The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Well I'm not at all thrilled with our performance on Saturday, but it's a new week which means a new game. Pay back time if you ask me. Let's hope we're ready.

I'll be in attendance @ towson. I'm just hoping that the bye week had us a little rusty. although thats flawed logic b/c we were up 14-0. I don't know what to take away from the 'nova game. I fear that RB from Towson is going to gash us and it'll be up to TH to save us again.

I was planning on going, but found some tickets to the NWCA All-star meet on Nov. 2, so I'll have to pass. Too many road trips in this short a time span burns all my equity at home. Besides, after watching that mess on Saturday, not sure I want to see the sequel with West & Co. Hope I'm wrong.

Until we start hearing about defensive changes, I'm not seeing a win here.

Towson managed to slide past a slumping (but better than their record) Maine team and every game has potential playoff implications for the Tigers. They're going to jump out of the gate hungry and looking to step on us on their way back to the playoffs. If they manage to limit Heinicke's effectiveness, there goes our potential shootout victory. If our defense can't turn the corner, there goes any potential victory.

I still remember Towson running around the field after last years' win taunting the crowd. One of their defensive backs even went as far as flipping us off as he went running to the locker room. I really hope we pull the upset and get some payback.

I'll be at this game. And yes, this would be a nice road win for us if we can pull it off.

This might be the most important game of the year. We loose and we have ZERO breathing room, because three (3) losses and we have no assurances of making the playoffs. So a second loss means we have to win out the rest of the season.....with no injuries or illnesses coming out of nowhere.

We need to score big in the first quarter. We have 3 quarters with no scoring....and that trend will end pronto.

You could have seen another team (at the FBS level) loose in a big game (unexpectedly)....WV against Texas Tech. It happens. Wilder, his staff, and the players have the gut check and pride to bring home a 'W" !!

Towson's running game is mostly power in "your face". Last year, with Cameron anchoring our very good D line that style was not a issue. Last year we didn't tackle well in the defensive backfield. Last year we were undisciplined as to pursuit and gap coverage.
This year have those same issues; plus the loss of the leadership and tremendous athleticism of Ronnie Cameron.

This will be our first real test against an old school style this year, and it will foreshadow how we handle UD and JMU.

I don't have any feel for this at all; heck I haven't really gotten a handle on the offensive collapse vs 'Nova.

Hopefully, this serves as a wake up call a bit. Im hoping we just got a little ahead of ourselves and ready for some payback.

We still control our destiny and I'm thinking Heinicke has some redemption.

4th and 29, otherwise know as the miracle on 49th street. Should be written all over the locker room and on every players hand as they take the field Saturday.

Excellent point. The team can't slip up for a single moment if they want to win this game.

(10-15-2012 10:37 AM)Old Dominion Navy Wrote:  Until we start hearing about defensive changes, I'm not seeing a win here.

OK. Let me preface this with the fact that I am not an expert on our personnel, so don't everybody jump me. Consider this a concept, and one that, in my opinion, should have been considered for implementation during the bye week.

As a defensive end, Alex Arain is a great linebacker. He started as a safety for gosh sakes.

The other DEs;
Colbert, like Arain is a natutral linebacker.
McLaughlin, and Johnson are too small. Preston Smith and Darius Wilkins are typical and true DEs. (again, I may have missed someone)

Here is what I would do:
Move Arain and Colbert back to LB (where they belong) with Craig Wilkins and a 4th (who is the best?) linebacker.
Put Preston Smith (a very good pass rusher for a big guy) and Darius Wilkins (a freshman but potentially a beast) at the ends.

Run a 4-4-3. (and pray no one gets hurt, because man, are we thin on the defensive line. We might even consider moving a fast O lineman or two to d line...or is it a little late in the season for that.?)

With this scheme, we should be able to maintain our gap coverage, contain screen passes, stop end runs (they have been killing us both straight up and as part of the option), and contain a running QB.

Make 'em pass. At least IF an opponent DOES pass successfully, we will get the ball back.

I have confidence in our ability to prevail in a shootout.

Good luck Monarchs.

Go hit them like Bobby Bushay...

(10-15-2012 06:40 PM)ODUalum78 Wrote:  

(10-15-2012 10:37 AM)Old Dominion Navy Wrote:  Until we start hearing about defensive changes, I'm not seeing a win here.

OK. Let me preface this with the fact that I am not an expert on our personnel, so don't everybody jump me. Consider this a concept, and one that, in my opinion, should have been considered for implementation during the bye week.

As a defensive end, Alex Arain is a great linebacker. He started as a safety for gosh sakes.

The other DEs;
Colbert, like Arain is a natutral linebacker.
McLaughlin, and Johnson are too small. Preston Smith and Darius Wilkins are typical and true DEs. (again, I may have missed someone)

Here is what I would do:
Move Arain and Colbert back to LB (where they belong) with Craig Wilkins and a 4th (who is the best?) linebacker.
Put Preston Smith (a very good pass rusher for a big guy) and Darius Wilkins (a freshman but potentially a beast) at the ends.

Run a 4-4-3. (and pray no one gets hurt, because man, are we thin on the defensive line. We might even consider moving a fast O lineman or two to d line...or is it a little late in the season for that.?)

With this scheme, we should be able to maintain our gap coverage, contain screen passes, stop end runs (they have been killing us both straight up and as part of the option), and contain a running QB.

Make 'em pass. At least IF an opponent DOES pass successfully, we will get the ball back.

I have confidence in our ability to prevail in a shootout.

