Overcoming Adversity- The Coaching Career of Robin Blake

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Season Preview

Fresno State Looking to Dominate Conference

Colorado Springs, Colorado- Fresno State are the 'top dogs' coming into the 2013 season as the only ranked team in the conference at number 20 but they will face some stiff competition from a pair of newcomers.

Fresno State QB Derek Carr

Utah State's Chuckie Keeton and North Dakota State's Carey Kaplan will look to guide their teams to the top in their first appearance in the conference.

On the other side of the ball, Boise State has a pair of safeties that will wreck havoc against the conferences opposing QB's. Junior's Jeremy Ioane and Cleshawn Page expect big things out of themselves and the Boise State defense. Here are the 2013 Mountain West All Americans:

2013 All Mountain West
Pos	Player Name	Ht	Wt	Year
QB	Derek Carr, Fresno State	6'	2'	Sr.
HB	Parker Latimer, North Dakota State	5'	10'	Sr.
HB	Matt Milelr, Boise State	6'	3'	Jr.
WR	Colin Locket, San Diego State	6'	0'	Sr.
WR	Noel Grigsby, San Jose State	5'	11;	Sr.
TE	Adam Roberts, San Diego State	6'	3'	Jr.
LT	Charles Leno JR, Boise State	6'	4;	Sr.
LG	Spencer Gerke, Boise State	6'	3'	Sr.
RG	Jake Broyles, Boise State	6'	5'	Sr.
RT	Sean Shigematsu, Hawaii	6'	5'	Jr.
C	Tyler Larsen, Utah State	6'	4'	Sr.
DE	Demarcus Lawrence, Boise State	6'	3'	Sr.
DE	Connor Williams, Utah State	6'	3'	Sr.
DT	Tyeler Davison, Fresno State	6'	2'	Jr.
DT	Sam Meredith, San Diego State	6'	4'	Jr.
LOLB	Art Laurel, Hawaii	6'	0'	Sr.
MLB	Patrick Su'a, Fresno State	6'	1'	Sr.
ROLB	Keith Smith, San Jose State	6'	1'	Sr.
CB	Nevin Lawson, Utah State	5'	9'	Sr.
CB	L.J Jones, Fresno State	5'	10'	Sr.
FS	Jeremy Ioane, Boise State	5'	10'	Jr.
SS	Cleshawn Page, Boise State	5'	8'	Jr.
K	Joel Alesi, San Diego State	6'	3'	Jr.
P	Trevor Harman, Boise State	6'	3'	Sr.
RS	Dallas Burroghs, Boise State	5'	8'	Jr.

This year will mark the beginning of the new conference realignment system the NCAA implemented back at the beginning of this year. The conference champion this year will need to repeat as champs to get a monetary reward and a promotion to a "Power Five" conference. While the last place team will need to do everything in their power to avoid being last or face expulsion.

Mountain West Commissioner, Craig Thompson, has gone on record to voice his displeasure at the new rules. It will be interesting to see how the conference shapes up in the next few years.

Mountain West Standings

#20 Fresno State
Boise State
Utah State
San Diego State
Air Force
Nevada
San Jose State
Colorado State
Hawaii
Wyoming
UNLV
New Mexico
North Dakota State

[DrGravyBoat]

This a really well written dynasty so far. Excited to see how you guys do this first year.

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Season Preview
Bison Have Something to Prove

Fargo, N.D- Our beloved North Dakota State University Bison will come into their very first FBS season as underdogs in every game they have scheduled.

"The team is aware of the challenges they face coming into this season." Head Coach Chris Klieman said. "But the boys have been practicing hard and are ready to prove that we can compete at this level."

The Bison bring a slower tempo, 'run first' type of offense to a conference that features several fast paced spread offenses. There are questions about the Bison's ability to keep up, especially on defense.

"Coach Blake has been working with his defense non stop since he got here." Coach Klieman said, speaking for Coach Blake. "I believe in his ability to prepare these boys for game day and I know they will show up and play Bison football."

