’d rather than walkons than roster fillers who would be mediocre by their senior year. The result was my worst DIA recruiting class ever, but did pull a few decent players out.

Name	Pos.	A	SPD	D	WE	ST	STR	BLK	TKL	H	GI	E	T	TOT
Philip Morris	DB	63	90	31	54	57	42	36	57	61	57	77	74	699
Ronald Gray	DB	54	72	40	63	21	53	38	37	45	61	67	55	606
Victor Wilson	DB	73	63	59	38	37	43	30	47	40	61	58	60	609
Roy Rhodes	DB	49	54	53	54	47	60	34	60	52	43	71	57	634
Mark Mueller	DL	77	20	21	35	36	78	46	90	34	51	59	56	603
Stephen Dunham	LB	65	80	33	53	50	77	28	86	48	80	70	56	726
Anthony Blair	LB	72	79	42	46	47	79	26	78	60	80	66	55	730
Michael Gallagher	LB	58	68	35	39	40	74	47	70	54	76	67	50	678
John Lee	LB	51	54	45	48	53	41	41	49	43	65	76	63	629
Willie Lloyd	LB	60	36	48	44	41	64	36	68	56	46	62	54	615
Robert Turner	RB	60	73	36	38	40	90	79	50	90	72	74	65	767
Robert Haley	RB	41	82	55	44	52	81	50	18	72	58	84	61	698
Fred Chapman	RB	51	66	29	63	63	71	64	31	70	49	90	72	719
Michael Miller	TE	67	75	47	38	31	90	90	48	65	69	61	49	730
Franklin Smith	WR	52	77	31	49	49	36	68	44	79	74	79	68	706
Charles Garcia	WR	51	59	34	52	57	36	41	32	61	56	68	63	610
Thomas Lynch	WR	48	56	54	53	47	65	57	24	53	57	71	55	640

The top two LBs have a chance to become real studs, Morris is a high potential DB with speed, and all the RBs have a chance to grow into productive players. Taking 7 walkons was painful, but the other alternatives were marginal DIAA players, so I bit the bullet. I’ve been cutting 3 scrubs a year since I got here anyway, so I won’t have the reputation to be hired at another DIA school for a decade – it’s Wildcats or bust.

Last year’s redshirt freshman QB Nelson still wasn’t ready to take the reins, so it was one more season of enduring Rich Campbell and David Whitehurst at QB (a painful reference for fellow older Packer fans). But finally having DIA quality lines paid dividends, as we rushed for 2500 yards at a 4.5 YPC clip on our way to a 10-4 season with a bowl victory. We were a boring team to watch, with a 57/43 rush pass mix and lots of short passing with limited success (51% completion, 5.7 YPA, but cut INTs in half from last year to 15). Secondary rounded into nice shape, holding opponents to 51% comp, and the DL came together, holding opponents to 115 rushing yards per game at a 3.6 YPC – not stellar #s, but a huge step forward. Had Ohio State down at the half and came within 6 TDs of the Irish, so taking baby steps.

7/17/2012 11:47 PM

caesari

Game Rating: Hall of Famer Forum Rating: Prospect

Posts: 4130 (1)

HD - 23 GD - 48 HBD - 10

This is caesari's seal of approval.

SEALED

7/18/2012 8:57 AM

treymack

Game Rating: All Star Forum Rating: Prospect

Posts: 27 (0)

GD - 35

Year 4:

A make or break year, as it was either get a top 30 WIS ranking and win a bowl game or fall to in jeopardy. I couldn’t afford another year of multiple walkons, so decided to take a little more conservative approach to recruiting, really focusing on getting all high potential guys with WEs over 50. Really needed to bolster the WR and DB groups and get at least one strong OL and DL, as well as a good QB. The DBs and WRs weren’t as strong as I hoped, but all of them have high WE/potential so should be good by their junior years.

