The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

[thesportsguru11]

Please discreetly raise your hands if you liked that last post only because of the comments about the boosters.

[Hellisan]

Jonesboro, AR – Going on the road against a much more talented team, the Idaho coaching staff had every reason to be concerned. The players, on the other hand, seemed confident.

“Maybe it takes a game like this for the team to collectively look in the mirror and realize the work that has to be done for us to move forward,” said a visibly tired J.D. Clark after the game.

The team certainly has no reason to feel confidence going forward after putting forth this stinker. The team allowed a 75-yard touchdown run to David Oku on Arkansas State’s first play of the game and somehow it actually seemed to get worse thereafter.

Oku tallied 130 yards on 13 carries, with three touchdowns and the defense held Idaho QB Chad Chalich to a disappointing performance of 12-28, 131 yards, with 3 sacks.

[Hellisan]

Coverage of Week 7

[Hellisan]

Coverage of Week 8

[Hellisan]

[thesportsguru11]

Glad to see this back going.

[Matt10]

Bout damn time. Hope Ole MIss don't welcome you back with a beatdown.

[Hellisan]

Oxford, MS – The surging Ole Miss Rebels were the much stronger team yesterday as they embarrassed the Vandals by the final score of 70-14. It wasn’t so much the final score, but the way the final score was achieved, that was notable for any onlooker. The Vandal front, purportedly occupied by collegiate football players who previously had manned the line in high school, were knocked over more like preschoolers on several running plays yesterday.

The result of the offensive/defensive line domination by Ole Miss was several plays that were easy touchdowns from long distances. Quarterback Bo Wallace scored on option keepers of 80 yards, 57 yards, and 42 yards, and wasn’t touched once on any of the three.

“When you can’t even get a hand on the quarterback on a simple option keeper then obviously you’re not going to win that football game. I don’t need to even point that out,” said J.D. Clark.

Idaho had the ball first and was forced to punt when Chalich threw off the mark by 5 yards to a wide open receiver. After an early 42-yard run for a touchdown by Wallace, Chalich was sacked on 3rd down in field goal range, and cannon-legged kicker Austin Rehkow was short by a couple yards on a 57-yard field goal try.

Ole Miss then tacked on another touchdown on an option give to slot receiver Vince Sanders to make it 14-0, forced another punt, and Bo Wallace scored his second easy touchdown of the game, this time from 80 yards out on the first play of the drive.

Idaho scored touchowns on their nexst two drives, sandwiched around the Rebels’ fourth touchdown of the game, but they were almost out of gas. From that point forward, the Ole Miss defense was able to get a grip on what Idaho was trying to do and were able to shut them out in the second half.

“The most disappointing aspect of this loss wasn’t the score but the way we lost. There were at least 6 touchdown drives that were one minute thirty seconds or less, including a one-play drive and a two-play drive,” said Coach Clark. “We want to be a bend don’t break defense. Today we just flat broke.”

Maxx Forde effective in return

Defensive End Maxx Forde, the best player on defense by a wide margin, was missed over the past five weeks as he rehabbed a strained hamstring. He made his return against Ole Miss, following the bye week, and was good as new, racking up 7 tackles, 3 TFL, and 2 sacks.

“We’re glad to have him back,” said Clark. “Obviously he gives us a dimension we lack otherwise. We were overhwelmed today but he still did a great job and we expect he could be a big difference maker in a couple of games moving forward.”