Many critics have the Bison finishing last place in the Mountain West. With the start of the season a month away, There will only be more and more speculation about this team until the moment they strap on their helmets and take the field against the Idaho Vandals.

Here is your 2013 North Dakota State University Bison Football schedule:

North Dakota State University 2013 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Aug 31	vs Idaho Vandals
Sep 7	at BYU Cougars
Sep 14	vs University of New Mexico Lobos
Sep 21	at Colorado State University Rams
Sep 28	vs Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
Oct 9	vs Duke Blue Devils
Oct 19	at San Diego State University Aztecs
Oct 26	at San Jose State University Spartans
Nov 9	at UNLV Rebels
Nov 16	at Ole Miss Rebels
Nov 23	vs Utah State University Aggies
Nov 30	vs Nevada Wolfpack

2013 Key Players

Offense

HB Parker Latimer (20) runs the ball during practice

Running Back Parker Latimer

Senior Running Back Parker Latimer will be the main man behind the Bison's 'run first' scheme. Latimer brings a combination of power and speed that has dubbed him the name '"Thunder." The key to success for the Bison offense starts with Latimer. If he stays healthy and has a productive season, you can expect the Bison to have a successful season.

Defense


MLB Ali Pettit (44) sizes up the running back before making a tackle during practice

Middle Linebacker Ali Pettit

The man that will captain Coach Blakes defense will be Senior linebacker Ali Pettit. Pettit will be the leader of a defense that many coming into the season believe will not be able to keep up with teams in the Mountain West. Pettit is a strong tackler with decent speed, great instincts, and a nose for the football. During the Green and Gold Spring game, Pettit was all over the field leading his team in tackles. Pettit will need to bring that kind of tenacity this season if his team hopes to be in a bowl game at season's end.

Recruiting Preview

The North Dakota State University Bison have a whopping 18 seniors this year. First year head coach Chris Klieman and his staff are going to have to work extra hard on the recruiting trail this season especially on defense. The Bison need to focus on the defensive line as well as the linebackers.

A perspective prospect on the defensive line is J.D Oliver. Oliver is a defensive tackle from Florence-Graham, California. He is 6'3, 277 pounds and is currently a 2 star rated prospect on Rivals.com. Oliver has great size and strength but lacks speed and agility. He could potentially sit a year to learn the scheme before starting on the defensive line.

Please stay tuned throughout the year as we bring you more recruiting news and updates.

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Season Preview

Top Stories

House of Pain
No one wants a piece of Georgia when they are playing at home.

Rivals Revival
Rivalry game matches #22 Georgia against #12 Clemson

Oh So Special...
Will HB Carlos Hyde have big enough shoulders to lead Ohio State to a championship?

Keeping It Simple
Can any team in America stop the Alabama train?

Semester's First Test
Kelvin Benjamin and Florida State prepare for their ACC opener against Pittsburgh.

The Magnificent 11
Can the Seminoles defense lead them to a championship in 2013?

Grown Man
The #25 Trojans look to DT George Uko to lead their defense into 2013.

Ready to Rumble
Preseason Polls have Florida State as the Number One team in the country. The Top 5 is as follows:

Florida State

Auburn

Alabama

Michigan State

Stanford

#118 North Dakota State University



Heisman Hope or Hype?

Alabama is pushing for QB A.J McCarron to be the next Heisman Trophy Winner. Here are the Preseason Top Five.

Heisman Watch - Updated: Aug 1, 2013
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
Johnny Manzial	QB	Texas A&M
A.J McCarron	QB	Alabama
Braxton Miller	QB	Ohio State
Teddy Bridgewater	QB	Louisville
Marcus Mariota	QB	Oregon

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Chapter Five

“You can’t be serious!?” T.J Briggs said stunned.

“Completely serious.” Robin Blake said leaning back in his chair trying to contain his smile. “You’ve really impressed so far this summer and we want you to start in the nickel corner position next week against Idaho. Think you can handle that?”

“I… I..” T.J said still shocked. His hand nervously fingered the crescent shaped scar on his cheek. “You believe in me that much?”

