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10-25-2009, 05:25 PM
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#1 | ||||
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Here We Go W-Y-O (NCAA10 Dynasty)
I sometimes like to just take a weekend and try to see if I can achieve some interesting thing. Long term dynasties are fun, but can be hard to keep interest in. We'll see how this goes, though.
So I've decided to create an NCAA custom dynasty off-line that has some custom conferences and takes 12 regular teams and inserts 12 different ones into the mix, as well. I'm taking over the University of Wyoming Cowboys, but I made them a created team so I could use a larger stadium than War Memorial since it's so small. (I took the UCLA version of the Rose Bowl and put a bunch of custom sounds on the game for the first time, too.) With the conference changes I made, it was in the interest of keeping things interesting to me. I recognize that the change I've made will be considered blasphemy to some, but they don't have to play my dynasty, I do. If I wanted to replicate real life in any real way, I'd turn on the TV and bore myself to tears week to week with the status quo. So...with that out of the way, here's what we've got. SCHOOLS REPLACED ---- Quote:
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I put Wyoming in the Big 12 because I don't want to switch teams the whole time I play and I wanted an alternate universe where the Pokes could actually be a competitive team in a competitive league. So that's explains that, I really wanted to alter the landscape of things a bit to see 1) how fun it would be and 2) whether or not we'd have any semblance of success. Last edited by Young Drachma : 10-25-2009 at 07:09 PM. |
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10-25-2009, 05:27 PM
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#2 | |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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In any case, our first-year schedule of course is a minefield. No easy games at all. Our motto for season one is "No Days Off."
I'm playing with Playmakers Varsity sliders. I used to always play on Heisman, but I've been following the progress of those and decided it'd be a better way to try to play. I love that, even though I replaced UW with my own Wyoming team in a new stadium, the game says everything as if it were the actual team, even introducing you to the War Memorial Stadium even though it's a different one. That's a lot of fun. So had loading all of the sounds to get them to play in-game. I hadn't ever tried it until now, but it really adds a dimension to the game. I think rather than recap each game -- which can be demanding and make it harder for me to get immersed in what I'm doing, I'm going to do recaps of seasons at a time. It'll be more interesting to read that way, too. Or I'll post when I have interesting things to say around the season and try to mix it up. Quote:
Last edited by Young Drachma : 10-25-2009 at 05:45 PM. |
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10-25-2009, 05:28 PM
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#3 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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By the time Week 4 came, all of the challenges of running a team that seems like a contender, but is really a pretender becomes really apparent. We simply do not have the personnel to really execute in the ways that we'd want to.
Our main hope for this first season was to get to a bowl game, period. But getting to 6 or 7 wins was not going to be an easy task, given the minefield that is our schedule going forward, which is partially why we scheduled creampuffs early in the year and even with those teams, we had some issues initially. That said, we went into the Minnesota game 3-0, but I knew it wouldn't last there. The Gophers might not be Big 10 anymore, but they played with a mighty chip on their shoulder and as if they had a lot to prove coming into Laramie in front of the hometown faithful at War Memorial. With this team I learned quickly, that field goals are like touchdowns. When you get in scoring position, take the points -- don't take risks. I guess I don't play with enough bad teams to really understand the importance of that, but this team made me realize that pretty quickly, as did the new settings. I'm not much of a scheme guy, I really am pretty straightforward as it relates to calling my plays, etc., but...with this team, you start to find new ways to be inventive, again, without the personnel to really implement the sort of offense you're looking to put together. The result, learning to make play action your friend. I'm way more of a spread, dropback, four wideouts on the wings kind of guy, but...I learned pretty fast how that would go. Here's evidence of it. With 55 seconds left in the 2nd quarter against Minnesota at home, Justin Noble threw a pas that Jeremy Rushing took for 95 yards to score our first TD of the game and put us down 14-7 to Minnesota. I waffled a bit about the decision to move Rushing out of the QB spot, but the deal was simple. I have no real receivers, but I had two equally competent QBs. Rushing can run the option really well, but when teams start to pick up on it, it didn't help much and so, I decided having him on the outside would probably be the only way for me to implement my offense with this squad. That video was the only highlight of that game, as we lost it 31-16 for our first loss of the year. During the bye week, I looked at our schedule and really sorta lost my mind. I mean, we're not going to have any breaks. At all. None. There isn't even a fluke win in there where I go, "all right, we can make that happen." The team looked like absolute crap against Minnesota and the game got out of hand so quickly that it was hard to really know what to think about them. That