Illinois State

[SidelineObserver]

Re: Illinois State

http://hartleyshuddle.wordpress.com/...isappointment/

Another preview with Coach Stig leading up to the Illinois State game. Practice has been really intense this week, as both the coaches and players have turned up the intensity this week. For the most part, everyone is healthy. Justin Mitchell has still been limited by his shoulder injury and Dirk Kool has practiced all week. For those with kids, there is a youth football clinic in the afternoon with the freshmen before the game. It should be a good week because the BHS football team won't tear up the field Friday night.

Prediction for the Cereal Bowl:

ISU 8
SDSU 43
Crowd: 14,369

[1stRowFANatic]

Re: Illinois State

I know that it has often been discussed, but I am still unconvinced that a 7-4 record will get us in the playoffs, even with the expanded field. If it comes down to us or a team out east for an at-large bid, Delaware game really hurts.

[goon]

Re: Illinois State

I know that it has often been discussed, but I am still unconvinced that a 7-4 record will get us in the playoffs, even with the expanded field. If it comes down to us or a team out east for an at-large bid, Delaware game really hurts.

take away the 1st qtr, and its not as awful as it seems. Losing to a team that prolly makes the playoffs does not hurt in my book. If they were last in the confrence that would be awful but to lose to them is respectable, we just did not have a good showing.

[jackmd]

Re: Illinois State

take away the 1st qtr, and its not as awful as it seems. Losing to a team that prolly makes the playoffs does not hurt in my book. If they were last in the confrence that would be awful but to lose to them is respectable, we just did not have a good showing.

I don't think there was anything quality about the loss to Delaware. SDSU lost out on a huge opportunity to gain respect from the east coast and especially the northeast FCS contingent. They are the ones who run the show when it comes to polling and playoff selections. The only way that loss doesn't hurt badly is if Delaware finishes right at the top of the CAA and doesn't suffer any bad OOC losses. There is no guarantee that either of those things will happen.

Next, none of us know what this team really has right now. Without a great performance on Saturday and perhaps even with one, no one can say with any certainty that we have a playoff caliber team. The loss last week just leaves too many critical questions unanswered.

So, we have to win on Saturday if indeed the goal is to make the playoffs. Stig said exactly that on WNAX this morning. He also said he isn't sure how good the team is but he expects the best effort each individual can give, players and coaches. We didn't see that last week.

In the end, you play to win the game regardless of who you are playing. Each week the goal is 1-0. I don't think Stig would call any football game a "must win" in the true sense of that meaning but he did say we have to win Saturday if this team expects to make the playoffs.

[goon]

Re: Illinois State

I don't think there was anything quality about the loss to Delaware. SDSU lost out on a huge opportunity to gain respect from the east coast and especially the northeast FCS contingent. They are the ones who run the show when it comes to polling and playoff selections. The only way that loss doesn't hurt badly is if Delaware finishes right at the top of the CAA and doesn't suffer any bad OOC losses. There is no guarantee that either of those things will happen.

Next, none of us know what this team really has right now. Without a great performance on Saturday and perhaps even with one, no one can say with any certainty that we have a playoff caliber team. The loss last week just leaves too many critical questions unanswered.

So, we have to win on Saturday if indeed the goal is to make the playoffs. Stig said exactly that on WNAX this morning. He also said he isn't sure how good the team is but he expects the best effort each individual can give, players and coaches. We didn't see that last week.

In the end, you play to win the game regardless of who you are playing. Each week the goal is 1-0. I don't think Stig would call any football game a "must win" in the true sense of that meaning but he did say we have to win Saturday if this team expects to make the playoffs.

Its also to early to say this one loss defines our season. Very easily we can finish with a record like last year and this game is a distant memory. I guess I am not to worried about it at this point. Calling games must win puts unneeded pressure on the team if you ask me. Your right it has to many questions left unaswered, but we can not assume it will end poorly. I will wait to hold judgment untill later. If this game ISU RED is a bad loss, I will change my tune, but a nice win and We are 1-1 which is probably were most thought we would be. Needing a win, and a must win I guess are different in my book.

[jackmd]

Re: Illinois State

Its also to early to say this one loss defines our season. Very easily we can finish with a record like last year and this game is a distant memory. I guess I am not to worried about it at this point. Calling games must win puts unneeded pressure on the team if you ask me. Your right it has to many questions left unaswered, but we can not assume it will end poorly. I will wait to hold judgment untill later. If this game ISU RED is a bad loss, I will change my tune, but a nice win and We are 1-1 which is probably were most thought we would be. Needing a win, and a must win I guess are different in my book.

I agree. I hope last week was not an indication of anything more than the fact we didn't seem prepared for UD. Its a new game and I expect a much better result. That said, plenty of people anticipated a much better showing than we got last week and I advise caution when predicting a big blowout. I think we're going to see a hard fought battle between an establish conference member and the upstart Jackrabbits. They'll certainly be fired up and wanting to knock us off.

[goon]

Re: Illinois State

I agree. I hope last week was not an indication of anything more than the fact we didn't seem prepared for UD. Its a new game and I expect a much better result. That said, plenty of people anticipated a much better showing than we got last week and I advise caution when predicting a big blowout. I think we're going to see a hard fought battle between an establish conference member and the upstart Jackrabbits. They'll certainly be fired up and wanting to knock us off.

Agreed. 2 teams are both looking at this game as being very important to their season. My feeling is, as long as we improve and get the win, I really don't care how it looks. There are several areas that need improvement. Offensive cohesion is the one I am most concerned about. I feel the D will be ready, they are a passing team by most accounts and I feel or secondary will be ready for the challenge, allowing the Dline and linebackers to wreck havoc up front. The whole team has a lot to prove this game.

