The Ladder 2011 Season Thread

[Kodos]

On to week 8.

This week's games are:


Buffalo at Louisiana Tech
Rice at Yale
USC at FIU
USF at San Jose State

Let me know if there are any Thanksgiving complications, and I'll move back the deadline.

[gstelmack]

We gave up an early pick-6 to SJSU, but that was all the scoring they managed. They did use the perfect AI pass defense quite a bit, I think it's "Cover 6" where they have 6 men in zone across the field, plus 2 deep safeties. Combined with the super-jump LB "feature", I could not complete much of anything because no matter where I wanted to throw on the field, someone was there to super-jump knock it down. So we started ramming the ball down their throats, plus got a pair of pick-6s ourselves to turn this into a blowout.

Also got a WR to commit.

[MacroGuru]

Yeah, went to play my game today...looks like my 11 year old played it for me...and boy...did I get my ass kicked,,

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

Yeah, went to play my game today...looks like my 11 year old played it for me...and boy...did I get my ass kicked,,

It sounds to me like someone else will be getting their ass kicked. Or at least will be grounded for 2 weeks.

[Kodos]

Silly kids.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

It sounds to me like someone else will be getting their ass kicked. Or at least will be grounded for 2 weeks.

Someone else is not allowed on the xbox for a few weeks.....I hope all these recruits realize they can come in and start and make this team better.

[Eaglesfan27]

I didn't get as much done in my Thanksgiving prep as I wanted last night. Might have to delay playing my game until Friday, but understand if you want to advance tonight as planned. I'm helping my girlfriend prepare for hosting my family which includes over 50 people. I'm hoping to get it all done and have a chance to relax and get the game in tonight.

[TRO]

50? egads! I thought my house was full at 20.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I didn't get as much done in my Thanksgiving prep as I wanted last night. Might have to delay playing my game until Friday, but understand if you want to advance tonight as planned. I'm helping my girlfriend prepare for hosting my family which includes over 50 people. I'm hoping to get it all done and have a chance to relax and get the game in tonight.

No worries. Just post here when you've played. 50 people.... yikes!

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by TRO

50? egads! I thought my house was full at 20.

Yep. My mother is 1 of 11 kids. Only 7 (counting my mother) are coming tomorrow. But, with their spouses, kids, and in some cases grandkids, it will be a big gathering tomorrow. I can't wait!

[Eaglesfan27]

Thanksgiving was great! Got the game in. Tough 1st half in which I only had a 21-20 lead, but we played much better in the 2nd half.

A 42-20 win over FIU.

[Kodos]

Week 9

There's a MAC-sized showdown this week in Bloomington, as the Hoosiers host the Jayhawks in a pivotal matchup.

Buffalo at North Texas
Kansas at Indiana
Utah State at Duke
Central Michigan at USF
UTEP at Rice
USC at UL Lafayette

[Kodos]

Hey Tro - when is a good time for you to play?

[gstelmack]

Had a tight first half against Central Michigan, with us kicking a pair of short field goals, plus throwing a BS interception at the goal line, one of those where the TE had two steps on the safety on a crossing route, the QB led him beautifully, and the safety made up the distance, causing the TE to stop running the route, jumped in front and made a beautiful diving stretch to grab the ball. I just have no idea who is actually open with this slider setup.

But we got rolling in the second half, grabbed some picks ourselves, and won. With a whole batch of recruits visiting a nice decisive win was important.

[chesapeake]

I think I throw a pick on just about every opening drive. It's uncanny. But the Blue Devil machine keeps rolling along.

[Eaglesfan27]

I played poorly but still beat ULL 28-10.

[Kodos]

Congrats to EF27 and his USC team for being the first ones to make the Top 25.

Week 9 Coaches Poll

Rank	Prev	TeamName	Wins	Losses	FPV	Points
1	1	Mississippi St  6	0	33	1497
2	2	Oklahoma	5	0	26	1442
3	3	Texas A&M	5	1	0	1244
4	5	Boise State	4	1	0	1225
5	7	Florida State	4	2	0	1123
6	8	Oregon		5	2	0	1078
7	13	Utah		4	0	2	1046
8	4	Wisconsin	4	2	0	1024
9	12	Arkansas	5	2	0	935
10	14	LSU		4	3	0	910
11	19	Miami		6	0	0	815
12	21	Texas		4	3	0	698
13	6	Baylor		4	1	0	678
14	9	Stanford	4	3	0	665
15	11	South Carolina	5	3	0	627
16	24	Michigan	4	1	0	566
17	10	Auburn		3	3	0	525
18	23	Iowa		5	1	0	482
19	28	Nebraska	4	3	0	448
20	26	USC		5	0	0	406
21	15	Michigan State	3	3	0	362
22	25	TCU		3	3	0	354
23	18	Virginia Tech	4	3	0	334
24	22	Texas Tech	3	1	0	299
25	27	West Virginia	6	2	0	279

[MacroGuru]

Yeah we suck...Lost 65-28 to North Texas....lord I hope my recruits sign soon...I need a ray of light here.

