[Cheese2121]

Quote: Originally Posted by RyanLeaf16

Remember that one time Ball State was ranked a handful of years ago?

I had to look back but that would be 2008. They started off the season 12-0 before losing their final two games. They made it as high as number 12 in the polls. And interestingly enough their head coach was Brady Hoke (who is also a Ball State alum). Needless to say they have fallen off quite a bit since then. Last season (2011) they went 0-12 and have only won a single game this season. Thanks for checking in Leaf!

Quote: Originally Posted by Deegeezy

Nice little winning streak you've put together here after such a slow start. You really have that running game cranking. Loving the detail you're putting into everything, especially the "Around the NCAA" stuff. I haven't been able to do that much on my dynasty report but reading yours makes me re-realize just how much more it adds to the immersion.

Thank you my good friend. Definitely a nice start for us in conference play. The out of conference schedule was particularly unforgiving. We got to face some of the weaker portions of the MAC here early on before getting into the meat of our schedule. This four game stretch (Western Michigan, Temple, Miami, and Northern Illinois) is really going to dictate the kind of season we have.

I really enjoy doing the around the league things and watching the other games each week. I actually will frequently come home from school and turn on a game in the background as I get a nap or do work around the house. It really all just adds to the immersion of it for me, which makes me love it even more.

Always appreciate you checking in!

Quote: Originally Posted by mattrd39

I know you said you struggle against the spread, but your defense seemed to really clamp down in the second half to only give up the near garbage-time TD. With Kinsman Thomas kind of struggling (or maybe he's just suffering from poor QB play?), nice to see you have another threat in Nick Vaughn. I don't think I've ever had a player averaging even close to 25 yards per catch. With him and Robert Thomas it looks like you have a pair of big-play guys at the skill positions as freshmen. Just get those lines built up, find yourself a QB and EMU will be a MAC powerhouse before their careers are over.

Agreed. The defense really stiffened up in the second half and once we were able to get some pressure on Page things started to get better. I will admit I was more than a little worried after the 24 points we surrendered in the first half. Luckily our offense was able to keep pace. I think the main reason we struggle against some of the spread offenses is that: one we don't have the depth to match the skill positions spread across the field; and two we don't have the speed to not get caught horribly out of position when they combine it with a no-huddle look.

Vaughn has been nothing short of incredible during his freshman year and kind of has me going Kinsman who? at this point. Kinsman Thomas's struggles, while I am sure can be somewhat blamed on quarterback play, have also been a lot of his own doing. He is just getting zero separation and he is leading the team in drops, which is very frustrating. Vaughn on the other hand is creating great separation, despite not being that much faster and is a matchup nightmare with his height (6'5"). I am very excited to see him and Thomas continue to lead our offense for seasons to come. Like you said, the next job is continuing to build the trenches. Thanks for following along!

Quote: Originally Posted by jct32

What happened Oklahoma, smh!

I certainly was not expecting that kind of performance from the number two team in the country. They just came out and lay a dud against Texas. This is the second season too that the Sooners have fallen off after high expectations. The Big12 is getting very competitive. Thanks for checking in!

Quote: Originally Posted by mon0poly

Nice win Cheese. Suprised Ball State is struggling so badly, if I remember correctly they were a force in the MAC around the early 2010s. As everyone before me said, your HTML is superb on the NCAA round-up. Screw becoming a surgeon, you may have a future in UX design . Following as always, good to see you still around doing your thing!

Thank you for the kind words and for checking in my friend. Very happy to have you along for the ride. I appreciate the kind words about the HTML. It is a hobby of mine but I am still very much an infant compared to many. I have really had a lot of fun putting together this Around the NCAA piece.

Ball State had their famous 12-2 season in 2008 where they climbed as high as #12 in the polls. Since that they have gone 2-10 and 4-8 in 2009, 2010 respectively. Since this report started they went 0-12 in the first season (2011) and now have just a single win in 2012. Needless to say they have really been hurting since the departure of Hoke.

Thank you again!