Name	Pos.	A	SPD	D	WE	ST	STR	BLK	TKL	H	GI	E	T	TOT
Robert Miller	DB	53	90	32	61	32	61	30	51	58	54	90	64	676
Jeff Kelly	DB	59	87	48	71	47	43	27	59	36	59	70	54	660
Frank Goodman	DL	60	31	56	52	50	84	40	90	41	70	60	54	688
James Turner	DL	45	30	55	50	27	82	43	84	17	48	62	64	607
Todd Owens	LB	58	80	33	62	35	74	28	84	40	66	71	39	670
Maurice Graham	OL	52	36	60	26	37	80	90	35	43	43	42	75	619
Charles Price	OL	54	30	34	58	47	70	90	41	38	75	69	53	659
David Doss	QB	70	35	54	56	32	52	37	41	58	65	62	69	631
Daniel Johnson	RB	72	84	48	53	31	73	80	40	68	55	86	70	760
Benjamin Langford	WR	67	90	38	51	52	52	58	20	87	71	78	60	724
Lawrence Aguilar	WR	66	90	46	52	39	26	53	31	85	56	75	62	681

With redshirts, Kelly, Owens and Aguilar should all become 800 rated players by senior years and be contributors. Doss was a decent pickup at QB, and Johnson has a chance to become a very good RB, though he won’t break the rotation for a season.

Scheduled a more difficult OOC, hoping to build up the RPI enough to at least make a level 3 bowl, and it paid off with a key win at Washington and a reasonable loss vs. #1 USC. Finally got my first win vs. a Big 10 elite – granted, it took a last play INT return TD to break a tie, but we gladly accepted the gift. Came within 1 TO plagued OT loss to the Gophers where I surrendered two defensive TDs (karma can be a *****) of playing in the Big 10 title game, but finished with a 10-4 mark, a top 25 ranking, and a tight level 3 bowl loss. 4 seasons of building up the passing game finally paid off – we still kept a 55/45 run/pass mix, but we completed 55% and had our first season of a positive TD/INT ratio and YPA over 7. Redshirt JR. RB Terry became a workhorse, rushing for 1700 yds and 12 TDs, and the two soph LBs developed into stout run stuffers that also shut down the short passing game. We still have a ways to go to compete for a conference title, but with Jr. LB Cline an early declare for the draft and several other players hitting 800 ratings, the talent level is reaching competitive levels. Next year’s class will be key.

7/18/2012 1:41 PM

treyomo

Game Rating: Hall of Famer Forum Rating: Prospect

Posts: 310 (0)

MLB - 4 NBA - 4 NFL - 3 HD - 110 GD - 177 HBD - 2

Year 5:

With the Wildcats’ current roster, the recruiting wish list is longer than the recruiting spots available – back down to 1 walkon on the roster after cutting 3 turds a year for 5 straight seasons (with a C+ rep to prove it), but there’s still a lot of depth issues. We have a lot of room for growth, with mostly high potential players and an average WE of 58, but that won’t help this season. I really only have three DIA level DBs, no superstud RBs, a pretty weak WR corps, and average lines with limited depth:

