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

[Hellisan]

Re: The Coaching Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)




2013/2014:The Idaho Vandals delivered great news to their fans when they were selected to join the Mountain West conference alongside BYU for the 2014/2015 season. Predicted by the Idaho Statesman to win two games, they instead managed to win five games on the season. The Vandals beat North Texas 37-34 to start the season thanks to stout defense in the second half and forcing a pair of short field goals in the fourth quarter. The team played well against a more talented Wyoming team but ultimately lost in overtime, 42-49. Northern Illinois powered through Idaho by the final score of 23-47 and eventually won the National Championship on the legs and arm of Heisman Trophy Winner Jordan Lynch. In Week 4, Washington State threw for 450 yards in taking down the Vandals 23-34. Homecoming was week 5 against Temple and the team responded with a comeback 34-31 win with Austin Rehkow kicking the game-winning field goal as time expired. The Vandals simply could not keep up with the vaunted air attack of Fresno State as Derek Carr threw for 420 yards and Idaho lost 25-48. The worst two games of the season ensued, as the Vandals were pummeled 5-48 by as surprisingly talented Arkansas State team, then after a bye week traveled to Ole Miss where they were humiliated for a payday, 14-70. The final third of the season was expected to be the easy part and the Vandals were able to pick up three wins in four games, beating Texas State 28-25 in overtime, dominating Old Dominion 44-10, losing at Florida 13-48, and prevailing against New Mexico State in Las Cruces, 34-27. Ultimately, Coach Clark was very happy with the outcome. Wide receiver Dezmon Epps was named team MVP.

[Hellisan]

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


Coaching Carousel Coverage

Cal: Sonny D\/kes C- Fired. Hired Rod Carey, A+ NIU
Coach Clark Private Comment: Will be interesting to see how Carey's spread rushing attack fits in the Pac-12.

Arkansas: Bret Bielema C+ Fired. Hired Tommy Tuberville, A+ Cincinnati
Coach Clark Private Comment: Bielema can outcoach Tuberville in his sleep, he needed more time to recover the program.

Iowa: Kirk Ferentz C+ Fired. Bob Cole A+, NIU OC hired for the job
Coach Clark Private Comment: Iowa had a tough season, but still would think Ferentz deserved benefit of the doubt.

Cincinnati: Hires Art Caufman, DC Cincinnati

Utah: Kyle Whittingham C+ Fired after 4-8 season. Hired Jay Niemann A, DC NIU
Coach Clark Private Comment: Didn't take long for NIU to get picked apart.

Virginia: Mike London C- Fired after 1-11 season. Hired David Bailiff, A, HC Rice
Coach Clark Private Comment: I don't believe anyone can say London didn't get enough time.

NIU: Hires former Utah State Head Coach Matt Wells, A-

Purdue: Fires Darrell Hazell C- after 1-11 season. Hires Dave Clawson, Bowling Green, B+
Coach Clark Private Comment: Purdue is a coaching graveyard. How many hires ago was Danny Hope now?

[Hellisan]

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




Players Leaving Early: 0
Players Graduating: 15 - Profiles Below





OLB Travis Parrish - Utah State
6'3" 225 - Hometown: West Bountiful, Utah
68 OVR, 79 SPD, 79 ACC, 76 TAK, 75 BSH

We have accepted this application. He should be an upgrade provided he finds a starting role.

[R1zzo23]

Re: The Coaching Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

Just read through this entire thread over the last hour. Wow this is some great stuff! I love the layout you have created here. You use the pics nicely with the writeups and add in the game previews and recaps and this dynasty is gold! You go into a great amount of detail as well. Can't wait to see what the next season brings.

[Hellisan]

Re: The Coaching Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

Just read through this entire thread over the last hour. Wow this is some great stuff! I love the layout you have created here. You use the pics nicely with the writeups and add in the game previews and recaps and this dynasty is gold! You go into a great amount of detail as well. Can't wait to see what the next season brings.

Very kind words from you Rizzo and really appreciated. Thank you for taking a look and some of your time to give me feedback. Normally I will not post a reply unless there's a question or something (I will just hit the thumbs up) and always appreciate responses and people reading. The fact that there are no new games on the way, while disappointing, has allowed me to do something different than my normal wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am and I'm enjoying it.

[Hellisan]

Re: The Coaching Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)




Idaho has officially signed 18 players, and is listed with the #108 class in the nation. It appears that there are a couple stragglers on the board that I did not recruit, including a 3-star, and I will evaluate those players and make decisions... They may be part of cuts or we may let them on as walk-ons. Altogether the class is listed with (3) three stars, (15) two stars, and (2) one star recruits.