Robin walked around his desk and placed his hands on T.J’s shoulders. “Son you have incredible potential. I knew that when I first saw you in practice on the high school field in Odessa. You were the first person I thought of that could improve this defense when I took this job. You’ll mostly be covering the slot and the tight end but I believe in you and I think one day you’ll be the leader and face of this defense.”

T.J stood in silence for a second and then he embraced Robin. “You are the only person that has ever believed in me and believed that I could be better then what I am. I promise Coach, I will not let you down!”

Robin smiled and patted him on the back. “I know you won’t. Now why don’t you go on to your dorm? You have some studying to do before school starts on Monday.”

“Yes sir! Thank you so much!” T.J bounded out of Robin’s office. A couple seconds passed and then he heard a loud cry of joy. Chuckling, Robin turned and sat at his desk. He knew he had made a good decision. The secondary was one of the weak points on this team and T.J made it better with his talent and enthusiasm. He hoped that with the experience he will get this year, he will become a shutdown corner in the future.

He turned to look out the window of his office. It was August now and the sounds of college students returning to campus washed over him. Opening weekend was next Saturday and Robin was nervous. This would be his first college game and it was at home in front of a very passionate crowd.

Shaking off the nerves, he turned to his computer and popped on last year’s tape on the Idaho Vandals. He knew he wasn’t going to learn a whole lot since college programs usually turnover at least a third of their roster, but he wanted to see if he could spot coaching tendencies. He would take any advantage he could find. Yawning he shut the blinds and settled in for a long couple of hours.





Walking up the stairs to his apartment, Robin’s stomach grumbled. He had left his office later then he meant too. The sun had set hours ago and Fargo’s night life was in full swing. As he neared his apartment he noticed the door was slightly cracked. Alarmed, Robin inched forward and slowly cracked open the door. When he saw his living room he stood in stunned surprise. “What the hell?” He thought.

Making his way inside he looked around. The living room that he had left in complete disarray this morning was now spotless. His papers and folders were neatly organized, the white boards were pushed up against the wall and all the fast food trash and empty coke cans were gone.

From the kitchen he heard dishes clinking together. Walking over he discovered the source of his new living conditions. Standing in the kitchen washing his dishes, wearing a flower dress with an apron and her blonde hair tied back in her trademark pony tail was Anna.

Startled, Anna dropped a plate back in the water filled sink. “Oh my God!” she exclaimed. “You scared me!”

“I scared you?” Robin said incredulously. “What the hell are you doing in my kitchen?”

Anna grabbed a dish towel and dried off her hands. “I was trying to surprise you, but you took so long getting home, I decided to do you a favor and clean up this pig sty.”

“I like this pig sty.” Robin said defensively.

Anna snorted. “Right.”

“Hey I knew where everything was!”

“So did the family of cockroaches that was living in your orange chicken!”

“I had some leftover orange chicken?”

Anna rolled her eyes. “You’re unbelievable. Don’t you know cleanliness is next to godliness? How am I as a fan supposed to trust you with my beloved football team if you can’t even handle keeping your apartment organized?”

Robin flinched and turned away.

“Hey.” Anna said concerned. “That was a joke silly.” She came over to Robin’s side and lightly punched his arm. “I didn’t mean it.”

Robin sighed. “I know… It just.. It hit closed to home.”

Anna closed her eyes and shook her head. “I ‘am sorry I know how nervous you are for this game and how much you want to please this town.”

“I’ am not nervous.”

She looked at him sympathetically. “You don’t have to be tough and gruff all the time you know.”

Robin brushed her away and gestured at his apartment. “Do all y’all North Dakotites break into people’s homes?”

She sighed. “First off its North Dakotan, and secondly no it is not a habit but you left the door unlocked and I helped myself because like I said I was trying to surprise you.”

He scoffed. “Surprise me with what? Lemon scented cleaners and a color coded chore wheel?”

Anna pointed to the dining room table that was occupied with food and a brightly colored gift. “No. I thought you deserved to have a good home cooked meal before your first game ever and because I know you are missing home but clearly I was wrong.”