Name	Year	Pos.	A	SPD	D	WE	ST	STR	BLK	TKL	H	GI	E	T	TOT
Donald Hughes	Sr.	DB	73	84	48	72	60	61	17	89	63	82	87	75	811
John Dennis	Sr.*	DB	74	92	62	78	66	68	15	79	52	73	92	74	825
Philip Morris	Jr.	DB	70	92	42	78	66	49	29	66	64	66	83	79	784
Robert Miller	So.	DB	56	91	36	64	37	63	26	55	59	58	91	67	703
Victor Wilson	Jr.	DB	77	69	65	37	46	48	23	55	45	67	65	66	663
Jeff Kelly	So.	DB	62	88	52	71	51	46	23	62	39	62	73	57	686
Peter McCarthy	Sr.	DL	66	39	46	60	52	91	21	91	28	81	55	59	689
Daniel Herman	Sr.	DL	62	49	53	71	71	83	42	90	49	70	58	79	777
Frank Goodman	So.	DL	63	33	59	52	54	86	36	91	42	73	62	57	708
Stephen Williams	Sr.	DL	67	34	52	38	50	88	8	90	20	72	63	56	638
Mark Mueller	Jr.	DL	81	25	30	36	44	82	39	90	37	58	62	62	646
James Turner	So.	DL	50	33	59	52	33	84	39	86	20	53	64	68	641
Stephen Dunham	Jr.	LB	70	80	41	73	57	81	21	89	50	84	75	62	783
Anthony Blair	Jr.	LB	77	79	50	54	55	83	19	82	60	84	72	62	777
Todd Owens	Fr.*	LB	62	80	38	62	40	76	24	86	42	69	74	44	697
Michael Gallagher	Jr.	LB	63	70	42	37	47	78	40	74	55	80	72	56	714
Charles Powell	Sr.*	OL	70	40	62	84	58	85	93	20	50	83	65	65	775
Matthew Lucas	Jr.*	OL	83	27	58	59	57	84	90	38	41	65	59	77	738
Carl Jackson	Sr.	OL	67	36	62	78	58	82	91	27	43	77	53	72	746
Brandon Hart	Sr.	OL	77	28	61	39	53	80	87	35	29	70	44	75	678
Maurice Graham	So.	OL	55	37	63	26	41	82	90	31	44	47	45	77	638
Charles Price	So.	OL	58	32	40	58	52	73	91	37	39	78	70	57	685
Harry Nelson	Jr.*	QB	76	65	58	69	49	61	11	33	72	74	65	72	705
David Doss	So.	QB	73	40	58	56	37	55	33	37	61	68	65	72	655
Robert Haley	Jr.	RB	51	86	63	46	61	86	55	11	77	66	88	68	758
Robert Turner	Jr.	RB	66	77	45	43	48	91	79	43	91	77	79	70	809
Daniel Johnson	So.	RB	74	85	51	53	35	75	80	36	70	58	87	72	776
Fred Chapman	Jr.	RB	60	73	41	60	70	78	67	24	76	59	91	77	776
Michael Miller	Jr.	TE	72	76	55	40	41	91	91	41	71	74	67	56	775
Russell Cox	Jr.*	TE	77	64	75	51	66	78	81	38	79	69	78	71	827
Jerry Murray	Sr.*	WR	71	87	64	100	55	73	52	35	84	72	85	80	858
Benjamin Langford	So.	WR	69	90	42	53	55	54	54	16	88	73	80	63	737
Franklin Smith	Jr.	WR	60	81	41	49	57	43	61	37	83	79	83	74	748
Lawrence Aguilar	Fr.*	WR	69	91	50	52	44	30	49	27	87	60	77	65	701

Top priorities going into recruiting were DBs, at least 2 OL/DL, find a potential stud at RB and WR, and get a promising QB to redshirt. The QB talent in the Midwest was exceptionally weak and competition for WRs was stiff, so I focused on replenishing the lines. Was fortunate that an excellent RB with low overall ratings in Chicago didn’t grab the attention of the local elites.