[Kodos]

I'm expecting a tough game tonight versus KU. I'd have to say they are a strong favorite to win.

[TRO]

This will be my first online game in the series, I just want to keep it close.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by TRO

This will be my first online game in the series, I just want to keep it close.

My first is up next when I get to take on the Duke juggernaut...

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by TRO

This will be my first online game in the series, I just want to keep it close.

Don't worry. Our offense hasn't exactly been a juggernaut thus far. If we win, it won't be in a blowout.

[cartman]

I thought I was going to be heading home tonight, but it won't be until tomorrow. I'll get my game in as soon as I get back.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by cartman

I thought I was going to be heading home tonight, but it won't be until tomorrow. I'll get my game in as soon as I get back.

Thanks for the heads up.

[Kodos]

Welp, in Game 1, Kansas scored a long TD on the last play of the 1st half to go into the break up 14-0. I believe it was 17-0 when TRO lost his connection. In the replay, the breaks mostly went my way, and we managed to win 21-6. The Jayhawks bogged down in our half of the field a couple times, so we were able to turn their good drives into field goals instead of touchdowns.

TRO, I feel bad that the disconnect likely cost you the game. I don't think I would have been able to come back on you. But I had a good time playing you, and look forward to our next matchup. Good luck the rest of the way.

[TRO]

No worries. Enjoyed the game as well.

The first one was likely getting out of hand as we just had a great rhythm going on both sides of the ball.

That second game, your defense figured us out and you controlled the ball well. The long pass play on my jailbreak blitz sealed it.

[Kodos]

Yeah, your blitzer got to my QB a fraction too late. My QB was hit immediately after the ball left his hand.


As a side note, how do people feel about using the Chew Clock option? I used it in the 4th quarter, and afterward thought maybe it isn't really fair to use it with only 8 minute quarters. Anyone have any thoughts?

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Kodos

As a side note, how do people feel about using the Chew Clock option? I used it in the 4th quarter, and afterward thought maybe it isn't really fair to use it with only 8 minute quarters. Anyone have any thoughts?

In single player I wait until 2 minutes left.

[TRO]

I felt like you used the same amount of clock before the 4th as you did in the 4th, so no complaints there.

I don't think I had nearly as many possessions as I'm used to, but I generally play a quicker tempo. You take your time picking your play.

In general, I generally chew clock at 2 min mark as well.

[Kodos]

Yeah, I think I started using it around the 5 or 6 minutes left mark. I'll restrict myself to using it until the last 2 minutes in the future.

I'm probably a slow play caller in general, but especially last night. I was using a custom playbook for the first time, so it took me a while to find stuff. The fact that I run a lot probably limited your number of possessions as well.

[cartman]

Well, crap. Some more stuff popped up today, and I didn't get finished at the client site. So I'm in Houston one more night. I'll definitely be home tomorrow afternoon to get my game done.

[Kodos]

Thanks for the heads up.

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

My first is up next when I get to take on the Duke juggernaut...

We're talking football, right?

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

We're talking football, right?

yes, fake football.

[cartman]

just got home. I'll get the recruiting and game started here in a few minutes.

[cartman]

That was an epic game! My QB was horrible in the first half, throwing 4 picks. We were down 35-7 in the 2nd Quarter. Got a score before halftime, and played much better in the 2nd half. My QB threw two more picks, but threw a TD with less than a minute left to take the lead 42-41. Got a couple of sacks to close out the game.

[Kodos]

We're on to Week 10, and the Game of the Week features Duke traveling to Tampa to take on USF in a Sun Belt showdown that will go a long way toward deciding who gets to move up The Ladder after the season!

I'm really pulling for Buffalo to get one in the win column this week in Memphis. Go Bulls!

#20 Duke (6-0) at South Florida (5-1)
#15 USC (6-0) at Arkansas State (4-3)
Washington State (4-2) at Indiana (5-1)
Tulane (3-4) at Rice (5-1)
Kansas (4-2) at Ball State (3-3)
Buffalo (0-6) at Memphis (1-5)

[Kodos]

Week 10 Coaches Poll

Duke is the second team to break into the Top 25 list, and USC moves up to 15.

Rank	Prev	TeamName	Wins	Losses	FPV	Points
1	1	Mississippi St	7	0	34	1498
2	2	Oklahoma	6	0	26	1441
3	3	Texas A&M	6	1	0	1274
4	4	Boise State	5	1	0	1200
5	5	Florida State	5	2	0	1198
6	11	Miami		7	0	1	1111
7	10	LSU		5	3	0	1030
8	9	Arkansas	5	2	0	1021
9	15	South Carolina	6	3	0	915
10	6	Oregon		5	3	0	787
11	16	Michigan	5	1	0	770
12	7	Utah		4	1	0	732
13	8	Wisconsin	4	3	0	703
14	21	Michigan State	4	3	0	685
15	20	USC		6	0	0	672
16	13	Baylor		4	2	0	635
17	23	Virginia Tech	5	3	0	470
18	24	Texas Tech	4	1	0	455
19	12	Texas		4	4	0	419
20	26	Duke		6	0	0	412
21	30	Ohio State	4	4	0	391
22	18	Iowa		5	2	0	347
23	28	Oklahoma State	4	4	0	242
24	14	Stanford	4	4	0	234
25	38	Pittsburgh	5	2	0	230

[gstelmack]

chesapeke: I can play most nights from 8:30 Eastern (once kids are in bed), with 10:00 Eastern being the latest I could start a game. Does that time frame work for you, or do we need to try something else?

