A Coach's Life: The Life and Career of Alexander Jackson (NCAA 14-Madden 25)

[hooky221]

Definitely following. Love the write ups and your plan on moving thru Madden. Keep it up.

[Desalbert]

Week 3-- Ball State at North Texas
Ball State Bashes North Texas 31-12 behind Faultless Wenning, surges to 3-0.

-Denton County, Texas

It wasn't a bad start for North Texas this week in Denton, as the team's run-first offense found holes in the Ball State defense on the first series. Lead by Reggie Pegram at RB, the Mean Green pressed hard on the ground and found themselves on a 13 play drive under Coach Jackson, and on the 1 yard line of superior opponent. The Good news ended there however, as Ball State's defense tightened up, and held North Texas to a field goal attempt from the one-- A kick that former player of the game Kicker Olen, would miss, off the upright.

"I have to do better" said Olen. "A kick from the one? And I miss? That's just unacceptable". He was right. Coach Jackson was irate. Sure, Olen was in an akward position needing to sneak the ball in on an angle to avoid the post-- but still. It was about an 18 yard kick.

Though Olen would hit 2 more and an extra point (also coming up just short on a 54 yarder) it's the chip shot miss that would haunt the team:

"Those kinds of things set the tone" said Coach Jackson. "When you know you're an underdog, and you have a successful first drive, you can't just squander it like that. You need to take every scrap of momentum you can find and use it".

From that moment, the game became the Keith Wenning show. The #10 starting QB for Ball State didn't miss a beat and single handidly dominated a North Texas unit that had shown some moxy in prior games. Wenning was 22 for 24 for 270 yards and 3 scores, also ripping off 2 20-plus yard runs, and totalling 35 rush yards (including sacks taken) on 5 carries


Ball State's Keith Wenning dominates North Texas

"We've got to be better there. We're defense first, and we can't just get torn up like that" said Jackson, who watched his defense prove to be simply too slow for the task at hand. The short-range slants killed the Mean Green all Game, and Wenning was nearly faultless. The loss is a tough one to take for the Mean Green, but it may get worse before it gets better, as the 1-2 club is set to take on Georgia this week, in a mismatch on paper.

The Only saving grace? Perhaps the fact that star QB Aaron Murray will miss the game for Georgia, meaning Junior QB Hutson Mason is likely to start. Georgia may be 0-2 and without Murray, but their competition has been stiff until now, and Mason is no slouch, and especially not when supported by a phenomenal back like Todd Gurley. By all accounts, the Mean Green will be in tough next week when they visit Athens to take on the #19 Bulldogs.

Around the League

Alabama rises to #6 after they defeat #4 Texas A&M 38-31

Oregon Ducks continue to suffer, losing superstar running-back De'Anthony Thomas for 10 weeks, after already losing starting QB Marcus Mariotta. Despite their passing game struggles with Rodriguez going just 8 for 21 for 3 interceptions, the team managed a win against Tennessee. How their season will go after losing two stars is anyone's guess.



DAT Injured-- will miss 10 weeks

[Desalbert]

Weeks 4 and 5
Week 4--- North Texas vs #19 Georgia

Expected result abounds as Georgia slaughters weak North Texas 66-14; Mason tosses 6 touchdowns; Berglund on thin ice after going back in game with lingering injury.

It may seem silly to have to say outloud, but no one expected North Texas to match up well against Georgia, despite the fact that the Bulldogs were winless on the year, and they were without star QB Aaron Murray. Well, I'm saying it anyway. No one expected the match to be close, and it wasn't. It was anything but close.

In fact, the Mean Green surrendered 21 points in the opening 2 minutes and found themselves down 41 nothing by the half. Before the half-time bell rung though, North Texas found itself dealing with an injury to starting QB Brock Berglund who went down hard on a sack in the first quarter, dislocating his wrist. He would be spelled for a time by senior backup Thompson, who promptly threw an interception inside his own 20. Of course, this lead to more points for Georgia. Berglund would come back in the game, but looked unable to push aside the pain, as he would throw 2 interceptions of his own before being yanked by Coach Jackson to start the second half. Berglund was a lowly 24% completion against a solid Georgian D.

Georgia or not however, Jackson expected better:

"Well of course I'm not happy" he snapped. "Who would be? Who goes out there to get creamed like that and to look like a bunch of fools? I surely don't. And I hope my defense and my quarterback don't either." Jackson had much to say on the issue, but the highlight of his feelings were that no play should "force himself" onto the field by telling his coaches he was alright "if he can't make plays to help the team". Jackson continued, obviously directing the idea to Berglund's ill-conceived return from his injury "part of being a great team mate at this level requires that you do whatever you have to help the team, including taking yourself out of the game. If you can't help the team, you shouldn't play. And if you know you shouldn't play or can't play because of an injury, you shouldn't say otherwise." He stated, emphatically. "Yes, I'm disappointed in Brock for that. And that's why I took him out when I knew that he hadn't been fully honest about his injury." He noted. "At the same time though, I know Brock is a competitor, and thought he could turn it around-- so I appreciate that, but you gotta be smarter."