[rabidrabbit]

Re: Illinois State

I know that it has often been discussed, but I am still unconvinced that a 7-4 record will get us in the playoffs, even with the expanded field. If it comes down to us or a team out east for an at-large bid, Delaware game really hurts.

If both UD and SDSU are 7-4, SDSU would get picked over UD, even though UD won the head to head. Why? because, SDSU has NO NON-COUNTER games. UD's West Chester game is a non-counter. Most teams have a non-counter on their season. Including several that have the win over an FBS team. (I'm looking at the Big South teams here). With Jacks, a 7 win season is 7 FCS wins, and will include a 6-2 MVFC slate. As long as Jacks are either a co-champ, or a runner-up, we should fair well with the selection committee. We'll need at least one win over a top 15 team. Right now, that would be UNI & SIU. By the time we get to Nov. that may be Mo St or NDSU, or even UND.

The key, like always is to be 1-0 each week. Get in, get the win, and keep going.

IL St is a game the Jacks really cannot afford to loss.

[SpeedRabbit]

Re: Illinois State

http://hartleyshuddle.wordpress.com/...isappointment/

Another preview with Coach Stig leading up to the Illinois State game. Practice has been really intense this week, as both the coaches and players have turned up the intensity this week. For the most part, everyone is healthy. Justin Mitchell has still been limited by his shoulder injury and Dirk Kool has practiced all week. For those with kids, there is a youth football clinic in the afternoon with the freshmen before the game. It should be a good week because the BHS football team won't tear up the field Friday night.

Prediction for the Cereal Bowl:

ISU 8
SDSU 43
Crowd: 14,369

Hopefully Kool can go.. Mitchell always has something wrong.. I believe it is a must win. To be in the game against Nebraska next week let alone win it would take a miracle and we all know how tough UNI is at home. So we have to have this game!

[sfjacksfan99]

Re: Illinois State

I know that it has often been discussed, but I am still unconvinced that a 7-4 record will get us in the playoffs, even with the expanded field. If it comes down to us or a team out east for an at-large bid, Delaware game really hurts.

I agree with this quite a bit. It was stated on here that 2 of the 4 "new" bids are for conferences now getting a bid that did not before. I think that was verified to be true. So there's only two more bids. The CAA & BSC are going to be tough for the additional bids and this also opens the door for UC-Davis and Cal Poly getting a bid now they have not gotten before. Poly's been left out at least once that I can remember. I don't blame them one bit for jumping ship to the BSC.

I would say 7-4 is less than 50% chance the Jacks get in. A couple of scenarios to get in with 7 wins would be: they lose all three OOC games and are 7-1 in the conference and alone in 2nd place. This might also be iffy due to that game at the end of the year I've b*tched about from the word go would then be a loss leaving a sour note in the selection committee's mind. But the Valley appears to not be so weak in the bottom 1/4 like we've been seeing, so I can't see the second place team not getting in. The other, better, chance of getting in at 7-4 would be a win against the Cornyuckers. Let's admit it, the chances of that are slim.

Oh yeah Jacks...Control both lines of scrimmage just go kick their @SS tomorrow night.

[jackmd]

Re: Illinois State

Oh yeah Jacks...Control both lines of scrimmage just go kick their @SS tomorrow night.

This.

[Jacked_Up]

Re: Illinois State

How you finish is probably more important than how you start. Unless you start by thumping a conference foe like Southern Illinois. But I agree that beating Illinois State is crucial to having a respectable year, playoffs or no playoffs, especially in a season with only five home games.

[Theee Catrabbit]

Re: Illinois State

I know that it has often been discussed, but I am still unconvinced that a 7-4 record will get us in the playoffs, even with the expanded field. If it comes down to us or a team out east for an at-large bid, Delaware game really hurts.

1stRowfanatic I get your skepticism...but if you hop on some of the FCS sites and boards, the educated fans know how difficult SDSU's schedule is, and most have said if SDSU goes 7-4 they will make the playoffs, because "that's a man's schedule" was the best description I've heard so far. Me personally? I'm confident we still roll with only 2 losses.

[1stRowFANatic]

Re: Illinois State

I've been on the boards and I get what they are saying. However, really only two additional at-large spots from last year. And as the good Doc said, the big power seems to be in the northeast, and we have an embarrassing loss as opposed to a "good" loss there. I am not sure two conference losses will have us finishing in 2nd place alone in the conference (it may be tied for first), but I am not sure that we will get chosen over another MVFC team. I highly doubt that the MVFC will get both of the extra at-large bids. I think we are capable of getting two quality road wins, and I think that would do it. I keep telling myself to remember that I thought Jim Thome wouldn't have a big impact on the Twins.

[sfjacksfan99]

Re: Illinois State

Brrrrrrr! Did I wake up this morning to October 18? Maybe it's Il St that brings this weather. I seem to recall one of the most fun games I've ever been to was two years ago against these guys. 40 degrees, 20 mph wind, 6" snow the night before, Ryan Berry...amazing!

According to TV's article this morning, the Redbirds have been very suspect against the pass the first two games (over 400 ypg). I think I would rather of had their defensive struggles be against the run. If TOB has to throw the ball to win this game, he needs to come out and look like a QB who's starting his 7th(?) game, not first game. Ice water in his veins, just like the clinching drive against UNI last year. Obviously he needs to have cooperation from his receivers, wear your stick-um today guys.

I'm nervous, but confident. 31-20 Jacks.