said, this schedule -- even as hard as it is -- is a lot more interesting than facing off against the likes of what the Mountain West would've offered had I kept things completely status quo or if I'd left Wyoming there and made them work their way up. I like this better, we get to settle in and to play teams I've always wanted the Pokes to play like Nebraska, Colorado and Boise State, the latter of two, they've played before, but it's not that often an occurence. My goal at the beginning of the year? A bowl game. ANY bowl game, would be a coup for a team that's just not very good and has beleaguered personnel. We're just terrible. Have I said that enough yet? It's going to be coaching that gets us through this season, because it sure ain't going to be a whole heck of a lot of talent. So I dunno what to do, exactly. I need to find a better playbook, because I've been using West Virginia, but it's not very good and I just don't know which one will work for a team that has one good receiver, a QB with a decent arm but no real guys who can catch much and a running back with some ability, but isn't going to burn your face off with his speed. I think I'm gonna run some practice with the Tulsa playbook and see if that works for me a little better and maybe putting rushing back in that QB spot, so I can run the option some. |
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10-25-2009, 06:32 PM
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#4 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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SEASON NOTES
---------------- WEEK 7: TCU This game proved that we could win, when we put our minds to it. Oh and when we run Jeremy Rushing for a school record 297 yards and 2 TDs on 35 carries. TCU proved early they had absolutely no answer for him and so, I kept trying to use him as much as I could, for as long as it would work. We actually had two field goal attempts and our stupid kicker missed them both or else, we'd have had control of this one a lot earlier. Rushing was also 6 of 9 for 108 yards passing. It was tight at the end, we tried to onside kick (since the game has no squid) they recovered and naturally scored on their first drive, but we recovered their onside, to seal the game, barely. But I think this game proved we could win. The kids went into it believing that TCU was beatable. I dunno if it's because they recognized them from the MWC or what, but they were confident all week in practice they could get the work done and the home crowd basically made it 24-21 win for us, but hey, a win is a win, right? Next week, we get #20 BYU at home. We're 4-2 and I don't know that I thought we would've been that when the season started. I mean, we could've easily have lost two of our first three games this year. So, I have no qualms about being in this position. Can we win two more games and go 6-6? I dunno. We'd need another TCU game to make that happen. Our schedule going forward is full of ranked teams. BYU (20), Nebraska (12), Oklahoma (1) , Boise State (7), Colorado (24) are all ranked and so, there aren't any freebies at all. We'll need to beat BYU, expose Boise State and hope Arkansas really isn't any good (and possibly Colorado) to get into a decent bowl game and we'll probably need 3 of those to get into a Bowl game, and two for sure. Not one of them is a gimmie, but then, TCU wasn't a game I thought we'd win, so...we'll just have to see what comes together. |
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10-25-2009, 06:32 PM
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#5 | |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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SEASON 1 SCHEDULE
Quote:
Last edited by Young Drachma : 10-25-2009 at 08:33 PM. |
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10-25-2009, 06:47 PM
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#6 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Osaka, Japan via Honolulu, Hawaii via Birmingham, Alabama
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So let me get this straight... West Virginia is in the Southeastern Conference, the Big 10 has eleven teams, and the Pac-10 has nine teams.
Well... the Big 10 does have eleven teams in real life, WV is about as hillbilly as the South, and the Pac-10... well, like you said, DC, it's your dynasty. 
__________________
U of Hawaii | U of Alabama | Montreal Impact | Montreal Canadiens | West Ham | West Indies cricket | Portland Trail Blazers |
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10-25-2009, 07:06 PM
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#7 | |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Quote:
Hehe..In retrospect, I'd have put WVU in the ACC and left FSU there with Miami. But...I could sit and tinker with conferences all day and never play.  But once you start conference tinkering, you can't stop, so one thing led to another and after a while, it all started to look convoluted. I just wanted the Big East to be more "eastern" and beyond that, I didn't really care, save for my tinkering of the Big XII. I missed one of the Pac-10 teams, it still does have 10. The one move I chickened out on, was putting U Chicago back in the Big 10. Once I realized the history they had there, that's where I wanted them, but I decided against it at the last minute. Last edited by Young Drachma : 10-25-2009 at 07:11 PM. |
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10-25-2009, 07:14 PM
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#8 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Fun factoid. We're currently averaging 84,868 fans at home games at my new War Memorial Stadium in Laramie. If this actually happened in real life, not only would the stadium be the largest city in the state of Wyoming on game days, it'd also hold about 15.9% of the state's population within its confines.