When asked whether Berglund, a player known for his poor decision making (having been kicked off other clubs) would be shown the bench for the team's next game against Tulane, Coach Jackson was candid "Well, to be frank with you, I thought about it. I really did. And I told him that. And he knows his play hasn't been where we need it. But I said he'll have this chance. He's a sophomore, he has time yet to grow, but I said I'd give him this chance to refocus his game and lead us in week 6. "

Other sources close to the team suggest that if Berglund is a main reason that the Mean Green fail to capture a W in a very winnable match against Tulane, that Jackson will likely turn to senior Derek Thompson for further games.

Thompson, after all, rebounded from his initial interception and was the main reason that North Texas scored at all against Georgia, notching 2 TDs through the air. He provides a veteran presence, and he may get his shot, but Jackson won't quickly quit on Berglund's sophomore campaign. At least, not yet. Berglund though, is struggling with just 1 TD and 5 interceptions.

Georgia QB Hutson Mason showed ability filling in for Murray, going 15-20 with 6 touchdowns.

Jackson finished: "But I don't just want the focus to be on our QB here, you know? We're a run-first Defense-first kind of outfit here, and I'm very disappointed in my defensive unit, particularly against the pass. The Mean Green's defence was swept under the rug with backup QB Hutson Mason going an immaculate 15-20 for 390 yards and 6 touchdowns. Mason looked like an All-pro against a defensive field that seems shockingly slow.

North Texas will need to hope that its defensive unit is able to improve against the pass, as they head to the Superdone to take on 1-4 Tulane in their inaugural C-USA match-up, where they will go up against a legendary name in Nick Montana, son of Joe Montana who is looking to make his mark.

Jackson isn't unaware, but he also isn't afraid "Oh I know the kid's gonna want it. Montana's gonna want to come up big for his guys, and for that name on the back of his jersey. But we'll get in his face, and, hopefully, do a much better job marking playmakers in the passing game. If we can't, we'll drop to 1-4"

In other news through weeks 4-5

#5 Clemson is shocked by NC State, losing 31-24 and tumbling to #14. They would then rebound with a needed win against Wake Forest.

Oregon lost and fell to 2-2 on the year without Mariotta or Thomas at RB. 1st year Oregon Coach Mark Helfrich is reportedly on the hot-seat.

University of Kentucky upsets Florida who fall to #16 with loss.

Kansas State surges into top 25, taking down Texas in 10-7 game, and rising to 4-0.

[jayenomics]

Tough start to the season, but to be expected with North Texas. Hopefully once you hit the C-USA schedule you can run up some W's.

[Desalbert]

Quote: Originally Posted by jayenomics

Tough start to the season, but to be expected with North Texas. Hopefully once you hit the C-USA schedule you can run up some W's.

Yeah, it's been tough, but I know it will be starting from the bottom like this. This next game versus Tulane (which opens up the C-USA season for me) will be the tell as to what I can actually expect out of my boys against like-competition. Getting reamed by Georgia was not fun, but I kind of knew it had to happen.

What happens against 1-4 Tulane will either give me some hope, or squash it entirely-- requiring it to be built up all over again.

Thanks so much for following along my friend!

[Desalbert]

Week 6-- North Texas @ Tulane

North Texas overcomes 14 point deficit to defeat Tulane 24-23 in dying seconds. Berglund rises but Hibert Jackson is hero.

At 17-3 with Tulane driving and Nick Montana looking as accurate as ever, and the North Texas defense hemorrhaging yards, the game looked bad, and the result a disappointing formality. That is, until North Texas safety Hibert Jackson made a play.

"It was awesome to see!" Coach Jackson said with a smile "I challenged those guys to step it up and for awhile there I felt like my words weren't heeded and we were going to go down. But (Jackson) kept making plays, walloping the ball-carriers, until finally, he jumped that route. "

Yes, Hibert Jackson turned the tables on what was otherwise a pin-point Nate Montana, who at the time was 8 of 9 for 140 yards and two scores, before tossing an interception to Hibert, who raced 83 yards for a North Texas record pick-6.

"It changed the game". Said Hibert Jackson "An' um, I'm just so blessed I was able to get in there, step up and show us that we can do this" he concluded.


#6 Saftey Hibert Jackson had a sensational game, posting 7 tackles including a crucial goal-line solo-hit and a pick 6 on Nick Montana. Here, he celebrates with team-mates following his score

Hibert Jackson had a sensational game all-around, as he would post 7-solo tackles including 1 for a loss and that crucial pick-6 on a game that looked like it was going to get out of hand. After Jackson's play, the score stabilized at 17-10 for Tulane, before Jackson again made a key stop, crushing Tulane runningback Orleans Dwara on a key-3rd and goal, and forcing the team to settle for a field-goal, while keeping the game at a 2-score margin, 20-10. Had Jackson not upended Dwara at the 1, surely the game would have been Tulane's.