Notable Signings

G Mata'ala Maulalo - 6-5, 283 - The Vandals were happy to sign this solid blocker from Hawaii. While nothing special, he could develop nicely.

JUCO MLB Dan Wilcox - 5-9, 249 - In off the record discussions, Clark has indicated Wilcox is the type of player he would have loved to have for four years, but the most he'll get is two. Wilcox has gotten his grades in order and is just a freak of an athlete given his fire hydrant shape. He has incredible speed, acceleration and agility for a linebacker his size, and has knocked out a couple of opponents this year.

T Carl Tillman - 6-4, 312 - A tackle who specializes in pass blocking, Tillman will likely redshirt but is a player the team will be tempted to start. He is very solid all around although he is not physically dominant. The kind of player who really benefits with a redshirt season.

T Dan King - 6-1, 275 - One of the top players on our board all season long due to his excellent strength, King has the size of a center. There is some possibility he will be moved to either a guard or center position, but we don't want to hurt his development too much in doing so. With Idaho currently holding his only visit he appears to be a lock.

CB Terrance Rhodes - 6-0, 183 - Solid speed and athleticism to go with good height and solid coverage abilities. We haven't gotten a handle on his abilities in zone coverage since his high school rarely played him in that type of coverage. Nevada and Utah State are in play, although the Vandals have a decent sized lead and Rhodes indicates playing time - something Idaho can offer - is his #1 priority.

G Curtis Booker - 6-4, 287 - Doesn't have a ton of brute strength but is a great funcational athlete for his size and has good blocking skills. With a huge lead in the recruiting battle and the ability to offer him playing time, it appears Booker will be a Vandal. He's exactly the type of player Coach Clark would like to redshirt and get into the program.

OLB Josh Smith - 6-3, 228 - Idaho isn't exactly looking to make a pipeline out of Alaska despite the fun plays on words that are available. Josh Smith is a player the team felt had promise early, and feel he can be a very solid player for the team after a redshirt season. He was originally a 59, scouted to a 66.

JUCO WR Kevin Cooper - 6-3, 200 - A receiver with a nice sized frame who has incredible acceleration and leaping ability, Cooper is a player that needs some work but as a JUCO guy with playing time as his priority, may not get it. His hands are iffy but he runs spectacular routes. Idaho is his only scheduled visit.

SS Tommy Williams - 6-6, 207 - Williams is a 60 OVR scouted to a 64, but we believe he can be a pretty effective player. While not good in man coverage, he's solid in zone and with his 6-6 frame and solid jumping ability, the team feels he could be in on a lot of plays by the time he's a junior or senior, assuming playing time.

DT Eric Mitchell - 5-11, 286 - The Vandals jumped on Mitchell late, due to the lack of interest he was receiving from other teams. (He is the allotted 3-star player we can recruit after week 5). There's no guarantee the Vandals will end up with him as he would much rather play for a big name school.

TE Dedrick Wilson - Size wise, he profiles as more of a fullback and his skills also lead us in that direction. We bended the recruiting rules to get this player as he was out of the area.

ATH David Davis - We suspect he is a TE being graded as something else. He might be a big find for us but we're not sure.

FB Mark Langford - We began to panic because we were not favored to land Langford (hence reaching to a far away state to sign Dedrick Wilson... Against recruiting rules. However, we ended up getting to the offseason and dumping points into him and getting him. We don't think he's all that great.

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: The Coaching Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

Decent recruiting class, looks like you have pieces to build on and that's always good. Never was a fan of NCAA randomly signing players for you, especially when it forces your roster size to go over 70. Good luck next season.

[Hellisan]

Re: The Coaching Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

Player Improvement - One thing about having the work ethic and varied improvement is it gives you a real good reason to cut players. You're always going to have a lot of players that have crappy Work ethic rating and they are prime targets for eviction. No graphics for this one!