So the next time you talk about rooting for your home team, remember that you've never attracted 15.9% (or the real life number, about 4%) of your state population to football games on any given Saturday. |
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10-25-2009, 08:37 PM
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#9 | |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Inevitably, we lost to Nebraska, but the game was winnable. I mean, we had shots and we just couldn't get it done. Watching this team play is a lot like watching the real life Wyoming Cowboys and I hardly mean that as a complement, since I probably win games that they'd lose, because of poor preparation and boneheaded moves.
I didn't even play the Oklahoma game, I didn't want to deal with that. Now the schedule ends with three games that are on paper, quite winnable for us. Boise is still ranked 20th, but they're 5-3, Arkansas is 4-5 and Colorado is 5-3. But we win out and we make a bowl game, we win 2 out of 3 and the same, I'd imagine since we're a Big XII team. But I dunno, I guess that's why you play the games? SEASON 1 SCHEDULE Quote:
Last edited by Young Drachma : 10-25-2009 at 09:12 PM. |
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10-25-2009, 09:18 PM
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#10 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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10-25-2009, 10:58 PM
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#11 | |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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SEASON 1 SCHEDULE
Quote:
After Week 14, here's where the Top 25 rank in the BCS standings: 1. Oklahoma (12-0) 2. Penn State (12-0) 3. Clemson (12-0) 4. Florida (11-1) 5. Mississippi (11-1) 6. Rhode Island (11-1) 7. North Carolina (11-1) 8. Oregon State (11-1) 9. Texas (9-3) 10. Kansas (11-1) 12. Oklahoma State (10-2) 13. Rutgers (10-2) 14. Florida State (9-3) 15. Alabama (10-2) 16. Ohio State (8-4) 17. Wisconsin (10-2) 18. USF (9-3) 19. Delaware (10-2) 20. Indiana (10-2) 21. Appalachian State (10-2) 22. LSU (8-4) 23. Wyoming (8-4) 24. Southern Miss (9-3) 25. Vanderbilt (9-3) In a twist of strange fate and irony, we managed to win the Big 12 North. Kudos to us for being in the weaker division, but hey, I don't make the rules, I just follow them. Our matchup? A rematch against Oklahoma for a shot at a BCS gowl game. Not bad for 8-4, huh? Realistically, we're probably asking for a tall order here, but...that's why you play the games. And yes, this time I actually will. |
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10-26-2009, 02:39 PM
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#12 |
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Resident Alien
Join Date: Jun 2001
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Poor, poor Indiana. Relegated to the MAC.
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10-26-2009, 04:29 PM
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#13 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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I understand the reasoning behind Arkansas in the Big 12, but man it's such a boring conference. I miss the SEC in this universe.
__________________
2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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10-26-2009, 08:27 PM
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#14 | |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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We beat Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game, evidence as to why title games are a bad idea. We beat them 47-45 on a last second field goal. We were up by 15 going into the half, they came back, of course and managed to get ahead by 1 with about 2 minutes to go in the game.
I honestly thought, "well, at least you were *this* close. I mean, I just didn't have any expectations. But I think all of the work I've put into trying to figure out how to win with this team has paid off. We drove down the field, by mixing it up. I used to be a very pass-oriented guy. People stop that, they stop me. Then I integrated the run better and now, I've figured out how to really leverage the play-action to help my offense move forward. It's a small thing for people who do this naturally, but for me, it's a huge evolution in the way I manage a game, because it makes me feel more confident about how to play, etc., and my teams do better as a result, it seems. In any case, we got close, got the clock down to 4 seconds and kicked a 29-yarder to win the game. That got us a date with Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl, our own version of crashing the BCS party. For their party, Oklahoma was booted from the title game, but will still play in a BCS game, as they fell from #1 to #4 in the rankings after the loss. Here are the bowl matchups and results: Quote:
Now it's time for me to go toe-to-toe with a SEC heavyweight (heh) and see how we perform against them. We've been winning by the skin of our teeth for a while, but I guess I don't take Ole Miss that seriously come into this game. I suppose Jevan Snead is going to eat my words as the #9 ranked Rebels are just 11-2 on the year. I guess we'll see how it goes and then put the cap on this first season. |
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10-26-2009, 09:25 PM
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#15 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Wyoming v. Ole Miss
This is surely the biggest bowl game since Wyoming lost in the Sugar Bowl to LSU in 1968, when Wyoming was ranked #5 in the country and was 10-0 before losing to unranked LSU. Just like in that game, Wyoming took a lead before blowing it. Up 28-10 at halftime, Wyoming looked to be cruising and their offense working on all cylinders. Then, they choked and gave up 27 unanswered points to go down 37-28 with about 3:54 in the game, Wyoming had a 16-play drive to make the game 37-35. Ole Miss recovered the onside kick and kneeled 3 times before punting with 19 seconds left. All we had left was a few shots for the end zone to try to make something happen on a team that's pretty much lived and died by the option, saving passing for when absolutely necessary. After a botched pass, Jeremy Rushing threw a 22 yard pass to senior wideout Josh Owens and followed that up with a 31-yard throw to junior Kenny Cain to put the ball at about the Ole Miss 29, with one second left. (I have absolutely NO idea how he 1) caught this and 2) managed to get out of bounds. We had no timeouts left. I was actually trying to spike it on that play, but I must've pushed the wrong button and instead, called the hurry up. Umm..ok. Sure.) Now, I have to trust my kicker who stinks to make the game winning kick. Luckily, we're indoors and so, there's no wind to distract him. Just lots of noisy people who think he's not very good. I have real life jitters for this kick. That's why I'm typing this, rather than actually playing the game and seeing what happens. Ole Miss wins 37-35. Penn State beat Clemson for the national title 28-14. Last edited by Young Drachma : 10-26-2009 at 09:30 PM. |
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10-26-2009, 10:37 PM
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#16 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Osaka, Japan via Honolulu, Hawaii via Birmingham, Alabama
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Stupid kicker. Can't truss 'em.