Name	Pos.	A	SPD	D	WE	ST	STR	BLK	TKL	H	GI	E	T	TOT
Richard Alexander	DB	67	86	42	35	43	66	34	60	54	58	90	77	712
Charles Morrison	DB	46	90	41	66	43	30	32	50	38	67	86	59	648
John Ingram	DL	70	57	53	40	42	77	41	88	38	79	51	76	712
Raymond Murphy	DL	67	26	46	30	47	79	51	90	25	68	50	61	640
David Johnson	DL	73	35	45	44	46	90	56	88	38	49	46	43	653
Douglas Slater	DL	43	40	26	56	30	77	59	90	19	52	48	73	613
Frederick Russell	LB	57	74	42	73	37	64	29	84	35	60	61	66	682
Bobby Hawkins	OL	60	23	26	53	34	82	82	43	17	79	64	66	629
Juan Smith	OL	36	29	51	60	40	90	79	35	38	69	47	66	640
Jon Bolton	OL	59	20	57	38	42	84	75	60	29	68	32	73	637
Curtis Davis	RB	68	90	38	57	33	81	37	25	66	61	90	56	702
Christopher Mitchell	RB	51	88	56	57	52	70	52	41	55	46	90	53	711
Gregory Lund	TE	77	78	24	56	47	90	89	45	71	57	67	75	776
Tony Aguirre	WR	48	79	51	29	40	59	46	34	88	64	83	74	695

With a redshirt and high potential, RB Davis could be an absolute stud in 2-3 years. DBs will be okay. The OL/DL depth came together, with OL Smith a high potential find from El Paso. WR is crap but had to buy at a discount, and the TE was an unexpected surprise picked out of Columbus. Overall, signed more low WE freshmen than I wanted, but none had below average potential, so should be a good group for the next coach once I’m fired in 2-3 years. Probably my best class – which ain’t sayin’ much.

7/20/2012 12:23 AM

cubnation7

Game Rating: Hall of Famer Forum Rating: Prospect

Posts: 7 (0)

MLB - 40 NBA - 1 NFL - 1 HD - 2 GD - 229 HBD - 1

good stuff trey

7/24/2012 4:07 PM

treymack

Game Rating: All Star Forum Rating: Prospect

Posts: 27 (0)

GD - 35

CONFERENCE PREVIEW:

Okay, I’m cheating a little bit because I waited until 3 games into the season to roll out my conference preview. A man’s gotta ____! Fill in the blank, kinda like the old Match game – can’t wait to see what Charles Nelson Reilly writes down.

Anyway, here’s my prediction/preview of the Big 10 by division in order of finish:

NORTH:

- Michigan: It’s going to be a neck and neck race with the Gophers for the top spot, but I like rc’s Wolverines by a hare. They may have the strongest defensive front 7 in the conference that should compensate for the lack of a true shut down corner. Injuries in the secondary could hurt, as beyond the top 5 things get a little dicey. Offensive line should be good enough – not elite, but very solid. A very dynamic running back corps, led by redshirt senior Hastings and dynamic redshirt freshman Stanley, this ground game will be tough to stop. Only thing that could lead to the demise of the Wolverines is a below average receiving group – two very good tight ends, but no WR in the top ten of the Big 10. If their running game gets stuffed, offense could be tough to come by.

- Minnesota: An excellent offensive line anchors a Gopher offense that could be explosive if the young quarterbacks come through. Three strong running backs will share the ground game, while WR Browne could be unstoppable and the TEs will be a force. The WR corps drops off after Browne, so need him to stay healthy. Defense isn’t as strong as the Wolverines, which will make the difference. LB corps is average, so could be susceptible to the short passing game. Two stud DL in Kendall and Allen anchor the line and need to perform well to protect the LBs. Secondary is good but not great. An experienced team with 16 seniors, they’ll need that IQ advantage to overcome a little less talent on defense.

- Northwestern: My Wildcats are due for a down year. A strong back seven on defense will need to generate turnovers – junior LBs Blair and Dunham have to be monsters against the run and TE passing to keep us in games. DB talent drops way off after the top 3 – good performance out of the 2^nd safety and nickel back will be huge. DL is okay – talent drops off after the seniors. The offensive line is finally Big 10 quality and will need to open holes for a stable of young RBs that is not terribly explosive – best RB is a freshman being redshirted for the future. QB Nelson needs to step up his name – surprisingly inaccurate so far during his career. WRs and TEs are average at best. If the Cats can control the clock, they could pull some upsets, but turnovers could be their downfall.