Player (Improvement) New OVR
Zach Cable (12) 71
Ryan Edwards (11) 72
Broc Westlake (10) 70
Delency Parham (9) 74
Kristoffer Olugbode (8) 75
Jordan Grabski (8) 68
Trent Cowan (7) 70
Brandon Wells (7) 66
Marc Millan (7) 74
Spencer Beale (7) 73
Deon Watson (7) 76
Chad Chalich (6) 80
Justin Podrabsky (6) 68
Andrew Williams (5) 68
Maxx Forde (5) 82
Jake Manley (5) 66
Brett Thompson (5) 67
Mason Woods (5) 65
Anthony Rice (4) 70
Eric Lemke (4) 65
Quinton Bradley (4) 64
Jordan Edginton (4) 62
Chris Featherstone (3) 69
Alex Stork (3) 62
Ben Westrum (3) 59
Jesse Davis (3) 63
Jerrel Brown (2) 72
Solomon Dixon (2) 72
Matthew Neal (2) 61
Marius Burgsmueller (2) 63
James Randall (1) 63
Dezmon Epps (1) 83
Cody Elenz (1) 69
Nick Edenfield (1) 62
Jacob Sannon (1) 66
Bradley Njoku (0) 75
Jayshawn Jordan (0) 66
Richard Montgomery (0) 70
Juan Martinez (0) 65
Eric Tuipulotu (-1) 61
Joshua McCain (-1) 64
A.J. Harris (-2) 58
Dallas Sandberg (-2) 66
Austin Rehkow (-3) 86
Matt Linehan (-3) 65
Mike Marboe (-3) 68
D'Mario Carter (-4) 58
Armond Hawkins (-4) 58
Tueni Luepamanu (-4) 56


Cuts
Austin Decoud FR (RS)
Khayree Womack JR
Desmond Banks FR
Tueni Luepamanu FR
Rueben Mwehla FR

three of these guys declined by 5 points (the max) in the offseason. They became obvious targets to remove from the team. I meant to cut the two crappy "walk on" players before any of them, but... bygones.

[Hellisan]

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



Offense Needs to Play Well in 2014

J.D. Clark enters 2014 fresh off a 5-win season, coming off 2-10 and 1-11 seasons in 2011 and 2012. The team is slightly improved in 2014, but the recruiting class was unimpressive according to most sources. The team looks slightly better at most positions this year, but has 19 seniors, many of whom will be heavily relied upon this year.

This is a team that continues to be in flux. The five wins of a year ago did almost nothing to improve the state of the team, according to Clark.

"Other than job security in my case, there's very little difference between going 1-11 and 5-7," said Clark. "Prestige wise, we're no better off than we were. We need to get to a bowl game. For us, that means six wins minimum, and in some cases we might need seven. We've really got our work cut out for us."

The offense looks quite a bit better than last season at the skill positions. Chad Chalich has improved a lot from last season when he threw for over 2,500 yards and 20 TD. He looks to improve upon his 300 rushing yards from last season as well. There are at trio of running backs that are just as talented as last year's starter. Finally, there are three adequate targets, including last season's Biletnikoff contender at wide receiver.

On defense, the most improved part of the team is expected to be the linebacker corps. The team has added athletic talent in a JUCO transfer and has improved through depth. The defensive line looks to be improved as well, where Maxx Forde hopes to improve upon his 12 sacks - in limited action - from a year ago.

Once again, Clark has no predictions.

"Not to get repetitive, but it just doesn't matter what I say. I think the team is improved. We have to do it on the field. We don't play quite as many lower level teams this year of similar talent levels as ours, but we don't have as many completely unwinnable games either. It's time for the squad to strap it up."




News and Notes

Three players are injured to start the season. Williams and Manley are the two starters, and Manley's absence will push Mark Langford into a playing role to start the season. Williams will be sorely missed as he is the best option at SS and we're playing a vastly superior team to begin with.

OLB Eric Tuipulotu - 61 OVR - Foot - Season
SS Tommy Williams - 64 OVR - Shoulder - 1 Week
FB Jake Manley - 66 OVR - Calf - 6 Weeks

[Hellisan]

Re: The Coaching Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)








We weren't able to improve our team prestige with a 5-win season. We're going to need a bowl berth in order to get that 2 star prestige. That will be a serious challenge to accomplish this year and seems unlikely with the schedule we play.

Another thought... Look at the 3-star group, which represents a whopping 44% of the class... Whereas 2-star prospects represents just 12% of the class. As I'm looking for players to put on my board, I see a ton of really low-rated 3-star guys that my rules indicate I cannot touch, and sometimes there's no 2-star guys at a certain position in my pipeline to begin with. Therefore I'm having to bend the rules in certain situations. I'm not going to go off just recruiting maverick style ala multi-player, but I've got to have a talent pool to draw from and sometimes there aren't any 2-star guys available. I'd rather bend the rules and sign a few low rated 3-star guys that don't fall within my rules that are within my pipelines, than draw 2-star players from far away states. That's where I'm at right now.