__________________
U of Hawaii | U of Alabama | Montreal Impact | Montreal Canadiens | West Ham | West Indies cricket | Portland Trail Blazers |
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10-26-2009, 11:11 PM
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#17 | |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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OFF-SEASON
We didn't lose anyone other than our seniors. We picked up one transfer, a Sophomore halfback from UCLA named Derrick Coleman. He had 10 rushes last year for 130 yards on the season. I'm sure we can use him, because anything is better than nothing. We welcome him with open arms. He's rated 82. Of course, we'll have to wait a year for him. Recruiting is done and we've got the #32 rated class in the nation. I didn't go into this year with huge expectations and really, we had a pretty steep climb to begin with, so anything is better than nothing. We're also the only program outside of the Top 20 that snagged a five-star recruit, so I've got no complaints. (1 5-star, 3 4-star, 5 3-star, 7 2-star and 2 1-star) Here our schedule for Season 2. I promised two prospects we'd play a game in their home state. (California, I think?) I don't wanna break the promise, even though only one of them is even a starter. Quote:
I debated between scheduling all creampuffs and winning a lot or scheduling tough games. I'm still not sold on what we did there, but all four OOC games are winnable, even though all but North Dakota were bowl teams last year. I brought Rhode Island in because I wanted to see what the hype was about, really. Plus, it'll be a good test for the rest of the season heading into conference play for us. I've pushed the CSU series to every other year, so we'll travel to Ft. Collins next year to play them, because I didn't see the value in doing it annually and wasting a game. Realistically, after last year, I have no idea what to expect. We went 9-5 a year ago, for a team that I didn't expect to win more than 7 games. This year, I tend to think we ought to make it back to the Big 12 title game and compete for a title. I know that's probably unrealistic though, just given who we're dealing with and how flukey last season was. I guess we'll see. |
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10-30-2009, 11:11 PM
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#18 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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SEASON 2 COACHES' DIARY
One of the things I've forgotten to mention is for us, it's all about 3rd down conversions. If we convert on 3rd down, we win ballgames. When we don't, it's usually apparent we're going to lose. That said, the team started off the year firing on all cylinders. We beat North Dakota in the first game of my tenure that I'd say is "winning a game you're supposed to win decisively." And that felt good, to put it mildly. The same thing happened when we traveled on the road to Youngstown State. I mean, this is a good football team and we dismantled them in their own building. We were supposed to, but...last year, that's the sort of game that we'd have won by the skin of our teeth. So if nothing else, it was evident that we evolved and grew and I saw a lot of that progress on the field with my players on both sides of the ball. So again, we went into the end of our non-conference schedule 3-0, with a tough game against a non-conference opponent on the road to end that part of the off-season. This time, it was #1 Rhode Island, who had moved up after being #5 to start the year. This would be a real stiff test for our squad and yet, I think having the Oklahoma experience last year, really emboldened the team for what was possible. We lost to Rhode Island 24-14, on the fault of two really key possessions that we blew by throwing interceptions. It was one of the most frustrating games I've had with this team, because it was such a winnable game. I mean, we were driving down the field in both cases and one of the picks was in the red zone. It was just poor execution, but if we're afraid to throw the ball, we're simply going to lose, because good teams stop the run quickly on us. That put us at 3-1 on the season thus far, heading into our Big XII schedule. My expectations for the Big XII schedule were a bit mixed. I mean, last year we went 8-4 in the regular season not counting the Big XII title game and our loss in a bowl game. So really, I didn't know kind of team I had. I know we overachieved last year and that we're better personnel wise now, but that's all I knew. After losing three straight heading into the Texas game, I just wanted to get off the losing track somehow. They came to Laramie, so I felt like that gave us a fighting chance in that one. The gameplan wasn't any different than the games we'd lost to Rhode Island or Arkansas, except this time I took fewer risks and was more apt to try to milk the clock when I could. But really, I just took fewer playcalling risks in the hopes that we'd be able to salvage our opportunities when we got them. So in the end, it resulted in a victory of the #8 team in the country, when we'd come close all year, we got that crowning victory we needed at a critical time of the