Suddenly feeling ashamed, Robin avoided her eyes and looked at the table. “You did that for me?”

“Yes.” She said crossing her arms. “But if I knew you were going to be such an ***, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

“I’ am sorry.”

She looked at him for moment and then picked up a tray of food and put it in the oven to warm it back up. “I forgive you but only because I’ am starving.” She said giving him a small smile.

Robin sat down at the table, his stomach grumbling again. “Man, I don’t think I have had a real home cooked meal since…” He stuttered for a moment then composed himself. “Well it’s been awhile.”

Anna gave him a side glance as she prepared a plate. “Well then you’re going to love this. It’s my grandmother’s famous mac and cheese casserole.” She sat a plate in front of him and then grabbed a plate for herself.

He grabbed a fork, his mouth watering, and proceeded to shovel food into his mouth.

“Take it easy there.” She said laughing and sitting down across from him. “Grandma’s recipe is supposed to be savored, not inhaled.”

Robin nodded and took smaller bites. “This amazing!”

She laughed. “I am glad you like it.” She took a bite and asked “So how’s the defense looking coach?”

He swallowed. “Well it’s about as good as its going to get right now. I think we will handle Idaho ok but BYU is definitely going to be a challenge. I told T.J today that he’ll get to play this season as one of the starters.”

“Oh?” She said lighting up. “How’d he take it?”

“He was ecstatic. I ‘am pretty sure he skipped down the hall.”

Anna laughed. “He has looked good in practice. If you believe in him then I do too.”

“He has been through a lot, that kid.” Robin said picking at a roll. “A part of me feels responsible for him and his wellbeing.”

She nodded. “Because of your wife?”

Robin looked at her in surprise. “How do you know about that?”

She shrugged. “I assumed. You mess with your ring finger a lot like something is missing. You wear a very colorful bracelet and I noticed that picture on your mantle when I was cleaning.” She said pointing to the picture of the pretty brunette with a smiling child on her lap.

He laughed. “You’re either very observant or really nosy.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“Well.” He said clearing his throat. “You are right. My wife, Sandra, was a teacher. She was very into ‘rescuing’ trouble youth. She is the reason I asked T.J to join the football team. She believed in him from the very beginning.”

“What happened to her?”

“She and my daughter, Claire, passed away in a car accident.” Robin said staring down at his plate trying to hold back the tears that threaten to come. “After that I promised myself that I will do everything in my power to make sure T.J and any other troubled youth have the opportunity to succeed in life.”

Anna clasped Robin’s hands into her own. “Oh Coach, I’ am so sorry. That’s awful. That must still be hard for you”

He shrugged. “Every day is different.”

She looked at his bracelet. “Is that why you wear that?”

Robin gave a small chuckle. “Yeah. Claire gave this to me on the day she died. She said it’d give me ‘good football’ luck. I haven’t taken it off since.”

Anna gave a sad smile. “That is so adorable. So underneath that gruff exterior is a cushy teddy bear.”

Robin took his hands away and resumed eating. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said through a mouthful of food.

She shook her head, her blue eyes sparkling. “Well with you as our coach, I believe this team will be a winning team in no time, as long as you get out of your head and quit being an ***.”

Robin chuckled and looked at wonder at this women who had broken into his life as effortlessly as she had broken into his apartment.

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Matchup Preview
Bison Want a Victory in FBS Debut

Fargo, N.D- It's finally here!!

After an off season that featured a brand new coaching staff, a debut in the FBS division and Mountain West Conference, and plenty of speculation, our beloved Bison will finally kick off the 2013 season with an out of conference game vs the Idaho Vandals at the Fargodome.

"The team is excited, and we are excited." Said head coach Chris Klieman. "I think the boys are ready to go out there and show what they can do and put their nerves behind them."

On paper the Idaho Vandals do not have any particular players that stand out. Freshman QB Chad Chalich will get the start. The offense will probably run through senior running back James Baker, who will be a good test for new defensive coordinator's Robin Blake's defense.