- Michigan State: A potentially potent passing game will have to carry the Spartans. Senior redshirt QB Garcia is a stud who can light it up if he can find his top two WR targets in Pacheco and Smith. WR depth drops significantly after the top 2, and TEs are good but not great receivers but below average blockers. Defensive talent is an issue – one excellent DB and DL, but the rest of those units are average. Not a great LB group, lacking elite speed and strength.

- Wisconsin: A tough recruiting season takes its toll on the Badgers. QB situation is dicey, lacking DIA GI and strength. A couple good RBs in Huff and Clark will need to grind out the yardage and control the clock. Three good WRs and an excellent tight end, remains to be seen if QB Allen can get them the ball consistently. OL lacks top talent beyond the first four. Defense appears soft - weak secondary and DL, and only one playmaker at LB, could lead to a lot of high scoring games if the offense doesn’t control the clock. A challenging situation for a very good coach in Rudy.

7/24/2012 4:42 PM

treyomo

Game Rating: Hall of Famer Forum Rating: Prospect

Posts: 310 (0)

MLB - 4 NBA - 4 NFL - 3 HD - 110 GD - 177 HBD - 2

SOUTH:

- Notre Dame: The class of the Big 10 this season. Unrivaled talent in the secondary and LB corps, this D will generate TOs galore and be very tough to pass against. A young but talented DL – only one senior in the group, it’s still a deep group with very good ratings but possibly susceptible against elite running games. A studly offensive line, perhaps the best in the nation, will pound out holes for a solid group of RBs led by All-American candidate Jorge Jackson, who is only a redshirt junior and will compete for the Heisman if he returns for a fifth year. WRs and TEs are very good – depth a little weak at WR, but if he stays injury free in the top 3 all will be fine. QB is only potential issue – Hernandez is a good but not great QB who should do enough to win, especially if the opposing D loads up against the run. A NC contender again this season.

- Ohio State – a dominant group of running backs spearhead the Buckeye attack. Like the Irish, QB is not a true stud but talented enough to pilot this offense. Good deep group of WRs will help the QB, but it’s all about RBs Johnson and Jaramillo, with supersub Soto explosive off the bench. OL is good but not great, will need to excel against the top defenses. Defense is not up to the level of the Irish – good secondary but no shutdown CB, solid but not spectacular LB group, and a thin but talented DL group. Next year could be a little rougher for the Buckeyes with only 4 returning DL.

- Penn State – a lot of top talent surrounded by a cast of crappy soph walkons after a year as a ghost ship, Teamville has a lot of work to do to keep this group in the elites. Story is the same at every position – top player in the Big 10 at almost every position, a couple other good players, and then crap. Studs at top 2 WR positions and TE, and a very good QB, should give the Lions a very good passing game, and arguably the best RB in the Big 10, Dennis Rodriguez, should churn out lots of yards if the OL can stay healthy - gets week after the top 6. Secondary is very weak after you get past two shutdown corners – if the safeties and nickelbacks don’t hold up, it’s bombs away. A very thin DL - two super seniors followed by two good players and two weak guys.

- Purdue – offensively talented, it will be up to an average defense to keep them in games. Secondary is slow and limited and could be their downfall. A decent DL and LB group should hold up against most running games. OL is not a strength, which could hurt the performance of a talented passing game. Oliver, the best QB in the Big 10, has an excellent WR in Parker, but beyond that it’s relatively average – Oliver needs to carry the offense. RBs are pretty good - Arellano lacks elite elusiveness but will be a workhorse -and freshman redshirt Leonard has the potential to be very good.