season. But in all honesty, it was probably just as much a failure of them to execute as it was out ability to stop them. Still, a win is a win. One we sorely needed. The Oklahoma State game was all about the same strategy. But this time, I think I've learned how to take points when we get the chance. In the past, I'd go for it close on 4th in the red zone to try to get the touchdown. Now? I've started just taking the 3 points and trusting my defense to hold it up. It's been a better tactic for us, because we've learned having points is better than not, really. But what it shows is, the team is learning to win and that's really better than just say, going into games and hoping we come out with a victory. So I'm getting confidence in the team as we go forward. That was validated after knocked off Texas A&M for our third straight win against a ranked opponent this season. That game was a boxing match all the way through and we worked the judges until the last round when we delivered the knockout punch. They didn't knock us out early, so we managed to beat them on the ground as we have so much this year. So heading into our bye week, a week before our last regular season game of the year against Colorado, we were ranked #24 in the nation at 8-3. We also inked 3 4-star recruits including two 4-star halfbacks and a guard. This is great, because I've wanted to run the wildcat, but haven't had the personnel to do it a lot and now we'll be able to do that starting next year. We rose to #21 before our game against Colorado. The game was tied 14-14 with eight seconds left and then well..this happened: With that, we end the regular season 9-3 and headed into Week 14 at #18 in the country. Seems like we'll be in the Big XII title game for the 2nd straight year, but I haven't looked at the standings yet. In any case, I would say we made huge strides and I'm excited to see how it ends, but more importantly, how good next year might be for us. Last edited by Young Drachma : 10-30-2009 at 11:11 PM. |
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10-30-2009, 11:13 PM
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#19 | |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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We're not in the Big XII title game. Boise State, who beat us and went 8-0 in conference play and is ranked #5 in the country will be there instead. So we'll be headed to some sort of second-tier bowl. In a way, I prefer this. Keeps us burning for next year and what it might offer up and our upcoming juniors who've lettered since freshman year will know what they're missing now that we're not headed to a BCS bowl game.
Prior to the title game, we're projected to go to the Holiday Bowl against Cal as the #3 Big 12 team. But I guess we'll see where the chips fall. Quote:
Last edited by Young Drachma : 10-30-2009 at 11:16 PM. |
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10-31-2009, 12:24 AM
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#20 | |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Here's the 2010 Bowl Schedule:
Quote:
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10-31-2009, 12:45 AM
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#21 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Wyoming wins the Holiday Bowl 35-31. I would've had video of the last play, but forgot to save it before it ended.
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10-31-2009, 12:48 AM
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#22 |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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So we end the season at 10-3 and ranked #9. Georgia Tech beat Rhode Island 28-21 to win the National Title. I was offered the Michigan job and the Oklahoma job, but obviously I'm staying.
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10-31-2009, 01:40 AM
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#23 | |
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Dark Cloud
Join Date: Apr 2001
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The end of Year 3 recruiting period is done and we have the #30 recruiting class in the country. It's a pretty big improvement for
us and I'm pretty happy with the kids we managed to bring in which includes 8 4-star players. I got a few pure athletes that I know can be converted to other positions and that might be a real boon for us, too. Here's our schedule for Season 3. Our preseason rank is #22. Quote:
My expectations? Hmm...we're really ramping up the offense this year to run more Wildcat. It'll be interesting to see how we get through the non-conference. Notre Dame is an obvious foil and on paper, we have no shot to go in there and do much of anything. But save for that, the conference schedule always proves interesting for one reason or another. I have no idea what to expect. But off the top of my head? I'd say another 9-3 regular season. Realistically, I should expect us to run through the conference schedule and lose just once, but only because of how we've raised the bar. But I'm not convinced we're that good yet. I guess we're going to see. Last edited by Young Drachma : 10-31-2009 at 01:43 AM. |
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