UPA Coyotes Dynasty NCAA 04

[SalamiGrease]

I have a question for anyone who plays NCAA: is there a reason that some players seem to play far above their OVR? Nate Morant has been just going CRAZY so far, and he’s like 55 OVR, fourth on the depth chart. (I line up mostly in shotguns so he gets a lot of playing time.) And it’s not like I use money plays either, more often than not I just see some guy running 5 yards ahead of his defender, wide open, and when he catches it it’s Morant. The same could be said for Hector Morris, he’s around 58 OVR but plays like an 80 OVR. Is that me, the AI being bad, or some quirk I’m not aware of? I’ve checked the ratings and there’s nothing that seems to be special about them.


I used to think it was bad teams’ cornerbacks being trash, but as you’ll see he continued his success against Pitt. And again, I’m not choosing money plays or plays designed for him to get the ball.

[SalamiGrease]

UPA Plays Pitt Tough, But Can't Contain Playmakers in 56-21 Loss


Brandon Miree takes the rock to the house to put Pitt ahead, 14-7 in the first quarter.

The University of Pennsylvania-Altoona is a mere 98 miles away from the city of Pittsburgh, and evidently the short drive and prospects of a blowout win were enough to draw the Pitt faithful to tiny Mansion Park in droves. No one expected this game to be close, or even competitive, with a betting line starting at a whopping -45.5 in Pitt's favor. As the game approached and the rowdy Panther fans began to roar, coach Goss reminded his team that despite all of the pressure, despite everything the local media and their critics would say about them, that they were perfectly capable of winning this football game. And while this reporter didn't see agreement in the eyes of the Coyotes, the quiet confidence of the team as the left the tunnel left him with one impression: Whether an FCS school or National title contender was coming to Mansion Park, whether blowout or overtime thriller, no one was going to look forward to playing the steely-eyed, determined team that he just saw take the field.

And, despite the final score, I think I was right.

After a long run by Brandon Miree to start the game, cornerback Irwin Erwin's name once again showed up on the stat sheet with a spectacular pick, which gave the Coyotes the ball on just the second play from scrimmage. And, despite a fumble from Lamont Carter, the Coyotes were able to recover and score on a 3rd and Goal pass play. The game was 7-0, and the crowd was dying down. But if last week was any indicator, UPA would need to keep up the same level of play for the whole game, which was certainly not feasible. Pitt quickly responded with a 5 play touchdown drive, where the Panthers converted a 3rd and 6 with a long Miree run and then bombed the ball to Larry Fitzgerald for his first catch of the game and a 40 yard touchdown reception. And after 2 sacks on the ensuing possesion, Brandon Miree had another massive run and scored on the first play from 36 yards out. The first quarter came to an end, with Pitt up by a touchdown and all the momentum in the world.

But then the Coyotes remembered their intensity. They threw beautiful pass after beautiful pass, not moving the ball in sporadic bombs down the field but rather consistent chunks, as the #11 team's defense looked like the scout team. Eventually, they got their gameplan together and the Coyote drive ended after a big sack which put them back at the 17. Coach Goss was congratulating his players on the sideline for the effort, saying that "We were playing better than them. We were the better team in that moment." when asked about the drive after the game. But as he looked up, Keenan Lavin's chip-shot field goal turned wide left, and the crowd erupted in cheers. Pitt then took the ball and burned FS Leroy Morgan, who had a sure shot at a pick but miscalculated, barely missing the ball and allowing Fitzgerald another long TD. 21-7. The teams then traded blows, a three and out, an interception, a punt e.t.c until the Coyotes took over at their own 7 with 40 seconds and no timeouts.

Then the magic returned to Mansion Park, if only briefly. The Coyotes moved seemingly at will, with the Morant brothers each catching a pass, as well as the tight end pitching in to drive all the way to the Pitt 40, where a desperate 4th-and-10 pass went up from the collapsed pocket, as Hector Morris fell to the ground, and prayed that the blur of black he saw in the endzone would catch it...

And catch it he did. The blur's name was Nate Morant. And he came to give Larry Fitzgerald a run for his money. Even when the coyotes lost, Morant had a monster day, catching 10 balls for 117yards and 2 tds. And his brother was even better, going 8-148-1. The Coyotes celebrated as the clock ticked down to 8 on the ensuing kickoff. They were in this game, and they were ready to head into the locker room with momentum and a chance to tie the game. Everyone leaned forwards in their seats, ready for a thriller.

Everyone except for Larry Fitzgerald.

A fly route, a lob pass, and bad coverage. And, even though the score was not out of hand, the dancing figure in the end zone sucked all of the momentum and energy from the Coyotes. It was then, as the clock hit zero, that they truly lost.



Fitzgerald catches a miracle pass before halftime to put Pitt solidly into a lead which they would not relinquish.

And, after the break, the massacre continued. Fitzgerald had 1 touchdown catch with 75 yds, and Miree 80 yards in the 3rd quarter alone. 28 points were scored. And, while the Coyotes turned on the gas in the 4th quarter against the backups, it was far too little, far too late. 56-21, because of 1 bad quarter of football, and the navy jersey #1.

