Almost on script, WMU seems to implode late in the 2nd half of these Week 1 games and, I for one, am f4cking tired of it. It usually includes two to three picks, maybe on returned for a TD, and when we seem to be just in reach, the other team kicks us in the balls.
That's not true. Michigan, Nebraska and West Virginia jumped on us early
Seems like we implode early (i.e opponents 1st possession) after our defense gives up a 64 yd bomb that everyone and their brother knows is coming. Happens every time and I am really disappointed that we never seem prepared for it. And this years it is doubly worse because a supposed strength on our team is our secondary. Defense did ok yesterday overall but shame on them for putting us in the hole early.
(09-02-2012 06:07 AM)bronco1988 Wrote: [ -> ]And this years it is doubly worse because a supposed strength on our team is our secondary. Defense did ok yesterday overall but shame on them for putting us in the hole early.
can't agree with you on this one. This POS effort was totally on the O's ineffectiveness, IMO. Ugly effort by the "other strength" i.e. the O-line and the new WR's.
Since our D was serviceable, I do have a little faith this thing can, in fact, get turned around but this game was horrible. :cursin:
I suspect it has something to do with the fact that Game #1 is typically a "money game" against a BCS opponent on the road. Bottom line, their talent is better across the board and their resources are better. It's clearly an uphill battle every time we play one of these teams. Sometimes we're up to the challenge and sometimes we're not. Just to be honest, I'm surprised when MAC teams (including us) keep things as close as we do many times. It's just a reality that the differences between "them" and "us" are astounding.
(09-02-2012 08:17 AM)Broncos83 Wrote: [ -> ]I suspect it has something to do with the fact that Game #1 is typically a "money game" against a BCS opponent on the road. Bottom line, their talent is better across the board and their resources are better. It's clearly an uphill battle every time we play one of these teams. Sometimes we're up to the challenge and sometimes we're not. Just to be honest, I'm surprised when MAC teams (including us) keep things as close as we do many times. It's just a reality that the differences between "them" and "us" are astounding.
Give me a break '83. There was no "asounding" difference between WMU and Ill. We just played like crap. History shows that we typically have a better chance to beat BCS/B10 teams when we play them later in the season. Stop scheduling these opponents on the first game! We are revisiting the deffinition of insanity every year!
Sorry, but the opportunity to schedule these kinds of games late in the year are few and far between. Zook recruited some premier athletes on the defensive side of the ball for Illinois. I think they were 7th in the NCAA in yards allowed last year and returned several starters. I completely agree with you...we did play like crap. Bottom line, I wonder how many of our guys on the field yesterday had offers from a Big Ten team? Probably not many. Their is a talent gap for sure. Sometimes we are able to play through it.
There definitely is a talent gap. It was probably most evident in the front seven for Illinois yesterday. I don't think it's huge, in fact, the WMU defense might have had an advantage overall.
Motivation is probably the biggest single reason that WMU and other MAC teams struggle to win these games in openers. Ohio and to some degree NIU bucked that trend yesterday, but it's usually much more common to see the upsets in later games.
Quote:Give me a break '83. There was no "asounding" difference between WMU and Ill. We just played like crap.
No difference? What are you smoking?
The Big Ten Network alone pays each B10 school in the area of 15-20 million. That's our entire budget. You may have noticed that Penn State was given a 60 million dollar fine, and they responded with a collective yawn. If that happened to a MAC school they'd likely disband the apathetic programs altogether.
The disparity in money, facilities, branding, etc. is enormous.
There was a difference between WMU & Illinois -- but no, it wasn't the money. UofM has a bigger budget than MSU, but MSU has won the last 4 games. It was Illinois' way of breaking thru our O-Line, and the way we responded. We didn't. Our Offense folded.
Our D was about as good as you'd expect from a mid-range B10 team, although not by brute force. We're speedy, got to the ball, and definitely held our own. Say their starting QB didn't get injured near the 4th Q -- fine. Say instead of 250 yards given up, we give up 300. Pretty good D for any B10 team to hold (an assumed 7-5 or 8-4) Illinois to 300 yards who only has 1 turnover if your O is putting your D on the field all day.