On the other side of the ball, NDSU running back Parker Latimer might have a lot of room to run against the soft Idaho defense. If the Bison do not turn over the ball and slow down James Baker, they should cruise to an easy victory in their FBS debut.

Keys to Victory

No turnovers

Contain the running game, force the pass.

Take advantage of every possession.

Prediction: NDSU 24 Idaho 14

The 2013 North Dakota State Bison:

North Dakota State University Bison Depth Chart - 2013
Regular Offense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
WR	Atari Munoz	Brannon Redd	Shawn Dunn
TE	Morgan Duckett	Kedrick Wesley
LT	Cedric McNamara	Bernard Nixon
LG	Herman Munoz	Damarcus Kramer	Chris Ross
C	Vernon Galloway	Shedrick Mirvil
RG	Desmond Childress
RT	Bryce Ham	Duane Thompson
WR	Ricardo Givens	Garrett Fisher	Blaine Weiss
QB	Carey Kaplan	Dave Britt	Sam Spicer
FB	Jack Branch	Wesley Poland
HB	Parker Latimer	Duane Goolsby	Quinn Denman
Base 4-3 Defense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LDE	Tracy Salyer	Kent Harper
LDT	Reginald Elbert	O.J Wheatley	Bernard Vogel
RDT	Seth Leslie	Andrew Patterson
RDE	Dan Brady	Dan Watson	Marty Coker
WLB	Mitchell Burgess	Ramon Rush
MLB	Ali Pettit	Brian McKinley	Neal McDuffie
SLB	Pat Dunbar	Kalvin Bridges
CB	Tanard Kent	T.J Briggs	Leon Herring
SS	Sergio Swain	Eric Shuler
FS	Calvin Francis	Joshua Beverly
CB	Jordan Golden	Neal Cabral
Special Teams
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
K	Rick Bush
P	Elgin Mason
H	Elgin Mason
PR	Brannon Redd	Atari Munoz
KR	Brannon Redd	Atari Munoz
LS	Herman Munoz

Matchup Preview *|* August 31, 2013
	@
Idaho Vandals (0-0, 0-0 Away)		North Dakota State Bison (0-0, 0-0 Home)
Injury Report None None Game Notes

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Thunderstruck!

Bison Ride Latimer to Victory

Bison HB Duane Goolsby (25) scores the first TD of the game untouched.

Fargo, N.D-That was fun!

The North Dakota State Bison gave the Idaho Vandals a harsh welcome to the Fargodome with a 41-14 beat down. Senior running back Parker Latimer had a fantastic day, rushing for 226 yards and two touchdowns.

Bison DE Dan Brady (11) sacks Idaho QB Chad Chalich (11)

"We stuck to our gameplan and these kids executed it flawlessly." said head coach Chris Klieman, who picks up his first career win with the Bison. "I could'nt be prouder of these young men and the job they did today."

The Bison started off quick, rushing to 21-0 lead behind running backs Parker Latimer and Duane Goolsby. With the Vandals committing extra man to stop the rush after the second quarter, QB Carey Kaplan connected with wide receivers Ricardo Givens and Atari Munoz for two more touchdowns.

Bison DT Reginald Elbert (87) brings Idaho QB Chad Chalich (11) down from behind for a sack

On the other side of the ball, new defensive coordinator Robin Blake's defense absolutely stifled the Idaho offense giving up only two garbage time touchdowns but piling up nine team sacks. Coach Blake was unavailable for comment after the game but team captain and linebacker Ali Pettit said that the defense "felt great" and that "every one did their jobs."

Bison OLB Pat Dunbar (36) forces a fumble in the end zone that was picked up by Idaho HB James Baker (7)

"We knew after they got into the hole they would need points fast." Coach Chris Klieman said. "So they resorted to a pass only offense which allowed our defense to pin their ears back and rush the quarterback. It was what we wanted coming into this game."

Idaho HB James Baker (7) runs in untouched for a TD

Beating the Vandals allows the Bison to breathe a little bit and settle into FBS competition. However, Idaho has not been a good team for years and NDSU will have to keep the pedal to the metal when they visit Provo, Utah next week when they play the BYU Cougars.