I sound awfully optimistic after that final score. And honestly, I can't not be. Hector Morris had crazy stats, especially considering he was pressured a whopping 18 times, with 4 sacks during the game. And the Coyotes really only played about 7 minutes of bad football, some in the 1st quarter, and then the 3rd quarter. Other than that, these teams were really even. And no matter the result of the game, UPA goes into Buffalo next week knowing that they can be competitive. And without Fitzgerald or Miree on the field... who knows what could happen?

Stay strong, Coyote faithful. Your heart will certainly need it this season.



A Pitt defender levels Lamont Carter in the backfield, as UPA amassed -24 rushing yards on the game, being forced to rely on the pass.

[RolePlayer]

Love these old dynasties shirts

[SalamiGrease]

Quote: Originally Posted by RolePlayer

Love these old dynasties shirts

Yeah there’s something about the old games that feels special. Don’t get me wrong, the newer NCAA games are great but I really love the vintage feel of 04.

[SalamiGrease]

WEEK 4 HEADLINES

SI Headline: Fight For Survival: Greene and the Bulldogs get ready for their matchup against SEC opponent LSU.

Notre Dame returns with a #12 ranking this weekend after a 34-17 stomping of rival Michigan in Ann Arbor. The Irish, coming into this season at #20 were written off as an OK team without much chance of even making a BCS bowl. There was also talk about how playing an independent schedule had made the team overrated. The Irish responded first by scheduling a very difficult list of matchups, and today they proved that they were up to winning games against top-notch competition. Ryan Grant had a huge day, taking 29 carries for 183 yards and 4 touchdowns, as he led the Irish to victory. Michigan halfback Chris Perry admitted after the game that the Wolverines were “simply out-powered. Their backs were tearing it up and they were winning the line of scrimmage, and we couldn’t do that at all today.” Notre Dame looks to continue their good start to the season against Michigan State in the Battle for the Megaphone, while Michigan will try to get back on track against the Oregon Ducks. The Wolverines are the second top-10 B1G team to fall to a non-conference opponent this year, and with Penn State and Purdue both having strong starts the B1G title might be much more competitive than projected.

In other news, Ohio State beat NC State in a battle of (so far) disappointing teams, and looked good enough that some speculate the Buckeyes have recovered from a 24-21, very sloppy performance against San Diego State last week. Maurice Clarett still sits atop the Heisman Watch, and you can’t count out the Buckeyes’ star power.

The Big 12 seems to be the strongest conference in the CFB, and its not even close. The #1, #3, and #4 spots all belong to that conference, which also boasts Texas A&M, Missouri, Colorado, and Nebraska as very strong or undefeated teams. Even Kansas is 3-1, and playing good football. If this dominance on the field and presumably on the recruiting trail continues, Oklahoma, Texas, and KSU could easily become the nation’s top 3 programs.

[SalamiGrease]

I’ve adjusted certain sliders to make the game a bit more balanced (if not easier) ahead of the Buffalo game. With how bad the team was combined with certain sliders I had on, several aspects of the game were completely negated. Specifically, I have about an average of about 2-3.5 seconds to make a throwing decision before I get sacked, even against bad teams. Offensive linemen often don’t even make contact with their assigned defender before they get to the quarterback. 60 or 50 OVR halfbacks regularly break multiple tackles on every play. And, in addition, I am now passing almost every play because the run game is so difficult that I find it almost impossible to get even a 3 yard gain. So I am turning up blocking sliders for myself, a couple of defensive adjustments, and am making certain adjustments to the CPU offense, specifically in catching and accuracy for the QB. It might get a little easier, I haven’t really tested it yet, but I’d rather get blown out 50-0 and deserve it than get blown out 24-0 because of circumstances beyond my control. I legitimately could not physically throw the ball before I got sacked on some plays, even without play action. It was ridiculous. Hopefully the new sliders will provide some more realistic stats and gameplay.

[SalamiGrease]

UPA (0-3) vs Buffalo (1-2) Game Preview

The UPA Coyotes will face off against the Buffalo Bulls this weekend in Buffalo. Both teams are having a rough start to the year. The Bulls are led by their halfback, Aaron Leeper, who has amassed 400 yards on the year, and Randall Secky, who has gained 800 yards through the air in 3 games. The Bulls look to use their rushing attack to move up the field, and are most likely going to be using formations which the Coyotes have not seen before and are probably not prepared for. The Bulls run the flexbone, and given the Coyotes’ tendency to miss tackles and give up long touchdown runs, one successful misdirection play could be a killing blow. When UPA is in possession, they are going to need to keep passing the ball. Hector Morris is on fire, and is just about 50 yards short of 1000 on the year. Establishing a run game would be nice, but it is impractical and the Coyotes have established a good chemistry with the pass-only attack. For the Bulls to stop them, they’ll need to play a lot of Cover 2 and Cover 3, to keep the Coyote deep threats in check and send an extra linebacker or D-back to put even more pressure on the atrocious O-line.

Coyotes’ keys to victory: Get the pass game going early, don’t let misdirection plays put them behind early.

Bulls’ keys to victory: Abuse the Coyotes’ poor blocking and tackling, and keep possession away from Hector Morris to minimize chances of a comeback.

Prediction: UPA 27, Buffalo 26. The game is going to be windy, and the Bulls’ kicker is having a bad season. They miss an extra point, and a 4th-quarter comeback culminates with a short field goal as time expires to give the Coyotes their first victory in program history.

[SalamiGrease]

WEEK 4 TOP 25 POLL