The top three players on the list all have us rated #1. I predict Eric Lawson will be among the best 2-3 quarterbacks in this class, so we're poking around despite the fact that his interest in us isn't all that great. It would probably constitute a pretty major recruiting violation for me to sign a guy like that, but I'm interested to see how fierce the competition is on him. We probably will take Joey Marshall off the list. As much as we try to sign any Idaho talent that's available, we already signed a well below average running back from in state last season. If he scouts up a bit it may make it more worthwhile but it's unlikely. Alex Foreman looks like a monster fullback. Marcus Blount might be the Eric Lawson of the outside linebackers. I'm tempted!!!




MLB Broc Westlake - 1st Team All American - awkward that he'll be moving positions but he can move back if need be
WR Dezmon Epps - 2nd Team All American






The move to the Mountain West, along with BYU, maintains the integrity of the conference from the perspective that all teams in the West are in the Pacific Time zone, while all teams in the Mountain division are in the Mountain Time zone. From the OVR/OFF/DEF rating perpsective, we are the worst team in the conference, but there are four other teams in the conference that are within 7 points of us OVR wise. We play three of them this season and have two very low-rated teams on the schedule in Georgia Southern and Idaho State, so we need to somehow win all of those, then steal an additional win or two somewhere to get into a bowl game. It won't be easy.

[R1zzo23]

Re: The Coaching Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

There are a ton of graphic-intensive dynasties around here but I really love your simple, yet greatly effective, layouts. Do you use Excel to make them?

[Hellisan]

Re: The Coaching Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

There are a ton of graphic-intensive dynasties around here but I really love your simple, yet greatly effective, layouts. Do you use Excel to make them?

Thanks man. I tried to make it as simple as possible since anytime I try and get fancy it just looks dumb. It depends on what it is, if it's a header (like a graphic) it's done in photoshop.

If it's a box score / game preview / roster overview that's done in excel yes. Game reports (story section) are done in word and then just print screened/pasted as an image.

[Hellisan]

Re: The Coaching Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)


Preseason Report

[kswgrad2012]

Re: The Coaching Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

Well, looks like I'm back to work here on OS. Anyway, here's to a good season for the Vandals.

[Hellisan]

Re: The Coaching Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)








Gainesville, FL – In a game where the playing field seemed to be leveled by soupy conditions, the Florida Gators managed a gutty 4th quarter comeback and staved off what would have been an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Idaho Vandals. Cornerback Vernon Hargreaves put the nail in the coffin of the Vandals with an interception for a touchdown and an interception on the next offensive play to put Gator fans at rest in the final minutes.

Idaho was surprisingly effective in the early going. Florida was held to punts on its first two possessions before the Vandals put together a drive engineered by backup quarterback Matt Linehan. Linehan was playing because Chad Chalich was knocked out of the game for a half on a brutal hit by Florida linebacker Antonio Morrison. Linehan completed four nice passes on the first touchdown drive with Kristoffer Olugbode getting the touchdown from three yards out on a pitch play.

The teams traded field goals on consecutive drives to start the second quarter before quarterback Jeff Driskel tied the game on a 49-yard option keeper, embarrassing first year JUCO transfer Dan Wilcox on the play. It was one of two or three bad plays by Wilcox, and it will be interesting to see if he can keep his starting job. The Vandals mounted another drive before the half that was maintained on 4th and 2 by a successful fake punt, and Austin Rehkow kicked a short field goal to make it 13-10 Vandals at halftime.

The Vandals started the second half with the ball and Rehkow nailed a 53-yard field goal for a 16-10 lead. Driskel led the Gators on another quick drive, throwing a 13-yard touchdown strike as the Gators took the lead for the first time at 17-16.

Idaho took control of the game for the next full quarter of action, from the 3:00 mark in the 3rd Quarter until the 3:16 mark of the 4th. They kicked two field goals and forced the Gator offense to turn the ball over on downs.

Down 22-17 Driskel kickstarted the Gators with another long option keeper, once again eluding Wilcox in the process. From there he threw a perfect 25-yard touchdown strike, then completed a pass for a two-point conversion to give the Gators a 25-22 lead.

Coach Clark and the Vandals believed they still had a great chance to at least send the game to overtime with one of the strongest legs in football at their disposal. However, only two plays into the would-be game tying drive, Chalich made a bad read and was intercepted by Hargreaves, who was on a dead run toward the end zone. Despite the catch happening on the short side of the field, Hargreaves was able to sneak into the end zone as Chalich made the tackle.

With a 10-point deficit, Chalich got aggressive and went in Hargreaves direction again. Once again, he made the Vandal QB pay with a great interception, outleaping 6’3” wide receiver Kevin Cooper downfield.