Idaho TE Taylor Elmo (81) is wide open for the TD

Idaho Vandals at North Dakota State Bison
Aug 31, 2013	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Idaho Vandals (0-0)	0	7	0	7	14
North Dakota State Bison (0-0)	14	10	7	14	41

Team Stats Comparison
	IDHO	NDSU
Total Offense	192	539
Rushing Yards	29-11-1	41-257-3
Passing Yards	181	282
First Downs	12	21
Punt Return Yards	3	33
Kick Return Yards	59	62
Total Yards	254	634
Turnovers	0	1
3rd Down Converstion	3-12	6-12
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	4-2-0	7-3-2
Penalties	7-62	5-35
Posession Time	13:05	14:48

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		IDHO	NDSU
5:21	(NDSU) TD NDSU: D.Goolsby, 3 YD run (R.Bush kick)	0	7
1:23	(NDSU) TD NDSU: P.Latimer, 63 YD run (R.Bush kick)	0	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		IDHO	NDSU
1:51	(NDSU) TD NDSU: P.Latimer, 1 YD run (R.Bush kick)	0	21
1:32	(IDHO) TD Idaho: J.Baker, 0 YD run (R.Bush kick)	7	21
0:18	(NDSU) FG NDSU: R.Bush, 23 YD FG	7	24
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		IDHO	NDSU
1:33	(NDSU) TD NDSU: R.Givens, 13 YD pass from C.Kaplan (R.Bush kick)	7	31
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		IDHO	NDSU
1:03	(NDSU) FG NDSU: R.Bush, 18 YD FG	7	34
3:36	(NDSU) TD NDSU: A.Munoz, 49 YD pass from C.Kaplan (R.Bush kick)	7	41
2:24	(IDHO) TD Idaho: T.Elmo, 3 YD pass from C.Chalich (A.Rehkow kick)	14	41

Idaho Vandals PASSING C/A YDS TD INT C.Chalich 16-27 181 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD C.Chalich 16 -9 -0.5 0 J.Baker 13 20 1.5 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD R****nner 5 66 13.2 0 M.LaGrone 5 63 12.6 0 N.Lovett 4 44 11.0 0 T.Elmo 1 3 3.0 1 D.Epps 1 5 5.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD J.Martinez 10 0 0 0 M.Milan 9 0 0 0 D.Parham 5 0 0 0 O.Buckley 5 0 0 0 J.Jordan 5 0 0 0 S.Dixon 5 0 0 0 T.Williams 5 0 0 0 B.Njoku 5 0 0 0 C.Whitehead 3 0 0 0 M.Forde 3 1 0 0 R.Edwards 3 1 0 0 A.Rice 0 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG A.Rehkow 0-1 2-2 2 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 A.Rehkow 8 349 43.9 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD R,Runner 2 37 18.5 0 N.Lovett 1 22 22.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD R****nner 1 3 3.0 0

North Dakota State Bison PASSING C/A YDS TD INT C.Kaplan 18/31 282 2 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD P.Latimer 31 226 7.2 2 C.Kaplan 5 14 2.8 0 A.Munoz 2 6 3.0 0 R.Givens 2 8 4.0 0 D.Goolsby 1 3 3.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD A.Munoz 5 115 23.0 1 B.Redd 4 25 6.2 0 P.Latimer 3 18 6.0 0 R.Givens 3 58 19.3 1 G.Fisher 2 43 21.5 0 M.Duckett 1 23 23.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD C.Francis 8 0 0 0 A.Pettit 6 2 0 0 S.Swain 5 0 0 0 T.Briggs 4 0 0 0 S.Leslie 4 0 0 0 P.Dunbar 3 2 0 0 R.Elbert 3 2 0 0 T.Salyer 3 2 0 0 D.Brady 3 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG R.Bush 2-3 5-5 11 23 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 E.Mason 2 91 45.5 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD B.Redd 2 62 31.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD B.Redd 6 33 5.5 0

[TylerHL]

Holy Parker Latimer! He had 20x the rushing yards of the entire Idaho team

Nice first win.