Actually, Arain started as a WR.
I don't know what the answer is on defense, but to me, it seems we are too aggressive to make a big play. Our DE's pinch down so hard that it is too easy to get around them to the outside. Our MLB's dive into the line too early and miss the open gaps. Our Safety's are too quick to come in for run support that they allow receivers behind them many more times than they should. I think we run too many stunts on the D line.
It seems to me we need to read and react more and not allow them to exploit our aggressiveness. We rarely defend the pass. When a pass is incomplete, it is either a bad throw or a dropped catch. It is rarely batted down. We just don't have that many good throwing QB's on our schedule where we need to make it any easier for them and allow them to run, or get outside of our DE's. Keep them in the pocket and let them throw the ball. Keep the receivers in front of us. Go to the ball when it is thrown.
I think we just need to simplify things and force the opposing QB's to execute.

I actually think offense determines the winner of this one. We have been off track and out of sync since the 2nd half of the Richmond game. Had a couple of big plays at the beginning of the Nova game, but we have really gone about 6 quarters since we have had a long, sustained drive. If we don't get our offense going again, we aren't going to win this, even if the defense does as well as reasonably can be expected with this group. Bottom line, we need 5 TDs to have a chance, maybe 4 if the defense plays as well as they can.

(10-16-2012 01:21 AM)The Flagship Wrote:  

(10-15-2012 06:40 PM)ODUalum78 Wrote:  

(10-15-2012 10:37 AM)Old Dominion Navy Wrote:  Until we start hearing about defensive changes, I'm not seeing a win here.

OK. Let me preface this with the fact that I am not an expert on our personnel, so don't everybody jump me. Consider this a concept, and one that, in my opinion, should have been considered for implementation during the bye week.

As a defensive end, Alex Arain is a great linebacker. He started as a safety for gosh sakes.

The other DEs;
Colbert, like Arain is a natutral linebacker.
McLaughlin, and Johnson are too small. Preston Smith and Darius Wilkins are typical and true DEs. (again, I may have missed someone)

Here is what I would do:
Move Arain and Colbert back to LB (where they belong) with Craig Wilkins and a 4th (who is the best?) linebacker.
Put Preston Smith (a very good pass rusher for a big guy) and Darius Wilkins (a freshman but potentially a beast) at the ends.

Run a 4-4-3. (and pray no one gets hurt, because man, are we thin on the defensive line. We might even consider moving a fast O lineman or two to d line...or is it a little late in the season for that.?)

With this scheme, we should be able to maintain our gap coverage, contain screen passes, stop end runs (they have been killing us both straight up and as part of the option), and contain a running QB.

Make 'em pass. At least IF an opponent DOES pass successfully, we will get the ball back.

I have confidence in our ability to prevail in a shootout.

Actually, Arain started as a WR.
I don't know what the answer is on defense, but to me, it seems we are too aggressive to make a big play. Our DE's pinch down so hard that it is too easy to get around them to the outside. Our MLB's dive into the line too early and miss the open gaps. Our Safety's are too quick to come in for run support that they allow receivers behind them many more times than they should. I think we run too many stunts on the D line.
It seems to me we need to read and react more and not allow them to exploit our aggressiveness. We rarely defend the pass. When a pass is incomplete, it is either a bad throw or a dropped catch. It is rarely batted down. We just don't have that many good throwing QB's on our schedule where we need to make it any easier for them and allow them to run, or get outside of our DE's. Keep them in the pocket and let them throw the ball. Keep the receivers in front of us. Go to the ball when it is thrown.
I think we just need to simplify things and force the opposing QB's to execute.

Agree and disagree.

That Arain began as a WR even before he became a safety reinforces my point.
Yes the linebackers are too quick to penetrate vertically.
I think our safeties come in because at some point in the play they have to.
However, except for the stunts, we are about as simple conceptually as it gets.

From what I saw our DE's were overpowered and boxed in during the Nova game. It wasn't that they were pinching down.

Look, we started a 205 lb freshman(Andrew Everett) who ought to be a WR, at one side, and a 225 TE/LB (Alex Johnson) at the other. (Height at 6'5" is good, but at 205 Everett is small even for a college linebacker, much less a DE)

In the 'Nova game, our most effective pass rush was generated by CB Reggie Owens on blitzes, and I think that is ok.

But as a scheme; we basically have 2 outside linbackers, not defensive ends; great for dropping them back into short pass coverage, or running around the OL to put pressure on a pocket QB. Curiously, this is not very far removed from the Bill Dee "2 down linemen" scheme that Razor mentioned.

This defense is a pass scheme, not a run scheme.


As I said, we need to contain the run and make 'em pass.

We gotta send Towson to 3-4.

That is all...

(10-15-2012 11:42 AM)gilla Wrote:  This might be the most important game of the year. We loose and we have ZERO breathing room, because three (3) losses and we have no assurances of making the playoffs. So a second loss means we have to win out the rest of the season.....with no injuries or illnesses coming out of nowhere.

I think ODU fans are a little overly pessimistic about reaching the playoffs. I would personally be a little surprised to see ODU finish worse than 9-2, but you would certainly make the playoffs at 8-3 and probably even 7-4. It's not at all uncommon for a 7-4 CAA team to get a bid, so there's no way an 8-3 ODU team would be left out.

well, after the beat down we just took I think most ODU fans are pretty pessimistic about everything relating to football right about now...however, I agree with you to a point. if our losses are to Towson and JMU and we beat everyone else (Del, WM and GSU) then you're right, we're probably in. we slip up in any of the other games and finish 7-4 we could be on the outside looking in. so if we're 7-3 and headed to Harrisonburg that game will become even bigger than it already is.