Our D: B+
Our O: D - We didn't respond to the pressure and tough-hitting venue. We're going to see that from other teams, but not as often within a game as we saw against Illinois... but a good offense responds to that. Bad offenses choke (like we did). Hopefully it splashed cold water on our face and makes us be prepared to handle pressure in the right way. That combined with getting our receivers open -- and getting a running game going better -- we'll handle our own in Conference Play.
Dip....I was talking about talent not budget. In my mind there was no astounding difference in talent with ILL. We just couldn't execute. I counted 5 various dropped balls (receiver, punter, QB) in just the first half. We need to start to season with a cupcake to have a shot at these BCS programs. It's groundhog day every opening game.
Two series into the game, Hawkins was saying the physical disparities are evident and WMU would have to adjust their game plan. He would know, he coached many Boise teams against BCS programs that had bigger/better/faster horses.
Of course there is a difference, 83 is right on. But we give scholarships too, those guys are football players and gave it a good effort. When you play teams bigger, faster and stronger than you, it's tough to execute sometimes, especially when a couple of breaks go against you like a safety biting hard on the play action early in the game. There were a lot worse losses yesterday, totally enjoyed one of them.
While "anything can happen on a given Saturday," I think this type of game was the most likely scenario. We have the most inexperienced corps of receivers in years; our running game strikes gold only a few times per season, and generally not against tough Big Ten lines; and our defense was expected to improve. Put these things together, along with our typical opener slow starts, and this had all the makings of a lower scoring affair with some dysfunction on the offensive side of the ball.
As someone else said somewhere, it's up to Cubit to play our best receivers as they emerge, and if those receivers are freshmen and sophomores, then we need to go with the youth. Loyalty is nice, but if the upperclassmen aren't getting it down, then PT must dwindle for them.
Still obviously too early to tell if the growing pains will work themselves out quickly or if we're in for a long season. An assessment by early October should better tell us, and being ready for the MAC season is certainly key. In the meantime, Minnesota and UConn are winnable non-conference games and the scheduling gods were kind to us this year, but it wouldn't be terribly suprising if we went 0-fer-BCS.
There was a difference but it was hardly astounding. We shot ourselves in the foot too often to win. The difference in the Mich/Alab game to be was astounding given 2 BCS schools.
"We shot ourselves in the foot" - A lot of those bad choices and miscues came because of their physicality, they were pushing us around, flying to the ball, making big hits, messing up the timing of our offense, and they were well coached. They were all over that out route that resulting in a pic.
There was a difference, and it was relevant.
We did not implode. We got beat. Simple as that. Believe me as a 25 year Bronco I have seen some implosions and this was not one of them.
I am disappointed but not embarrassed.
(09-02-2012 09:20 AM)bronco89 Wrote: [ -> ]Dip....I was talking about talent not budget. In my mind there was no astounding difference in talent with ILL. We just couldn't execute. I counted 5 various dropped balls (receiver, punter, QB) in just the first half. We need to start to season with a cupcake to have a shot at these BCS programs. It's groundhog day every opening game.
There is a huge difference between illinois' front 7 and our OL. You can't simulate NFL type players pressuring the QB.
Our OL is still good...but asking them to pass block 50+ times against guys like that is an uphill task.
(09-02-2012 07:58 PM)EA3 Wrote: [ -> ]Our OL is still good...but asking them to pass block 50+ times against guys like that is an uphill task.
Especially when opponents know we won't make much if any of an effort to run the ball.
Why do we implode in week 1? BECAUSE WE ALWAYS PLAY A BCS SCHOOL THAT SHOULD BEAT US!!!!
Why dont people realize that? And why dont we realize that these games dont matter? It needs to be about winning the MAC.
(09-02-2012 09:30 PM)WheresWaldo42 Wrote: [ -> ]Why do we implode in week 1? BECAUSE WE ALWAYS PLAY A BCS SCHOOL THAT SHOULD BEAT US!!!!
Why dont people realize that? And why dont we realize that these games dont matter? It needs to be about winning the MAC.
Why can't we do both?