[gstelmack]

And disappointed at how many recruits are choosing not to sign. Question: once a kid gets to 100%, is there any reason to keep calling him, or should I start spending time elsewhere until he makes up his mind?

[Kodos]

Indiana pitches the shutout against the visiting Washington State Cougars, 14-0. It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win. Go Hoosiers!

[MacroGuru]

I guess I really, really suck at playing this game...1-5 Memphis beat me...

I did pick up 2 softs commits and a hard commit (JUCO RB)

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

chesapeke: I can play most nights from 8:30 Eastern (once kids are in bed), with 10:00 Eastern being the latest I could start a game. Does that time frame work for you, or do we need to try something else?

I can be on tonight or tomorrow night at between 9:30 and 9:45 PM EST -- whichever works better for you. My xbox handle is Chesapeake1.

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

And disappointed at how many recruits are choosing not to sign. Question: once a kid gets to 100%, is there any reason to keep calling him, or should I start spending time elsewhere until he makes up his mind?

I always keep calling until I get a hard commit. I have never lost a player once I get a hard commitment -- I don't think it is possible. I have typically scaled back the time I spend on him if no other school is going after him.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by chesapeake

I can be on tonight or tomorrow night at between 9:30 and 9:45 PM EST -- whichever works better for you. My xbox handle is Chesapeake1.

I should be able to get on tonight at 9:30 Eastern. And if that doesn't work we'll try again tomorrow.

[gstelmack]

My game with Duke was tighter than the score showed. Early on it was all defense, with each team mustering a FG drive late in the first half to enter the locker room 3-3. Duke had a nice long drive early in the 3rd quarter to go up, then RB Frye broke the one long run he gets each game to set up a USF quick TD to answer. The INT bug then bit Duke, and we got set up deep in Duke territory for a short TD drive. We tacked on a FG in the fourth, then got the icing TD after Duke had to go for it on 4th down from their own 11 and failed.

We held Duke's RB Manning in check, but he got his TE rolling for some nice catches. We had a super-jumping LB kill one of his drives, and got a handful of sacks when his C and RG decided to just let my DT run free after maybe a brushoff. My RB Frye got his one nice run after breaking some tackles, but was otherwise kept in check, while my QB hit some very key throws when we really needed them to sustain drives and score points.

All around it was a fun game to play, and chesapeake was a great opponent. That one INT deep in his end was the big turning point in the game.

[chesapeake]

You played a great game. That pass rush kept me off-balance and caused me to make some quick decisions that ended badly.

[Kodos]

Week 10 Results

#20 Duke 10, South Florida 27
#15 USC 38, Arkansas State 28
Washington State 0, Indiana 14
Tulane 17, Rice 45
Kansas 31, Ball State 28
Buffalo 41, Memphis 59

[Kodos]

Welcome to Week 11! As the regular season heads into the final stretch, here is our slate of games:

UTEP (3-4) at #12 USC (7-0)
#23 Duke (6-1) at Florida Atlantic (5-3)
Toledo (5-4) at USF (6-1)
Arkansas State (4-4) at Rice (6-1)
Memphis (2-5) at Indiana (6-1)
Kansas (5-2) at Kent State (4-3)
Washington State (4-3) at Buffalo (0-7)

[Kodos]

Week 11 Coaches Poll

Another win will likely propel USC into the Top 10. Duke stays in the Top 25 despite stumbling against USF in Week 10.

Rank	Prev	Team Name	Wins	Losses	FPV	Points
1	1	Mississippi St	8	0	36	1500
2	2	Oklahoma	7	0	22	1467
3	6	Miami		8	0	3	1231
4	3	Texas A&M	7	1	0	1214
5	7	LSU		6	3	0	1168
6	5	Florida State	6	2	0	1134
7	8	Arkansas	6	2	0	1048
8	9	South Carolina	6	3	0	987
9	11	Michigan	6	1	0	930
10	4	Boise State	5	2	0	882
11	13	Wisconsin	5	3	0	850
12	15	USC		7	0	0	844
13	16	Baylor		5	2	0	754
14	18	Texas Tech	5	1	0	681
15	22	Iowa		5	2	0	532
16	26	Auburn		4	4	0	517
17	10	Oregon		5	4	0	517
18	12	Utah		4	2	0	507
19	24	Stanford	5	4	0	451
20	25	Pittsburgh	6	2	0	440
21	28	Georgia Tech	7	1	0	343
22	27	Nebraska	4	4	0	342
23	20	Duke		6	1	0	304
24	32	TCU		4	4	0	300
25	17	Virginia Tech	5	4	0	292