7/25/2012 1:23 PM

treymack

Game Rating: All Star Forum Rating: Prospect

Posts: 27 (0)

GD - 35

Game 1: On the road vs. a game Arkansas squad led by slid64er, it was the Wildcats that smelled a bit gamey after the first half, trailing 17-0 as a omen of the entire OOC to come. Made a nice 2nd half comeback to pull ahead, but can't hold on and lose 24-21. Outgained the Razorbacks 324-238, but had 6 more penalties for 70 more penalty yards, and lost 2 fumbles, one of which was returned 67 yds for a TD. QB Nelson had a god-awful game, going 14-37-1-234-2. RB Haley didn't do much, rushing for only 75 yards, and RB Johnson fumbled twice in four touches. DL McCarthy had 9 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack, and 1 FF to anchor a stingy defense that held their RBs to 100 yds total and 3 YPC, but it wasn't enough.

7/25/2012 1:26 PM

treymack

Game Rating: All Star Forum Rating: Prospect

Posts: 27 (0)

GD - 35

Game 2: Visited a pathetic SIM Kansas squad with a predictable 38-6 victory, holding the Hawks to 147 total yards. RB Haley showed how he loved his cream puffs, rushing for 219 yds and 2 TDs but still managing to fumble twice. QB Nelson was mediocre at best with 143 yds and 1 INT. DL MCCarthy had another solid game with 6 tkl, 1 sack, and 1 FF. Nothing to see here.

7/25/2012 1:42 PM

treymack

Game Rating: All Star Forum Rating: Prospect

Posts: 27 (0)

GD - 35

Game 3: Wow, my squad sucks worse than I thought. Traveled to Chapel Hill to face first year coach Lowman and his Tar Heels. The offensive ineptitude has become staggering. Against an overmatched Carolina team, we committed five more turnovers, including 2 more lost fumbles, and outpenaltied the Heels 8 to 2. Eight false starts or offsides - mind blowing. Nelson has another horrible game, completing 35% with 3 INTs against an average secondary. Only big plays by my defense (safety, 8 sacks, 4 INTs) helped me pull out a narrow 25-20 victory.

Let's tally the ugliness. In 2 games vs human coaches:

Fumbles: 6 (4 lost) vs opp 3 (1 lost)
Penalties: 17-128 vs opp 5-25
QB Nelson: 28-75, 413 yds, 3 TDs, 4 INTs

Time to change up some offensive schemes, aggressive settings, depth charts. Wish we had a better QB option, but Doss is simply Nelson Lite.

7/26/2012 8:36 AM

treymack

Game Rating: All Star Forum Rating: Prospect

Posts: 27 (0)

GD - 35

Game 4: Went up to Syracuse to visit an undefeated Orange squad. And today, the fumble gods were with me. A strong running game, led by Haley (112 yds, 1 TD) and Johnson (77 yds, 2 TDs), along with 4 recovered fumbles, key a 38-31 victory. Trailing by a TD with 11 minutes left, we get fumble recoveries deep in Orange territory on consecutive drives and convert both into TDs. QB Nelson still doesn't complete 50% (12-25, 165 yds, 1 INT, 1 TD) but holds on to the ball enough to keep us in the game. DL McCarthy continues to be a monster, with 7 tackles, 1 TFL, and 2 FF.

The game plan changes on offense seem to have worked, at least for a game. We'll see how it progresses against an equal San Jose State team tomorrow.

8/9/2012 8:20 AM

treyomo

Game Rating: Hall of Famer Forum Rating: Prospect

Posts: 310 (0)

MLB - 4 NBA - 4 NFL - 3 HD - 110 GD - 177 HBD - 2

The season ended with a whimper. With a chance to clinch the division title, we gave up 500+ yards in a bad loss to Michigan State, then got tromped by Georgia in a bowl game. The QB / WR play killed my season - overall completion rate under 50%, more INT than TDs, which surprised me, since the QB is a pretty good redshirt junior, and I had one very good WR and TE and several good RBs.

8/24/2012 8:28 AM

caesari

Game Rating: Hall of Famer Forum Rating: Prospect

Posts: 4130 (1)

HD - 23 GD - 48 HBD - 10

How's your recruiting class, trey?