Further, while North Texas' defence continued to bend, they were able to nullify star Tulane WR Ryan Grant all game, holding him to just 1 catch for 12 yards going into the half, before he was removed from the game with back spasms.

"He's a great player" Coach Jackson said of Grant "while our defence didn't always play like I wanted, and didn't limit Montana as much as I'd hoped (He threw for over 300 yards with a 68% completion), the fact that we were able to shut down his go-to-guy gives me hope.

Tulane's Banks picked up the slack though and netted 100 yards recieving while Tulane's ground game struggled.

In the end, North Texas, down 10 in the last 2 minutes of the game, was able to put together a drive that culminated in a touchdown, where, despite failing the on-side, they were then able to hold the Green Wave from making a game ending conversion in order for their offense to get the ball back.

That winning drive, which began with under a minute on the clock, and ended with a Berglund toss to WR Pleasant with just 6 seconds left, hinged first on a key 4th down. Berglund had been erratic all game, and while he avoided any turnovers, he was sub-50% completion. An issue that lead to the Mean Green staring at a 4th and 14 at mid-field, down by 6. On that play, which Jackson recalls "absolutely had to go to our best receiver" Berglund looked right, then shot his gaze back to the left side for North Texas' most skilled pass-catcher, Brelan Chancellor. Berglund fired the pass on the left sideline, and while it might have floated into the sideline, ending the game, the North Texas wideout stopped, pivoted and snared the pass, keeping his feet in, and converting the make-or-break first down. It was a hell of a catch.

While Berglund's completion percentage was low, Jackson admits he did exactly what was asked of him: Lead the team to a win "One of the best football coaches I've ever known once said that the litmus test for any quarterback is whether or not he can succeed in driving a team down, below two-minutes with the game on the line. Everything else-- anything else-- the quarterback has or has not done to that point is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is: did he do it. Can he do it? And he can, and he did, and I'm proud of Brock for that. It would seem that Brock Berglund has pacified any push for Senior Derek Thompson to supplant him, at least, for now.

And that would be the way that Coach Alexander Jackson would earn North Texas its first ever C-USA win. Far from pretty, and far from the run-first plans (Pegram continues to struggle), but it was memorable edge-of-your-seat stuff.

Next week, North Texas will face the hard-fighting 5-1 Mid Tenn State Blue Raiders who operate in the Eastern division of the C-USA.


UPDATE: It has been reported that Tulane wide-out Justyn Shackleford suffered a notable injury on the final hail-mary from Montana in a bid to win the game. Shackleford came up limping and had to be helped off the field, in what is now being called a dislocated hip injury. He will miss 5 weeks minimum.

[Desalbert]

Hey all, just wanted to apologize that things are moving so slowly here, and that, I most likely won't be able to continue with my vision of this, as it stands. Instead, since Madden is just 10 days away, I will most likely just start a new post as either an Owner of a team or as a coach. I didn't get anywhere near as deep into this as I wanted, given that I'm just about half way through the season. I'm currently a master's student in literature and I've had to deal with some stuff that has made it so that my NCAA progression has faltered. I will still be playing this dynasty until madden drops, hoping to get at least 1-non simmed draft class out of it, but I don't think I'll have the time to track it.

However, The NFL is my true sporting love and I'm sure I will be able to provide great quality write ups and story lines for Madden, whether as an owner or a coach of whichever teams the fates decide. I will make frequent use of player edits in hopes to edit overalls as they mesh with storylines happening in the game, and I will consider controlling all 32 teams to have a more realistic depth chart management process as well as player battles for starting jobs. In Madden 12, I utilized the player edit system to such a degree that unlikely probowlers became stars, Cedric Benson defied his age, and Aaron Rodgers, after breaking his leg three times (Yes, it happened) could no longer run, nor have a great degree of velocity on his throws. In this world, the Packers became a laughing stock of the league, while Kellen Moore's stock rose to starting calibre as he replaced Rodgers, before he went on to start elsewhere. This is what I love about Madden and NFL gaming.

It's my hope that these kinds of dynamic stories will be replecatable in this edition of madden, as I loved them in 12. I just had few people to share them with. Moreover, I've written newspaper quality stuff for my Madden 13 online franchise for 7 seasons now, and the people within love it, so I'll be excited to bring NFL stories in a Franchise to you guys when the game drops.

I'll be using NCAA draft classes for the first few years, which means I may end up simming some years of this current dynasty, or, utilizing some one elses classes possibly.

Anyway, if those of you who are following this thread would be interested, keep an eye out for my Madden thread around August 27th and I'm sure you'll be pleased. I'll be playing it from release (or the first roster updates) all the way until next-gen, where I'll then start fresh on a next-gen console. There will be no shortage of quality stuff (unlike this thread, sadly) so I encourage you to check it out.

Apologies if I let anyone down.

[Shmanky13]

Really cool idea, i'll be following this.